August Reading Wrap-Up

Walking Disaster by Jamie McGuire
(Beautiful, book 2)
Rating:  ★☆☆☆☆ – did not like it
Review:  No
Format:  Print
Reading Dates:  July 30 – August 3
Read Count:  1
Favorite Thing:  Ha!
Least Favorite Thing:  The fact that I actually read this with my own two eyes.

Honestly, I only read this book because my books were all packed and I had nothing else to read. It was even more trash than the first book!

My Posts About Walking Disaster


The Raven King by Maggie Stiefvater
(The Raven Cycle, book 4)
Rating:  ★★★★★ – loved it
Review:  No
Format:  Print
Reading Dates:  May 24 – August 4
Read Count:  3
Favorite Thing:  The beautiful friendships. I dream of having a friend group like this.
Least Favorite Thing:  Piper is so annoying… (I know, I know, she’s meant to be obnoxious, but still.)

This was my third time reading The Raven King and I think I loved it even more this time than before.

My Posts About The Raven King


Elske by Cynthia Voigt
(Tales of the Kingdom, book 4)
Rating:  ★★★★★ – loved it
Review:  Yes
Format:  Print
Reading Dates:  June 9 – August 9
Read Count:  5-ish
Favorite Thing:  Elske’s way of thinking through problems.
Least Favorite Thing:  Beriel’s way of thinking through problems.

I have such a soft spot in my heart for Elske…

My Posts About Elske


How I Live Now by Meg Rosoff
Rating:  ★★★☆☆ – liked it
Review:  No
Format:  eBook
Reading Dates:  August 14 – 20
Read Count:  1
Favorite Thing:  Interesting pace of the author’s voice.
Least Favorite Thing:  Casual incest… Not even joking.

I read this book because I watched the film (because I love Saoirse Ronan) and I had to see if the book had the same off-kilter quality as the movie. It didn’t exactly, but it did have an interesting pace to the writing that kept it from being a two star book.

My Posts About How I Live Now


Stepsister by Jennifer Donnelly
Rating:  ★★★☆☆ – liked it
Review:  No
Format:  Print
Reading Dates:  August 13 – 23
Read Count:  1
Favorite Thing:  Interesting take on the Wicked Stepsister’s story.
Least Favorite Thing:  The romance was annoying…

This was a pretty good take on the classic Cinderella story. I liked that the Wicked Stepsisters got redemption arcs and that Ella wasn’t actually just perfect all along.

My Posts About Stepsister


Imposters by Scott Westerfeld
(Imposters, book 1)
Rating:  ★★★★☆ – really liked it
Review:  No
Format:  Print
Reading Dates:  August 26 – 27
Read Count:  1
Favorite Thing:  Watching Frey grow into her own person.
Least Favorite Thing:  Hello, Insta-love…

I loved the little moments where you saw how they viewed the events from Tally’s books now. And I loved the little sprinkling of pretty-speak.

My Posts About Imposters


Tuck Everlasting by Natalie Babbitt
Rating:  ★★★☆ – really liked it
Review:  No
Format:  Print
Reading Dates:  August 28 – 30
Read Count:  2
Favorite Thing:  TUCK IS PSYCHIC OK???
Least Favorite Thing:  [SPOILERS] That creepy yellow-suit mother fucker was going to make Winnie drink from the spring and then injure/kill her in myriad ways to prove she was immortal like my god can you imagine the trauma! [END SPOILERS]

I decided to reread this book because of my fond memories about it from when I was in school. (And also because I got into an argument about whether the book or film was better. Which was ridiculous because obviously the book is the best one.) I am so glad I reread it because I really got a lot more out of the text than I did when I was a child.

My Posts About Tuck Everlasting


In Progress

The ownership of land is an odd thing when you come to think of it. How deep, after all, can it go? IF a person owns a piece of land, does he own it all the way down, in ever narrowing dimensions, till it meets all other pieces at the center of the earth? Or does ownership consist only of a thin crust under which the friendly worms have never heard of trespassing?

– Natalie Babbitt, Tuck Everlasting, page 7

Version:
Paperback, 139 pages
Published August 21st 2007 by Square Fish

Is Tuck Psychic?

So I just finished rereading Tuck Everlasting by Natalie Babbitt, and while it was a lovely little book, I’m left with one nagging curiosity… Is old Tuck psychic or sensitive in some way?

I marked the instances in my copy of the book, and I’ll list them quickly now. (I’m using the paperback published in 2007 for page numbers.) Fair warning, this post does contain spoilers!

On page 10, Mae states her intention to ride into Treegap and meet her sons on their way home. Tuck tells her that she “better not do that” and she pooh-poohs his concerns, saying that no one will notice or remember her. As you know if you read the books, she isn’t nearly as inconspicuous as she thinks she will be, and her visit could be said to be one of the main factors that leads to all the trouble. (I say one, because obviously Jesse’s carelessness is another.)

Page 58, the Tucks have Winnie at their place and old Tuck announces that he has a feeling they don’t have as much time to explain things to Winnie as they think and he’d better get to it right away. Everyone scoffs at this statement and writes it off immediately, but as the reader knows, the man in the yellow suit has been sneaking around ready to cause trouble.

Lastly, page 67, after the horse is stolen Tuck wonders if it wasn’t something more than a random horse thief, and perhaps someone set out to steal their horse in particular for some nefarious reason. Again he is shut down quickly, but the reader learns in the very next chapter that the man in the yellow suit has taken the horse and ridden straight to Winnie Foster’s home to speak to her parents!

I made a little note in my book that old Tuck seemed to have all his stats in wisdom, but I can’t help but wonder if he has a little psychic sensitivity as well…