Jonathan Strange & Mr. Norrell

After reading The Night Circus and falling madly in love with that book, I went looking for a read-alike.  One of the titles I came across on several lists was a book I'd been meaning to read for quite some time;  since I'd first seen it on the new shelf at my library in fact -- and it was listed as a similar work to The Night Circus.

That is how I came to pick up a copy of Jonathan Strange and Mr. Norrell, a book of more than 800 pages in length, and full of magic, magicians, proper English gentlemen and ladies, royalty, Napoleonic battles, and a general sense of wonder as two magicians struggle to bring magic back to England.  I loved it.

Here is a portion of my GoodReads review, but I have trimmed it down, as there may be some spoilers contained within the full version.  Please feel free to read the full review on the GoodReads site if you so wish!

Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell by Susanna Clarke
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I picked this book up after eyeing it on the shelf for months. While it is a long read, it is quite a satisfactory romp through England starting in 1806 and running the course of several years. The book is very character focused, and while several countries are visited during the course of the storyline, the intricacies of the characters and their personalities are much more the focus of the story than the locations where they find themselves.

(Snip!)

All in all, I found this to be an excellent read.

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I understand that this is Clarke's first novel, and I hope to see more enjoyable reads from her in the future!

Ship Breaker by Paolo Bacigalupi

Last year, I read The Wind-Up Girl by Bacigalupi.  It was quite an intriguing read, enough so that I felt compelled to write down a few brief thoughts in an entry on GoodReads:

The Windup Girl by Paolo Bacigalupi
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

A different sort of book set in a different sort of location. This is a future-fiction book where much of the world's biology has been re-written by 'gene-rippers' and splicers. New plagues and diseases have wiped out entire species of crops, and calories really matter. The story takes place in a city in Thailand, and the author does a wonderful job of including cultural differences in the storyline.

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(Honestly, not the best review in the world, right?  I guess I need more practice.)

Since then, I have promised myself I would get back to Bacigalupi and read more of his books.  Thankfully my Materials for Youth course this semester required me to read a Printz Award Winner and Ship Breaker by Bacigalupi was at the top of the list of options.  Yesterday, I finished the book.

Ship Breaker by Paolo Bacigalupi
My rating: 4 of 5 stars



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It was excellent!  I think I would like to add an actual review to this book as well, but I need to get the assignment done first. Keep your eyes open for further thoughts on this title!