Agatha Christie Review Round Up: Part Six

For my last birthday, my parents gifted me with about 35 Agatha Christie books (mainly from the series Hercule Poirot) and I've decided to make it my January and February goal to finish all of them and write mini reviews for each of them.  These mini reviews will be published in sets of three in round up posts.  The previous five sections are linked below for your convenience.

Part One

Part Two

Part Three

Part Four

Part Five

Agatha Christie Review Round Up: Part Five

For my birthday last year, my parents gifted me around 35 Agatha Christie books (mostly from the Hercule Poirot series) and I've made it my mission of January and February to read them all!  There are four previous parts to this series that I've linked below.

Part One

Part Two

Part Three

Part Four

Agatha Christie Review Round Up: Part Four

I've been reading more Agatha Christie!  For my last birthday, my parents gifted me a whole box full of Agatha Christie paperbacks (about 35, mostly Hercule Poirot) and I've been making my way through them.  Parts 1-3 are linked below.  Here are my thoughts on the last three that I've read!

Part 1

Part 2

Part 3

English Course Review Round Up: Part 4

This is part 4 of 4 of this series!  One of my programs in university is English Critical Studies so we end up reading a lot of books.  In one of my courses this semester, we read a total of 8 novels and I've been writing mini reviews for each of them!  To see the previous three parts, click HERE, HERE, and HERE.

English Course Review Round Up: Part 2

This is part 2 of my round up series that will feature books I read in one of my English courses this semester!  For more details and previously reviewed books in this series, view Part 1.

Review and Compare Thursday: And Then There Were None by Agatha Christie

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Stand alone to date

Goodreads Blurb:

"First, there were ten - a curious assortment of strangers summoned as weekend guests to a private island off the coast of Devon. Their host, an eccentric millionaire unknown to all of them, is nowhere to be found. All that the guests have in common is a wicked past they're unwilling to reveal - and a secret that will seal their fate. For each has been marked for murder. One by one they fall prey. Before the weekend is out, there will be none. And only the dead are above suspicion."

Review Thursday: The Silver Chair by C.S. Lewis

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The Chronicles of Narnia Chronological Order #6

Goodreads Blurb:

"Jill and Eustace must rescue the Prince from the evil Witch.

NARNIA...where owls are wise, where some of the giants like to snack on humans, where a prince is put under an evil spell...and where the adventure begins.

Eustace and Jill escape from the bullies at school through a strange door in the wall, which, for once, is unlocked. It leads to the open moor...or does it? Once again Aslan has a task for the children, and Narnia needs them. Through dangers untold and caverns deep and dark, they pursue the quest that brings them face and face with the evil Witch. She must be defeated if Prince Rillian is to be saved."

Review Tuesday: Carrie by Stephen King

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Stand alone to date

Goodreads Blurb:

"Carrie knew she should not use the terrifying power she possessed... But one night at her senior prom, Carrie was scorned and humiliated just one time too many, and in a fit of uncontrollable fury she turned her clandestine game into a weapon of horror and destruction..."

Review Tuesday: The Voyage of the Dawn Treader by C.S. Lewis

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The Chronicles of Narnia Chronological Order #5

Goodreads Blurb:

"Lucy and Edmund, with their dreadful cousin Eustace, get magically pulled into a painting of a ship at sea. That ship is the Dawn Treader, and on board is Caspian, King of Narnia. He and his companions, including Reepicheep, the valiant warrior mouse, are searching for seven lost lords of Narnia, and their voyage will take them to the edge of the world. Their adventures include being captured by slave traders, a much-too-close encounter with a dragon, and visits to many enchanted islands, including the place where dreams come true."

Book Review: The Book Thief by Mark Zusak

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Goodreads Blurb:

It's just a small story really, about, among other things, a girl, some words, an accordionist, some fanatical Germans, a Jewish fist-fighter, and quite a lot of thievery.

Set during World War II in Germany, Markus Zusak's groundbreaking new novel is the story of Liesel Meminger, a foster girl living outside of Munich. Liesel scratches out a meager existence for herself by stealing when she encounters something she can't resist: books. With the help of her accordion-playing foster father, she learns to read and shares her stolen books with her neighbors during bombing raids - as well as with the Jewish man hidden in her basement before he is marched to Dachau.

This is an unforgettable story about the ability of books to feed the soul.

Yes, I've finally read The Book Thief!  I cheated though... About halfway through the book, I watched the movie.  I almost didn't pick the book back up again because of the ending!  Don't worry though, it's a good ending - really :)  So with that confession aside, let's get to the book review.

This book is most definitely an onion book.  It took me like 2 months to read (which is a lifetime for me and books) to even try and decipher the most prevalent of meanings.  You can choose to dig deep or swim on the surface.  The level at which you read is entirely up to you.

I actually finished this book a while back but it took me a while to collect my thoughts to write a coherent review.

