Tag Archives: Easy Reading

The Jungle Book by Rudyard Kipling

Book Review, , , ,
Overview
Image result for word cloud classics jungle book book cover

Title: The Jungle Book
Author: Rudyard Kipling
Series: Word Cloud Classics
Rating Out of 5: 4 (Really good read!)
My Bookshelves: Classics, Easy reading, Fantasy
Pace: Slow
Format: Novel
Publisher: Word Cloud Classics
Year: 1894
5th sentence, 74th page: What’s that?” said Sea Vitch, and he struck the next walrus a blow with his tusks and waked him up, and the next struck the next, and so on till they were all awake and staring in every direction but the right one.

Synopsis

Penned by English Nobel laureate Rudyard Kipling in 1894, The Jungle Book is a collection of allegorical stories that take place in the Indian jungle. The most famous stories of The Jungle Book are those featuring a young boy named Mowgli who was raised by wolves, is friends with a panther, and was educated by the animals of the jungle. Also popular in this collection is “Rikki-Tikki-Tavi,” about a mongoose who protects his human family against cobras. This edition also features tales from Kipling’s Just So Stories. These origin fables answer many questions about why things are the way they are, and readers will delight in tales like “How the Rhinoceros Got His Skin,” “The Beginning of the Armadillos,” and “How the First Letter Was Written.” A treasure trove of children’s literature, The Jungle Book and Other Stories from the Word Cloud Classics series is a chic and affordable addition to any library.

Thoughts

I had no idea what to expect from The Jungle Book. I’d honestly only ever watched the Disney movie and hadn’t read any blurbs attached to Kipling’s writing. It was just one of my many impulsive moments where I picked up the book, ready to read it and unsure of what to expect. Which was nice, because I also didn’t have any huge expectations placed upon the words. My main expectation was just that it would be about Mowgli, which was wrong.

I did wonder how an entire book about a man cub would turn out, and I’m actually really glad that this wasn’t the case in any way, shape or form. I loved that there were only about half a dozen short stories (or chapters) devoted to Mowgli, and the rest were a series of stories and poems based all across the Indian countryside. It made me feel like I was transported to a different place and a different time. Learning about how things were in a fantastical land that is part fact, and part fiction.

This is definitely going to be one of those classics that I’ll pick up again and again and again, and I’ll probably find something new and interesting to say about it each time. A new story or meaning that I wasn’t able to pick up on before.

<- The Legend of Sleepy Hollow and Other StoriesThe Phantom of the Opera ->

Image source: Amazon

Wizard’s Apprentice by Delia Sherman

Book Review, , , , ,
Overview
Image result for troll's-eye view book cover

Title: Wizard’s Apprentice
Author: Delia Sherman
In: Troll’s-Eye View (Ellen Datlow & Terri Windling)
Rating Out of 5: 4 (Really good read!)
My Bookshelves: Easy reading, Fairy tales, Villains, Wizards
Pace: Medium
Format: Short story
Publisher: Firebird Fantasy
Year: 2009
5th sentence, 74th page: And leave your boots by the door.

Synopsis

The evil wizard in the bookshop is about to take on a new apprentice, but their relationship is not all as it seems.

Thoughts

This short story made me smile. It’s a great start to a collection of villain-based rewritings of fairy tales. For starters, the evil wizard that is a pretty common standpoint of many fairy tales and modern retellings is not at all what you would expect. The apprentice (who I thought was going to be eaten or turned into a toad) is from the background that I was anticipating, but the actual apprentice himself wasn’t even remotely who I thought he would be.

This is the second short story that I have read by Delia Sherman, and something about her writing manages to infuse a subtle, cheeky sense of humour into her tale telling. Wizard’s Apprentice is a little less subtle than the other stories I’ve read by her, but it still has that great twisting joy that I’m beginning to associate with her name. It’s especially joyful and obvious at the conclusion of the short stories, there is a fun and entertaining twist that leaves a happy little smile lingering across my lips.

<- Troll’s-Eye ViewAn Unwelcome Guest ->

Image source: Amazon

Jimmy Krinklepot and the White Rebels of Hayberry by Quincy J. Allen

Book Review, , ,
Overview
A Fantastic Holiday Season

Title: Jimmy Krinklepot and the White Rebels of Hayberry
Author: Quincy J. Allen
In: A Fantastic Holiday Season (Kevin J. Anderson & Keith J. Olexa)
Rating Out of 5: 3 (On the fence about this one)
My Bookshelves: Christmas, Easy reading
Pace: Slow
Format: Short story
Publisher: World Fire Press
Year: 2014
5th sentence, 74th page: The handle plugged into a brass housing adorned by thick coils of wire on each side.

