Have you noticed that headlines are kind of ridiculous these days? Yeah, I may have tricked you a little with my own headline there. Sorry. I've heard it called "clickbait," the use of words like "You won't believe what happens" or "This will change your life" or "The ten things you should never... " I have to admit I was suckered for a while but now I'm on to them. Occasionally I'll find a site with really interesting pictures, but for the most part I hate the let-down of whatever follows the outrageous claims made by the headline. That's one thing I like about books. For the most part, they are what the appear to be. I don't believe in the cliche "Never judge a book by its cover." Not literally, anyway. If you read the cover carefully and let the images give you a sense of it, it's mostly what you expect. Occasionally, it's better, but rarely is it worse. The books below are an example of one that was better and one that was exactly what I expected (but I read it anyway). So read! It will change your life! You'll never believe...oh never mind, you're already on this site.
Lady Almina and the Real Downton Abbey: The Lost Legacy of Highclere Castle
History by The Countess of Carnarvon
I LOVE the tv show "Downton Abbey," as does almost everyone I know who has seen it. If you haven't seen it, don't judge, just watch. So my in-laws, who I got addicted to the show, bought me this, but I've put off reading it because...history. The book is the historical account of the real countess of the real castle that Downtown is based upon. But wait, I only read novels, remember? However, I picked it up a few weeks ago when I didn't have anything else to read (dire situation, I know) and I'm happy to say I was wrong. Even though it's written by a celebrity, the current countess of the real castle, which didn't bode well, and even though it's TRUE, this is a great story. Lady Almina is a crazy but caring woman who was a bit of an unintentional feminist and you can't help but love her. Also, the events the family was involved in are mind blowing! Maybe it's normal for the extremely rich to have their fingers in major world events, just because they're rich enough to be involved, but still...King Tut's tomb? At one point, the Duke's brother is asked to become king of an Eastern European country. ASKED TO BECOME KING. But his older brother said no, what a bummer. Those are the events, and people like Almina herself are the characters, that make this book so readable. I do wonder, however, how much of these portraits are painted in a more flattering light than real life. After all, it's written by the current countess, who is a little invested in protecting the family name. Even so, it's a good story. There's a second one as well about Lady Almina's daughter in law, the next countess, which I'll read eventually. I don't want to read TOO much history on my vacation. Oh, and if you feel the same but want to read something Downton-ish, try this one.
Tiger's Curse
Young Adult fiction by Colleen Houck
You know I like YA books, and in fact I'm very excited to read the Lunar Chronicles, whose author visited my school this spring. This one, though, I could tell by name and cover was not going to be my favorite one. It was STRONGLY recommended by one of my students, who had recommended The Night Circus, which I loved, so I was willing to go with her on it. Suffice it to say, this is the first of a series of four and I will not be reading the others. Sorry, Lily. I tried. The upsides to this book are that it's set mostly in India and deals with a lot of mythology, so I learned about another culture and enjoyed that aspect of it. It's also fast paced since it's YA. Downsides? It's a Twilight wannabe. A very ordinary girl meets and falls for a not quite human creature--an extremely handsome and rich young man who never ages, falls in love with her despite their differences, is possessive, obsessive, and refrains from killing her though he easily could. It may be appealing to young women but it is not, in my opinion, a very healthy example of a loving relationship. I wouldn't suggest this to anyone without a firm grasp on reality, which is to say, not to a thirteen year old girl. There's also the problem that the writing sucks. Some might think that YA books are bound to be a little lower in their readability, but I haven't found that be true. There's just good writing and bad, and this is the second.
Whew. Criticizing is hard. I don't actually like doing it. And as I said, I really shouldn't, because I knew what I was getting into.
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