juvenile – Cannonball Read 17

This is a delightful middle-grade story, probably the start of a series, and I recommend it!

The Accidental Apprentice by Amanda Foody

April 11, 2021 by crystalclear Leave a Comment

Barclay Thorne is an eleven-year-old orphan growing up in a small village called Dullshire. He is apprenticed to a mushroom farmer, and he puts all that he has into his chosen profession. Life is hard for an orphan boy in Dullshire, and there are a lot of rules to follow, many which are silly or excessive. But one rule he is sure to follow: Never go into the Woods. The Woods is where the Beasts are. Beasts are dangerous. And Beasts have magic, which is […]

Sand and Sea, and a Little Victorian Mystery

The Hotel Under the Sand by Kage Baker

July 11, 2019 by Ale Leave a Comment

There’s a huge bargain book shop not far from my house where my dad and I sometimes go to spend a Saturday morning thumbing through the racks. Books are literally stacked to the ceiling and there’s not much organization, but you can pick up hardbacks for $2.00, and it’s fun just to see what’s there. The Hotel Under the Sand had been tossed on a shelf amidst a bunch of nature books and non-fiction, but the title caught my eye. I’d never heard of Kage […]

Definitely fantasy genre now

January 4, 2016 by Loopyker 5 Comments

When The Dark is Rising started I was very confused. It was supposed to be the second book in a series, right? But, it starts with completely different characters and in a different village than Over Sea, Under Stone. Only as time goes on, do we see the connection. Will Stanton is the seventh son of a seventh son and just about to turn 11 years old. Up until that point, he is a normal kid who has no idea there is anything special about […]

A treasure hunt adventure

January 1, 2016 by Loopyker 5 Comments

I don’t know how I hadn’t heard about this series before now. It seems exactly the kind of thing that someone would have recommended to me, or I would have picked up in the library if I had seen it growing up, but I didn’t come across it until browsing my online library in my 40s. Fortunately, that wasn’t too late to enjoy it. Over Sea, Under Stone is the first book in a series of five called The Dark is Rising Sequence. Simon, Jane […]

Rob Reiner should stick to directing

December 30, 2015 by Loopyker Leave a Comment

“IF YOU ENJOYED THE MOVIE, YOU’LL CERTAINLY ENJOY LISTENING TO ROB REINER, THE MOVIE’S DIRECTOR, READ THE BOOK.” was what the online library listing promised me. They even shouted it. They couldn’t have been more wrong. I would like to be really clear about this. I don’t want to get yelled at. This is a review for the audiobook. Very different from the movie. I love the movie. It became an instant favourite when I saw it over 20 years ago. I’ve enjoyed it many […]

Zirza on A Gothic Classic for a ReasonIt's one of those wish-you-could-read-it-again-for-the-first-time books. I loved it.
Emmalita on “It came to something when you found yourself hoping that the footsteps you heard were ghosts.”I loved the ending! I don’t think it’s been out long enough to talk about why though.
Dixie on Track Her Down by Melinda LeighI am just starting Track Her Down and I have read them all in order till now and thought I...
Roland of Gilead on How can you give us the gift of a crazy character named Rando Thoughtful and then just as suddenly take that gift away? We need to talk, Uncle Stevie.I came across this randomly years after it was written because I was searching "Random Thoughtful. But I have the...
Emmalita on “Only you, Em, would refer to heartbreak as a distraction. I think I would have a more sympathetic response if I asked to marry a bookcase.”Oh my goodness, Gallifrey was beautiful. I’m sure her mittens were gloriously murdery.

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