I received this book from the authors in exchange for an honest review.
I decided to make this a mini-review due to already having written a review for the first episode, “The Story Begins”. Also, even though this new edition includes the first three episodes, I don’t have much more to say than what I said in that review. There’s more story, but it still didn’t get anywhere, and it took me less than a day to read it. I’m left with lots of questions, and looking at the release schedule in the copy I received, I’m not sure if I want to invest that much time or money in getting those questions answered. Perhaps if the episodes were condensed down into fewer books, I would be more interested.
I guess I was expecting the story to be like a tv show; perhaps slow at first, but intriguing, and each successive episode drawing me further into the story. However, the setup for what happened to Onyx and how all the other characters tie into her story is taking too long. All the way through to the end of episode 3, new characters are introduced with no way of telling if they’re important or not. Most of my reading notes consist of a long list of names, just in case I would meet them again and need to remind myself who they are. Despite giving the first episode four stars on Goodreads, I don’t feel there’s enough story in the remainder of this book to give it any more than three.
The above ISBN is for the hardcover edition, but I listened to the audiobook I purchased.
Ophelia and the Marvelous Boy is a perfect example of how to write a modern Middle-Grade fairy tale. Ophelia isn’t sure of herself and doesn’t feel that she’s anyone special, yet she finds herself with the task of saving a boy from the Snow Queen. Oh, and by the way, Ophelia, could you save the world in the process? I loved every moment! Every event made sense, whether it was fantastical or not, and no character, not even Ophelia, was suddenly capable of doing anything they weren’t already equipped to accomplish. At the same time, the world of the story is full of magic, despite Ophelia’s belief that there is no such thing.
The Snow Queen is truly scary and wholly evil. While she is not exactly the same as the White Witch in The Lion, The Witch, and the Wardrobe by C.S. Lewis, my thoughts turned to her the more I found out about the Snow Queen. What I liked even more than that childhood favorite was the lack of religious allegory. It also doesn’t head in the opposite direction as did the “His Dark Materials” trilogy by Philip Pullman. The only point I found, besides being a beautiful story for its own sake, was that ordinary people can sometimes do seemingly extraordinary things, even if they have asthma and aren’t good at running.
Though the narrator, Jayne Entwistle, did a wonderful job, I know I would have loved the story just as much had I read the book instead of listening to it. I know that sometimes makes a difference, but not this time. I can safely recommend Ophelia and the Marvelous Boy in any format, especially if you’re a fan of Middle-Grade Fantasy, or you love the “Narnia” series.
“Monday’s Minutes” is a weekly post in which I track my bookish life. All book covers are linked to Goodreads unless otherwise noted.
The Joy Luck Club by Amy Tan – for the read-along.
Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire by J.K. Rowling – for the HP re-read.
Doll Bones by Holly Black
The Witching Hour by Anne Rice
The Magic Shop by Justin Swapp – a review book.
Frankenstein by Mary Shelley
Finished: Human Cargo by Caroline Moorehead, which I read for one of my classes. I had to write a detailed critical review of it, so I might post it at some point. I also finished Mary Poppins by P.L. Travers. I’ll do a Classics Club review for it before the end of the month. Awhile back I reviewed Onyx Webb: Episode 1. The authors, Richards Fenton and Andrea Waltz, re-released the first six episodes in two books and asked me to review Book 1. I’ll be posting it sometime next week.
Total # of books for the year: 67. I’ve finally broken my audiobook slump! First, I listened to Mary Poppins, and now I’m making my way through Doll Bones, both of which I checked out from my university’s library. I removed The Portable Dorothy Parker from my current reads because I know I’m not going to get back to reading it until January at the earliest, and I haven’t touched it in over a month.
Welcome to the 4th weekly recap of The Joy Luck Club read-along! Below is the schedule. Each Saturday I’ll post a recap (with clearly marked spoilers for those who get a little behind). The final review of the book will be on Saturday, October 24th.
Oct. 4th – 10th: Chapters “Four Directions”, “Without the Wood”, and “Best Quality”
Oct. 11th – 17th: Chapters “Magpies” and “Waiting Between the Trees”
Oct. 18th – 23rd: Chapters “Double Face” and “A Pair of Tickets”
This week, we read two chapters, each about one of the daughters. I’m feeling a mixture of anger and sadness; anger towards the mothers, and sadness for the daughters.
