According to the October prompts, I picked
three books from my three favorite authors. It will be a severe book battle to decide
a monthly favorite.
Oct book 1 A book with an orange cover or
spine
The Cat Who Turned On and Off (The Cat
Who #3)
Author: Lilian Jackson Braun
Genre: cozy mystery
Number of pages: 265
First published: 1968
Setting: the US in the 1960’s
Rating: 4 stars
First sentence: In December the weather
declared war.
One sentence comment: It will be a great
read during Christmas time since snow, Santa Clause and gift wrapping are
involved.
I love the tone of the book, relax with a
slight slouch in the beginning. It told the situation of the protagonist,
Qwilleran, poor and lonely approaching Christmas. In order to get out of his
slum-like hotel room, he was going to join a writing competition. Nevertheless,
rather than writing a heartwarming Christmas story, he was drawn in a murder
investigation. Now the protagonist has two cats, each coming from the former
books of the series. I had wondered whether the number of cats would grow with
the ending of the book.
Each book of the series reveals a circle of
artists. The first book is about the book critics, the second, designers, and
this book, antique dealers. The traits and dialogues of the major characters, who
are also suspects, are unique and funny. The author’s craft of characters are
clever; with a new art circle revolving, we read a new set of characters each
book so we don’t easily get bored. However, I feel I have enough to read about the
protagonist’s doting on his two cats.
Oct book 2 an older book written before
1950
My Antonia
Author: Willa Cather
Genre: fiction
Number of pages: 250
First published: 1918
Setting: Nebraska, US
Rating: 4 stars
First sentence: Last summer I happened to
be crossing the plains of Iowa in a season of intense heat, and it was my good
fortune to have for a traveling companion James Quayle Burden – Jim Burden, as
we still call him in the West.
One sentence comment: There are so many
anecdotes from the American frontier in the early 20th century that
were told through the book and we shall get to know and remember them.
I love Cather’s writing, so tranquil even about
belligerent events. I like to recite the sentences as if I were watching the
extending prairie. The Russian immigrants’ tragedy was very affecting for they
were forced to leave their country but could never find a new home in their
heart. However we see many people from Bohemia, Norway or Sweden could well
settle down and open a new leaf of their life. I think the reason why the book
is the most acclaimed among the writer’s works is because it gave various portrayals
of people’s realistic situations, the hardship, the problems, and their sentiment
of the time.
However, I don’t like the book as much as O
Pioneers, because this book is less structured. The protagonist, Antonia was
still a girl after I read half of the book. The emphasis was on all sorts of
people at the country and a small town, so It felt like a memoir rather than a
novel. We were shown many people’s lives so the book doesn’t live up to the
title. I felt distracted to be introduced to one character after another.
Oct book 3 a book with an odd number of
pages
Where Shadows Dance (Sabastian St. Cyr
Mystery #6)
Author: C S Harris
Genre: historical mystery
Number of pages: 345
First published: 2011
Setting: London, 1812
Rating: 5 stars
First sentence: A cool wind gusted up,
rstling the branches of the trees overhead and bringing with it the
unmistakable clatter of wooden wheels approaching over cobblestones.
One sentence comment:
I love the beginning of the book, which
introduced the International affairs when Britain fought with Napoleon in
Spain, was prepared for defending Canada from American attack, and pondering
about sending troops to defend Russia from Napoleon. While in Britain the
invention of the steam engine attracted a crowd’s attention. What a summer in
1812!
Sabastian St. Cyr Mystery is my most
favorite series. There are many loveable and theatrical characters in this
series. I don’t get tired of them reading one book after another because their
personal stories are evolving along with each murder case investigated. Harris
is a masterful writer in delivering ferocious-minded female characters and
devious antagonists. Some conversations were so hilarious that kept me laughing
and wondering how the serious looking Harris could come up with those witty
dramas! Reading her books satisfies my curiosity and fulfills me with
entertainment.
Oct 4 an objectionable book (banned at some
point)
The Bluest Eye
Author: Toni Morrison
Genre: fiction
Number of pages: 206
First published: 1969
Setting: 1939-1941, US
Rating: 3 stars
First sentence: Here is the house.
One sentence comment: It’s astonishing but
I don’t enjoy it because of its bitterness.
The story is about Pecola and her parents,
their past and how they become who they are. The author can write the worst melancholy
in a person’s heart. Indeed we are often aware of people’s monstrous behaviors
but neglect what has made a monster.