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Synopsis

Jimmy Krinklepot is a young man with some big ideas. Ideas that tend to get him in trouble with the law… but, they could also save his town and his future too.

Thoughts

It took me a little while to get into this story – actually, I basically skim read the entire tale. Not because it was bad, but it just wasn’t my style. And it didn’t feel as Christmasy as I was expecting. Yes, it is based around Christmas, and has some of the hallmarks of a Christmas-time story, but it wasn’t filled with the intensity of the spirit like many of the other stories in this collection.

I really enjoyed the fact that the lead in this short story was a young boy – one that is an inventor and immensely smart. I especially love the constant comments about the ways in which he uses his “grey matter” whenever a problem comes up. It’s a reminder that being intelligent isn’t always a bad thing, and, ultimately, it’s what saves the day.

 <- The Longest Night ReviewMidnight Trains Review ->
Image source: Goodreads

When Water Sang Fire by Leigh Bardugo

Book Review, , , , , ,
Overview
Image result for the language of thorns book cover

Title: When Water Sang Fire
Author: Leigh Bardugo
Series: The Language of Thorns (Leigh Bardugo)
In: Grishaverse Companion
Rating Out of 5: 5 (I will read this again and again and again)
My Bookshelves: Easy reading, Fairy tales, Fantasy, Illustrated
Pace: Medium
Format: Short story
Publisher: Imprint
Year: 2017
5th sentence, 74th page: The sands turned black and the waters froze and never warmed again, so now all the exist there are whaling villages and the few brave souls who can bear such empty places.

Synopsis

In this retelling of the wicked witch from The Little Mermaid, Ulla is a poor girl with a beautiful voice. But tragedy is about to strike, and twist her into something a little more bitter.

Thoughts

Holy crap.

Holy crap.

Holy crap

This was not expected. And it took me way longer to realise how this related to The Little Mermaid than I would like. Especially since I’m an incredibly big fan of the story (both the Disney version and Hans Christian Anderson’s version).

This is a story of creation. Not of The Little Mermaid, but how the evil with (Ursula) came about. And now I’m completely on her side, and can’t believe that there was ever any doubt as to the validity of Ursula (or in this case Ulla’s) point of view…

I want to say all these amazing and meaningful things about this story. But honestly, my entire reaction to this is simply HOLY CRAP.

<- The Soldier PrinceShadow and Bone ->

Image source: The Grishaverse Wiki

The Nanny Diaries by Nicola Kraus & Emma McLaughlin

Book Review, , , , ,
Overview
Image result for the nanny diaries book cover

Title: The Nanny Diaries
Author: Nicola Kraus & Emma McLaughlin
Series: Nanny #1
Rating Out of 5: 4.5 (Amazing, but not quite perfect)
My Bookshelves: Chic lit, Contemporary, Easy reading
Pace: Fast
Format: Novel
Publisher: Penguin Books
Year: 2002
5th sentence, 74th page: I take a little bit of pleasure from the fact that Mrs. X is forced to lean across and pin the card on Grayer herself as she has the use of all ten of her fingers.

Buy The Book Now at The Book Depository, Free Delivery World Wide
Synopsis

Nan has a tricky relationship with her employer, Mrs X.
A non-existent relationship with Mr X.
But she loves their little boy to pieces.

In between looking after four-year-old Grayer and running a thousand errands for Mrs X, his rich, uptight Manhattanite mother, Nan is trying to have a life. There’s college, shopping, her friends, her cat George. And the gorgeous Harvard boy from the sixth floor…

But the X family’s dramas keep intruding – visits from Mr X’s predatory mistress, catastrophic family outings and, as a final straw, the case of the marriage-drawing panties. As Divorce looms, Nan realizes how attached she’s become to the Xs’ underloved son – and how nannying has become more than just a job.

Funny, touching and true-to-life, The Nanny Diaries is a modern-day Mary Poppins story – with attitude.

Thoughts

The last few seems to involve a lot of me watching old favourite movies and realising that they were originally a novel of some kind. And The Nanny Diaries was one of these… so it was immensely exciting to find the novel and bury my nose in it.

