Spinning Silver by Naomi Novik

 This book was recommended to me by both Teal and Montana's mom when I was with them in November at the Orchard. Montana's mom was a school librarian, I believe, so I was interested in her book recommendations. And I knew Teal was into fantasy, but I kind of hoped this wasn't quite so fantasy-like. I was wrong. It was very true to the genre and why I find it so tough to get into it. Ann loves it too; and I keep thinking I may like it if I keep trying?

This one was so dark and cold that I almost quit reading it several times. I found it tough to keep the different characters straight. The imagined world with its weird inhabitants were mysterious and I couldn't unravel their purpose or their challenges easily. They were only gradually revealed.

However, about half-way through the book, I began to wonder how it would all turn out. Teal being Teal, I assumed the female characters would save the day...and I began to wonder how that would happen. And they did, and how they did it was interesting. Lots of magical powers and weirdness, but also a lot of clever world-building and fantastic environment building. Stoic characters and monsters inside of bodies...lots of unusual things. Not my favorite, but I did soldier on to the end. No, I will not take this author on again. But now I will have something to talk to Teal about in Mexico in April. What is it about this make-believe world that she finds compelling? 

The One and Only Ivan by Katherine Applegate

 This was a delightful little story with good illustrations. It's a chapter book with a good message, that kept me reading. I liked the fresh idea of telling a story from the animal's perspective. The animal characters and the humans both were interesting and life-like. I enjoyed the way the story came together and the satisfying way it came to be resolved.

I would love to share this book with John, in particular. I will save it for him, although it's hard to imagine him reading...both the boys are so into their technology! But maybe it will be handy when we travel this spring if he is "off" his technology? 

Ella Minnow Pea by Mark Dunn

 This is another book recommended by our friends and neighbors, Marian and Brian Wangsgard. They both love this book and enthusiastically told me I wouldn't be disappointed. I would give it 4 stars. Yes, it's delightful and very clever, and it helped me through a day I had a bad headache, but is it a great one? No.

It reminded me of the Guernsey Potato Peel Society (wrong title, but I know what I mean) book in two ways: it's a story told in letters (epistolary) and it's set among an isolated, usually friendly society. The people and their letters are very charming. And it took all of my brain power to understand some of the nuances that come near the end of the story.

The part I didn't like was the cruelty of the ruling board and the lack of any substantial resistance to it. I know the author intended it as a cautionary tale, but there isn't any subtlety to it. I felt a bit clobbered over the head with that. But what is fun is the mental challenge of the words, and I had to admire the vocabulary of the residents as they chose words that would not contain the forbidden letters but still get their ideas across. There are parts that are just so clever I laughed out loud and shook my head. This author is brilliant and obviously a lover of words and wordsmithing.  I also enjoyed the development of the romances and relationships as they unfolded. Nice too, that the whole story ended happily. It's a charming book with a sinister undertone. Enjoyable. 

The House of the Spirits by Isabelle Allende

 My neighbor Blanche is Puerto Rican and only became a reader in adulthood. She told me first book she ever read opened up a whole new world to her. It was this one. And it is an amazing book... It's written unlike any book I've ever read. The sentences are long and the paragraphs are often a whole page or more! It makes you kind of breathless as you read! The images and the density of the writing is so rich, though, that you are immersed completely. It's a feeling that's kind of hard to describe. Add to this the fact that the characters and settings are fascinating, and move from urban to rural and back, and over three generations of time. It's a broad and sweeping look at a family and a country's culture.

It's also fairly violent and depressing. The hardships described and the cruelty of the patriarch are hard to live through. I love so much of the Hispanic culture, and the intense emotions and drama illustrated here are consistent with my impressions. It's lively, it's dramatic, and it's easy to get caught up in the drama. These characters love passionately and live without compromise. 

There's also a mystical element that is quite interesting. Some of the characters have otherworldly beauty and green mermaid hair. They can levitate around the room. It's kind of a shadow theme in the book. The political climate of the country is also an interesting theme, especially as the dominant rich are overthrown by the peasants. It can be very graphic. It's never boring.

I enjoyed reading this book for the most part, but I wouldn't choose to live through it again. What I enjoyed was thinking about why Blanche found this book so captivating. I haven't visited with her about it since I've read it, but it's on my agenda to seek her out to do so. I love a good story and great characters, but this one had more graphic violence and pain than I would choose...