Gilt by Katherine Longshore

Title: Gilt
Author: Katherine Longshore
Genre: Historical Fiction
Rating: 4.5

I received Gilt from the Early Reviewer's program on Library Thing and one again was able to discover a wonderful book I probably would have never purchased on my own.  I enjoy historical fiction, but am leary of purchasing these type of novels because it's hard to find an author who writes them well. Gilt was a fun historical fiction novel, written more so for teens, (most of the conflict revolves around teen drama) but can be applied and enjoyed by all ages.
Review:
Gilt is a teen historical fiction novel about the Henry VIII debacle. This story focuses around Cat's, Catherine Howard, story told from the perspective of Cat's childhood friend Kiity.

Even though Henry VII and Cat are in the novel, Kitty's transformation from a girl who does whatever she is told to a free-thinking individual is the main focus. Gilt is filled with romance, hte intrigue of court life, difficult choices, consequences, and revelations.

This novel was one I couldn't put down. It held all the elements of a great historical fiction novel. I would definitely recommend this to others, mainly teens, who enjoy historical fiction especially about Henry VII. It's not as detailed as a Phillipa Gregory novel, but a good fast read.

The Secrets of Mary Bowser by Lois Leveen

Title: The Secrets of Mary Bowser
Author: Lois Leveen
Genre: Historical Fiction
Rating: 4.5

I received this as part of an Early Reviewer program through LibraryThing and was super excited because I haven't read a Civil War era story in quite some time.  I was really impressed by this novel because of all the historical detail in it and how inspiring the story is for the reader.

Review:
Centered around a strong female African American character, this book provides a story filled with inspiration and hope.
Mary is a slave in Richmond, Virginia who is set free and sent North to receive an education by her wealthy mistress, Bet Van Lew. Mary leaves her beloved parents behind in Virginia to receive her education and realizes that she wants more than to just be free and educated; she wants to make a difference and help end slavery. So when Mary is given the chance to return to Richmond and turn spy for the Union against President Jefferson Davis, she takes it. Along the way, Mary is confronted with many difficult choices, discovers love and loss, and risks everything she has to help end slavery.
A wonderful, inspirational story the reader will enjoy while also learning something about American history

The Garden Intrigue by Lauren Willig



Title: The Garden Intrigue
Authour: Lauren Willig
Genre: Adult Historical Fiction
Rating: 5


Lauren Willig is one of my favorite authors and I always get super excited when a new Pink Carnation comes out because I am never disappointed.  This book was no exception. Someday I will make it to one of her book signings even if I have to take a plane to get to there :)

Review:
The Garden Intrigue takes place in France and centers around the relatable Emma Delagardie and the poet/spy Augustus Whittlesby.  Emma is a flirtatious widow who knows a lot more than she lets on; even possibly about the secret machine Bonaparte is waiting for to use against England.  Augustus, on the other hand, is a seemingly superfluous spy ;) whose feelings about Emma may lead him astray from the task at hand; discovering out about Bonaparte's secret machine. 

Overall, the  characters are wonderful and funny and the plot races along so fast you can't put the book down. I recommend this series to people all the time and will continue to with this book.

“Why was it that cheering expressions were invariably so infuriating?”

Howl's Moving Castle by Diana Wynne Jones and the Movie Adaption Directed by Hayao Miyazaki



Title: Howl's Moving Castle
Author: Diana Wynne Jones
Genre: Junior Fiction
Rating: 4.5



 I found the book Howl’s Moving Castle at a local used book store and had to have it.  I remembered hearing about it before and it had a cool looking cover so I was in.  It was a lovely junior fiction story I would recommend to kids who want something "fun" to read or anyone else who likes a good story. 

Review:

Howl's Moving Castle is a really fast and fun, feel-good story. It is set within a magical land full of witches, wizards, curses and enchantments, royalty, and all kinds of different creatures (including a mischievous fire demon stuck in a hearth). If you like stories packed full of adventure, humor, and magic, this book is for you!

