Retro Firday Review: Summers at Castle Auburn by Sharon Shinn

Retro Friday Review is a weekly meme hosted by Angieville. This focuses on classics, out of print books or just old favorites that don’t get the attention they deserve. This Friday’s review is:

Summers at Castle Auburn by Sharon Shinn
Genre: Fantasy
Publication Date: April 2002

First Line: “…when I learned who my traveling companions were to be, I stopped complaining and began dreaming.”

GoodReads Synopsis: As a child, Coriel Halsing spent many glorious summers at Castle Auburn with her half-sister-and fell in love with a handsome prince who could never be hers. But now that she is a young woman, she begins to see the dark side of this magical place...

Kathy’s Review: It has been way too long since I’ve done a Retro Friday Review so I decided what better way to get back into the swing of things than choosing my favorite Sharon Shinn novel. Summers at Castle Auburn was actually the first book review I did for BWN, almost two years ago. I was still new to the whole book blogging world and my review was pretty bland. I re-read Summers this week and thought it would fit in perfectly for today’s post.

Before I write my review, I just want to clarify that the “first line” above is actually just a first line from the first page, I just really liked it. Anyway, as I said before, this is my favorite Shinn book. I love our heroine Corie (Coriel), she starts off as a young naïve fourteen year-old, but is also very kind and adventurous. As she grows older she starts to see her world in a different light, seeing people she’s known her whole life for who they really are. She spends the majority of the year with her grandmother in a small village learning “witchcraft” (just medicine really) and her summers at Castle Auburn, with her half sister Elisandra. I loved the relationship between the two sisters. Regardless of their backgrounds they deeply cared for one another. I also really liked Corie’s love interest (LI) and my only complaint was that I wanted MORE time between them, especially near the very end. Her LI was very likable, for me from the beginning. He was a great friend to Corie throughout the book, and you could tell that he was totally crazy about her. I was on the edge of my seat wondering if they would ever end up together.

Aside from the main characters, the story was also very entertaining. I liked the plot and you never really know what was going to happen next. There were some twists near the end that were exciting and while I was very happy with how everything ended up, I wasn’t ready for the story to end. The story ends well, but I would love it if Shinn set a new novel in Auburn.

Sharon Shinn is definitely one of my favorite authors. I am always surprised by how creative she is, each book is so unique and she is able to create some amazing new places. Below is a list of all her books.

SAMARIA SERIES
Book One: Archangle
Book Two: Jovah’s Angel
Book Three: Alleluia Files
Book Four: Angelica
Book Five: Angel Seeker

TWELVE HOUSES SERIES
Book One: Mystic & Rider
Book Two: Thirteenth House
Book Three: Dark Moon Defender
Book Four: Reader & Raelynx
Book Five: Fortune & Fate

STANDALONE NOVELS
Heart of Gold
Jenna Starborn
Summers at Castle Auburn
Wrapt in Crystal
Shape-Changers Wife
Quatrain

YA NOVELS
Safe-Keeper’s Secret
Truth-Teller’s Tale
Dream-Makers Magic
General Winston’s Daughter
Gateway

ANTHOLOGY
To Weave a Web of Magic (Set in world of Archangle)
The Queen in Winter (Set in world of Twelve Houses)
Firebirds Rising
Elemental Magic
Powers of Detection
Never After
Elemental
Unusual Suspects

Retro Friday Review: The Convenient Marriage

Retro Friday Review is a weekly meme hosted by Angieville. This focuses on classics, out of print books or just old favorites that don’t get the attention they deserve. This Friday’s review is:

The Convenient Marriage

by Georgette Heyer

Genre: Regency Romance

Publication Date: 1934

One Word Review: Entertaining

Synopsis: Horatia Winwood is a plain girl with a stutter. When she rescues her sister from an undesired marriage to the Earl of Rule by proposing to him herself, he is thoroughly impressed by her spirit and enjoys watching her take the ton by storm. When Rule's archenemy, Sir Robert, tries to kiss Horatia, she spurns his advances, and in the ensuing scuffle loses an heirloom brooch. Horatia's brother's hare-brained scheme to recover the brooch fails, and then the Earl himself must step in, challenging Sir Robert in a swordfight that is Heyer at her most stirring. -GoodReads

Kathy’s Review: It’s been awhile since I’ve done a Retro Friday Review, so I decided that although I just finished this book today I would count it as a “retro read” since it was originally published in 1934.

