Review: The Dragonfly Pool by Eva Ibbotson

Title: The Dragonfly Pool
Author: Eva Ibbotson
Genre: Historical Fiction, Middle Grade, Adventure
Publisher: MacMillan Children's Books
Pages: 416

Tally Hamilton is furious to hear she is being sent from London to a horrid, stuffy boarding school in the countryside. And all because of the stupid war. But Delderton Hall is a far more" "unusual and " interesting" place than Tally ever imagined, and she soon falls in love with its eccentric staff and pupils. Now she's even organizing an exciting school trip to the kingdom of Bergania . . . although Tally never expected to meet the "prince."

Prince Karil hates his life at the palace and he is only truly happy when he escapes to the dragonfly pool, a remote spot in the forests of Bergania. Then Karil meets a feisty English girl who brings the promise of adventure. But his country is under threat, and the prince soon looks to his new friend Tally for survival as well as friendship... (More from Goodreads)

I had this book for a while, and never got around to it until I realized it would be perfect for one of the 2015 Reading Challenge categories. It just gave me more of an excuse to read it. The first Eva Ibbotson book I read, almost a decade ago, was The Star of Kazan, and I really liked it. I think I should re-read it because I can't remember anything that happened within! That said, I was also planning on getting Journey to the River Sea as this is her book which garnered most fame, but it's all a matter of time. Onward to the review!

Fulfilling Friday: One-Twelfth Around the Sun

Fulfilling Friday is a feature where I talk about the happenings of the week, focusing on the positives, and plan for the upcoming days- on a Friday, of course!

In the blink of a eye, the curtains begin their descent on January in preparation for February's act.

What have I done in this month?

Book-related

Well, first of all I completed my targets for the first month of this blog's existence. Two book reviews per week at least, and now scheduled posts are still bidding their time until February. I am one month closer to being ready to publicize this space.

Review: Revolution by Jennifer Donnelly

Title: Revolution
Author: Jennifer Donnelly
Genre: Historical Fiction, Young Adult, Supernatural
Publisher: Bloomsbury
Pages: 496

Andi lives in New York and is dealing with the emotional turmoil of her younger brother's accidental death. Alex lives in Paris and is a maid to the royal family as the French Revolution rages. They're both struggling with their responsibilities and their places in the world. (More from Goodreads)

I picked this book up because the cover caught my eye. I found it gorgeous, and as you can see at the bottom of the cover, it touts the author as having written a best-selling novel. I looked at the back cover and it talks about a curious girl in a very vague, single sentence paragraph. The first thing that crossed my mind was romance. Probably historical, by the looks of the book. Revolution? Only one historical time period, in one particular region, came to mind.

Of Art, and Other Life-Altering Moments

I interrupt my usual flow of reviews to bring you this delightful piece of news.

By some series of serendipitous events, I stumbled upon a Deviant (is that what you call them? I'm not so sure ^^;) whose work moved me to tears.

It started a few days ago, with Garth Nix's facebook post of a Deviant who made artwork of all the Nine Gates of Death. They were marvelous and featured in many other collections of the Abhorsen series' artwork made by Deviants, which I began to explore. Many clicks and other Deviants later, I found this truly beautiful work of Lirael, Sam, Mogget and The Disreputable Dog sailing to Abhorsen's House that I could not peel my eyes from for several minutes. Naturally, I visited this artist's gallery- and was blown away by all of her work.

They were ethereal.

And wondrous.

And tranquil and enthralling and purely magical.

+ Other words that cannot begin to describe her masterpieces.

One work, in particular, captured my attention more than the rest. It was titled 'A Cozy Evening (Detail)', and I felt a sense of familiarity with the work even though I have never been in a snowy country before, let alone that particular scene. Then I discovered it was part of a bigger masterpiece, and was even more bewitching as a whole! I had tears in my eyes and Thijs could attest to this- he laughed at me for being so emotional, but agreed all the same that her work was, indeed, beautiful.

