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 This collection of short stories introduces Bertie Wooster, a young somewhat foolish gentleman dependant on his aunt for money, and his gentleman’s gentleman, Jeeves. Jeeves is incredibly clever and throughout these stories manages to solve every predicament that Bertie finds himself in, often with some benefit to himself. These stories range from how Jeeves was hired by Bertie to a story written in Jeeves’s own voice.
I have often heard the name P.G. Wodehouse come up in terms of comic writing. Jeeves and Wooster are a comfort read for many. These stories are indeed light and funny. There is a lot of British slang, but it’s nothing that makes the story hard to understand if you’re familiar with British culture in what seems to be the early 20th century.
The stories get predictable after a while. One of Bertie’s friends, or Bertie himself, gets into trouble, and Jeeves is called upon to work his magic and save the day. Often Bertie is defying Jeeves in some way, by growing a moustache or wearing a strange tie or ordering shirts Jeeves doesn’t think are appropriate. In the end, Jeeves always gets his way, and often extra money, too, adding to the comic value. Their predictability doesn’t lessen them, but it certainly makes me realize why these are comfort reads. They’re funny, but there is no suspense or real surprise involved.
I’d be remiss in this review if I didn’t mention the TV show Jeeves and Wooster. Having now read this little book, and eager to read more, I made an effort to also watch the show. If you’re familiar with Hugh Laurie and Stephen Fry, Wooster and Jeeves respectably, it’s amazing how well they fit the characters. When I started reading this book, I’d never actually seen the show, but I could still envision each of them in their respective role in the book. When I watched the show I realized I had been picturing them in the precise way that they played the parts. The stories are still recognizable on screen, if often combined to make an hour-long episode
I can recommend both this book, Carry on, Jeeves, (as well as the other books) and the TV show if you like light, slightly over-the-top British humor. I definitely enjoyed them both.
I am an Amazon Associate. I borrowed this book from my local library.
 The Duke of Sale, a fragile child, has never known his parents. Instead, his life had mostly been run by his well-meaning uncle and servants, who are convinced that if he deviates from their instructions, disastrous consequences will ensue. Tired of being managed and determined to find out if he’s a man or a mouse, Sale ventures off to prove himself. Conveniently, two young people emerge as needing his protection, and after a variety of hijinks, Sale begins to discover who he is and what he values in his life.
I love Georgette Heyer’s books. This one was, as I expected, just delightful. It is primarily a journey of discovery for the Duke of Sale, who is a charming character. His relatives ignore his wishes and mollycoddle him, annoying him just as much as they annoy us. As a reader, I was thrilled for him when he broke their bonds and went out into the world to see what it was like.
I love how funny Heyer is, too. She’s renowned for writing romances, but this is so much more than that. Sale’s adventures are genuinely entertaining and I read this book with a smile on my face. Tom, a young boy he somewhat rescues, is such a character. He acts just like a boy of that age and even though he annoys everyone around him, he’s so true to life. Belinda, as a contrast, is too silly for words, but even as she is unrealistic, she is also absolutely hilarious. She’s neatly countered by Sale’s fiancee, Harriet, a charming and sensible woman that I wanted Sale to fall in love with as soon as possible. Sale and Harriet are engaged due to an arrangement between their families, but I immediately wanted it to be something more as soon as they encountered one another in the book.
Heyer’s language would probably give someone new to her pause, because it’s quite old-fashioned, but I find it charming. Once I’m reading, I almost don’t want to go back to modern language. After a few pages, I’m sure anyone would get past their qualms and settle in to enjoy the story and characters for themselves.
I definitely recommend The Foundling. This is such an enchanting book. I really can’t wait to read more by Georgette Heyer.
I am an Amazon Associate. I received this book from the publisher for review.
To all my American visitors, happy Thanksgiving! This is my second year not celebrating. I was tempted to go all out myself, but to be honest, I may be the only American that’s not crazy about Thanksgiving food, and my family is too far away right now for me to bother. Regardless, I hope you are all having a fantastic day, whenever you read this, if you even do!