This was totally different from the first Heyer book I read, and I was pleasantly surprised. A lot of regency romances I read are rather mild in nature, so I was surprised by all the mischief, misunderstandings, and adventure that went on in this story. Our leading lady Horatia is kind of a dim-wit, but I couldn’t help liking her anyway. She says what’s on her mind, is playful, and has a big heart. The Earl of Rule totally won me over, I loved his character! He was smart, confident and loads of fun to read. He caught on to things rather quickly and really enjoyed watching the people around him scurry around to try and make things right. Marcus and Horatia had great chemistry together. You could tell Marcus was smitten with her from the start and was very protective of her. The additional cast of characters were also delightful. It really was a page-turner and I thoroughly enjoyed the story.

The only thing I didn’t like was that Marcus Rule had a mistress, both before and after he was married. Although I don’t think he really had feelings for her, it still rubbed me the wrong way. I can kind of see why Heyer added that element to the story, but overall I could have done without it.

Retro Friday Review

Retro Friday Review is a weekly meme hosted by Angieville. This focuses on classics, out of print books or just old favorites that don’t get the attention they deserve. This Friday’s review is:

The True Story of the 3 Little Pigs
First Published: 1989

“Did the story of the three little pigs ever seem slightly biased to you? All that huffing and puffing--could one wolf really be so unequivocally evil? Finally, we get to hear the rest of the story straight from the wolf's mouth. As Alexander T. Wolf explains it, the whole Big Bad Wolf thing was just a big misunderstanding. Al Wolf was minding his own business, making his granny a cake, when he realized he was out of a key ingredient. He innocently went from house to house to house (one made of straw, one of sticks, and one of bricks) asking to borrow a cup of sugar. Could he help it if he had a bad cold, causing him to sneeze gigantic, gale-force sneezes? Could he help it if pigs these days use shabby construction materials? And after the pigs had been ever-so-accidentally killed, well, who can blame him for having a snack?” -GoodReads

I decided for today’s RFR I would chose a childhood favorite. I was probably in third or fourth grade when I first read this book. It was my first experience reading a fairy tale re-imagining and I’ve been hooked ever since. I grew up loving fairy tales and for some reason I never really pictured the stories other than how they had always been presented. So, when I saw this book at a friend’s house I was extremely excited to see the story told from the wolf’s perspective. The story is linked closely with the original with all the huffing and puffing, as well as the three different kinds of houses, which gives it a lot of credibility. Personally, I think the pigs we’re being a little oversensitive and were stereotyping poor Mr. Wolf. I loved the art work and think this is a perfect edition in any child’s library!

Retro Friday Review

Retro Friday Review is a weekly meme hosted by Angieville. This focuses on classics, out of print books or just old favorites that don’t get the attention they deserve. This Friday’s review is:

I decided for today’s RFR I would focus on two books written by the great Julie Andrews (Sound of Music, Mary Poppins). When I was in elementary school I stumbled upon Whangdoodles and Mandy and was so impressed. She really is an amazing author with a vivid imagination and a gift for storytelling.


The Last of the Really Great Whangdoodles
First Published: 1974

Whangdoodles are a “fanciful creature of undefined nature,” who are very wise, kind and love life. When people stopped believing in them they were forced to create a special land full of other forgotten critters. Three children and an old professor go on a quest to find the Whangdoodle and head into a fun adventure.

I remember reading it for the first time and being completely blown away by the whole new world Andrews created. I loved all the little critters she came up with and how important and fun it is to have imagination. In some ways it is your typical fantasy novel: you have your good guys and bad guys, magical creatures, beautiful landscapes and of course a quest. But, it is also very original, creative and full of fantastic writing.

Mandy
First Published: 1971

Mandy lives in an orphanage where everything is predictable and comfortable. As she gets older she gets more restless and decides to go on a little adventure over the orphanage wall. It is there that she finds a rundown cottage which she decides to care for and make her own. She enjoys her cottage and the feeling of belonging that she finds there and decides to keep it a secret from her friends at the orphanage.

