tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-51742082689861269482024-03-17T20:01:15.177-07:00Ms. Hen Reviews ThingsShannon O'Connorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15351055641621159092noreply@blogger.comBlogger474125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5174208268986126948.post-86053894792590866732024-03-17T07:14:00.000-07:002024-03-17T07:14:20.180-07:00Ms. Hen reviews Hereafter The Telling Life of Ellen O'Hara<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGQQWevySNcgAWeyPKi6pgZFifPcKinyNXoKbTh8Xn_JaMVJnBckxW-etd25MUV4V61TK6783EL9_e8ln0gdEzX8xWZ1WReZQLzNYaTj7PSIAC1cUNC_TxH2mJJTK7YyIfWDEiNUeoLDY0CbSIS3aL8vnVVk0NFChh01w9FsynSCXJONEBZ6JYEdGRF9hy/s4032/IMG_4553.HEIC" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGQQWevySNcgAWeyPKi6pgZFifPcKinyNXoKbTh8Xn_JaMVJnBckxW-etd25MUV4V61TK6783EL9_e8ln0gdEzX8xWZ1WReZQLzNYaTj7PSIAC1cUNC_TxH2mJJTK7YyIfWDEiNUeoLDY0CbSIS3aL8vnVVk0NFChh01w9FsynSCXJONEBZ6JYEdGRF9hy/s320/IMG_4553.HEIC" width="240" /></a></div><br /> <p></p><p><span style="font-size: large;">Hereafter: The Telling Life of Ellen O'Hara</span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;">Vona Groarke</span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;">New York University Press</span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;">2022</span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;">Ms. Hen learned about this book, and decided to read it because it's about an Irish immigrant that came to the United States in the 1880s, and that's around the time that Ms. Hen's great-grandparents came to America. It's a woman's story, and it's about a woman who was ordinary, not someone famous or rich, simply someone who did the best she could to get by.</span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;">This is a nonfiction book written by Ellen O'Hara's great-granddaughter. She investigates her great-grandmother's life by finding records in New York of when she arrived, when she got married, and her transit records going back and forth to Ireland. The author includes quotes from people about this time period, and the documents where she found evidence of her great-grandmother's life.</span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;">Ellen O'Hara arrived in New York, and worked as a servant, one of the only occupations available to Irish women at that time. She saved money, and sent it home to her family. She got married to John Grady, and she had two children, but he disappeared. He left, but she fabricated a story was that he died in a subway accident, which was what Ellen told her family so she would not have the shame of a husband who left her.</span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;">She takes her children back to Ireland to live with her parents, because she had no one to help her in New York, and she had to work. She works, and saves every penny, and eventually opens a boarding house for Irish men. She brings her children back to New York twelve years later. She is proud of her boarding house, and she takes care of the young men who stay with her.</span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;">This is not the typical book that Ms. Hen reads. It's told through scenes that the author imagines that her great-grandmother experiences, and some poetry, and records and advertisements. Ms. Hen thinks this is a lovely way to write a book, and to try to imagine how these people lived over one hundred years ago.</span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;">A lot of prejudice existed against Irish people back then, the English thought they were dirty, and uneducated, but the young women sent money home to their families, and raised Ireland up, and the author proposed that this is what helped Ireland survive, and flourish. Things have changed, and nobody is prejudiced against Irish people now in this country, and everyone seems to have forgotten how things used to be.</span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;">Today is Saint Patrick's Day, and Ms. Hen is celebrating quietly, thinking about how much the world has changed, and how it still has a long way to go, and she's grateful that her ancestors came here, and she has had opportunities that America has given her, and she has given herself.</span></p>Shannon O'Connorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15351055641621159092noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5174208268986126948.post-66509752955118472642024-03-13T10:47:00.000-07:002024-03-13T10:50:14.948-07:00Ms. Hen reviews Yours for the Taking<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhY3pww-hlK1ZVduyHpcaOSPgNcIzYQ4pFQyxiXdYnEi1CsxqD7Tr7Xkgln26bUjnEbbzlWfpzxYL1dk4rUXqrH1v6RuPgfot1zg3TpqHvLCy1f7BOgJQSy9OWc7fFX24Xwy911KqM_-41dHWiQn_-bNNPKotFW7AAyVqebiEFOucPfitdOcPIBwlIFG0wt/s4032/IMG_4537.HEIC" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhY3pww-hlK1ZVduyHpcaOSPgNcIzYQ4pFQyxiXdYnEi1CsxqD7Tr7Xkgln26bUjnEbbzlWfpzxYL1dk4rUXqrH1v6RuPgfot1zg3TpqHvLCy1f7BOgJQSy9OWc7fFX24Xwy911KqM_-41dHWiQn_-bNNPKotFW7AAyVqebiEFOucPfitdOcPIBwlIFG0wt/s320/IMG_4537.HEIC" width="240" /></a></div><br /> <p></p><p><span style="font-size: large;">Yours for the Taking</span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;">Gabrielle Korn</span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;">St. Martin's Press</span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;">2023</span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;">Ms. Hen does not remember why she chose to read this book, but she had it on hold at the library for a long time. A lot of people wanted to read this novel ahead of her, and she understands why. It's fantastic.</span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;"><i>Yours for the Taking </i>is about the environment, and where the world is heading. Everyone knows that the Earth is getting warmer, and we are heading towards major crises, and this novel addresses this in a most interesting way.</span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;">This novel is about a woman, Jacqueline Millender, who invests in a place called Inside that will house people in New York City to protect them from the environment. She secretly plans to only let young, educated women into Inside, and nobody knows this except the people working for her. The women who are accepted don't even know, until they get there.</span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;">The narrative centers around different characters who are involved in the Inside project. Shelby, Jacqueline's assistant, lives on the space shuttle with her, and leaves her family behind. Ava separates from her girlfriend, Orchid, and moves to Inside, and makes a life there. Olympia is the medical director of Inside, and works as Jacqueline's person in charge of the operation.</span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;">Ms. Hen loved this book because it asks so many questions, such as: Where are we headed with environmental issues? What would an all women society look like? Do women need men to survive? Would people be comfortable being trapped inside a place if they knew that would be the only way to survive? What is it like for a child to grow up, and never breathe the air outside or see the sun?</span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;">Ms. Hen thinks this is an important novel, and one that should be read and evaluated by the type of people that care about the way the world is headed.</span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;">Another aspect of this novel that Ms. Hen adored is the ending - it is not an explosive Hollywood ending, but the type of finale that forces the reader to take a breath after finishing the last sentence. The story will go on, but we don't need to know the end, and it is not wrapped up in a bow. This reminds Ms. Hen of the endings of the stories of Katherine Anne Porter, the type that leaves the imagination running, after the last word. </span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;">Ms. Hen recommends this novel to anyone who is a fan of dystopian fiction, feminism, and imagination. And also hope.</span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></p>Shannon O'Connorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15351055641621159092noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5174208268986126948.post-23569442784801176172024-03-06T05:49:00.000-08:002024-03-06T05:49:38.402-08:00Ms. Hen reviews We Are the Crisis<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7_I_1kA0UgFN2nO57ANWU839B6rLLzzI13ka36teBegTyVOkq3z51SIC9jJ3EmLfIF5Yddom1eIWmvEDNtMVXxVywIf5TXpRjTmgdeR-y291qYxCYnbD3-A0GdTAjCrzmwVj0aFqty3zawHK2Oqv_ZElknngbfKJNHw2N996lFXZcsVno5GABSocOQR81/s3780/AF95D364-B689-4520-B5A6-CA614A2C8EE2.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3780" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7_I_1kA0UgFN2nO57ANWU839B6rLLzzI13ka36teBegTyVOkq3z51SIC9jJ3EmLfIF5Yddom1eIWmvEDNtMVXxVywIf5TXpRjTmgdeR-y291qYxCYnbD3-A0GdTAjCrzmwVj0aFqty3zawHK2Oqv_ZElknngbfKJNHw2N996lFXZcsVno5GABSocOQR81/s320/AF95D364-B689-4520-B5A6-CA614A2C8EE2.JPG" width="256" /></a></div><br /> <p></p><p><span style="font-size: large;">We Are the Crisis</span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;">Cadwell Turnbull</span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;">Blackstone Publishing</span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;">2023</span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;">Ms. Hen decided to read this novel, because she had read the other one in this series, and she remembers loving it. She understands that these two books are the beginning of the Convergence Saga.</span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;">It had been a while since Ms. Hen had read <i>No Gods, No Monsters, </i>so she had a difficult time remembering which characters were which, and what happened in the other novel.</span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;">This novel is about different groups of characters, one of which is Ridley and his pack of werewolves. Ridley owns a bookstore. Also, there is Dragon, a child dragon, who was kept in a dungeon for many years. Another character is Alex, whose mother was a vampire, and whose mentor trained her to be a spy.</span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;">The characters work to rid the world of prejudice of monsters. Monsters are everywhere in this world, and all types exist, werewolves, witches, vampires, and woo-woos. Some of the novel takes place in the Virgin Islands, and the characters try to make the area better for each other, but they do not always succeed.</span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;">Ms. Hen thinks this is an important novel, because it's about prejudice and racism of all types of creatures, some of which whose abnormalities are not visible right away. The monsters have to be in hiding, and they do not have a community, but they try to find others to help each other from the oppressors, and create better lives for themselves.</span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;">This novel ended like the previous one, with a violent climax. Ms. Hen thinks this is inspired by cinema, and not necessarily novels. Ms. Hen doesn't think there's anything wrong with a fight at the end, but she thinks that sometimes books should be more derived from literature than movies and TV.</span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;">Some of this novel takes place in the Boston area, and Ms. Hen thought it was charming that Dragon went shopping at BJ's in Medford, which is right near where she lives. A great sense of place runs through the entire novel, whether it's in Boston, or the Virgin Islands, or North Carolina. </span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;">Ms. Hen adored this book, and she can't wait to read the next one. Monsters can be all around us, they could be our neighbors and coworkers, but we might never know, and if we do become aware, we should not be afraid of them, but accept them as they are, and let them live their lives.</span></p>Shannon O'Connorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15351055641621159092noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5174208268986126948.post-60349611299753155142024-02-26T04:05:00.000-08:002024-02-26T04:07:49.213-08:00Ms. Hen reviews This is How You Lose the Time War<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5_8IPYRtT_8Y0IRDEY5fy1MJHcZ7hOced8nZDnUj2e8-o1FQHkUXnlyDJK34jlJcKHCD-0nItFF62-8gBfKOddTCRmUo0sMxN6WRjnayVkgb_AZXZTelpmW_K6F0lskFg8ZEogOSuLxk1OI5T1_AeGGCet_3RSXKvpBDhZkLxWrlXfSNezqd6e2sQFySy/s4032/IMG_4401.HEIC" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5_8IPYRtT_8Y0IRDEY5fy1MJHcZ7hOced8nZDnUj2e8-o1FQHkUXnlyDJK34jlJcKHCD-0nItFF62-8gBfKOddTCRmUo0sMxN6WRjnayVkgb_AZXZTelpmW_K6F0lskFg8ZEogOSuLxk1OI5T1_AeGGCet_3RSXKvpBDhZkLxWrlXfSNezqd6e2sQFySy/s320/IMG_4401.HEIC" width="240" /></a></div><br /> <p></p><p><span style="font-size: large;">This is How You Lose the Time War</span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;">Amal El-Mohtar</span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;">Max Gladstone</span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;">Saga Press</span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;">2019</span></p><p><br /></p><p><span style="font-size: large;">Ms. Hen does not know how she decided to read this novel, but she had it on a post-it note on her desk for a long time, so she decided to buy it. She knew she must have read about it, or listened to a podcast about it, but she does not remember.