Confessions of a Jane Austen Addict

Confessions of a Jane Austen Addict by Laurie Viera Rigler

My review

rating: 3 1/2 of 5 stars

I am a Jane Austen addict, albeit not quite as obsessed as Courtney Stone, the main character of this novel. I am not so miserable in my own life, which is apparently a good thing, as it makes me less likely to awake one morning in 1813 as she did. (For all my moments of wishful thinking, I don't really want to be someone else.)

Courtney, however, retreats to the world of Jane Austen as often as possible, especially since she discovered her fiance cheating on her with the wedding cake designer. Reading about Austen's world is not the same as living in it, however, and Courtney-inside-Jane-Mansfield's-body has a great deal to learn both about her new situation in life as well as the true meaning of being responsible for her actions.

I nearly tagged this book onto my "mystery" bookshelf because so much of the story is Courtney/Jane discovering what in the world happened in Jane's life--friendships and heartbreak alike--and how she came to inhabit Jane's body. (My practical soul could have used a tad more explanation on that last bit.) It's great fun to read, even if I did want to smack Courtney/Jane quite often and tell her to catch a clue.


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Melting Stones

Melting Stones by Tamora Pierce

My review

rating: 4 of 5 stars

Melting Stones is a continuation of the "Circle" series--the Circle of Magic quartet and The Circle Opens quartet. This one tells the story of Evvy, a 14-year-old mage-in-training whom we first met in the Circle Opens quartet as a stone mage discovered by Briar. In this book, she is traveling with Rosethorn and Myrrhtide, two full-fledged mages who have been summoned to an island in the middle of the ocean where trees and other plants have been spontaneously dying in random locations. Evvy is a girl emotionally damaged by slavery and war, and this story is really more about her learning to trust more than the six people she lives and trains with at Winding Circle.

Tamora Pierce once again does her usual excellent job of depicting teenagers with all their talents and flaws. And I loved how she anthropomorphized the magma "spirits"--I thought it an excellent way to describe what happens before an eruption.

This book was originally written as a full-cast audio book, which I didn't realize when I put it on hold all those months ago. I'm very curious now to listen to it.


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Five Minute Tales

Five Minute Tales: More Stories to Read and Tell When Time is Short by Margaret Read MacDonald

My review

rating: 3 of 5 stars

I enjoyed reading the stories, and I think they would be good ones to tell when you're trying to kill a few minutes somewhere or (in some cases) need a bedtime story. Some would be easier to memorize than others, however. But I can attest that the Monkeys in the Rain story--I call it the Brazilian monkey story--works very well for use in a library story time!


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