Showing posts with label Classic. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Classic. Show all posts

Thursday, August 23, 2018

Book Review: My Plain Jane by Cynthia Hand, Brodi Ashton, and Jodi Meadows


My Plain Jane (The Lady Janies, #3) by Cynthia Hand, Brodi Ashton, and Jodi Meadows
Blurb:
You may think you know the story. After a miserable childhood, penniless orphan Jane Eyre embarks on a new life as a governess at Thornfield Hall. There, she meets one dark, brooding Mr. Rochester. Despite their significant age gap (!) and his uneven temper (!!), they fall in love—and, Reader, she marries him. (!!!)

Or does she?

Prepare for an adventure of Gothic proportions, in which all is not as it seems, a certain gentleman is hiding more than skeletons in his closets, and one orphan Jane Eyre, aspiring author Charlotte BrontΓ«, and supernatural investigator Alexander Blackwood are about to be drawn together on the most epic ghost hunt this side of Wuthering Heights.

My Review:
I was so excited when I read that Jane Eyre would be the next subject for The Lady Janies. Why? Well I've never quite been able to get into any of the Bronte sister's books and the movie version of Jane Eyre left me bored to tears, but a retelling of it? Yes please! 

My Plain Jane is hilarious. I was hooked from the very beginning as the reader follows the perspectives of Jane Eyre, Charlotte Bronte, and Alexander Blackwood. This is not the Jane Eyre you've read before, no this book is a silly, ghost-filled journey of friendship and first love. 

I really, really enjoyed the book as a whole and applaud the authors on this unique take on the classic novel. I really liked that they wrote Charlotte Bronte and her family into the story. It reminds me a little bit of Confessions of a Jane Austen Addict by Laurie Viera Rigler where Courtney encounters Jane Austen. 

After reading My Plain Jane, I definitely want to go back and read My Lady Jane and can only wonder where the authors will take us next! 

My Rating:
🌟🌟🌟🌟
4 of 5 Stars!

Saturday, May 26, 2018

(Audio)Book Review: The Handmaid's Tale by Margaret Atwood


The Handmaid's Tale: Special Edition by Margaret Atwood
Narrated by Claire Danes
Blurb:
"Are there any questions?" The final line in Margaret Atwood's modern classic, The Handmaid's Tale, has teased and perplexed fans since the book's original release more than 30 years ago. Now, in this Audible Original production, listeners get some of the answers they've waited so long to hear.

Featuring an all-new interview with Professor Piexoto, written by Atwood and performed by a full cast, The Handmaid's Tale: Special Edition is a must-listen for both fans and newcomers alike. Emmy Award winner Claire Danes (Homeland, Temple Grandin) gives a stirring performance of this classic in speculative fiction, where the message (and the warning) is now more timely than ever. In addition to rich sound design that honors the audio origins of Atwood's classic, the special edition also includes a brand-new afterword from the author and an introduction written by author Valerie Martin (Mary Reilly, Property).

After a violent coup in the United States overthrows the Constitution and ushers in a new government regime, the Republic of Gilead imposes subservient roles on all women. Offred, now a Handmaid tasked with the singular role of procreation in the childless household of the enigmatic Commander and his bitter wife, can remember a time when she lived with her husband and daughter and had a job, before she lost everything, even her own name. Despite the danger, Offred learns to navigate the intimate secrets of those who control her every move, risking her life for mere glimpses of her former freedom, and records her story for future listeners.

Whether you're a fan of the original novel or someone who has recently discovered it, The Handmaid's Tale: Special Edition will shock, impress, and satisfy all those who listen.

My Review:
The Handmaid’s Tale is a powerful novel that, in my opinion, should be required reading for everyone. I’ll be honest, I’m not a fan of dystopian novels because I find them depressing. I tend to think we as a society stand on the verge of a dystopian society and the more unacceptable things we allow to carry on, the closer we get to living in a world like The Handmaid’s Tale, The Selection, or The Hunger Games. 


Even though I don’t generally like this genre of book and probably would not have enjoyed it when I was younger (and probably would not have read it now if I had not watched and become addicted to the Hulu show.. which admittedly I only started watching because I’d previously liked some of the actors/actresses in previous roles) I found the writing shined - horrifically describing a society and a new reality for Offred that the reader finds unfathomable as the narrator reminisces about the way her life was before Gilead. This book broke my heart while simultaneously scaring me far more than any horror novel could because the phrase in my mind while listening wasn’t “this couldn’t happen here” but instead, “oh my, what if this happened?” 


As I listened to the audiobook version of The Handmaid’s Tale instead of reading the book, I did enjoy Claire Danes’s narration as well as the other narration at the end of the audiobook. It was interesting to hear bits and pieces of what environments inspired the author to write this book and I found the essay to be spot on. It does feel as if the panel in the future was making light of Offred’s plight. On a side note, I hope that the end of Offred’s story is less vague when we get to that point on the Hulu show.


My Rating:
4 of 5 Stars!

Wednesday, May 23, 2018

"What I'm Reading" Wednesday #119

This "WIR"-Wednesday I'm in the middle of reading way too many books. Random question for my fellow bookdragons: How do you juggle more than one book at a time? Help!