</span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;">This novella is written by two people, which Ms. Hen thinks is interesting. It's an epistolary book, which means it is written in letters. The entire book is not letters, some are sections in third person, but it is a conversation between two people, Red and Blue, and they are agents in a time war.</span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;">Red and Blue send letters to each other, and they receive them in unique ways. One is through the rings of a tree, an another is delivered by a Canada goose. </span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;">They travel through time, and avoid each other, but pine for each other at the same time. Lots of images of nature appear in this book, birds and insects and flowers. Ms. Hen loved the description of birds, because she is a fan, being one herself.</span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;">A statement in the book spoke to Ms. Hen because it is something she has been thinking about, "It's not that I never noticed before how many red things there are in the world. It's that they were never any relevant to me than green or white or gold. Now it's as if the whole world sings to me in petals, feathers, pebbles, blood." Ms. Hen has noticed the red things in the world recently, and how they pop out in her vision. She thinks this might happen to a lot of people.</span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;">This novel reminds Ms. Hen of other works, like the fairy tale novels she has read recently, such as <i>A Spindle Splintered</i>. It also reminds her of <i>Doctor Who,</i> of course, because of time travel.</span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;">Ms. Hen thinks this novel is charming and beautiful. It's short, but sometimes Ms. Hen likes to read things that are fast. This book is about love through time, and despair and desperation. Ms. Hen believes this book would delight the right type of person, one with Ms. Hen's impeccable sensibilities. </span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;"> </span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></p>Shannon O'Connorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15351055641621159092noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5174208268986126948.post-5619199028743868022024-02-19T06:02:00.000-08:002024-02-19T06:02:51.815-08:00Ms. Hen reviews Master of Poisons<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiB54Ttk6H5BlIy76p8DFAZDzMCY72cSGZdwiSarkTLg0r-j-PubUZvEjprNJQAU8lPaFszAaHG20XU2TmMK6m-WLbFetASmPKss7LxiwdSzoQbaMH-YAjYBm3yktcwOSsq2J6cBPx8CISr-4wXchwHxklZc50jVn7Cv5A1sokr0BXE43p0hm-8LxwzbXeu/s4032/IMG_4373.HEIC" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiB54Ttk6H5BlIy76p8DFAZDzMCY72cSGZdwiSarkTLg0r-j-PubUZvEjprNJQAU8lPaFszAaHG20XU2TmMK6m-WLbFetASmPKss7LxiwdSzoQbaMH-YAjYBm3yktcwOSsq2J6cBPx8CISr-4wXchwHxklZc50jVn7Cv5A1sokr0BXE43p0hm-8LxwzbXeu/s320/IMG_4373.HEIC" width="240" /></a></div><br /> <p></p><p><span style="font-size: large;">Master of Poisons</span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;">Andrea Hairston</span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;">Tor</span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;">2020</span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;">Ms. Hen decided to read this novel because she saw the author at the Arisia con in January, and she thought she was so fantastic Ms. Hen decided she wanted to read a book by her. The author did a reading from her forthcoming book, and Ms. Hen was impressed by her presentation.</span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;">This is different from the novels Ms. Hen usually reads. MASTER OF POISONS is fantasy. Imagine LORD OF THE RINGS with Afrofuturism, climate issues, and pirates, and that's this book.</span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;">The Masters of Poisons, or Djola, is a man who is captured on a pirate ship, and performs evil deeds. He drinks seed to forget his troubles, but makes friends along the way. Awa, a young sprite is training to be a griot, or storyteller, tries to learn to perform her work the best she can. The two meet each other eventually, and try to save the empire.</span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;">The characters go to a place called Smokeland, which is a type of fantasy world where things are not real. Dead people can live there, and people can slip in and out, and magic happens. Ms. Hen thought this reminded her of the Other World that exists.</span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;">Ms. Hen likes that some chapters are from the point of view of animals. The reader hears from a dog, a horse, and an elephant, which Ms. Hen thinks is charming. Ms. Hen believes that animals have opinions similar to humans, and their voices should be heard.</span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;">The prose in the novel is exquisite. Each sentence is like a poem. It reminded Ms. Hen of reading MOBY DICK, which Ms. Hen considers one long prose poem about chasing a whale.</span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;">Ms. Hen thinks this is a difficult book to read, but it's worth it. It's difficult because the prose is so lush, one could sink in it, and not be able to get out. Ms. Hen recommends this if you want to get lost in another world.</span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></p>Shannon O'Connorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15351055641621159092noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5174208268986126948.post-72129604901442512532024-02-05T04:09:00.000-08:002024-02-05T04:09:51.605-08:00Ms. Hen reviews The Kid Mobster<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgajI6FIsE48w28okW08YlRV1sY377GZEhIp9iZMF5tS3Trpf-zYOGVlNACQcDzxVtPPYI7c7I8eFvHLem83IhJk0BXQvct2sZuUwaJaQuXvvOoKCiGPslqKWEZicHhK2bAJVaoDoAzeLxXsOFSRUwyD2HAoA_T0pcl4GMq8At2vH8e5kDDw8xB7Lvsfzud/s4032/IMG_4311.HEIC" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgajI6FIsE48w28okW08YlRV1sY377GZEhIp9iZMF5tS3Trpf-zYOGVlNACQcDzxVtPPYI7c7I8eFvHLem83IhJk0BXQvct2sZuUwaJaQuXvvOoKCiGPslqKWEZicHhK2bAJVaoDoAzeLxXsOFSRUwyD2HAoA_T0pcl4GMq8At2vH8e5kDDw8xB7Lvsfzud/s320/IMG_4311.HEIC" width="240" /></a></div><p><br /></p><span style="font-size: large;">The Kid Mobster</span><p></p><p><span style="font-size: large;">Michael Decicco</span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;">2017</span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;">Ms. Hen decided to read this novel, because she met the author at an event, and he found out she wrote reviews, and he gave her his book. She likes reading young adult novels at times, as her readers know, so she decided to try out this book.</span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;">This novel is about a high school senior named Eddie who works as a courier for a company that services banks. He is saving money for college, but he decides he needs to make more money. He starts to work at a call center for a man named Mederick, and his business raises money for the police and fire departments.</span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;">Eddie works with a group of strange people, and his ex-girlfriend's sister, Ruth. They call people and try to make money. The office moves to a different location, and Eddie doesn't understand what is going on, because he is young, and nobody spells it out for him in the beginning. Mederick is part of the mob, and the people who surround him are shady.</span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;">One of the good aspects of this novel is the character's voices. They sound like the low-down wise guys that are on TV about mobsters. Ms. Hen could hear what the characters were saying, and she knows what these people are like. These are the types of people that Ms. Hen stays away from, wheelers and dealers, and the kind that will crush a person if they get in their way.</span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;">But the character Eddie is too innocent and unbelieving to accept that his coworkers are scumbags. He almost succumbs to their depths, but he learns his lesson, that if something seems too good to be true, he should beware.</span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;">Ms. Hen likes to look for chickens or eggs when she reads a book, and there is a place where the characters eat eggs, or would like to, "Heading their way, I felt angry, and I drooled as I passed a case full of rich-looking cakes and pies and booths with steaming plates of bacon and eggs and pancakes..." Ms. Hen always thinks that eggs are enticing, and even though Eddie could not afford breakfast that day, she knew he enjoyed eggs when he could. Mederick was not kind to Eddie, who should have known better, but mafia types are not nice people, no matter how much they have, they want more, and they will do whatever they can to get it.</span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;">Ms. Hen enjoyed this novel. It is not her usual cup of tea, but she likes to dive into different types of worlds sometimes. She can imagine this novel as a TV show, with the wise guys cracking at each other. Everyone has to learn life lessons somehow, and Ms. Hen believes Eddie will never make the mistakes again.<br /></span> </p>Shannon O'Connorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15351055641621159092noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5174208268986126948.post-80735331138534479632024-01-30T04:11:00.000-08:002024-01-30T04:11:42.919-08:00Ms. Hen reviews Do You Dream of Terra-Two?<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhoEqadAdxrK8nBKsmvVkQust_eMFNia5UW2ggycsocbTHSMaX1bmspO99fik3KBOwTKNHM-i8K465YEWIpoTpb7grvLfxjOpYzTDiwIXS5608f4pJApd5BIybr3pu7t9XdHq0ZP_qdm62T60-k8BaVH-h8GbIjY-9BH6Gl66Cig2M5Jj3ZgyEEQWSOdrQt/s3780/75C6E24F-575B-4209-9F1C-D3E1874E90B6.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3780" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhoEqadAdxrK8nBKsmvVkQust_eMFNia5UW2ggycsocbTHSMaX1bmspO99fik3KBOwTKNHM-i8K465YEWIpoTpb7grvLfxjOpYzTDiwIXS5608f4pJApd5BIybr3pu7t9XdHq0ZP_qdm62T60-k8BaVH-h8GbIjY-9BH6Gl66Cig2M5Jj3ZgyEEQWSOdrQt/s320/75C6E24F-575B-4209-9F1C-D3E1874E90B6.JPG" width="256" /></a></div><br /> <p></p><p><span style="font-size: large;">Do You Dream of Terra-Two?</span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;">Temi Oh</span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;">Saga Press</span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;">2019</span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;">Ms. Hen decided to read this novel because she researched African science fiction novels, and this one came up. She checked it out of her local library.</span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;">This novel is about a group of teenagers who study to go to another planet, Terra-Two. A special school outside of London trains students to compete to go to another planet someone discovered one hundred years ago. </span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;">The idea is that they will get to the planet in twenty-two years when they are in their forties, and can colonize the new planet, and prepare it for other travelers.</span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;">This novel is an alternate history novel. In this timeline, people have already been to Mars in 2012, and Britain has a space program.</span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;">The teenagers go to space, but one of them, Ara, commits suicide before the mission. Everyone is devastated, and they have to find a backup crew member, which turns out to be Jesse, who had the same specialization as Ara, horticulture.</span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;">The crew travels slowly through the solar system. Six beta members and the adults on the crew work together. They have problems, but they find solutions, or at times they don't.</span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;">Ms. Hen enjoyed this novel, but there were a couple of problems. She had a difficult time imagining the area of the ship they were on. It is large, but she didn't understand the spacial differences between the quarters, and what they looked like.</span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;">Also, some of the novel reads like a teenage romance. Romance usually shows up in sci-fi, but here it seems like it's poured on thick.</span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;">The characters are well-drawn, and the plot moves along well, and surprises occur, which Ms. Hen appreciates.</span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;">Ms. Hen liked this novel, but it's not the best she's ever read. But it's a great recovery novel from DEATH'S END, which she just finished, which was very heavy, whilst this was charming and light, and refreshing, though not perfect.