Mandy was completely different than Whangdoodles but also very memorable. I loved the little lonely cottage Mandy discovers and takes upon herself to care for. I can picture it in my mind and wish I had my own little cottage just like hers. The cottage is a lot like Mandy. Both alone, no one to properly take care of them and both have the potential for beauty and happiness. To protect her secret Mandy lies about where she spends her time and when she becomes ill no one knows where to find her. It is then that she realizes she has a secret admirer whom she never knew she had.

Both Whangdoodle and Mandy are packed away in storage, but I think next time I’m home in Utah I will have to re-read them. Both are such cute imaginative stories, ones I look forward to sharing with my kids.

Retro Friday Review

Retro Friday Review is a weekly meme hosted by Angieville. This focuses on classics, out of print books or just old favorites that don’t get the attention they deserve. This Friday’s review is:

Jane Eyre
by Charolette Bronte

First published: England 1847

Synopsis: Orphaned into the household of her Aunt Reed at Gateshead and subject to the cruel regime at Lowood charity school, Jane Eyre nonetheless emerges unbroken in spirit and integrity. She takes up the post of governess at Thornfield Hall, falls in love with Mr. Rochester, and discovers the impediment to their lawful marriage in a story that transcends melodrama to portray a woman's passionate search for a richer life than that traditionally allowed women in Victorian society.

Jess's Review: The one thing I took away from all the wonderful comments yesterday is that we can all agree that Jane Eyre is a phenomenal book. I really just love Jane's character. She's had a hard life but it hasn't made her bitter. She is kind...even to those who don't deserve it and it makes her more dignified. She makes others around her more likeable. She knows and has confidence in herself. She is guided by her principles and is willing to see them through. She deserves to be happy and in the end she is! Jane Eyre has everything. A strong female character, a passionate love story, mystery, and a moral. What else could a reader ask for? Well, those are the reasons I love Jane Eyre....what about you?

Retro Friday Reviews

Retro Friday Review is a weekly meme hosted by Angieville. This focuses on classics, out of print books or just old favorites that don’t get the attention they deserve. This Friday’s review is:

Oliver Twist
By Charles Dickens

A few years ago my husband and I spent a summer in Norway. There was a little book store near our apartment that sold some of the classics, including Oliver Twist. Since these were about the only books they sold in English I decided to give them a try, starting with Oliver. My husband was really excited that I was reading Oliver because he loved the movie and used to watch it with his grandparents when he was a kid. He was kind enough to sing different songs from the movie while I was reading (which really added to the atmosphere of the book). For some reason, while reading Oliver I had a British accent for all the characters. I’ve never done this with any other book, but when I read Oliver everyone sounds British in my head. Another fun thing that came out of reading Oliver was British Go Fish. To entertain ourselves in the evenings we would sometimes play cards. Since I was on such a British kick we started playing British Go Fish. It’s simple really; all you have to do is play Go Fish while using a British accent.

Anyway, I actually really loved this book. All the classics can be a little hard to get into or to understand all the language, but I just ate this one up. I loved the story of young Oliver, how he was named, the different families he got bounced around with, and how throughout it all he stayed a genuine, kind person. I loved the Artful Dodger and how he takes young Oliver under his wing and teaches him all the tricks of pick-pocketing. One day Oliver is witness to a crime and does not get away quick enough and is thrown into prison. The victim takes compassion on Oliver and takes him into his custody. It is there that Oliver finally learns kindness and compassion. He respects Mr. Brownlow and wants to start a new chapter in his life. While he is off running an errand he runs into his old crowd and is sucked back to the life he is trying desperately to leave behind.

There are a lot more plot twists and adventures for young Oliver and in the end he is finally able to find some happiness. I’m sure there are those who would read a lot into this story, I personally just like to read and enjoy watching Oliver’s life unfold. This is definitely one of my favorite books.

Retro Friday Review

Retro Friday Review is a weekly meme hosted by Angieville. This focuses on classics, out of print books or just old favorites that don’t get the attention they deserve. This Friday’s review is:

The Indian in the Cupboard
Lynne Reid Banks

What could be better than a magic cupboard that turns small toys into living creatures? Omri's big brother has no birthday present for him, so he gives Omri an old medicine cabinet he's found. Although their mother supplies a key, the cabinet still doesn't seem like much of a present. But when an exhausted Omri dumps a plastic toy Indian into the cabinet just before falling asleep, the magic begins. Turn the key once and the toy comes alive; turn it a second time and it's an action figure again.




