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| Musing Monday, March 20, 2017 |
Musing Mondays is a weekly meme that asks you to choose one of the following prompts to answer:
- I’m currently reading…
- Up next I think I’ll read…
- I bought the following book(s) in the past week…
- I’m super excited to tell you about (book/author/bookish-news)…
- I’m really upset by (book/author/bookish-news)…
- I can’t wait to get a copy of…
- I wish I could read ___, but…
- I blogged about ____ this past week…
I’m currently reading…
by Jordan Stratford & Kelly Murphy
I was looking through lists of alternate history novels on Goodreads last week after finishing up, and love, Front Lines. I came across this one in the lists and saw that my local public library had an available ebook copy, so I downloaded it. I haven't been spending a lot of time reading it because my phone has been tied up in casting Netflix onto my TV for me, but what I have read so far I've really enjoyed. Ada is a fun character so far and I look very forward to getting to know her and Mary better.
What caught my attention about this one specifically out of all the books I was looking at was the premise. Ada Lovelace and Mary Shelley meet as young girls, become friends, and form a detective agency. It reminds me very much of another series I have recently enjoyed, the Stoker & Holmes series where Sherlock's niece and Bram's sister become friends and solve mysteries and hunt vampires in a Steampunk London.
I have high hopes for my enjoyment of this book so we'll see if it lives up to them.
History, mystery, and science collide in a new series for middle-grade readers, perfect for fans of The Mysterious Benedict Society and Lemony Snicket!
Jordan Stratford imagines an alternate 1826, where Ada Lovelace (the world’s first computer programmer) and Mary Shelley (author of Frankenstein) meet as girls and form a secret detective agency!
Lady Ada Byron, age eleven, is a genius. Isolated, awkward and a bit rude—but a genius. Mary Godwin, age fourteen, is a romantic. Adventurous, astute, and kind, Mary is to become Ada’s first true friend. And together, the girls conspire to form the Wollstonecraft Detective Agency—a secret constabulary for the apprehension of clever criminals. Their first case involves a stolen heirloom, a false confession, and an array of fishy suspects. But it’s no match for the deductive powers and bold hearts of Ada and Mary.
Mystery fans will love this tween girl riff on Sherlock Holmes and John Watson. History buffs will be delighted to see all the real figures who play a role in this story and appreciate the extensive backmatter that helps separate truth from fiction. Parents and educators hoping to promote the STEM fields for girls will be thrilled to have a series where two girls use math, science, and creative analytical thinking to solve crimes. But most espicially--emerging readers will love this series filled with humor, action, intrigue and wonderful artwork from Kelly Murphy. -- via Goodreads
THIS WEEK’S RANDOM QUESTION: What do think of fairy tales in general? The book versions and their movie counter parts?
I love fairy tales. One of my favourite classes in my undergraduate program was my children's literature class where we spent a good deal of time looking at the old school fairy tales and their influence. I think there's always going to be room for the classic tales, and for the modern adaptations on their themes and stories. Some modern fairy tales that I have enjoyed in book form include:
- Patricia C. Wrede's Enchanted Forest Chronicles
- the Modern Faerie Tales series by Holly Black
- Sisters Red by Jackson Pearce
- the fairy tales in A.S. Byatt's Elementals: Stories of Fire and Ice
- Bill Willingham's Fables comic series
As a Disney fan it's probably obvious that I enjoy film adaptations of fairy tales as well as I do those written in books. As with books I like the classical adaptations, like those depicted in the Disney films, we well as the more modern and irreverent versions. Films like The Princess Bride and Hoodwinked definitely speak to that.
What's your favourite modern fairy tale?
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