</span></p>Shannon O'Connorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15351055641621159092noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5174208268986126948.post-66077327261875436932024-01-21T06:43:00.000-08:002024-01-21T06:48:44.987-08:00Ms. Hen reviews Death's End<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwlpvRAFI74pG2uBBXQ_EJIom8OtkkGYlAzXS6aZ9XAkDznZUjplL9X5VLZ50C23caTNIkCl2SHNk90iwN4kT7myDBvDLJ-MUb_yBtCW6WehV_ZTtSniJjdnawoKWFMHwVowRk7Ev_ZFrGfY0bxdKiWnRTe3DYe3CwU83neq1HxqJke-ztINz_fhJmY9nU/s4032/IMG_4275.HEIC" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwlpvRAFI74pG2uBBXQ_EJIom8OtkkGYlAzXS6aZ9XAkDznZUjplL9X5VLZ50C23caTNIkCl2SHNk90iwN4kT7myDBvDLJ-MUb_yBtCW6WehV_ZTtSniJjdnawoKWFMHwVowRk7Ev_ZFrGfY0bxdKiWnRTe3DYe3CwU83neq1HxqJke-ztINz_fhJmY9nU/s320/IMG_4275.HEIC" width="240" /></a></div><br /> <p></p><p><span style="font-size: large;">Death's End</span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;">Cixin Liu</span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;">Tor Books </span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;">2010</span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;">Translated by Ken Liu</span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;">Ms. Hen decided to read this because she wanted to finish the trilogy. She took her time reading all the books because they are dense and take a long time to read. Even so, she enjoyed them.</span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;">This novel is the third in the Remembrance of Earth's Past trilogy. In this book, the reader follows Cheng Xin through time as she hibernates and goes into the future.</span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;">A man who she knew in college, Yun Tianming, buys her a star, because he has some money, and he was dying. The stars are on sale as a type of joke, to see if anyone is foolish to purchase something they could never truly own.</span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;">Nobody knew at the time that would give great power to Cheng Xin in the future after she awakens from hibernation. She has great wealth, and is voted to be the Swordholder, the person in charge of the Earth's defense.</span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;">She does not succeed as the Swordholder. Instead, the Trisolarans demand that everyone on Earth relocate to Australia.</span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;">Cheng Xin becomes a pariah, but Earth recovers. Many events occur in this novel, and Ms. Hen does not want to reveal the whole thing.</span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;">This novel is romantic, but in a twisted way. It proposes the idea that love can conquer all, but the outcome is not what the Ms. Hen expected.</span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;">This trilogy is a depiction of what would happen if aliens came to Earth, and wanted to take over. In reality, they would not be the pleasant aliens we know like E.T. or Mr. Spock. They would be like the Trisolarans, and they would come to steal our resources and enslave humanity.</span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;">The ending of this novel is trippy and psychedelic, like 2001 A SPACE ODYSSEY. Ms. Hen doesn't know if she quite understands it, but it's about the end of the universe, and the beginning of a new one.</span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;">Ms. Hen believes these books are important, and will tell us a lot about humanity, and how it would be able to handle an alien invasion. She's excited to see the Netflix series, to see how the first book is depicted. Ms. Hen is a forward-looking hen, and she looks to the stars for her dreams.</span></p>Shannon O'Connorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15351055641621159092noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5174208268986126948.post-3368459694271578932024-01-01T11:51:00.000-08:002024-01-01T11:53:42.208-08:00Ms. Hen's Top Ten<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh21iJS8gydfJdGOY5rwRrmr-2UY9XPLZJAOSV05rcDe-3y183cw5vvYxomLCjTPmgv2gDvBAtMgpw3yXYt3orE8ZkKh56W1hQngXS4s69dV-lw5k7q3rkWa9KaV6a3xirmYoGlHEDszIbkyf9Qkd48p8l9wAjj9NEtoPUfa8I1nU0tjzNcFac3cTdHgs7E/s3088/IMG_4227.HEIC" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3088" data-original-width="2316" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh21iJS8gydfJdGOY5rwRrmr-2UY9XPLZJAOSV05rcDe-3y183cw5vvYxomLCjTPmgv2gDvBAtMgpw3yXYt3orE8ZkKh56W1hQngXS4s69dV-lw5k7q3rkWa9KaV6a3xirmYoGlHEDszIbkyf9Qkd48p8l9wAjj9NEtoPUfa8I1nU0tjzNcFac3cTdHgs7E/s320/IMG_4227.HEIC" width="240" /></a></div><br /><p></p><p><span style="font-size: large;">Ms. Hen's Top 10 2023</span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;">Ms. Hen discovered when she was reviewing the books she had read this year, it was difficult to come up with the top ten. Usually she has an excess of wonderful books that she has enjoyed, but this year her list was deficient.</span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;">Ms. Hen thinks that the world has problems, and there's nothing anyone can do. Between those not respecting other people, violence and war, all around misery, not to mention the environmental crisis, and utter desolation of the human race, she thinks that anyone who tries to be happy or positive is borderline ridiculous. </span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;">She doesn't want to feel this way, but she does. She still enjoys making herself laugh, however, because that is the only thing that gets her through each day.</span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;">The Top Ten:</span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;">The Mists of Avalon by Marion Zimmer Bradley</span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;"><a href="http://mshenreviewsthings.blogspot.com/2023/02/ms-hen-reviews-mists-of-avalon.html">http://mshenreviewsthings.blogspot.com/2023/02/ms-hen-reviews-mists-of-avalon.html</a> </span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;">Exhalation by Ted Chiang</span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;"><a href="http://mshenreviewsthings.blogspot.com/2023/05/ms-hen-reviews-exhalation.html">http://mshenreviewsthings.blogspot.com/2023/05/ms-hen-reviews-exhalation.html</a><br /></span></p><p><br /></p><p><span style="font-size: large;">The Three Body Problem by Cixin Liu</span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;"><a href="http://mshenreviewsthings.blogspot.com/2023/06/ms-hen-reviews-three-body-problem.html">http://mshenreviewsthings.blogspot.com/2023/06/ms-hen-reviews-three-body-problem.html</a><br /></span></p><p><br /></p><p><span style="font-size: large;">The Penelopiad by Margaret Atwood</span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;"><a href="http://mshenreviewsthings.blogspot.com/2023/07/ms-hen-reviews-penelopiad.html">http://mshenreviewsthings.blogspot.com/2023/07/ms-hen-reviews-penelopiad.html</a><br /></span></p><p><br /></p><p><span style="font-size: large;">The Hidden Girl and Other Stories by Ken Liu</span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;"><a href="http://mshenreviewsthings.blogspot.com/2023/07/ms-hen-reviews-hidden-girl-and-other.html">http://mshenreviewsthings.blogspot.com/2023/07/ms-hen-reviews-hidden-girl-and-other.html</a><br /></span></p><p><br /></p><p><span style="font-size: large;">How High We Go in the Dark by Sequoia Nagamatsu</span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;"><a href="http://mshenreviewsthings.blogspot.com/2023/08/ms-hen-reviews-how-high-we-go-in-dark.html">http://mshenreviewsthings.blogspot.com/2023/08/ms-hen-reviews-how-high-we-go-in-dark.html</a><br /></span></p><p><br /></p><p><span style="font-size: large;">Convenience Store Woman by Sayaka Murata</span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;"><a href="http://mshenreviewsthings.blogspot.com/2023/09/ms-hen-reviews-convenience-store-woman.html">http://mshenreviewsthings.blogspot.com/2023/09/ms-hen-reviews-convenience-store-woman.html</a><br /></span></p><p><br /></p><p><span style="font-size: large;">House of Leaves by Mark D. Danielewski</span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;"><a href="http://mshenreviewsthings.blogspot.com/2023/11/ms-hen-reviews-house-of-leaves.html">http://mshenreviewsthings.blogspot.com/2023/11/ms-hen-reviews-house-of-leaves.html</a><br /></span></p><p><br /></p><p><span style="font-size: large;">A Modern Mephistopheles by Louisa May Alcott</span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;"><a href="http://mshenreviewsthings.blogspot.com/2023/12/ms-hen-reviews-modern-mephistopheles.html">http://mshenreviewsthings.blogspot.com/2023/12/ms-hen-reviews-modern-mephistopheles.html</a><br /></span></p><p><br /></p><p><span style="font-size: large;">Julia by Sandra Newman</span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;"><a href="http://mshenreviewsthings.blogspot.com/2023/12/ms-hen-reviews-julia.html">http://mshenreviewsthings.blogspot.com/2023/12/ms-hen-reviews-julia.html</a><br /></span></p><p><br /></p><p><span style="font-size: large;">Ms. Hen hopes 2024 will be better for everyone, but she's not counting on it. She wants to work on finding better books to read.</span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;">Happy New Year!</span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;">All the best,</span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;">Ms. Hen</span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;">(S.O.)</span></p>Shannon O'Connorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15351055641621159092noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5174208268986126948.post-45976531159390498712023-12-28T06:41:00.000-08:002023-12-28T06:46:33.932-08:00Ms. Hen reviews Julia<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEip4XRS5q5_RhKSfcCQOhyphenhyphenXJ8hCHaxQ-Y5epN9bxhBJsoJ9BfUBS0K0-nbA2kjx4xIB7ML8sNMG4WR4QEjayzMfb_ekgl45MMhbqP4v-xrBMNqDkCvXncH-04MHlgMZjI5QZQTAcyJBkfVZs66afncLcHY3hnW8bSCUDzMgcJQmZ_7CljXNdECJiRvA6ojU/s4032/IMG_4145.HEIC" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEip4XRS5q5_RhKSfcCQOhyphenhyphenXJ8hCHaxQ-Y5epN9bxhBJsoJ9BfUBS0K0-nbA2kjx4xIB7ML8sNMG4WR4QEjayzMfb_ekgl45MMhbqP4v-xrBMNqDkCvXncH-04MHlgMZjI5QZQTAcyJBkfVZs66afncLcHY3hnW8bSCUDzMgcJQmZ_7CljXNdECJiRvA6ojU/s320/IMG_4145.HEIC" width="240" /></a></div><br /> <p></p><p><span style="font-size: large;">Julia</span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;">Sandra Newman</span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;">Harper Collins</span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;">2023</span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;">Ms. Hen decided to read this novel because she has always been fascinated with 1984 and dystopian fiction. She heard the author on the radio recently talking about writing the book, and she said she lived in a totalitarian world while she immersed herself in it. Ms. Hen decided to read this during the Christmas season, because nothing says Christmas like dystopian fiction.</span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;">This novel is about Winston Smith's lover, Julia, from 1984. It's a feminist retelling of the novel. Ms. Hen came to realize that Julia was much more important to Winston than he was to her.</span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;">Julia works in the Ministry of Truth as a mechanic. She has had many lovers, and she works on getting Winston to become her lover because she thinks he's attractive. She lives in a hostel with a group of women, and they get along. Telescreens sit by their beds and play while they sleep. </span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;">Julia prowls the prole district to buy black market goods. She and Winston become lovers, and she has other lovers at the same time. She works for the Thought Police in trying to expose the men. A telescreen is behind the painting in the room where she has her affairs. She gets arrested and is sent to the Ministry of Love.</span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;">This novel reminds Ms. Hen of other novels that are written now about bad women, such as EILEEN and MY YEAR OF REST AND RELAXATION by Ottessa Moshfegh. In these types of novels a woman is an anti-hero, unlike traditional women characters who are kind and nurturing and enjoy helping other people. These women are out for themselves, like to have a good time, have their own agenda, and enjoy being bad for bad's sake, but the reader can't help rooting for them. JULIA is like this.</span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;">Julia is a woman who has had a complicated life history, and she is dysfunctional is ways that are incomprehensible in today's world. She grew up in a totalitarian state, and learned that she had to survive by lying and cheating early in life, and she spends her time in pursuits of things that seem pointless, but she does these things to survive.</span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;">Ms. Hen thinks this is an important novel, and one that fans of Orwell's 1984 should read. Julia is an important character, and she ends up in a strange place, but Ms. Hen knows that she will find a way to survive.</span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></p>Shannon O'Connorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15351055641621159092noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5174208268986126948.post-9858828827197626912023-12-18T04:05:00.000-08:002023-12-18T04:06:31.862-08:00Ms. Hen reviews A Modern Mephistopheles <p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgoMobDABb-KRYbUrLwCVvto_jjDrj2y4SavCJ7lovEKv3WMOMFXF32ReoBxz1ZbeRkR062iPyBlTq7fdKrgERoXl0rQIuRpN3NhT5fKd9EJBTmXqJq1SMN1A8zGrHJ_lqaEIVrxIjz9QaDu6caCcHL9m64ARLPe08ilk6zPBlx6DWpnf5hwLbhUsiuyABD/s4032/IMG_4119.HEIC" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgoMobDABb-KRYbUrLwCVvto_jjDrj2y4SavCJ7lovEKv3WMOMFXF32ReoBxz1ZbeRkR062iPyBlTq7fdKrgERoXl0rQIuRpN3NhT5fKd9EJBTmXqJq1SMN1A8zGrHJ_lqaEIVrxIjz9QaDu6caCcHL9m64ARLPe08ilk6zPBlx6DWpnf5hwLbhUsiuyABD/s320/IMG_4119.HEIC" width="240" /></a></div><br /> <p></p><p><span style="font-size: large;">A Modern Mephistopheles</span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;">Louisa May Alcott</span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;">Robert Brothers</span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;">1877</span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;">Ms. Hen bought this book when she went to Louisa May Alcott's house, the Orchard House, recently for the Christmas living history presentation they have during the holiday season. Ms. Hen saw Louisa May Alcott and her family members as they were preparing for Christmas.