Books Read: February 2016

1. Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark by Alvin Schwartz, illustrated by Stephen Gammell
2. The Nest by Kenneth Oppel, illustrated by Jon Klassen
3. Envy of Angels: A Sin du Jour Affair by Matt Wallace
4. Small Wars: A Sin du Jour Affair by Matt Wallace
5. Pax by Sara Pennypacker, illustrated by Jon Klassen
6. Lustlocked: A Sin du Jour Affair by Matt Wallace
7. Mrs. Queen Takes the Train by William Kuhn

FEBRUARY 2016
Number of books read: 7
Number of pages: 1,557

Number of books acquired: not sure
Number of those books read: not sure


YEAR TOTALS
Number of books read: 17
Number of pages: 2,982

Number of books acquired: not sure
Number of those books read: not sure

Mrs. Queen Takes the Train by William Kuhn

Mrs. Queen Takes the Train by William Kuhn
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

At turns laugh out loud funny and incredibly moving, William Kuhn's Mrs. Queen Takes the Train follows the Queen, who has not quite been herself and finding herself outside the palace gates accidentally unattended, decides to take advantage of the situation to go buy some cheese. As more members of the palace staff discover her missing, they decide to try to find her before the prss or public discover that she has gone missing.

This is a ridiculously charming and funny book that took me by surprise on a number of occasions at how touching it is, as well. If you are a fan of Alan Bennett's The Uncommon Reader, you will certainly enjoy Mrs. Queen Takes the Train.

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Lustlocked: A Sin du Jour Affair by Matt Wallace

Lustlocked by Matt Wallace
My rating: 4 of 5 stars



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Pax by Sara Pennypacker, illustrated by Jon Klassen

Pax by Sara Pennypacker
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I don't often say this this, but be warned: this book will give you ALL the emotions.

Told in alternating POVs between Peter, a young boy, and his fox, Pax, the story follows the dual journeys that Peter and Pax undertake to find each other after they are separated when Peter's father goes to war. The book is heartbreaking from the first chapter and doesn't really back down with the emotional energy throughout.

Ultimately, this is a story of friendship, love, redemption, and loyalty. I was slightly put off by the ending, but after thinking about it, IMO there was really no other way Pennypacker could have ended the story.

Jon Klassen's accompanying illustrations are a lovely addition to the book.

This is going to be a book that will be sticking with me for quite some time.

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a treasure

I have to share. I found this treasure on eBay last week. It is a self-portrait May Sarton did for Burt Britton, who worked for the Strand and asked authors to draw him self-portraits, which he eventually published in a book, Self-Portrait: Book People Picture Themselves. I didn't even know this existed until last week, so to have stumbled across it on eBay and to now own it only makes me a little excited.

Go Set a Watchman by Harper Lee

Go Set a Watchman by Harper Lee
My rating: 0 of 5 stars

I can't. I just can't. I've tried on four separate occasions now to read this, and I just can't tarnish what To Kill A Mockingbird is with this book. Maybe some day, but not today.

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Envy of Angels: A Sin du Jour Affair by Matt Wallace

Envy of Angels by Matt Wallace
My rating: 4 of 5 stars



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Small Wars by Matt Wallace

Small Wars by Matt Wallace
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

A quick story of how Sin du Jour's "stocking and procurement team" came together, told in flashbacks set during their current mission to Wales. Not necessarily something I think you need to read to follow the adventures of the Sin du Jour team, but it does give a tiny bit of background to some of the characters.

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The Nest by Kenneth Oppel, illustrated by Jon Klassen

The Nest by Kenneth Oppel
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

An enigmatic modern fairy tale that blurs the line between what is good, what is evil. I'm still not sure who would be considered the villain in this story, if anyone could actually be viewed a villain.

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Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark by Alvin Schwartz, illustrated by Stephen Gammell

Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark by Alvin Schwartz
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

After hearing about Guillermo del Toro picking up this series for a movie, and realizing that here is yet another book that everyone around me seems to have read except for me (this seems to be the year for that!), I decided to pick up a used copy at my local Indie the other day. A goofy little collection of "horror" stories (most of which seem to have been collected from American folklore), I can't say as I would have found these stories all that scary when I was a kid. However, given the right circumstances, I can imagine that these would be fun to read for the right age group. I probably won't be on the lookout for the subsequent two volumes.

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Books Read: January 2016

1. Star Wars: Before the Awakening by Greg Rucka
2. Star Wars: Darth Vader, Vol 1: Vader by Kieron Gillen, illustrated by Salvador Larroca
3. Star Wars: Princess Leia by Mark Waid, illustrated by Terry Dodson
4. Witches of Lychford by Paul Cornell
5. Doctor Who: Four Doctors by Paul Cornell, illustrated by Neil Edwards
6. Secret Wars by Jonathan Hickman, illustrated by Esad Ribic
7. To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee
8. The Velveteen Rabbit by Margery Williams, illustrated by William Nicholson
9. Dark Knight III: The Master Race, Book 2 by Frank Miller, illustrated by Andy Kubert
10. Jumanji by Chris Van Allsburg

JANUARY 2016
Number of books read: 10
Number of pages: 1,425

Number of books acquired: 16
Number of those books read: 3


YEAR TOTALS
Number of books read: 10
Number of pages: 1,425

Number of books acquired: 16
Number of those books read: 3