Stumphrey Loves Him Some Toys

(Book Review) Salt and Storm

  Goodreads    (3 out of 5 Stars)

 

Salt and Storm is about a girl named Avery Roe, a girl destined to be a witch in a long line of witches on their island home of the coast of Massachusetts. However, she is having trouble accessing her powers due to a curse her mother has placed on her to keep her from finding her grandmother, the only person Avery believes can teach her how to harness her power. In the process of trying to escape her mother’s clutches, she meets a harpoon boy who might be able to help her.

On the bright side, the book was well-written and had an interesting setting and premise. It takes places after the War Between the States and in a town that lives and dies by whaling. The details about whaling were interesting, if at times a little overstated. The witchcraft and magic was well explained and added depth to a story about a girl chafing against the expectations of her mother and her town. In addition, the book was well written. The author often has beautiful word choice and paints a picture well.

That being said, there were some things I found less positive. The last fourth of the book or so felt rushed and, while all loose ends are tied up, some resolutions didn’t feel true to the characters and the charted course of the story. In particular, I feel this is true of the mother’s story line. I am not really pleased with the resolution of the romantic storyline either. Or the one with the grandmother, for that matter. Like I said, I was happy with the book until the end, and it lost me there.

Three-fourths of the book kept me interested and intrigued about what would happen. Although the resolution left me cold, the book was good overall, although not in the league of “favorites”. While I probably won’t rush out to suggest it to my friends, I could certainly see leading some of my students toward it.

I received this book from Netgalley for a review.

First Book Review (and some introduction)

Once again, I find that it is summer time and I am bored. Perhaps, when deciding to be a teacher, I should have considered that I have always become miserable bored about half way through vacation.

In an effort to cure that boredom, I am going to share book reviews and pictures of my dog. This will quite possibly be something nobody ever sees, but at least I will keep myself amused!

 

Without further ado, here is my first review. I received this book from Netgalley, but that in no way reflects on my stated opinion.

  Goodreads   (Rated 4 out of 5 stars)

Although I often find non-fiction a little slow to get through, I raced through this book in just a day, although granted a day that included going to sleep rather late. There were some places in the book that felt rather repetitive, but overall the books was fun, funny, and educational. What else can a reader ask for?

Shane, the narrator, starts at the very beginning, and takes us up to current happenings at the time he wrote the memoir. To say the least, he includes the good, the bad, and the ugly. At times it felt like too much information, but even so, it helps paint a full picture. The narration has a fresh and direct tone no matter what is being discussed, and I found myself intrigued and surprised to find his perspective or way of explaining a topic makes it easy both to understand a situation I have never had to live through and to relate to his struggles without feeling bad that his situation is worse. This type of universality of humor as a means to deal with our problems seems to be his mission in his blog, non-profit, and life, and he has most certainly hit his mark.

If you are in the mood for some good non-fiction from a fresh voice (unless you already read his blog) with a unique and enlightening story to tell, check this one out! 

 

Stumphrey Asleep