All posts by Wonder in Wanderland
Book Review:The Vanishing Season
The Vanishing Season (also known as The Moment Collector)
Score 3.5 ⭐️⭐️⭐️💫
Recommended for those who like contemporary romances & tragedies. This is not thriller or a creepy ghost story, (although there are ghosts in it.) It is instead a coming of age story, with beautifully written characters & atmospheric prose. It genuinely & successfully captures some of the most precious moments of youth. With first love, tragic heartbreak, cruel betrayals & a realistic love triangle. The beginning may be slow, but the 2nd half is engaging. In total, this novel is moving, sad & beautiful
Book Review: Every Heart A Doorway
Every Heart A Doorway
Score 4. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Recommended for those who like short, imaginative & twisted fairytales, with bits of dark humor, fantasy & mystery. This evocative novella is creative, enchanting & nostalgic (in that it reminded me of the magic I once believed in as a child). The synopsis makes this sound like a thriller, but it’s not, it’s much more subtle than that. The book is based on the idea that there are hundreds of magical worlds, with secret doors that will only open for certain children and typically spit them back out after they’ve become “too old”.
It’s got a slow pace & the characters & worlds feel under developed. Also the characters are detached from reality some readers might not be able to connect.
(The kids seem detached because they no longer feel at home in this world, and spend most of their time wanting to find a way back in.)
However, the fact that it’s so whimsical, charming, weird, poetic & strange makes up for everything. With a rich prose, deep insights & fantastical magic, you will be desperate for more… long after you stumble down this rabbit hole.
-Keep in mind that this novel is quite short, and that it ends too soon. But on the bright side there are 2 more book in this series that will be coming out next over the next 2 years. One book is about Jacqueline and Jill’s trip to a wild and wicked world. And the other book doesn’t yet have a synopsis……….. I can’t wait!
Book Review: The Night Circus
The Night Circus
Score 4. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
First off, ignore the synopsis on the back of the book, It’s entirely misleading! This is not a thriller or an action packed rivalry. Instead it’s an enchanting story told in 3rd person omniscient about a traveling circus.
The simple, slow plot, & lack of character development, knocks this down 1 whole star. The romance was lackluster (until the very end) and so was the plot. Also the timeline and narration jumps were dizzying and so hard to keep straight!! 😕 I wanted this to be so much better!!
But nevertheless it still gets 4 stars simply because of how rich and enchanting the circus is. With such an ethereal and dreamlike quality, I often find myself daydreaming about this marvelous and magical circus. If it were real, I would lose myself there for an eternity and never wish for anything more.
Recommended for those who like spellbinding imagery and dream logic that captivates the imagination and stirs the senses. Night Circus is atmospheric, charismatic and brimming with descriptive and tantalizing magic.
Book Review: Vassa In The Night
Vassa In The Night,
Score 4.5 ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️💫
Recommended for those who love the bizarre ramblings of Alice in Wonderland (the original books, not the movies). This novel is WEIRD, so if you love originality & total nonsense & want something unpredictable & unique, this book is for you!
It’s a dark, enchanting, outlandish & creative retelling of an old Russian fairytale about Baba Yaga & Vassilissa. However it’s a retelling in the vaguest sense of the word, as Sarah Porter only uses the characters from the Russian tale and deviates from there. Vassa and her magic doll Erg are totally lovable and well written, as they try to outwit Baba Yaga and bring back the sunlight to a dark and dreary Brooklyn.
The pace is a tad slow, but it’s full of creepy creatures, vivid imagery, mild gore & strange magic. This fantasy starts off a little odd, as it’s set in a magical version of Brooklyn NY. The plot is wholly unpredictable (and can be a little hard to follow at times) but is a fun, and wild adventure for those who love originality.
(Not recommended if you don’t like nonsense.)
….And yes, that is me in my Halloween costume as Ariel 🙂
Book Review: Let’s Get Lost
Let’s Get Lost score 3.5 ⭐️⭐️⭐️.💫
This quirky, charming and lighthearted coming of age novel is Recommended if you want a contemporary novel that defies all rationality.
Let’s Get Lost centers around an upbeat vagabond girl traveling through the U.S. named Leila. (You can just refer to her as the typical “Manic Pixie Dream Girl” trope). More than a third of the book is told through the eyes of various teenagers that Leila meets. Who all almost instantly adore and admire Leila’s charm and wit. (Which to be honest, can be a bit annoying.) Also the fact that she somehow manages to get everyone to open up, so she can fix their lives (with insights that normal teenagers don’t typically posses) is a too big of a pill to swallow.
However, one could argue that these same reasons are exactly what makes this novel stand out.
The reader spends so much time admiring mysterious Leila, and watching how she affects the lives around her, it keeps the reader guessing, trying to unravel who she really is. It actually end up being pretty fun, trying to get to know this bubbly stranger. (As long as you don’t think about how unrealistic, cliche and cheesy everything is). As I read, I found myself wishing I could take a road trip like this, so I could make amazing connections because the world is a friendly, magical and safe to explore. (A girl can dream right?!)