[Spoilers] This week’s chapters brought up a lot of memories from my childhood, and also some troubling impressions of Chinese culture. First, with Jing-mei, all I could think of was how I felt growing up and believing that I was never good enough in my Mom’s eyes. The following quote says it all: “In all of my imaginings, I was filled with a sense that I would soon become perfect. My mother and father would adore me. I would be beyond reproach. I would never feel the need to sulk for anything. But sometimes the prodigy in me became impatient. ‘If you don’t hurry up and get me out of here, I’m disappearing for good, ‘ it warned. ‘And then you’ll always be nothing.'” And how many times did I hear my Mom say what Jing-mei’s says: “So ungrateful.”? As far as culture goes, what I’ve noticed, but couldn’t put into words prior to this, is that it seems like everything is expressed in negative terms. The mothers brag about their children by complaining, and, in the next chapter, Lena’s Mom only ever predicts things that will go wrong. I get that bragging and pridefulness aren’t good, but only thinking of things in terms of what is missing is no way to live. [End Spoilers]
What do you think? Comment away! Just be sure to mark clearly any spoilers 🙂
Since it’s Banned Books Week, all of this “Thursday’s Things” are related to banned books. I’ve also updated the Banned Books page to remove broken links so check it out for even more information about banned books. Sometime during this month, I’ll do a second “Thursday’s Things” in celebration of all things Halloween.
Banned Books Infographic – This infographic is supposed to be up to the present, but the last book listed was banned in 2003. Regardless, it’s still interesting and informative on the history of book banning.
Forbidden Comics Bundle – Humble Bundle has a bundle of banned and challenged comics that is available for 5 more days. If you’re into comics, grab this pay-what-you-want bundle before it’s gone and help out the Comic Book Legal Defense Fund at the same time!
How does censorship affect a writer’s career? – Most of the time we only discuss banned books in terms of how it affects readers, but this article looks at how banning books affect authors.
Since it’s Banned Books Week, I’d like to take a break from the usual discussion to share with you some of the many challenges, bannings, and burnings of the Harry Potter books. Before we get to that, though, this month’s featured post is about how Shaina @ Shaina Reads almost didn’t read the series. Check it out to find out why and then add your own Harry Potter related posts to the link-up for your chance to be featured in next month’s discussion post.
1999
Douglas County, Colorado; Moorpark, California; and Buffalo, New York – Formal complaints against Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone were filed by parents in the school districts. In 2000, another parent in Moorpark, CA stated, “It was a horrible book…It talked about death and killing. It talks about drinking animal blood. That is witchcraft, and as a religion it doesn’t belong in school.”
South Carolina – Parents requested Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone be banned from all South Carolina schools, stating it had “a serious tone of death, hate, lack of respect, and sheer evil,” and it was “trying to disguise things as fun and easy that are really evil.”
Simi Valley, California – A parent stated that Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone was “violent, antifamily, had a religious theme, and lacked educational value.”
Saginaw, Michigan – Bruckner Elementary School became the first school in the United States to remove Harry Potter from the classroom. A parent complained, “the books are based on sorcery, which is an abomination to the Lord…I read a couple of chapters and felt like God didn’t want me reading it.” The school’s principal decided to ban the books from being read in class.
Zeeland, Michigan – School Superintendent Gary L. Feenstra directed school librarians to remove Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone from the shelves. Later, he decided not to ban the book but restricted it by requiring students to have parental permission to check it out.
2000
Bend, Oregon – Parents asked school officials to ban the series from the district’s schools, stating the books referred to witchcraft and divination and would lead children to hatred and rebellion. The school superintendent rejected the request and stated the parents couldn’t determine the reading materials for all of the students.
Band-La Pine, Oregon – Parents requested that the school board ban the series, stating it “threatened the fundamental morality of students.” The school board voted to keep the books.
Cedar Rapids, Iowa – Parents asked that the books be removed from school libraries because of its “romantic characterization of witches, warlocks, wizards, goblins, and sorcerers.” and, “These things by their very nature erode the morality of our children, and therefore ultimately our society.”
Salamanca, New York – The school board voted to keep the series in the elementary school libraries after parents complained about the dark themes in the books.
Whittier, California – A petition signed by 53 parents said the series “exposes our young children’s minds to black magic and…horrible experiences that our children don’t need to hear or read about.” The review committee stated, “if books were to be banned from schools due to violence depicted, then stories such as Hansel and Gretel, Little Red Riding Hood, and the Three Little Pigs would need to be added to the list.”
Jacksonville, Florida – The Public Library received complaints and was threatened with a lawsuit after passing out “Hogwarts’ Certificates of Accomplishment” to children who read all the books in the series at that time. One parent stated, “We don’t want our children to be exposed to witchcraft. If they are going to pass out witchcraft certificates, they should promote the Bible and pass out certificates of righteousness.”
Pace, Florida – A resident requested that the series be removed from the school libraries on the grounds of glorifying witchcraft and the occult and opposing Biblical teachings. He stated, “I know a lot of parents and teachers love it because the kids are excited about reading. But there’s excitement in drugs, there’s excitement in fornication, there’s excitement in crime, but that doesn’t mean they’re good for a person.”
