Book Blog #199: War Horse by Michael Morpurgo

Title: War Horse
Author: Michael Morpurgo
# of Pages: 165 (paperback)
Genre: YA, Historical Fiction, Animal
Rating: ★★★★☆
Synopsis: In 1914, Joey, a beautiful bay-red foal with a distinctive cross on his nose, is sold to the army and thrust into the midst of the war on the Western Front. With his officer, he charges toward the enemy, witnessing the horror of the battles in France. But even in the desolation of the trenches, Joey's courage touches the soldiers around him and he is able to find warmth and hope. But his heart aches for Albert, the farmer's son he left behind. Will he ever see his true master again?
Review: The Young Adult genre spans a great range of books, some being appropriate for those early in their elementary school years to those well into adulthood. There are a few tell-tale signs of a book border-lining the children's section; the size of the font (with the exception of the large print editions), the design of the cover/binding, the absence of graphic details of the war that is such a key part of setting the scene for this story, not to mention some of the questions on Goodreads asking for the answers for the AR quiz.

I've been avoiding children's books like the plague because many of them have predictable, simplistic plot with overused themes that I have no interest in. But War Horse has been sitting on my to-read shelf for too long, and I figured I might as well try to read it as I am a glutton for anything involving horses.

While I was correct that this book was written for the younger end of the Young Adult readers, the story had more maturity than other books of similar outward appearance to this one. I was surprised to find the story told through the perspective of a horse, which is incredibly refreshing as many stories told about animals would more easily by through a human. The only complaint is that the narration of the horse sounded a bit too human. Although I wouldn't know how horses perceive the world around them, it would have been more interesting if the horse more descriptively depicted his surroundings rather than using so much human terminology.

And while I did cry during several point of this book, I can't credit the story 100% for this. There were a few lines that reminded myself of my current situation and mental state which made me cry in empathy. But perhaps that since it did such a great job being relatable, I should credit it after all...?

Although it still is a children's book and reads similarly to a children's book, it has exceeded my expectations and was a touching, short read that I don't regret. I would recommend it, especially to those in late elementary school and middle school age.

Book Blog #198: Walking with Bilbo by Sarah Arthur

Title: Walking with Bilbo
Author: Sarah Arthur
# of Pages: 224 (paperback)
Genre: Nonfiction, Religious, Christian
Rating: ★★★☆☆
Synopsis: The author of Walking with Frodo takes readers on an adventure of faith with this devotional that relates themes from J. R. R. Tolkien's The Hobbit to living the Christian life. Unlike the fateful quest Frodo was asked to carry out, Bilbo's journey came as an unexpected adventure. Readers will be reminded that God chooses us to be unlikely heroes in the adventure of life.
Review: I thought this was some sort of spin-off of The Hobbit. If I knew what Walking with Bilbo was really about, I would never have bought this book from that book fair.

I did buy it, without knowing anything about it, and it sat on my bookshelf for years. I was reluctant to read it as it's been a while since I read The Hobbit, but I figured I'd get it off my to-read shelf.

When I realized it was relating The Hobbit to the Christian life, I admit I was put-off immediately. I had no interest in reading about a religious book recreationally, especially since it was written for a Christian audience (the majestic plural irks me). I was ready to give the book away, but since I had already bought it, I cracked it open and gave the first chapter a shot.

To my surprise, this book wasn't some haughty proclamation of The Hobbit being a Christian allegory; the author's voice in the book was casual and merely discussed how the themes found in The Hobbit are similar to the themes found in the Bible.

Yes, Walking with Bilbo IS meant for a Christian audience, so if you are bothered for whatever reason of the discussion of Christianity, this is not the book for you. However, keep in mind that you can still read this with an atheist's mindset and still enjoy this book (after all, religion plays a key part in many respected pieces of literature, and one can find analysis related to religion interesting without actually believing in that religion).

If you are at all interested, YES read it. I don't regret reading it, but going back I would not buy this book because although it was interesting, it is not the type of book I am currently interested in (it's RELIGIOUS and NONFICTION for goodness sake). However, it exceeded expectations and gives you exactly what it says it will.

Book Blog #197: Half Bad by Sally Green

Title: Half Bad
Author: Sally Green
# of Pages: 394 (paperback)
Genre: YA, Fantasy, Paranormal
Rating: ★★★☆☆
Synopsis: In modern-day England, witches live alongside humans: White witches, who are good; Black witches, who are evil; and sixteen-year-old Nathan, who is both. Nathan’s father is the world’s most powerful and cruel Black witch, and his mother is dead. He is hunted from all sides. Trapped in a cage, beaten and handcuffed, Nathan must escape before his seventeenth birthday, at which point he will receive three gifts from his father and come into his own as a witch—or else he will die. But how can Nathan find his father when his every action is tracked, when there is no one safe to trust—not even family, not even the girl he loves?
Review: I received a lot of grief for reading this book. Everyone who found out I was reading it told me it was a bad book or thought that a story about witches was ridiculous.

It was interesting that Green decided to call these all of these magical beings, regardless of gender, "witches" as it is more common (somewhat more accepted by society) to call the males wizards. But to each their own. Despite the criticize my friends had for this book, it's not half bad (see what I did there?). Especially for an author's first book, the story was actually quite interesting for a book that I expected to be a cliche paranormal-romance.

What I liked the most about that book is, although there is an underlying romantic plot, the story is mostly driven by Nathan's bond he has with his family and the way he refuses to believe in social norms. His character is rough, snarky, yet likable and definitely well developed.

Half Bad is an easy, quick read (especially since I spent the past year only reading classics...). While it did exceed my expectations, it did not reach the level of depth I am searching for in a book. I can't think of comparable books right now (perhaps Amanda Hocking's books? or Shatter Me?), but if you are looking for a read that has a plot that is simple to understand, this is a good book for you. As for me, I don't plan on reading the rest of the series.