Title: Howl's Moving Caslte
Director:  Hayao Miyazaki
Rating Based on Book: 2
Rating Independent of Book: 4



   

The Movie Counterpart:

I had never seen an anime movie before watching Howl’s Moving Castle and I'm having mixed feelings about it.  I love the book so this may have prejudiced me against the movie as the movie took a lot of liberty on the plot.  This is the type of movie adaption I’m not a fan of; taking a perfectly good storyline and changing it for no apparent reason (at least no reason I could divine). Sometimes, yes changing the plot a bit is necessary because of time constraints or the ease of portraying a certain ‘feeling’ important to the book, however, this was not the case in this movie.  

I found myself asking (out loud) “What?” and “Why?” a lot through the movie and explaining to my fiancé what should be happening according to the book. (I mean no one was afraid of the scarecrow?)   Sophie’s whole family dilemma didn’t come off accurately, the Witch of the Waste was not what I expected, and Howl’s curse?! I don’t even know what that was about.

Overall, if you’re looking for a good movie representation of a wonderful book, you’ll probably be disappointed.  However, if you want to watch an animated movie (not compared to the book), it’s actually not that bad. 

Sisterhood Everlasting by Ann Brashares

Title: Sisterhood Everlasting
Author: Ann Brashares
Genre: Adult Fiction
Rating: 5

I was so excited when I ran across this book while shelving at the library.  Another book about the Sisterhood girls I grew up with through highschool? Wow! It was an unexpected, but totally welcome surprise and I wasn't disappointed.

Review:
A book you won't be able to put down. The four best friends from the Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants series are now almost thirty and still as interesting as ever. This time you find them all living in different places and dealing with all sorts of problems. From being a semi-famous actress, to a teacher who spends too much time alone waiting for her life to begin. However, an unexpected tragedy hits and the women are sent scrambling to cope with their loss and sort out their quickly unraveling lives. What paths will these ladies finally choose and will they all pick the right road?


Sisterhood Everlasting was also filled with some amazing quotes which are too good not to share :)


“You get older and you learn there is one sentence just four worlds long and if you can say it to yourself it offers more comfort than almost any other. It goes like this… Ready ”
 “Ready.”
 “At least I tried.”

“Maybe you think you’ll be entitled to more happiness later by forgoing all of it now, but it doesn’t work that way. Happiness takes as much practice as unhappiness does. It’s by living that you live more. By waiting you wait more. Every waiting day makes your life a little less. Every lonely day makes you a little smaller. Every day you put off your life makes you less capable of living it.”

“She loved her mother and depended on her mother, and yet every single word her mother said annoyed her.” (This one made me laugh out loud, waking up my fiance from his nap next to me, because it is so true sometimes.)

Wildwood by Colin Meloy

Title: Wildwood
Author: Colin Meloy
Genre: Junior Fiction
Rating: 2

I saw this book while processing at the library and the cover is what immediately caught my attention, however this story fell a bit flat for me despite talking animals and a magical, mysterious forest. It was not particularly engrossing and was far too political and advanced for being a junior fiction novel. The idea of the novel, having a secret magical land hidden inside the local forest, is fantastic and I expected a lot more than what I got out of it. The characters didn't blow me away and the plot felt a bit thin. I felt like there was too much talk of politics and not enough actual story to keep me wanting to read more.

The Borrower by Rebecca Makkai

Title: The Borrower
Author: Rebecca Makkai
Genre: Adult Fiction
Rating: 3

An OK read. It was pretty far-fetched (an inadvertent kidnapping?) and the main character didn't have much common sense (an inadvertent kidnapping!) which got fairly annoying after a while. And it was kind of irritating how stereotyped the librarians in the novel seemed to be (maybe that is just because I work in a library myself). However, there were some redeeming elements which made me continue reading like the occasional literary humor and issues dealing with gays. I'm glad I read it, but I would definitely not re-read it.