So if you want to forget about real life for a while & imagine yourself on a road trip, where Insta-love is real, coincidences are normal, adventure waits around every corner & happy endings come easily to those who persevere…..Then you’ll (probably) love this heartwarming, cheesy & fun book.
My Lady Jane: Book Review
My Lady Jane, score 4.
This novel is historical fiction that is part romance, part fantasy, part adventure & totally ridiculous. Set in medieval times, this is the untold, untrue story of the 9 day Queen of England, Known as Lady Jane.
Imagine if The Princess Bride were mashed with Jane Austen and My Lady Jane is what you’ll get.
This unexpectedly amusing novel is hilarious in a subtle, quiet and weird way. And it’s full of wit, charm & outrageously silly dialogue. However the pacing is off, sometimes slowly dragging and other times speeding along. And while this may seem somewhat predictable and the plot is nothing new, it’s really recommended to those who don’t take things too seriously & those who adore lighthearted silly spoofs.
The Girl on The Train: Book Review
The Girl on The Train, score 3.5
Recommended for those who like suspenseful murder mysteries with a frightening twist. This novel tells the intense story of 3 well written, believably selfish & totally screwed up women.
While this is creepier than Gone Girl, it’s not quite as good. So ignore the hype & lower your expectations and you will probably enjoy this page turner!
However if you’re more of a cynic (like me) then read on;
I personally found this novel to be dull, slow paced, easily predictable & really not that interesting.
Also all the male characters feel forced, unrealistic & unexplained. I mean really…. all the men in this book are portrayed as villainous and acting impulsive and irrational, treating others unfairly with little explanation as to why. And yet the women are written to be flawed, self absorbed assholes, and yet their behavior is constantly explained pr justified. That really irritated me.
I will admit the twist at the end, was surprising, thrilling and frightening, but is it really worth it to read a book where the 2/3rds of it are tediously boring, just for a shocking twist and hurried explanation at the end?
Fail spectactularly
Most people are afraid of failure and afraid of change. We are afraid to try anything new, or step outside of our comfort zones. So we settle, we get used to things as they are. We choose the easy road, and surrender to our circumstances. We choose not to fight, not to risk, and choose the path of less resistance.
But deep down inside, we know we desire something better. Something more. Because somewhere deep inside us there’s a fire, that burns with fiery passion. Our souls long to do something, or be someone, but we’re too afraid to answer the call.
Why are we afraid to try?
We’re afraid of failing, afraid of making mistakes, afraid of being laughed at, of being scolded. We’re afraid of stepping out, and changing what we are used to. Afraid of leaving our predictable, controllable lives. And sometimes were afraid of disappointing those close to us. So we stay where we are. We try to convince ourselves that we like what we’re doing. We lie to ourselves, so well that we don’t even know that we’re doing it. We do it so often that we don’t even recognize the sound of our hearts screaming, “Set me free! I’m dying in here!” We smother our dreams, we bury our passions and ignore our what our heart desperately longs to do.
Don’t let fear of failure crush your passion and stifle your hearts. Don’t let your soul wither away because you’re afraid to follow your dreams. It might seem like that fear of failure is protecting you, keeping you from making a fool of yourself. But if the cost is letting your soul’s deepest desire wither away, then its not worth it!!
Here’s what I’ve learned…that failure, actually isn’t something to fear. Sure, it can be scary as we go through it, but it isn’t something we should shy away from.
How can you stop fearing failure? By changing your mindset. (After all fear is really all in your head.)
Here are some examples of people who failed terribly and were able to pick themselves back up and keep going. Hopefully they inspire and encourage you to never give up!
• Oprah was fired from her first job as a TV anchor in Baltimore…. And look at her now, she’s a star, and everyone knows her name.
• Thomas Edison’s teachers said that he was “too stupid to learn anything.” But he kept learning and inventing. Then he failed 1,000 times trying to invent the light bulb! But he didn’t give up, until he got it right. He kept trying until he finally got that dang light bulb to work! Thanks Thomas! Electricity is awesome.
• Winston Churchill actually failed the sixth grade! Then he was defeated every time he ran for public office, it took him until he was 62 to actually get elected! And then he pretty much saved the United kingdom by keeping it from falling apart during the war. Would the UK have survived the war, if Winston had given up and stopped running for office?
• Dr Seuss had his first book rejected by 27 different publishers. 27 different companies that that what he wrote was garbage, and not profitable. Who knew?
• J.K. Rowling was a broke, divorced single mother trying to write her first novel, while studying in school. She often felt depressed and thought of herself as a failure. And now, well, now she’s insanely rich and successful.
• Van Gough only ever sold one painting in his lifetime, it wasn’t until he died that anyone took any interest in his art. Poor Van Gough… but he didn’t quit, he kept on painting.
