The Actor and the Housewife by Shannon Hale

Category: Fiction

Published: 2009, 352 pages

Review: 4.5/5

I liked this book way more than I expected to. I had read a few reviews that made me think that I wouldn't like it. It might have been for that very reason that I was so pleasantly surprised. I laughed out loud so many times that my husband said, "I'm going to have to read that book!" He wasn't around though when it made me cry like a baby. The story is completely implausible but it still highly entertained me. It also made me think about marriage, motherhood, friendship, service, and love. This may sound stupid, but this book made me want to be a better mother and wife. It's a little cheesy and cliched at times but I didn't mind because most of the time I loved it.

Rating: 2.1.2 There are some innuendos and "barnyard" language.

Rapunzel's Revenge by Shannon Hale and Nathan Hale

Category: Middle grade, Graphic Novel, fantasy

Published: 2008, 144 pgs.

Review: 3/5 stars

This is not your mother's Rapunzel story, it's Rapunzel with a wild west flavor. I thought this was a cute book but I didn't love it. I'm not sure the graphic novel is for me. I found myself annoyed when I had to infer the intended meaning by looking at the pictures. I know. That's the whole point of a graphic novel--the pictures are supposed to tell the story and the words are just there to assist in the telling. I personally prefer words that paint the picture in my head.

I don't know if I'll read very many more graphic novels. But before I completely write off this genre, are there some out there that I shouldn't miss out on?

Rating: 1.1.1 I can't remember anything offensive

Book of a Thousand Days by Shannon Hale

Category: YA, fantasy, romance

Published: 2007

Review: 4/5 stars

After I finished reading this book I felt stupid when I read the book description on the inside of the jacket cover. It describes the book as a retelling of a Grimms fairy tale "reimagined and reset on the central Asian steppes." Duh! I had spent the first chapters imagining the characters as blond-haired and blue eyed. Then even when there were some sketches of people who looked Asian I had a hard time changing what was in my head. But I should have known from the beginning when it referred to the leaders of the people with the title of Khan that this story was set somewhere like Mongolia long ago. It also calls some areas of the land "the steppes." I think I would have enjoyed this book a little more if I'd had the right pictures in my mind.

I know a lot of people have loved this book and although I enjoyed it a lot, I didn't love it. I think I expected too much because I had heard so many great things about it. I do recommend it but it didn't grab me like I wanted it to.

Rating: 2.2.1 There were a couple of places with nudity that I thought were a little weird. Maybe I'm such a prude that I can't even read about nudity without feeling a little uncomfortable.

The Goose Girl by Shannon Hale

Rating: 2.2.1

Recommended audience: Teen to adult

Category: YA fiction, fantasy, romance

I listened to this one on cd's and I really think I would have preferred reading it. The recording of this book is one with a different actor reading each voice and I found it quite distracting in the beginning. Eventually I got used to it and I didn't think about it anymore but I just have a feeling that I would have enjoyed this book more if I had read it. This a retelling, not a twist, on the Goose Girl fairy tale. I had never heard of the Goose Girl before so the whole story was new to me but knowing many fairy tales, I was able to predict fairly easily what was going to happen but that didn't prevent me from enjoying the ride. It has a slow start but it gets much better. Like all of Hale's characters that I've read so far, the heroine is interesting and worth getting to know. I definitely recommend this book to any lovers of fairy tales, young and old.

Austenland by Shannon Hale

Rating: 2.1.2

Recommended audience: 16+

Category: Romance

This book is pure chick-lit, nothing very substantial or thought provoking...but I really liked it. The story is about an early 30's single woman named Jane who has had many failed relationships and blames it partly on her obsession with Mr. Darcy (as played by Colin Firth). She ends up at Austenland, a vacation spot where attendees immerse themselves in the world of Jane Austen complete with the empire waist dresses, corsets, and high tea while actors pretend to be Austenian type characters. Jane's goal is to overcome her obsession with Mr. Darcy so she can finally succeed in a real relationship. This is funny, cute and pure escape fiction but if you like Jane Austen I think you'll like this book. If you love Jane Austen and can seriously critique everything relating to her books, this book might not cut it for you. I don't think you have to have read Austen's books to enjoy this but it is helpful.

Princess Academy by Shannon Hale

Rating: 1.2.1

Recommended audience: Pre-teens and up

Category: Fantasy, romance, YA Fiction

I've heard it said that this is the "golden age of children's literature." When I heard that I thought, "Yeah, Harry Potter is so awesome," and didn't think much more about it. As I've read other book blogs I've decided to look into some of these young adult and children's books and now I'm excited to read a lot more. This is my first book by Shannon Hale and I can't wait to read her other books. Princess Academy is set on Mount Eskel in a mystical world that the author describes so well that it feels like it really exists. It's not the kind of fantasy world where there are elves or sorcery or talking animals, just a few things with magical properties. All the girls ages 12-17 of Mount Eskel are required to leave their village and attend a Princess Academy where they learn what they need to know to be a princess. Then the prince of the lowlands will choose one of the girls to be his princess. It sounds silly and simple but it's not. The main character, Miri, is admirable and interesting, funny and kind. I definitely recommend this book for tweens and teens but their mothers would probably enjoy it too.