Ms. Hen reviews The Book of Living Secrets

 

The Book of Living Secrets

Madeleine Roux

Quill Tree Books

2022

Ms. Hen decided to read this novel because it was recommended to her online. She read about it, and loved the premise: it's about two girls who are swept magically into their favorite book. When Ms. Hen received this, she adored the cover right away. That might be her favorite part of the book.

This novel is about two friends, Connie and Adele, high school students in Boston. They are into the occult and otherworldly things, and their favorite book is called MOIRA, which is a bodice-ripper set in Victorian Boston. Adele wants to go to a store called The Witch's Eye Emporium to do a spell with the owner on the night of the Sadie Hawkins dance instead of attending the dance.

The spell is done, and the girls go into the book, but in different chapters. Connie gets thrust into the book in the middle, and Adele near the part of the solstice party at Moira's house. The girls have to find each other, and have a difficult time doing so. The book they land into is different from the one they read, however. It's darker, and minor characters are more prominent, such as the Penny Farthings, who are a band of criminals. A monster is in the bay, and the older people are drawn into it. Connie and Adele have to try to save everyone.

When Ms. Hen read about this novel, she was excited, but as she read it, the book became more ridiculous, and silly. She understands that it's supposed to be fantasy, but to her, it didn't make any sense. She thinks that even with fantasy, there has to be some believability to it. 

Ms. Hen didn't believe this novel, and it's difficult for her to explain that. Fiction is all made-up, but she has read other novels that she has been drawn into and the world of the piece had been created authentically. Not this novel, however.

Ms. Hen wanted this to be one of her great Halloween reads, but it wasn't. She still searches for new Halloween books to entertain her, and she'll search high and low, even when All Hallow's Eve is over, because she likes to be scared, and she dreams of worlds that she has never seen but wants to someday.

Ms. Hen reviews The Bloody Chamber

 

The Bloody Chamber 

Angela Carter

Penguin Books

1979

Ms. Hen had learned about this book when she read THE DOLL'S ALPHABET earlier this year, and she didn't read it right away, either because it wasn't available at the library, or she wanted to wait for Halloween. It was available just in time for the season! Ms. Hen couldn't wait to devour this.

This collection of short stories are all rewritten fairy tales, with a feminist, and sometimes morbid sexual twist to each one. Two different versions of "Beauty and the Beast," live in these pages, and they are both perverse and lovely. A very short rewrite of "Snow White," is here, too, and it's brief, grotesque and breathtaking. One of Ms. Hen's favorite stories is "Puss-In-Boots," a reimagining of the children's tale, an X-rated version with the little cat misbehaving, and assisting his master in his dastardly deeds.

This short collection is deceiving, because it looks very small, but all the stories are dense with imagery, and lush language. Ms. Hen understands why critics compared THE DOLL'S ALPHABET to this book, because the stories are bizarre, and unexpectedly feminist and strange. It also reminds Ms. Hen of another book she read recently, BOY, SNOW, BIRD, the reimagined Snow White novel.

THE BLOODY CHAMBER is not for the faint of heart. Beware! Anyone who reads this collection might be disgusted, and could possibly pass out from horror. It is not for the squeamish, or the faint of heart. If you are like Ms. Hen, and enjoy the darker, disturbing side of life, you will love this book! If not, read something else. Ms. Hen says Happy Halloween, and keep on reading. You can find her in the haunted house, scaring everyone away.

Ms. Hen reviews An Arrow to the Moon

 

An Arrow to the Moon

Emily X. R. Pan

Hatchett Book Group

2022

Ms. Hen picked this book up at a Little Free Library near where she lives. She knew nothing about this book, but she read the back, and learned that it is a young adult fantasy, and a reimagining of Romeo and Juliet, which is the type of book she loves. The novel is also based on Chinese mythology.

Ms. Hen learned that this novel is based on the myth of Chang'e, the Chinese goddess of the moon. This is a well-known legend, but Ms. Hen had never heard of it. The astronauts in Apollo 11 landing on the moon mentioned her before they landed, and the lunar probes from China were named after Chang'e. When Ms. Hen finished this book, she watched the Netflix film, OVER THE MOON, which was based on the same myth. The film is a musical, and Ms. Hen thought it was like a Disney movie, and at times is psychedelic.

