Roald Dahl: A Hero

I did The Coffee Book Tag a few days ago and there was an answer to one of the questions that lingered in my mind. The question asked: ‘What is your favorite children’s book?‘ and of course, without hesitation, I answered Roald Dahl’s books, (you don’t expect me to pick just one, do you?!) but while I was writing the reason to my answer, I thought, huh… I’ve always been an avid fan of this author, so why haven’t I ever talked about him or his books?

Hence the birth of this blogpost 😛 Before I go any further, here are a few things you need to know about Dahl:

• Roald Dahl was born on 13th September 1916 in Llandaff, Cardiff, Wales.
• Dahl’s famous for his books: Charlie and The Chocolate Factory, Matilda, The BFG, James and The Giant Peach, Fantastic Mr. Fox and more!
• He wrote all of his children’s stories in a small hut at the bottom of his garden.
• Fantastic Mr Fox was partly inspired by a tree that grew outside Roald Dahl’s home in the village of Great Missenden.
• He always wrote in pencil on yellow paper. (How quirky is that?!)

• It has been said that Roald Dahl created more than 250 new words. Many of them appeared in The BFG.
• Roald Dahl co-wrote the script for classic children’s film Chitty Chitty Bang Bang.
• According to his teachers, Roald Dahl wasn’t a very good writer.
• Roald dahl loves chocolate.
• He died on 23 November 1990 at the age of 74.

 

via: http://www.buckscc.gov.uk/, http://primaryfacts.com/

Matilda

Okay now let’s talk books! The first book I read by Roald Dahl was Matilda, a story about a gifted little girl who is surrounded by some of the nastiest people on earth. She then discovers she has magical powers  If I remember correctly, it was compulsory for primary school students to pick up this book during their second (or was it third?) year. Honestly I couldn’t get to it the first time, but seeing that I wasn’t the only troubled reader, my teachers made us watch the film instead before going back to the back. I loooooved the film, so I jumped straight to the book to recapture those scenes in my head as I read. This book is perfect for readers like us. Matilda is a bright bookworm who’s innovative and inspiring in many different ways.

The BFG 

I’m pretty sure y’all have heard about this book, because it’s being turned into a movie!!! Aaahhhh I CANNOT wait to see my childhood imaginations come to life. The trailer looks stunning and the animation is simply exquisite! Basically, this book talks about the adventures of a girl and a giant. Not a bone-crunching nasty giant, but a Big Friendly Giant. I remember picking this one up and being quite hesitant about it. An ugly giant befriending a little English girl? How peculiar! But I picked it up anyways and LOVED IT. Goodness, I can gush about it all night. It’s a truly magical read, and one of Roald Dahl’s personal best in my opinion. Dahl’s personality is all over this one – wacky words, nasty villains, dreams encased in little glass jars ~

The Witches

Ahhh I remember curling up on my sofa with red flecks all over my body and a dangerously high body temperature. Yep, I was sick in bed with the measles when I picked this up. And boy did it roil my guts! Yuck! The Witches follows a little boy and his grandmother as they live in a world where Witches roam freely – but these witches aren’t your average wort-faced hags, they’re actually quite normal. Beautiful, dare I say…. On the outside, that is. I was about 11 when I read this book and it was considerably quite creepy… there are illustrations in these books, you see. The pictures you’ll be witnessing won’t be very pretty. BUT there was a lot of tension! And mishaps and mayhems! And mice! Who doesn’t love clever ole’ mice?

Fantastic Mr. Fox

I picked this up on a whim and flew through it in a few hours. ABSOLUTELY AMAZING! I loved every single moment of Mr. Fox’s devious plans and tricks. Oh, and they actually have stop-motion film of this book directed by the famous Wes Anderson. I still have yet to give it a try, but I will soon! This book follows Mr. Fox and his family as they find a way out of the disaster that is the three farmers – Boggis, Bunce and Bean. These three have been tracking down the little pest that’s been sneaking their chickens out of their coop, and will not stop until they have Mr. Fox’s fur up on their wall. A witty, one of a kind story. I highly recommend!

