The ramblings of a bibliophile.
We’ve all felt like we’re a little in the “between”. Which means that a story about this feeling makes total sense, and is a completely relatable feeling. Alright, the paranormal, drifty feel of the story isn’t as relatable. But that in between, lost ideal is.
I’ve always imagined reincarnation as a bit of a circle – alright, in my head it’s a seriously squiggly, knotted line. But, it joins up at either end in a never ending loop, so it’s kind of like a circle. Which means that a story in which this rebirth has been interrupted… it was kind of quickly going to pull me in.
Victorian literature is filled with some seriously unhappy endings. So it was really nice to read a short story that gives many of these not-so-happily-ever-afters a much better ending. One that was a quaint village, a nice living and no drama, murder or mayhem. I think that it’s something we’ve all wanted to do when we’re reading one of those not so happy classics…
The third instalment in the A Series of Unfortunate Events series is just as hilariously tragic as the rest of the books. It is filled with everything and anything you could possibly think of going wrong. Which is exactly what you should be expecting by this point in the series. Yet, its still pleasantly surprising and somewhat brilliant in all of its horrible glory. Especially since, whilst you know that everything is going to go wrong… you’re not entirely sure how it will go so awry.
This is quite possibly the first ever non-creepy snake story that I’ve ever read. Actually, it’s the first ever story which I’ve read in which snakes aren’t evil, kind of cute, and a lot of fun. The Baudelaire children in fact are very sad to leave the snake house (which they must because this is A Series of Unfortunate Events and nothing good every happens).
This is a super, super dark retelling of Cinderella. One that made me question my own beautifully well known Disney version (and other happily-ever-after retellings). Not necessarily the version I would be telling my children, but definitely one that I seriously enjoyed and look forward to picking up again and again.
This novel is intense, stunning and completely unforgettable. Most of the time I find memoirs relatively easy to put down, but that really wasn’t the case with this one. I looked forward to crawling into bed every night to read a few chapters before turning of the light and laying my head down. There was just something about the writing, the story and the fun tangents throughout that drew me in from the very beginning.
This story is incredibly twisted and confusing. I’m still not entirely sure what went on, and didn’t overly enjoy it. However, I did love the darkness that seeped through the pages. There was a lot of death, darkness and twisted, monstrous minds throughout this story. And for that alone I would probably reread this multiple times. I like my stories dark and twisted.
This novel was nothing like what I expected. Probably because I expected it to be like the movie that I saw when I was much younger. Tip: this is NOTHING like the movie. It’s brilliant, and engaging and not the kind of story that I’m going to forget, but I may as well have had no connection between the movie and the book – because there is really nothing common between the two.
I only recognised that this was about Henry the VIII’s first wife, Catherine of Aragon because I read Falling Pomegranate Seeds. Which is amazing (read it). But, since I’m not all that well versed and, quite frankly, interested in Tudor History, I wouldn’t have really clicked as to what this story was actually about. Having said that, even if I hadn’t. I still would have thoroughly enjoyed it. It’s obviously a story about a historical figure, and it has a beautiful dose of the paranormal. Both things which always draw me in. Actually, I’m finding that the short stories in the lead up to Kitty and the Midnight Hour are so far beautifully able to mention historical moments that are quite well known. But in a oh so subtle way.
