Anne of Green Gables by L.M. Montgomery
The events of the world got to be more than we could handle this past week and both my housemate and I agreed that we needed to read something innocent and good. After scanning our shelves and Kindle library, we decided to re-kindle our friendship with Anne Shirley and her friends. I’m not sure how far into the series we will take our re-read, but we started with the first-in-the-series.
This is an excellent book, full of friends. It’s an escape to an innocent time and a great story of coming of age. Anne, Diana, and Gilbert become fast friends and any visit with them is a good one.
My housemate and I saw Kevin Sullivan’s production of Anne of Green Gables before we read the book the first time, so our mental pictures of the characters are colored by the actors who portrayed them in that mini-series, but even so, I think the casting was very well done. When reading the books, I see those actors as the characters, and I hear the dialogue in their voices. The production made some changes to the story, but then almost all book-to-movie adaptations make some changes.
The book is fun and friendly. It’s an easy read, and staying up late to finish feels like a visit with friends you never want to end. A visit with Anne was just what we needed to counteract the overwhelming grief, sadness, tragedy, and outright hate that has dominated the world lately. I highly recommend that everyone take a few days, turn off the news and visit Anne. You’ll come back much better prepared to face the world.
One Bear’s Opinion: Five tumblers of Raspberry Cordial with some fruit cake and other sweet treats
Happy Reading Everyone,
Oliver
P.S. Stay safe, it’s a scary world out there.
Friday, June 17, 2016
Monday, June 13, 2016
One Bear's Opinion -- Book Review
The Alpine Scandal by Mary Daheim
The Alpine Scandal is the nineteenth book in the Emma Lord mysteries. My housemate and I decided to read it to catch up on on-going series. Too date, this series has twenty-six books, so we’re a little bit behind. And it is my goal to catch up on our series this year, at least as much as is possible.
As far as this installment, let me start by saying, it would definitely help if you had read at least one of the previous books in the series, but the author does a very good job of introducing and connecting the recurring, regular characters.
It’s an interesting book for the main characters, and changes in relationships are evident, though none happen in this book. Sometimes the overarching story is more important and others the immediate mystery is more important. In this one, the immediate story is the main focus, but it does not overshadow the hints of what is to come in the overarching, continuing story.
The main mystery is a full of red herrings, and the final solution is a surprise, though it feels as though it was cobbled together after the author wrote herself into a corner. It wasn’t quite a copout solution, but it didn’t feel as though it was the ending of this murder. But then again, I’m so used to reading books that have been edited to leave in only the important information, that maybe the author and editor decided to go in a different, more true-to-life, direction.
I enjoyed the book, and I am excited to see where the overarching story with the main characters goes, given the hints that are being dropped in this adventure. I would still recommend that new readers to the series start at the beginning, but even if you don’t, this is an enjoyable mystery.
One Bear’s Opinion: Three glasses of Dr. Pepper while enjoying a yummy diner dinner with your brother
Happy Reading Everyone,
Oliver
The Alpine Scandal is the nineteenth book in the Emma Lord mysteries. My housemate and I decided to read it to catch up on on-going series. Too date, this series has twenty-six books, so we’re a little bit behind. And it is my goal to catch up on our series this year, at least as much as is possible.
As far as this installment, let me start by saying, it would definitely help if you had read at least one of the previous books in the series, but the author does a very good job of introducing and connecting the recurring, regular characters.
It’s an interesting book for the main characters, and changes in relationships are evident, though none happen in this book. Sometimes the overarching story is more important and others the immediate mystery is more important. In this one, the immediate story is the main focus, but it does not overshadow the hints of what is to come in the overarching, continuing story.
The main mystery is a full of red herrings, and the final solution is a surprise, though it feels as though it was cobbled together after the author wrote herself into a corner. It wasn’t quite a copout solution, but it didn’t feel as though it was the ending of this murder. But then again, I’m so used to reading books that have been edited to leave in only the important information, that maybe the author and editor decided to go in a different, more true-to-life, direction.
I enjoyed the book, and I am excited to see where the overarching story with the main characters goes, given the hints that are being dropped in this adventure. I would still recommend that new readers to the series start at the beginning, but even if you don’t, this is an enjoyable mystery.
One Bear’s Opinion: Three glasses of Dr. Pepper while enjoying a yummy diner dinner with your brother
Happy Reading Everyone,
Oliver
Sunday, June 5, 2016
One Bear's Opinion -- Book Review
A Sprig of Blossomed Thorn by Patrice Greenwood
This is the second book in the Wisteria Tearoom Mystery series. It was fun to read and interesting. I have not read a book with this particular method of murder before so it was creative and different. Mysteries are by their nature formulaic — there has to be a puzzle to solve and then the investigators, whether professional or amateur, solve the puzzle. This was an interesting and different puzzle to be solved. The solution was fairly ordinary, but the mystery was creative enough to make the ordinariness of the solution acceptable. I suppose it’s hard for authors to be creative and original with each plot part of every book.
I like the characters, but the preaching nature of the relationships between the characters got a bit annoying. I don’t mind when the author’s personal beliefs shape the books, but I do not know it when the books are overly preachy or hit the reader over the head with the point the author is trying to make. Give the reader some information and then let the reader take up the cause, or not, as the reader desires. Too much preaching is a sure way to lose readers and have your cause be drowned out or glossed over.
