Throwback Thursday: The Secret of The Old Clock (Nancy Drew Mystery Stories #1)

1930

I feel sort of misled. Why did I think Nancy Drew solved murders? I thought she was like Scooby-Doo... but a person. Oh well. Now that I think of it Scooby-Doo doesn't really solve murders either. So I guess he and Nancy do have some things in common.

This is obviously the first Nancy Drew book I've read. Even though she didn't solve a murder like I expected, she did help find a missing will. If you haven't guessed by the name of the book, the will was hidden in the old clock. But, Nancy goes on quite an adventure to find the clock.

Even though the book was predictable it was still charming. Nancy has her stuff together. This girl right here can change a flat tire and fix a boat motor while stranded in the middle of the lake. Now I know why so many women look up to Nancy as a feminist heroine. She's super smart and always polite and tactful to boot. Not to mention she's fashionable.

I enjoyed this book and was able to read it one sitting, while trying to put a baby to sleep. The book was cozy and probably paved the way for the cozy mystery genre that is so popular today. I say probably just because I really don't know anything about the history of cozy mysteries. 

I am giving The Secret of The Old Clock 4 out of 5 stars.

Book Review: Rebel Spirits

Let me make something clear. I don't like writing negative book reviews. I'm sorry Scholastic, you're a great publisher, a favorite of mine since I was a child. I gave the last review I wrote for you, Better To Wish, 5 out of 5 stars. To the author, I'm sorry also. I could never write a book, so you at least have better writing talent than I do. However, I did not enjoy this book. AT ALL. I actually stopped reading for about a week because I just could not force myself to read this. Somehow I prevailed, mostly because I'm doing a group reading challenge and I didn't want to let my teammates down. 

I'm trying to analyze and determine why it is that I don't like this book.Was it because it was Young Adult? That can't be it, because I have rated many Young Adult books between three and five stars. Was it because it was a paranormal romance? Eh, it's not my favorite genre, but I do have a soft-spot for ghosts. I don't feel like the fact that a ghost was a love interest ruined the book, at all. So what could it be? I think it really just boils down to the writing. It was almost like the book was written by someones mother who was trying to convince her teenage daughters that she can be cool. She obviously failed miserably. Here are some examples of times I shook my head throughout the book:

"The shirtless guy riding on the mower checks us out as we pull into the gravel driveway. He is maybe a year older than me, and as tan as a muffin, with longish blond hair sweaty on his shoulders. He reminds me of a border collie."

LMBO, really? REALLY? He was "tan as a muffin"? What kind of muffin would that be? Blueberry? Chocolate? I don't even think my grandma ever described a man as being "tan as a muffin". Who says that??  And this is supposed to be a 16-year-old girl talking. I'm not even going to go into the border collie comment.

"He's wearing a Dallas Cowboys T-shirt today, I see from way up here. I grab my glasses off my desk to inspect closer."

She had to grab her glasses to checkout a guy. Oh wait, she didn't check him out, she "inspected" him.

"What a fair-weather friend Gertie's turning out to be."

Look Lois, no teenager says "fair-weather friend". Did the author write this book while watching The Golden Girls and taking her arthritis medication?

"In the front parlor there are about a million copies of her book for sale. It's called What a Girl Saw and Heard of the Battle. Maybe I ought to buy a copy. Sixteen dollars? Forget it."

I usually love first-person narratives. However, the main character's mind is so simple. She thinks nothing deep. This is basically the complexity of her thoughts. The reader gains nothing by having insight into the main character's personal thoughts and feelings.

""Oh Hello!" You're the daughter of that new couple running Coolspring Inn," she says, clapping her hands as if she's smashing gnats."

How exactly does one clap their hands as if smashing gnats?

"We yammer like magpies, and I tell her everything I know about Nathaniel."

She and her friend not only "yammered", but did so as if they were magpies. 

Okay, so I could go on and on. At this point, I'm 25% into the book. This could take all day. So, what it comes down to is this book was torture to read. It could have been good... the Civil War is an era that has always intrigued me as well as haunted houses.  Unfortunately, the writing put up a block that stopped me from enjoying this book at all. 1 out of 5 stars. Sorry.

I received an Advanced Reader Copy (ARC) of this book courtesy of NetGalley and Scholastic in exchange for an honest review.

Book Review: Better To Wish

Better To Wish is the latest book in a new series from author Ann M. Martin. Most young women will remember Ann M. Martin as the author of the famous 90s book series, The Babysitter's Club. When, I first started reading this book, I really had no idea what to expect and I didn't know what it was about. Both on Netgalley, where I requested the ARC, and Goodreads there was a one or two line description which really told nothing about the story. But, the book was from Ann M. Martin and nostalgia for The Babysitter's Club wouldn't let me not request this book.

This book follows the life of Abigail Cora Nichols, at the time we enter the book she's 8-years-old and living in a small cottage near the Maine coastline. We know her mother has lost two babies and Abby and her sister, Rose, are the only of the four to have survived. As the book moves along, her mother's depression basically becomes debilitating. We know her dad, Luther, has a horrible temper and cares a lot about keeping up appearances. To add some spice to the list of his negative attributes, he is also very prejudiced. He does not like Catholics, Jews, French Canadians, or anyone else who isn't a White Anglo-Saxon Protestant (WASP). Even though the book is set during The Great Depression, it also turns out that he does not like  "lazy people" who do not work... even if there's no work to be had. 

Just to stop there, you're probably thinking "wow, that's a lot of heavy stuff." Let me just say, it gets worse. I don't want to spoil it, but in every chapter there seems to be some grim event. The book overall is very sad, but I think it's very true to life. Especially for that era. The book follows Abby from the time she's eight until she graduates from high school and a bit beyond that. So, there's plenty of room for terrible things to happen. 

At first, I wanted to say that this book isn't really the kind of book that a child should read. According to Amazon, the book is for ages eight-and-up. Thinking of a child reading about depression, grief, prejudice, and some other sad stuff just didn't seem appropriate. But, then I thought children are way too sheltered nowadays. Everything is always rainbows and sunshine and even though this book has its difficult topics, it's also uplifting. You can see the light at the end of the tunnel. I think it would be good for kids to read this. Adults too.

I so loved this book. I connected with it. I loved Abigail, the main character. I cannot wait for the next one to find out what happens after the cliffhanger at the end. Abigail is a great role model for young girls. She is so intelligent and insightful. No matter what happens, she is never down on herself, nor does she mope and whine. We could all learn a lesson from Abby. That's why I'm giving this book 5 out of 5 stars, the highest honor.

In my last review of a children's book, Secondhand Horses, I spoke about how a great children's book will connect with readers of all ages. This is one of those books. Do yourself a favor and read it. I did not expect to enjoy a book for children as much as I did this one. I'm very eager to see how this unique series will play out.

I received this book as an Advanced Reader Copy (ARC) courtesy of Netgalley and Scholastic in exchange for an honest review.