Category Archives: Book Reviews

Howl’s Moving Castle by Diana Wynne Jones

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Recently, I have read Howl’s Moving Castle which is a fantasy novel about a young girl named Sophie who is the oldest daughter of three daughters. The story surrounds her adventures and encounters with evil spells, wizards, and witches. She must handle the heartless Howl, a fire demon, and the Witch of the Waste in order to break an aging spell. The novel is a wonderful mix of magic, romance, and humor that anyone can enjoy.

I personally loved the romantic and fantastical aspects of the story. I also love Sophie’s characters, as she is portrayed as a headstrong and independent girl who trusts herself and her own decisions. I love the humorous aspects of the story as well and I believe Jones did a splendid job of combining comical and romantic themes in the novel. The novel always kept me on my toes and is overall an exciting and engaging story I think everyone should give a read.

Unfortunately, I did not like the initial character of Howl in comparison to the Studio Ghibli movie, however I think his character development is an aspect of the story many will find enjoyable.

Overall, the story is filled with lovely imagery and descriptions, beautifully written characters, and an interesting plot. It’s engaging and truly transports you into another world while reading.  Personally, I recommend this book to anyone looking for a short read!

Kaiya T.

Howl’s Moving Castle by Diana Wynne Jones is available to check out from the Mission Viejo Library. It is also available to download for free from Libby.

Book Review: Humble Pi by Matt Parker

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One of my favorite books that I have recently read is the book Humble Pi by Matt Parker. It is a very interesting book about how math mistakes affect the real world. I also found it very humorous and funny, and it was very interesting how it described many real-life examples in detail as well.

One thing that I liked most about the book was how detailed the descriptions are, giving a great deal of information on each of the various topics. I found it interesting about how it talked about how math affects and can even cause problems in the real world. I also liked how the topic was unique, as it talked about many things not covered in most books. It gives many good explanations for countless areas and topics, and it is sure to provide you with a very interesting, intriguing read.

The book is also very humorous and funny, also helping to make it an entertaining read. It has a very witty, delightful sense of humor, making for a lot of laughs. I found the book to be very amusing and entertaining overall, merging a funny, comic tone with fascinating descriptions. I also liked how it used many drawings and images to explain the different ideas and causes behind the events in the book.

One of my favorite sections from Humble Pi is about how math can go wrong in video games and other computer programs. I found it intriguing about how much math is used in everyday things like computers, and how important it is in the real world. I was surprised by how much math and numbers are used in things like programming. In addition, I found the book as a whole to be very educational, as it taught many ideas about how math and the real world interact.

Overall, Humble Pi is a great book to read as it is interesting, entertaining, funny, and educational. It has been one of my favorite books to read, and it’s sure that you’ll enjoy it as well. I would recommend this book to someone who wants to learn more or just wants an interesting read. If you enjoy this book, I would also recommend the other books by Matt Parker which cover math in a similar way to this book, and Math With Bad Drawings by Ben Orlin, which provides another fun, entertaining take on math. So don’t forget to check these books out for yourself sometime!

Yummy: A History of Dessert by Victoria Grace Elliott

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This graphic novel is one smart cookie. This graphic novel was informative, but not boring and droning and was tasty to look at. I liked many things about this book, mainly its images and lessons.

The book is divided into different sections, or chapters, for different desserts. The desserts shown are

  • Ice cream
  • Cake
  • Brownies
  • Donuts
  • Pies
  • Gummies
  • Cookies 

And

  • Macaroons 

Something I liked about this book is how they presented the information. This book has three main characters who are called sprites. They are named Peri, Fee and Fada. I love their designs because the colors are really bubbly and the images are all really curved. Like bubble letters. Back to the information point, these characters talk all about the desserts. They do science labs, interviews with “famous bakers” (one of the sprites dress up in costumes), recipes and story times where they read legends of desserts. You would be surprised at how many dessert legends there are. 

Anyways, there are not many recipes for a dessert book, but I love how many things are included. The author added maps so you can find locations and a lot of different cultures! And when I say a lot, I mean A LOT. Cultures from all over the world are represented which was quite refreshing compared to other books.

To return back to my design compliments, this book has a really perky design. The colors are bright and dessert-like. The sprites are tiny and cute and all of the desserts look positively amazing. The design is impressive because the ilustrador had to draw dozens of desserts in the same format, which can be difficult to do.

To wrap it all up, I love this graphic novel. I thought it would be a bit boring because I normally don’t like non-fiction books, but this one was good. If you like baking, are interested in baking or just like looking at pretty drawings of food, I recommend this graphic novel for you!

Yummy: A History of Dessert by Victoria Grace Elliott are available to check out from the Mission Viejo Library. It is also available to download for free from Libby.

Annie and the Old One by Miska Miles

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Annie and the Old One is a Newbery Honor award-winning book by Miska Miles. Annie is a young Native American girl who is very close to her grandmother. Sometimes, when they are laughing together, Annie’s grandmother seems quite young. Other times, when her grandmother is quiet and still, Annie realizes that her grandmother is very old.

