Category: Friday Fifteen

Friday Fifteen

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Happy Friday, everyone! It’s going to be a busy weekend for me, so let’s get things started with a few book reviews in fifteen words or fewer.

1. Where Fish Go In Winter by Amy Goldman Koss
Loved this intro science Q&A book as a kid. Spoiler alert: fish are under the ice.

2. Hello, Mrs. Piggle-Wiggle by Betty MacDonald
Not sure the Never-Want-to-Go-to-Bedders would have caved that quickly.

3. Eclipse by Stephenie Meyer
The series should have ended here; stakes felt highest. (Haha, stakes.)

4. Sir Gawain and the Green Knight trans. by Simon Armitage
Read this and kept thinking “‘It’s just a flesh wound!”

5. Lyra’s Oxford by Philip Pullman
Mini-sequel to His Dark Materials doesn’t quite hold its own, but loved seeing Lyra again.

Friday Fifteen

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Guys, it’s Friday and I’m starting to breathe like a normal human being again. Take that, plague! Onto the fifteen-word (or fewer) book reviews:

1. The Voice on the Radio by Caroline B. Cooney
Don’t remember this nearly as well as its prequels. Reeve is no longer crush-worthy.

2. Questions about Angels by Billy Collins
Good balance of whimsy and thoughtful poetic turns. Maybe not groundbreaking, but they satisfy.

3. Many Waters by Madeleine L’Engle
L’Engle tackles a weird part of the Bible and, of course, handles it deftly.

4. The Best Creative Nonfiction, Vol. 2 by Lee Gutkind
Not quite as memorable as Vol. 1, but still excellent collection of essays.

5. Cherokee Bat and the Goat Guys by Francesca Lia Block
My least favorite of the Weetzie books. The band stuff is fun though.

Friday Fifteen

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Happy Friday, everybody! Let’s dive into a few book reviews in fifteen words or fewer:

1. Survey Of Historic Costume: A History Of Western Dress, Fourth Edition by K. Eubank and P. G. Tortora
Took a history of dress class; this was our text. Shockingly useful for a writer.

2. Under the Mummy’s Spell by Kate McMullan
Read this alongside an Egypt history unit in fifth grade. It was awesome.

3. Three’s a Crowd (Sweet Valley Twins #7) by Francine Pascal
OMIGOD, Mary, you can’t just be a Wakefield.

4. On Writing by Stephen King
Read this in high school, vehemently disagreed with King about adverbs.

5. Jellicoe Road by Melina Marchetta
This book gave me all the feels. Gorgeous writing, expertly crafted, characters I love.

Friday Fifteen

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Happy November, everyone! What better way to start the month off than with a few book reviews in fifteen words or fewer?

1. The Tales of Beedle the Bard by J.K. Rowling
A fun read in companion with Harry Potter 7. “The Tale of the Three Brothers” especially feels like a real folktale.

2. Both Sides Of Time by Caroline B. Cooney
Romance and time travel in Victorian New York. Reread this a lot as a kid.

3. The Sunnydale High Yearbook by Christopher Golden and Nancy Holder
Season 3 was the best, and I was totally the target audience.

4. A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man by James Joyce
Can see why it was so influential, but never connected to Stephen Dedalus.

5. Where’s Waldo? by Martin Handford
In a world where red-striped shirts rule, one man stands alone…in a huge crowd.

Friday Fifteen

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In case you haven’t noticed by the (relative) blog silence, it’s been a crazy week for me, so I am super psyched to see that it’s Friday. Let’s get this weekend started with some book reviews in fifteen words or fewer!

1. A Heartbreaking Work of Staggering Genius by Dave Eggers
The “must read” book in college. Curious if it stands up a decade later.

2. Fairest by Gail Carson Levine
Another delightful fairy tale adaptation from Levine. Would have devoured it as a kid.

3. The Hatbox Baby by Carrie Brown Expected more baby-in-a-hatbox shenanigans, like The Importance of Being Earnest‘s perambulator.

4. The Arm of the Starfish by Madeleine L’Engle
Not the most memorable, but it’s a cool companion to A Ring of Endless Light.

