Book Reviews | Stephanie's Written Word

Aug 25

Shutter Island (book & movie)

By Stephanie book reviews, books & movies 11 Comments »

It’s the 1950’s and Teddy Daniels, a US Marshal and war veteran, has been sent to Shutter Island along with his partner Chuck Aule to find escaped patient Rachel Solando. Shutter Island is the home of Ashecliffe hospital, a mental institution for the criminally insane. Teddy has his own ghosts though, having lived through the war and the loss of his wife, who died in an apartment fire just a few short years ago.

But something is strange about Ashecliffe and as Teddy and Chuck delve deeper into the disappearance of Rachel, they realize that there are much more devious things going on on Shutter Island. With a hurricane bearing down on the island, things only get more confusing. It turns out that on Shutter Island all is not quite what it seems. How could have Rachel escaped a locked prison cell? When Rachel all of a sudden reappears you realize that the mystery of Shutter Island has only just begun. Has Teddy come to the the island with his own agenda? And will Teddy and Chuck make it off the island in one piece?

Like the wind from the hurricane that has hit the island, Shutter Island by Dennis Lehane will throw you around until you no longer know which way is up. Lehane’s writing grabs you by the throat and doesn’t let go until the very end. Shutter Island is one of those books you just can’t put down and I read it in a few short days, always trying to stay one step ahead of the author to figure out what was really going on. But just when you think you know what is going to happen, Lehane throws in another plot twist that literally blows your mind. I was blindsided a few times while reading the book and really enjoyed the twists and turns of the story. Shutter Island is a great psycological thriller.

Once finishing the book, I got a copy of the movie which is directed by Martin Scorsese. You can see the trailer below.

I was impressed by how closely the movie followed the story in the book and also thought that it was well cast. I would recommend reading the book then watching the movie, as I think they both were well worth my time.

Aug 16

The Passage (review & giveaway)

By Stephanie book reviews, giveaway 19 Comments »

I know, I’m sure you’ve read a bunch of reviews of Justin Cronin’s hotly anticipated The Passage by now. Here is my super-simplistic review (because I’m tired and after taking A LONG TIME to read this 800 plus page whopper, I’m burned out).

Anyway, The Passage is about end of the world and death row inmates injected with yucky stuff (in the hopes of creating a super-human army) thanks to the US Military. Unfortunately, it has turned them into glowing, crazy vampire creatures that play tricks with your mind. Then they escape, wreaking havoc throughout the world. With the exception of one young girl named Amy, who was also one of the ”patients” that the US Military was messing with, the vampires (or virals as they are called) have pretty much taken over the world. Fast forward 90 plus years and you then meet the people of The Colony, ancestors of those who survived, who have to turn on flood lights each night to keep the creepy guys away so they don’t turn everyone into bloodsucking maniacs. Then Amy shows up, only she is like a hundred years old but looks like she is in her mid-teens. With the looming disaster (batteries are about to go dead, plunging those unlucky people into darkness) Amy and a bunch of them have only one hope – to go out into the world to figure out what is really happening.

Well, I liked The Passage, but didn’t love it. I’ll start with the most glaring problem – the fact that there were many slow spots. A little more editing would have done the story good, because I felt that there was a lot of talk that was repetitive. If I had to read another line about about which bunker they found to stay in, what canned food they were going to eat, or which vehicle would get them where they were going I think I would have screamed. Talk about dragging the story on. I only hope that the next two books (yep, it’s a trilogy) aren’t quite as long winded.

Even though the story didn’t have me stockpiling food like that other “end of the world” book I read this year (Life As We Knew It by Susan Beth Pfeffer -read my review here) I understand how The Passage totally creepy some readers out.

Having said that, I must admit that Cronin has a way with words. There were a few passages that I highlighted as I read. This one I especially liked:

Though most of the sisters prayed in the little chapel behind the kitchen, and Lacey did this too, she reserved her most earnest, searching prayers for this time alone in her room, not even kneeling but sitting at her desk or on the corner of her narrow bed. She’d put her hands in her lap, close her eyes, and send her mind out as far as she could – since childhood, she had imagined it as a kite on a string, lifting higher as she let the line out – and wait to see what happened. Now, sitting on the bed, she sent the kite as high as she dared, the imaginary ball of string growing smaller in her hand, the kite itself just a speck of color far above her head, but all she felt was the wind of heaven pushing upon it, a force of great power against a things so small.

