The Royal Road to Fotheringhay by Jean Plaidy

The Royal Road to Fotheringhay  by Jean Plaidy
 Series: Stuart Saga
Genre:Historical Fiction
Page: 337
My rating:Save It

Jean Plaidy reveals her steadfast grasp of historical storytelling in this engaging account of the first half of the life of Mary, Queen of Scots. Can you imagine being named a Queen at the age of a mere 6 days old. It's a short, eventful read with a large cast of sinister characters who'll do anything in their power to manipulate the queen for their own ends.

As I know next to nothing about Mary's story, I used this as a kind of educational novel to help teach me about her.I wanted to read this book because of Cw's Reign, in which I love this show. It works a treat in this respect, providing historical details and a real air of authenticity along with plenty of entertainment along the way. It shows not all history book are a bore.

Plaidy is particularly good at creating larger than life characters, from Mary's ultra-sleazy uncle, a Cardinal, to the swaggering Borderer, Bothwell. Such characters are hugely enjoyable to read about, and Plaidy's writing style makes them all the better. She has a way of writing that feels courtly and understated - it may be a product of the era in which she was working - so that even the most outrageous scandal takes place almost matter-of-factly.It was overall a great book.

The Giver by Lois Lowry

The Giver by Lois Lowry
Series: The Giver #1
Genres: Science Fiction
Pages: 179 
My rating: Save It

This is a great book. I wish everyone would read this book. There is are so many people that are missing out on a great piece of work. Its deceptively simplistic language reveals a rather horrifying dystopian world. Lois Lowry sure is craft with her words and action throughout this book.

This is a world where people are not given freedom to decide anything for themselves - their spouses, children, careers, future, even clothes or haircuts are all pre-planned and pre-selected for them. This futuristic world to me would suck. I sure hope that this is not what the future generations have to look forward to. They are not allowed to even own their feelings and dreams. I cannot imagine having everything in my life set out before me and having no choices..:( Of course, it is done for common good - to preserve peace and serenity, to avoid any disturbance, be that war, hunger, over-population, or simply personal discomfort of pain. Only two people in this community are able to understand what people miss out on. The main character Jonas is one of these people.

“The worst part of holding the memories is not the pain. It's the loneliness of it. Memories need to be shared."

 

Animal Farm by George Orwell

Animal Farm by George Orwell
My rating:Save It

After a speech by wise Old Major , the great pig (read Marx/Lenin), in which it is noted that the life of an animal is misery and slavery and than man is the only creature that consumes without producing, the animals rise up and throw off the yolk of their oppressive master Jones (read Romanov family). Two pigs Napoleon (Stalin) and Snowball (Trotsky) lead the Revolution.

Tired of their servitude to man, a group of farm animals revolt and establish their own society, only to be betrayed into worse servitude by their leaders, the pigs, whose slogan becomes: "All animals are equal, but some animals are more equal than others." This 1945 satire addresses the socialist/ communist philosophy of Stalin in the Soviet Union.


Strengths:

• A deep book of a short read. I thought that animals rebellion against the farmer might be a good thing. In the end, I am not so sure.
• I found myself so wrapped up in this book that when the pigs that ruled and had all the privileges would change rules at random to suit their needs I was groaning and pitying these other animals who suffered because of it.
• Orwell shows how socialist ideals are corrupted by powerful people, how the uneducated masses are taken advantage of.  

Weaknesses: 
 For me it was my utter lack of Russian history that sometimes I had to sit back and think...what was George saying there.

Summary:
I am not sure what I was really expecting from Animal Farm. I will tell you this I was not envisioning in learning about Russian history. The symbolism that Orwell brought with the story what the story really meant. Orwell also shows corrupted by powerful people, how the uneducated masses are taken advantage of throughout this book. It just ticked me off. I was wondering if the working class animals were going to overtake the pig...no such luck. I am in the mood for some bacon now.
 

More Comedy In Our Lives

I have decided that I am going to host a challenge/read-along. Everyone needs to have some humor in there life. As the saying goes, Laughter is the best medicine....well as long as it is not aimed toward you. 

I am thinking of hosting a read-along of the first book of the Douglas Adam series, The Hitch Hiker’s Guide to the Galaxy. I am hoping to do it in either March or April. I will let you know on the specifics. 

As of right now, it is just in the incubation period.

Here is the plot of the book:

Seconds before the Earth is demolished to make way for a galactic freeway, Arthur Dent is plucked off the planet by his friend Ford Prefect, a researcher for the revised edition of The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy who, for the last fifteen years, has been posing as an out-of-work actor.

Together this dynamic pair begin a journey through space aided by quotes from The Hitchhiker's Guide ("A towel is about the most massively useful thing an interstellar hitchhiker can have") and a galaxy-full of fellow travelers: Zaphod Beeblebrox--the two-headed, three-armed ex-hippie and totally out-to-lunch president of the galaxy; Trillian, Zaphod's girlfriend (formally Tricia McMillan), whom Arthur tried to pick up at a cocktail party once upon a time zone; Marvin, a paranoid, brilliant, and chronically depressed robot; Veet Voojagig, a former graduate student who is obsessed with the disappearance of all the ballpoint pens he bought over the years.

If you are interested just coment below. Thank you

 

Welcome 2014

Boy where did that year go. It just seemed like yesterday that we were welcoming in 2013. I cannot believe a year has come and gone. Sometimes i wish that I go go back and tweak a thing or two that would have done differently.

As for reading,this year I will be doing something different. I am not going to set a book limit that I would like to read this year. Everyone on GoodReads sets the amount of book they plan on reading in 2014. I am going do more challeneges this year and read-alongs. So by doing this I am hoping to put less stress on the reading part of my life. Because lets face it reeading is fun and should be relaxing.

No more by the number for this guy. More quality