Smashbomb

"As counterweight to the weird and eerie elements in many of the books I have selected I propose the sweet and kind Summer Book. Tove Jansson’s fictionalized memoir about the summers she spent as a girl with her grandmother on a tiny island in the archipelago off Finland’s south coast is a wonderful ode to the curiosity of childhood and the wisdom of old age. In a precise, lyrical language that never gives in to easy sentiments Jansson allows us to take part in the summer days with the girl and the grandmother as one is discovering nature for the first time and the other is contemplating its vulnerability. It is sunshine in the shape of a book — for the shadowy part of Jansson’s oeuvre one must look to her children stories about the Moomins."

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Eleanor Luhar (47 KP) rated The Giving Tree in Books

Jun 24, 2019

I recently had a go at reading Shel Silverstein's A Light in the Attic which was lovely (even if I am a little too old for these books now), and now I've read his The Giving Tree.

There's not that much I can say about this book as it is only 60-odd pages, but I did find it super sweet. Even at 16, I kind of enjoyed reading this short, childishly simple book...

It tells the unusual tale of love between a boy and an apple tree while the boy grows up and the tree gives everything she has to keep him happy. I thought it was just so cute!

If you have any young family members, I would definitely recommend reading this book with them. I might have to give this 4 stars...

Kudos

Mel (490 KP) rated Black Swan Green in Books

Oct 4, 2019

Black Swan Green

David Mitchell | 2015 | Fiction & Poetry

6.5

(2 Ratings)

Book Rating

Believable 80s nostalgia (0 more)

Not enough happening (0 more)

Having read three other David Mitchell books I had an idea in my head of what this one would be like. I think if I hadn't had those preconceptions I would have enjoyed it more because this one wasn't anything like the others.

The plot follows a year in the life of 13/14 year old Jason Taylor growing up in a small country town in the 80s. This digs deep into all of the trials and tribulations of growing up if you're not popular but instead a rather awkward stuttered.

I liked the nostalgia but I just felt that the story was a little too steady, I kept expecting some revelation that we might be building towards so ultimately I just felt a little underwhelmed.

Kudos

Jacob Reese (14 KP) rated The Hobbit in Books

Jun 14, 2020

The Hobbit

J.R.R. Tolkien | 1937 | Children

8.4

(144 Ratings)

Book Rating

One book that I will never tire reading

This book is one that I will always remember as one my first favorites that got me into reading fantasy. It is the only book that I have read more than a dozen times. It's a classic for a reason. The storytelling while some people say is over-descriptive will never get old to me. The journey of a young hobbit on an unforgettable journey is something that inspires myself and many others. The tale makes me wish I lived in a simpler time without the hustle and bustle of cities. It is greatly inspiring and makes me want to go on a journey of my own. It will always resonate within me. I recommend it to everyone I talk to about books.