This was a captivating book, but at the same time, I found myself reluctant to pick it up.  I'm still not sure why.  Maybe because it felt like I was truly there.  That's happened before while I've been reading a book, but this one is special.  Every painful moment, I was wincing along with the characters.  In almost every other book I read, I know that the main character will survive and the person he/she loves and they'll be okay even though some of their friends may die or move on.  Not in this book.  This book felt so much like real life that it also picked up the uncertainties of real life.  You don't kno whow things will play out or end up.  It may be wrong of me, but that's why I docked half a star.  It's still going on my favorite list though - don't worry :)

The thing I love most about this book is that it's from Death's perspective.  I've never read a book like that before.  It added a whole new element to the story which pushed it to the next level.

While reading, I got to know the characters so well.  This certainly isn't a fast read, but it's a deep one.  I wish more books connected with me like this one did so well.  It may have taken a long time to read, but every second was worth it.

This is a totally ordinary story.  But it's also so extraordinary.  Read it and you'll know what I mean.

This isn't a shallow story about a girl who lives in Germany during WWII.  You can certainly read it that way but I prefer it as something more.  That something is going to be different for everyone which is what makes this book so amazing.  If you haven't read The Book Thief yet, I strongly encourage you to.

4.5 out of 5 stars!

“The only thing worse than a boy who hates you: a boy that loves you.” 

“I have hated words and I have loved them, and I hope I have made them right.” “I have hated words and I have loved them, and I hope I have made them right.” 

“I wanted to tell the book thief many things, about beauty and brutality. But what could I tell her about those things that she didn't already know? I wanted to explain that I am constantly overestimating and underestimating the human race-that rarely do I ever simply estimate it. I wanted to ask her how the same thing could be so ugly and so glorious, and its words and stories so damning and brilliant.” 

“Even death has a heart.” 

“A snowball in the face is surely the perfect beginning to a lasting friendship.” 

“Usually we walk around constantly believing ourselves. "I'm okay" we say. "I'm alright". But sometimes the truth arrives on you and you can't get it off. That's when you realize that sometimes it isn't even an answer--it's a question. Even now, I wonder how much of my life is convinced.” 

“A small but noteworthy note. I've seen so many young men over the years who think they're running at other young men. They are not. They are running at me.” 

“I am haunted by humans.” 

Book Review Sunday: The Help by Kathryn Stockett

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Goodreads Blurb:

"Three ordinary women are about to take one extraordinary step.

Twenty-two-year-old Skeeter has just returned home after graduating from Ole Miss. She may have a degree, but it is 1962, Mississippi, and her mother will not be happy till Skeeter has a ring on her finger. Skeeter would normally find solace with her beloved maid Constantine, the woman who raised her, but Constantine has disappeared and no one will tell Skeeter where she has gone.

Aibileen is a black maid, a wise, regal woman raising her seventeenth white child. Something has shifted inside her after the loss of her own son, who died while his bosses looked the other way. She is devoted to the little girl she looks after, though she knows both their hearts may be broken.

Minny, Aibileen's best friend, is short, fat, and perhaps the sassiest woman in Mississippi. She can cook like nobody's business, but she can't mind her tongue, so she's lost yet another job. Minny finally finds a position working for someone too new to town to know her reputation. But her new boss has secrets of her own.

Seemingly as different from one another as can be, these women will nonetheless come together for a clandestine project that will put them all at risk. And why? Because they are suffocating within the lines that define their town and their times. And sometimes lines are made to be crossed.

In pitch-perfect voices, Kathryn Stockett creates three extraordinary women whose determination to start a movement of their own forever changes a town, and the way women - mothers, daughters, caregivers, friends - view one another. A deeply moving novel filled with poignancy, humor, and hope, The Help is a timeless and universal story about the lines we abide by, and the ones we don't."

Some spoilers ahead!

Going with Goodreads rating scale, this is actually a 3.5 to me.

I really did love this book. I don't usually read books from this time period and it's really cool to have a glimpse into the lives of these people. I find it horrendous, the opinions people had back then. But I also find it fascinating how they could possibly reason that African Americans were less than them. It completely baffles me. Which is exactly the reason why I liked it so much. It portrayed the lives of these women and what they had to submit to everyday because that was simply their life.

When the 'book' came out in the book and all the ladies read it, I could barely hold back my laughter. I know it's wrong but I couldn't help but be amused by the fact that these 'fine Southern ladies' had their actions thrown in their face and they were completely confuzzled and outraged.

One of the things I didn't like about it was that it ended rather abruptly. Yes, Miss Skeeter went up north to a new job and the book made a difference. And then it ends. There isn't much closure for the rest of the maids besides the fact that Minnie is free from her husband and such. I wish there would have been some sort of epilogue or something. But nope.

Also, it just wasn't one of my favorite stories. It was really good, but it didn't strike a chord with me. We're like this *holds two fingers together* but not like this *crosses fingers*.

So 3.5 stars!

“You is kind. You is smart. You is important.” 