It’s easy to forget just how many things I have to be thankful for. When my brother passed away in 2005, I realized just how precious life is, and I am grateful every day for the continuing health of all of my surviving family members, those who have been with me throughout my life and those I’ve just added in the past two months. I’m grateful that my parents continue to accept my distance from them, and are willing to support me and love me no matter what I decide to do in the future. I’m thankful for my friends, who remain supportive and keep close to me even though they are on another continent, making special arrangements to see me when I’m home, and making my life a whole lot less lonely than it could be.
I’m extremely thankful for my husband and for the fact that we can be together after years of a very long distance relationship. I am still very nervous about the prospect of getting my visa and hope everything goes smoothly, but whatever happens we are going to deal with it together. I’ve been involved in a number of online communities over the years and I have seen relationships like ours fail time and time again, so I am proud of us for overcoming the distance and the limitations and making it work.
I’m grateful for much smaller things, for my newly regained internet access, for the fact that my husband’s company has remained in business through some tough times recently, for my education and the fact that I don’t find even the most difficult of books intimidating. I’m thankful that my parents read to me every night as a child and that teachers continued to provide me good and thoughtful books to read over the years, turning me into an eclectic and capable reader. I’m grateful for this blog, and even more for all of you who keep on reading it and letting me know that you’re out there. I’m grateful for this community and the friends I’ve made, and hope that the coming year lets me actually meet some of you.
 I’m grateful that for only the second time in my life, I’ve finished something that I can call a novel, and that I will continue to write and see where it takes me in the coming months and years. It may be a piece of garbage, but I can make it better, and I know now how my writing has changed since I was a child. I’m even grateful that I had the spare time to make the task of writing almost ridiculously easy. Honestly, I needed the direction, and now that it’s over, I’m not sure what to do next until I get a job. Perhaps I will write another novel, except a more publication length, before I tackle fixing up this one.
For right now, I’m going to go be thankful for my books, as I plan on reading one, and that we can afford to go out for curry tonight. I hope everyone has a wonderful holiday!
 Despite an assumed match between herself and her cousin Sir James Martin, Miss Susan Martin chose to marry Sir Frederick Vernon, and was very happy for her choice. Though she was courted by Sir Frederick’s younger brother, Mr. Charles Vernon, Lady Vernon disregarded this as soon as she was married. Her union was blessed with a daughter, Frederica, and all three lived happily until a hunting accident laid Sir Frederick low with a life-threatening illness. Frederica had seen her uncle very near her father at the time of his accident, Mr. Vernon seemingly inactive until he spotted her. Worse, her father died in the understanding that his brother would provide for his wife and daughter as he’d stipulated, but Mr. Vernon had no such scruples, and Lady Vernon and her daughter are left to make their own way in society.
I have never read the Jane Austen novella on which this novel was based and I think that helped me enjoy it more. I did in fact very much like it. It deals in very typical Austen themes but it doesn’t quite match the feel of her work. Since I hadn’t read the original novella to compare it against, my expectations weren’t very high, and I ended up genuinely liking the characters and looking forward to seeing what happened and how it all wound up.
My favorite part of the novel was all the misunderstandings that arose based on gossip. At first the gossip was harmful, and I wasn’t fond of that, but soon enough I realized in what direction the story was going and it became very funny. It’s easy to see how such things could arise when the only communication long distance was letters, and anyone could say anything they liked in a letter with no other contact for contradiction in the country. There is also the gap of time, and anything could happen between receipt of a letter and the next. In any case, I thought this was all demonstrated very well, and I got quite a kick out of it.
I also felt that the novel kept very much to a Austen-like propriety. In modern sequels, there is often an over-emphasis on romance, which I like in modern novels, but which I don’t really feel is appropriate for anyone imitating Austen. I enjoy the way Austen’s characters express their feelings for one another, and I think these authors pull off a very credible, discrete imitation, which gives the impression of full feelings with nothing beyond words.
So, when not compared to Jane Austen herself, Lady Vernon and Her Daughter is a wonderful diversion. It was short and pleasant and I enjoyed my time with it. I would definitely recommend it to fans of historical fiction.