One day, Annie’s grandmother announces that she will “go to Mother Earth” when Annie’s mother finishes work on a new rug. Annie is deeply saddened at the thought of her grandmother passing away, so she decides that she must stop the rug from being completed. She does everything she can to delay her mother’s work on the rug. She even attempts to unweave the rug when her mother is not looking. Annie’s grandmother takes her to a quiet place in the desert, so that she can teach Annie about the meaning of life. Annie learns an important lesson from her wise grandmother that she will never forget.

This book is quite short, but I found it to be very poignant and meaningful. I especially liked the relationship between Annie and her grandmother. Annie’s behavior after learning that her grandmother would die seems understandable. I think most children would react in such a way to the death of a loved one. It was very touching to see how much Annie did not want to lose her grandmother. I was also impressed by the way Annie learned to cope with her feelings, out of respect for her grandmother’s teachings. I believe that this is an excellent book for children or anyone else to read about dealing with family death and finding purpose in life.

Annie and the Old One by Miska Miles is available to check out from the Mission Viejo Library.

Book Review: Catcher in the Rye

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I first read Catcher in the Rye in my sophomore English class. I thought it was boring and that my teacher was making me analyze words that meant absolutely nothing. I re-read it about a week ago, and I have to admit, she was definitely onto something. While it’s not on my ‘favorites’ list, Catcher in the Rye is a book I would read again willingly, and that’s good enough for me.

I wasn’t a big fan of the writing style going into it, as the references to the time period and some of the language were just too far off from what I’m used to. However, I was immersed in the story itself, and I really enjoyed it. It follows the story of a teenage boy named Holden Caulfield as he narrates the months of his most recent winter, and I thought it was a very honest book with a very honest main character. Holden is definitely not the best person to narrate his life. He’s extremely biased in favor of himself and he enjoys hating on every other person he comes into contact with, but it’s something about his cynicism that makes the book such an interesting read.

For me, Holden’s inner monologue was a character that I feel most people could relate to, although not to the extent that he feels things. He’s a bit rude and that’s something most teenagers resonate with, especially going through high school and early adult life while figuring out who they are. I didn’t like Catcher in the Rye at first, but I recommend giving it a try if you’re also trying to figure yourself out.

– Tanvi G.

The Catcher in the Rye by J. D. Salinger is available for checkout from the Mission Viejo Library. It can also be downloaded for free from Libby.

Book Review: Liquid Rules- The Delightful and Dangerous Substances That Flow Through Our Lives by Mark Miodownik

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It isn’t common that I do a non-fiction book for a book review, but this might be one of the first times because this book felt so interesting to read. In this book, Mark Miodownik briefly explains why some liquids are dangerous, and why some aren’t, as well as why coffee and tea tastes bitter, all in the course of one flight.

The book starts with a brief introduction to all the liquids the author has had taken away from him during airport security. At the start, The author boards a plane to attend a conference in San Francisco, he begins to explain how jet fuel has more energy than nitroglycerin, an extremely volatile explosive substance. Here, he also introduces Susan, a woman sitting next to him. Throughout the flight, he goes on to explain how the TV he is watching works, how airplanes went from being made of plywood to being made partially using glue. The journey ends with Miodownik realizing that the person he sat next to the whole time was actually the whole reason why he came to the meeting in the first place, as she was the keynote speaker of the conference

In my opinion, this book was really interesting as it took usually mundane things we use in our everyday lives, and delves deeper into how they work. Miodownik makes all of these things very fascinating through his very thorough explanations of how each of these things work, as well as their chemical properties. I would 100% recommend this book for anybody who is very interested in science.

Liquid Rules by Mark Miodownik is available to download for free from Libby.

The Fault in Our Stars: A Masterpiece

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The Fault in Our Stars has been talked about a lot. It’s moving, it’s tragic, it’s so wonderfully and horribly true.

(It’s making me wax poetic as we speak!)

I don’t know quite what I would say in a spoiler review, so instead let this post be here to convince you, to be that sign to check out TFIOS. You won’t regret it.

A sixteen year old girl named Hazel Grace has, as she puts it, lungs that “suck at being lungs.” She uses a cannula to breathe and carries an oxygen tank around; she suffers from thyroid cancer. Every week she goes to a cancer meeting of survivors and patients, as forced by her mother. Hazel, of course, is in the patients group- her disease is terminal and always has been.

Eventually, Augustus Waters, who has been cancer-free for a year and bears a prosthetic leg for his burden, comes into a meeting. And so the two click.

Hazel Grace and Augustus Waters; love in its rawest, purest, most untainted form. As John Green so famously wrote, and as Hazel Grace so famously said: “…I fell in love the way you fall asleep. Slowly, and then all at once.” 

Filled to the brim with enough wit and metaphors to last a lifetime, the pair thrives off of each other’s sharp and astute nature. Books and poems, the thrill of the chase.

It’s filled with rides and waves and those beautiful aha moments and those crushing, sweep you off your feet realizations. 

Oh, this book takes your heart and whips it up into a pretty cream just to drop it and watch it splatter on the sidewalk

In a good way, of course.

I developed a tendency to put mini-sticky bookmarks over particularly good quotes, scenes, or anything I might want to come back to.