Also, the story is certainly imaginative and much more than the typical vampire novel that has taken over the book publishing world today. These are creatures that aren’t the lovey-dovey Cullen clan and they are not supposed to be. It’s a vampire book with what you would actually think vampires would truly be like, if they existed at all. Also, I really liked most of the characters and did begin to care about them as the story went on. I just wish that the author decided to do it with a few less words.

Giveaway Details!

Think you’d like The Passage more than I did? Since I bought the hardcover to bring on vacation with me, but then go a Nook and decided to download it onto that, I now have a big, unread, brand-spanking new hardcover of The Passage to giveaway. All you need to do is leave a comment on this post, with a valid e-mail address, by Noon EST time on August 22nd. For a second entry just tweet about this giveaway on Twitter (Don’t miss out! @SWrittenWord is giving away a hardcover copy of The Passage http://www.stephanieswrittenword.com/?p=2667). I will e-mail the winner directly. Good luck!!

Aug 08

Dracula, My Love (review, giveaway & tweet-up)

By Stephanie book events, book reviews, new books 29 Comments »

What if you were in love with an immortal being who
everyone you knew was determined to destroy?

Syrie James, author of The Lost Memoirs of Jane Austen and The Secret Diaries of Charlotte Bronte is out with a new book this month called Dracula, My Love: The Secret Journals of Mina Harker and let me tell you, it is a thrill ride from start to finish!

Mina Murray is a young girl soon to be wed to childhood friend Jonathan Harker. While Jonathan is away on business in Transylvania, Mina is spending the summer with her best friend Lucy in the coastal town of Whitby, England. It has been awhile since Mina has heard from Jonathan and is worried that he will be delayed in coming home. But Mina finds herself distracted when she meets an attractive and mysterious foreigner who recently arrived. At the same time, Lucy starts to sleep-walk and becomes quite ill. Before she knows it, Mina’s life goes topsy-turvy. There is talk of vampires in England and when Mina finds out the shocking truth about Jonathan’s delay and Lucy’s illness she realizes that there is more to the mysterious charismatic stranger than meets the eye.

Soon Mina is torn between her good and sweet Jonathan and the passionate, sexy mystery man who is really Count Dracula. When Jonathan, along with a group of men, decide that it is time to rid the world of Dracula once and for all, Mina has a terrible choice to make. Does she stay true to Jonathan or will she let her passionate feelings for Dracula conquer all.

Told from Mina’s perspective, Dracula, My Love is a fantastic read! James has written an excitingly dark tale with a romantic twist that is a page turner from start to finish. The author has given Dracula something that is missing in earlier novels – a heart and soul. I remember reading Bram Stoker’s Dracula years ago and realized after reading this new book that James has really added to the original story, giving it new life and an entirely fresh perspective. There was even a twist at the very end which I didn’t see coming but gave the story an satisfying conclusion. Like a vampire draining his latest victim, I sucked down every juicy detail of Dracula, My Love. I really enjoyed this novel and would highly recommend it.

Giveaway & Tweet-up Details!

TLC Book Tours has generously provided me with a copy of Dracula, My Love to giveaway! All you need to do is leave a comment (with a valid e-mail address) on this post. I will pick a winner from the first thirty comments I receive! Only US/Canada entries please (and no P.O. Boxes). Easy, right?

And if you don’t win the book from my blog (and would love to get to chat with the author) then check out the Vampire Lit Tweet-Up and Book Giveaway on August 13th starting at 1 pm PST/4 pm EST time on Twitter for a bunch more chances to win this novel (just make sure to use the hashtag #TLCbookchat to join in on the fun)!

For more information about the author and her new novel, check out her Website, find her on Facebook or check out her YouTube stuff! You can also read an excerp of Dracula, My Love HERE.

Follow the tour for Dracula, My Love:

Monday, August 2nd: LoveVampires

Monday, August 2nd: Tynga’s Reviews

Tuesday, August 3rd: All Things Urban Fantasy

Tuesday, August 3rd: Pirate Penguin’s Reads

Wednesday, August 4th: Parajunkee

Wednesday, August 4th: Hist-Fic Chick

Thursday, August 5th: Book Junkie

Thursday, August 5th: Peeking Between the Pages

Friday, August 6th: Mindful Musings

Monday, August 9th: Scandalous Women

Monday, August 9th: Passages to the Past

Tuesday, August 10th: Historical-Fiction.com

Tuesday, August 10th: Stiletto Storytime

Wednesday, August 11th: Dark Faerie Tales

Thursday, August 12th: Lovin’ Me Some Romance

Jul 30

The Forgotten Garden (mini-review)

