Bashara Likes Books

Alas, I was a victim of clever marketing.  The UK cover is even lovelier than the American version.  It doesn't hurt that I'm obsessed with all things miniature and dollhouse related.

UK cover:

It isn't a terrible book and, in fact, was readable enough that I did finish it - 400 plus pages.  I felt fairly invested in the characters and their outcomes.  My complaints are that it was a rather dreary, overwrought, overlong sort of read with a few too many anachronisms to keep me fully engaged in the story. 

One of the things I love most about this story is that it is the rare book which features an entire family having an adventure together.  It's true that all the characters are more 'types' and not really fleshed out as individuals, but that really doesn't matter so much in this case.  You don't really read a book like this for deep character development.  It's basically just a fun little romp with a dash of danger, a bit of humor and a lot of fun.  In short, a perfect little summer read aloud. 

I always love to follow up reading a book with watching the film adaptation when available.  I had somehow escaped watching this one as a child so I had no idea what to expect.  Sadly, we were hugely disappointed to find that the story was altered so much as to make it nearly unrecognizable - and with a pretty lame musical score to boot!  I gather that it's a fairly well regarded movie so maybe it's just a case of poor timing, but we didn't make it 30 minutes before we couldn't stand it anymore and had to turn it off.

I am really enjoying this!  I kind of resisted this one because it sounded like a million other books, but so far I really don't know exactly where this is headed and I'm loving the feeling!

I'm not sure why I put this one off so long.  Well, I'll admit the little blurb on the back annoyed me a tad:

How can anyone describe this book? It isn't a parable, a fairy story or a poem, but rather a mixture of all three. It is beautiful and it is comic. It is philosophical and it is cheery. What we suppose we are trying fumblingly to say is, in a word, that it is Thurber.

There are only a few reasons why everybody has always wanted to read this kind of story, but they are basic:

Everybody has always wanted to love a Princess.

Everybody has always wanted to be a Prince.

Everybody has always wanted the wicked Duke to be punished.

Everybody has always wanted to live happily ever after.

Annoying right?  Maybe it's just me.  Funny part is, it's really quite an apt little blurb. 

I'd add that it's delightful to read aloud - funny, creepy, bizarre, witty, lyrical and just plain fun! 

I wish the princess had a bit more to do, but I suppose the Golux makes up for that.

Also, love love love the illustrations by Marc Siomont. 

I'd recommend this for fans of Seuss, 'The Phantom Toll Booth' and the fairy tales of George MacDonald.

As an adult reading this for the first time, I really had to shut off a good portion of my brain that concerns itself with 'plausibility' and 'child safety', etc. Once I did that I really had a jolly old time! On one level, the most important level really, this is fabulous escapist fiction for kids.  Even now I found myself getting caught up in and deeply admiring Claudia's planning and execution of the big run-away adventure.  On another level, this is about the little ways we find to escape the mundane and how we can feel special and unique when life seems so ordinary. 

The 'feel' of the novel - the 1960s New York setting, the precocious heroine - are very like 'Harriet the Spy'.  My daughter loved both equally, but is fairly devastated to learn that automats no longer exist.

I am very judicious about what I add to Mount TBR these days, but as soon as I read the description (Prometheus hides from the liver eating Fury in the year 1858) and then learned it was written by Terry Deary (Horrible Histories) - I couldn't resist.  Well, it didn't knock my socks off, but it was a unique and diverting read for sure.  I think it's just about perfect for my 10 year old daughter - It had little moments that remind me of 'A Tale Dark and Grimm' - one of our mutual favorites.

If I had read this on my own it would have been a 3 (maybe 2) star book.  I honestly might not have even finished it.  I was pretty turned off by the writing style from the get go.  But I wasn’t reading this on my own, I was reading this out loud to my ten year old daughter and she was enthralled from start to finish.  I’m glad I was reading with her because it made me stick with it and get over my initial dislike.  I eventually got used to the style and got just as caught up in the story as my daughter.  I can see why kids love this and I’m glad I got to experience with a kid and just enjoy the story. 

Although I typically avoid contemporary/romance themed novels, I really wanted to see what the fuss was about.  Turns out the fuss is earned.  I also generally dread depressing books, but I plowed through this like there was no tomorrow.  It's not a perfect book, but it's a damn good one.  It's funny and heartbreaking and feels, 80% of the time, very authentic.  I laughed and I cried...a lot. I love this book now, but I would have absolutely adored it as a teen. 

Slightly dated, but completely charming! 

Besides having two similar mouse characters and a rescuing plotline, this barely resembles the 1970s Disney cartoon.  A third (and quite pivotal) mouse character is completely missing from the film as well as the chilling and unforgettable Black Castle Prison.  I loved how it was never quite clear WHEN this story was taking place and yet the various settings were so vividly described.  Who can ever forget the Head Jailer's quarters with walls covered with impaled butterflies? Reading this aloud with my daughter was really such a delight.  It was a bit slow to start, but really ramped up quickly and near the end we really couldn't put it down.  I find that so many more books start with a bang and peter out so I was delighted to experience the reverse.  Definitely try to find a version with illustrations by Garth Williams!

A fun and nicely imagined teen time travel story. 

I am an unabashed animal lover.  I have been reading (and crying over) stories of animals for as long as I can remember.  I don't know how this series and author escaped my attention for so long, but it's a shame really.  I would have just eaten this stuff up with a fork and spoon my adolescent/teen years.  Better late than never, but still I have grown a bit squeamish in my adult years about reading (or watching) sad animal stories.  Let's not even speak of the day I made the tragic mistake of watching Blackfish. 

Seriously ruined my day. 

So, I approached this with a bit of caution.  I shouldn't have worried.  Sure there is some sadness, but the main source of interest and conflict of these stories come primarily from the vet's interactions with humans.  The animals are predictably unpredictable, ornery, adorable, and wonderful.  If I've learned anything at all from this book it's that the hardest thing a vet has to do all day is deal with humans - and this is a job where you can expect to be covered in feces at least once each day.  I have always liked our family vet, but now I have a much deeper respect and appreciation for what he does.  Of course, Herriot's stories mostly deal with farmers and working animals, but I think the same general principles still apply.

Harumph....I'm just a bit disappointed, but what's more I'm shocked that I'm disappointed.  It was really an okay sort of book, but I think (given all the glowing reviews) I was expecting to have my mind blown.  My mind is still very much intact.  I found myself easily distracted while reading this and it was all really quite predictable. 

I was so sure this was going to be fabulous that I picked this for our mother-daughter book club selection.  It will be interesting to see what the other reactions are to this novel.  I'm particularly anxious to see what my own daughter things (she's starting it today) as she picked it for its spooky description.