• Walt Disney was fired because, “he lacked imagination and had no good ideas.” Then he started a business, but failed and had to file bankruptcy. But he kept trying, and didn’t give up on his dreams! And now we all have Walt to thank for some of our greatest childhood memories.
• Abraham Lincoln was demoted from captain to private, in the military and his businesses failed several times. He even ran for office and was defeated several times! And of course now he has a giant monument dedicated in his honor in D.C. and is the most celebrated President America has ever had.
The point is this, everyone one fails, but successful people are the ones who take responsibility, learn from their mistakes and then keep going! They keep setting goals and striving to reach them no matter, how often they fall. They use there mistakes as an opportunity to try it a different way, and understand that failure is a really useful learning experience. Successful people don’t avoid failure, they embrace it! Because they know that failure is the most powerful teacher.
If all the worlds a stage, then let yourself soar, and don’t worry about who sees you fall. (Most people are too self absorbed to really keep track of everything you do anyways.)
So fail spectacularly! Fail with style! Let people wonder how you can be so strong that you bravely keep getting back up! And sure, there may be those who who think your foolish, for refusing to stay down. But just remember that you’ll prove em wrong in the end! Because your life is a stage, meant for soaring, falling, learning, trying and succeeding. Don’t let life pass you by, knowing you were too afraid to listen to your heart and follow your dreams.
What are you afraid of?
I make you weak at the worst of all times.
I keep you surrendered, I keep you resigned.
I make your hands sweat, and your heart grow cold,
I visit the weak, but seldom the bold.
What am I?
Fear.
Fear is something we all carry with us, but somehow think it’s there to protect us.
Perhaps that was once true for us when we were young. Back when fear told us not to play in the street and to never trust strangers. But the more we give power to and agree with fear as we grow older, the more it takes over us.
Its so subtle that we don’t even see it. Like a familiar companion we think we need to survive, we trust it, because its helped us in the past. It claims to still be working in our best interest and insists that it will protect us if we will listen to it’s voice.
But the truth is we don’t need fear once we’ve grown up. Because fear cripples us.
When I was a child, I talked like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child. When I became a man, I set aside childish ways. 1 Corninthians 13:11
Imagine that fear is a person. Like Parallax in this clip of the Green Lantern. (I realize it’s sort of a cheesy movie, but bear with me!) Throughout the movie Hal has to face the fact that he is afraid of failing as the Green Lantern. Watch the clip and imagine that the monster Green Lantern is fighting is in fact, fear himself.
The monster taps into Hal’s greatest fears (because he is fear) and uses them against him.
Fear threatens Hal in the worst possible way and almost succeeds in killing him. But Hal realizes something…
The villain Fear, has no power of it’s own, the only power it has, is the power it can trick Hal in to giving up. Hal fights back, because he realizes the only reason fear could ever succeed, is if Hal agrees with it and by doing so gives up.
By giving up hope and agreeing that fear can fulfill its vicious claims, Hal gives up his power. Because fear can only take the power of someone it’s frightened into surrendering. It can do nothing on its own.
Once Hal realizes that fear can only win by getting him to agree with him, Hal changes his mindset.
And immediately the tide changes in his favor.
Hal stops being afraid.
He stops buying into the lie that he will fail and refuses to believe anything that has to do with fear.
He completely dismisses everything fear said by holding tight to the belief that he is unstoppable, he is powerful and no one can stand against him.
Now, I know this is a fictional and not very well received movie. But I learned a lot from this scene. After watching this movie I started thinking about how courageous I truly could be, once I stopped listening to the lies of fear. Suddenly I wasn’t afraid of fear, but confident that it was nothing more than an ant under my boot. Some verses that came to mind are:
Deuteronomy 31:8
“The LORD himself goes before you and will be with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged.”
Psalm 118:6 “The LORD is with me; I will not be afraid. What can mere mortals do to me?”
Isaiah 41:10 “Don’t be afraid, because I am with you. Don’t be intimidated; I am your God. I will strengthen you. I will help you. I will support you with my victorious right hand.”
Isaiah 41:13
“For I am the LORD your God who takes hold of your right hand and says to you, Do not fear; I will help you.”
So be bold, If God is for us, who can be against us?
Be strong and believe in yourself. You hold all the power, the only power fear has is what you give it!
Fear doesn’t protect you, it cripples you.
Fear keeps you from following your dreams, and your calling,
Fear blinds you to who you really are.
Fear blinds you to who other people really are.
Fear keeps you trapped in the same cycle of dysfunction.
Fear keeps you making the same mistakes in relationships.
Fear keeps you squelching your true self, because you’re trying so hard to please others.
Fear suffocates you.
So stop believing its lies, and abandon it.
The little that fear has done to keep you safe, isn’t worth the damage it does to you in the long run.
Do something you are afraid of and when that fear rises up, and tells you all the scary things that could happen, remind yourself of the opposite.
Remind yourself that God has given you Power, Love and a sound mind and that fear has no right to intrude on your thoughts.
Challenge your fears, don’t let them challenge you.