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Enna Burning – Shannon Hale

Shannon Hale won rave reviews for her book, “The Goose Girl.” In “Enna Burning,” she takes Isi’s best friend Enna from the first book and gives her a plot of her own. Enna’s brother Leifer comes home one day with a strange secret that he won’t share with anyone. His behavior is odd, his temper is out of control, and one night, he sets Enna on fire. Not with a match or a stick aflame, but with his will. Enna beats out the flames, and Leifer is terribly sorry for what happened, but his story comes out – he has … Continue reading →

Book of a Thousand Days – Shannon Hale

This new release from the Newbery Award-winning author Shannon Hale is the story of Dashti, a young peasant girl who has lost her family and her home and comes to the city to find a new life for herself. She is what’s known as a mucker – someone from the steppes who knows how to sing songs to the body and spirit that heal and return things to a state of balance. Lady Saren, just a year older than Dashti, is frequently troubled by headaches and other ailments, so Dashti is brought to be a maid in her house. Saren … Continue reading →

The Goose Girl – Shannon Hale

In “The Goose Girl,” author Shannon Hale takes a fairy tale we’re all familiar with and gives it a new spin, heightening the adventure, adding in lots of romance, and making it all come alive. Princess Anidori from the land of Kildenree has a special talent – she can talk to swans. She also has a unique understanding with Falada, her horse – they can hear each other’s thoughts. The people in her land don’t like such things so she keeps her talents a secret, never imagining that someday, they’d come in handy. A marriage alliance has been proposed between … Continue reading →

Austenland – Shannon Hale

Being the stark raving “Pride and Prejudice” fan that I am, I was thrilled to see “Austenland” reviewed online and placed my hold at the library. When it came in, I literally shrieked, and my enthusiasm was well-rewarded. Jane Hayes is obsessed with the BBC version of “Pride and Prejudice,” especially with Colin Firth. She compares every man she ever meets to him, and when they can’t live up to her unrealistic expectations, she’s crushed. The trouble is, she doesn’t realize those expectations are unrealistic – she believes that somewhere in the world is a Mr. Darcy just for her. … Continue reading →

Tristi’s Picks: Best Novels Read in 2007

It’s that time of year – the time to look back at my reading for the last year and decide which books were the most outstanding. As always, it’s a tough call, more so than usual, as I really found some great reads in 2007. I decided to allow for fifteen top favorites instead of my usual ten – ten is just too limiting. 1. “Wildwood Dancing” by Juliet Marillier was my favorite read over all. This delightful and enchanting fairy tale took the stories of “The Twelve Dancing Princesses” and “The Frog Prince” and blended them together in a … Continue reading →