Quote, Unquote

They must make a queer pair of lovers. I know just what it is like. Ecstasies in which they forget to kiss. Pure on earth, but joined in heaven. They are souls possessed of senses. They lie among the stars.

~ Grantaire, "Preliminary Gaieties", Les Misérables, Victor Hugo.

He doesn't even know what is going on and he captures it perfectly.

Vive l'France, sweeties.

~ Ambe Shipp

The Agency: A Spy in the House by Y.S. Lee

OH MY GOSH!!! THIS BOOK IS AMAZING!!!

Mary Quinn was rescued from the gallows at the age of twelve, and now resides at the Academy, a school for young ladies. After five years, Mary is recruited to The Agency, a covert group of women who use their supposed shallowness to discover necessary information. In essence, they are spies. Mary's first assignment is to work as a lady's companion while discovering the truth about fraud and thievery in the home of a rich shipping tycoon. Through the course of her investigations, Mary accidentally winds up in a closet with young James Easton, a businessman who is also on the trail of the shipping tycoon (Henry Thorold). They form a shaky partnership which continues throughout the book.

This book, an enthralling mystery set in the throes of victorian London, kept me occupied for hours. It is not a romance in whole, but there are some romantic elements. I would suggest this book for teenage readers, solely because of the victorian vocabulary and historical references. There is no swearing, but there are references of prostitution, drunkenness, and some mild abuse. A young boy is described after he is brutally murdered.

I cannot wait to get to the library and check out the next book in this series!! I sincerely hope that you will go to your library and check out this first installment as soon as you can!!

Cheers!!

Annabelle J.

Months later.....


Okay, so it's been roughly four months since I posted the first book in The Agency series, and I want to give you an update on the rest of the series.

IT. IS. AWESOME. Seriously, I can't think of another good, tasteful mystery series for teens and young adults. There is a rather steamy (by my standards) scene at the end of the third book, but the relationship between Mary and James, the evolution of the Agency, OH MY GOSH. And James! I do believe that I have my latest book crush! He is amazing! The storylines are very good, as well, and the mysteries have weight and keep you reading. I stayed up until one AM to finish the third book.

In order, the books are A Spy In the House, The Body In the Tower, The Traitor In the Tunnel (the steamy, suspenseful chapter in this amazing storyline), and Rivals In the City. I highly recommend reading them in order, and as soon as possible. I'm not going to give you overviews or anything, because I don't want to spoil the books, but I will say that I suggest this series for fourteen and up. Mainly because of the romance bits. Also, READ THESE BOOKS!! FIVE HUGE STARS!!


Annabelle J.

Quote, Unquote ~ Valentine's Day Edition

Is it okay for me to do another quote from Les Mis? Of course it is.

I encountered in the street, a very poor young man who was in love. His hat was old, his coat was worn, his elbows were in holes; water trickled through his shoes, and the stars shone through his soul.
~ Victor Hugo, "A Heart Beneath a Stone", Les Misérables.

So, this is my quote for Valentine's day! A bit late, granted, but I thought it was appropriate. ;)

Vive l'France, sweeties.
Amber Shipp

Words From GiGi

"Friendship is unnecessary. Like philosophy, like art. It has no survival value. Rather, it is one of those things that give value to survival."
~ C. S. Lewis

This is my favorite quote of all time, and one which I happen to associate with Frodo Baggins' and Samwise Gamgee's beautiful friendship.

Live long and prosper!

GiGi Babineaux

Valentine's Day!!

So, Valentine's Day rolls around again. How am I going to celebrate? I'm going to read a mystery novel. Gareth and Gwen's The Fourth Horseman, to be exact. But what are you going to do? Romantic dinner for two? Enough candy to make you sick? If you are A: Not 20, so unable to do the romantic dinner thing or B: Not 5, so you have more common sense than to eat too much, than I have the option for you.

Romance Novel!! Duh! This is going to be like my snow day reads list, except ROMANCE NOVELS. This list will also be significantly shorter, since I avoid most romances when I can. These are the ones that I highly recommend, however.