By Stephanie book reviews, cool blogs & sites 15 Comments »

I think this is the first time I’ve ever written a mini-review (with the exception of my sort-of-review last week)! I am usually very good about writing a book review as soon as I finish a book, but somehow The Forgotten Garden by Kate Morton slipped through the cracks. In fact, I was originally going to skip over this review all together, but really enjoyed her book and wanted to encourage my readers to pick it up. Instead of writing my own synopsis, I’ve copied a description of The Forgotten Garden from the authors website:

On the eve of the first world war, a little girl is found abandoned on a ship to Australia. A mysterious woman called the Authoress had promised to look after her – but the Authoress has disappeared without a trace.

A terrible secret…

On the night of her twenty-first birthday, Nell O’Connor learns a secret that will change her life forever. Decades later, she embarks upon a search for the truth that leads her to the windswept Cornish coast and the strange and beautiful Blackhurst Manor, once owned by the aristocratic Mountrachet family.

A mysterious inheritance…

On Nell’s death, her grand-daughter, Cassandra, comes into an unexpected inheritance. Cliff Cottage and its forgotten garden are notorious amongst the Cornish locals for the secrets they hold – secrets about the doomed Mountrachet family and their ward Eliza Makepeace, a writer of dark Victorian fairytales. It is here that Cassandra will finally uncover the truth about the family, and solve the century-old mystery of a little girl lost.

The Forgotten Garden was a book that I read with my book club. We all really enjoyed the novel and had a very good discussion about it at the meeting. At over five hundred detailed pages, The Forgotten Garden was not a book that you could easily breeze through. In fact, it took me quite a while to get through the novel as I really wanted to pay attention carefully to the storyline. Morton so expertly spins multiple plot lines throughout the story and if I had rushed through the novel I might have missed some important details.

With a completely satisfying ending, The Forgotten Garden was a thoroughly enjoyable read and perfect for book club discussions. I’ve never read her first book The House at Riverton but plan on grabbing a copy of it soon. I am also looking forward to reading Morton’s new book, The Distant Hours, which will be released later this year.

For more in-depth reviews, check out what Violet Crush and Discussing Books had to say about The Forgotten Garden.

Jul 22

To Kill a Mockingbird (a sort-of-review)

By Stephanie book events, book reviews, cool blogs & sites 20 Comments »

I did it! I finally sat down and read To Kill a Mockingbird and found myself thoroughly immersed in the world of Scout, Jem, Atticus and the many varied characters within the book. Instead of writing a “review” because there must be thousands of reviews written about this American classic already (and I always feel quite underqualified to actually review a classic) I’ve decided to just write down some of my thoughts about To Kill a Mockingbird (TKAM) for all of you (WARNING – may contain spoilers in this semi-review)!

What surprised me the most about TKAM?

I really had very little to go on when I opened the first page. I knew the book was about racism and prejudice, but that was all the information I had. So I was kind of surprised that the book wasn’t this epic story that I’ve sometimes associated with a classic. Instead of spanning generations or a lifetime, TKAM focuses on just a few years in the life of Scout and her older brother Jem. It was really a very simple, quiet book. Having said that, Harper Lee didn’t have to write this epic drama to get her point across. It was a very powerful book, all neatly packed in just over three hundred pages.

What did I love best about TKAM?

I have to say I really enjoyed the humor sprinkled throughout the novel. Scout of course had some of the best lines and I particularly loved it when she started swearing, in the hopes that her father would take her out of school:

“Aw, that’s a damn story,” I (Scout) said.
“I beg your pardon?”
Atticus said, “Don’t pay any attention to her, Jack. She’s trying you out. Cal says she’s been cussing fluently for a week, now.”
Uncle Jack raised his eyebrows and said nothing. I was proceeding on the dim theory, aside from the innate attractiveness of such words, that if Atticus discovered I had picked them up at school he wouldn’t make me go. But at supper that evening when I asked him to pass the damn ham, please, Uncle Jack pointed at me. “See me afterwards, young lady,” he said

Who was my favorite character?

I have to say Scout because I loved that she was spunky, intelligent and wise beyond her years.

What was my best discovery about TKAM?