</span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;">Ms. Hen knew that Alcott preferred to write thrillers, and did not like writing LITTLE WOMEN. This novel was published anonymously, the only dark book published in her lifetime.</span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;">This novel is about a writer, Felix Canaris, who is about to give up hope, but meets a man, Jasper Helwyze, who says he will help him. He helps him publish a book of poetry, and it is a great success, and he becomes famous. Helwyze tells him to marry a young woman, even though Canaris does not love her.</span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;">Helwyze plays with Canaris; they live together, and he demands that Canaris do everything he says. Helwyze torments Canaris' wife, Gladys, and he makes her look like a fool. The ending is so dark that Ms. Hen lost a little faith in the world.</span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;">Ms. Hen thinks this novel could be considered a morality tale, meaning to teach people to beware of those who offer things that seem too good to be true. Ms. Hen is aware that people in those days were not as worldly as they are now; some of them were too pious to see reality, and some thirsted for fame so much that they could see nothing else.</span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;">One part of this novel interested Ms. Hen. Helwyze gives Gladys bonbons laced with hashish, which apparently were the edibles of the nineteenth century. Gladys does not know she has been drugged, and performs a play for the men.</span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;">Ms. Hen really didn't like the writing style of this book. She thinks it's a little too old-fashioned for her taste. She reads classics, but something about the writing in this book was difficult. She thinks it might not have been edited well.</span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;">Even so, Ms. Hen thinks this is an important novel, because it shows a darker side of the Louisa May Alcott we all know so well. She wonders if all the people who work at the Orchard House know what a strange person Louisa truly was, and what bizarre books she could write. People are complicated, and the women of her time were supposed to be good and nurturing, but Louisa had her own way of living and writing, and Ms. Hen applauds that.</span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></p><p></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNZxb56T7kooH1iqeNoqjzGHiIxd47oUtfHPu0xa6-0udZPKUK01wAxy_mWDwgs5qgfnbrGYjnfs3Tedkx2rQTCtgmUR9QZ7KG19Nb5UoyA6JvlfN9AByU_fIYLblm-ygnj_5P7T1Hh7em7WgmAGT42uw3_FGa9DmPSZ63-VV-tbWOx7KOejW0DCu7rKMY/s4032/IMG_4061.HEIC" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNZxb56T7kooH1iqeNoqjzGHiIxd47oUtfHPu0xa6-0udZPKUK01wAxy_mWDwgs5qgfnbrGYjnfs3Tedkx2rQTCtgmUR9QZ7KG19Nb5UoyA6JvlfN9AByU_fIYLblm-ygnj_5P7T1Hh7em7WgmAGT42uw3_FGa9DmPSZ63-VV-tbWOx7KOejW0DCu7rKMY/s320/IMG_4061.HEIC" width="240" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Ms. Hen at the Orchard House</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span><p></p><p><br /></p>Shannon O'Connorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15351055641621159092noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5174208268986126948.post-56292557442432671312023-12-11T03:53:00.000-08:002023-12-11T03:55:29.942-08:00Ms. Hen reviews Every Heart a Doorway<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghISjmjRea-n9PJ2M1u-bnd_35xiXWsKCFeHTxOscReZ7lAhF5OmgPXiwyTgSksZtxZUdiEI_u4_XiEgcQ7Kna2920Ljwr6zIbA2m97ZAgmClLfE09XQV0AJnj1JBGQDLJozoqJE3c-uyhrffT6AcgF1chUryyAyuYGqcGd64rHWvK2dYNG0c4wiHQGBfF/s4032/IMG_4107.HEIC" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghISjmjRea-n9PJ2M1u-bnd_35xiXWsKCFeHTxOscReZ7lAhF5OmgPXiwyTgSksZtxZUdiEI_u4_XiEgcQ7Kna2920Ljwr6zIbA2m97ZAgmClLfE09XQV0AJnj1JBGQDLJozoqJE3c-uyhrffT6AcgF1chUryyAyuYGqcGd64rHWvK2dYNG0c4wiHQGBfF/s320/IMG_4107.HEIC" width="320" /></a></div><br /> <p></p><p><span style="font-size: large;">Every Heart a Doorway</span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;">Seanan McGuire</span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;">Tor Books</span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;">2016</span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;">Ms. Hen decided to read this book because it was recommended on Book Riot a while ago. She thought it sounded like something she would enjoy.</span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;">This book centers around Nancy, who is a new girl at a boarding school for children who have come back from magical lands. She went to a place called The Halls of the Dead, and has a difficult time adjusting to being back in the real world. Her roommate is Sumi, a girl who went to a High Nonsense World, who is fast with her hands.</span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;">Nancy makes friends with Jack and Jill who had been in the Moors, another dark world, and Kade, who she thinks is cute, but she is not interested in boys. The children go to therapy at the school, and have classes. The headmistress, Eleanor, went to a High Nonsense world, is younger than she seems, and dresses in mismatched clothes. Some dangerous things happen at the school, and the children need to learn to handle them.</span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;">This novel is a combination between GIRL, INTERRUPTED, HARRY POTTER, and SHERLOCK HOLMES. It's a lot of things mixed into one: it's about a magical school, but they have therapy, and there is a mystery involved.</span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;">Ms. Hen liked this novel, but it left her wanting more. There is a lot of discussion about magical worlds, but the narration does not actually go to one of them, which Ms. Hen wishes it would. She loves the description of the worlds where the children went: such as the spider country, where the Loriel lived with the spiders, and the skeleton land, where Christopher learned to talk with bones.</span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;">Even though this book is wanting in parts, Ms. Hen still liked it. This novel is a fast read. There are nine books in this series, and Ms. Hen might read some more, because she would like to see if the characters travel to their countries, because Ms. Hen would like to go to them, to see what it's like to experience a magical land.</span></p>Shannon O'Connorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15351055641621159092noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5174208268986126948.post-63730325890292859802023-12-07T03:56:00.000-08:002023-12-07T03:56:07.662-08:00Ms. Hen reviews Running with Scissors<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZzisMpn_-lJmpj3fN9SNGX7CwZPJH-G_FSgBd1y_1c3aR_xk6thySKl5vXjpFS6lFP7G1cfpGXoRLadywSYcnZGSfqre03dItghr78jrfytdBhWbVR9Qkd2ooJR1O7KoFjjNrRiYLbXBnR36KLKjBikny38QTKG21XOY-beM2Ew9_-n-ptacusPrXdoWA/s4032/IMG_4055.HEIC" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZzisMpn_-lJmpj3fN9SNGX7CwZPJH-G_FSgBd1y_1c3aR_xk6thySKl5vXjpFS6lFP7G1cfpGXoRLadywSYcnZGSfqre03dItghr78jrfytdBhWbVR9Qkd2ooJR1O7KoFjjNrRiYLbXBnR36KLKjBikny38QTKG21XOY-beM2Ew9_-n-ptacusPrXdoWA/s320/IMG_4055.HEIC" width="240" /></a></div><br /> <p></p><p><span style="font-size: large;">Running with Scissors</span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;">Augusten Burrows</span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;">Picador</span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;">2002</span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;">Ms. Hen decided to read this because she found it at a Little Free Library near where she lives. Someone she knew had read it years ago, and she always remembered the title.</span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;">This is a book based on the author's true story, but he claims it is not a memoir.</span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;">This is the story of young Augusten and his dysfunctional life. His mother was a poet, and struggled with mental illness. His father was an alcoholic, and was not very responsive. His mother sent him to live part-time with her psychiatrist when she got a divorce, and was having a difficult time with her life.</span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;">Augusten's life in the psychiatrist's house was unconventional and never boring. The doctor had children, and the house was a mess, and they had some adopted children, and a patient that lived in the house, and never left her room. Augusten became good friends with Natalie, who was around his age. They got in trouble together. His mother became more unstable, and his situation was like that as well. He didn't go to school, but wanted to be a doctor, or own a hair empire.</span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;">When Ms. Hen first started reading this book, she didn't like it; she didn't like the way the mother was portrayed, because she seemed cartoonish, and Ms. Hen didn't think the story was funny. But as she got into the book, she liked it, because it's like being a voyeur into someone else's twisted life. </span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;">Ms. Hen thought she knew about mental illness, but the doctor in this book is completely off the rails, and she does not understand how someone like this could practice psychiatry.</span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;">After she finished the book, Ms. Hen wondered what the point of it was. None of the characters are likable, and they don't have any redeeming qualities. The protagonist is a selfish, cruel, weird young man, and his mother is sick, and the family he stays with is demented.</span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;">Ms. Hen thinks the author might have written this as a sensational book to make the people in his life look bad.</span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;">Ms. Hen learned that the family portrayed in RUNNING WITH SCISSORS took the author to court and they lost. Ms. Hen understands why. If a book is not a memoir, then it is not the truth. Writing is a funny business, and some people write for questionable reasons. </span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;">Ms. Hen isn't sure if she liked this or if she didn't, but while she was reading it, she thought it was a fun romp. She thinks that might be the whole point. </span></p>Shannon O'Connorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15351055641621159092noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5174208268986126948.post-17573764925982937362023-12-01T04:19:00.000-08:002023-12-01T04:19:01.507-08:00Ms. Hen reviews Behind the Mountains<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOFIIPxOZVsC5me4d6uWarzvkELZQtzUs8-EqlsMp8zx_YKT_SMmZLp7fRojKpN2836I7lydyOMpinCKJfu86PnAvlRymZg2DLpp-yW4Vfyij1cV3Q8L6Z0xIw-btUDg5rb44u5qV1qDFTn1lUEPjGLgqwgkJvzckOUHqI5ET7wfYMjlxiqhqP2uCMBa9Y/s4032/IMG_4017.HEIC" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOFIIPxOZVsC5me4d6uWarzvkELZQtzUs8-EqlsMp8zx_YKT_SMmZLp7fRojKpN2836I7lydyOMpinCKJfu86PnAvlRymZg2DLpp-yW4Vfyij1cV3Q8L6Z0xIw-btUDg5rb44u5qV1qDFTn1lUEPjGLgqwgkJvzckOUHqI5ET7wfYMjlxiqhqP2uCMBa9Y/s320/IMG_4017.HEIC" width="240" /></a></div><br /> <p></p><p><span style="font-size: large;">Behind the Mountains</span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;">Edwidge Danticat</span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;">Orchard Books</span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;">2002</span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;">Ms. Hen decided to read this novel because she has read other books by this author. She saw it at a thrift shop, but could not carry it with her, but she went back a month later, and it was still there.</span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;">This novel is about a thirteen-year old girl named Celiane in rural Haiti. She receives a journal from her teacher, and writes about her life. She is intelligent and gets good grades in school. She lives with her mother and brother, but her father lives in New York. He sends them money, and they plan to move there to live with him.</span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;">Celiane and her mother and brother visit her father's sister, Tante Rose, in the city. She works as a nurse, and is successful. Elections are happening, and violence erupts in the city and all over the country. Tante Rose helps the family gets visas to New York after a bomb hits their van while they were on the way home. The family goes to New York. </span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;">This novel is very easy to read. Ms. Hen did not realize that it's a novel for young adults until after she finished reading it. The book is very calming, even though there is violence, and parts are scary when Celiane is in the hospital, and she doesn't know if her mother is dead. Ms. Hen found this novel a stark contrast to the last novel she read, DAVID COPPERFIELD, which is long and winding, and complicated. </span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;">Ms. Hen thinks it's good to escape into a world which she knows nothing about, but is beautifully written. Being an immigrant is difficult, and this novel opens a window to what it means to leave your country, and live somewhere completely different. Ms. Hen has never left her country, but everyone has different issues, that is what makes the world a diverse and beautiful place.