This book was originally published in 1981. My mom read this to my brother and since I wanted to be exactly like him I listened too. She would read to us before bed and I would snuggle in the covers and get lost in the story. I remember it being a little hard for me to understand but just thinking that my toys could come alive was such a thrilling idea! I remember the cowboy being hilarious for some reason. When I was looking through some old books I realized that I had tucked this book in with my beloved children's books and thought it would be perfect for a retro review. It is a great read. To my delight I also discovered, while writing this review, that there are more books in this series. The whole series will be on my TBR pile for my little ones.



Reading Order:

Book One: The Indian in the Cupboard

Book Two: The Return of the Indian

Book Three: The Secret of the Indian

Book Four: The Mystery of the Cupboard

Retro Friday Reviews

Retro Friday Review is a weekly meme hosted by Angieville. This focuses on classics, out of print books or just old favorites that don’t get the attention they deserve. This Friday’s review is:

The Hobbit: Or There and Back Again
By Bilbo Baggins (a.k.a. J.R.R. Tolkien)

Published: 1937

Bilbo Baggins was a hobbit who wanted to be left alone in quiet comfort. But the wizard Gandolf came along with a band of homeless dwarves. Soon Bilbo was drawn into their quest, facing evil orcs, savage wolves, giant spiders, and worse, unknown dangers. Finally, it was Bilbo—alone and unaided—who had to confront the great dragon Smaug, the terror of an entire countryside. (Book cover)

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I still remember my brother Rob and I going into the book store to pick up The Hobbit and Lord of the Rings trilogy. We were both in college at the time and thought it would be fun to read this series together. I went for the four book set, while my brother went for the combined set. I enjoyed reading them individually and actually finished all four books. My brother on the other hand only got through The Hobbit. We both loved it.

I think I actually like The Hobbit more than the trilogy. It’s a bit more condensed and I just love all the characters, especially Bilbo. It’s a fun adventure story, with all the fantasy elements you could want. I am so excited that they are making the movie, rumors are it will be released end of 2011 (that’s a long time to wait, but it’ll be worth it!).

Reading Order:

Book One: The Hobbit

Book Two: Fellowship of the Ring

Book Three: Two Towers

Book Four: Return of the King

Retro Friday Review

Retro Friday Review is a weekly meme hosted by Angieville. This focuses on classics, out of print books or just old favorites that don’t get the attention they deserve. This Friday’s review is:

Harry Potter and Sorcerer's Stone
by JK Rowling

As the story opens, mysterious goings-on ruffle the self-satisfied suburban world of the Dursleys, culminating in a trio of strangers depositing the Dursleys' infant nephew Harry in a basket on their doorstep. After 11 years of disregard and neglect at the hands of his aunt, uncle and their swinish son Dudley, Harry suddenly receives a visit from a giant named Hagrid, who informs Harry that his mother and father were a witch and a wizard, and that he is to attend Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry himself. Most surprising of all, Harry is a legend in the witch world for having survived an attack by the evil sorcerer Voldemort, who killed his parents and left Harry with a lightning-shaped scar on his forehead. And so the fun begins, with Harry going off to boarding school like a typical English kid? Only his supplies include a message-carrying owl and a magic wand. There is enchantment, suspense and danger galore (as well as enough creepy creatures to satisfy the most bogeymen-loving readers, and even a magical game of soccerlike Quidditch to entertain sports fans) as Harry and his friends Ron and Hermione plumb the secrets of the forbidden third floor at Hogwarts to battle evil and unravel the mystery behind Harry's scar.

Kath and I joke that we "owe" each other for certain books. I owe Kathy for encouraging me to read Harry Potter. Kath and I met at work and we would often talk about books when we should have been working. The fifth Harry Potter was coming out and Kath told me I had to read the series. I, for some reason, thought they were lame children's books. She finally convinced me and boy do I owe her. Never has a series captivated my interest quite like Harry Potter. I was so obsessed that I took notes on the books to try and figure out how the series would end. The books are magical and nothing is better then passing it down to my son who is finally old enough for me to read this book too. We started last night and I saw Harry Potter for the first time through a child's eye and I'll tell you his eyes were sparkling.

