A French Summer: Gold, Green, and Amber

The Greengage Summer
By Rumer Godden

The five Grey children have frustrated their mother until she decides they should spend a summer in France to learn a lesson.  Instead, their mother becomes sick and they stay at a Hotel while mother gets better in the hospital. The next two months become a child's paradise - ripe fruit in the orchard, swimming in the river, basking in the sun, and growing up.

Goodreads recommended this to me for reading (and rereading) one of my favourite books "I Capture the Castle" by Dodie Smith. I had no idea this wonderful this book would sink into my heart. Truly it reminds me of "I Capture the Castle" in the best ways - the narrator is a girl on the verge of womanhood, she misinterprets many events because of her innocence, and in the end, has revelations when looking back at an older age.

It can be read by young readers and by adults, each gaining very different meanings. In essence, it's about a summer and its golden paradise, each day feeling like a year. Every child's dream to suddenly be allowed to do whatever they want - their mother being removed because of illness.

The hotel itself is peppered with characters that begin to influence each child differently - Monsieur Joubert the famous painter who takes Joss (the eldest) under his wing; Paul the boy-help who fights with Cecil (second oldest and narrator) and becomes the catalyst to much mischief;  Madame Zizi the jealous and elegant woman attached to Eliot the oddly placed English Gentleman who promises mother to look after the children.

Eliot is our biggest influence, doting on the children, allowing them expensive experiences, and encouraging their whims becoming an almost reverent figure in their eyes.

The best part of each character is that we never gain a full understanding of who they are. Cecil cannot grasps the minute details and therefore we are left with many gaps in our understanding. It adds to the charm. We the reader are thus just as innocent to the goings on.

The French atmosphere is divine and Godden immerses us in an English child's view of what it is to be 'French'. The descriptions are like a delicate desert, deliciousness to be savoured, and nibbled in tiny bites.

Upon searching multiple bookstore sites, this book is hard to find. I recommend, that if you find it, read it. It will bring you back to the cusp of childhood when anything was possible.

5 STARS

Trapped Dragons Are Dangerous Creatures

Hidden
By Sophie Jordan

The third and final installment in the Firelight trilogy.
Firelight (I) - Review here.
Vanish (II) - Review here.

Possible spoilers. A brief review shall ensue.

What a wonderful series to stumble across. I first encountered book one on a random shelf excursion at the library. Thought, "Hey, terrible cover, but worth a shot. Dragons are always awesome!" What a journey. Perfect summer books. They'd be great to marathon.

By no means are these literature-shaping stories. They are fun, light-hearted distractions. In this last one, especially, you can tell that the author writes romance. The descriptions are hot and sexy. Perfect for a teenage romance.

The typical love triangle has a slightly different angle and none-the-less frustrating.

Likeable characters, a head-strong and conflicted female protagonist, and just enough tension between everyone to push the plot forward. 

In this final book, everything that can go wrong goes wrong. I applaud Jordan for taking me on twists and turns and NEVER stopping the action. It was constant. One thing would finish, another would pop up. An excellent conclusion to a fun series.

4/5 STARS

Cloak of Darkness

Serefina and the Black Cloak
By Robert Beatty

Serefina, a young girl, lives in the basement of the Biltmore Estate. Her father, the electrician, hides her. She scurries about and views the occupants above in secret, until one day she sees a man in a black cloak swallow up a young girl. More children disappear and Serefina takes it upon herself to protect the Estate.

A middle-grade book, I was surprised at how quickly the story became scary. The description of the man in the black cloak is terrifying. This is a perfect tale for someone wanting a scary, ghost-like story.

The Biltmore Estate is a real place (you can look it up), and Beatty did a fantastic job creating atmosphere surrounding this magnificent piece of history. Atmosphere is mostly why the story is engrossing.

Serefina is an unusual girl. She's got odd quirks and seems a little off. There were a few internal dialogues with herself that seemed lengthy and took forever to get to the point. Because of this, I cannot give the story a full rating. The internal 'figuring out of things' felt forced.

The villain is malicious and dark, and the conclusion to the novel will have your heart pounding.

For a Gothic, somewhat historical tale of a girl who wants to belong, I'd recommend this.

4/5 STARS

Meander for You

Taran Wanderer
By Lloyd Alexander

The fourth book in the Chronicles of Prydain.

Taran does not know who he is. He feels he should find out before he settles down. Thus begins the wandering around the landscape.

Lloyd Alexander's writing is lovely, though a little dated. I enjoy the simple complexity in which he explores human experience.

Taran is far less naive than in previous books, though some of his innocence remains as he encounters various people who are motivated by selfish desires. He quickly learns that he cannot always rely on others.

For the most part, he is in search of his parents. Where did he come from? He hopes that by finding his ancestry he might begin to define his self. Most of him wants to have come from nobility.

He grows in tender ways and betrayals. Truly, a remarkable 'coming-of-age' story.

4/5 STARS

Beginning of August

Hi Book-Sniffers and Librocubicularists,

July - my usual month of extreme reading has ended. The pressures I have given myself are my own. The expectations were high and unreachable.

This year has been the year of changes. With changes comes a rearranging of life. Sometimes things suffer for the love of something or someone new.

On average, my July brings 10 read books. My total for the month was 6. Not terrible. And yet, I feel disappointed. Five of them were crunched in the end of the month.

I know I could have done it. Instead, I chose to go camping for a week, then go on a road-trip for another week. Reading does not get done with there's socializing and people.

My terms for August are looser. Read what you can. Read what you want.


'The Count of Monte Cristo' is the challenge for the bookclub. It's a honker. There's much superfluous material; there's some captivating material.

'Irenicon' by Aidan Harte is my guilt book. The one that I should've read as soon as I bought it, last year. So far, I'm liking it.

'The Secret Garden' by Frances Hodgson Burnett is the light book. Downloaded on my NEW Kindle Paperwhite. Getting used to the different reading surface.

'The Library at Mount Char' by Scott Hawkins is the audiobook I'm currently listening to. It's odd. I knew that going in. It's rated VERY highly on Goodreads. Got my fingers crossed.


~Happy August Reading!~

Magical World

The Paper Magician
By Charlie N. Holmberg


Ceony arrives at the cottage of the Paper Magician, Emery Thane, her new mentor. Unlike most magicians when they graduate, Ceony is forced to choose paper magic. She'd rather be a smelter - working with metals and weapons. As far as she can tell, paper is a useless material.
Almost instantly, I knew this would be a favourite book of mine.
This book, literal paper magic, has wedged itself firmly into my consciousness. Something reminiscent of Harry Potter mixed with a little Abhorsen (Garth Nix), this world is lovely and dangerous.

Magician Emery Thane is tailor-made for you to love him at first sight. Ceony is too busy lamenting the loss of being a smelter than to notice how enchanting Emery is. I cried in chapter 2 for Heaven's sake.

Ceony begins as a driven character. She's hardworking, which makes her sadness completely understandable. She's studied and worked so that she can do what she wants. It's taken away. When she begins to turn around on paper magic, it's something wonderful. She's powerful and the potential is captivating. The reader wants her to succeed. 

Now, I distinctly remember flipping the book around to read the synopsis and feeling betrayed at the spoiler. Fair enough, it's at the beginning of the book. But I would have rather it come as a shock.

Let's just say, there's another magician who practices the dark magic that uses flesh as the material. No further shall I go. You need to discover that on your own.

It goes in a surprising direction - almost abstract, kind of philosophical - exploring what it is to be a person. Very meaningful.

Enjoy. It's lovely. I cannot wait to continue this trilogy.

5/5 STARS