Classics Challenge 3: Our Mutual Friend

My third Back to the Classics Challenge read was Our Mutual Friend by Charles Dickens. This was for the A 19th Century Classic category, any book published between 1800 and 1899. OMF was published serially between 1864 and 1865. It is a chunkster of a book at over 800 pages and it is also a crazy read!

The book has many different storylines and all of them weave together to show the contrast between the haves and have-nots and that there are good and bad people in both groups -- and that moving from one group to the other may change how good or bad you remain. I honestly couldn't get enough of this story. After a couple hundred pages, I downloaded the audiobook so that I could keep going even when the heavy book wasn't convenient to lug around. (Simon Vance's narration was fantastic! I think it might have been my first audiobook of his.) Some might find the beginning slow as all of the different groups and people are introduced but the wait was worth it. Dickens was much more progressive in this story on some of the things readers complain about in his earlier novels. I can only hope that this was because his views matured and not just that the times changed and he was writing to the audience.

Pinching my pennies,
K

New Release: Jane, Unlimited

Jane, Unlimited is the latest by Kristin Cashore, of Graceling fame. Although she spells her name wrong, she sure knows how to tell a compelling story.

The beginning: Jane is an uber-orphan, first losing her parents when she was two and then losing her aunt/guardian recently during her first year of college. She is grieving and adrift so, when invited to a unique island home by a former tutor, Jane leaves her life behind and heads to Tu Reviens. Almost from the first moment they arrive, she begins to sense (and investigate) the mysteries unfurling around her.

The twist: What follows are five different stories stemming from a single choice, a full set of alternate realities.

I don't think I can even begin to tell you anything else about this book because my brain hurts when I try to put it into a nice little pigeonhole in my mental library. This is a story with many genres and I found them all equally strong. The only thing I hoped for as I read was more romance because I liked Jane best when she was considering love and/or attraction. I wrote a little bit after I finished Bitterblue, the final book in the Graceling trilogy, and one sentence just stood out to me as I looked back: "It was harder to side with Bitterblue when she was being irrational or petulant but then a learning experience would happen and she would win me over again." This is almost EXACTLY how I felt about Jane too! She had a tendency to blurt without thinking first, to ask impertinent questions, or to be downright rude and I would get annoyed by her only to have a personal revelation or a discovery bring me right back to her side as an ally. Also, her hobby was making umbrellas which I couldn't get enough of for some reason. Anyway, if you aren't sure about genre fiction and need a unique story that lets you dip your toes in it, pick this one up!

Ready to reread already,
K

#MarchMagics - Favorite Series

Favorite Series was a bit of an easier prompt for me than the last one because there is one series that I've already read many times and plan to read many, many more -- Diana Wynne Jones' Chrestomanci books.

Charmed Life

The Lives of Christopher Chant

Witch Week

The Magicians of Caprona

Conrad's Fate

The Pinhoe Egg

Mixed Magics (short stories)

I've actually written two different posts on this series -- one in 2008 in the first month of my blog and the other in 2014 as part of that year's DWJ March. Charmed Life is a dark story and a tough one to start the series with for some readers but it hooked me on the entire idea of a set of parallel words, some with magic in them, that are all monitored by one man -- the Chrestomanci. He only features briefly in Witch Week and The Magicians of Caprona and so I didn't like them as much at first but after a couple of rereads and a radio play, they really grew on me too. I love Christopher Chant and Millie, Tonino, Conrad, Cat Chant, and even Nan Pilgrim! Right now I'm listening to an audiobook of The Lives of Christopher Chant and I even got Z listening for a while too (and he declared it a rip-off of Harry Potter until I told him that this was written first and then he got on the right side of the issue!). These books offer something new on every reread but I still envy those of you that have them all ahead of you.

Also, as a special treat this year, Goldeen Ogawa has recorded herself reading a scene from The Magicians of Caprona for your listening pleasure. It is super fantastic so go and have a listen. She has a lovely speaking voice!

What is your favorite DWJ or Pratchett series or which series do you want to try?

(If you have a link, leave it in a comment or in the main Linky post)

Heading back for another set of rereads,

K

RIP X: 5, The Aviary

A middle grade tale of family, history, and magic, The Aviary by Kathleen O'Dell has been on my TBR for a while. I'm glad I finally picked it up because it was strange and unique and I enjoyed almost everything about the story.

Clara and her mother live with old Mrs. Glendoveer in a deteriorating house with locked doors and an aviary of somewhat frightening birds in the yard. The birds belonged to Mrs. Glendoveer's husband, a famous magician. One day, she starts telling Clara her secrets but it will be up to Clara to find out the rest of them -- and what they mean for her life.

That description is a bit vague on purpose because not knowing what was coming made this read better. I was nervous more than once about what would happen. My only small complaint about the book is that it is supposed to be a period story but there were very few clues to that in the story or the writing. I didn't even realize that it was supposed to be set in the past until a little way in when a date was mentioned. Still, though this was a bit annoying, it didn't affect my enjoyment of the story. This is a super creepy read that was perfect for the RIP challenge.

Changing my mind about birds,
K