Austenland: a review

Last weekend, I read Austenland by Shannon Hale. It was a great book. Quirky. Full of voice. A 30-something young women has lived her whole life with hopes of finding Mr. Darcy, so her aunt leaves her a trip to "Austenland", a Regency England immersion experience, in her will. Strangely, my library shelved it in the YA section, even though it's not a YA book. Probably because Shannon Hale does so many other YA books.

My favorite part of the book was the voice. It has a narrator who fills the story with asides and jokes. The line I remember most is "Argggh" she arggghed. I laughed out loud at that and my husband thought I was crazy.

This isn't a straight forward coming of age story or finding love story. There's a couple of twists and some really poignant moments. It was very satisfying.

I'd read it again, but the library wanted it back.

And in a completely unrelated note, everyone, have a Happy Easter. Stay safe.

The Hunger Games, A review

OK. I know. I'm extremely behind on my TBR. In my defense, the library in my little town isn't particularly good at keeping up on new books and my new book budget is virtually non-existent.

I loved this book. I'm not normally a fan of first person, present tense, but wow. I just don't know what else to say about it. I think the really good thing is that I'm coming into the trilogy when it's almost entirely finished, so I don't have to wait several years for the resolution. I just have to wait until August. (And whatever time it takes to get it at the library.)

I don't remember the last time I read so voraciously. I seriously couldn't put this book down. (OK. I had to. Sleep had to happen at some point.) It interfered with my usual writing time, though. It was just that good. The characters were original. The plot was original. The pace was fast and not a single word was wasted. I could go on and on. I don't want to cover any of the story for those of you who, like me, haven't had a chance to read it. (If this is you, read it. You won't be disappointed.)

It really makes me want to be a better writer. With that said, back to work.

Pride and Prejudice and Zombies -- A review

So, I've been reading Pride and Prejudice and Zombies (hereafter referred to as PPZ for the sake of my fingers.) I'm a bit of an Austen fanatic. I have the complete works in a handy volume that sits in my library, should the urge to read strike me. (And it does. Frequently. Especially PP. It's my favorite.) So, I went into this with some skepticism. How can you mess with the quintessential Austen? My husband told me it was the original, with pieces added. He also said it will forever ruin my reading of PP because I won't be able to avoid thinking of the zombies. I'm happy to report that he was wrong on both counts.

The storyline is basically the same. Many of the phrases have carried through from the original, especially the dialogue. However, PPZ is its own book. The motivations of the characters are different. The settings are different. (For instance, Pemberly, Darcy's ancestral home, is rigged up like a Japanese temple.) It might best be said that this book is loosely based on the original. And it's probably better that way.

I have enjoyed reading it. It's been a slower read than if I was plowing through PP without the zombies. I keep expecting to have it be like the original and the changes throw me off a little. This book is also not for the faint of heart or for the younger crowd. There are some gruesome illustrations of zombies eating people that I truly wasn't expecting. And some of the additions are gruesome or slightly veiled crude references. (At least as veiled as something in Regency England could be.) (OK. It's not really that bad. I just don't normally go for horror, zombies, or things of that sort.)

I don't think I'll read it again. I find the original much more satisfying. I am glad that I read it once, though. Now, to catch up on some of the other great books I've missed in the last while.