false 50 797 764 true 5631344 read 5 true 515425 currently-reading 28 true 515424 to-read 88 false 641033 recentlyread 40 false 3630415 picture-books 38 false 5608944 british-school-stories 28 false 5403359 young-adult 22 false 6459007 historical-fiction 15 false 515463 oldfavorites 10 false 6484838 fantasy 8 false 7185429 indian 6 false 4675033 re-read 6 false 8172030 outdoor-adventure 6 false 6617952 ballet 5 false 7636300 romance 4 false 6928971 mysteries 3 false 7478631 biography 2 false 7205364 newbery-honors 1 false 9233915 graphic-novel 1 false 7228977 caldecott-honors http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/74606270 to: 100 Cupboards (The 100 Cupboards, Book 1) by N.D. Wilson
bookshelves: fantasy
If you like Coraline you will probably like this; in fact it seems a bit derivative from the Neil Gaiman book. The cover is delightful, full of possibility and suggestion. And for some odd reason I love books with numbers in the title: Eight Cousins, Thirteen Little Blue Envelopes, 400 Ways to Celebrate Christmas, etc. The story is a little less delightful. Henry visits his Aunt Dotty (really Dorothy) and Uncle Frank and his three cousins (headstrong Henrietta, practical Penelope, and annoying Anastasia--the alliteration just sprang to mind!)in Kansas to discover 100 cupboards in his uncle's attic. Some of them appear to open into different worlds, both benign and malignant. Suddenly, he is not in Kansas anymore. Neither is--guess which cousin? But other creatures are. There are some hints of The Wizard of Oz: maybe we will see more links in the subsequent volumes. This book is so clearly the beginning of a series--it lacks a sense of completeness, and I was a little confused by all the different possibilities in the cupboards.The second, Dandelion Fire (has anyone counted how many fantasy books have Fire in the title this year?), is out now. Maybe we will get more back story in that volume, and we can get a little more engaged with Henry and his family. ]]> http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/81109858 to: Coraline-Graphic Novel (Hardcover) by Neil Gaiman
bookshelves: fantasy, graphic-novel
Impressive adaptation of the Neil Gaiman novel by Craig Russell. I have not read the original, but the graphic adaptation is creepy and suspenseful. The art work is completely appropriate. I don't often read horror stories, but have to admit this is splendidly executed. ]]> http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/81106879 to: The English School of Murder (Paperback) by Ruth Dudley Edwards
bookshelves: mysteries
Robert agrees to help the police investigate a suspected crime at the Knightsbridge School of English, where he works. There are several murders before this clever mystery is solved. ]]> http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/81106219 to: Death of an Old Goat (Crime, Penguin) by Robert Barnard
bookshelves: mysteries
An English professor, past his prime, is murdered during a lecture tour of Australia. Adept and funny satirical portrait of academic community in an self-consciously second rate university. ]]> http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/81006330 to: Between Friends (Mass Market Paperback) by Debbie Macomber
bookshelves: romance
Jillian and Lesley, though from vastly different backgrounds, become friends during the 1950's. Letters and other documents tell the story of their lives until 2002, including 9/11. Jillian is upper middle class, the daughter of a judge, and Lesley is lower middle classes. Her life is a constant struggle, while Jillian has most of the breaks in life. Still their friendship survives. Okay romantic story--the epistolary format lends a little piquancy but we never see very deeply into either character. ]]> http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/80603193 to: Where the Whippoorwill Calls by Candice F. Ransom
bookshelves: historical-fiction, picture-books
]]> http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/80600184 to: Missee Lee: The Swallows and Amazons in the China Seas (Swallows and Amazons, #10) by Arthur Ransome
bookshelves: outdoor-adventure
The Swallows and Amazons are traveling in the East with Captain Flint when their boat burns. They are captured by Chinese pirates. Their leader, Missee Lee, tries to teach them Latin before the manage with great difficulty to escape. This is my least favorite Ransome book (though I remember it was once a favorite of my son's). I think it is racist and what my kids refer to as "cringy." ]]> http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/12469289 to: We Didn't Mean to Go to Sea (Swallows and Amazons, #7) by Arthur Ransome
bookshelves: outdoor-adventure
The four Walker children (John, Susan, Titty, and Roger) are puttering about in a boat skippered by young Jim Broding when it drifts irrevocably away. They are not prepared for this turn of events but astonishingly they manage to sail the boat all the way to Holland and back without drowning or damaging the boat. This is my favorite of all the Swallows and Amazons books, and easily the most exciting. ]]> http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/80598185 to: Second Form at Malory Towers (Paperback) by Enid Blyton
]]> http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/80598174 to: Third Year at Malory Towers (Paperback) by Enid Blyton
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