Santa Fe, Texas – School principles voted to require written permission from parents before students were allowed to check out any of the books in the series.
Arab, Alabama – A parent requested the Board of Education remove the series from school libraries and stated she was speaking on behalf of other Christians. She also stated that J. K. Rowling was a member of the occult, and the books encourage children to practice witchcraft. “It was a mistake years ago to take prayer out of the schools because it let Satan in. We need to put God back in the schools and throw the Harry Potter books out.” The school board voted to keep the books in the schools.
2001
Rural, Pennsylvania – A burning of the Harry Potter books was conducted by a church.
Chester County, Pennsylvania – A former substitute teacher registered a formal complaint and stated, “Harry Potter teaches you it’s OK to get back at people.”
Oskaloosa, Kansas – The Public Library canceled a Summer storytelling event after residents became concerned about their children being taught witchcraft.
Alamogordo, New Mexico – a church burned copies of the books.
2002
Cedarville, Arkansas – Angie Haney filed a formal complaint with the Cedarville School District in June of 2002. In her complaint, she stated the books were objectionable because they teach children “parents/teachers/rules are stupid or are something to be ignored. That magic will solve your problems. That there are good witches and good magic.” The books were restricted and could only be checked out by students with parental permission. The district court later overturned the school board’s decision, noting that the school board couldn’t restrict students’ right to read a book on the grounds of disagreeing with its contents.
Lewiston, Maine – A ceremonial shredding of copies of Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets was conducted the night before the film adaptation was released. The group had already done a book shredding in 2001 before the film adaptation of Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone was released. The group originally wanted to burn the books, but city officials refused to grant the necessary burning permit.
2005 – 2007
Gwinnett County, Georgia – A parent claimed the novels were an evil attempt to “indoctrinate children in pagan religion” and should be removed from the schools. Despite not having read the books, she also stated the books were full of “evil themes, witchcraft, demonic activity, murder, evil blood sacrifice, spells.” and, “I don’t agree with what’s in them. I don’t have to read an entire pornographic magazine to know it’s obscene.” She told the school board that she wanted “to protect children from evil, not fill their minds with it. The ‘Harry Potter’ books teach children and adults that witchcraft is OK for children.” She also suggested the books be replaced by C. S. Lewis’s “Chronicles of Narnia” or Tim LaHaye’s “Left Behind: The Kids” series. She appealed to the Georgia state Board of Education after the school board rejected her request. After the Board of Education upheld the school board’s decision, she took the case to a state court, which also upheld the decision. She then threatened to take the case to federal court.
This check-in is for September 21st – 27th. Once again, I’m struggling to find the time between studying and paper writing to get my steps in. After this week, I will likely be stepping back on the amount of blogging I’ve been attempting to keep up with because I’m beginning to feel over-tasked, and I’m not sleeping well. Once I’m able to get back to a balance of school work, job searching, and personal/rest time, I’ll figure out a way of working in exercise.
Somehow, I still managed to get more steps than I did during the previous week.
If you’d like to add me as a friend on FitBit, you can find me HERE.
“Monday’s Minutes” is a weekly post in which I track my bookish life. All book covers are linked to Goodreads unless otherwise noted.
The Joy Luck Club by Amy Tan – for the read-along.
The Portable Dorothy Parker
Human Cargo by Caroline Moorehead
The Witching Hour by Anne Rice
Finished: Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban by J.K. Rowling. The discussion post and link-up will be up on the 30th.
DNF:Shadow of Night by Deborah Harkness. I gave it 120 pages before I gave up, which is far more than I usually give a book, so I feel like I gave it more than a fair chance. All I will say is that if I wanted to read a story about a woman willingly giving up her agency to a domineering, “alpha male” vampire, I’d re-read Twilight. At least Bella had the excuse of being a teenager instead of a grown extremely well-educated woman.
SF/F Bingo: Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban counts for “Time Travel”.
Total pages read: 704
Total # of books for the year: 64. I still haven’t found the next audiobook to keep me company on my commute to and from school. Either the story doesn’t appeal to me, or the narration is horrible for every audiobook I’ve tried. I’ve been listening to music and podcasts, one of which is Drabblecast. I highly recommend it if you love weird tales, and it’s perfect if you’re participating in RIP X.
If you didn’t already know, the Boyfriend and I went on a long weekend trip to New Orleans. I wasn’t able to fit everything we saw and did into one post, so if you missed it, check out Part 1 to find out what happened on Friday night and Saturday.
Sunday:
We woke up a bit earlyish after crashing Saturday evening, so we decided Sunday had to be the day we fit in as much as possible before leaving after breakfast on Monday. However, we also chose to do whatever we wanted when we wanted, with only a couple exceptions. When we weren’t shopping or eating, we were stopping at locations that I wrote about in my Vampire Tour of New Orleans post.
