Tag Archive for: Illustrated

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Through The Looking-Glass

Through The Looking-GlassTitle: Through the Looking-Glass
Author: Lewis Carroll
Series: Alice's Adventures in Wonderland #2
Genre: Classic, Fantasy, Middle Grade
Format: Kindle
Pages: 192
Reason Read: Just Because
Rating:

Also in this series: Alice's Adventures in Wonderland
My Thoughts

Just like with ALICE’S ADVENTRUES IN WONDERLAND, I thought THROUGH THE LOOKING-GLASS was a discombobulated book of nonsense.

I didn’t have high hopes going into this because of my experience with the first book. Because of that, I wasn’t too disappointed, but I still didn’t enjoy it. Alice still went off on unnecessary tangents, nothing was coherent, and nothing she did made any sense. I thought this one was even more confusing than the first one, which is saying something.

The only thing I liked about this one were the backwards letters on everything and the “Jabberwocky” poem. I think it’s neat that Carroll coined the terms galumph and chortle. I also thought that having everything take place on a chessboard was neat, except that it didn’t add anything to the story because the reader couldn’t follow the game.

The one thing I did learn from reading both of these books is that most adaptations to these stories mix the two together. For example, in Disney’s Alice in Wonderland, the talking flowers, Tweedle Dee and Tweedle Dum, and the Walrus and the Carpenter tale are all in THROUGH THE LOOKING-GLASS not ALICE’S ADVENTURES IN WONDERLAND.

Even though I didn’t enjoy these pretty much at all, I’m glad I took the opportunity to read them. If for nothing else just to familiarize myself with them and get a foundation in the cannon of Alice and her adventures.

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Alice’s Adventures In Wonderland

Alice’s Adventures In WonderlandTitle: Alice's Adventures in Wonderland
Author: Lewis Carroll
Series: Alice's Adventures in Wonderland #1
Genre: Classic, Fantasy, Middle Grade
Format: Kindle
Pages: 96
Reason Read: Just Because
Rating:

Also in this series: Through the Looking-Glass
My Thoughts

This is the first time I’ve ever read this classic story. I’ve been somewhat familiar with ALICE’S ADVENTURES IN WONDERLAND because of the numerous movie adaptations. However, I was never versed in the original written story. I was expecting a fun, whimsical tale about Alice’s adventures in Wonderland. Instead, what I read was a discombobulated book of nonsense.

I tried to like this book. I really did. But there were only very few parts that Carroll actually showed and not told. I now understand the importance of that writing rule. All the telling was boring. Also, Alice was always off on some tangent that had nothing to do with the story. It just made me hate her and how she went about things. Alice cannot be seven years old. She acted more like a teenager or even an adult than a child.

I liked the idea of the story–a young girl somehow finding herself trapped in a world she doesn’t understand, meeting curious creatures and people, and then finding out that it’s all a dream. If only the execution were better. Nothing was coherent and there was no rhyme or reason to anything.

My favorite part of the story was Carroll’s description of the Queen of Hearts’ court. I loved that he didn’t just come out and say that everyone was part of a pack of cards until he gave you a visualization of it all. And, I loved that the different suits meant different things. It was fun and it made those characters come alive for the short time they were there. I wish the rest of the book were like this.

I’m not too excited to read THROUGH THE LOOKING-GLASS, but I’m still going to read it. Hopefully, I’ll like it better than this one, but I don’t have high hopes.

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A Christmas Carol

A Christmas CarolTitle: A Christmas Carol
Author: Charles Dickens
Genre: Classic, Fantasy, Holiday
Format: Hard Cover
Pages: 160
Reason Read: Just Because
Rating:

My Thoughts

I’ve never read A CHRISTMAS CAROL before this. I had only seen movies and play adaptations, the most memorable of those adaptations being Mickey’s Christmas Carol.

I wasn’t sure what to expect when I read this, but I definitely didn’t expect what I read. The story was very much like all the adaptations I’ve ever seen. However, the finer points, such as Scrooge’s thoughts, were lost as most are when books are adapted into movies or plays.  I enjoyed getting into Scrooge’s head a little bit and understanding where he was coming from rather than relying on the actor’s portrayal of Scrooge.

