Recent reads

I realized last night that I've really gotten away from mentioning my lastest reads, so here are a few of the more memorable ones from the last few months.

• The Frog Princess. Cute, cute, cute! I love books that retell a traditional fairy tale. This particular one . . . well, I'll let you read it. This is one that Sass and I read aloud. Spyder joined us too, but he decided that I read too slow for him, so he finished it before we did. We have two of the sequels, but we haven't started the next one yet.
• Eragon. Very traditional epic fantasy, and occasionally wordy, but overall quite good.
• The Chronicles of Chrestomanci, Volume 1. Nice, easy fantasy. Complex enough to be interesting, but still on the fluffy side.
• The Moorchild. Lovely, lovely story with wonderful characters. I was entranced.
• Montmorency and the Assassins. The third book in Eleanor Updale's Montmorency series. I didn't like it as well as the first book, but better than the second.
• 84 Charing Cross Road. Absolutely charming, and a must-read for book lovers. 84 Charing Cross Road isn't about the books though. They're more supporting characters. The main characters are Helene and the staff of the bookshop, and the story is the relationship that develops. Since I'd first read this book a few years ago, this was a skimming sort of reread, like looking through a familiar photo album. You know what to expect, and part of the fun is remembering.

In reading this list, it's blatantly obvious that I've been spending most of my time on children's and young adult books. It started out as a way to stay ahead of Spyder, but I've been enjoying this retreat.