The Eclectic Bookshelf

The Horse and His Boy by C.S. Lewis

Posted on October 27, 2015 by jenny

The Horse and His Boy by C.S. Lewis is my favourite Narnia story. It tends to be the one people forget as none of the main characters are “from our world” and very little of the action actually happens in Narnia. It tells the story of Shasta, a young boy who steals/is stolen by a talking horse, Bree. It has a delightful range of characters (both horses and humans) and some beautiful reflections on God and things like pride and liberalism. The reading level is a bit harder than the other Narnia books (although not because of the comments on pride and liberalism which will flow smoothly over the heads of young readers).

Posted in 20th Century Children's, 7 years and up, Children's Classics, Fantasy | Tagged 20th Century, 7 and up, action, animals, British, C.S. Lewis, camping, children's classic, Christianity, classic, fantasy, fiction, good out loud, horses, Narnia, The Inklings, whimsical | Leave a comment

Crime and Punishment by Feodor Dostoevsky

Posted on September 30, 2015 by jenny

Before I read Crime and Punishment all that I had heard about Feodor Dostoevsky was that he was a Russian author and, whereas Tolstoy understood legalism, Dostoevsky understood grace. I’ve since found out that he is also considered one of the greatest psychological novelists. All of this came through in Crime and Punishment which explores, in intense detail, the mental state and processes of a man before, during and after committing a premeditated murder in 19th century St Petersburg. The darkness of Raskolnikov’s desperation and self-justification dominates the story but is interwoven with a number of other characters who provide glimmers of hope, particularly the prostitute Sonya and Raskolnikov’s faithful friend, Razumikhin. Not a light-hearted book and took a little while to get into but intriguing and challenging and beautifully written. Also a lot fewer characters than the average Russian novel!

Posted in 18th Century, Classic, Crime fiction, General adult audience, Realism, Russian, Social Novel | Tagged character-driven, classic, drama, ethics, exam period friendly, fiction, grace, Murder, philosophy, poverty, psychological, relationships, Russian, society, St Petersburg, worldview | Leave a comment

The Phantom Tollbooth by Norton Juster

Posted on August 25, 2015 by jenny

The Phantom Tollbooth by Norton Juster is the story of a bored boy named Milo who comes home to find a box. It contains a a tollbooth that allows him to drive his toy car into the Kingdom of Wisdom, with the two cities of Dictionopolis and Digitopolis. The story follows Milo’s journey through the kingdom, attempting to rescue the twin princesses, Rhyme and Reason, and is filled with word humour and unlikely characters like King Azaz the Unabridged, a not-so-wicked Which, a hypocritical beetle called the Humbug and a watchdog named Tock. I only discovered it as an adult but it would be great for anyone above mid-primary age.

Posted in 20th Century Children's, 7 years and up, Children's Classics, Fantasy | Tagged 20th Century, 7 and up, action, American, animals, children's classic, fantasy, fiction, food and fighting, humour, illustrated, parody, travel, whimsical, Wordplay | Leave a comment

The Black Tulip by Alexandre Dumas

Posted on July 31, 2015 by jenny

The Black Tulip by Alexandre Dumas is a tale of two tulip-fanciers – Dutchmen obsessed with growing (or stealing) a 100 000 guilder-winning black tulip. Set against the backdrop of post-Reformation Holland, the story is a mix of historical novel, floriculture and laughing at the lengths that two men will go to for a tulip and that one woman will go to for a tulip-fancier. Apart from the lynching at the beginning this is a light and diverting classic. It was also short and easy to get into at only 180 pages.

Posted in Classic, French, General adult audience, Historical Fiction, Melodrama, Romance, Victorian | Tagged 17th century, classic, death by emotion, drama, exam period friendly, fiction, French, historical, Holland, humour, tulips | Leave a comment

This is Not My Hat by Jon Klassen

Posted on June 15, 2015 by jenny

This is Not My Hat by Jon Klassen is a hilarious picture book that former-housemate C sent me. It’s about a fish with criminal tendencies who is optimistic about his chances of escaping justice. The pictures are simple but very effective. The reading level is probably 5-6 years but it’s also terrific read out loud and then discussed. It lead to lots of discussion with my Bible college friends!