Crooked Kingdom (Six of Crows Duology #2) by Leigh Bardugo
Blurb:
When you can't beat the odds, change the game.

Kaz Brekker and his crew have just pulled off a heist so daring even they didn't think they'd survive. But instead of divvying up a fat reward, they're right back to fighting for their lives. Double-crossed and badly weakened, the crew is low on resources, allies, and hope. As powerful forces from around the world descend on Ketterdam to root out the secrets of the dangerous drug known as jurda parem, old rivals and new enemies emerge to challenge Kaz's cunning and test the team's fragile loyalties. A war will be waged on the city's dark and twisting streets―a battle for revenge and redemption that will decide the fate of the Grisha world.

Progress Report:
On Page: 105 of 536
I like this book so far, I just needed a break to read a few other books.

Bring Me Their Hearts by Sara Wolf
Blurb:
Zera is a Heartless – the immortal, unageing soldier of a witch. Bound to the witch Nightsinger ever since she saved her from the bandits who murdered her family, Zera longs for freedom from the woods they hide in. With her heart in a jar under Nightsinger’s control, she serves the witch unquestioningly.

Until Nightsinger asks Zera for a Prince’s heart in exchange for her own, with one addendum; if she’s discovered infiltrating the court, Nightsinger will destroy her heart rather than see her tortured by the witch-hating nobles.

Crown Prince Lucien d’Malvane hates the royal court as much as it loves him – every tutor too afraid to correct him and every girl jockeying for a place at his darkly handsome side. No one can challenge him – until the arrival of Lady Zera. She’s inelegant, smart-mouthed, carefree, and out for his blood. The Prince’s honor has him quickly aiming for her throat.

So begins a game of cat and mouse between a girl with nothing to lose and a boy who has it all.

Winner takes the loser’s heart.

Literally.

Progress Report:
On Page: 70 of 362
This is a book of stops and starts for me. I LOVE the cover but the beginning was slow to like and I'm just starting to like the story. 

Rebel Heir (Rush Series Duet) by Vi Keeland and Penelope Ward
Blurb:
From New York Times Bestselling authors Vi Keeland and Penelope Ward, comes the first book in a new, sexy duet. 

How to kick off a great summer in the Hamptons: 

Snag a gorgeous rental on the beach. Check. 

Get a job at a trendy summer haunt. Check. 

How to screw up a great summer in the Hamptons: 

Fall for the one guy with a dark leather jacket, scruff on his face, and intense eyes that doesn’t fit in with the rest of the tony looking crowd. A guy you can’t have when you’ll be leaving at the end of the season. 

Check. Check. Check. 

I should add—especially when the guy is your sexy, tattooed God of a boss. 

Especially when he not only owns your place of employment but inherited half of the town. 

Especially when he’s mean to you. 

Or so I thought. 

Until one night when he demanded I get in his car so he could drive me home because he didn’t want me walking in the dark. 

That was sort of how it all started with Rush. 

And then little by little, some of the walls of this hardass man started to come down. 

I never expected that the two of us, seemingly opposites from the outside, would grow so close. 

I wasn't supposed to fall for the rebel heir, especially when he made it clear he didn’t want to cross the line with me. 

As the temperature turned cooler, the nights became hotter. My summer became a lot more interesting—and complicated. 

All good things must come to an end, right? 

Except our ending was one I didn’t see coming.

Progress Report:
On Page: 61 of 284
This one is so easy to get hooked on. I love the banter between Rush and Gia and I kind of already peeked at the ending and OMG! 

The Handmaid's Tale by Margaret Atwood
Blurb:
"Are there any questions?" The final line in Margaret Atwood's modern classic, The Handmaid's Tale, has teased and perplexed fans since the book's original release more than 30 years ago. Now, in this Audible Original production, listeners get some of the answers they've waited so long to hear.

Featuring an all-new interview with Professor Piexoto, written by Atwood and performed by a full cast, The Handmaid's Tale: Special Edition is a must-listen for both fans and newcomers alike. Emmy Award winner Claire Danes (Homeland, Temple Grandin) gives a stirring performance of this classic in speculative fiction, where the message (and the warning) is now more timely than ever. In addition to rich sound design that honors the audio origins of Atwood's classic, the special edition also includes a brand-new afterword from the author and an introduction written by author Valerie Martin (Mary Reilly, Property).

After a violent coup in the United States overthrows the Constitution and ushers in a new government regime, the Republic of Gilead imposes subservient roles on all women. Offred, now a Handmaid tasked with the singular role of procreation in the childless household of the enigmatic Commander and his bitter wife, can remember a time when she lived with her husband and daughter and had a job, before she lost everything, even her own name. Despite the danger, Offred learns to navigate the intimate secrets of those who control her every move, risking her life for mere glimpses of her former freedom, and records her story for future listeners.

Whether you're a fan of the original novel or someone who has recently discovered it, The Handmaid's Tale: Special Edition will shock, impress, and satisfy all those who listen.

Progress Report:
71%
While I like the tv show better, this book is intense, heartbreaking, and provocative. It's an eye opener that I think everyone should read or listen to. (I'm listening to the audiobook)


Read NIGHT OF TERROR