I am an Amazon Associate. I received this book from the Amazon Vine program for review.
 For once, Percy has endured a relatively uneventful year at a school, although he’s been stuck with an awkward friend, Tyson. That’s until a game of dodgeball goes wrong and Percy gets blamed. When he heads to his summer refuge, the camp for half-bloods, he finds that Thalia’s tree is dying and the camp’s borders are failing. It’s no longer safe. Even though Percy and his friends are told not to, they head off to save one of their friends and their camp from destruction.
Since I knew The Sea of Monsters was more of a MG book going in, I found myself enjoying it a lot more than The Lightning Thief. When I kept the audience in mind, I found this a very engaging read. The characters are all still endearing. I loved the addition of Tyson and I felt that he really helped Percy to grow and develop as a character, which if you’re reading this blog, you know I really appreciate. He also brought up an interesting issue that Percy needed to explore – that being the son of a god is not necessarily a wonderful thing that will get you out of every scrape you land in. It makes the story more interesting and more relevant for real kids, even if obviously no modern child is going to get on a ship to rescue their satyr friend.
This is a fast-paced, enjoyable book. Percy and his friends don’t rest from the first page onwards. This book does, however, stand alone a bit less than the first did. A reader new to the series would probably pick up on what was happening thanks to Percy’s explanations, but the story ends on an intriguing twist that will have readers looking for the next book in the series. There are also references to a prophecy that will probably apply when Percy is sixteen – if he makes it that far – which makes it clear that we’ll have to read the entire series to know what happens. I’m looking forward to continuing when I need a light, humorous, fast-paced read.
I am an Amazon Associate. I purchased this book.
 This is the third book in a series. If you haven’t read The Thief and The Queen of Attolia, don’t read this review yet!
Eugenides, the Queen’s Thief of Eddis, is now the King of Attolia. Through the eyes of a young guard, Costis, Eugenides is an incapable ruler deserving only his disrespect. When he punches Eugenides in the face, Costis expects dismissal, if not execution, but instead finds himself promoted and near the king at all times. As his derision for Eugenides slowly turns into respect, the rest of the court also realizes that this King of Attolia is far more capable than he wants to let on.
I have really, really enjoyed this series and I’m glad there is another one coming. There is just so much to like about this book. Having read the first two, I knew Eugenides was capable even without one of his hands and I was certain he was playing a game. While it’s frustrating to watch everyone mock him, given how fond I became of him, it’s incredibly gratifying to watch the tide change and his careful plan unveil itself. This is a well-plotted book and it unfolds in a way that made me want to keep reading to figure out what was actually going on. It’s subtle but fascinating and complex. Eugenides in particular has developed a ton over the course of the series, but he’s so well written that it’s obvious he’s still the clever boy turned into a man with a great amount of struggle behind him.
There is also the love story here between the King and Queen of Attolia. We never see things from their viewpoint, just from outsiders, which is a refreshing approach to a romance. We know they feel for each other, but their romance still changes and grows, and the fact that we’re never in their heads makes us curious as to what is going on. This is also great because Turner trusts her readers to figure things out for themselves. She doesn’t always spell out the fact that they’re in love, she just shows it.
I’m going to keep this review short because otherwise I’d just continue gushing about The King of Attolia. If you appreciate YA fantasy, I really recommend this series. You won’t be sorry.
I’m an Amazon Associate. I purchased this book.
 This is a collection of humorous essays drawn from the author’s life, covering fun topics from his elementary school speech counselor to the time a Frenchman thought he was a thief and went happily on in English about it to his girlfriend, not realizing that Sedaris was an American and understood every word he said. Through his high drug years, his failed stint as a teacher, and even the time he almost saw a girl get killed, David Sedaris makes his readers laugh even as sometimes we know we really shouldn’t.