</span></p>Shannon O'Connorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15351055641621159092noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5174208268986126948.post-10946186156191375032023-11-26T05:24:00.000-08:002023-11-26T05:24:29.453-08:00Ms. Hen reviews David Copperfield<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0YLUklfHwXin-IqksbD2IvH6JW5BcxIw818yh4h4oRzZ35ugMZXS6DxCSCri-QsSkP3LFyFjBFnECp_XY7uXQP2tRZAaJLzKnqrmLc2bClJqFteEVDoi6qRaI9rnf8KF8TPgJUhEVahLMkAAcd4X0HXKsJVfBtUVXXNIYv1ATevdgaE4SXspL7U7DoZvO/s3439/59F598E4-FA1D-42C2-B4D1-8E64BCE89033.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3439" data-original-width="2752" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0YLUklfHwXin-IqksbD2IvH6JW5BcxIw818yh4h4oRzZ35ugMZXS6DxCSCri-QsSkP3LFyFjBFnECp_XY7uXQP2tRZAaJLzKnqrmLc2bClJqFteEVDoi6qRaI9rnf8KF8TPgJUhEVahLMkAAcd4X0HXKsJVfBtUVXXNIYv1ATevdgaE4SXspL7U7DoZvO/s320/59F598E4-FA1D-42C2-B4D1-8E64BCE89033.JPG" width="256" /></a></div><br /> <p></p><p><span style="font-size: large;">David Copperfield</span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;">Charles Dickens</span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;">1850</span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;">W. F. Burgess</span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;">Ms. Hen decided to read this because she was traveling to England, and she envisioned reading this on her trip. When she got the book, she decided it was too heavy to carry in her suitcase, so she decided to read it after she came home. The book is long, so she had to take a break to read her Halloween books in October, and she took another break to read a science fiction novel last week.</span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;">Ms. Hen learned that this novel is loosely based on Dickens' life, and this was his favorite book. She also found out that the magician, David Copperfield, took his stage name from the protagonist.</span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;">This novel is about a young man and his life. His father dies when he is young, and is raised by his mother, and his nurse Peggotty. His mother marries again, and the stepfather does not like him. He goes with Peggoty to visit her relatives, and becomes enchanted by her niece, Emily. David is sent to school, then his mother dies, and is sent to work in a warehouse.</span></p><p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmIXhIbBLE9BAM9WZ2IYXQ8DXLGJWZoeb3ABqpYQ9zqLQgCZgvHi-jNEmw6QbG3U_eSWNX6GgtwRE4OkzXvYyBDm8pCDeOm2_3kpfP3oU5ruc7OZ_aK82ZjnY8Q1gDj2OuCrBLLPYyCK88Dtn-tWEKympikVFtNTvh2NwVBtyq_L7h0uCYL0aTQ7BGnTKu/s4032/IMG_3377.HEIC" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmIXhIbBLE9BAM9WZ2IYXQ8DXLGJWZoeb3ABqpYQ9zqLQgCZgvHi-jNEmw6QbG3U_eSWNX6GgtwRE4OkzXvYyBDm8pCDeOm2_3kpfP3oU5ruc7OZ_aK82ZjnY8Q1gDj2OuCrBLLPYyCK88Dtn-tWEKympikVFtNTvh2NwVBtyq_L7h0uCYL0aTQ7BGnTKu/s320/IMG_3377.HEIC" width="240" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Ms. Hen and a portrait of Charles Dickens</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;">David becomes friends with Mr. Micawber, who Ms. Hen learned (after she read this) is based on Dickens' father. He has problems with money, he does not have enough to support his family, and lands in jail. David goes to jail with the family, but tries to help them. He finds his aunt in Dover, and she rescues him, and sends him to school, and he lives with a lawyer in Canterbury. He gets into more adventures with his friends, and does his best to assist them.</span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;">Ms. Hen enjoyed this novel. The story meanders, and some sections seem to take too much time, but she understood that Dickens got paid by the word, and the novel was serialized, so people would read it piece by piece. She thinks that would be an easier way to read this, without diving into the whole thing.</span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;">Ms. Hen went to the Charles Dickens Museum when she went to London, and she thought it was wonderful. She thinks that Dickens might not have been the nicest person, but most great artists are like that. People should separate the artist from the art, and Charles Dickens was a brilliant artist.</span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></p><p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgj39_1YBsU-VGSEkmsQf4B08lSY_jErLqChDHurZWnizOvCehZt8tLbHk5YiF1ITMtv5pH1amCWqDt5Jsd5FH9jzY8YzRr0axhxti8M5FIeQCQRFhxI_LX-RvroQxRsB53Z-pPGsqi-Ja5hMlVwQIY2unBRhXZcu5H2qwv3tYfwpj5U7VRM3zBsYy3zuNn/s4032/IMG_3379.HEIC" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgj39_1YBsU-VGSEkmsQf4B08lSY_jErLqChDHurZWnizOvCehZt8tLbHk5YiF1ITMtv5pH1amCWqDt5Jsd5FH9jzY8YzRr0axhxti8M5FIeQCQRFhxI_LX-RvroQxRsB53Z-pPGsqi-Ja5hMlVwQIY2unBRhXZcu5H2qwv3tYfwpj5U7VRM3zBsYy3zuNn/s320/IMG_3379.HEIC" width="240" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Charles Dickens' dining room table</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></p>Shannon O'Connorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15351055641621159092noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5174208268986126948.post-2396286387910011282023-11-20T04:04:00.000-08:002023-11-20T04:04:39.744-08:00Ms. Hen reviews Artificial Condition<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEfudR8Qyz0osLqPBGAbrboGqXLcByYhfFOq32Ls28KN6eJ8mp8q09uhxr8Bixr_Ybr0slfbSETHS1c32AtN6XOt9LNjNRb9NGWrIeVdBG8ViRzUAc5ngxO6doT5B4Gzd0_s43IZCzMt0FT4Hw5uaHb6rIhxTdhZB5RrP7fT94iwdA1W_dK1NIkVoCpq0o/s4032/IMG_3999.HEIC" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEfudR8Qyz0osLqPBGAbrboGqXLcByYhfFOq32Ls28KN6eJ8mp8q09uhxr8Bixr_Ybr0slfbSETHS1c32AtN6XOt9LNjNRb9NGWrIeVdBG8ViRzUAc5ngxO6doT5B4Gzd0_s43IZCzMt0FT4Hw5uaHb6rIhxTdhZB5RrP7fT94iwdA1W_dK1NIkVoCpq0o/s320/IMG_3999.HEIC" width="240" /></a></div><br /> <p></p><p><span style="font-size: large;">Artificial Condition </span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;">Martha Wells</span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;">2018</span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;">Tor.com</span></p><p><br /></p><p><span style="font-size: large;">Ms. Hen decided to read this book, because she has been reading a really long book, and she wanted to read and finish something fast. She read the first one in this series, and thought it was charming, so she decided to dip back into the world of Murderbot.</span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;">Murderbot is a robot with feelings: it feels ashamed at having killed people, and has low self-esteem. It escapes from the planet where it committed the crimes, and makes a friend on a ship, another bot, ART. This bot advises it to get a job, so it can get transport to another system.</span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;">Murderbot gets hired as a security consultant to a team of humans. They think it is human. It travels with them to another planet, and they get in trouble. ART saves them, and Murderbot does not feel good about the bad advice it gave the humans.</span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;">This novel reads like a long short story. It's another chapter in the story of Murderbot, and it's a fast read, and colorful enough to keep Ms. Hen's attention. She feel sorry for Murderbot because it's a bot that seems to have imposter syndrome; it is better than it thinks it is. </span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;">Ms. Hen thinks that a lot of young people could relate to Murderbot, because it escapes into media, or watching series, and it does not feel good about itself. It does not know what it wants, and does not know how to accomplish what it needs to do to survive.</span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;">ARTIFICIAL CONDITION is a pleasant quick read, and Ms. Hen recommends it to anyone who is not afraid of reading about a robot that is also a murderer, but also feels badly about itself, and does not know how to exist in the right way.</span></p>Shannon O'Connorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15351055641621159092noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5174208268986126948.post-81434714807601886472023-11-05T05:21:00.012-08:002023-11-05T05:27:18.340-08:00Ms. Hen reviews House of Leaves<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPXNPmuZkcD2WyX4Ep_p1zV_JodNE0MXE3sAVneiSrDRaVlGvcL018DryGIa8sVBFvRZA09Pb-7GIdT6tG3WyfUq4aAMC0bcpdkHD6fmdwlgpGZ3UglxTb62OnIEQQmKCj15gaSAJx8WiMJLXoo0XLZTDQKlTHf91e8SXJCWpglzEEUQnPHPqSX4O4_peY/s3780/21D7E122-6F4A-4CEC-B3CC-A8BBDF6F01E9.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3780" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPXNPmuZkcD2WyX4Ep_p1zV_JodNE0MXE3sAVneiSrDRaVlGvcL018DryGIa8sVBFvRZA09Pb-7GIdT6tG3WyfUq4aAMC0bcpdkHD6fmdwlgpGZ3UglxTb62OnIEQQmKCj15gaSAJx8WiMJLXoo0XLZTDQKlTHf91e8SXJCWpglzEEUQnPHPqSX4O4_peY/s320/21D7E122-6F4A-4CEC-B3CC-A8BBDF6F01E9.JPG" width="256" /></a></div><br /> <p></p><p><span style="font-size: large;">House of Leaves</span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;">Mark Z. Danielewski</span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;">Random House</span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;">2000</span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;">Ms. Hen decided to read this novel because she wanted to experience a new Halloween book. She learned about this from O MAGAZINE, in an article about the best books for the season. She didn't know anything about it before she started reading it, but she learned it was an underground novel that was passed around before it was published by a publishing house.</span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;">When Ms. Hen started reading this novel she thought it was strange. At the beginning, it is two novels in one, about the Navidson family moving into a house in Virginia, and a young man in L. A. reading the novel. The section about the family is in Times New Roman, and the part about the young man is in Courier New. Every time the word "house" appears in the novel it is blue, and there are appendixes, lots of them, some which reference articles that don't exist.</span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;">Ms. Hen thinks it is a lot of work to read this book, because sometimes she had to turn it to the side, and sometimes only one or two words are on a page. She learned that this is a type of "ergodic" literature, which means a reader has to work to read it. The novel takes on paths which are difficult to decipher, and the reader has to pay attention to what they are reading.</span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;">Ms. Hen paced herself while reading this novel, because she thought she had to spend a lot of time on it, and she could not absorb it in short bursts. This is a book that needs attention.</span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;">Some of this novel is like pornography, such as the section about Johnny Truant, and the part about the Navidson family is about issues within a family structure. The horror in this novel is because the family finds a space in the house, which is like a cavern, but it has different rooms and spaces that appear when it is entered. </span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;">A documentary made of the films Navidson makes becomes a giant success, critically and commercially. Johnny Truant goes insane while reading about the house, and at the end of the novel, we hear from his mother, and some artwork is placed in the book.</span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;">Ms. Hen thinks this is like nothing else she has read. She enjoyed it, but she was not scared; she thinks it is strange, but in a good way. If a person is brave enough, they would enjoy this novel, but the reader should not be afraid to do extra work. The best things in life have to be labored for, and Ms. Hen admires those who are unafraid.</span></p>Shannon O'Connorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15351055641621159092noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5174208268986126948.post-85272892092736859642023-10-22T06:11:00.005-07:002023-10-22T06:12:41.350-07:00Ms. Hen reviews Tales of the Unexpected<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXismcrEqp3IQSr76PRunqCCxJOgJqkerKJDvkmn0FvX2kE5bUOvHTHvyWTR23btZOaK8xpIhTUuAkHr7BKnSvtG5aYhdHdY1jOvw8UU3tqfQZaEZQq39q_Oz4jMaY9_v8rDbuHqIEc0u6ynYxxiIA6j_wNZp1U0u3Nn528xBZcXhrfftatHVPHtwL957V/s4032/IMG_3793.HEIC" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXismcrEqp3IQSr76PRunqCCxJOgJqkerKJDvkmn0FvX2kE5bUOvHTHvyWTR23btZOaK8xpIhTUuAkHr7BKnSvtG5aYhdHdY1jOvw8UU3tqfQZaEZQq39q_Oz4jMaY9_v8rDbuHqIEc0u6ynYxxiIA6j_wNZp1U0u3Nn528xBZcXhrfftatHVPHtwL957V/s320/IMG_3793.HEIC" width="240" /></a></div><br /><p></p><p><span style="font-size: large;">Tales of the Unexpected</span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;">Roald Dahl</span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;">Vintage Books</span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;">1990</span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;">Ms. Hen decided to read this collection, because she watched some short films that were based on the author's stories, and wanted to learn more. She watched THE WONDERFUL STORY OF HENRY SUGAR, and three other short films by Wes Anderson based on Roald Dahl. Ms. Hen loves strange stories, so she bought one of his books.