2017 was a big book year for me. I not only published three of them, but I rediscovered my love of reading (*gasp*, bad author), and learned to write those reviews I so desperately craved myself. Going into 2018, I want to continue writing reviews of books I read, and so I thought I'd start doing a once-monthly blog post in which I compile the previous month's reviews all in one place. (Because every bookworm loves finding new reads, right??) Thus, I give you December's offering... in January. There's quite a bit of Christmas going on here (oddly enough), so if you need a little something to ward off the January blues, I have some recommendations. ;) A Christmas Carol and Other Stories Charles Dickens My rating: ★★★★ A Christmas Carol 5 out of 5 stars [I copied most of this from my original review of A Christmas Carol, which can be found here.] This book is weird. This book is spooky. This book is deep. But it also captures so perfectly the essence of Christmas—that “goodwill towards mankind”—that makes the season so beautiful. I have to say, though, that one of my favorite parts came early on when Marley’s ghost visited Scrooge: ‘You are fettered,’ said Scrooge, trembling. ‘Tell me why?’ ‘I wear the chain I forged in life,’ replied the Ghost. ‘I made it link by link, and yard by yard; I girded it on of my own free will, and of my own free will I wore it. Is its pattern strange to you?’ Though I don’t believe in ghosts, and certainly don’t believe that anyone is cursed to “go forth” in death if they didn’t in life, it was a very vivid picture of the chains we all end up trapped in at some point—the chains that only God can free us from. Marley’s chains were made of cash boxes and other things related to the miserly business he and Scrooge conducted. It was a sobering reminder that we aren’t to get so caught up in our business that we forget to be a blessing in other peoples’ lives. And that’s something we all need to remember from time to time—both during the Christmas season, when it seems to come so naturally, and the rest of the year. Also, I’d just like to say that Scrooge is one of the most well-thought-out characters that I’ve ever come across, especially in older fiction. In the beginning Dickens introduces him as the most tight-fisted, crotchety old miser there ever was, but then he colored in his past and made me pity him, since he hadn’t always been that way, and by the end, Scrooge has undergone a tremendous change in his arc, and his joy at having been given a second chance was palpable. All in all, it’s a new favorite, and will probably become a yearly Christmas-time read for me. (In fact I read it twice this December, after reading it for the very first time—which says a lot, coming from a person that hardly ever re-reads books!) The Chimes 3 out of 5 stars Admittedly, it’s got to be tough to be the story that comes directly after A Christmas Carol, but I didn’t enjoy this one as much. It was a biting satire highlighting the way rich people brainwash themselves and the poor people under them with comfortable lies—comfortable lies about how they’re a Friend and Father to the poor when they really do nothing but Put them Down. That made it rather depressing, for a large part of the book, since the main character “dies” early on, and in ghostly form watches his beloved daughter travel a hard path on her own, and ultimately try to commit suicide, because she believes the lies. The darker feel of this one knocked off two stars, since I personally don’t enjoy that as much, but it was extremely effective in its satire, and the characters were vivid, and the plot as well thought out as ever, thus the three I left. The Haunted Man 3 out of 5 stars This one was a little darker as well, but not as much as The Chimes, I thought. It was kind of a rewriting of the Midas’ Touch idea... except instead of turning everything he touched to gold, the main character erased all the memories of sorrow and wrong that a person had. Which sounds good in theory, but those times of suffering help us to appreciate the good times all the more, and without them everyone turned miserable and ungrateful. It was really thought-provoking, thus the three stars, but it didn’t grab me as much as some stories, and it felt a little dark. (Not “bad” dark, just depressing dark.) :P Altogether I rated A Christmas Carol and Other Stories four stars since A Christmas Carol had rocketed so high on my list of favorite books, but the other two weren’t as impressive. Worth a read, definitely, but hard acts to watch after the first, which was such a work of genius. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ The Stroke of Eleven (Beaumont and Beasley #3)