James and The Giant Peach

Another one of Dahl’s that was compulsory for my English class. Same story with Matilda – a bit hard for me to get into but the film got me HOOKED! Honestly everything about this book was just… weird. But I liked it. A lot. I’m not sure why? I’ve lost count on how many times I re-read and re-watched the book and film. Nostalgia hits me every time!

So this is my short list of (Dahl) favorites. His books always manage to make me smile and laugh. They never fail to reminisce my childhood days where I’d imagine I was perched on top of the world’s giant peach, or when I have super magic powers to levitate and move things without touching them. Dahl’s books were always there for me when I needed a friend. I’ll always treasure his stories. I had a collection of his books when I was younger but I’ve given them to my 9 year old cousin who’s just getting into reading and claims to be a HUGE fan of his books. Spreading the word about his tales never fail to make me happy. In short, Dahl’s my hero.

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Soooo these are some of my faves that I thought I’d share with y’all. Were you an avid fan of Dahl’s growing up? If so, what was your favorite book by him? 🙂

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Book Review: A Court of Mist and Fury by Sarah J. Maas

Title: A Court of Mist and Fury

Author: Sarah J. Maas

Rating: 5/5 stars

Release date: May 3rd 2016

Publisher: Bloomsbury

Goodreads’ synopsis (*SPOILERS CONTAINED IN SYNOPSIS. READ THE REVIEW FOR MY NON-SPOILER THOUGHTS INSTEAD*):

Feyre survived Amarantha’s clutches to return to the Spring Court—but at a steep cost. Though she now has the powers of the High Fae, her heart remains human, and it can’t forget the terrible deeds she performed to save Tamlin’s people.

Nor has Feyre forgotten her bargain with Rhysand, High Lord of the feared Night Court. As Feyre navigates its dark web of politics, passion, and dazzling power, a greater evil looms—and she might be key to stopping it. But only if she can harness her harrowing gifts, heal her fractured soul, and decide how she wishes to shape her future—and the future of a world cleaved in two.

Review:

Loved it. A brilliant sequel to what was merely the remnants of an unfinished story (thus far). Everything in the book finally clicked. I don’t recall much of the events that occurred in ACOTAR, but going through ACOMAF was a breeze. Sarah J. Maas no doubt has lots of twists in store for us. I can tell how cleverly planned-out the whole story was; not a single loose thread out of place. The characters, new and old ones, felt tangible – their emotions and feelings weren’t overly exaggerated, making them seem realistic and human-like. I won’t mention who, but there were certain characters that started a plethora of problems which, not surprisingly, might frustrate the readers to no end. But when I flip those pages, I just nod and go alright, alright. I get why you’re doing this. It’s a stupid mistake, but no one is to be blamed. What I meant to say is that the drama does not go overboard. It’s presented for a reason, it maintains the flow of the story and connects every piece together. It’s vital in a story. Basically, the author was able to come up with a reasonable conflict, which is very rare in YA/NA novels these days (The characters are either always too emotional and sensitive or dull and boring). She’s able to contradict the reader’s thoughts as if to say read the next few chapters, then you’ll know why *inserts character’s name* chose to *inserts problem*.  I’m  also pleasantly surprised to find that I enjoyed her writing. She writes articulately, no doubt. But I was not the biggest fan of her TOG series because of how she actually drags the story extensively with details of literally everything, which drives me to sleep every single chapter. The writing in her ACOTAR series, though the differences weren’t distinct, was bearable.

Of course, being a SJM novel, the hype was real. My Instagram feed was literally flooding with praise for this book. Fair enough, I let the hype take over my expectations because why shouldn’t it? I adored the first book, and knowing that there were a handful that found ACOMAF absolutely flawless despite loathing ACOTAR, I had nothing to lose. Well.. I was partly right, but after I read those last words and skimmed through the last page (as I always do, just to wrap things around my head), I felt like I wasn’t completely satisfied, like something was missing. But what? I just said that the story was flawless. What could’ve possibly squashed that last bit of satisfaction that was needed to fulfill my craving? Yep, it was the hype.