MeMe's

I have decided to start participating in all the fun bookish activities that are hosted by some of our favorite book review sites. I’ve chosen the top five that I think will be the most fun and also ones that I enjoy reading about myself. I’m hoping Jessica will want to participate in some of these as well (she’s recently started participating in the Retro Friday Reviews, and I’m loving it). Anyway, below are the meme’s we’ll be following.

Monday: Library Loot hosted by A Striped Arm Chair which gives book bloggers an opportunity to share the books they currently have checked out at the library with other bloggers. I go to the library probably more than anywhere else. I'm embarrassed to say that I have about 39 books checked out right now, so I'll probably only highlight the top ten each week.

Tuesday: Teaser Tuesday hosted by Should Be Reading which has you grab your current read, open to a random page and chose a sentence to share. I always get a kick out of this one, and there have been a few times where I add a book to my TBR pile because of one amazing sentence. I'm looking forward to participating in this one.

Wednesday: Waiting on Wednesday is hosted by Breaking the Spine. With this meme you select a book that hasn’t been published yet that you’re dying to get your hands on. I'm constantly on the lookout for new books and recently started a "coming soon" section on my GoodReads account, so this will be a fun way to show what I'm waiting for and also find recommendations for others who participate.

Thursday: Booking thru Thursday is hosted by Booking Thru Thursday. This is a fun activity where they provide a question about books and you have to answer it on your blog. This should be a lot of fun, I'm excited to see what questions they come up with and hope I can find the answers!

Friday: Retro Friday Reviews is hosted by Angieville. This focuses on old or out of print books that don’t get the attention they deserve. We’ve been participating in this one since the beginning and love it. (Angie, do you have an official “icon” for this?)

Retro Friday Reviews

Angieville has started a fun feature called Retro Friday Reviews where she reviews a book from her past. She thought it would be a fun idea to blog about books that aren't "new" and give a little attention to books that are are a little older, or even out of print. To read more of Angie's thoughts on Retro Friday click here. She'd love to have other book bloggers participate, and so would we. If you decide to participate in RFR let Angie know and she'll (and us too) add a link of your RFR post to hers, its fun to see everyone's old favorites.

Jessica and I thought this would be a fun activity to participate in. We're going to review everything from the classics to old favorites. Hopefully you'll get some great book ideas to add to your To-Be-Read pile. Below are the reviews we've done, just click on the title and you'll be brought to our review. Thanks Angie for the fun idea.

Summer of the Monkeys by Wilson Rawls

Face on the Milkcarton by Caroline B. Cooney

Wait Til Helen Comes by Mary Dawning Hawn

The Princess Bride by William Goldman

Nancy Drew by Carolyne Keene

Sarah Plain and Tall by Patricia MacLachlan

Little Women by Louisa May Alcott

Retro Friday Review: Little Women

Today is Friday and you know what that means! Retro Friday Review. For this review I chose Little Women by Louisa May Alcott. I will be thirty this month and if you can believe it, this is the first time I have read this classic novel. This book is a classic for a reason and is full of little gems, usually uttered by Marmee, that make one stop and think. I feel like I could use Marmee as a model for being a good mother. The four sisters in this book really came to life for me and each became as tender to me as my own two sisters. I thought my heart should break when Beth died and I wanted to shake Jo for turning down Laurie. Really now, what was she thinking? Reading this novel made me feel wistful for times past and almost has me turning over a new leaf to only read classics, but since the follow-up to Hunger Games is coming out and since the glowing review Kathy gave Jessica's Guide to Dating on the Dark Side I won't be turning over any leaves anytime soon. I would recommend reading Little Women when you are feeling like the world is going to heck and hand-basket and when you want to be studious. It isn't glamorous or particularly exciting but reading it left me better than when I started and you can't ask more than that.

On a sidenote: never read the afterword in the back of Classics written by people who think they are smarter than they really are. I read the afterword of Little Women and it just depressed me. For that reason I won't share any of the things I learned about Louisa and how she felt about Little Women. I will however copy a Good Reads review of Little Women, written by Dottie, who I think hits the nail on the head.

