Woo hoo! My 100th book was Frankenstein, and in honor of that (and also due to the fact that my dad’s been bugging me to try it) I made a video of my book review!
Check out my thoughts on Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein!
Oh, and Frankenstein is my Classics Spin, even though I’m a little late with it!
So. . . what did you think of both my review and the book?
Thanks for watching,
I finally finished reading the A Series of Unfortunate Events Series.
And I loved it. They are witty, enjoyable, dark, full of complicated and new vocabulary, and have good morals.
I just finished books 10-13 out of the entire 13 book series, plus a few spinoff novels, like the “author,” Lemony Snicket’s autobiography.
They are YA books but they are very much worth reading as adults, and these last 4 were each over 300 pages.
There are three orphan siblings, Violet, Klaus, and Sunny Beaudelaire, who are forever trying to escape the clutches of evil Count Olaf and his henchmen who are after the Beaudelaire fortune. Each book finds the children experiencing terror, Count Olaf, and devastation but in a humorous way.
Throughout the series, Lemony Snicket also tells his own story about how he lost 
his love, Beatrice, and his involvement with the Beaudelaires. Each book is dedicated to Beatrice, with sayings such as book 12′s “For Beatrice- No one could extinguish my love, or your house” and book 13′s “For Beatrice- I cherish, you perished, the world’s been nightmarish.”
To keep it short and sweet, read this series.
And check out the Daniel Handler (the actual author)’s interview with NPR. It’s long, but it’s worth listening to, even if you only listen to some of it. I mean, he started playing the accordion thinking it would help him meet girls!
Have you read any book in the A Series of Unfortunate Events series?
Thanks for reading,
My sister called me recently after a plane ride to tell me how excited she was to have had great conversation with the woman who sat next to her. The woman was Debbie Berkelhammer and they spent the entire flight chatting, about life, Debbie’s book, and who knows what else!
My sister, Deborah, (I know, confusing right, Debbie the author and Deborah my sister, maybe it’s fate!) was extra excited to tell me since I’m a book blogger and would probably be interested in reading Debbie’s book. So after my sister Deborah read it, I took it from her and read it myself.
Debbie Berkelhammer’s book, Point of View: On Dying and Living, is an extraordinary memoir of her time with a deadly tumor.
“Today, I think a lot about what people see when they look at me. I appear healthy, attractive, fit, and, most important, happy. They assume I have no story. I don’t share my story outright, so how would they know? But still, I wish they wouldn’t sum me up so quickly or judge me by my cover.” - p. 36
Debbie was given one to three months to live.
Not only did she survive, but she is healthy and happy!
Debbie’s story of being diagnosed with a pediatric spinal cord tumor (called pediatric because that is when it started to develop) is inspirational. She wrote in order to reach others with diseases and to provide hope that there is the possibility of success out there, even when it’s slim! Debbie says, “I want to help people who have suffered or are suffering.” - p. 61
A percentage of the proceeds from Point of View will go to the Fred J. Epstein Pediatric Care Foundation, in honor of the doctor who saved her life and countless others.
What keeps you motivated during a time when you are struggling?
Thanks for reading,
I read The Liars’ Gospel by Naomi Alderman for a discussion on Jen @ Devourer of Books’s blog.
This book, told from 4 different points of view of those who were in his life, tells the
story of a man named Yehoshuah. Yehoshuah preached the word of G-d, healed the sick, and ended up gaining a large following.
Was Yehoshuah the Messiah? Or was his story inflated by those who knew him?
Naomi Alderman fictionalized the story of Yehoshuah, better known as Jesus, as told by his mother, a former confidant, and two others who knew him.
The Liars’ Gospel by Naomi Alderman gave a fictionalized version of the story of Yehoshuah (Jesus), who is portrayed more as a man who has inflated stories told about him than as the potential Messiah.
Being raised Jewish, the story of Jesus is not something I am very familiar with. I know the “outline” of the story but not many of the details.
I really enjoyed this novel, a lot more than I expected! Naomi Alderman made sure not to alienate her readers by forcing beliefs onto them, but instead told a story that lets the reader decide what to believe.
Who should read this book?
Readers who have an open mind about a known religious story told in a different way. And fellow Jews, don’t be scared off by this story, like I was at first. It was a great read!
What do you think of a fictionalized telling of a known religious story?
Thanks for reading,
The Prisoner of Heaven is the third book in the Cemetery of Forgotten Books series by Carlos Ruiz Zafon.
Carlos Ruiz Zafon hooked me with The Shadow of the Wind (Book 1), left me desiring a little more with The Angel’s Game (Book 2), but tied it all together fabulously with The Prisoner of Heaven (Book 3).
The author says that the books can be read in any order, and when you change the order, you change the way you experience the story. This seems to be true, however, I loved reading the books in the order they came out, where The Shadow of the Wind and The Angel’s Game were somewhat related, but I wasn’t sure how until The Prisoner of Heaven came along and basically slapped me in the face with its awesomeness.
The Prisoner of Heaven may have been my favorite of the three books. I could not put it down, reading all 300 pages in less than a day.
Daniel Sempere is happily married and running the family bookstore with his father and best friend Fermín Romero de Torres. Fermín will soon be married, but something is in the way. When Fermín opens up to Daniel about what really has occurred in his past, secrets are revealed, questions are answered, and more questions arise.
The Prisoner of Heaven was a phenomenal read that sucked me in and kept me turning the pages without wanting to put the book down. Carlos Ruiz Zafon did a great job tying up loose ends while still leaving the book open at the end for another in the series (which I would read in a heartbeat if you are writing it!). And of course, Daniel visits the Cemetery of Forgotten Books, which is one of my favorite fictional places in the entire world.
I highly recommend that you read all three books in this series, but I have to say, I think this book was the best of all three so far!
Who’s up for a trip to Barcelona???
Connect with Carlos Ruiz Zafon through his website, Facebook, and Twitter!
I received this book from TLC Book Tours in exchange for a fair and honest review.
What do you think about reading a series out of order?
Thanks for reading,
I loved The Shadow of the Wind by Carlos Ruiz Zafon, and after having read that novel, I was told by another book blogger, Mel @ Book Musings, that the book was actually part of a trilogy.
Then I was given the opportunity to review the third book in the series by TLC Book Tours (coming tomorrow), which basically meant I needed to suck it up and get the second book in the series read ASAP!
The Angel’s Game by Carlos Ruiz Zafon is the second book in The Cemetery of Forgotten Books trilogy, although it actually is a prequel.
Remember when I talked about The Cemetery of Forgotten Books? Basically it’s heaven on Earth for book lovers: a secret labyrinth of a place where books go so that they will never be forgotten. On your first trip, you get to chose your own book (or does the book choose you?) that you must protect.
David Martin is a prospective writer who is given the opportunity to write trashy crime novels under a pen name and reap very little benefit. He is propositioned by a stranger and given a book offer he cannot refuse. . . but it comes with a terrible price.
I LOVED The Shadow of the Wind. I liked The Angel’s Game. Both stories are connected but are also books that can be read independently. I just missed The Shadow of the Wind as I was reading.
My opinion? Check out The Shadow of the Wind because that book is well worth it! And then I’ll let you know what I think of the 3rd book in the series, The Prisoner of Heaven, tomorrow!
What’s your favorite series to read?
Thanks for reading,