I really loved how the author tied in the title of the book to the entire story. When Scout says to her father “Well, it’d be sort of like shootin’ a mockingbird, wouldn’t it?” a few pages short of the end of the story is really a beautiful moment. I also felt the theme of “putting yourself in another man’s shoes” was a powerful one. At the end of the book there is a very scene where Scout is looking at her street from Boo Radley’s front porch and realizes that her father’s advice to always look at a situation from another person’s perspective is spot on. It’s given me a lot to think about since finishing the book.

What is my biggest regret when it comes to TKAM?

Probably the fact that unlike a lot of Americans, I didn’t have the opportunity to read TKAM while young and in school. I would love to have read and studied TKAM with my peers at a young age. Check out this guest post over at She Is Too Fond Of Books to see how one teacher has come up with a very creative and interactive way to teach teenagers directly from the pages of TKAM. How awesome and interesting would that assignment be? But unfortunately I didn’t read this book as a teenager and wish that I had, not only to have been able to learn about TKAM while still a kid, but to have been able to re-read it as an adult to see how or if my perceptions of TKAM changed with time.

Check out this website that celebrates the 50th Anniversary of TKAM (plus you can listen to Sissy Spacek’s audio recording of the book). Thank you Harper Collins for sending me this book for me to read and review!

Lastly, I found this HILARIOUS video put together by Cat over at Beyond Books which includes her thoughts on the first eight chapters of TKAM.

Thank you Cat for allowing me to share your video on my blog (make sure you all watch the video until the end – it’s worth it)!! I hope Cat that you continue with the video series as you read TKAM (and no, the Mockingbird is not named Frank)!

Jul 15

Faithful Place & talk to the author!

By Stephanie book events, book reviews 10 Comments »

Tana French, author of In the Woods and The Likeness, has written another fantastic thriller! Her newest book, Faithful Place: A Novel just came out last week and already has gotten high marks from bloggers and the press.

Frank Mackey, who we first met as Cassie’s boss in The Likeness, is the star of Tana French’s third book. Frank is the divorced father of nine year old Holly. He is also head of Undercover for the Dublin police. With the exception of his sister Jackie, Frank hasn’t been in contact with any of his family and friends from his old stomping grounds at Faithful Place for over twenty years. That is all about to change when Frank receives a frantic call from Jackie that something is wrong at the old homestead. Apparently in the abandoned building up the street an old suitcase has been found buried in the walls. The suitcase belonged to Rosie Daley, who was Frank’s first love. Frank and Rosie had agreed all those years ago to run away to London together, but while waiting for her that long ago evening Rosie never showed up. Frank, who assumed this was Rosie’s way of breaking up with him, decided to take off and the next day both he and Rosie were gone. Everyone had assumed they ran off together, but Frank went on with his life and Rosie was never heard from again.

After Frank goes home to his dysfunctional family to check out the suitcase (bringing up some bad memories of the long ago rages of his alcoholic father, his crazy mother and four siblings) he does some snooping around. But the people of Faithful Place aren’t too happy to see Frank return. Having been gone for so long, and then become a cop no less, Frank finds himself between a rock and a hard place. How can he find out what really happened to Rosie so many years ago if no one wants to talk? And is Frank himself ready for what he is about to discover?

Again, Faithful Place is another winner from the author Tana French. French seems to bring the psychological thriller to a whole new level with each new book. Faithful Place is a really good read and the character of Frank is one of the authors most complex to date. Crass, pessimistic, tough and harboring deep scars from his violent upbringing, Frank is a multi-layered character that is the perfect fit for this book. The book is definitely a who-done-it, but more importantly it is a story about Frank’s mental state, which takes a battering while trying to crack the case. I came to love the character of Frank as I read the book, not necessarily because he is such a great guy (although he has one of those sense of humors that cracks me up) but for the simple fact that he is so real. I mentioned in my review of The Likeness earlier this year that French creates characters that are almost real enough to touch and Frank is as real as you can get. All in all it was another winner from Tana French!!

If you are interested, you can see my review of The Likeness here and In the Woods here. Thank you Penguin for sending me an ARC copy of Faithful Place for review.

Cool author event!

Penguin Books invites you to join the celebrated mystery author, Tana French, for a chat at the Penguin Water Cooler on Tuesday, July 20th at 1:30 PM ET, hosted here on the Penguin USA website! Don’t miss this opportunity to chat with Tana on the heels of the publication of her hotly anticipated third novel, Faithful Place

Jul 07

Twenties Girl

By Stephanie book reviews 13 Comments »

I’ve been eyeballing Sophie Kinsella’s newest book Twenties Girl for awhile now. I’ve only read one of her other books (The Undomestic Goddess, which I thought was super cute) and so I quick grabbed a copy of Twenties Girl in paperback and gave it a chance.

