I recently decided to get back into audiobooks to listen to while going to the gym. The gym is not my idea of fun, so I wanted something that would be–well, fun! I’ve been meaning to read Pratchett for years now, having only read (and loved) Good Omens before this. Guards! Guards! was one of the ones people recommended starting with. Luckily the audiobook was available on my library’s Overdrive, so I downloaded and gave it a chance. The story opens with the Grand Master of […]
A lovely old-fashioned fantasy for kids (Bingo Square: Birthday!)
A little while ago, I read Diana Wynne Jones’ Howl’s Moving Castle after seeing the Miyazaki film. It was pretty much nothing like the film, but I adored it anyway. So I picked out Castle in the Air on my Overdrive app for a light read, expecting more of the adventures of Sophie and Howl. It wasn’t quite what I expected either, but was still a sweet, lovely story perfect for a kids (or, y’know, any adult). Sophie and Howl don’t feature much until the end, for Castle […]
A gripping YA fantasy series by an underrepresented author (3 Bingo squares for 3 books!)
I’m slowly working my way through my library’s fantasy collections on Overdrive, which is how I found An Ember in the Ashes, the first book of Sabaa Tahir’s YA fantasy series. My reading goals this year are to a) not buy books (only bought one so far this year!); and b) read more female fantasy writers (I made it to July without reading any dudes, and I read more than I usually do!) So, as I quite enjoy YA fantasy, I added this one to my […]
I don’t think it’s aged all that well (Plus, half Cannonball!)
I’ve heard James’ The Turn of the Screw as being a classic Gothic novel, the one that basically begat a genre and inspired authors like Shirley Jackson (whose books I’ve loved so far in my readings). I chose this one for the ‘This Old Thing’ bingo square (it was published in 1898), and I was really excited to finally sit down and read it Unfortunately, I was disappointed. The plot is about a young governess who takes a posting that’s too good to be true in an […]