Title: The Little Prince
Author: Antoine de Saint-Exupéry
Genre: Classic, Fantasy, Middle Grade
Format: Kindle
Pages: 65
Reason Read: Just Because
Rating:
My Thoughts
I first read LE PETIT PRINCE in 1997 as part of the curriculum for my college French class. Even though I had previously taken four years of French in high school, I’ll admit I didn’t understand much when I read this story. Many of the French words were ones I had never encountered. And, unfortunately, I had missed the point and charm of the story. For nearly 20 years, I’ve said I disliked THE LITTLE PRINCE, thinking it was weird and idiotic. I decided I needed to give it a fair chance and read it in my native tongue.
I liked THE LITTLE PRINCE much better in English, only because I understood its nuances more. However, because I’m a very literal person, the symbolism was a little lost on me. And, I still don’t appreciate it nearly as much as I probably should.
My favorite character the little prince encountered was the fox. It’s because I love animals and I can relate to their friendship. I understand the meaning and responsibility behind taming as I’ve tamed many animals and almost every animal I’ve ever come in contact with has tamed me, leaving me sad when we part.
I wish I had read this as a child, or at least had it read to me as a child. I think I would’ve appreciated it more then. I wouldn’t be a grownup who only sees a hat instead of a snake who swallowed an elephant. Although, I’ll admit I did know it was a snake from the context but I didn’t know he had eaten an elephant. I thought it was the animal in the previous picture. Does this mean I’m still a grownup but maybe with childlike tendencies? Or, would the narrator and little prince still think of me just as a grownup?
Anyway, I’m really glad I gave THE LITTLE PRINCE another go. It was definitely a more pleasant experience and I can now at least appreciate it and read it more than 1 star.
Wonder
Author: R.J. Palacio
Series: Wonder #1
Genre: Contemporary, Middle Grade
Format: Hard Cover
Pages: 320
Reason Read: Book Club
Rating:
My Thoughts
I had no idea what WONDER was about when I first started reading it. I had heard so many good things about it and I agree with all of them. It was one of the best books I’ve ever read. It has so much good in it and I think everyone should read it–both kids and adults.
I don’t think I’ve cried more reading a book than I did with this one. And, I cried all different kinds of tears. Sad ones, happy ones, shocked ones, confused ones, and mad ones. I felt every emotion while reading this book.
I liked that Auggie’s story was told from different POVs. I appreciated more POVs than others. I loved being in Auggie’s head because, of course, only through him can you know what it’s like to be him. I also loved being in Summer’s and Jack’s heads because they were Auggie’s best friends at school. I also liked being in Vi’s head and hearing what life was like to have a brother like Auggie. Justin’s and Miranda’s POVs were just kind of meh to me. My edition also had the bonus POV from Julian and I’m really glad I got to read his for different reasons than the others.
Auggie was an inspiration to me. He took everything in stride. He had his moments like any person would, but he was so positive and so forgiving. I love that the main take away from this story is to be kind.
For Darkness Shows The Stars
Author: Diana Peterfreund
Series: For Darkness Shows the Stars #1
Genre: Dystopian, Romance, Science Fiction, Young Adult
Spice: 0.5 / 5
Format: Kindle
Pages: 448
Reason Read: Book Club
Rating:
My Thoughts
My book club decided to read both PERSUASION by Jane Austen and FOR DARKNESS SHOWS THE STARS because the latter is a retelling of the former. We read the former first, of course, and then the latter. It made for a fun discussion.
I really enjoyed FOR DARKNESS SHOWS THE STARS. It was everything I wanted PERSUASION to be with a little sci-fi / dystopia thrown in. I really liked the characters and how they tied into their corresponding characters in PERSUASION as well as just on their own. I thought Elliot had a lot more spunk than Anne, and I even liked Kai better than Captain Wentworth. My book club thought he was really mean and didn’t like him very much. I could just see how hurt he was, so his actions toward Elliot didn’t really bother me. I really liked all the Posts and I liked Ro a lot too. I liked the accident scene a lot more in FOR DARKNESS SHOWS THE STARS because it was so much less idiotic.
Whereas I didn’t start enjoying PERSUASION until more than halfway through it, I enjoyed FOR DARKNESS SHOWS THE STARS from the very beginning. I was intrigued about the dystopian world they lived in and the reasons behind the Reduction. The theology was interesting as well and I found myself wondering which side Peterfreund was on. My guess is she has the same ideals as Kai–that there’s a happy medium between the extremes of the Lost and the Luddites. I loved all the letters between Elliot and Kai. It helped us get to know the real Kai (something we weren’t privy to with Captain Wentworth) and the world Peterfreund created while in the midst of story.
