Book: Little Women

Author: Louisa May Alcott
Score: 8/10

I read it once before, forgot the story, read it again, and quite enjoyed it. Little Women is a story about how four girls, Meg, Jo, Beth, and Amy grow up. Beth dies early, he reason for her death is unknown (at least to me), despite the fact that she survived scarlet fever. Perhaps she died of frailty. The person most connected with her was Jo, a tomboyish girl who refused to be controlled. Despite the tomboyish nature, she was the object of affection of Laurie, the next door (rich) neighbor until she ultimately friend-zoned him. Ouch. Well, in the end, Amy and Laurie made a cute couple, as did Jo with Mr. Bhaer. I'm so glad Amy dumped Fred Vaughn, but the age difference between Jo and Mr. Bhaer seemed slightly strange. (She was twenty-five, he was forty.) A shame that Beth died. I think she was really cute with Frank Vaughn. Despite the marriage pairings, Louisa May Alcott did a really nice job on trying to focus more on the pre-marriage aspect of the girls' lives, which I respect. The story was really true to life, clashing personalities and all. The antics between Jo and Laurie were particularly funny. I really liked how strong the girls' characters were. They thought for themselves, weren't perfect damsels in distress (aka Mary Sues) and didn't pine away for lovers. (May I also add that Beth seemed more of a symbol of lost childhood than a Mary Sue?) All in all, a very nice read.

P.S. On a completely random note, I just don't consider people poor if they could afford a servant, despite how nice and homely Hannah was.

Book: Castle in the Air

Title: Castle in the Air
Author: Diana Wynne Jones
Rating: ☆ ☆ ☆ ☆  (4/4)
Quote: "The djinn had stolen away Flower-in-the-Night, whom Abdullah loved more than his own soul, just at the moment when she was about to run into his arms, and there seemed nothing he could do. He wept."

Editorial Review: Abdullah was a young and not very prosperous carpet dealer. His father, who had been disappointed in him, had left him only enough money to open a modest booth in the Bazaar. When he was not selling carpets, Abdullah spent his time daydreaming. In his dreams he was not the son of his father, but the long-lost son of a prince. There was also a princess who had been betrothed to him at birth. He was content with his life and his daydreams until, one day, a stranger sold him a magic carpet.
In this stunning sequel to Howl's Moving Castle, Diana Wynne Jones has again created a large-scale, fast-paced fantasy in which people and things are never quite what they seem. There are good and bad djinns, a genie in a bottle, wizards, witches, cats and dogs (but are they cats and dogs?), and a mysterious floating castle filled with kidnapped princesses, as well as two puzzling prophecies. The story speeds along with tantalizing twists and turns until the prophecies are fulfilled, true identities are revealed, and all is resolved in a totally satisfying, breathtaking, surprise-filled ending. (From Amazon)

Summary: Abdullah was a daydreaming carpet seller, whose relatively normal and boring life was interrupted by a seller who sold him a magic carpet. After that, things got a bit out of hand as one by one, it seemed that his daydreams were coming true. Setting out on a journey to rescue his princess, he meets and sees with his own eyes the magical world that he lives in. There are several characters that reoccur from the previous book, but even without reading it, the main storyline is still enjoyable.

This book is witty, entertaining, and charming.