Monday, June 4, 2012

Novel Glimpses (8)--Alice's Adventures in Wonderland, Without Mercy, The Mysterious Affair at Styles


Novel Glimpses is my feature for mini-reviews...really just a fancy name for them! The only difference than with my traditional mini-reviews is that I will include my Goodreads rating, something I do not do with my regular reviews. Feel free to participate...just credit me and link back if you do. (want to read a book description?  Clicking the book covers will take you to the book's page on Amazon).

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Alice's Adventures in Wonderland and Through the Looking Glass by Lewis Carroll
My Goodreads rating:  4 stars
I remember reading Alice in Wonderland as a child, but I think it was some of the condensed versions and I know one was the Disney version storybook so reading the original classic was somewhat of a new experience for me.  I have to admit that I found parts of it annoying, but yet other parts were brilliant.  In a way, I enjoyed Through the Looking Glass even more.  I like the idea of the entire adventure being played out on a chess board and the incorporation of the kittens and Dinah, Alice's cat, at the end was wonderful.  Big surprise from a cat lover.  So, while I enjoyed the read overall, I am ready to get back to more adult literature. =O)

Reading challenges to be added.

Without Mercy by Lisa Jackson
My Goodreads rating:  4 stars
This was my first Lisa Jackson novel.  I listened to it on audio over a few months (yes, it takes me a few months to listen to an audio book since I only listen to them in the car).  I have to admit that I picked this one to fulfill the letter J (J for Jackson) for the A-Z Mystery Challenge I'm participating in.  It was actually pretty good, but I had a hard time getting past the voice of the reader.  Some of her character voice portrayals were really grating.  Besides that minor annoyance, the story was fairly riveting.  The killer was one sick individual and man...is there ever a twist at the end.  In all, an entertaining and well-told mystery/thriller.

Reading challenges to be added.

The Mysterious Affair at Styles by Agatha Christie
My Goodreads rating:  4 stars
I love Agatha Christie! This is only my third book of hers (Partners in Crime and Ordeal by Innocence were the others) and I'm well on my way to reading all of them because of the wonderful Agatha Christie Book Club hosted by Books, Biscuits and Tea and Kindle and Me.  What I love the most about her books is that I never figure out who the killer is.  Her books are so intricately plotted that you would have to be Poirot himself to solve the mystery.  Speaking of Poirot...I love him! He is second only to Sherlock Holmes in my eyes.  Such a unique and quirky individual and so clever.  Christie really invented a gem with him.  I just can't wait to read more of the books and stories featuring Poirot.  And then, of course, there's Miss Marple.  Who would have thought I would get so excited by Agatha Christie.

Reading challenges to be added.

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2 comments:

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  1. I'm so glad you enjoyed Christie's book! :) The next book will be a bit different but we'll see how good or how ...not so good it is!

    I love the fact that you can't predict who the murderer is as well. Actually, there are books where it's a lot easier to guess (there were many books where I was right) but I was completely wrong this time. It's one of the things I love about her - you've seriously no clue what's going on :)

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  2. No matter how many times I read it or in what version, I just don't like Alice in Wonderland. Now Tim Burton's movie is another story.

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