Posted in Contemporary Children's, Picture Books, Under 5 years, Under 7 years | Tagged 21st Century, all ages, animals, Canadian, drama, ethics, excuses, fiction, fish, good out loud, humour, illustrated, justice, theft, under 5s, under 7s | Leave a comment

Paul Meets Bernadette by Rosy Lamb

Posted on June 15, 2015 by jenny

Paul Meets Bernadette by Rosy Lamb is a picture book that is beautifully illustrated with oil paintings. It is the story of Paul, a goldfish, whose life is limited to swimming up and down, left and right, round and round, until the arrival of Bernadette who helps him see the world outside his bowl. It’s a book about companionship, discovery and a world that is bigger than we can understand. Thanks to ר for the gift of this one.

Posted in Contemporary Children's, Picture Books, Under 5 years | Tagged 21st Century, American, animals, companionship, confinement, discovery, fiction, fish, good out loud, humour, illustrated, relationships, under 5s, under 7s, whimsical | Leave a comment

Henrietta’s War and Henrietta Sees It Through by Joyce Dennys

Posted on May 27, 2015 by jenny

Henrietta’s War by Joyce Dennys and its sequel, Henrietta Sees it Through, are a series of letters to a childhood friend during WWII. They document the small and amusing indignities and challenges of life in a “safe part of England” during the war. There is a cast of amusing characters, including the lovelorn Conductor, the indomitable Lady B, the heartless but beautiful Faith and Henrietta’s long-suffering husband Charles, and Henrietta herself is a endearing mix of heroism, humour and fear of loud bangs. These thoroughly enjoyable books are fictional, although perhaps semi-autobiographical. It was originally published as regular sketches in a magazine during WWII.

Posted in 20th Century Light Fiction, British, Comedy, Episodic Novel, Epistolary Novel, General adult audience, Light Fiction, Novel, Social Novel, War Story | Tagged 20th Century, British, epistolary, fiction, good out loud, home front, humour, illustrated, overcoming adversity, semi-autobiographical, war novel, wartime, WWII | Leave a comment

Ballet Shoes by Noel Streatfeild

Posted on April 19, 2015 by jenny

Ballet Shoes by Noel Streatfeild is a book that I loved growing up and still enjoy. It is the story of Pauline, Petrova and Posy Fossil, orphans adopted and sent to England by a travelling collector of fossils and raised by his niece Sylvia. When money runs low they are sent to a ballet and theatre school as a way of gaining skills to make a living. The girls swear an oath to try and get their surname (‘Fossil’) into the history books because it is their own and nobody can say it was because of their grandfathers! A great book for girls in primary school.

Posted in 20th Century Children's, 7 years and up, Children's Classics | Tagged 20th Century, 7 and up, adoption, ballet, British, children's classic, coming-of-age, fame, fiction, good out loud, siblings, the movie lives up to it, theatre | Leave a comment

Wonder by R.J. Palacio

Posted on March 21, 2015 by jenny

Wonder by R.J. Palacio is the story of ten-year-old August who likes Star Wars and Halloween and who just wants to be ordinary as he starts attending a regular school for the first time. But August isn’t ordinary and an incredibly rare facial disfigurement means he has to deal with people’s horror, pity and feigned nonchalance as they respond to his face. This amazing book goes beyond appearances, told through the voices of Auggie, his family and friends. The best new children’s/young adult fiction I’ve read for a while.

Posted in 10 years and up, Coming of Age/Rites of Passage, Contemporary Children's, Family Drama, Novel, Young Adult | Tagged 10 and up, 21st Century, American, coming-of-age, disability, facial deformity, fiction, good out loud, high school, humour, overcoming adversity, siblings, the movie lives up to it, young adult | Leave a comment

The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe by C.S. Lewis

Posted on February 28, 2015 by jenny

The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe is a book that my parents read to each other while I was in utero and which has been a regular feature of my life ever since. I have enjoyed it in primary school and high school and it continues to delight into adulthood. It is great read out loud and I’ve enjoyed it with family, housemate C and , most recently, college friends during our once-a-week ‘Storytime’! The story of four siblings who step into a wardrobe and so into the land of Narnia, where animals speak and a wicked witch makes it always winter and never Christmas, it is delightful both as a story and as an allegory of the gospel. It deals with betrayal, redemption and sacrifice, as the lion Aslan, the true ruler of Narnia, gives his life to rescue Narnia from the witch’s rule.

Posted in 20th Century Children's, 7 years and up, Children's Classics, Fantasy | Tagged 20th Century, 7 and up, action, allegory, animals, better than the movie, British, C.S. Lewis, children's classic, Christianity, fantasy, fiction, food and fighting, good out loud, home front, humour, Narnia, The Inklings, wartime, WWII | Leave a comment