A Look at My Bookshelf #5

Hello, it's . . . Saturday??!! Already??!!?? Where has the week gone?!

Well, I still managed to finish up one book, start another, and read three more. Let's take a look, shall we?

I finished . . .

The Ruins of Gorlan (The Ranger's Apprentice, Book 1), by John Flanagan
I have two main issues with this book: 1) way too much telling and nearly no showing and 2) way too predictable. Nothing in the book felt fresh or unique to me except maybe the Solitary Plain and the Stone Flutes. It felt stale, overused.
However, I did enjoy the characters, especially Halt, although all of them could have been deepened developed so, so, so much more. (Hmm, character development . . . I think I foresee a Thursday post on this.)

I started . . .

The Ship Beyond Time, by Heidi Heilig

I'm not very far through, but so far I'm enjoying it! I loved the first book, The Girl from Everywhere, so I decided to try out the second book. I love the characters, I love the originality, I love the unpredictability! I'm just going to sit back and enjoy the ride.

I read . . .

The House at 758, by Kathryn Berla

I enjoyed this book, even though the first half depressed me (the main character, Krista, handled her grief really poorly and made some horrible decisions. I guess if she hadn't, though, there wouldn't have been any story). I liked how the author tied together Krista's story and her grandpa's; I just wish the connection had been stronger.

The Mysterious Benedict Society and the Perilous Journey (The Mysterious Benedict Society, Book 2), by Trenton Lee Stewart

Wow that title was long!
Even though this series is Middle Grade, it manages to appeal to all ages. The characters aren't as deep or complex as characters in Young Adult or Adult fiction, of course, but they are still delightful to be with and that's a win for me. I liked the first book in the series better, but this book was still wonderful! I'm planning on continuing the series.

The Wishing Spell (The Land of Stories, Book 1), by Chris Colfer

This was fast-paced, creative, and fun. I don't think I'll keep reading the series, however, for several reasons:
1) All the supporting characters blended into one another, especially the various kings and queens; the only characters who had truly defined personalities were Alex and Conner.
2) It was predictable. I enjoyed the twists on the original fairytales (a lot; I love fairytales!), but even so I didn't feel like the main plot really pulled out anything new.
3) The writing wasn't the best. For Middle Grade, it was fine, but it could have been better. There seemed to be a lot of telling/narration; there were long chunks where characters were just telling their entire backstory.
4) I felt like I was being bludgeoned with morals. The morals were great!! The book made me look at a couple fairytales in new ways. But they were just a bit too obvious.
Overall, it was a fun read.

Have you read any of these? Tell me what you're reading!