Although the key points of the storyline kept very close to the movie, there was a lot more sass and emotional turmoil throughout the novel. Mostly I loved the sass. Nan is completely aware of the position she’s put in, and she’s not impressed. Which of course, makes her incredibly pithy and sarcastic in many of her internal monologue moments. My biggest frustration with the movie was that the main character seemed to be a little more willing to handle the craziness of the X’s. Although she’s still more than willing to put up with this in the novel, she constantly crabby and has multiple mental-break-down moments. So much more realistic (but then, the books always are).

You can tell that The Nanny Diaries is written by someone who actually used to be a nanny. There is a level of realism and authenticity to the story that I would never be able to create. And it is a great introduction to a world that I know nothing about. And, honestly, never will. Normally when I visit foreign worlds in the pages of a book, it is off to some fantasy land like Narnia or Hogwarts. It was actually incredibly enjoyable to read a story that swept me away to somewhere far closer.

 <- More chic lit reviewsNanny Returns Review ->
Image source: Goodreads

The Soldier Prince by Leigh Bardugo

Book Review, , , , , ,
Overview
Image result for the language of thorns book cover

Title: The Soldier Prince
Author: Leigh Bardugo
Series: The Language of Thorns (Leigh Bardugo)
In: Grishaverse Companion
Rating Out of 5: 5 (I will read this again and again and again)My Bookshelves: Easy reading, Fairy tales, Fantasy, Illustrated
Pace: Slow
Format: Short story
Publisher: Imprint
Year: 2017
5th sentence, 74th page: I want.

Synopsis

A modern retake on the classic Nutcracker. A darker twist for a fairytale.

Thoughts

Something about The Nutcracker has always interested me. Or at least, something about it has drawn me in from the very beginning. So to read a short story, rewritten fairy tale that features the plotline of the nutcracker completely drew me in. The fact that it was kind of dark, and incredibly fun… just made it all that much more intriguing and engaging.

About halfway through this tale, I was kind of gunning for Clara and the Nutcracker. But then the discussion of an individuals’ wants and needs came into play, and I no longer wanted them to end up together. The story quickly stopped being about a romance between Clara and the Nutcracker, and something more. A tale of finding one’s own life and path. And maybe, just maybe, breaking free of a toxic past and toxic parents…

<- Little KnifeWhen Water Sang Fire ->

Image source: The Grishaverse Wiki

The Longest Night by Mercedes Lackey

Book Review, , ,
Overview
A Fantastic Holiday Season

Title: The Longest Night
Author: Mercedes Lackey
In: A Fantastic Holiday Season (Kevin J. Anderson & Keith J. Olexa)
Rating Out of 5: 5 (I will read this again and again and again)
My Bookshelves: Christmas,Easy reading
Pace: Medium
Format: Short story
Publisher: World Fire Press
Year: 2014
5th sentence, 74th page: Well, I can until classes start, anyway.

Buy The Book Now at The Book Depository, Free Delivery World Wide
Synopsis

It’s the longest night of the year, and the night that dark things stalk the halls. Especially for a student who is spending her Christmas away from her crime-fighting family in a school created for students of magic.

Thoughts

I first heard of Krampus a few years ago when an Austrian friend came to stay with me. She showed me YouTube footage of the celebration, and damn is it terrifying! Although, I can understand why some parents would want to tell their children the legend of Krampus – a lump of coal isn’t enough of a deterrent to stop them from being absolute terrors…

I’ve read a few of Lackey’s Valdemar series, and one of the things that I love about them is the fact that they’re kind of dark. There is no glory and sugar coating, but the story is always about someone who has some serious psychological issues and damage. It turns out that her short stories are no different. One of the girls featured in this believes that she is so naughty and evil that she deserves a visit from Krampus. Which, of course, means that all hell breaks loose. Because hey, this is a story featuring magic and mayhem.

Although The Longest Night has a dark sense overlaying the story. But, it still encompasses the spirit of Christmas. The idea of joy and love and caring for one another. At least, for me, that is something that I’ve always felt Christmas to be about…

 <- Astronaut Nick ReviewJimmy Krinklepot and the White Rebels of Hayberry Review ->
Image source: Goodreads

Mother of Miscreants by Jennifer Greylyn

Book Review, , ,
Overview
Evolve

Title: Mother of Miscreants
Author: Jennifer Greylyn
In: Evolve (Nancy Kilpatrick)
Rating Out of 5: 3.5 (Liked this)
My Bookshelves: Easy reading, Vampires
Pace: Medium
Format: Short story
Publisher: Edge
Year: 2010
5th sentence, 74th page: “I need a little break,” she told Lionel, rising gracefully from her chair and glancing meaningfully at the young-seeming man who’d called her mother.

