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Title: The Enchanted Wood (The Faraway Tree Book 1)
Author: Enid Blyton
Illustrator: Dorothy M. Wheeler
Published: 1936
Rating: 3 of 5
Page Count: 200
Total Page Count: 321,775
Text Number: 1131
Read Because: series was mentioned on Great British Bake Off, borrowed from OpenLibrary
Review: Three children discover that the woods behind their new country home contains an unusual tree which is peopled by fae and stretches into other worlds. That's a delightful concept, but the approach is more whimsical than evocative, fluffy and saccharine and utterly devoid of character growth, even compared to other classic children's books. But it's just the right length for something so sweet, with episodic adventures and playful, present authorial voice; I imagine it's a joy to read aloud. Pity then that some elements haven't aged well (racism, corporal punishment; apparently excised from modern reprints, though whether or not they should be is a different kettle of fish).
(This is in public domain in Canada.)
Title: Dragon's Treasure (Dragon's Winter Book 2)
Author: Elizabeth A. Lynn
Published: 2003
Rating: 3 of 5
Page Count: 335
Total Page Count: 322,110
Text Number: 1132
Read Because: fan of the author, borrowed from OpenLibrary
Review: I liked this better than Dragon's Winter. Where Winter is a good vs. evil quest, leaning hard on fantasy tropes and a cold authorial voice, Treasure is about people, with an interpersonal and political plot, less subtext, and a more immediate tone. That shift in tone and the increased scale of the worldbuilding creates uneven pacing, and, despite returning to the interpersonal roots that make them successful, this isn't as distinctive or memorable as Lynn's earlier work. But it's likable, which is a pleasant surprise after its unapproachable predecessor, and satisfies me as a Lynn completionist.
Title: Sugar Run
Author: Mesha Maren
Narrator: Hillary Huber
Published: HighBridge Audio, 2019
Rating: N/A
Page Count: 65 of 330
Total Page Count: 322,175
Text Number: 1133
Read Because: mentioned here as "wlw books with darker themes," audiobook borrowed from the Multnomah County Library
Review: DNF at 20%, but it's more me than the book: the tone doesn't appeal right now, but mostly I struggle to track the names, PoV jumps, and time jumps while listening on audio.
Author: Enid Blyton
Illustrator: Dorothy M. Wheeler
Published: 1936
Rating: 3 of 5
Page Count: 200
Total Page Count: 321,775
Text Number: 1131
Read Because: series was mentioned on Great British Bake Off, borrowed from OpenLibrary
Review: Three children discover that the woods behind their new country home contains an unusual tree which is peopled by fae and stretches into other worlds. That's a delightful concept, but the approach is more whimsical than evocative, fluffy and saccharine and utterly devoid of character growth, even compared to other classic children's books. But it's just the right length for something so sweet, with episodic adventures and playful, present authorial voice; I imagine it's a joy to read aloud. Pity then that some elements haven't aged well (racism, corporal punishment; apparently excised from modern reprints, though whether or not they should be is a different kettle of fish).
(This is in public domain in Canada.)
Title: Dragon's Treasure (Dragon's Winter Book 2)
Author: Elizabeth A. Lynn
Published: 2003
Rating: 3 of 5
Page Count: 335
Total Page Count: 322,110
Text Number: 1132
Read Because: fan of the author, borrowed from OpenLibrary
Review: I liked this better than Dragon's Winter. Where Winter is a good vs. evil quest, leaning hard on fantasy tropes and a cold authorial voice, Treasure is about people, with an interpersonal and political plot, less subtext, and a more immediate tone. That shift in tone and the increased scale of the worldbuilding creates uneven pacing, and, despite returning to the interpersonal roots that make them successful, this isn't as distinctive or memorable as Lynn's earlier work. But it's likable, which is a pleasant surprise after its unapproachable predecessor, and satisfies me as a Lynn completionist.
Title: Sugar Run
Author: Mesha Maren
Narrator: Hillary Huber
Published: HighBridge Audio, 2019
Rating: N/A
Page Count: 65 of 330
Total Page Count: 322,175
Text Number: 1133
Read Because: mentioned here as "wlw books with darker themes," audiobook borrowed from the Multnomah County Library
Review: DNF at 20%, but it's more me than the book: the tone doesn't appeal right now, but mostly I struggle to track the names, PoV jumps, and time jumps while listening on audio.