I will probably read the next-in-series, but if the preachiness continues, I will absolutely give up on this series, despite my caring for the characters. Life is far too short and time is far too precious to waste it being lectured at as though I am incapable of forming my own opinions in my leisure reading.
One Bear’s Opinion: Four cups of hibiscus tea with a plate of sweet and savory treats
Happy Reading Everyone,
Oliver
This is the second book in the Wisteria Tearoom Mystery series. It was fun to read and interesting. I have not read a book with this particular method of murder before so it was creative and different. Mysteries are by their nature formulaic — there has to be a puzzle to solve and then the investigators, whether professional or amateur, solve the puzzle. This was an interesting and different puzzle to be solved. The solution was fairly ordinary, but the mystery was creative enough to make the ordinariness of the solution acceptable. I suppose it’s hard for authors to be creative and original with each plot part of every book.
I like the characters, but the preaching nature of the relationships between the characters got a bit annoying. I don’t mind when the author’s personal beliefs shape the books, but I do not know it when the books are overly preachy or hit the reader over the head with the point the author is trying to make. Give the reader some information and then let the reader take up the cause, or not, as the reader desires. Too much preaching is a sure way to lose readers and have your cause be drowned out or glossed over.
I will probably read the next-in-series, but if the preachiness continues, I will absolutely give up on this series, despite my caring for the characters. Life is far too short and time is far too precious to waste it being lectured at as though I am incapable of forming my own opinions in my leisure reading.
One Bear’s Opinion: Four cups of hibiscus tea with a plate of sweet and savory treats
Happy Reading Everyone,
Oliver
Wednesday, June 1, 2016
One Bear's Opinion -- Book Review
Beatrice Goes to Brighton by M.C. Beaton
This is the fourth book in M.C. Beaton’s Travelling Matchmaker Regency Romance series. Admittedly it’s not the kind of book I would normally read, but my housemate found the first three of the series in a remainder bin for $3 each and we enjoyed them well enough to pick up this one when it was on sale as a Kindle daily deal for $0.99.
During a discussion on a message board, someone commented that sometimes their enjoyment, or disappointment, with a book is directly proportional to the amount paid for the book. I thought about that and decided that I feel the same way sometimes. If you pay full price for a book, there is an expectation of full-price enjoyment. But a sale or a bargain price for the book lowers the enjoyment expectation threshold. This series definitely follows that line of thinking. I doubt I would have enjoyed them very much as I paid full price, but for half price or less, they are excellent.
The series is follow-the-dots formulaic, but still fun to read. In most series, the same characters appear over and over in each episode, but this one manages to keep a core of characters while introducing new ones in each, and not making it feel forced or unusual. The idea of the main character taking trips on a stage coach does make the introduction of new characters natural, and it’s fun to meet the new characters along with the main ones.
Had the book not been in the remainder bin, I doubt that my housemate would have ever picked them up. Regency romances are not her usual reading, but then again, branching outside the usual reading is where you find interesting stuff, and where you meet new friends.
Miss Pym is a fun character, and a great new friend. The plots are all there same, but with this series, plot variance is not really why you read them. It’s a good, clean fun kind of book. Perfect for a long trans-Pacific airplane flight or waiting rooms. After we finish this series, we may check out some of the author’s other Regency series, just for the fun, easy read aspect.
One Bear’s Opinion: Three bottles of lemonade while walking along the boardwalk, and some cotton candy if we’re very good
Happy Reading Everyone,
Oliver
This is the fourth book in M.C. Beaton’s Travelling Matchmaker Regency Romance series. Admittedly it’s not the kind of book I would normally read, but my housemate found the first three of the series in a remainder bin for $3 each and we enjoyed them well enough to pick up this one when it was on sale as a Kindle daily deal for $0.99.
During a discussion on a message board, someone commented that sometimes their enjoyment, or disappointment, with a book is directly proportional to the amount paid for the book. I thought about that and decided that I feel the same way sometimes. If you pay full price for a book, there is an expectation of full-price enjoyment. But a sale or a bargain price for the book lowers the enjoyment expectation threshold. This series definitely follows that line of thinking. I doubt I would have enjoyed them very much as I paid full price, but for half price or less, they are excellent.
The series is follow-the-dots formulaic, but still fun to read. In most series, the same characters appear over and over in each episode, but this one manages to keep a core of characters while introducing new ones in each, and not making it feel forced or unusual. The idea of the main character taking trips on a stage coach does make the introduction of new characters natural, and it’s fun to meet the new characters along with the main ones.
Had the book not been in the remainder bin, I doubt that my housemate would have ever picked them up. Regency romances are not her usual reading, but then again, branching outside the usual reading is where you find interesting stuff, and where you meet new friends.
Miss Pym is a fun character, and a great new friend. The plots are all there same, but with this series, plot variance is not really why you read them. It’s a good, clean fun kind of book. Perfect for a long trans-Pacific airplane flight or waiting rooms. After we finish this series, we may check out some of the author’s other Regency series, just for the fun, easy read aspect.
One Bear’s Opinion: Three bottles of lemonade while walking along the boardwalk, and some cotton candy if we’re very good
Happy Reading Everyone,
Oliver
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