The Little Prince
Author: Antoine de Saint-Exupéry
Genre: Classic, Fantasy, Middle Grade
Format: Kindle
Pages: 65
Reason Read: Just Because
Rating:
My Thoughts
I first read LE PETIT PRINCE in 1997 as part of the curriculum for my college French class. Even though I had previously taken four years of French in high school, I’ll admit I didn’t understand much when I read this story. Many of the French words were ones I had never encountered. And, unfortunately, I had missed the point and charm of the story. For nearly 20 years, I’ve said I disliked THE LITTLE PRINCE, thinking it was weird and idiotic. I decided I needed to give it a fair chance and read it in my native tongue.
I liked THE LITTLE PRINCE much better in English, only because I understood its nuances more. However, because I’m a very literal person, the symbolism was a little lost on me. And, I still don’t appreciate it nearly as much as I probably should.
My favorite character the little prince encountered was the fox. It’s because I love animals and I can relate to their friendship. I understand the meaning and responsibility behind taming as I’ve tamed many animals and almost every animal I’ve ever come in contact with has tamed me, leaving me sad when we part.
I wish I had read this as a child, or at least had it read to me as a child. I think I would’ve appreciated it more then. I wouldn’t be a grownup who only sees a hat instead of a snake who swallowed an elephant. Although, I’ll admit I did know it was a snake from the context but I didn’t know he had eaten an elephant. I thought it was the animal in the previous picture. Does this mean I’m still a grownup but maybe with childlike tendencies? Or, would the narrator and little prince still think of me just as a grownup?
Anyway, I’m really glad I gave THE LITTLE PRINCE another go. It was definitely a more pleasant experience and I can now at least appreciate it and read it more than 1 star.
Stitching Snow
Author: R.C. Lewis
Genre: Fantasy, Romance, Science Fiction, Young Adult
Spice: 0.5 / 5
Format: Hard Cover
Pages: 338
Reason Read: Just Because
Rating:
My Thoughts
I loved STITCHING SNOW! I had high hopes that the story wouldn’t disappoint and it didn’t. I loved the uniqueness of the retelling–the setting, the characters, and the story itself. I love the sci-fi feel, especially with how Lewis incorporates the old “Snow White” story with her imagination. It helped breathe new life into this classic fairy tale.
The characters were fantastic. Essie was a heroine I could really get behind. She was stubborn, strong, and vulnerable. I related to her in a lot of ways. I also really liked Dane. I loved all the twists that he played a part in. Some of my favorite characters were the drones (a.k.a. dwarfs). I loved their personalities, especially Cusser’s and Dimwit’s. (I may have cried a few times in the story that involved the drones.) Essie’s father and Olivia were fantastic villains.
The romance in this one is very slow-building. The two love interests are immediately attracted to each other, but there’s no instalove. In fact, there were times when I was frustrated because there was no kissing. But, then it dawned on me that their first real kiss had to tie into the kiss in “Snow White.” And, I loved how Lewis did it. It was unique and unexpected.
Persuasion
Author: Jane Austen
Genre: Classic, Romance
Spice: 0 / 5
Format: Kindle
Pages: 149
Reason Read: Book Club
Rating:
My Thoughts
I didn’t really care for any of the characters, except Anne and Captain Wentworth. I hated Anne’s family from the beginning, especially Mary. Even though Mary paid more attention to Anne than anyone, her personality grated on my nerves, even more so than Mrs. Bennett who’s one of my all-time least favorite characters. I liked the Musgroves okay, but I wasn’t really attached to them. And, Louisa bugged me. I mean, come on, who really suffers a concussion that completely alters oneself just from a fall being jumped down the stairs? That was the most idiotic thing I think I’ve ever read in my life! Seriously!
It wasn’t until Anne went to Bath that I really started to enjoy the story in PERSUASION–well beyond the halfway mark. At that point, I started to want to read more than a chapter at a time and wanted to know how things ended. The story really got interesting with the introduction of Mr. Eliot, even though I didn’t really like him. (I was suspicious of him like Anne was.) The little bit of a love triangle in the story surprisingly didn’t bother me because it made the story more interesting. I loved Captain Wentworth’s letter at the end. It was, by far, my favorite part of the whole book. In the end, I didn’t love PERSUASION, but I didn’t hate it either.