</span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;">Ms. Hen learned that some of the author's short stories were adapted to ALFRED HITCHCOCK PRESENTS, a mystery show she used to watch in reruns when she was young. She remembers one episode from the show that is a story in the book, "Lamb to the Slaughter," about a woman who kills her husband with a leg of lamb, then feeds it to the policemen who are trying to solve the case.</span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;">A lot of these stories are about gambling, which Ms. Hen does not understand. Also, a lot of these stories are strange, which Ms. Hen does appreciate. The story, "Royal Jelly," is about a man who discovers that the royal jelly from bees can help his baby grow, so he takes it from his bee hives, and fantastic things occur. The story "Skin," brings us to Paris and we find a man with a tattoo on his back that could be worth a lot of money. The story "The Landlady," is about a creepy boardinghouse where the character learns that two young men have disappeared and become something else.</span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;">Ms. Hen thinks these stories are written in a way that people don't write anymore. She thinks they are a little dragged out, and the time period in which they are written is evident. She thinks they're ironic, and sometimes cruel, and a little old-fashioned. But some of them are unsettling enough for the Halloween season.</span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;">Ms. Hen does not know if she would recommend this book. It's strange, but somehow, it's not strange enough, and not consistently strange. Ms. Hen desires things that are devotedly strange, so she can fall down a rabbit hole and get lost in the midst of darkness.</span></p>Shannon O'Connorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15351055641621159092noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5174208268986126948.post-79254069139259471352023-10-12T09:50:00.001-07:002023-10-12T09:50:25.265-07:00Ms. Hen reviews The Ancestor<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEis8JTGehqSAVeKiKqV28BsWiHglPBYShOnOVOYGhbpPXCsoKBSPAqaQeoVIf2V4AEtlAnoLwdsMnUffJqkaF2lDhlLX9xwBZw1bgHlfE6atCZ17T7oXUka6ohXaFnO7IrJ5T1SnBD4xPosbPBWUGxuLkrB9MSk3-BefzR4Jd2O2-utGfGf0G6dlNbiZ09Y/s3780/0DD4252C-BD29-499B-8609-CE362FB5ED61.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3780" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEis8JTGehqSAVeKiKqV28BsWiHglPBYShOnOVOYGhbpPXCsoKBSPAqaQeoVIf2V4AEtlAnoLwdsMnUffJqkaF2lDhlLX9xwBZw1bgHlfE6atCZ17T7oXUka6ohXaFnO7IrJ5T1SnBD4xPosbPBWUGxuLkrB9MSk3-BefzR4Jd2O2-utGfGf0G6dlNbiZ09Y/s320/0DD4252C-BD29-499B-8609-CE362FB5ED61.JPG" width="256" /></a></div><br /><p></p><p><span style="font-size: large;">The Ancestor</span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;">Danielle Trussoni</span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;">Harper Collins</span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;">2020</span></p><p><br /></p><p><span style="font-size: large;">Ms. Hen chose this book, because she wanted to read a Halloween book she had never read before. She read about this on a list of the best books for Halloween in O Magazine, and decided to order it from the library. She's happy she got it from the library for free, because she would not want to pay fifteen dollars for a book this horrendous.</span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;">The first horrible thing Ms. Hen noticed is the writing style. The author writes like she does not know how to write. Every sentence is constructed piece by piece, awkwardly, and it sounds as if it's written by a high school student.</span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;">When Ms. Hen read about this novel, it was compared to REBECCA, which is one of Ms. Hen's favorite novels. This is nothing like that. The character goes to a mysterious house in Italy in the Alps, after she discovers that she's the sole heir to the Montebianco family. The house is creepy, but Ms. Hen doesn't think it's creepy enough. She doesn't believe what she read on the pages, because it doesn't come to life for her.</span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;">The story becomes more ridiculous when the character discovers that she's a decedent of snow beings who live in the mountains, a type of Yeti that live in a tribe like prehistoric people. Ms. Hen will spare you the agony of reading this atrocity by telling you what happens, the character goes to the tribe, and lives with them for a while, and takes a child with her to Paris, and tries to hide the fact the child is a snow person.</span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;">Ms. Hen does not know how she read this entire novel. She wanted it to get better, but it simply became worse. She doesn't know how books like this could get published. The world is full of mysteries, and some things in life don't make any sense, and the fact that this book got published and exists in the world is one of them. Read REBECCA instead.</span></p>Shannon O'Connorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15351055641621159092noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5174208268986126948.post-66592707814479040902023-09-15T09:33:00.000-07:002023-09-15T09:33:01.127-07:00Ms. Hen reviews Convenience Store Woman<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjThKbpNng4IUCwiZzzdvQ9sTvDs4gFDxy64MHr38_ahlkS0tJsGWxEfjo6DAy34EoCat35gKfGe7wjoCklvDgiyUomOo3PN-VyE76QVPcExRljatFA1xfjIv5P_o-hVG5JUO2ZHtU7wCR1T2WkEeXHjuthyWwmd89aX7-lJEP7pHsWSFchn8ihlTCwJ0fM/s3780/DE5C81A1-451F-4C7C-BAD9-7C767AB41F11.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3780" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjThKbpNng4IUCwiZzzdvQ9sTvDs4gFDxy64MHr38_ahlkS0tJsGWxEfjo6DAy34EoCat35gKfGe7wjoCklvDgiyUomOo3PN-VyE76QVPcExRljatFA1xfjIv5P_o-hVG5JUO2ZHtU7wCR1T2WkEeXHjuthyWwmd89aX7-lJEP7pHsWSFchn8ihlTCwJ0fM/s320/DE5C81A1-451F-4C7C-BAD9-7C767AB41F11.JPG" width="256" /></a></div><br /> <p></p><p><span style="font-size: large;">Convenience Store Woman</span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;">Sayaka Murata</span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;">Portobello Books</span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;">2016, 2018</span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;">Translated from Japanese by Ginny Tapley Takamori</span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;">Ms. Hen bought this book at Waterstone's in London. She had it on her library list for a while, and she wandered into that bookstore, because they're all over London, and there used to be one in Boston. She bought the book because she likes to buy books when she's on vacation.</span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;">This novel is about a woman who works in a convenience store in Japan, and the store is her whole life. The book does not explain that she is autistic, but Ms. Hen suspected that. She read reviews about the book after she read it, and Ms. Hen's idea was confirmed.</span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;">In CONVENIENCE STORE WOMAN, Furukura has worked at her job since she was in college, and she does not want to get another one. Her parents don't understand that, and her friends don't understand why she doesn't get married. Her sister helps her learn what to say to people in order to not have them think she is strange.</span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;">A man starts to work at the store who nobody likes, and he gets fired. He explains to Furukura that he worked at the store to look for a wife. He convinces her to let him live with her, and she agrees. She wants her friends to think she's getting married, and he wants to get his sister-in-law off his back. He doesn't leave her apartment for a while, and Furukura gets upset with him.</span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;">This novel reminds Ms. Hen of other books she has read including SHOPGIRL by Steve Martin, and ELEANOR OLIPHANT IS COMPLETELY FINE by Gail Honeyman. There is a sub-genre in fiction that encompasses sad women, and this is one of those books. It also reminds Ms. Hen of a Netflix series called EXTRAORDINARY ATTORNEY WOO, about an autistic lawyer in Korea. Ms. Hen started to watch that show, but she stopped, because it was too real.</span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;">Ms. Hen loved this book, but it was too short! She wished she could spend more time with the character. She learned in doing research after she read the book, that the author worked in a convenience store, but it's not about her. She worked there while she was a published writer, but she had to stop when she became too successful because a fan was stalking her at the store where she worked. Ms. Hen would love to have problems like that. She is a strange hen, if you didn't already know.</span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></p><p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAwdMPGVT9_tUDCgZcHwY7jCwSEcYJ4_Z71gnZt3rCfk9TpSYNoNTozPxFOMuCJstae3EhsaNPKitGPmXcoN-LGMYbF2zWba-Y2vdzUtXwFzNA3R88rnZMfm3MTmEkHIGz5Au6EUXGz7OWwkPvkxIYd2v_3qDaONPYJ8wvvmh1vEDBjBME5wxgsviWhmkI/s4032/IMG_3322.HEIC" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAwdMPGVT9_tUDCgZcHwY7jCwSEcYJ4_Z71gnZt3rCfk9TpSYNoNTozPxFOMuCJstae3EhsaNPKitGPmXcoN-LGMYbF2zWba-Y2vdzUtXwFzNA3R88rnZMfm3MTmEkHIGz5Au6EUXGz7OWwkPvkxIYd2v_3qDaONPYJ8wvvmh1vEDBjBME5wxgsviWhmkI/s320/IMG_3322.HEIC" width="240" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">"If a book is well written, I always find it too short." Jane Austen</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></p>Shannon O'Connorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15351055641621159092noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5174208268986126948.post-30434811214631353942023-09-11T03:52:00.006-07:002023-09-11T03:55:13.056-07:00Ms. Hen reviews The Gap of Time<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOYn1kgLbezUhTXgDgV1EfDTRDupKlF7ssbh97s-cdW0jWnwx9ZcznwgoNIHtyXpMKwW-m-0Os8l7iJWVQIwpdNrd2q-9urMb1KWqGYoWC3fGOA9ZBuWLR4T5--hXgaH8tEt-YWQKITBanjf3r1TGpEYcKopbl_n8MZkblql23b3ccpt6tSKDX7vC8dlfN/s3370/IMG_3238.heic" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3370" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOYn1kgLbezUhTXgDgV1EfDTRDupKlF7ssbh97s-cdW0jWnwx9ZcznwgoNIHtyXpMKwW-m-0Os8l7iJWVQIwpdNrd2q-9urMb1KWqGYoWC3fGOA9ZBuWLR4T5--hXgaH8tEt-YWQKITBanjf3r1TGpEYcKopbl_n8MZkblql23b3ccpt6tSKDX7vC8dlfN/s320/IMG_3238.heic" width="287" /></a></div><br /> <p></p><p><span style="font-size: large;">The Gap of Time</span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;">Jeanette Winterson</span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;">Hogarth</span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;">2015</span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;">Ms. Hen decided to read this because she wanted to read another British book when she went to England. She's read several books by this author, and was intrigued by the premise of this one - it's a cover version of Shakespeare's THE WINTER'S TALE. This is a series of different rewritten Shakespearean plays by various authors. Ms. Hen is not familiar with this play; it's one of Shakespeare's lesser known works. The press is the same one started by Leonard and Virginia Woolf.</span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;">The novel opens up with a car chase, and the forming of a family. Shep finds a baby who he names Perdita, because that is the title of the song on the sheet music that he finds with her. He is mourning his wife, but he finds Perdita and some money, and moves away, opens his own bar, and a new life.</span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;">Leo and Mimi, Perdita's parents, fight because Leo thinks that his friend Xeno is the baby's father. Leo is rich, and he wants to get rid of the baby. He sends his gardener to America with the child. Seventeen years later, Xeno finds himself in New Bohemia, and chaos ensues.</span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;">Ms. Hen thinks the plot of the novel is very complicated and Shakespearean. It's a beautiful story with complex twists and turns. The reader does not know the truth until the end. It's absurdist and funny at times, and tragic in others. Ms. Hen likes that Leo is such a jerk; she thinks it's comical. </span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;">There are some inconsistencies with language when the characters are supposed to be in the United States. The word "curb" is spelled "kerb" which is the British. Also Shep says "going to hospital," where in America people would say, "going to the hospital."</span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;">Ms. Hen read this book partly when she was in England, and she enjoyed reading it there. It made the characters seem more real, because she could imagine their voices. She thinks this book is a fun romp, because Shakespeare is always a good idea. She wants to try to read other books in this series.