Book: Show us the latest book you bought, borrowed or received.
Jenna Starborn
Sharon Shinn
Just got done reading Jenna Starborn by Sharon Shinn. It’s retelling of Jane Eyre, only in space. For me it was inevitable to draw the comparisons between this and Jane Eyre, as Jane Eyre is one of my favorite books. I feel that may have detracted a little bit of my enjoyment, but simply because I love the original so much. If you don’t like Jane Eyre because of the language and the sheer volume of detail it goes into, and you do like sci-fi, I say give this one a chance. It shortens a lot of the beginning of Jane Eyre, condensing the story without really losing any of it, although some of those are my favorite parts from Jane Eyre.
Jenna Starborn captures the whole essence of Jane Eyre, only in a completely different setting and society. I guess, at it’s core this story is a romance and that part carries through in Jenna Starborn. I started reading the book a couple of nights ago, but was barely 50 pages in when I finished it tonight. Shinn is a wonderful storyteller and she captured these characters and yet made them her own at the same time. I got caught up in the story, even though I already knew what was going to happen since I have read Jane Eyre so many times. I was still able to lose myself in this book and I knew I had to finish it tonight. And what a great way to spend my night! I love to read, and while a lot of people might balk at the idea of reading on a Friday night, I found it quite enjoyable. Curled up on my couch with iTunes playing. It was great.
I recommend this book, even if you don’t like the original Jane Eyre, you should still give a try. You may just like this version.
What books did you love as a child?
Submitted by hearts.
My other OMG, I love it so much book is Misty Morgan . I wore my copy of this book out, I think I folded it in half to carry it around with me. I still have it though. I loved the unicorn and the whole premise of the girl and the clocks. I really like all of the Serendipity books, but Misty Morgan is definitely my favorite.
Witch Catcher
Mary Downing Hahn
Witch Catcher by Mary Downing Hahn is the latest book I’ve read, right before NaNo started this month actually. It was sitting over at Meiran’s apartment and I was waiting on her for something, perhaps for my turn on the sewing machine (I’ll have to post about that later), and picked it up. The cover intrigued me and once I got started I didn’t want to put it down. I ended up only getting about halfway through it, then had to wait a couple of days before I could return to Meiran’s apt. and sit and read the rest of it.
It’s a cute book and I thoroughly enjoyed it, but there were parts that left me feeling a little eh. The story is great, I just think that some of the characters don’t come off as well as they could, perhaps just aren’t rounded out enough. Granted that it is a young adult book, or perhaps even a level below that, I still feel the characters and the story could have been a little bit more complex.
I absolutely love that this story is based on a real object and what amounts to an old wives’ tale. That is one of the most fascinating things for me, to see a story grow from some random object or encounter. This author asked herself what story the witch catcher had, and from there the book grew. That little blurb in the back was probably my favorite part.
If you’re up for a fun, quick read, I say go for it!
Okay, so I was gonna post two at a time. But then I got sick on Wednesday and didn’t feel like really doing anything. So I read all day. I didn’t get through all four of them that day (Lost came on) but I read about the equivalent of three (the last half of 3, all of 4 and 5, and the first half of 6). I just finished 6 last night so it would be done before I left for the weekend.
After the first book I really didn’t remember much more of the plot. I guess the first book made a bigger impression when I read them oh so many years ago. I really enjoyed reading these books again. I really like Pike’s writing style. He uses simple sentences, and it’s easy to understand, yet at the same time some of it is very profound.
The story follows Sita/Alisa through her many adventures and the friends she meets along the way. It becomes intertwined with destiny and there are many psychological aspects as well. Plus the general supernatural feel of the book, since it is about vampires. She ends up being the person who can save humanity, but to attempt that she has to travel a very long road. Each book has it’s own plot, as well as carrying this character forward for the final installment. I believe that you need to get to know Sita, and know what’s she gone through, in order to accept the ending of the series.
I still really like these books and now I will definitely be picking up some of my other Pike books and re-reading them. I’ll have to read one of his adult novels and see how the writing compares. I’m wondering if they’re really written differently, or perhaps just a tad more intense or complex than these. I don’t remember the difference striking me as I read them, but that was still a long time ago.
If you enjoy the supernatural, with a twist of destiny, then I’d say these are good books for you to read. If you happen to pick them up, let me know what you think.