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Showing posts with label Winter. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Winter. Show all posts

1/09/2018

Mr. Dickens and His Carol by Samantha Silva | Book Review #83




The Bookish Island's Book Review:

Mr. Dickens and His Carol by Samantha Silva




Are there spoilers?
No.
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This is one of the books I read after the passing of Hurricane Maria here in Puerto Rico. With no water, electricity or internet I took to reading my books.

I read this one on September.
? days after.



Title - Mr. Dickens and His Carol
By - Samantha Silva
Publication - October 31st 2017 by Flatiron Books      

Copy - Paperback, 288 pages

Genre - Historical Fiction, Christmas, Holiday, Fiction

Shakespeare in Love meets A Christmas Carol in this transporting debut novel set during the whirlwind period in which Dickens wrote his beloved classic, as he embarks on a Scrooge-like journey of his own.

For Charles Dickens, each Christmas has been better than the last. His novels are literary blockbusters, and he is famous on the streets of London, where avid fans sneak up on him to snip off pieces of his hair. He and his wife have five happy children, a sixth on the way, and a home filled with every comfort they could imagine. But when Dickens’ newest book is a flop, the glorious life he has built for himself threatens to collapse around him. His publishers offer an ultimatum: either he writes a Christmas book in a month, or they will call in his debts, and he could lose everything. Grudgingly, he accepts, but with relatives hounding him for loans, his wife and children planning an excessively lavish holiday party, and jealous critics going in for the kill, he is hardly feeling the Christmas spirit.

Increasingly frazzled and filled with self-doubt, Dickens seeks solace and inspiration in London itself, his great palace of thinking. And on one of his long walks, in a once-beloved square, he meets a young woman in a purple cloak, who might be just the muse he needs. Eleanor Lovejoy and her young son, Timothy, propel Dickens on a Scrooge-like journey through his Christmases past and present—but with time running out, will he find the perfect new story to save him?

In prose laced with humor, sumptuous Victorian detail, and charming winks to A Christmas Carol, Samantha Silva breathes new life into an adored classic. Perfect for fans of Dickens, for readers of immersive historical fiction, and for anyone looking for a dose of Christmas cheer, Mr. Dickens and His Carol is destined to become a perennial holiday favorite.


The Rating:









My Review:


The Cover:
Although they say never judge a book by it's cover I believe the cover should represent what the book is going to be like or at least some aspect of it.
It's such a nice cover. I'd totally display it on my shelves around the holidays. Mostly because it's so pretty and because I'd be my only Christmas-y book. 😜


The Story:


The fictional story of the author of A Christmas Carol, Charles Dickens around the time he write that famous story. 



Overall:


I enjoyed reading this book so much. Specially since I had just gotten it the day I read it from the mail and was lucky to have my own copy of A Christmas Carol unread. 

I read that first which didn't take long and then read Mr Dickens and His Carol. 
I was happy I got the opportunity to read this book despite it not being in December, and perfect for the holidays, but i was happy regardless. 

Totally recommend you read this book whether it's around the holidays or not. 




Get a copy at:
Barnes&Noble  | Amazon
Or get it here using my affiliate link. Please:
Book Depository


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11/01/2016

My True Love Gave To Me by Stephanie Perkins | Book Review

Book Review:
My True Love Gave To Me by Stephanie Perkins

Spoilers?
No.


Title - My True Love Gave To Me  
Edited by - Stephanie Perkins
Authors - Holly Black, Ally Carter, Matt de la Pena, Gayle Forman, Jenny Han, David Levithan, Kelly Link, Myra McEntire, Rainbow Rowell, Laini Taylor, Kiersten White

Publication - October 14th 2014 by St. Martin’s Press
Format - Hardcover, 321 pages
Genre - Young Adult, Short Stories, Contemporary, Romance


If you love holiday stories, holiday movies, made-for-TV-holiday specials, holiday episodes of your favorite sitcoms and, especially, if you love holiday anthologies, you’re going to fall in love with My True Love Gave To Me: Twelve Holiday Stories by twelve bestselling young adult writers, edited by international bestselling author Stephanie Perkins. Whether you enjoy celebrating Christmas or Hanukkah, Winter Solstice or New Year's there's something here for everyone. So curl up by the fireplace and get cozy. You have twelve reasons this season to stay indoors and fall in love. 


The Rating :





My Review:

My review in a gif. Which equals 4 stars.



The Cover:
Although they say never judge a book by it's cover I believe the cover should represent what the book is going to be like or at least some aspect of it.
With this cover it’s easy to love it and just buy it because it's beautiful. Well, that and the fact that's it's by a group of very talented writers. You could also see the couples of each short story skating in the frozen lake.


The Short Stories:
I prefer to do separate reviews of each short story then an overall review.

"Midnights" by Rainbow Rowell > 5 stars.
I was so in love with Midnights that I legit cried more than once. I identified so much with the main character without knowing it. It was so fluffy and adorable.



"The Lady and the Fox" by Kelly Link > 2 stars.
Although I did like this story I found it hard to finish and it was confusing  in some parts. And after reading Midnights which was really good it just didn't fit.



"Angels in the Snow" by Matt de la Peña > 4 stars.
I really liked it! it was so adorable and there were kitties and the guys name was Shy. I enjoyed this story.


"It's a Yuletide Miracle, Charlie Brown" by Stephanie Perkins > 5 stars
One of my favorites from this book. I adored the connection the characters had. Loved their names, Marigold and North. Beautiful!


"Polaris is where you'll find me" by Jenny Han > 5 stars
I really, really loved this one. I kinda want this to be a book on its own with more to it.


"Your Temporary Santa" by David Levithan > 3 stars
It was cute and I could tell they really liked each other but for some reason I didn't quite like it. There were parts that just didn't get to me like they should have, I don't know.


"Krampuslauf" by Holly Black > 3.5 stars
Very interesting but I got lost a few times and the ending confused me. Still it was fun to read.



"What the Hell Have You Done, Sophie Roth?" by Gayle Forman >  2 stars
 I couldn't connect with the characters. The writing was beautiful, but I just didn't like Sophie.


"Beer Buckets and Baby Jesus" by Myra Mcentire > 4.5 stars
I love this story! It was so cute and funny. The characters were adorable. It felt like something that I would gladly watch on tv or something similar.


"Welcome to Christmas, CA" by Kiersten White > 4 stars
Just like Beer Buckets and Baby Jesus this one felt like it could be a movie, but this one gave me a Hallmark movie type of feel. The guy was perfect partly because he could make good food. 


"Star of Bethlehem" by Ally Carter > 4 stars
I wish this story was longer because I actually liked it. It was heart warming and the family in this was loving. I liked this one too.



"The Girl Who Woke the Dreamer" by Laini Taylor > 3 stars.
This one kinda didn't fit in with the others but I liked it. It was a bit weird in someparts but yeah. It was magical and the ending was something different. Okay, so I'm still confused about the whole thing.


Overall Review:

It was a fun book to read. I took my time reading each story. Like some took me longer than others but with homework and stuff it made sense. The cover was adorable depicting all the couples skating.I loved it.

I would like to say that my favorite stories were:
"Midnights" by Rainbow Rowell
"It's a Yuletide Miracle, Charlie Brown" by Stephanie Perkins
"Polaris is where you'll find me" by Jenny Han
"Star of Bethlehem" by Ally Carter
"Welcome to Christmas, CA" by Kiersten White





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5/07/2015

Landline by Rainbow Rowell | Book Review

Landline by Rainbow Rowell


I remembered just now that I forgot to review Landline. 
One word I have for this book is: wondrous.



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