I had to speak to the artist; had to convey how moved I was by her work. So I made a Deviant Art account to do just that. It wasn't until I was writing the first few sentences that I realized... That very work would fit in perfectly as this blog's header. I spent so much time admiring it that I didn't think of it until a few hours later!

I decided to ask her permission to use it, although it felt selfish at the moment... Believe me, if there was a digital print of it on her Etsy site I would have purchased it as long as I had enough money in my bank.

She replied.

And, well... the header picture now is proof of how awesome this person is!

I enjoyed sketching, back when I was younger and had more free time, but I knew I wasn't the most artsy of people. I can't keep my hand steady enough; can't convey my mind's eye to paper; can't focus on the details, and all the other things that matter to make beautiful artwork. But Kundry's Inner World seem to speak to me. The pieces all have a heart and soul, and I spent many hours just admiring their beauty and tranquility. I was mesmerized as I have never been by art.

Visit her Deviant Art account, and be enchanted.

More importantly, the person behind these beautiful pieces is just as genuine and charming as her work. I can't wait until she has more stuff on her Etsy that I can purchase, particularly large prints of her work for me to put in my living space!

EDIT: OMG THEY ARE THERE! Now I must wait torturously for next month's allowance to purchase them :(

Review: Room by Emma Donoghue

Title: Room
Author: Emma Donoghue
Genre: Contemporary, Fiction, Adult
Publisher: Picador
Pages: 321

Jack is five, and excited about his birthday. He lives with his Ma in Room, which has a locked door and a skylight, and measures eleven feet by eleven feet. He loves watching TV, and the cartoon characters he calls friends, but he knows that nothing he sees on screen is truly real - only him, Ma and the things in Room. Until the day Ma admits that there's a world outside...

Told in Jack's voice, Room is the story of a mother and son whose love lets them survive the impossible. Unsentimental and sometimes funny, devastating yet uplifting, Room is a novel like no other. (More from Goodreads)

Room is a book that keeps popping up everywhere and remained within the periphery of my vision, untouched and unwanted- at least by me, and at least at that time. This is because (as I have probably mentioned before) I am kind of a book snob and would rarely indulge in buying contemporary fiction in place of a good young adult and/or fantasy title. That is until one fine day, I find someone raving about how good it was and decided, 'Why not? It has been available in the bargain bookstore for a while.'

Fulfilling Friday: Family First

Fulfilling Friday is a feature where I talk about the happenings of the week, focusing on the positives, and plan for the upcoming days- on a Friday, of course!

This week has been an off-week of sorts. I did not manage to do much revision of my own, and a few classes were brought forward. But I did have quite a few free days to unwind and relax, and though it's not enough for me to have finished a single book by Friday, I am currently near to finishing Eva Ibbotson's The Dragonfly Pool, which I will (hopefully!) review next week.

Review: Lirael (Abhorsen #2) by Garth Nix

Title: Lirael (Abhorsen #2)
Author: Garth Nix
Genre: Fantasy, YA
Publisher: Harper
Pages: 705

Lirael has never felt like a true daughter of the Clayr. Now, two years past the time when she should have received the Sight that is the Clayr’s birthright, she feels alone, abandoned, unsure of who she is. Nevertheless, the fate of the Old Kingdom lies in her hands. With only her faithful companion, the Disreputable Dog, Lirael must undertake a desperate mission under the growing shadow of an ancient evil.

In this sequel to SABRIEL, winner of the Aurealis Award for Excellence in Australian Science Fiction, Garth Nix weaves a spellbinding tale of discovery, destiny, and danger. (More from Goodreads)

As should be apparent, this is the second book in the Abhorsen trilogy by Garth Nix- perhaps the best series of books ever written by him, and the very series that made me start reading his work. I started re-reading Sabriel a while back when Rinn was doing re-reads sometime last year, and I figured I should continue to finish the trilogy again- because at the time, the new prequel Clariel was coming out soon. At the time of writing, Clariel has been out for a few months now and I still haven't got it yet because I'm... waiting for the right time (and price).

Fulfilling Friday: What have YOU fulfilled this week?