The Princess of The Midnight Ball & co. by Jessica Day George
The Last Pendragon & The Pendragon's Quest by Sarah Woodbury
The Nine Princesses by Anita Valle
The Iron Peacock by Mary Stetson Clarke
Mara, Daughter of the Nile by Eloise Jarvis McGraw
Seven Daughters and Seven Sons by Barbara Cohen and Bahija Lovejoy
The Sherwood Ring by Elizabeth Marie Pope

NOTE: The main plotlines if these books may not be the romance, but they inevitably end with someone kissing, someone proposing or someone getting married. That should keep you lovebirds occupied for a long while.

OTHER NOTE: These are romance novels, so there is some...behavior...to be expected. Books of warning are Mara, Daughter of the Nile and Seven Daughters for Seven Sons. This last has a questionable description that should bother young men especially.

Felíz Dia del Cariño!!

Annabelle J.

The Time Quintet

The Time Quintet

By Madeleine L'Engle

Science Fiction/Fantasy/Psychological Horror

9.5/10

This series of five standalone novels explores the various adventures of the Murry family, a group of individuals that are above average in intellect, yet below average in normalcy. The series starts with the widely renowned "A Wrinkle In Time", which deals with the properties of space, matter, and dimensions. It continues with "A Wind in the Door", another in-depth and frankly strange look at medical science, life, death, and respect for tradition. The next book, "A Swiftly Tilting Planet", is based solely on time travel, cultural roots, and the connection between people who love each other. "Many Waters" takes on a uniquely Biblical look at time travel, sending two major characters to the days before the Flood. The last book in this beautifully written series is "An Acceptable Time", following the main protagonist's daughter through the trials of broken relationships, how to understand your place in the universe, and most importantly, to be content with what the future has in store.

I absolutely loved this series with all my heart. Its words moved me to tears, with the very way it was written. I removed .5 of a point because the plots sometimes were rather weak, but the very force of emotion in the stories makes up for it.
I believe that this series would be acceptable for ages twelve and up, due to confusing theories about physics that are discussed, and some rather awkward content in "Many Waters". I labeled this series "Psychological Horror", because throughout the whole series, there is the threat of the unknown, and many things gave me chills even now, when I reread them. I can't even really say what makes me uncomfortable, because I had a deep sense of edginess throughout the entire series.
So, this is a great series, but know yourself (if you are a reader) and know your child (if you are a parent). If you are a parent, I would suggest reading these before your child.

So. Yes.

Thanks.

Allons-y!
Amber Shipp

Quote, Unquote

Life is a hideous invention of somebody I don't know who. It doesn't last, and it is good for nothing.
You break your neck to live.
~ Grantaire, Victor Hugo's Les Misérables.

Sorry to be so depressing so early in the year. (Though, to be fair, Grantaire was rather drunk when he came up with this, and not everything he says should be trusted.)

Vive l'France, sweeties.
Amber Shipp

"Wonder" by R. J. Palacio

Hello, m'dahlings!
This is GiGi Babineaux, here to post my very first post/review on this lovely website of Hobbledehoys! I am very excited to be here and I hope you enjoy my reviews.

Title: Wonder

Author: R. J. Palacio

Genre: Children's Fiction

Age Range: 9+

Epic Review:

August Pullman is a ten year old boy, about to enter the 5th grade and go to private middle school for the first time after being homeschooled all his life.
No big deal, right?
It probably wouldn't be, except for the small yet rather important fact that Auggie has facial deformities. When he was born, the doctors didn't think he would make it. August beat the odds (as kids with physical problems often do) and is now a sweet, kind, and generous child happy to be alive. That is, until his parents inform him he has to go to school this year. He has a problem with meeting new people, because whenever someone meets him for the first time, they do that look-away thing. Quickly looking down and then back up, and pretending not to notice how ugly he is on the outside.
With the help of his new friends, Jack Will and Summer, and his loving and protective parents and bit sister, August has to learn just how much of a Wonder he really is, no matter what he looks like nor what certain bullies at school say or do.

