The first pick for my library book club came in with a whimper. Overall, we (self included) didn’t really like this book. This was an interesting endeavor because King takes Sherlock’s Holmes out of retirement, and back into the fray, with the addition of the plucky Mary Russell, a whip smart teenager who befriends Holmes and keeps him on his toes. In addition to Holmes there is the familiar cast of characters: Mrs. Hudson, Watson, and Mycroft. Watson is more secondary as Russell serves to […]
If you have a bear standing over a boy, don’t make it look like it’s hungry
Sadly, there is nothing about this book I liked. However, I know that this is going to be immensely popular with most people. There is a charm to it that I am not totally seeing but know that others will. Zanni Louise’s Archie and the Bear seems to have a good start. There is a boy who wants to be a bear. Correction, is a bear. Therefore, the theme of identifying as “other than birth” seems to be the theme. But when Archie meets an […]
Obviously when pigs fly…..
The saving grace for The Dreamer is at the very end. I liked the “full circle” of the pig “admiring the birds” at the start and finish. The in-between is what I am not crazy about. The theme of “keep trying” and “making mistakes” has been done. Many times. The only difference here is that the friends and neighbors of the pig help him. Usually the “keep trying” is seen as a solo act. And the pig listens to the other animals. That seemed like […]
The Magic’s Gone
This is my bingo square for “Two heads are better than one” as a friend recommended this as a book club selection that we never actually got together to discuss. I was not the only speed bump, there was much Facebook chatter from the group about who was attending and who’d read the book. One party was on the fence about whether to start. John and I had read it. So here’s our exchange: Me: I was… not a fan. I liked a couple stories […]