My Thoughts on “A Series of Unfortunate Events #9: The Carnivorous Carnival” by Lemony Snicket

 

Seriously what is wrong with these people? Why does everyone see Count Olaf as a hero?

Is it because they believe the lies spread by the media?

No matter.  The children find a way to escape the hospital unsuspected, and become members of a carnival.  That was amusing.  The disguises the Baudelaire orphans used to join the carnival were very entertaining, and their acts sounded fun.

Until the lions, and until Count Olaf discovered the children’s secret.

Unlike some of the orphan’s previous homes, I don’t think they would have ever really been content in the carnival.  So I was glad to see them escape.  Not so glad at the unfortunate way they escaped, but still.

My Thoughts on “A Series of Unfortunate Events #8: The Hostile Hospital” by Lemony Snicket

 

On the run, and without a friend in the world, the Baudelaire’s find temporary refuge in Heimlich Hospital.  They found the hospital by mistake, but were able to stay on and help with the records department.

I thought some things in this story were very amusing, such as the orphans finding a way to use disguises as effectively as Count Olaf, but I don’t want to give any spoilers, so I will just say that I found a few delightful twists.

And as it always happened to the Baudelaire orphans, whenever they grew content, Count Olaf found them, and their streak of unfortunate events continue.

My Thoughts on “A Series of Unfortunate Events #7: The Vile Village” by Lemony Snicket

 

Count Olaf got found out in Book 6, and escaped, again.  Now the children are forced to find a new home.  This time with an entire village.

This was probably the most unfortunate book in the series for me personally.  So many unfortunate events befall the children and their friends during this episode in their life.  I agree with Lemony Snicket on this one, this was a sad and unfortunate chapter in the already unfortunate lives of the Bauldelaire orphans.

The village itself was fun for me to read about, with the murder of crows that nest in one half of the town during the morning, the other during the afternoon, and all of them together in a tree just out of town at night.

And all the rules of the city.  That was very interesting.  I have so many unanswered questions about the city of VFD.  How are all the crows trained on where to nest when? Who was the first leader to create crow friendly city rules instead of shoot the birds? Why does everyone in the town still allow the crows to control the flow of the day?

This episode in the lives of the Bauldelaire orphans had the potential to become the happiest home they could wish for, despite all the chores they were expected to fulfill.  They once again found a caring guardian, a library for Clause, an invention shop for Violet, and plenty of things for Sunny to bite during the off-hours at night.

But alas, Count Olaf has a knack for finding the children when they are at their happiest.

And the unfortunate events of their lives continue.

My Thoughts on “A Series of Unfortunate Events #6: The Ersatz Elevator” by Lemony Snicket

 

Okay, so I have to say that Lemony Snicket’s warning against this book, including Parsley Soda, really intrigued me.  Like I get that the story of the Baudelaire orphans was very difficult for him, and all, but all his warnings against reading The Ersatz Elevator only piqued my interest.

Parsley Soda?  Who ever heard of Parsley Soda?

Putting that aside, once again, the Baudelaire orphans are brought to a new home, and they find contentment in their new home despite various trials, in this case the “in” pin-stripe suits and other “in” things, like parsley soda.

And as soon as they are content, who should arrive, but Count Olaf, in one of his horrible disguises that only the children can see through.  And their unfortunate events continue.

My Thoughts on “A Series of Unfortunate Events #5: The Austere Academy”

 

The Austere Academy.  The orphans found a home in the Prufrock Preparatory School.  And I honestly believe they could have found contentment at the school, despite their hardships.  But as is the way with this series, as soon as they get comfortable and life becomes bearable in a new home, the villains who are chasing after them find them at last, and make an appearance.

As I recall, by this time I am extremely frustrated with the adults in the Baudelaire’s lives.  Count Olaf was so extremely easy to see, he did not even try to disguise who he was.  He just put on a phony costume that anyone with sense could see through.  But he somehow gained everyone’s trust except the orphans, and made life at the preparatory school very unfortunate for the orphans.

I really enjoyed how Lemony Snicket was the author of this book, and that he continually adds his opinion on the lives of the orphans throughout the narrative, as a very biased journalist.  I think it was a beautifully crafted story, and thus far a very well written series.

Oh, and before I forget, I thought the 2 triplets were awesome!  I really enjoyed getting to know them, growing fond of them, and learning about their own individual quirks.