It’s amazing how much the English language has changed in a little over 100 years. The words are similar, but there were a few archaic spellings of words–some I was familiar with (e.g., rime instead of rhyme) and some I wasn’t familiar with (e.g., skaiter instead of skater). I thought Dickens’ writing was much easier to follow and understand than Austen’s MANSFIELD PARK was when I read it 2.5 years ago. Then again, there’s another 100-year difference between those two stories. There were a few things that threw me for a loop, but most of that was due to the differences how the world works now vs. then.

What would’ve it have been like to read these stories while living in the times they were written. I wonder if any of the novels written in our time will cause confusion for future generations. I’m sure some things will have to be explained, but I wonder if the actual language will cause confusion.

I really enjoyed the story. I especially enjoyed reading the change in Scrooge. From watching the movies and plays, it seems as though Scrooge doesn’t really change until after he meets the Ghost of Christmas Yet to Come. However, he actually slowly begins to change even when he’s with the Ghost of Christmas Past. That was my favorite aspect of the story because it was fun to see how much he changed in action and thought.

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The Hobbit

The HobbitTitle: The Hobbit
Author: J.R.R. Tolkien
Series: Lord of the Rings #0
Genre: Classic, Fantasy
Format: Paperback
Pages: 306
Reason Read: Class Assignment
Rating:

Also in this series: The Fellowship of the Ring, The Two Towers, The Return of the King
My Thoughts

I tried to read THE HOBBIT about seven years ago, but I couldn’t get past page 42. Because of that, I’ve had it in my head that this story was too hard for me to read / finish. I also thought of Tolkien as my nemesis because I thought I didn’t like his writing style. Now having read the book, I’ve realized the problem was that I didn’t enjoy reading back then. It wasn’t Tolkien’s writing or the story itself. This time around, it was a piece of cake and a lot of fun.

For as long as I can remember, I’ve always said I hated this story because I wasn’t that big of a fan of the 1977 cartoon. Needless to say, it was a bit surprising that I actually enjoyed the story. I loved reading about Bilbo and his adventures with the dwarves and Gandalf. I was on the edge of my seat most of the time. I really enjoyed seeing Bilbo grow into an adventure-loving hobbit and seeing him save the day many times throughout the story. I also thought it was interesting that Sauron was alluded to with the character of the Necromancer. The only part I disliked in the story was the scene with all the spiders in Mirkwood. I could’ve done without that imagery.

I’m glad my English teacher assigned THE HOBBIT to our class to read this semester. It gave me the push I needed to give it another chance. I’m actually looking forward to reading The Lord of the Rings at some point in the future. I think I’ll enjoy the series just much as much or more.

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The Secret Garden

The Secret GardenTitle: The Secret Garden
Author: Frances Hodgson Burnett
Genre: Classic, Historical Fiction, Middle Grade
Format: Hard Cover
Pages: 224
Reason Read: Play Book Tag
Rating:

My Thoughts

My parents gave me THE SECRET GARDEN on my 10th birthday. In the 21 years I’ve had this book, this is the first time I’ve ever read it all the way through. I remember trying to read it a couple of times when I was younger, but I never finished because I hated to read at that time. Now that I enjoy reading, I decided it was high time I read it.

I knew the story because I’ve seen a couple of movie adaptations. I really enjoyed the movies and I’m glad I finally took the time to read the book. I enjoyed the book as much as I’ve enjoyed knowing the story.  I almost wish I would’ve read it a long time ago because I found it so much richer than the movies.

One of the things I enjoyed the most about this story was its positivity. The last chapter was very profound. Even though you’d miss the story, you could read the last chapter and understand the intent and message of the story. I think it’d do a lot of people good if they were to learn from the this message.

One of the few things people began to find out in the last century was that thoughts–just mere thoughts–are as powerful as electric batteries–as good for one as sunlight is, or as bad for one as poison. To let a sad thought or a bad one get into your mind is as dangerous as letting a scarlet fever germ get into your body. If you let it stay there after it has got in you may never get over it as long as you live….

Much more surprising things can happen to anyone who, when a disagreeable or discouraged thought comes into his mind, just has the sense to remember in time to push it out by putting in an agreeable, determinedly courageous one.  Two things cannot be in one place. “Where you tend a rose, my lad, a thistle cannot grow.”

It’s probably a good thing I didn’t read this until now. If I had read it when I was only 10 years old, I would’ve never realized the profoundness of those two paragraphs. I don’t even think I would’ve realized it if I had read the book five years ago. It’s amazing how time and experience can change our perspective.