First, we went out to find breakfast. Since Café du Monde is ridiculously crowded during the day, especially in the morning, we headed out to another cafe that supposedly had excellent beignets, Cafe Beignet. There was a long line there as well, but not nearly as bad as at Café du Monde.
While we waited, I happened to see a display of poison rings in the window of a jewelry store. If you know anything about French history, poison rings, also known as pillbox rings or funeral rings, were popular during the 16th and 17th centuries. They were used to kill unsuspecting victims for a variety of reasons, usually political, as well as to hold keepsakes, especially for loved ones who passed away. My first thought was of a certain scene in Dragonfly in Amber by Diana Gabaldon involving the apothecary. I knew I had to have one for myself, so I stepped into the store while the Boyfriend stayed in line.
After that, we got through the line and were lucky enough to get a table so we could eat all the food we ordered. If you’re ever in the French Quarter, and you have a craving for beignets or a crawfish omelet, you can’t go wrong with Cafe Beignet.
Not everything there made me nervous.
With our breakfast eaten, we decided it was time to shop. We went into every store we thought looked interesting as we wandered around, including Marie Laveau’s House of Voodoo. The Boyfriend wanted to find a decent book on Voodoo for something he’s writing, and I was a bit curious. My curiosity turned into a feeling of foreboding once we got further into the store, and I became even more uncomfortable the longer we were in there. Then the Boyfriend pointed out that I was standing directly beneath a hand carved wooden Ouija board. Normally I’m not superstitious or put much stock in potions, spells, and other things like that. I do believe in magic but only within the confines of the fictional worlds I read about in my books. However, that store was legit. It wasn’t anything like the touristy wannabe Voodoo store we saw later. While not everything made the hair on the back of my neck stand up, all I wanted to do was buy the tarot cards I found and get out of there.
We decided to head back to the hotel to give our feet a break, so we stopped at the Central Grocery to pick up a muffuletta on the way. While eating it, I discovered that I had never had Italian bread that was made correctly before. I can now say that real Italian bread rivals French bread, and I want to learn how to make it.
Random Scot near Jackson Square.
Once we had eaten our lunch and cooled off, we headed out again, but this time to the French Market. Unfortunately, I wasn’t impressed with the wares. It was like every other flea market I’ve been to and full of cheaply made goods from China. The food section, however, was excellent. We took a short break to sit down and drink the fruit smoothies we bought at the Organic Banana and then we finally found jars of Mayhaw Jelly at French Market Produce (we had been looking everywhere).
My favorite color AND Shakespeare? Sold!
From there, we went looking for a shop that sold socks because, by that point, I had a spot on my ankle that had been rubbed raw by my shoes. When I packed for the trip, I remembered to pack my running shoes in case my other shoes didn’t cut it, but I forgot to pack the right socks to wear with them. Of course, I switched to my running shoes almost immediately after getting to New Orleans. When I realized my mistake, the Boyfriend sweetly gave me the spare pair of socks he packed, but I wore those on Saturday. I thought I’d be ok with the little “footies” I packed, but I was wrong.
We hadn’t planned on eating dinner so early, but shortly after we found my new socks, we came across a little restaurant called Cafe Amelie. We remembered that Cafe Amelie had been one of the listings when we searched for places that had shrimp and grits. We were starting to get tired, so we thought it must be fate. We chose to sit outside in their little courtyard. Well, the weather suddenly changed and it began to rain. The wait staff quickly set up large table umbrellas, but even then, we found ourselves getting very cozy with the two couples at the table next to us. They were in New Orleans for Southern Decadence, and I think chatting and laughing while helping keep all of us and our food out of the downpour turned a potential disaster into a hilariously good time.
After the rain had stopped and we were full of yummy food, we waddled back to the hotel. We decided to rest for the remainder of our last evening so we could get up early on Monday. Also, the Boyfriend surprised me with a 20th anniversary limited autographed edition of Anne Rice’s Interview with the Vampire. I don’t know where or how he managed to find it, considering the 20th anniversary was 19 years ago, and it’s never been opened, but he once again gets the Best Boyfriend Ever award.
Monday Morning:
We decided to go to the other cafe that had been recommended by the hotel desk clerk, Cafe Envie. We quickly figured out that Cafe Envie is where the locals go. We definitely stuck out as we stood there staring at the menu trying to decide what to order. While I was eating one of the best breakfasts I’ve had in my life, I overheard customer after customer get asked something along the lines of, “The usual, [insert name here]?” I have yet to find a cafe like Cafe Envie in Austin.
Eggs Envie with hash browns. Not pictured is the amazing almond croissant I also devoured.
While our trip to New Orleans wasn’t perfect, it’s one I’ll never forget, and I will go back again one of these days. There’s still so much to see and do, and I wish we had had a week.