</span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></p>Shannon O'Connorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15351055641621159092noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5174208268986126948.post-84017090420939450502023-09-08T09:47:00.010-07:002023-09-08T10:12:42.841-07:00Ms. Hen reviews Four Literary Houses in Great Britain<p></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYCyURuWznnQNbA5Unf8LUCo0pbjQvYvHLmE0Mr5u6T6eoOXm5vpdAclSuzP_QlYzViZkejw2qLWouOlsAYEi-Z_GC770quIRY2mgGewdziD8b3E4pbOruuegwVhN0hYotJUEafxNwBtPAjBXxwy7anrLZjokmA7KR4osM8GvuFjVR7tr9aGPr5d7f05hO/s4032/IMG_3540.HEIC" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYCyURuWznnQNbA5Unf8LUCo0pbjQvYvHLmE0Mr5u6T6eoOXm5vpdAclSuzP_QlYzViZkejw2qLWouOlsAYEi-Z_GC770quIRY2mgGewdziD8b3E4pbOruuegwVhN0hYotJUEafxNwBtPAjBXxwy7anrLZjokmA7KR4osM8GvuFjVR7tr9aGPr5d7f05hO/s320/IMG_3540.HEIC" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Virginia Woolf's writing room</td></tr></tbody></table><br /> <p></p><p><span style="font-size: large;">Jane Austen Centre </span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;">40 Gay Street, Bath UK</span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;">Charles Dickens Museum</span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;">40 Doughty Street, London, UK</span></p><p><br /></p><p><span style="font-size: large;">Sherlock Holmes Museum</span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;">221B Baker Street, London UK</span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;">Monk's House</span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;">Rodmell, Lewes East Sussex UK</span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></p><p></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWLdKjNjb4CNFH_eHKHy6xwhCNP_xiDuFFEwoSrqha_UMK1_kp4arRJZeQRnuBvdW3eRdFR6nVj2KoQ6oOtKERDmy7ewWNhnLC-WaG-UrsCRNHBzYKvvxWjpCU9AyQAIK8rp9PpS7_xjB_7fBv6jJ4D51wlz5t6uwfBnq-A1g80uJ9aSFg_VmEAvDu2XOH/s4032/IMG_3330.HEIC" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWLdKjNjb4CNFH_eHKHy6xwhCNP_xiDuFFEwoSrqha_UMK1_kp4arRJZeQRnuBvdW3eRdFR6nVj2KoQ6oOtKERDmy7ewWNhnLC-WaG-UrsCRNHBzYKvvxWjpCU9AyQAIK8rp9PpS7_xjB_7fBv6jJ4D51wlz5t6uwfBnq-A1g80uJ9aSFg_VmEAvDu2XOH/s320/IMG_3330.HEIC" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Ms. Hen at the Jane Austen Centre</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><span style="font-size: large;">When Ms. Hen went to London, she also went on a bus tour to Stonehenge, and Bath. She had a choice to go to the Roman Bath Museum, or the Jane Austen Centre, and of course she chose Jane Austen. She was the only person of 72 people on the bus that visited the Jane Austen Centre, and the tour guide told her that not many people go there. She was excited, and she listened to the presentation by the guide in Regency costume. She knew most of the information, but she thought it was beneficial to review. Jane Austen lived in Bath up the street from the centre, and she was inspired her time spent in Bath.</span><p></p><p><span style="font-size: large;">Ms. Hen thought the Jane Austen Centre was a little bit anticlimactic. They didn't have any real items that belonged to Austen, it was more of a museum about Jane Austen. The things were well presented, there were clothes of the era people could try on, and different objects that were popular at the time. There is information about the films, and a quill pen people could try. Ms. Hen didn't want to get ink on her feathers.</span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></p><p></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgr1z_nssFjsaR33VjLlYXQoOwZfNwfj4e03qv-shPLDOt26Xxb0sCof7CWv2pob4vPhzeBldGQ0nrx-KOxaYb28ujErF9vrODnau6BRMZ6NPL3rc7iDjFZ5hMxkeYsxdmDnQzFSVtI-7jozfveRmWpkVpvtms6iJMxC-DoqJ0raRCwiXhrm0DkB_zWPSh7/s4032/IMG_3397.HEIC" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgr1z_nssFjsaR33VjLlYXQoOwZfNwfj4e03qv-shPLDOt26Xxb0sCof7CWv2pob4vPhzeBldGQ0nrx-KOxaYb28ujErF9vrODnau6BRMZ6NPL3rc7iDjFZ5hMxkeYsxdmDnQzFSVtI-7jozfveRmWpkVpvtms6iJMxC-DoqJ0raRCwiXhrm0DkB_zWPSh7/s320/IMG_3397.HEIC" width="240" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Ms. Hen in Charles Dickens's Bedroom<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><span style="font-size: large;">The next day, Ms. Hen visited the Charles Dickens Museum in London. Dickens lived in this house for a short time, but things from his other houses were brought there for display. She was astounded by all the items that belonged to Dickens, including furniture, a suit, and a lock of his hair, among others. Guides sat in select rooms to answer questions about the items in the room, and to talk about Dickens. In a room called the "Death Room," Ms. Hen inquired if anyone had thought to clone Charles Dickens from the lock of his hair taken from his corpse, like in Jurassic Park. The lady said that nobody had ever asked that. Ms. Hen doesn't know everything about cloning, and she's not sure if it would work with dead hair. Ms. Hen was thrilled with the Charles Dickens Museum.</span><p></p><p><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></p><p></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgi7MehJQHNbUOR26OhnZaQiQ7KcuePPXDue431QwbRszl39CfOwdWj9fHAq_8MbvM7-YbfbTVAMLS20H2D1zTNWT0X_M78HNGuFZPyP-uk74U9Ex_f0Ixd9StDPBp8zFE_6N8edIsgvsuYPqAm_KDEkWHzm0AAWHxoOikweCHyXWg4epAMdlnO81K79cg7/s4032/IMG_3411.HEIC" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgi7MehJQHNbUOR26OhnZaQiQ7KcuePPXDue431QwbRszl39CfOwdWj9fHAq_8MbvM7-YbfbTVAMLS20H2D1zTNWT0X_M78HNGuFZPyP-uk74U9Ex_f0Ixd9StDPBp8zFE_6N8edIsgvsuYPqAm_KDEkWHzm0AAWHxoOikweCHyXWg4epAMdlnO81K79cg7/s320/IMG_3411.HEIC" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Ms. Hen takes a tea break in Charles Dickens's garden</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><span style="font-size: large;">Even though Sherlock Holmes is not a real person, some fans started a museum with items that he would have belonged to him, at his actual address 221B Baker Street in London.</span><p></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9elU9I-6L531Zd6YC2fAflClfor1TCvjm-gwTzKCLV30ah4G7S8vA62ioOYJJM72TvUkbQXFnUzFNlRx9J2g4-Vm5k9CsHFbVPOKdbySolePO5y48BXTbv-olOJoSb-wCzntRdjmpnsYfpXvlwq_rctyvaThlQASahNHkFg7XfOFzBqP-B1G_fuUBbtgW/s4032/IMG_3418.HEIC" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9elU9I-6L531Zd6YC2fAflClfor1TCvjm-gwTzKCLV30ah4G7S8vA62ioOYJJM72TvUkbQXFnUzFNlRx9J2g4-Vm5k9CsHFbVPOKdbySolePO5y48BXTbv-olOJoSb-wCzntRdjmpnsYfpXvlwq_rctyvaThlQASahNHkFg7XfOFzBqP-B1G_fuUBbtgW/s320/IMG_3418.HEIC" width="240" /></a></div><p><span style="font-size: large;">Ms. Hen thought this museum was excellent, designed exactly like Sherlock Holmes' rooms. When she went there, it was a little crowded, and she would have like it better if people were not standing right in front on her. Sherlock Holmes' popularity never seems to fade because there are many different ways to tell his stories. Ms. Hen would like to be as smart as Sherlock Holmes, that is one of her goals in life.</span></p><p></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEge1Xpydbmxq5Ro67ltrv-V_OC0E1eksAM2DcawBYa478TUc38y04ijEMYxT5uhDHSZATnCAN7Fa0CZYZC0i7XDBQVxuD1AJGzhdyWXu5E_kOWRMBdnzymsKBb3VpV-JH22NAuHpujG3WiGOL-tteOKD3kWKAx9ScafYQcGgCIQN37gvN4y2Y5hL6A9m0bG/s4032/IMG_3425.HEIC" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEge1Xpydbmxq5Ro67ltrv-V_OC0E1eksAM2DcawBYa478TUc38y04ijEMYxT5uhDHSZATnCAN7Fa0CZYZC0i7XDBQVxuD1AJGzhdyWXu5E_kOWRMBdnzymsKBb3VpV-JH22NAuHpujG3WiGOL-tteOKD3kWKAx9ScafYQcGgCIQN37gvN4y2Y5hL6A9m0bG/s320/IMG_3425.HEIC" width="240" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Ms. Hen with a wax figure of Sherlock Holmes</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><span style="font-size: large;">On her last full day in London, Ms. Hen traveled on the train to Lewes, in East Sussex, to go to Virginia Woolf's house, Monk's House. She was under the assumption that she could walk from the station, but she went to the Visitor's Centre in town, and the people there told her it was too far to walk because it was raining. She took a taxi.</span><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjH3HHaDn-3Gutr9AWUI-ru_ux_fGBLodu3RtYrP64u6zffoFAEzxVCl27vhSzPLIU3ituDorXEyk4pEw-5V6nFDqECGrMakdv33R4CuUdsSDbvZ09ZSNBqMeAW72Rf_zGEJ7KJm8nRhbuia5u4bSOMdHKSoQCgPCauwB03KmG1OGNjtQvMfQ26empAqsgQ/s4032/IMG_3502.HEIC" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjH3HHaDn-3Gutr9AWUI-ru_ux_fGBLodu3RtYrP64u6zffoFAEzxVCl27vhSzPLIU3ituDorXEyk4pEw-5V6nFDqECGrMakdv33R4CuUdsSDbvZ09ZSNBqMeAW72Rf_zGEJ7KJm8nRhbuia5u4bSOMdHKSoQCgPCauwB03KmG1OGNjtQvMfQ26empAqsgQ/s320/IMG_3502.HEIC" width="240" /></a></div><p><br /></p><span style="font-size: large;">The gardens at Monk's House are extensive and lovely. Ms. Hen would have enjoyed it better if it had not been raining. She wandered around, and took lots of pictures. Virginia and Leonard Woolf's ashes are buried in the garden.</span><p></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnx1gRzd3UnImDM7bUPhCFYiPl59hOAQDXnP9hDgvS2vmDPYF43o-SaE93z3b-zkpcjV0gPDSFaBrA739Uo9-GTPSF2blJiUjfaKhBKOdtmJ-KgFoUprN8s3cd8xEEVOr0UgphOMfJsQKsSVSS1skDfDh-scFZNYD4h27Wp0TiPtvHLEqNn7LtiZUvUNpn/s4032/IMG_3496.HEIC" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnx1gRzd3UnImDM7bUPhCFYiPl59hOAQDXnP9hDgvS2vmDPYF43o-SaE93z3b-zkpcjV0gPDSFaBrA739Uo9-GTPSF2blJiUjfaKhBKOdtmJ-KgFoUprN8s3cd8xEEVOr0UgphOMfJsQKsSVSS1skDfDh-scFZNYD4h27Wp0TiPtvHLEqNn7LtiZUvUNpn/s320/IMG_3496.HEIC" width="240" /></a></div><br /><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span><p></p><p><span style="font-size: large;">In each room of the house, a guide talked about Virginia and the items, and the artwork. Ms. Hen though it was all fascinating. The house is National Trust, which means someone lives there and takes care of it. The house contains lots of artwork by Virginia's sister, Vanessa Bell, and other artists they knew.</span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;">Virginia's bedroom has a separate entrance from the house. Her writing shed, her room of her own, is in the back of the garden, and her desk is covered by glass. Ms. Hen thought this was moving. She thinks that Monk's House was the highlight of her trip.</span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZ3JnvsBKF9UzVJMiJQftk91W64fcRJMTOF01-AgQOnCQJx07k98ev3JiGGHmGgjE2zuzyb7aep_e58Il3xcWnbNLP6SpXFVs-9jKkg_t20a6iwyVg3T1q64GKzqypGtVgygjxp42mP5E3c-uGteJ5wnczrOrgGtJqbYd1asl8PAgvVCX9oSq_kjjwccjm/s4032/IMG_3472.HEIC" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZ3JnvsBKF9UzVJMiJQftk91W64fcRJMTOF01-AgQOnCQJx07k98ev3JiGGHmGgjE2zuzyb7aep_e58Il3xcWnbNLP6SpXFVs-9jKkg_t20a6iwyVg3T1q64GKzqypGtVgygjxp42mP5E3c-uGteJ5wnczrOrgGtJqbYd1asl8PAgvVCX9oSq_kjjwccjm/s320/IMG_3472.HEIC" width="240" /></a></div><br /><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span><p><br /></p><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span><p></p><p><span style="font-size: large;"><br /><br /></span></p>Shannon O'Connorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15351055641621159092noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5174208268986126948.post-36136502899701101752023-09-05T03:57:00.000-07:002023-09-05T03:57:07.048-07:00Ms. Hen reviews A Haunted House and Other Stories<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOGYdC5XqW50i1NqGBkvr1vwURq_HpTCtsP1yxDF5QRYGx7hnVZa7OPfCILeUXH-0WbVKglUZ0pZLsOgp3_u_xaSGmxWOm2od771sqERZVuM1jjdvy5ncRhe7wVMstubZ62Dlbvkh20Y_YRTNsEPndein2IrM9ILobExqTzZJXEBhrCMhilynF8Pse0PqK/s4032/IMG_3559.HEIC" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOGYdC5XqW50i1NqGBkvr1vwURq_HpTCtsP1yxDF5QRYGx7hnVZa7OPfCILeUXH-0WbVKglUZ0pZLsOgp3_u_xaSGmxWOm2od771sqERZVuM1jjdvy5ncRhe7wVMstubZ62Dlbvkh20Y_YRTNsEPndein2IrM9ILobExqTzZJXEBhrCMhilynF8Pse0PqK/s320/IMG_3559.HEIC" width="240" /></a></div><br /> <p></p><p><span style="font-size: large;">A Haunted House </span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;">Virginia Woolf</span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;">1944</span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;">Harcourt, Inc.</span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;">Ms. Hen decided to read this collection, because she wanted to read a book by Virginia Woolf that she hadn't read. She wanted to read it while she was visiting Monk's House, Virginia Woolf's house in Lewes, England, but she did not end up doing that. She read it when she got back.</span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;">This collection of stories contains stories that have been published, and that have not. Leonard Woolf wrote in the introduction that some of these had not been edited by Virginia, and since the book was published posthumously, she did not have a say. He knew she wanted to publish a collection, even though she died before she did.</span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;">A lot of these stories are depressing, and of the time. Many of them have women who are unsatisfied with their lot in life. Ms. Hen thinks that Virginia might have felt like these characters.</span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;">The story "A New Dress," reminds Ms. Hen of a story called "Miss Brill," by Katherine Mansfield. The characters in Virginia's story is pleased with her new dress, but when she goes to a party, she realizes how ridiculous she looks. In "Miss Brill," the characters thinks she looks beautiful, but some young people laugh at her strange hat. Stories like this about women and fashion, and what they think of themselves were stylish at the time, since fashion was changing so much. If a woman thinks she looks good, she probably doesn't.</span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;">A few of the stories in this collection are about Clarissa Dalloway, the character in MRS. DALLOWAY, the novel by Virginia Woolf. Ms. Hen tried to do research about why she wrote these, but Ms. Hen thinks she was not finished with Clarissa Dalloway, and had more to say about people who surround her.