Teaser Tuesday: Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children

Like coming home after many weeks away, the Wheel of Time has turned ’round to Teaser Tuesday.

Just in case you don’t know, Teaser Tuesday is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by Books and a Beat. Anyone can play along! All you have to do is grab the book you’re currently reading, open to a random page and share a few sentences from that page. But make sure you don’t share any spoilers!*

*I wish I could take credit for this introduction, but I shamelessly stole it from Heather over at bitsnbooks. To help me make amends, you should go check out her blog.

This week I’m reading Miss Peregrine’s Home For Peculiar Children by Ransom Riggs. I was first attracted to this book by its cover, then again when I saw Tim Burton would be directing the film version.

The Goodreads’ Blurb

A mysterious island. An abandoned orphanage. A strange collection of curious photographs.

A horrific family tragedy sets sixteen-year-old Jacob journeying to a remote island off the coast of Wales, where he discovers the crumbling ruins of Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children. As Jacob explores its abandoned bedrooms and hallways, it becomes clear that the children were more than just peculiar. They may have been dangerous. They may have been quarantined on a deserted island for good reason. And somehow—impossible though it seems—they may still be alive.

A spine-tingling fantasy illustrated with haunting vintage photography, Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children will delight adults, teens, and anyone who relishes an adventure in the shadows.

 

---

The Truly Random Number Generator sends us to page 18.

Only women are born ymbrynes, and thank heaven for that! Males lack the seriousness of temperament required of persons with such grave responsibilities. We ymbrynes must scour the countryside for young peculiars in need, steer clear of those who would do us harm, and keep our wards fed, clothed, hidden, and steeped in the lore of our people. And as if that weren’t enough, we must also ensure that our loops reset each day like clockwork.

 

---

In Retrospect: Indelible Ink

Disclaimer: I received an Advance Reading Copy from the publisher via Goodreads’ Giveaways in exchange for this review.

As both a history teacher and advocate for free speech, I thoroughly enjoyed this book. Using primary sources and critical analysis of secondary sources, Kluger’s fills his narrative with plot and intrigue worthy of a fantasy kingdom – or the English monarchs of several hundred years ago. In addition, his analysis of the importance of Zenger both to his time and our present day is spot-on, and his critique of other, well known secondary sources is valuable.

However, I have somewhat against the work.

First, as this is an ARC, I realize that there will be mistakes. Indeed, I found several spelling errors and name discrepancies, notably with the surname “De Lancey” (the most common spelling).

Second, in early chapters Kluger makes vague historical claims, such that Anne was the best Stuart monarch, without supporting fact. He also makes factual errors concerning the founding of the Middle Colonies; however, these errors are rectified, often on the facing page.

I trust these first two categories were fixed before the final printing.

Third, though, I have a problem with the title based on subject matter. Though the subtitle claims to be about the trials of John Peter Zenger, Kluger spends the first third of the book setting the stage, approximately 200 pages of which only 30 might be charitably attributed to discussing Zenger. Now, these pages are a delight to read and a necessity to the narrative, so I do not think they should be removed. However, I would have amended the subtitle to “Lewis Morris, John Peter Zenger, and the Birth of America’s Free Press” or simply “The Birth of America’s Free Press.” As this is a more stylistic opinion than anything else, it should not influence your desire to read this book.

If you enjoy American History, want to learn more about America’s freedom of speech and freedom of the press, or just want a look into the colonial politics of New York/New Jersey, you will enjoy this book.
4 Stars = This book is both well-written and deals with issues that are important/worth some thought.

In Retrospect: The Reformation: How a Monk and a Mallet Changed the World

This powerful little book is a must-read for anyone studying the Reformation. Rather than offering a comprehensive history, Nichols provides a series of informative, interesting, and witty vignettes of certain men and women of the Reformation.

For me, this book proved a jumping-off point for further reading; I’ve added several biographies, works of the reformers, and other writings to my TBR.

5 Stars = This book is so good it will actually make you a worse person if you don’t read it.

What are you reading today?