There were readers who re-read the book due to major book hangovers and others who couldn’t stop gushing over it. I get it. It’s an amazing book. Rhys is beautiful. But it’s ashame that the praises were what actually got me just the tiniest bit disappointed overall. Yes I gave it a 5/5 stars, so the hype didn’t actually interfere with my rating. Why? Because the story deserves a perfect rating. An epic story with well crafted characters and an enchanting setting should receive all the love and support, not disappointing reviews just because the hype ruined it. It may sound like I’m ranting but I’m just emphasizing my point, and that is: do not let the hype get to you. It’s an amazing read, and you will not be disappointed. Not one bit. Trust me. Don’t let the hype get to you like it did to me. Pick it up and go into it blind if you must, and leave out other people’s opinions.

Wow okay so that was tiring. Didn’t realize It got that long. So anyway, yes it was a great sequel and I’d highly recommend this series! I would like to warn the younger readers out there that the story does get explicit and.. Well, mature. So consider yourself warned before you pick it up!

What did you think of the book? I’d love to hear your thoughts!

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if you’re interested in buying A Court of Mist and Fury, you can click here to shop the book at Book Depository – i receive a small commission if you use the link! 🙂 

Book Review: And Then There Were None by Agatha Christie

Title: And Then There Were None

Author: Agatha Christie

Genre: Mystery/Thriller

Rating: 4/5 stars

Goodreads’ synopsis:

“Ten . . .”
Ten strangers are lured to an isolated island mansion off the Devon coast by a mysterious “U.N. Owen.”

“Nine . . .”
At dinner a recorded message accuses each of them in turn of having a guilty secret, and by the end of the night one of the guests is dead.

“Eight . . .”
Stranded by a violent storm, and haunted by a nursery rhyme counting down one by one . . . one by one they begin to die.

“Seven . . .”
Who among them is the killer and will any of them survive?

Review:

Ten people gets invited to a party at a well known island – cue the confetti and throw in your bathing suit while you’re at it! Doesn’t that sound like a dream getaway to you? *scoffs*. Well, that’s not the case. Each guest gets murdered one by one and they come to realize that the murderer is one of them….

I enjoyed this book! Took me two sittings to finish it and I completely devoured that last few pages – still a shock to me! This was my first Mystery novel, therefore I’m new to Christie’s work – and it definitely lived up to the hype. Honestly, going into the book was a bit of a trouble for me. Being my first thriller, I struggled to keep up with the pace and the little bits of clues throughout the novel, so I can’t say that this book was entirely flawless. Not to me, at least. Still, I was captivated by the writing of the novel. It’s abrupt, yet it flows together just as the story does. It’s not a very lengthy book, about 300 pages (mass market paperback), and following through the events of several murders, it kept me at the edge of my seat the entire time! I’m very impressed, and I understand now why Christie’s labelled the Queen of mystery.

A very well thought out novel – lots of twists and turns that are bound to keep you guessing. I doubt anyone saw that plot twist coming… then again, there’s a twist in every chapter! Definitely not my last AC novel. I’m excited to pick up another one of her works!

Have you read this book? If so, what did you think about it? What are some of your favorite Agatha Christie novel? I’d love recommendations!

The Lunar Chronicles: An Intensely Detailed Not-So Condensed Non-Spoiler Review

 

 

Author: Marissa Meyer

Overall rating: 4.6/5 Stars

Okay.. where do I start? Goodness. WHY did it take me THIS long to start this series?? Actually, no, I take that back. WHY did it have to end so quickly? There should be NO end to this story. I can go on and on reading about these characters and this.. this perfectly crafted world that is Luna.

So let’s start from the very beginning – Cinder. Picked this book up once, wasn’t interested. Picked it the second time, changed my whole life. I’ve seen people everywhere going ‘didn’t finish Cinder.. might give it another try’ or ‘a Sci-Fi retelling of Cinderella? Seems a tad bit odd don’t you think? And honestly, I felt the exact same way. I don’t know what made me hooked the second time I picked it up, maybe it’s cause I actually read on and waited for everything to finally pick up. Okay, I’m a hypocrite for saying that we shouldn’t judge how good or bad a book is by their first few pages, because I do that all the time. Trust me, there were times where I’d read the first paragraph of a book, went ‘NOPE’, and went on to burying it deep under my TBR pile. But you can’t help it – and no one can blame you for doing so. It’s not wrong, but it’s unfair. A book should be just as good as any other if you actually made the effort of finishing it. Only then are you allowed to judge the way you feel about it.