Twenties Girl tells the story of Lara Lington, a women in her twenties who is going through a rough time. In fact, she thinks she is losing it. Her boyfriend Josh recently dumped her and her headhunter business is going down the tubes ever since her flaky business partner disappeared with some guy on a tropical island. Now her Great-Auntie Sadie has passed away at the age of one hundred and five and the Lington family has come together to pay their respects. But the fact is that Lara has never even met her Aunt and her family hasn’t visited her in the nursing home in years. Then all of a sudden Sadie shows up in ghost form at the funeral but only Lara can see her. With all the stress going on in her life, Lara thinks that maybe she has finally gone over the edge. As it turns out, Sadie is a very real ghost in the form of her 1920’s self and has just one request from Lara. Find her lost dragonfly necklace so she can be at rest.

Even though Lara and Sadie are two very different people (well, person and ghost) they are a funny duo who work together trying to find the necklace. Along the way they end up in silly situations that will put a smile on your face. Just like The Undomestic Goddess, Sophie Kinsella has written a clever novel that has lots of laughs and a plot that moves as a steady pace. If you are looking for a serious novel, you can skip over Twenties Girl. Kinsella writes classic chick lit (and has mastered the genre) so if you are in the mood for a cheerful, flirty book to take on vacation with you this is a good one!

Jul 01

Scones and Sensibility (Everything Austen II kickoff)!

By Stephanie book challenges, book reviews, everything austen II, guest posts 11 Comments »

Welcome to Everything Austen II!! Even though the challenge officially starts today, you have until July 15, 2010 to sign up. Please check out this post to find out how to join in on the fun! Already joined up and have a review you want to add to the database? Just click on the Everything Austen II tab at the top of this blog for instructions!!

There aren’t all that many Young Adult books available with a Jane Austen slant and so I was surprised when I came upon Scones and Sensibility by Lindsay Eland. The story is of young Polly Madassa, a twelve year old modern day girl working in her parent’s bakery in a coastal New Jersey town for the summer. Polly is convinced that she was born in the wrong time period and was really meant to live in a more romantic time ala Jane Austen. So convinced is she that she has even begun speaking in Austen-verse, to the extreme annoyance of her sixteen year old sister Clementine.

Polly spends her free time reading Anne of Green Gables and Pride and Prejudice and is swept away by the romance of Elizabeth and Darcy. Upset over the state of the love lives of her sister, her best friend’s father and one of the bakery customers, Polly becomes a modern day Emma Woodhouse and tries her hand at matchmaking with hilarious (and sometimes disastrous) results. Polly spends the summer biking around town delivering pastries, all the while keeping an eye out for the next couple to match up. Will Polly ever bring true love to the people in her neighborhood or has her romantic sensibilities finally gone too far?

Intended for girls 12 and up, Scones and Sensibility is a super cute book. Polly is a like-able character who thinks she is doing what she was born to do and even if some of her matchmaking goes horribly awry, it’s still fun to follow along with her story.

One of the quirkiest part of the book, and what makes it so endearing, is the fact that Polly is so caught up with romance and Jane Austen that she speaks to everyone as if living in 18th Century England. Even though the adults around her don’t seem all that concerned with her speaking in such a flowery way (which is probably the only flaw I could find in this little book – why wouldn’t her parents just tell her to cut it out, just like her sister tried to do?) I still think it added nicely to the story.

“This is most vexing to me,” I said aloud. (I had learned the word vexing from dear Jane Austen and had hoped to find a circumstance in which I could use it. This was definitely one such moment.) “Yes, I am very vexed indeed,” I said again.

Cute, right? There is also plenty of humor in Scones and Sensibility, which you can see in this passage.

“Dear Papa, you are angelically good, and my lovely Mama, you are divinely beautiful. I thank the stars and the sun and moon, the waves that crash upon the shore, the geese that fly through the heavens -”
“All right Polly. What’s this about?” My monologues was abruptly interrupted by Mama. “I’ve already said no to buying you a horse and carriage. It’s simply not going to happen.”

If you’re in the mood for a light read that will bring a smile to your face, make sure to check out Scones and Sensibility. To find out more about this book and the author visit her website here.

Lindsay will be back here tomorrow with a wonderful guest post about Jane Austen and desserts!! Yum.

