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 I would suggest this book for teenage readers, solely because of the victorian vocabulary and historical references.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