I am really glad my niece recommended this series to me.  It has been very interesting for me to learn about the orphans, and the unfortunate events that shaped their lives.

My Thoughts on “A Series of Unfortunate Events #4: The Miserable Mill, by Lemony Snicket”

 

So, the lives of the Baudelaire orphans continue.

I thought this book was rather interesting, and was surprised as any other reader at the unfortunate turn of events that awaited the orphans inside the mill.

It was a fun read.  I was intrigued by the story from beginning to end.

My Thoughts on “Pillars of the Earth” by Ken Follet

My wife read this book about fifteen years ago, and recommended it to me back then. And I put it on my To Be Read list, and moved on.

Well, it finally reached the top of my list, and I am glad it did. As those of you familiar with the book already know, it is not the normal Ken Follet thriller. Which is a good thing, I am not usually a fan of thrillers. This was a well researched historical fiction about building a cathedral in Medieval times.

Follet’s ability to craft this story, to engage my interest from start to finish, is nothing short of masterful. I loved every minute of it. And I grew to have a deep respect for Prior Philip, who never gave up, who always kept his faith in God, and who showed a true love for his fellowman despite his trials, many of which were forced upon by his enemies.

Okay, so I do admit that near the end of the book there I was getting a little sick of the Brother Philip finds a solution to building this cathedral, Bishop Waleran and/or the Hamleigh family prevent him from continuing work, Philip relies on God and finds a solution, his enemies stop his progress, etc. But throughout his trials, Prior Philip does give me an example of what faithful men can do if they are not discouraged and put their faith in God.

My Thoughts on “Star Wars: Ahsoka” by E. K. Johnston

 

I admit that I read this title for 2 reasons.  First, I was curious of myself to know what happened to Ahsoka after the Clone Wars, and what her story was.  Second, to read it before my daughter reads it, to approve or disapprove of her reading it now, compared to in a couple years when she has a bit more life experience.

I was satisfied on both counts.  The plot was easy to follow, the story was engaging, and Ahsoka was Ahsoka.  I loved every minute of her story, and I look forward to sharing this title with my daughter.

My Thoughts on Akea 2, His Mother’s Son by Elizabeth Jade

 

What feels like a long time ago, I read a book about a husky that joined a wolf pack, and became the Alpha Wolf of her pack, and I greatly enjoyed.

Therefore you will understand my delight when I was invited to review the sequel to that book, Akea. His Mother’s Son by Elizabeth Jade.

Book 2 is about Akea’s son, and his journey.  His experiences in putting his faith in the Great Wolf.

I enjoyed the second book as much as I enjoyed the first.

I do not want to get into details about what I liked and why, because I have no desire to spoil the book for my readers, but let it suffice that I thought this book was well written.  It was a fun change of pace for me to read a book from the point of view of half-wolf, half-Husky where the humans cannot understand what the dogs and wolves are saying.

 

I highly recommend it to lovers of dogs and wolves alike.  Myself being a lover of both.

 

 

My Thoughts on Fallen Warriors by Mark Anderson Smith

 

“Fallen Warriors” is a thriller written Mark Anderson Smith.

As many of you already know, I am not a fan of the thriller genre. I am Speculative Fiction, and mostly even then I am mostly a fantasy guy.  But, I am always willing to try new genres.

Now, as a preface, I will admit that I kept waiting for a dragon to appear or a wizard or someone to have the ability to fly or something awesome like that.  The closest I got was the Hand of God being made manifest in the mortal realm by means of miracles and answered prayers.  So, I guess that’s all right.

Now, as many here may already heard me say, I am getting ready to write a Christian Thriller novel that is based in the Realm of the Light, it will be the backstory to a character who plays a minor role in “Shades of Mortality, The Realm of the Light Book 4.” So the timing of finding this Christian Thriller on my read list was perfect.

In researching how to write Christian Thrillers, and other Christian genres, it was explained to me that the author needs the perfect blend of plot and Christian values.  And I thought Smith did a FANTASTIC job at incorporating Christian values and beliefs into the plot, and help move the plot.  At no point did I think his story was over bearing religiously or that the plot was dragging.

I was sucked into the characters lives, experienced their own individual lives journeys.  I was amazed and inspired at how some characters found God in their lives, some refused to accept God in their lives, and yet God brought people together when they needed each other.

On the whole, it was a quick, enjoyable, and inspirational read.

I enjoyed it a great deal, and am kicking myself for letting such a wonderful story get lost in my read list.