I had such a strange experience with this book. It was my last choice for the read-a-thon and even though I wasn’t that tired, at first I didn’t find it all that funny. I read the first few essays a little perplexed. When I tried imagining someone reading the book out loud to me, I thought it was more entertaining, but still, sort of “eh.” This mirrored the experience my husband had had with it a few weeks ago when he was looking for a humorous read. Then, all of a sudden, it became hilarious. I’m not sure whether I got used to Sedaris’s writing or whether the later stories were just funnier than the earlier ones, but I began laughing out loud more and more often. And now that I’ve finished, I want to read more of his work. I think for once an audiobook might be better; a lot of people have remarked that Sedaris is funnier in person.
I’ve lost most of the grasp of this book as it’s been a while and I’d read so much during the read-a-thon, so I’m just going to leave it at that. Me Talk Pretty One Day is definitely a funny read; if it starts off not so much, keep reading, and hopefully you will also suddenly realize that this man is hilarious.
I am an Amazon Associate. I purchased this book.
 Caitrin arrives at Whistling Tor having fled her entire life. After her father’s death, she was abused by her distant cousins to the point where she runs away with only her writing box, for she is a scribe by trade. Whistling Tor is not the average Irish town. The lord is reclusive, bound to the hilltop, and the villagers are frightened to go away and fear he does not care for them. Throwing caution to the wind, Caitrin travels up the hill when she hears that the lord is in need of a capable scribe that can read Latin and Irish.
I adore Juliet Marillier’s work. I won this book in a giveaway before its release and I can’t express how excited I was to read it. I have huge expectations for this author and the best part is that she hasn’t let me down yet. Her fantasy world, with strong characters and often a large romantic sideplot, simply appeal to me in every way. Heart’s Blood was no exception and I loved it. This book is all about moving beyond the past and forging a new future.
Caitrin is interesting because she is a very damaged heroine. She’s been abused and lied to by people who claim they are her family. Her sister married and left her, not realizing what would happen. She flinches every time a man gestures in her presence. At the same time, she has a core of steel that hasn’t been beaten down, and a very large part of this book is her recovering her strength, her ambition, and her determination to live her life. I loved Caitrin’s character development. I felt like her struggle was very realistic; even when she knows, realistically, a man isn’t going to strike her, she’s been beaten into submission and it takes a long time for her to stop reacting in fear. Her struggles and her move towards becoming a courageous new woman makes her a character to cheer for. Besides this, she is a scribe and she’s often busy researching, an activity close to my heart.
Anluan, the lord of Whistling Tor, has been convinced of his own inferiority for a long time. He’s disabled from an illness, and moreover is bound to the hilltop because of his ancestor’s dark sorcery. That is due to the host – a hoard of ghostly figures brought back from the dead by accident who are only kept in control by the lord’s presence. They need to prove themselves, too. Every character, except for ultimately the villain, has something to grow beyond.
I loved both the story with the host, which has several members we get to know, and Nechtan’s sorcery, and the romance between Anluan and Caitrin. It takes true courage and strength for them to get past their individual handicaps and grow into loving one another, not to mention believing that they love each other. It’s beautifully done and this book is amazing. I grew to realize the ending of the host story before Caitrin did, but that didn’t make her revelations any less fascinating and compelling. Besides that, I love Marillier’s writing. I was doing nanowrimo while reading this and realized that I was actually imitating her writing, which is embarrassing, because I just love it so much.
Had it been Anluan whose presence I had sensed before, standing in the doorway watching me without a word? He was seated on the bench now … White face, red hair; snow and fire, like something from an old tale … I found it difficult to take my eyes from him. There was an odd beauty in his isolation and his sadness, like that of a forlorn prince ensorcelled by a wicked enchantress, or a traveller lost forever in a world far from home.
I loved Heart’s Blood. This is quite simply a perfect book for someone who enjoys fantasy and romance, and perhaps a little poking about in old books.
I am an Amazon Associate. I won this book in a giveaway.
 With a careful touch of humor and her own personal subjectivity, author Isabel Allende takes her readers on a tour of the Chile of her childhood, the Chile that she knew for the earliest years of her life. This memoir reads as a meandering journey throughout the history of Allende’s family and her own girlhood, when she became a feminist before she even knew what a feminist was. Overall, the book reads like an enchanting conversation about a foreign country and a family that never ceases to be interesting and informative.