“Ever morning, until you dead in the ground, you gone have to make this decision. You gone have to ask yourself, "Am I gone believe what them fools say about me today?” 

“All I'm saying is, kindness don't have no boundaries.” 

“Wasn't that the point of the book? For women to realize, We are just two people. Not that much separates us. Not nearly as much as I'd thought.” 

“Ugly live up on the inside. Ugly be a hurtful, mean person.” 

“Once upon a time they was two girls," I say. "one girl had black skin, one girl had white."
Mae Mobley look up at me. She listening.
"Little colored girl say to little white girl, 'How come your skin be so pale?' White girl say, 'I don't know. How come your skin be so black? What you think that mean?'
"But neither one a them little girls knew. So little white girl say, 'Well, let's see. You got hair, I got hair.'"I gives Mae Mobley a little tousle on her head.
"Little colored girl say 'I got a nose, you got a nose.'"I gives her little snout a tweak. She got to reach up and do the same to me.
"Little white girl say, 'I got toes, you got toes.' And I do the little thing with her toes, but she can't get to mine cause I got my white work shoes on.
"'So we's the same. Just a different color', say that little colored girl. The little white girl she agreed and they was friends. The End."
Baby Girl just look at me. Law, that was a sorry story if I ever heard one. Wasn't even no plot to it. But Mae Mobley, she smile and say, "Tell it again.” 

“I always order the banned books from a black market dealer in California, figuring if the State of Mississippi banned them, they must be good.” 

“Sorry is the fool who ever underestimates my mother.” 

"All my life I'd been told what to believe about politics, coloreds, being a girl. But with Constantine's thumb pressed in my hand, I realized I actually had a choice in what I could believe.”

The Two Towers by J.R.R. Tolkien

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This is the second book in the Lord of the Rings series.
Blurb:
The Fellowship was scattered. Some were bracing hopelessly for war against the ancient evil of Sauron. Some were contending with the treachery of the wizard Saruman. Only Frodo and Sam were left to take the accursed Ring of Power to be destroyed in Mordor–the dark Kingdom where Sauron was supreme. Their guide was Gollum, deceitful and lust-filled, slave to the corruption of the Ring. Thus continues the magnificent, bestselling tale of adventure begun in The Fellowship of the Ring, which reaches its soul-stirring climax in The Return of the King.

These books require a certain mindset that is very different from the mindset of a reader reading a light YA book such as Cinder by Marissa Meyer.  First of all, it uses a fair amount of oldish speak and lengthy conversations that can go on for several pages.  The trick is to really read the words and not just sort of skim/fast-read them.  You have to pay attention to every word.  I was able to attain this mindset about halfway through the book.  After I was able to do that, the world just came to life for me.


J.R.R. Tolkien definitely has a different writing style.  You wouldn't think it would be very descriptive but it is.  He tends to use personification as well as metaphors to build his world.  If you read a descriptive line and then close your eyes, it's fairly easy to imagine.


I actually saw the movies before I read the books and I think that actually helped me instead of hurting my perseption of the book.  Yes, there were some major differences (like how Faramir actually wasn't a total crazy person who was power-hungry just like Boromir).  But unlike other books, I was able to spot those differences and clearly separate them in my mind from the books.  So I was still able to enjoy the books while having the movies to lean on if I ever couldn't really visualize something.


When I looked at the page count, I couldn't believe it.  322 pages?!  It felt like 500!  This book is just lengthy.  Even though it isn't very long literally, it takes a long time to read.  Maybe it's just me.  I couldn't read it very fast mostly because the pacing was just that slow.  The only fast part was near the end.  It just seemed like everything was happening underwater in slow motion.  So that's why it's four stars and not five.  This truly is a master piece and plenty of lessons can be learned but it just dragged on and on and on for me.

I almost forgot about the characters!  Sam is one of the best friends anyone could have.  He stays with Frodo through the thick and thin and even at the end, he is willing to share the burden.  Even though he's just Frodo's gardener, he's evolved to so much more.  Frodo truly couldn't have gotten far without Sam.  My other favorite character is Legolas.  I've always loved the elves and Legolas is no exception.  He's just so awesome and wise but also admits when he's wrong and is willing to learn.

“Don't go where I can't follow!” 

Four stars for excellence in every way except pacing!

“The world is indeed full of peril, and in it there are many dark places; but still there is much that is fair, and though in all lands love is now mingled with grief, it grows perhaps the greater.”

 “It's like in the great stories, Mr. Frodo. The ones that really mattered. Full of darkness and danger they were. And sometimes you didn't want to know the end… because how could the end be happy? How could the world go back to the way it was when so much bad had happened? But in the end, it’s only a passing thing… this shadow. Even darkness must pass.” 

“War must be, while we defend our lives against a destroyer who would devour all; but I do not love the bright sword for its sharpness, nor the arrow for its swiftness, nor the warrior for his glory. I love only that which they defend.”

 “There is some good in this world, and it's worth fighting for.”