Remember, the author has generously offered to sign a copy of Scones and Sensibility (along with a vintage lace handkerchief) to one lucky Everything Austen II participant, but you need to have signed up by July 15th to qualify!! Again, click here to find out how to join Everything Austen II!

Jun 08

The Luxe

By Stephanie book reviews 11 Comments »

Elizabeth Holland, Manhattan socialite and golden girl, is dead. Her friends and family have all gathered to mourn her passing on what was supposed to be her wedding day. But even though these young ladies and gentlemen make up the upper-crust of 1899 New York, all is not beauty and grace in their tight-knit world.

Henry Schoonmaker, handsome and wild, isn’t interested in settling down anytime soon. Instead he likes to spend his time with a drink in one hand and a girl on the other. His latest dalliance has been with Penelope Hayes, a wicked conceited girl who is more interested in showing off her wealth than being nice. Even though Henry is happy playing the slimy bachelor, Penelope is hoping that he will ask her to marry him.

Henry’s father has other ideas. He has decided to run for office and forces Henry to propose marriage to prim and proper Elizabeth. Even though Elizabeth seems like the perfect young lady, she has her own secret love, one that would destroy her if it is ever made public. Henry is not too thrilled to be forced by daddy to tie the knot and while pretending to like Elizabeth, he has set his eyes on her younger sister Diana. Penelope is enraged by the turn of events and will do anything to stop the wedding. So what really happened to Elizabeth in the end?

As you can see, The Luxe (the first book in a YA series written by Anna Godbersen) is filled with characters that don’t have to many redeeming qualities. Caddy, gossipy and abnoxious, The Luxe is like those G*rls Gone W*ld videos that were popular a few years back. Both the video and this book didn’t have a redemming quality among them, but you just can’t look away! If you are looking for a read full of fluff, then The Luxe is right up your alley. Even though I thought the book was interesting (and moved along at a steady pace) I’m not sure I’m intrigued enough to continue with the series. The writing is what you would expect from your typical YA novel, but the characters where just so unlikable that I probably wouldn’t like to visit that world again.

The Luxe is the first book in a series by author Anna Godbersen. You can find out more about the books and the author at her website.

May 28

The Secret Lives of Princesses book giveaway

By Stephanie book reviews, giveaway 51 Comments »

Everyone knows about Cinderella, Snow White, and other fairy tale favorites. But there are many princesses who have been so well hidden, most of us never heard of them. All of that is about to change. The Secret Lives of Princessesby Philippe Lechermeier and Rébecca Dautremer is a treasure trove of incredible behind-the-scenes stories that reveal the secret lives of the world’s most mysterious princesses.

It’s not very often that I get the opportunity to review an ARC of a children’s book, so when Sterling Children’s Books offered to send me a copy of their new book The Secret Lives of Princesses I jumped at the chance. The Secret Lives of Princesses by Philippe Lechermeier and illustrated by Rebecca Dautremer is a quirky, beautifully illustrated book that my daughters and I have enjoyed reading over and over again. At over a whopping ninety pages, the book is filled with everything a little girl (and her mom) would love – whimsical characters, clever wordplay and illustrations that are just plain yummy.

The most refreshing part of the book is to read about princesses who aren’t all that concerned with finding their true love, or worried about when they will meet their prince charming. Mostly, this book is filled with princesses that don’t behave all that much like the princesses portrayed in children’s literature, which makes this book a unique and fun reading experience. There are tons of princesses in the book, including Princess Hot-Head (seen on the cover) who has the face of an angel, but behaves like a devil, Princess Somnia who prefers to sleep all the time and even Princess Oblivia who is so absentminded that she misses all her appointments.

Out of all the wonderfully imaginitive Princesses in this book, I have to tell you that my favorite is Princess Paige, who would rather spend her time locked in her library reading books than attending a ball. You’ve just got to love a book with a princess like that!

GIVEAWAY DETAILS!!

If you think that you or a child in your life would enjoy The Secret Lives of Princesses as much as I have, then you are in luck. Sterling Children’s Books has offered to giveaway a copy of this beautiful book to one of you! All you have to do is leave a comment with your e-mail on this post for a chance to win! For an additional entry, tweet this giveaway Check out this cool giveaway hosted by @SWrittenWord for The Secret Lives of Princesses! http://tinyurl.com/34buvfq). Please note that this giveaway is only open to US or Canadian residents. I will e-mail the winner on Friday, June 4th. Also, if you don’t win the book here on my blog, check out the giveaway at 5 Minutes for Books! Good luck!!