Dahti Blanchard

Dahti’s Book (and some movies) List with Occasional Reviews:

The review subjects might be new or old, fiction or non-fiction, geared toward different age groups, and of any genre. I don’t much like skewering people’s hard work, so don’t look for negative reviews. Trust me though, I won’t give something a good review if I didn’t like it. There are many good books out there to get excited about and I’d rather spend my time writing about some of them.
“The List” is simply books I’ve read with a quick indication of how much I liked them. I’m starting with books recently read as of June 24, 2008, but there will be others slipped in there from the past too.

The Bartimaeus Trilogy Book One: The Amulet of Samarkind by Jonathan Stroud
Hyperion Books Bartimaeus Trilogy
ISBN 078681859X
462 pages
C. 2003
Age category: 10 & up (all the way up)

Ever After Ever After, the movie

From Dead to Worse by Charlaine Harris.

The latest in the Sookie Stackhouse barmaid/vampire/werewolf mystery series. Very fun.

Infidel by Ayaan Hirsi Ali.

Certainly not fun, but definitely fascinating. The author was brought up Muslim in Africa and Saudi Arabia, escaped from an arranged marriage, became a Dutch citizen and politician working to make the world aware of abuses suffered particularly by Muslim women and now lives with constant death threats.

Woodswoman by Anne LaBastille.

A well-known book published in 1976 about the author’s life in the wild of the Adirondacks (where I grew up) that I always meant to read and just finally got around to. I thought it was worth the wait.

Northanger Abbey by Jane Austen.

Not the first time I’ve read it, but it’s been a long time. In fact, the first time was well before my personal encounter with Ms. Austen: During a 1991 trip to England I visited Winchester Cathedral while waiting to meet a friend. Stopping at one point to look around, my gaze eventually wandered to the floor where I discovered I was standing on Jane’s tomb. It was quite a thrilling moment. For me, if not for Jane.

Deadline by Chris Crutcher.

Another great YA book by the author. A high school senior is told he has less than a year to live. What he discovers in himself and people around him makes a fascinating tale. Chris Crutcher’s books are always entertaining, funny, sad, full of amazing dialog and usually on someone’s hit list for censorship.

The Sledding Hill by Chris Crutcher.

I’d read all of his other books but somehow this one slipped by me until recently. The main character is a ghost of a young man and the topic is censorship. All of the above descriptions of a Chris Crutcher book apply.

© 2008 Dahti Blanchard
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