And I have to say, this book is an endless trove of remarkable quotes – I ran out of bookmarks

I’ll have to stop here before I ramble on any longer. Seriously, genuinely, from the bottom of my heart, read this. Maybe there are a few tropes in the plot, but the writing far outweighs it. Brilliant execution.

The Fault in Our Stars by John Green. It’s one of the best reads I’ve ever had.

The Fault in Our Stars by John Green is available to check out from the Mission Viejo Library. It is also available to download for free from Libby.

Atomic Habits by James Clear

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Many self-help books encourage complete changes in lifestyle. While these can be helpful for some, many find it overwhelming, and often do not know where to start.

The book Atomic Habits by James Clear defines atomic as “an extremely small amount of a thing.” Unlike other books, the author emphasizes small changes to make big differences.

In the opening of the book, James Clear describes how he overcame his extremely painful baseball injury by improving his habits. Eventually, he started publishing online articles and launched his “Habits Academy” training program. The combination of his extensive background and inspirational journey build his credibility.

Clear often explains the false assumptions made about habits. One of my favorite ideas he presented was the “Plateau of Latent Potential.” He explains that many expect progress to be linear, but in reality, results will not appear until a breakthrough occurs. He uses analogies and illustrations to better help the reader understand.

Another one of my favorite ideas presented was making habits easy. He explains that relying on motivation will make it difficult to complete your goals on harder days.

Explains that making habits easier will “reduce the friction”. Preparing your environment by laying out everything you need beforehand is a great way to make things simpler.

Other helpful techniques include habit stacking, making scorecards, and using habit trackers.

In addition, the author explains that you have to change and reinforce your identity. This way, habits will be less focused on what you want to do, and more on what you want to become. This also involves surrounding yourself with a culture/community with similar goals.

Not only does Clear explain how to build new habits, but also how to break bad ones. He uses many of the same ideas, but in the opposite manner. Some methods of breaking bad habits include increasing friction, reducing your exposure, and finding an accountability partner.

Moreover, the author includes a chart of the 4 Laws of Habits. The chart slowly fills up as you progress through the book. The final version of the chart is shown to the left.

Finally, Clear provides insightful summaries and key take aways at end of the chapter. This makes it easy to refresh on older concepts.

Overall, this book is much more accessible to a general audience and makes the process of building habits less overwhelming. Summaries, analogies, and graphs/illustrations, make the book more interesting,

Atomic Habits by James Clear is available to check out from the Mission Viejo Library. It is also available to download for free from Libby.

Shatter Me by Tahereh Mafi

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Juliette Ferrars has been locked in an asylum for over 264 days by the Reestablishment due to her ability to kill anybody with a single touch. One day, she is suddenly introduced to her new cellmate, Adam Kent, who just happens to be an old friend from her past. With the Reestablishment planning to use her as a new torture weapon, Juliette must make a choice in order to preserve her newfound freedom.

Overall, I really liked this book. Each character was very unique with their own backstory and voice, which made it really easy to tell when the character POV switched from Juliette to Warner in the sequel, Destroy Me. The characters felt like real people that you could relate to and I loved how they all had their opinions and ideas on what Juliette should do. Plus, Juliette’s character development was really great as she went from unsure and scared to starting to become more confident and embracing her powers near the end.

Personally, I feel like Warner and Juliette have more chemistry together than Juliette and Adam, but I can’t wait to learn more about Warner and his backstory as the series continues. I’d definitely recommend this book to anybody who’s a fan of books like The Hunger Games or the Delirium Trilogy.

Shatter Me by Tahereh Mafi is available to check out from the Mission Viejo Library. It is also available to download for free from Libby.

The Hotel Nantucket by Elin Hilderbrand

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*this review may contain spoilers

Honestly, I have been a bit of a reading slump but I decided to check this book out in hopes to regain my love of reading again. It did its job. I have never been so fascinated and invested within a book than I have with this one.

The writing style that Hilderbrand uses is truly unique and constantly makes the readers wanting to read more. The book follows a WIDE amount of characters and their summer in beach town Nantucket, specifically their experiences within Hotel Nantucket. This hotel has been perceived negatively in the past due to the horror relations that have involved this hotel and how a ghost continually haunts the guests and anyone within the hotel. However, a rich-man, Xavier Darling, rebuilt the hotel to be one of the finest hotels and hopes to be critiqued positively by a numerous amount of hotel reviewers. Xavier’s main goal is to impress hotel reviewer, Shelly Carpenter, and allow Hotel Nantucket to become the first hotel to receive 5 keys (which has never been given to any hotel).

I think what I particularly like about this book is that is follows a plethora of characters like the staff, guests, and ghosts of the hotel. I love multiple POV book, the best!! The book is a bit long but that just means more time getting invested with the storyline and characters that Hilderbrand presents. I wish I had read this book during the summer since it is set in a beach town but honestly with Hilderbrand’s writing, I still found a great read.

I would recommend if you are interested in exploring outside your preferred genre and I would suggest those that are in reading slumps to read this book, to get you out!

-Madison C.

The Hotel Nantucket by Elin Hilderbrand is available to check out from the Mission Viejo Library. It is also available to download for free from Libby.