The Phantom Tollbooth by Norton Juster

There was once a boy named Milo who didn't know
what to do with himself - not just sometimes, but always.

It's really wonderful to be able to revisit old books, especially those that you have read as a child. However, this book in particular, seems to transcend any age group.

What's so amazing is that when you go back to this book as an older version of yourself you tend to appreciate the clever way it was written even more. Mr. Juster has cleverly taken concepts from Math and English and created a whole adventure out of them, sharing with the reader, his sharp wit and wonderful sense of humour.

So pick that book up and be immersed and visit the Island of Conclusions, escape the doldrums the Kingdom of Dictionopolis, meet Tock a watch dog in more ways than one, and encounter the ongoing, heated debate about the supremacy of numbers and words and join the Mathemagician for some (-) stew. Endure all the perils, excitement and more, of going on a crazy quest to restore order in an equally crazy world by looking for rhyme and reason.

A reccommended read for preteens to young teenagers and for all the adults who would like to stroll down memory lane and be entertained by this marvellous weave. I love how this book unexpectedly changes your point of view on our seemingly mundane world.

Check this Out!

For all you Twilight fans out there: Found this on The Cutest Blog on the Block. I think it is absolutely hilarious. This site has got some really cool backgrounds and more Twilight blinkies that can be added to your blogs. Go and check it out!

The Wish List by Eoin Colfer

A great concept for a wonderful story. Mr. Colfer turns the conventional into the unconventional with his approach and concept of Heaven and Hell. If you've read Artemis Fowl at some point you will see what I mean.

'The Wish List' revolves around a young teenage girl named Meg Finn who, by some unfortunate twist of fate, gets herself blown up and splattered on the furnace while trying to save the life of an old man whose house she was planning to rob with her "friend", Belch Brennan. She then finds herself travelling to the Pearly Whites but finds herself neither here nor 'down' there. What's a girl to do to get into Heaven?

The characters are likeable and disagreeable. But that is the element that makes the story a fun and gripping read. I liked it because it reminds you of how valuable your life is and so, to live it to the fullest with no regrets to hinder your happiness without going all soppy on the reader. For young adult to adult readers.

The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman

This has been the latest Neil Gaiman book to hit the bookstores. I must say that I quite enjoyed this book for the darkness it possesses. Well, looking at the cover that should be fairly obvious. That aside, it had an unusual feel to it. It's probably the environment in the story that I'm not used to. After all, how many books are set solely in a graveyard?

The story revolves around Nobody Owens or Bod who unwittingly wanders away from being murdered along with his family into a graveyard where, its ghostly inhabitants decide to hide him and raise him. This book covers the different aspects and issues that Bod faces while living in the graveyard undetected by normal people. "How is that possible?" you ask. My suggestion: read the book.

Readers won't be disappointed as it is spooky as the name suggests. Do not expect a horror story though, murder is a horrendous deed. Also, this is a book meant for older children, say anywhere between preteens to early teens so don't expect to read something like 'Stardust'. If you're not a young reader, "The Graveyard Book" is meant for people who like unusual concepts and witty story-telling and for those who have not lost their inner child.

The Good Side of Bad Books

I found this article, The Good Side of Bad Books (click here to read), on a blog that I read that reviews book covers called The Book Design Review. I know how with the time constraints we have these days, we fear picking up a book that is so bad it's an absolute waste of time reading it. However, this article does put a fresh perspective on bad books, there are things you can learn from them too.

The informal book reviewer plying her trade.

I guess being an informal book reviewer, this puts things into perspective. I mean, you probably have to read the bad before you know what's good, right? However, I do agree with Stuart Evers that bad books are probably books that don't cater to what the readers want in general.

So before any of us starts believing in book ratings or reviews by the general public, why not pick up that book and try it out for yourself to see how accurate that book review is. Then you'll know who to turn to for advice on books to read.

I know that sentence is probably counter-intuitive to what I am doing this blog, however, as a reader, I do feel that you need to explore your options instead of shutting them out. Even though Hakanai Hane and I prefer to read fantasy, we also try to read books from other genres to.

That being said, we'll be striving to keep you posted with book reviews and recommendations that are fair and accurate to what we think you would like in a book. We would like to take this opportunity to thank you for following this blog thus far.

Heir Apparent by Vivian Vande Velde

"This book is dedicated with affection for
but no patience with
those who would protect our children through
humorless moralizing and paranoia about fantasy"

Hmmm... An intriguing dedication to kick-start a highly entertaining read. The story kicks off with Giannine Bellisario, who is grumpily on her way to redeem her gift certificate given by her dad for her birthday. You'd think that any teenager would be thrilled by a gift certificate to a virtual reality gaming center of the future where total immersion games exist.

Not so, first her indirectly asks her about what she wants for her birthday, via his secretary. Next there's a disturbance by members of Citizenz to Protect our Children (CPOC) outside the gaming center she's headed to AND the bus's artificial intelligence isn't letting her get down because she's under-aged. What else could go wrong?

Plenty, as Giannine finds herself trapped in the total immersion game Heir Apparent - thanks to equipment damage by a CPOC rampage. As if things couldn't get any worse, Giannine's life is at stake. The only way to get out of total immersion - with the equipment damaged - is to win the game. Easy right? Of course... not, Heir Apparent has multiple permutations that lead to its successful completion.

Will she get out in the end? What do you think?

This book is reccomended for readers who like good strategy and understand the world of role playing games. It's quite fascinating how fantasy can be woven into a technologically advanced setting. Readers will notice clashes in olden (fantasy) and modern day culture; especially where parent-child relationships are concerned.

Dragon Haven by Robin McKinley

The story takes place in the modern world with one exception: Dragons DO exist. Our main character, Jake, is the son of the director of an institute that studies these mysterious beings. It just happens located in a 5 million acre reserve called Smokehill. The only difficulty with this job is the almost non-existence of dragon sightings. Imagine trying to study a creature of mammoth proportions that you can't even see amidst debates on whether or not these creatures should be exterminated due to their potential for harming humans. Life goes on as usual for Jake until one day, he comes across a dying dragon. Next to her is the corpse of a man, a poacher. And one of her babies is still alive...

What I liked about this book was the way this story was written. It gave me the feeling of a close friend confiding in me and pouring out his/her deepest, darkest secret. This story also gives an unusual take on dragons. I think this is probably because of how McKinley took dragons from their Midieval fantasy setting and planted them in the modern world where everything is settled pretty much through politics, lawsuits, money and - in the right situation - guns. This makes the story completely  devoid of good old fashioned, sword-clashing wars/fight scenes and 'Chosen Ones' destined to rid the world of evil.  However, as a person who enjoys reading books over and over again, this book would not be listed in my list of repeats. And if you thoroughly enjoy stories with the classic fantasy plot, this might not be the book for you.