Based on a screenshot from one of the MMORPGs I play(ed): TERA

Intro to Fulfilling Friday

I've only read about book blog memes. It's easy to see that they're a great way to expand your network in the book blog world, meet new friends and most definitely garner more readership. However, since I'm more into personal reviewing/writing and less into networking at this particular moment in time, I haven't really thought of joining and/or starting book blog memes.

Except... You can only read so many reviews on a blog before it feels dry, and that's me talking about my own blog! 'I must write some non-book-related posts,' I thought. Particularly ones with more of an insight to my life, since I did start this blog with self-improvement in mind. So I decided to do a weekly post which is- to the best of my abilities- consistent, and definitely not just a book review.

Fulfilling Friday is the time when I talk about how fulfilling my week and the previous weekend has been, and detail what I look forward to in the coming week and weekend. Sounds like a blog meme doesn't it? It's not something I have come across, but I would like it to be a feature of this blog- whether or not that makes it a meme doesn't really matter all that much to me, at least in this moment! On that note, it will be as positive as possible, and if there were downsides to the previous week I wouldn't neglect them, but focus on how they improved me. On the Friday that is closest to the end of the month (for example this month it would be Friday the 30th of January), I would probably write a longer post for Fulfilling Friday which may summarize the whole month's fulfilling moments, or even include some throwbacks to some other positive moments in my life, most obviously not limited only to the month or year involved. This would also include aspirations for the coming months and years.

Why a certain day for this? Well it would ensure I remember to come here and do something at least weekly, for one. Also, I would not like to turn this blog into my personal diary- I have another blog for that which is not as public. In addition, in the event that I DO get a readership, I'm guessing it would be more important for people to get a glimpse into my life (and hopefully understand why I don't read or review as often, which is bound to happen sometimes)!

Enough of intros, let's begin!

Review: A Tale for the Time Being by Ruth Ozeki

Title: A Tale for the Time Being
Author: Ruth Ozeki
Genre: Fiction, Contemporary, Cultural, Historical Fiction, Literary Fiction
Publisher: Penguin Books
Pages: 422

"A time being is someone who lives in time, and that means you, and me, and every one of us who is, or was, or ever will be.”

In Tokyo, sixteen-year-old Nao has decided there’s only one escape from her aching loneliness and her classmates’ bullying. But before she ends it all, Nao first plans to document the life of her great grandmother, a Buddhist nun who’s lived more than a century. A diary is Nao’s only solace—and will touch lives in ways she can scarcely imagine.

Across the Pacific, we meet Ruth, a novelist living on a remote island who discovers a collection of artifacts washed ashore in a Hello Kitty lunchbox—possibly debris from the devastating 2011 tsunami. As the mystery of its contents unfolds, Ruth is pulled into the past, into Nao’s drama and her unknown fate, and forward into her own future. (More from Goodreads)

I saw this book in my then-housemate's possession, in the alternate paperback cover- nowhere near as colorful or interesting-looking. She expressed her enjoyment of the book and allowed me a look to get a feel of the writing, and before I knew it I was well into the first chapter. Unfortunately, I was supposed to be engaging in our weekly study group at the time and she, noticing my obvious inattention, snatched the book away from me again and tucked it safely into her satchel, away from my prying hands.

Review: The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman

Title: The Graveyard Book
Author: Neil Gaiman
Genre: Fantasy, YA
Publisher: Harper Collins
Pages: 352

Bod is an unusual boy who inhabits an unusual place - he's the only living resident of a graveyard.

Raised from infancy by the ghosts, werewolves, and other cemetery denizens, Bod has learned the antiquated customs of his guardians' time as well as their timely ghostly teachings-like the ability to Fade.

Can a boy raised by ghosts face the wonders and terrors of the worlds of both the living and the dead? And then there are things like ghouls that aren't really one thing or the other. (More from Goodreads)

I've read several books by Neil Gaiman, all of which were targeted for the adult audience. I started picking them up because of the movie adaptation of Stardust, which I adored. That being said, I've been looking for this book at the bookstores for a while after having read the collection of short stories 'Wizards', in which an excerpt from The Graveyard Book was included- and I loved it (it might have been Chapter Four; I can't find the book anymore).