AN ARROW TO THE MOON is about Luna and Hunter, two high school students, and how they meet and fall in love, and the problems that surround them. Their families don't like each other because their fathers competed for the same professorship at the university in their town, and Luna's father got the job. A crack appears in the town when Luna and Hunter meet at a party. She doesn't want to like him, because she knows her parents don't approve, but they can't help being drawn together.

Magical things happen. Hunter's asthma is cured when he breathes Luna's breath, fireflies appear in the winter, and Hunter's brother, Cody, finds a book that has writing that changes ever time he opens it. Luna doesn't want to do what her parents want, and Hunter's family is on the run, because they owe money, and are in hiding. Like Romeo and Juliet, Luna and Hunter are star-crossed lovers.

Ms. Hen thinks this novel reminds her of other young adult fantasy, such as the Harry Potter series, but one of the things that make it different is the characters are Asian, which makes it more diverse. Issues that face Asian children are addressed in this novel, such as overbearing parents who plan their children's futures for them.

This novel is also based on mythology, but it's taken from that, and is not the identical story, which Ms. Hen thinks is charming. Ms. Hen thinks that all these stories are around somewhere, and are waiting to be found and retold again in new, unique ways.

Ms. Hen likes this novel. It's difficult for her to imagine what it's like to be a teenager these days, but this novel doesn't seem to take place in any point of time. Technology is almost nonexistent here, which Ms. Hen admires. Ms. Hen recommends this novel if you want to believe in magic, but are willing to face sadness. 

Ms. Hen reviews Josie and Jack

Josie and Jack

Kelly Braffet

Houghton Mifflin Company

2005

Ms. Hen picked this book up at a Little Free Library near where she lives. She read on the book that it is a reimagining of HANSEL AND GRETEL, and Ms. Hen loves fairy tale rewrites. She doesn't know how close it is to that fairy tale, but this book weaves its own rendering.

This novel is about Josie and Jack, who are brother and sister, and live in a big house with their father Raeburn, a college professor, and he is not home that much because the college where he teaches is far away. He leaves his children alone most of the time, and they do not go to school, because they are homeschooled. At one time their family was wealthy. They are mysterious in the town, and everyone wants to know what really goes on with them.

Raeburn is abusive to them, and the siblings drink a lot together. They are dysfunctional, and they only have each other. Their mother died when they were young. Jack leaves, and Josie is depressed without him. He comes back for her, and they run away together. Jack is charming and women love him, and he takes advantage of that. They end up in New York City.

Ms. Hen enjoyed this book, but it took her some time to get into it. It's creepy, and a lot is not said. A question hangs over this novel, and the question is not answered. Subtext is something that is not said, and it makes the reader keep reading. 

This novel is unsettling, but it works. Ms. Hen wonders if the novel would be different if the question was resolved. Josie and Jack are not good people, and it made Ms. Hen keep reading because she needed to know the outcome. 

Ms. Hen doesn't think this is very similar to HANSEL AND GRETEL, but the brother and sister run away together. Ms. Hen doesn't imagine the original fairy tale would end up like this one. Ms. Hen says that this book is strange, but worth it, if you don't mind being disgusted. Ms. Hen is a hen who likes twisted things sometimes, if she's in the right mood.

Ms. Hen reviews East, West

 

East, West

Salman Rushdie

Vintage Books

1994

Ms. Hen picked up this book because she was in a used bookstore in Portland, Maine, and was looking for a book that spoke to her. She had never read anything by Salman Rushdie, even though he is well known. He was in the news recently for getting stabbed, and Ms. Hen thinks it's horrible for a writer to live in fear because of what they write. She decided to buy this book because she was curious.

This collection of short stories contains stories about the East and the West. Ms. Hen liked some of the stories, but not all of them. She found the story, "Yurik," which is about HAMLET irritating, and she felt the same way about the story about Christopher Columbus and Queen Isabella. These stories are in the "West," section.

She especially enjoyed the stories in the "East, West" section of the book, which are about the intersection of the East and the West. The story, "Harmony of the Spheres," is about an author who is unstable, and his friend from India. Ms. Hen always loves stories about people who are mentally ill. She also enjoyed, "Chekov and Zulu," because she adores anything to do with STAR TREK.