"My copy of this is probably 55 years old -- I've probably read it at least twenty-five times. One of my all-time favorite books. One of my favorite authors ever. Yes, it is old-fashioned -- it was old-fashioned fifty-five years ago. But that is the point pretty much in my opinion. This is a story of times past, of a family which functioned in a particular way in a particular time. This is also a story of what one person in a family might have wished were so all of the time in the family but wasn't. The more things change, the more they stay the same. Only 156 pages in and I'm as thoroughly hooked as always. Something peaceful about this story, speaks to me in a very profound manner. A bit of treacle is apparent but the story's truths are also as apparent as ever."

*reviewd by Jessica

Other Retro Friday Reviews:

Angieville: Arrows of the Queen

See Michelle Read: Echo Company Series

Retro Friday Review: Sarah Plain and Tall

For today’s edition of Retro Friday I chose Sarah Plain and Tall by Patricia MacLachlan. I think one of the main reasons why I enjoyed this book was because of the circumstances in which it was read. I must have been around seven or eight, my Dad was at work and my three older brothers were out of the house, leaving my mom all to myself. I remember curling up next to my mom on our living room couch and having her read this book to me, cover to cover. It’s only 64 pages, but at the time I thought it was so long and was totally absorbed in the story. Sitting there reading with my mom is one of my favorite memories, and again, probably a big reason why I loved this book so much.

First published in 1987, this is the story of Sarah. The book takes place in the late 19th century, long before internet dating came about. Jacob, who has lost his wife and has two young children, decides he needs another wife. He places an ad in an Eastern newspaper hoping to locate a new mother for his children. After some correspondence with Sarah they decide to have her move out to his farm for a month-long trial. During this trial period the kids fall for Sarah and a relationship is slowly formed between Jacob and Sarah as well. As the month comes to an end the kids are worried that Sarah won’t want to stay and when she leaves they really begin to worry. She does return, with colored pencils to draw pictures of her home in Maine and explains to them that she would rather be their mother than return to her home. This is a sweet story about love and family. I’ve read a lot of reviews that thought it was a boring book, but I enjoyed it.

While researching this one I realized that this was actually the first in a series of five books. I guess I’ll have to go out and read the rest and see what happens with Sarah and her cute family.

Reading Order:

Book One: Sarah Plain and Tall
Book Two: Skylark
Book Three: Caleb’s Story
Book Four: More Perfect Than the Moon
Book Five: Grandfather’s Dance

Other Retro Friday Reviews:

Angieville: Morning is a Long Time Coming

Retro Friday Review: Nancy Drew

Nancy Drew Series by Carolyn Keen

Okay, so its about 30 minutes till midnight, I can still count this as a Retro Friday Review! Phew!

For this edition I have to go with an all-time favorite, Nancy Drew. As most of you probably know, there are hundreds of books in the ND series. I don’t even want to say how many I have actually read. I will say that I love Nancy Drew; I think a small part of me still wishes I was her. I remember going over to my friend Joy’s house in the fifth grade and there in her room was a shelf filled with Nancy Drew books. I was drawn to the bright yellow covers and soon to the amazing stories that filled their pages. Even as an adult I still love to read the stories every now and again and they always bring me back to my childhood. Nancy is a fantastic character. She is strong, smart, kind, clever, and the list goes on and on. She is a modern-day Sherlock Holmes, for girls. I loved how she is able to solve all sorts of crimes in very creative ways. With the help of her awesome best friends Bess and George (I wish they were my friends too), they encounter all sorts of adventures, travel and romance.

I’m not sure when I realized that Carolyn Keen was not a real person. It was actually a pen name for many different authors, both male and female. GoodReads had some interesting info and instead of rewriting it I will just add it below.

“Carolyn Keene is a writer pen name that was used by many different people- both men and women- over the years. The company that was the creator of the Nancy Drew series, the Stratemeyer Syndicate, hired a variety of writers. For Nancy Drew, the writers used the pseudonym Carolyn Keene to assure anonymity of the creator. Edna and Harriet Stratemeyer inherited the company from their father Edward Stratemeyer. Edna contributed 10 plot outlines before passing the reins to her sister. While Harriet is often credited as Carolyn Keene, several other authors assumed the pseudonym of Caroyn Keene. Starting in 1953, Harriet authored 24 volumes. In 1959, Harriet, along with several writers, began a 25-year project to revise the earlier Carolyn Keene novels. The Nancy Drew books were condensed, racial stereotypes were removed, and the language was updated. In a few cases, outdated plots were completely rewritten.”