Kyle Robert Shultz My rating: ★★★★★ I honestly have no idea how Shultz does it, but he does. Every addition to the Beaumont and Beasley world gets better, and The Stroke of Eleven is no exception. This book was such a rollercoaster of feels, and such a whirlwind of well-thought-out plot, and familiar, vivid characters, that I am sitting here in awe. Nick and Cordelia are still their lovable selves, as are the Mythfits and Malcolm (although don’t tell him I said that.) But Crispin. *screams into the void* *mutters unintelligibly* *bleeps our several spoilers*What have you done to my precious optimist, Shultz?? Read this book, you guys, because I may not be able to hold the spoilers in much longer. *tries to look a little less crazy than the Mad Hatter* *probably fails* Speaking of which, this book is titled The Stroke of Eleven, and is definitely a retelling of Cinderella, but it also has some serious Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland and Through the Looking-Glass influences, which I absolutely loved, having read both of those books for the first time recently. (Impeccable timing, I must say—those whether it’s mine or Shultz’s, I don’t know.) :P Another lovely element was the time-travel, which left my head spinning, but was a lot of fun. Each installment in the Beaumont and Beasley series deepens the world, and this one showed me just how vast the scope for the future of these books is. The time-travel just added to that. The only “stuff” I have to note, since these books are really very clean, is a kiss, two or three uses of God’s name in vain, the usual magic, and for those who care, the fact that this book feels a little... “darker”... than the rest. I guess serious is a better word than “dark.” The dialogue was just as hilarious and witty as ever, but it felt a little more sober-minded at times. Personally, I appreciated this, since it’s supposed to wrap up the first trilogy in the Beaumont and Beasley series, and finales have to have weight, but that was a change I noticed. And now I’m off to read Christmas in Talesend since I don’t have to worry about spoilers from that any more, and to eagerly await the next installment in the series. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Christmas in Talesend (Beaumont and Beasley Case Files #2) Kyle Robert Shultz My rating: ★★★★ [Possibly some minor spoilers.] Christmas in Talesend is a lovely short story collection featuring all of our favorite Beaumont and Beasley characters around Christmas time. It packs a major Christmas punch, with Santa, Reindeer, and Elves, and is peppered throughout with the usual hilarious dialogue! (Although I should mention that if you don’t want to spoil The Stroke of Eleven, I’d wait until after you’ve read that to read this.) The Red Muffler 3 out of 5 stars This one is about Gareth and Sylvia, two of our beloved Mythfits. The Narnia reference in this one was amazing, but except for the addition of frost giants, which was cool, it didn’t really grab me. This is probably just personal preference, however. It was a nice Christmas story, and Gareth really did mean well when took the little girl home in and out of the weather. xD Dash Away 4 out of 5 stars I enjoyed this one more, since it featured reindeer (mentioning a certain red-nosed one that was a big part of my childhood), and I got to learn a little more about “Alan son of Kevin.” (I find that phrase ridiculously funny, by the way. He’s a centaur for goodness’ sake!) xD He’s not rock-solid all the way through, something Bryn has evidently always known, but I didn’t, having just seen him from the outside previously. Also, I loved that Christmas elves are not the squat, jolly, round fellows they’re usually depicted as being. :P The War on Christmas 5 out of 5 stars This one I absolutely loved! Crispin and Molly... they’re right. Onlythey would get caught up in that kind of a war Christmas Eve. xD And the Rise of the Guardians references... ack. I was also left thinking just how “ominous” Carol of the Bells would sound coming out of an Undine’s mouth. Good grief. 0_o Another thing I appreciated, too, was that this one took the time to mention that Christmas isn’t all about Santa, and [a certain springtime holiday] isn’t all about [a certain long-eared mythological creature]—and that they’re both about Someone much greater. Saint Nick 5 out of 5 stars This one is exactly what it sounds like. Plus a Christmas Dragon. xD Nick, Cordelia, and Malcolm took the time to brighten up a traditionally horrific orphanage on Christmas Eve. It’s a heartwarming end to an already heartwarming series of short stories, and showed that Christmas isn’t about receiving—it’s about giving—giving of ourselves to make the lives of those less fortunate better.
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Welcome!Welcome to Katelyn Buxton Books! I'm a Christian author and blogger, with a passion for writing stories that are not just enjoyable, but also lead people closer to Jesus. Feel free to look around, and enjoy your stay! Archives
October 2021
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