The stories in the "East," section are about people living in poverty in India. The characters in these stories have to deal with people trying to scam them, and horrible things happen. Ms. Hen felt sorry for these characters.

This book isn't like other collections of short stories. Most of the sections are shockingly different from others. Ms. Hen didn't like this. She doesn't enjoy a collection of short stories that feels like she's jumping from one universe to another. She wants to exist in the same world, where she is able to understand the view.

Some of the writing in this collection of stories is stunning, but it made Ms. Hen tired. She might like a novel from this author better, but it might be a while before one falls in her path.

Ms. Hen at the Green Hand Bookshop

Ms. Hen reviews Brood

Ms. Hen eats breakfast

 

Brood

Jackie Polzin

Doubleday

2021

Ms. Hen decided to read this novel, because she learned it is about chickens, and she cannot resist chicken fiction. Sometimes she loves books about chickens, and sometimes she does not. This one falls into the latter category.

This novel is about a woman who has four chickens in her backyard. She takes care of them, and she is depressed. Her husband is a writer, and he's looking for a teaching job in Los Angeles, and if he gets the job, they might have to leave the chickens in Minnesota. She is depressed because she had a miscarriage, and wanted to have the baby. She doesn't do a good job of taking care of the chickens.

Ms. Hen wanted to love this book, since it's about her favorite subject. But she found it depressing, without character and vitality. The woman, who is unnamed, is one of those women who is Sad Because She Doesn't Have Children, which Ms. Hen thinks is tiresome. She doesn't understand this desire that most women have. Maybe because she is a chicken, or because she thinks there's more to life than taking care of children, Ms. Hen can think of ten thousand things better than having a child.

This book lacks charm, which Ms. Hen thinks is one of the most important things in life. If something: a book, a person, a cat, or anything has charm, it makes experiences much more interesting. Charm can open doors, and help you to see the world in a different way. The protagonist in this novel has a bad attitude, and lacks the charm Ms. Hen appreciates and looks for in everything. 

Ms. Hen was glad this novel was short, because it was over quickly. Ms. Hen wishes that someone would write a happy and charming novel about chickens, because that would please her. Her breakfast was delicious, and that was probably the best aspect of this review.

Ms. Hen reviews Light from Uncommon Stars

 

Light from Uncommon Stars

Ryka Aoki

Tor

2021

Ms. Hen usually finds books in unconventional ways, but she found this book by listening to a science fiction podcast on the website Bookriot. She decided to search out books, rather than having them come to her. This book was featured in a podcast called "Comfort Reads in SFF." She thought it sounded intriguing, so she picked it up.

A lot is happening in this book right from the start. A woman some people call "The Queen of Hell," Shizuka Satomi, is looking for another soul to damn to hell by becoming their violin teacher. She finds Katrina Nguyen, a transgender runaway from outside of Oakland, in a park near Los Angeles. She gives Katrina her card, and leaves her, but Katrina does not come to her house for a week. 

Lan, the captain of a starship, takes over Stargate Donuts, which has a big donut on top of it. She has to create a stargate with her family and crew. Shizuka goes to Stargate Donuts, and likes the Alaska Donut, but only half, since it's so big, and she and Lan become almost friends, and feed stale donuts to the ducks in the park. Shizuka has had her soul damned by a demon, and she has to produce seven souls to him in order to play music again. She wants Katrina to be the seventh soul.

Ms. Hen thinks this novel has an excellent world building aspect to it. This takes place in present day, but focuses on violin competitions, a specialty community. It's also about immigrant culture, and transgender people. But there is science fiction aspect that is hilarious. The team of aliens living in the donut shop bring humor to this novel. STAR TREK is mentioned a few times. A lot of food and eating appears in this novel, not just at the donut shop. The characters go out to eat a lot, and the food is described in an ambrosial way.

Several chickens appear between these pages, since this book is brimming with food. Shizuka is thinking about how she writes music, and she thinks, "When you heard that hum on the way to the donut shop bathroom. When you heard chickens outside your window." Shizuka is thinking of the important parts of her life.

Ms. Hen knows that this is one of the best books she has read this year. She thinks it's surprising and funny and complicated and important. And many other things, but if you like this sort of novel, she thinks you should stop everything you're doing, and start reading this right now.