Nancy Drew is great reading for young girls, I can’t wait until I have a daughter of my own to share these with and I highly recommend them to anyone who enjoys a good mystery.

Other Retro Reviews

Angieville: Life Without Friends

Retro Friday Review: The Princess Bride

The Princess Bride by William Goldman

I actually had a hard time deciding which book I would feature for today’s installment of Retro Friday (created by Angieville). I finally decided on The Princess Bride. I had seen the movie at least 100 times before I even realized there was a book. I’m not sure which came first, but after getting my hands on a copy of the book I fell in love with Wesley, Princess Buttercup, and their rag-tag team all over again.

I won’t go into too much detail about the plot, since everyone has probably either seen the movie or read the book, but here is a small overview. Buttercup and Wesley live on a farm where she is constantly bossing him around but eventually realizes she is in love. Once they decide they love each other Wesley decides to set out to find his fortune so they can have a better life together. Soon after leaving Buttercup receives word that Wesley has died. After a bit of morning Prince Humperdinck enters the picture and insists that she marry him. Long story short, Wesley is actually alive and well. He comes to reclaim Buttercups heart only to find she is now engaged to the Prince. The Prince is worried about losing Buttercup, seeing as he has great plans for her murder (he wants to go to war with the neighboring kingdom), so he decides to kill Wesley himself. With the help of a giant, a Spaniard and a magical cloak they are able to rescue the princess and ride off into the sunset to live happily ever after.

This is an interesting book. It is written as an abridged version of “S. Morgenstern’s Classic Tale of True Love and High Adventure” (which I’m still pretty sure is all made up). Goldman provides his point of view, which is similar to the movie version where Narrator (Grandpa) stops every now and again to explain to his sick grandson what is going on. I’ve read the book many times, sometimes I read it from cover to cover, while other times I just skip the “brakes” and just read the story. Either way is very entertaining.

What I love most about the book is how much back story we get on each of the characters. Unlike some books that are written after the movie, that end up just going through the whole movie without adding anything new. This was packed full of delicious storylines, which ended up making it far better than the movie. The book goes into so much detail about the early days of Buttercup and Wesley, how they fell in love, the time when Buttercup is on her own, how she came to the attention of Prince Humperdinck (great name), and eventually how she became a Princess. There is also a lot of back story for the lovable Fezzik and Inigo, and the ruthless Vizzini. One of the best parts of the book is its description of the Pit of Despair. Why in the world didn’t they follow the book more closely when making the movie? The Pit is amazing in the book, simple terrifying and definitely not a place you would want to be.

If you haven’t read the book...DO! It’s a Bookworm promise that you will love it.

Other Retro Friday Reviews

Angieville: Sword-Dancer

Retro Friday Review: Wait Till Helen Comes by Mary Dawning Hawn

For this edition of Retro Friday I decided to go with a spooky story, Wait Till Helen Comes. This was another one of my favorite books from elementary/middle school. It was first published in 1987 (I can’t believe I would have been 7 at the time!). I’m not into scary stories normally, but for some reason I always loved this one. I read it quite a few times and ended up reading quite a few of Hawn’s other books because I enjoyed this one so much.

When Heather was four her house caught on fire and her mother died searching for her. Three years later she is moving with her dad and new family to an old converted church in the country. Heather hates her new step-sister and step-brother and is mean to them and always trying to get them in trouble. Once they move to their new home, Heather becomes friends with Helen, a ghost girl who drowned many years before and is now buried in a nearby cemetery. The problem is Helen wants to drown Heather so she won’t have to be all alone anymore.

Molly notices that Heather has become obsessed with the cemetery and with a particular headstone where the deceased had the same initials and was the same age as Heather. As Heather’s behavior goes from bad to worse, Molly grows more concerned about Heather and decides to keep close tabs on her young step-sister to try and figure out what is going on. Although Molly hates Heather and things she is a spoiled brat she must chose whether or not to save her from Helen.