Buy The Book Now at The Book Depository, Free Delivery World Wide
Synopsis

She is the mother of all vampires, and now, with a little help from her new book, she is working on reconnecting with her children.

Thoughts

This was a different take on the creation of vampires – that they were created by Lilith (the first wife of Adam). That they don’t have to feed on blood. That they are just not understanding their given gifts in the world. It was certainly a take that I enjoyed and found quite refreshing.

I normally find it a little difficult to love vampires – they prey upon humans, and I don’t really find this romantic, classy or fun. So having a short story that says that they don’t have to do this, and still maintains that sense of mystery. I really liked the ideal. Actually, it would be incredibly easy to expand on this and create a full-blown series or, at the very least, novel. Especially since it’s such a novel idea (horrible pun intended).

 <- Chrysalis ReviewResonance Review ->
Image source: Goodreads

Little Knife by Leigh Bardugo

Book Review, , , , , ,
Overview
Image result for little knife leigh bardugo book cover

Title: Little Knife
Author: Leigh Bardugo
Series: The Language of Thorns (Leigh Bardugo)
In: Grishaverse Companion
Rating Out of 5: 5 (I will read this again and again and again)My Bookshelves: Easy reading, Fairy tales, Fantasy, Illustrated
Pace: Slow
Format: Short story
Publisher: Imprint
Year: 2014
5th sentence, 74th page: She was so beautiful, in fact, that the midwife attending her mother snatched up the wailing infant and locked herself in a linen closet, begging for just another moment to gaze upon Yeva’s face and refusing to relinquish the baby until the duke called for an axe to break down the door.

Synopsis

In this third Ravkan folk tale from Leigh Bardugo, a beautiful girl finds that what her father wants for her and what she wants for herself are two different things.

It is a companion story to the third book of the Grisha Trilogy, Ruin and Rising, and the stories “The Witch of Duva” and “The Too-Clever Fox.”

Thoughts

I thought this was going to be very traditional-feeling. The overlooked suitor keeps on trying for the beautiful, rich bride. He gets help from an unpredictable source (in this case a river), and after completing task after task, he finally triumphs. That is until you remember that this is one of Bardugo’s fairy tales and they aren’t going to be like this at all.

One of my favourite recurring moments throughout is “it wouldn’t have happened if they just asked her what she wanted”. And it honestly reminded me of all the times that what I wanted / said / needed felt like it went ignored. And I remembered that most young women have probably felt the same – prized for their beauty / standing / whatever and had their wants and needs ignored. It was certainly the issue that I had in all of the Grimm Brothers fairy tales that I’ve read recently…

Little Knife is a wonderful story with (in my opinion) a happy ending. It is a great reminder that marriage, and social standing aren’t everything. It is about not taking things for granted, and not thinking that you own something just because it has helped you. Everything, everyone has a spirit and it is far better not to trap them… in case the worst should happen.

<- The Witch of DuvaThe Soldier Prince ->

Image source: Overdrive

The Witch of Duva by Leigh Bardugo

Book Review, , , , , ,
Overview
Image result for the witch of duva leigh bardugo book cover

Title: The Witch of Duva
Author: Leigh Bardugo
Series: The Language of Thorns (Leigh Bardugo)
In: Grishaverse Companion
Rating Out of 5: 5 (I will read this again and again and again)
My Bookshelves: Easy reading, Fairy tales, Fantasy, Illustrated
Pace: Slow
Format: Short story
Publisher: Imprint
Year: 2012
5th sentence, 74th page: The trees are hungry tonight.

Synopsis

There was a time when the woods near Duva ate girls…or so the story goes. But it’s just possible that the danger may be a little bit closer to home. This story is a companion folk tale to Leigh Bardugo’s debut novel, Shadow and Bone.

Thoughts

I love the notes of a traditional fairy tale throughout this story. The idea of “don’t go into the woods”. Be careful of the wicked witch. A young girls’ life being turned upside down by the remarriage of her father (after the mother has passed away). But this is where many of the similarities end.

The Witch of Duva goes to show that sometimes the danger is actually a lot closer to home than we realise. That the big unknown isn’t actually what’s scary and dangerous. It turns the traditional tales and themes on their head. Nadya is sent off in to the woods to protect her. Her step mother acts the way she does for a completely unexpected reason.

Bardugo does an amazing job of rewriting fairy tales with a spin, that, at least for me, feels far more realistic than the traditional stories. And this tale tells us that it is often that which is close to home that is the more terrifying and dangerous…

<- The Too-Clever FoxLittle Knife ->

Image source: Goodreads