5. Click Clack Moo: Cows That Type by Doreen Cronin
Do you hear the typewriters’ click? Typing the words of angry cows.

Friday Fifteen

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I can hardly believe it’s Friday. Maybe a few book reviews in fifteen words (or fewer) will help me wrap my mind around it.

1. The Magician’s Nephew by C.S. Lewis
A prequel to The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe, not as memorable for me.

2. The Princess Diaries by Meg Cabot
Different from the movie in a good way. Must be that NY vibe.

3. Here’s to You, Rachel Robinson by Judy Blume
Strong sequel; I loved seeing ‘perfect’ Rachel and her secret family drama.

4. The Ruby in the Smoke by Philip Pullman
A Victorian-era mystery starring a clever orphaned girl? Sign me up.

5. The Collected Poems, Vol. 1: 1909-1939 by William Carlos Williams
“This Is Just to Say” is literature’s best “sorry not sorry” poem.

Friday Fifteen

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This week, Friday could not have come at a better time. Here are this week’s book reviews in fifteen words or fewer:

1. Dairy Queen by Catherine Gilbert Murdock
A lot of depth and heart in this one. Gave me Friday Night Lights feelings.

2. The Reptile Room (A Series of Unfortunate Events #2) by Lemony Snicket
One of the more formulaic, but the writing continues to be fun and propulsive. 

3. A History of the World in 10½ Chapters by Julian Barnes
Collection of loosely linked stories. Well crafted and stayed with me more than I expected.

4. The Tale of Despereaux by Kate DiCamillo
I wish all mice cared about chivalry. Charming kind of Don Quixote for kids.

5. Frog and Toad Are Friends by Arnold Lobel
Frankly, I thought Frog could do a little better.

Friday Fifteen

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Happy Friday, guys! Let’s get the weekend started with some good ol’ book reviews in fifteen words or fewer.

1. Meet Kirsten: An American Girl (American Girls: Kirsten #1) by Janet Beeler Shaw
Great look at the immigrant experience for kids. Probably teared up at this one.

2. Just One Day by Gayle Forman
Made me want to visit Paris and reread As You Like It. Dee’s my favorite.

3. American Pastoral by Philip Roth
I liked the initial concept, but didn’t hold together for me character-wise.

4. Jonathan Strange & Mr. Norrell by Susanna Clarke
Delightful magical revision of English/French history. I loved the footnotes.

5. The Emperor’s New Clothes by Hans Christian Andersen
As a child concerned about clothes, a king walking naked down the street was puzzling.

Friday Fifteen

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Happy Friday, everyone! Somehow it’s also the last Friday in September. Here are a few books I always feel like reading in the fall (even if they’re not really about fall).

1. Harriet the Spy by by Louise Fitzhugh
A heroine who lies, carries notebooks, and likes tomato sandwiches?

2. Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone by J.K. Rowling
Tore through this on a November afternoon. Remember being shocked at the Quirrell reveal.

3. Searching for Dragons by Patricia Wrede
My favorite in the amazing Enchanted Forest Chronicles. Made me want Morwen’s magic sleeves.

4. Never Let Me Go by Kazuo Ishiguro
Basically a gorgeous, literary YA dystopian novel. Ishiguro, you know what I like.

5. Molly Learns a Lesson (American Girls: Molly #2) by Valerie Tripp
Molly’s kind of a dick in this one, but I liked learning about scrap drives and rationing.

Friday Fifteen

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So glad to see Friday! Here are the best(?) of this week’s book reviews in fifteen words or less:

1. Meet the Austins by Madeleine L’Engle
Not as memorable as later Austin books, but a good intro to the Austins.

2. Help! My Apartment Has a Dining Room Cookbook: How to Have People Over Without Stressing Out by Kevin Mills and Nancy Mills
Kevin and his mom are back to help you win friends by cooking for them.

3. That Mushy Stuff (Pee Wee Scouts #8) by Judy Delton
Only one of the series I read, mostly because it was a Valentine’s Day book.

4. Austenland by Shannon Hale
Light-hearted romance; fun for anyone who has a few BBC miniseries on their shelves.

5. Plain Kate by Erin Bow
Beautifully written and super creepy. One I’d like to reread.