That is how this series started. It’s a freaking roller-coaster. It builds up the adrenaline from the start and surges throughout the whole ride, and what a thrilling ride it was.

So Cinder started off a bit slow but it picks up REALLY quickly. I think what it fast-paced was the overflowing drama and conflict between the protagonist and antagonist. Goodness was it frustrating. I was holding onto my dagger ready to plunge the blade into someone’s chest (I’M KIDDING). But seriously, Adri and Pearl were just… UGH!

Then there’s Prince Kaito… oh, this lovely human being. Am I the only one who imagines Kai as EXO’s Kai?? For those of you who aren’t familiar with EXO, they’re a popular Korean Boy Band consisting of 9 members and the face of the group is Kai, and just like Prince Kai, he’s good-looking, kindhearted and is dominating the world at a very young age whilst capturing the hearts of the many die-hard fangirls…. Their resemblances are uncanny!

Cinder ended at a massive cliff-hanger which left me sobbing real hard. That was how attached I was to the characters and the world, and that was only the first book!

Sooo going to Scarlet, I had a bit of trouble reading the first half of it, not going to lie. I still wasn’t sober after Cinder so it took me some time to gather my emotions back together. I also didn’t particularly liked Scarlet at first BUT she’s grown to be so freaking badass and hilarious and bright that she’s become one of my faaavourite characters. Also, she reminds me a lot of Sansa Stark.

Now, let’s talk about Wolf. Back when I was new to Bookstagram (about 2 years ago), Wolf’s name was EVERYWHERE. So I’ve had high expectations going into Scarlet and meeting this ‘Wolf’ character. Before I started Scarlet, I was hoping for a sexy, dark and mysterious character, and did Wolf claim my heart! Again, he’s become one of my all time favourite characters! His brooding aura and those eyes *sigh*. How can one NOT fall for him??

Scarlet was close to perfect – just the first half bothered me a little (and it’s because of me, NOT the book. If my emotions were a bit more stable I would’ve flew threw the book in one sitting)

Going to Cress, I got a bit intimidated. It was pretty huge, and I’ve got two books to recover from – how am I going to handle another one?

Well, Cress turned out to be my favourite out of the whole series. Then again, the other three are all close favourites. I loved Cress because she’s so relatable. She’s like a dreamy fangirl with anxieties who gets really insecure around people she’s never met before. I mean she’s been locked in a tower in space for her whole life, it’s completely plausible. Yet, she’s one of the strongest and smartest character in the series. Talk about a major girl crush!

Then we have Captain Thorne. This charming bastard. Witty, strong, smexy, and sensitive. What more can you want in a guy?! I honestly love everything about Cress – how everything just flowed smoothly and the transitions between the characters’ point of views. It’s quite a large book, but SO many things happened that it’s crazy to wrap everything in your head.

The final installment of this series was Winter. Stars, it was flawless. Even though Winter and Jacin were just recently introduced as major characters of the book, they became lovable so quickly! I loved them just the same as the other characters of the book, and that says a lot having only to appear in two books. Winter was a very unique character, and definitely very different. Jacin, on the other hand, was quite the contrast of Winter and I see him as a mixture of Wolf and Kai. Very serious, strong, and loyal.

Overall, everything wraps up neatly. The last book connected every piece together leaving nothing behind. One thing I liked most from the series is that though it’s a twisted Sci-Fi/Fantasy retelling, the author manages to keep that ‘Fantasy’ aspect of the story. The glass slipper, big bad wolf, tall tower, evil jealous queen, Marissa Meyer was able to keep all the details of each Fairytale while twisting everything else and still being able to make everything work out. Honestly, how does she do it????  How does a cyborg go along with Cinderella? Why is Little Red drawn to the wolf? How can Rapunzel be a hacker genius and Snow White the princess with scars on her face? How did the author pull off such a masterpiece with all the unthinkable combined together?

