two books reviewed by raidergirl3

The Thirteenth Tale by Diane Setterfield

This was a great read, full of atmosphere, and perfect for this spooky fall season. I also read this as a selection for the Readers Imbibing Peril (RIP) challenge. My favorite aspect of the book, besides the mystery that is oh so wonderfully, and slowly revealed, is the homage to Jane Eyre, another selction I read for this challenge. If I hadn't read them so closely together, I'm not sure I would have seen the similarities, but I loved that they were somewhat parallel.
Kristin suggested this book and I'm glad she did; I've been wanting to read it for a while.
Kristin said: This book is set in all my favorite places: libraries, used bookstores and archives. I share interests with both of the main characters, one loves to research and the other is a writer. The main reason I pick this book is that I really, really enjoyed it....I think it's one of the best new books I've read in years!


The Tale of Despereaux by Kate DiCamillo

How cute is this book? A classic fairy tale, narrated wonderfully, being the story of a mouse, a princess, some soup, and a spool of thread.
This was the Newbery Award winner from 2004, and I would think it is destined to be a classic book.
I loved the narration, as the Reader is spoken to during the story in the tradition of The Princess Bride, warning that bad things are coming, and advising looking up a word like 'perfidy'* as it comes along.

I chose this book for the Something About Me Challenge as recommended by booklogged, and she has chosen wonderfully.

She said in chosing it: Sometimes I feel the size of a mouse trying to conquer problems that are so much bigger than me. My tools seem silly and inefficient, sort of like Despereaux's needle and thread. And sometimes my goals are not realistic in the same way that Despereaux had his heart set on marrying the princess.
I think this sums up the book better than I could. Also, I bought a copy of the book today so we will have one here in the house. I can't just return it to the library and not have a copy if I need some uplifting and hopeful reading. And my children must read this.



*perfidy: a breach of faith