I would recommend this book for ages 9 and up. Anyone younger might have a bit of a problem understanding or relating to the main character. The book is divided into eight parts, and all of them are in the first person. Three sections are from August's point of view, one from his big sister Via, one from her boyfriend, and one each from Miranda, Summer, and Jack Will--three of August's friends.

Story Rating:

Horrible Beyond All Reason
Alright
Really Good
Totally Awesome
Epic Beyond All Reason

The story was very well thought out and plotted. I give it the highest rating.

Character Rating:

Horrible Beyond All Reason
Alright
Really Good
Totally Awesome
Epic Beyond All Reason

The characters were developed thoroughly and you got to know the characters and root for them.

Emotional Rating: (How touching/inspiring/heartbreaking, etc., etc.)

Not touched/inspired/heartbroken whatsoever.
Slightly touched/inspired/heartbroken.
Moderately touched/inspired/heartbroken.
Very touched/inspired/heartbroken.
Extremely touched/inspired/heartbroken.
Heart Ripped and Destroyed Cruelly because of how touched/inspired/heartbroken I was.

This book touched my heart in a way no other book has and I enjoyed it thoroughly.


That is all for now.
Live long and prosper!

GiGi Babineaux

Quote, Unquote

I shall now display to you a quote.


Why must I unpack my heart with words?
~ William Shakespeare, Hamlet

- flourish - Here ye go.

Allons-y,
Amber Shipp

Annabelle Says

"If you want to know the difference between accuracy and truth, just look at a photograph of Gertrude Stein [left] and Picasso's portrait of her [right]."

                      -Tallulah, Up From Jericho Tel. Brackets are mine.

            

I don't really get this, do you?


Annabelle J.

50!!!!!!!

Ladies and Gentlemen, boys and girls, this is (drumroll please) OUR FIFTIETH POST!!!! Today we have officially posted 50 times, which means fifty book reviews, new words, inspiring quotes, and helpful advice.

With our fiftieth post, we are celebrating the old, but we also want to celebrate the new. We would like to welcome GiGi Babineaux, our new potential Hobbledehoy!! Here is her bio:

GiGi is a geeky teenage girl who lives in a state known for its plentiful sun, which GiGi insists is not as sunny as it is cracked up to be. She gave her life to Christ a few years back, and she is determined to use her God-given gifts to serve the Lord, and to make a good impression on the world before she dies or Jesus comes back again. Whichever comes first.

While she waits for the inevitable to happen, she spends most of her free time reading books and re-reading books, writing fan fiction, drawing art (or fan art) and fangirling over various fandoms, mostly consisting of Marvel and The Lord of the Rings. She is a fangirl and is burdened with glorious feels. She is also constantly attached to her iPod; the music it plays helps her forget about the world around her. She doesn’t understand people who live without music, because music is her life. She likes to associate all of her life and fandoms with songs. GiGi would also like to note that she likes messing around with the computer and graphics. She is currently working on a music video for the song Spaceman by the Killers, which is coming on nicely. Of course, she loves to write, and would much rather stay inside doing so instead of going outside to play tag with everyone else.

GiGi is sure she would find lots of other interesting things to do (such as invent a lightsaber and/or Neutrino 2000 that works in the real world and not just online and in her imagination), but unfortunately, most days she finds herself up to her pointy ears in school subjects, such as Algebra, Biology and Health. This probably wouldn’t be the case if she didn’t spend half the time she was supposed to be working in her imaginary field of paper flowers and candy clouds of lullaby. She often lies inside herself for hours as she watches her purple sky fly over her. And when she gets bored of watching the sky, she has marvelous adventures inside her head with various fictional characters. She gets annoyed when people accuse her of being out of touch with the rampant chaos of the Earth, because she knows only too well what lies beyond her sleeping refuge. A nightmare she had to build her own world to escape from. A nightmare she wants to help turn into a dream.

GiGi is going to be an "intern" from February 1st to March 14th, and at the end of that time, Amber and I are going to decide whether we would like her to remain a temporary fixture here.

So let a new era of posts begin!!! Next milestone: 100!!!



Annabelle J.