With that being said, Go. Pick. This. Series. Up. Right. Now. It deserves all the love and praise. Kudos to you, Marissa Meyer, and thank you for this amazing adventure!

Happy reading everyone!

Sincerely, a mentally exhausted fangirl whose feelings are a mess right now.

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if you’re interested in buying any of the books from The Lunar Chronicles series, you can click here to shop the book at Book Depository – i receive a small commission if you use the link! 🙂 

 

 

Book Review: Investigating Sherlock by Nikki Stafford

 

Title: Investigating Sherlock: The Unofficial Guide

Author: Nikki Stafford

Rating: 5/5 deerstalkers

Release date: September 15th 2015

*Disclaimer:* First of all, a huge shoutout to Sam over at ECW Press for sending over this book! She knows how obsessed I am over Sherlock and offered to send me this book to add in to my collection. Thank you, thank you, thank you!! ❤

“He’s been depicted as a serious thinker, a master of deduction, a hopeless addict, a bare-knuckle fighter. His companion is a bumbler, a sympathetic equal, someone helpless in the face of his friend’s social inadequacies“… that’s all you have to know about Sherlock and John, really. The perfect combo, these two lads. And just like the cover, Stafford’s narration was a piece of art!

The guide starts off with an introduction of the genius producers behind the show, the iconic author Arthur Conan Doyle, and even the brilliant casts who starred in the series. It’s a thrill to read about behind the scene auditions these celebrities went through and how they were carefully picked to play the characters of the set, what the directors had to say, and the story that contrasts the victorian and modern era!

I love how the author compares Doyle’s Sherlock to BBC’s. ACD to BBC, as she’d put it. She points out little easter eggs that appeared in BBC’s Sherlock that were supposedly references to ACD’s Holmes which, to me (having to only read a few of the original Sherlock Holmes), were really interesting. It literally made me go ‘oh right, that happened! I didn’t notice!’and it’s just so nice to get to know the film a little better each time I flip the page.

 

I’ve read Guy Adam’s Sherlock: The Casebook and adored it. However, Stafford’s guide had me look at Sherlock in a completely different way. Both guides differ in a way in which Adam constructs the story through illustrations whereas Stafford through sections such as: highlights (something funny that happened), interesting facts (behind the scenes info), did you notice?‘s (,little easter eggs as I mentioned), and oops‘ (bloopers). A completely different outtake, but equally as fascinating!

Calling out all my fellow Sherlockians to pick up this book – it’s a true masterpiece! If you would like a more in-depth analyzation of this hit TV series, you know what to get the next time you step foot in a bookstore.

Book Review: Jane Steele by Lyndsay Fay

Title: Jane Steele

Author: Lyndsay Faye

Rating: 4/5 stars

Release date: 22nd March 2016

Woah. This was so much better than I’ve expected. To be completely honest, I’m not the biggest fan of Jane Eyre, so when I was emailed a chance to receive a copy, I was quite hesitant. But the cover *not gonna lie* was a complete steal. Also the blurb ‘Reader, I murdered him.” got me a whole lot intrigued.

There are lots to say about the book. Firstly, Faye’s writing is absolutely flawless. This woman has the ability to present a story that contrasts both the modern and antiquated times. The story allows the reader to visualize the perspective of a strong-willed lady who is very much like the character Jane Eyre but takes the reader to a whole lot of suspense and ridicule moments that makes Jane Steele real to the flesh. Whereas Jane Eyre may be soft spoken and tolerant, Steele’s dark and awfully witty.

Another thing I like about Jane is how she works and sharpens her knife without actually smearing her dress. Not literally speaking of course, I adore the way the author is able to mold Jane into a ruthless character but at the same time a passionate and loving governess who wants nothing but to help other people. A true heroine, I say. Jane Steele’s a true delight. I hope to read more of Faye’s work in the future. I simply cannot get enough! xx

Thank you to the people over at Putnam books & Penguin Random House for sending over a copy in exchange for an honest review!