</span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;">Ms. Hen found a few chickens in this book. In the story "An Unwritten Novel," the character describes herself as "while she spoke she fidgeted as though the skin on her back were as a plucked fowl's in a poulterer's shop window." Ms. Hen thinks this is a fascinating way to describe fidgeting. She has never seen a fowl move like that, though she believes it is possible.</span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;">Ms. Hen does not know if this is the best book that Virginia Woolf has ever written. She thinks the author would have preferred to have the last say, but she couldn't, because she was gone. When Ms. Hen went to Monk's House, she thought it was magical. She felt the spirit of Virginia and her work in the house. The day she went it rained, and she would have like to spend more time in the garden, but we can't always have what we want.</span></p><p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh47vbwK7M2rkRyHThiBbbda2YHvDM68gNnUHyvP2l8pCkl49XTMENqZw1q_60Bl9R7Xxl0u9qj6PSGb47_2M3w6GQ8dgVLTJQ5mLqsTgLpLXsTpAG-ri0AOltLiXQGu6Frs4Qo9RZpfbBV3L4R3bD71YTvybwMUR5EZCph3roA6aQ-CvmR_qgi3INvqpHj/s4032/IMG_3540.HEIC" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh47vbwK7M2rkRyHThiBbbda2YHvDM68gNnUHyvP2l8pCkl49XTMENqZw1q_60Bl9R7Xxl0u9qj6PSGb47_2M3w6GQ8dgVLTJQ5mLqsTgLpLXsTpAG-ri0AOltLiXQGu6Frs4Qo9RZpfbBV3L4R3bD71YTvybwMUR5EZCph3roA6aQ-CvmR_qgi3INvqpHj/s320/IMG_3540.HEIC" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Virginia's writing shed - her room of her own</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></p>Shannon O'Connorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15351055641621159092noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5174208268986126948.post-82686834362005843992023-09-04T05:25:00.002-07:002023-09-04T05:28:35.932-07:00Ms. Hen reviews London<p></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTlIEq0qQfFao2zk2wWzXG4kkfv2_jX4C-1vf_Yp7Us67t_xEri8Xl3-VFjANf6WSeZkXxesEAGVSCcLcuJ8QI9K_VDTXKbtBqSE6pBdY8DN5gRnobPQJJo7XPtWijI_Oz1u2vlkTVFuEsvqX6Sb7ARmmg7jfn292CkO2w_92a_o7mnmrKbK-glUP4fDFY/s4032/IMG_3172.HEIC" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTlIEq0qQfFao2zk2wWzXG4kkfv2_jX4C-1vf_Yp7Us67t_xEri8Xl3-VFjANf6WSeZkXxesEAGVSCcLcuJ8QI9K_VDTXKbtBqSE6pBdY8DN5gRnobPQJJo7XPtWijI_Oz1u2vlkTVFuEsvqX6Sb7ARmmg7jfn292CkO2w_92a_o7mnmrKbK-glUP4fDFY/s320/IMG_3172.HEIC" width="240" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Ms. Hen at Tower Bridge</td></tr></tbody></table><br /> <p></p><p><span style="font-size: large;">Ms. Hen went on a trip to London recently, and she has never been there before. She decided to go on the spur of the moment, because she got a good deal on airfare and a hotel room, and she had a week off from work.</span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;">She didn't know the weekend she was going was the time of the Notting Hill Carnival. The hotel where she stayed, the Ruby Zoe Hotel, is located right in the middle of Notting Hill. The carnival was a disaster, and she felt unsafe, with people screaming covered in paint and glitter, and drinking on the streets. Ms. Hen did the things she planned to do, and tried to avoid the carnival.</span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;">On Ms. Hen's first day, she walked to Kensington Gardens, and enjoyed looking at the birds in the different ponds. She especially liked the Italian Gardens.</span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPGHW9dSiipQ1bcfIHs1nOt0gtdYWDL1s2FpqOy7S9jQ27iBzMxW7qKx8Av7xFyi7YIsTEnt-TRWfYc1nu5Jm1ptG2B7o3tuf8PYqKyKsvBADDJscOzqPTzNcdjVt9nDugByVs01U7cSwF9OLdUPekV_5CX83N1plQm6j4pTXt_JGlcufJImLkBcnohiar/s4032/IMG_3108.HEIC" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPGHW9dSiipQ1bcfIHs1nOt0gtdYWDL1s2FpqOy7S9jQ27iBzMxW7qKx8Av7xFyi7YIsTEnt-TRWfYc1nu5Jm1ptG2B7o3tuf8PYqKyKsvBADDJscOzqPTzNcdjVt9nDugByVs01U7cSwF9OLdUPekV_5CX83N1plQm6j4pTXt_JGlcufJImLkBcnohiar/s320/IMG_3108.HEIC" width="240" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div><span style="font-size: large;">On her first full day in London, Ms. Hen took a Vintage Double Decker Bus Tour around the city. She saw all the sights, including Tower Bridge, Westminster Abbey, and Buckingham Palace. The tour also included a boat ride, and the changing of the guard, and the weather was lovely.</span></div><div><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnQZE9UZ8Ldulz8m50NBE_ed130GFETfwztd4-7mkU5ISQadeerIVxrCCZPxVlEEePCY760iYhj1XEBTiwVjKS06N6I-gP-VB_eycwMGCWSK5aK-Qgyc2eIKXBBowvFiruO_iIoX14LFs4ONK8LZO8Vt2_gTMo1MP8Gw4__aH5fCuKBDfz-XNol-BHga_n/s4032/IMG_3217.HEIC" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnQZE9UZ8Ldulz8m50NBE_ed130GFETfwztd4-7mkU5ISQadeerIVxrCCZPxVlEEePCY760iYhj1XEBTiwVjKS06N6I-gP-VB_eycwMGCWSK5aK-Qgyc2eIKXBBowvFiruO_iIoX14LFs4ONK8LZO8Vt2_gTMo1MP8Gw4__aH5fCuKBDfz-XNol-BHga_n/s320/IMG_3217.HEIC" width="240" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Ms. Hen on the boat with Big Ben</td></tr></tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div></div><p><span style="font-size: large;">Ms. Hen had always thought that British people were prejudiced again Irish people, but she found that nobody flinched at all when they heard her full name (which is Shannon O'Connor), even when she was outside of London. She thinks this might be the way people used to be, and the British are used to the Irish by now. Also, London is incredibly diverse, and there are many different kinds of people.</span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;">Also, she learned that people in England walk on the left side of the sidewalk, and walk up and down the left side of the stairs! She had always suspected this, but she found this to be true.</span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMr14NWxKgt4UTnvaj8ROgAN3uxjiNPK7xbY78qsfY9JwnR8c38RdoiS0pOET1o2QzBp49RsakPipxxJhCccLjh2krj-8IA3AOW-PShXnWNoh64mlATRtxSNO69-14Lfz8eq6zQy1WLz9WXcJnAiItKJSTPb-A0BO5SecJ_RowU42m5Kd5zpuW6s-AwSV7/s4032/IMG_3237.HEIC" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMr14NWxKgt4UTnvaj8ROgAN3uxjiNPK7xbY78qsfY9JwnR8c38RdoiS0pOET1o2QzBp49RsakPipxxJhCccLjh2krj-8IA3AOW-PShXnWNoh64mlATRtxSNO69-14Lfz8eq6zQy1WLz9WXcJnAiItKJSTPb-A0BO5SecJ_RowU42m5Kd5zpuW6s-AwSV7/s320/IMG_3237.HEIC" width="240" /></a></div><div><br /></div><span style="font-size: large;">After her double decker bus tour, Ms. Hen went to a place called Sloane Square because it was on her way back to the hotel, and it was mentioned in a song by Morrissey called "Hairdresser on Fire." She was looking for a cup of coffee, and there is a beautiful park in the middle of the square, but they had three bars and no coffee. Ms. Hen had a cappuccino with a pistachio rose muffin at a cafe combined with a Yoga and a Pilates studio.</span><div><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-size: large;">Ms. Hen found that people would start talking to her in London, and nobody does that where she lives (in Boston). She thought it was nice, and found people to be friendly. She felt more comfortable in England than any other place she has been recently in Europe.</span></div><div><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIdmaY0lliV11DVxWqgiZ7yThDsFCukb_Ty6-gIyvhSjTAFaY8MkYp2Qd_859fm-xRSet8ff4FZB9zcGXMBteJlhbJYv_YEOKXwLJfKHpByCdvI8eonQhu2FGP5-l8QnXoVqpmp2g1X-yydjBqdUQKRvrnvpRMAf817qM9C02NG9ZUqYRNeUQOKgb18cdL/s2730/IMG_3560.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2730" data-original-width="1864" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIdmaY0lliV11DVxWqgiZ7yThDsFCukb_Ty6-gIyvhSjTAFaY8MkYp2Qd_859fm-xRSet8ff4FZB9zcGXMBteJlhbJYv_YEOKXwLJfKHpByCdvI8eonQhu2FGP5-l8QnXoVqpmp2g1X-yydjBqdUQKRvrnvpRMAf817qM9C02NG9ZUqYRNeUQOKgb18cdL/s320/IMG_3560.JPG" width="218" /></a></div><div><br /></div><span style="font-size: large;">Ms. Hen was a complete tourist and had her picture taken at Platform 9 3/4 where Harry Potter got the train to Hogwarts! She paid to get her picture, because she thought there was a chance she might never go back there again.</span></div><div><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-size: large;">Ms. Hen is going to write a separate review on four literary houses she went to in England, so stay tuned!</span></div><div><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-size: large;">Below is a picture Ms. Hen took on her last day in London in Portobello Road, around the corner from her hotel. Ms. Hen loved London. She hasn't been out of the country since before COVID, and she missed the thrill of traveling somewhere she's never been and having an adventure. London gave that back to her.</span></div><div><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgq3YzGW4vHoJHPeZw6g0fLfN9tB9BUBjDV3fz1rNsrGVOAK5bxuX36v1i3kxC4yQaOvdIQBAxR78AQ8CD7iGooyg9rWVjG7r2gQ1mH879Iy1YFj_x8xPl1H9yrlMtSIzjW_fp8VMUWpN7mbbs4PGAlPfAeCimIItghJc05qWvV-BEfLYVsgFDtiXYhPfZD/s4032/IMG_3585.HEIC" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgq3YzGW4vHoJHPeZw6g0fLfN9tB9BUBjDV3fz1rNsrGVOAK5bxuX36v1i3kxC4yQaOvdIQBAxR78AQ8CD7iGooyg9rWVjG7r2gQ1mH879Iy1YFj_x8xPl1H9yrlMtSIzjW_fp8VMUWpN7mbbs4PGAlPfAeCimIItghJc05qWvV-BEfLYVsgFDtiXYhPfZD/s320/IMG_3585.HEIC" width="320" /></a></div><br /><span style="font-size: large;"><br /><br /></span><p><br /></p><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><p><br /></p><p><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></p></div>Shannon O'Connorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15351055641621159092noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5174208268986126948.post-47903153112100836612023-08-19T06:06:00.001-07:002023-08-19T06:06:48.461-07:00Ms. Hen reviews The Dark Forest<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVQmq3dKJew_LhWaQlTHuQf1nM04llurSbM0pAM8r34zy7FaKPGMdO501WIR8r-NVyUDvuq4Hen8NE0raSszLRRLAcC5v-GQdz2nGudYknzIMZiN8SFPUxTXyucdLusNY-zkXDpfQgQ4JtpYRKIGJOHirnDxj-TaWq6A2SIfL3fjoGgWImYBCou9tqLz5n/s4032/IMG_3068.HEIC" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVQmq3dKJew_LhWaQlTHuQf1nM04llurSbM0pAM8r34zy7FaKPGMdO501WIR8r-NVyUDvuq4Hen8NE0raSszLRRLAcC5v-GQdz2nGudYknzIMZiN8SFPUxTXyucdLusNY-zkXDpfQgQ4JtpYRKIGJOHirnDxj-TaWq6A2SIfL3fjoGgWImYBCou9tqLz5n/s320/IMG_3068.HEIC" width="240" /></a></div><p></p><p><span style="font-size: large;">The Dark Forest</span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;">Cinxin Liu</span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;">Tor Book</span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;">2008, 2015</span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;">Translated by Joel Martinsen</span></p><p><br /></p><p><span style="font-size: large;">Ms. Hen decided to read this novel because she read the first novel in this series, THE THREE BODY PROBLEM. She liked that book so much that she had to find out what happened next.</span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;">This novel takes place after the last one, but with some different characters. The people on Earth are preparing for the Trisolarans to come. They prepare a special task force, people called Wallfacers, to help deal with the crisis. People from our current day go into hibernation in order to be involved in the Trisolaran battles when they reach Earth. The novel speeds ahead to the future where not everything is what the people from the past envisioned it to be. </span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;">In the future, most people live underground, and do not have to have jobs. They live in houses that hang from trees, and wear clothes that light up with pictures. Energy comes from everything, all the people have to do is touch a wall, and they are connected to the internet. Even so, in this era, not everything is perfect. Humans are still humans, and they live according to their own rules.</span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;">This novel, similar to the last one, is heavy with science, which made Ms. Hen's eyes cross. But there are elements of romance, and mystery, and fantasy which made Ms. Hen happy. The character Luo Ji creates a fantasy woman and she becomes real. He also has people trying to kill him, and we don't find out why until the end.</span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;">Ms. Hen thinks there's a possibility this novel wouldn't be written this way if it were American. Americans are incessantly optimistic, and the Chinese view is not. Americans think that the world can be wonderful, and discovering new life on other planets is exciting, but the attitude from the Chinese point of view in this novel is one of bleakness and disenchantment. Ms. Hen thinks it's difficult to look at the world that way, but she's not sure which way is better.</span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;">This is a very dense novel, and it took a long time to read. Ms. Hen wants to read the third novel in the series, but she thinks she's going to wait a little bit, since this book is so intense. It's difficult reading about the possible end of humanity, but Ms. Hen likes to know what authors imagine, because there could be some small element of reality to the ideas that writers produce, and she wants to be ready for anything.</span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="BLOG_video_class" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/5lj99Uz1d50" width="320" youtube-src-id="5lj99Uz1d50"></iframe></div><br /><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span><p></p>Shannon O'Connorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15351055641621159092noreply@blogger.com0