Mini Review: The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini

Title: The Kite Runner
Author: Khaled Hosseini
Genre: Fiction, Historical Fiction, Contemporary
Publisher: Riverhead Trade
Pages: 384

The unforgettable, heartbreaking story of the unlikely friendship between a wealthy boy and the son of his father's servant, The Kite Runner is a beautifully crafted novel set in a country that is in the process of being destroyed. It is about the power of reading, the price of betrayal, and the possibility of redemption; and an exploration of the power of fathers over sons—their love, their sacrifices, their lies.

A sweeping story of family, love, and friendship told against the devastating backdrop of the history of Afghanistan over the last thirty years, The Kite Runner is an unusual and powerful novel that has become a beloved, one-of-a-kind classic. (More from Goodreads)

I fear nothing I can say will be eloquent enough to begin to describe this masterpiece. Having finished this book in two sittings (stopping only once to have lunch because I have skipped dinner and breakfast), I can tell you that it is one of the most riveting books I have ever read. There was never a dull moment- I laughed, and I cried, and I prayed- and cried again. The hype with this book is well-deserved. The writing was beautiful, the story gripping; the reality of it all is eye-opening, and heart-wrenching.

This is one breath-taking book with the capability to change your life, and I cannot sing enough praises for it. As such, I am not going into detail on the storyline. I feel everyone should read it and form their own opinions about the book.

Looking forward to future encounters with Khaled Hosseini's work!

~My Rating~

5 out of 5 Stars

★★★★★

Review: Wither (The Chemical Garden #1) by Lauren DeStefano

Title: Wither (The Chemical Garden #1)
Author: Lauren DeStefano
Genre: YA, Dystopian
Publisher: Simon & Schuster
Pages: 358

By age sixteen, Rhine Ellery has four years left to live. She can thank modern science for this genetic time bomb. A botched effort to create a perfect race has left all males with a lifespan of 25 years, and females with a lifespan of 20 years. Geneticists are seeking a miracle antidote to restore the human race, desperate orphans crowd the population, crime and poverty have skyrocketed, and young girls are being kidnapped and sold as polygamous brides to bear more children.

When Rhine is kidnapped and sold as a bride, she vows to do all she can to escape. Her husband, Linden, is hopelessly in love with her, and Rhine can't bring herself to hate him as much as she'd like to. He opens her to a magical world of wealth and illusion she never thought existed, and it almost makes it possible to ignore the clock ticking away her short life. But Rhine quickly learns that not everything in her new husband's strange world is what it seems. Her father-in-law, an eccentric doctor bent on finding the antidote, is hoarding corpses in the basement. Her fellow sister wives are to be trusted one day and feared the next, and Rhine is desperate to communicate to her twin brother that she is safe and alive. Will Rhine be able to escape--before her time runs out?Together with one of Linden's servants, Gabriel, Rhine attempts to escape just before her seventeenth birthday. But in a world that continues to spiral into anarchy, is there any hope for freedom? (More from Goodreads)

"What if you knew exactly when you would die?"

This statement, and the rather attractive book cover, was probably enough for me to snap this book up, brand new, for less than $2.

Review: The Last Unicorn by Peter S. Beagle

What a better way to kick-off this year (and blog) by reviewing a fantasy classic! 

Title: The Last Unicorn

Author: Peter S. Beagle
Genre: Fantasy, Classics
Publisher: Penguin
Pages: 294

The unicorn wants to find other unicorns. Mage Schmendrick, whose magic seldom works, never as he intends, rescues unicorn from Mommy Fortuna's Midnight Carnival. Only some mythical beasts displayed are illusions. Molly Grue believes in legends despite Robin Hood wannabe and his unmerry men. King Haggard and his Bull banish unicorns into sea. (More from Goodreads)

Let me start off by saying this is my first time reading this book, even though it's a certified classic in the fantasy genre.