Isabel Allende has been one of my favorite authors since I read Daughter of Fortune in high school, an instant favorite with me. I have since read a number of her works, most recently The Sum of Our Days, her latest memoir. I was really looking forward to this book and I wasn’t at all disappointed. An account of her earlier life mixed with a history of Chile from her perspective, it’s both interesting from a historical and a human interest point of view. I knew very little about Chile, and I was fascinated by her accounts of the people she knew and the character of the nation. She does say that everything she writes is completely subjective, but this is a memoir, so it’s perfectly acceptable. She also has some interesting reflections on memoirs; everyone remembers everything differently, and she writes that she cannot help but inject her own nostalgia and feelings into her recollections of the past.
Allende as a girl is charming and fascinating. I loved that she said she was a feminist before she knew what one was. Her desire to be independent, and not subservient to a man, outlasted the period when she was indeed like that. Her account of her own adolescence is hilarious. She gives her own family a magic touch, writing about ghosts and spirits, and while part of me rejects that because it doesn’t match my own beliefs about the world, the other part of me was enchanted by her stories. The House of the Spirits is one of her books that I haven’t yet read and this immediately made me want to read it, as it’s based on her family.
Her history of Chile includes a small measure of politics and some observations about the fate of nations, particularly during her period as an exile. She contrasts her own Chilean attitudes with those of the people in the places she’s lived throughout exile, as well as those of modern Chileans. While her censure of the American government for uprooting her cousin Salvador Allende is clear, it’s also clear that she still manages to love her adopted country. This is an interesting juxtaposition of attitudes and makes something that could have been offensive into an interesting section of the text that makes her readers think.
I really enjoyed My Invented Country. I would recommend it for anyone who enjoys memoirs.
This is my first read for the Women Unbound challenge.
I am an Amazon Associate. I borrowed this book from my local library.
 Other than the fact that he is brilliant and never grew out of a series of children’s fantasy novels, Quentin Coldwater is a fairly ordinary teenager in his last year of high school. When his interview to Princeton goes horribly wrong, Quentin finds himself in what seems like another world, where magic is real and he’s going to learn to be a magician. At his new magical college, Quentin meets extraordinary friends and learns that some of his favorite myths are more of a reality than he had ever dreamed.
I’m torn in writing this review. I think the concept behind this book is very clever. It’s billed as an adult Harry Potter, but it also draws on lots of children’s fantasy, most of which I recognized. The biggest sources are Harry Potter and the Chronicles of Narnia, and as I was reading, I could easily appreciate the slight mockery and satire that Lev Grossman uses to show how improbable such stories would be in “real life” and how adults would react to them. I loved these books as a child, so I did pick up on his cleverness. As I started it, I genuinely was enjoying it, especially during the early school years. I love boarding school stories, so I was immediately absorbed, but that regrettably didn’t last.
This is because I had a real problem with the main character, Quentin, and the behavior of some characters in general. I’m sure some people my age do behave the way these characters did, drinking and doing drugs on a daily basis and essentially throwing away their potential, but I’m not friends with them, and haven’t been, for a reason. Even in college, my friends and I largely avoided the drinking culture, so I had a serious problem relating to any of these characters except Alice, easily my favorite. The way Quentin then treats her appalled me and set me even further against the book. These characters do not live in my real world, and thus the book’s concept essentially failed for me. Not only is their behavior unfamiliar, Quentin is distinctly not a hero and is constantly determined to be unhappy with everything he has. He screws up over and over again, and neither his dissolute lifestyle nor his incredible achievements satisfy him. It frustrated him and it frustrated me, which is not something I want to feel while I’m reading. Maybe this was the point, but if so, no thanks.
I read this for an online book club and most of the members felt similarly about it. It’s a shame because I really wanted to love it. I adore Harry Potter and putting that on there was an instant attraction. I feel that it would have been better marketed as a satire on children’s fantasy. I can’t really recommend The Magicians. It’s interesting, but not enjoyable.
I am an Amazon Associate. I purchased this book.
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