As I Lay Reading

Book Reviews & Occasional Author and Book - Fangirling

Gone With The Wind

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At various moments in my bookish life, I have made strides to read some of the classics.  You know, like George Orwell’s 1984 or Steinbeck’s Grapes of Wrath.  Somewhere in that exhaustive list, lay Margaret Mitchell’s Gone With the Wind.

Now, I think I should mention that I watched the movie first.  In fact, Gone with the Wind is one of my favorite movies of all time!  The movie inspired me to read the book.

Gone with the Wind is a Civil-War era book that chronicles the period (both war and reconstruction) through main character Scarlett O’Hara.  Scarlett O’Hara is the daughter of a wealthy plantation owner in the south.  When the story opens, Scarlett’s life is filled with lavish parties, beaus and the finer things in life.  She is spoiled, pampered and lives a very comfortable life.  Then, in a blink, everything changes and the charmed life she knew is gone forever.

Scarlett O’Hara is my favorite character in a book or movie. Ever.  Though the character is manipulative and at times downright cold-hearted, it is her strength and her love for Tara that always shines through.  Scarlett is tenacious and brave.  She is often blinded by what she wants rather than by what she needs.

In this book, I got swept away by the southern voices, decoration and times and traditions of old.  Mitchell paints the picture so complete, that she makes you feel like you are there.  You get a sense for how life was before the war and then when the war starts, that life is forever gone — with the wind.

Gone With The Wind tells a great story.  It has everything — suspense, romance, history and coming of age.

My Rating for Gone With The Wind:

5 star rating for The Changelings

 

 

War of the Fae: Book 1 – The Changelings

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The War of the Fae series — is a completely imaginative and unique series of books by one of my newly favorite authors — Elle Casey.

War of the Fae: Book 1 (The Changelings) — we are introduced to trucker-mouthed rebel, Jayne Sparks and her sweetly shy but incredibly intelligent  BFF Tony Green.

Jayne Sparks feels like a misfit and lives the ordinary life of a high school girl.  However, what starts out as ordinary soon turns into extraordinary as Jayne and Tony (by process of elimination) are taken on an incredible journey.  Jayne and Tony’s adventure proves to both of them that they are far more special than either would have ever dreamed.  A fantasy world is opened up to them and their dream of having a place where they truly belong is within arms reach.

There are a lot of moments in this book that made me laugh out loud.

I love the character Jayne.  She is by far one of my most favorite book characters ever.  Her potty-mouth and insecurities are endearing.  Her bad-assery knows no bounds.  She is a smart and strong female character who doesn’t even begin to recognize just how smart and strong she really is.

Each character that we come upon in the first book are part of the foundation for the other books in the series.  Trust me when I say that you will fall in love with these characters. 

What I love about Elle Casey as an author — and in particular as the author of this series, is that she pulls up the right amount of build with the main plot and subplots.  She uses her wordsmith abilities to craft her fae world to perfection without dragging on and on about small details. (seriously, I read a book once where the author went into painstaking detail about the sound of a creaking bed spring)

I highly recommend this book and series to anyone who loves adventure and fantasy stories of YA proportions!  This particular book — The Changelings is FREE on Amazon.com!   🙂

My Rating for War of the Fae: Book 1 – The Changelings:

5 star rating for The Changelings