Molly decides she must save Heather and luckily gets to her in time and is able to stop Helen from harming her. They seek safety in an abandoned house and eventually make it home. Through their experiences Molly is able to find out some disturbing information about both Heather and Helen, and is able to help Heather come to peach with her past.

This was a great ghost story, but also a great story that not everyone it what they seem. You never really know what has happened in someones past to cause them to act they way they do. By showing kindess and helping Heather, Molly was able to better understand her and hopefully they end up having a strong, loving relationship.

Retro Friday Review: The Face on the Milk Carton

"No one ever really paid close attention to the faces of the missing children on the milk cartons. But as Janie Johnson glanced at the face of the ordinary little girl with her hair in tight pigtails, wearing a dress with a narrow white collar--a three-year-old who had been kidnapped twelve years before from a shopping mall in New Jersey--she felt overcome with shock. She recognized that little girl--it was she. How could it possibly be true? Janie can't believe that her loving parents kidnapped her, but as she begins to piece things together, nothing makes sense. Something is terribly wrong. Are Mr. and Mrs. Johnson really Janie's parents? And if not, who is Janie Johnson, and what really happened?"

For this edition of Retro Friday I decided to go with an old favorite, The Face on the Milk Carton. Like last week, this was one that I read in middle school and fell in love with and is one few books that I actually remember almost everything about it. It’s been years since I’ve read it but I can still picture Janie Johnson sitting in the lunchroom cafeteria as she recognizes her very own face on the back of a milk carton! What a shock that must have been. This was a great mystery novel, as Janie tries to uncover the truth of her identity and possible reconnect with her biological family. Of course there is a little romantic story going on with the very handsome boy-next-door, Reeve.

I don’t remember the other books in the series as well, but I found a nice surprise last night as I was preparing for this post I realized that there is actually a fourth book in this series, I always thought it was a trilogy. In part two, “Whatever Happened to Janie?” Janie is reunited with her biological family and is trying to come to terms with her past. Growing up as a only child with everything she needs and then being thrown into a small home with seven people is quite a shock on Janie.

In the third installment, “The Voice on the Radio,” Janie’s life is starting to settle down as she figures out who she is. Her boyfriend Reeve has gone away to college and she decides to go for a surprise visit. When she arrives she finds out he has been telling her personal story over at the local radio station. This brings some unwanted attention her way and the calm life she was wanting is once again shaken.

And lastly, “What Janie Found,” in this final book we finally come face to face with Janie’s kidnapper, Hannah. Hopefully, Janie will be able to finally get some closure on her past and look forward to a birght future with Reeve and two families that love her. I have requested a copy from my local library and am excited to get my hands on a copy. This is a fun series, very creative and I would recommend it to everyone.

Other Retro Friday Reviews

Angieville: Seventeen Against the Dealer

Retro Friday Review: Summer of the Monkeys

Angieville has started a fun new feature called Retro Fridays. To read more about this click here. I thought this was a very fun idea and think I will copy her. I must have been born reading a book. Growing up I have fond memories of going to the library or the book store and having my Mom tell me I could pick out whatever I wanted, then eagerly returning home to curl up on our living room couch to read for hours. I only wish GoodReads had been around back then so I could actually remember all the books I had read. There are a few gems that have stuck with me throughout the years and Retro Fridays will be a great opportunity to return to those treasures and share them with everyone.

Summer of the Monkeys by Wilson Rawls (first published 1992)

To kick things off I decided I would write about an old favorite, Summer of the Monkeys. I think the title and cover art is probably what drew me to the book in the first place. I am a big animal lover and the thought of spending a summer with monkeys seemed like a dream. This is one of those books that pop into mind every now and again bringing me back to the beautiful Ozark Mountains and the wonderful Lee family. Jay is only 14 years old when he learns that a bunch of circus monkeys have escaped and the circus is offering a reward for their return. Jay could sure use that money and decides he wants to try and capture the monkeys with the help of his Grandfather. The monkeys turn out to be a lot more trouble than he realizes, and he is soon faced with another challenge--whether to keep the reward money for himself or use it to help his crippled sister, Daisy, get a surgery she desperately needs.

I just love this book, it truly is a classic. It transports you into another time and you can feel the adventure of trying to catch monkeys, the hot summer days and the turmoil going on within little Jay. A great summer read and one that everyone would enjoy.