The Hiding Place

(out of 5)
This was quite a jump in genres and subject matter from what I was previously reading. In fact, I've been in a children's literature rut for quite some time. It was nice to read something more adult. The Hiding Place was an incredible story of faith through trials. The trials of Corrie ten Boom and her family are particularly horrific - much greater than any trials I have faced myself. This autobiography reads like a gripping novel, but is unique in that you get to view life in Nazi Germany through the eyes of a faith-driven Christian woman and her inspiring sister, Betsie. It's refreshing to have God and faith be a central theme to these true life events. I especially enjoyed the pace of this story; the first half of the book is devoted to their life growing up (through flashbacks) and then working and serving through the invasion of Holland, their hometown. Corrie and her family sacrifice and risk their lives to help protect the Jewish community by caring for them and providing them a hiding place. The second half of the book then delves into Corrie's experiences, thoughts, and hopes, while suffering, yet with the help of her sister's example, optimistically surviving through prison life and Ravensbruck, a concentration camp in Germany. As tragic and heartwrenching as stories of the Holocaust can be, this book was inspiring and uplifting, and so thoughtfully written you will come away with numerous quotes to live by.

A Series of Unfortunate Events: The Penultimate Peril (Book the Twelfth)

(out of 5)
Whew! I must admit, I feel a bit relieved to have finished this 12th book of the series. It's all I've been reading for the last few months, and has thus been a long time coming to finally complete it to this point. I'm definitely ready for a break till the 13th book is released, but also anxious for its arrival.

Like I said before, it takes a little while for the mystery of this journey to begin to unravel, but once it does, it is an intriguing story that is difficult to put down. It is particularly clever how the 'author', Lemony Snicket, becomes a character in the story as well, which seems to be one the most interesting mysteries of all! I look forward to really learning who Lemony Snicket is, why he is researching the Baudelaire story, and where he is now.

The evolution of Sunny Baudelaire really seemed to hit me during Book 12. She has grown so much since the first book, where we first meet the biting, babbling (seemingly meaningless noises, if not for her siblings translation) Sunny Baudelaire. She now often speaks profound sentences, such as "The last safe place is safe no more". I was also proud to see her move on from biting to her ever-increasing skill of gourmet cooking (a talent which has surprisingly come in quite handy during many sticky situtations). What a talented young lady she has become!

It was quite a surprising twist at the end of this book! The Baudelaires definitely seem to be crossing the line between "volunteer" and "villian". It's hard to say whether they are becoming more treacherous than noble. For this reason and others I anxiously await Book the 13th, entitled, The End, which is scheduled to be released Friday the 13th of October 2006.

Here are some other amusing links to articles and audio that delve more into the life of "Lemony Snicket" and his Series of Unfortunate Events:

• NPR interview with Daniel Handler

• CBS, The Early Show, interview with Daniel Handler

• Lemony Snicket's Homepage

A Series of Unfortunate Events: The Grim Grotto (Book the Eleventh)

(out of 5)
Ha ha ha heepa-heepa ho! Hot cha ha ha! Sniggle hee! As much as this book was full of laughter, there was very little but "misery" and "woe". As the eleventh installment of this "Unfortunate Series", it carried on with all the "disappointments" that these books continually uphold. I was pleased to see new friends (or possibly villians?) as well as plenty of twists and welcome (or unwelcome?) surprises. I have to say that as much as each book tends to have some slowing somewhere in the middle, I am always rewarded with an unexpected turn at the end to keep me moving on to the next episode.

The Grim Grotto kept me rather intrigued throughout - the new surroundings of the underwater world created for an interesting story. Being as this is nearing the end of the almost-to-be-completed 13 book series (aw..13), there is much to be learned in the mysterious lives of the Baudelaires and great rewards to the reader who has made it this far. I'd like to make a point regarding my opinion of the series. I think many a good reader may be turned away if they don't read past the first few books. Standing alone, I feel the first 4 books to be extremely repetitive and come across with a rather shallow plot. However, with continued reading, you soon realize along with the Baudelaires, that there is much more to their circumstance than merely a persistant Count Olaf pursuing their fortune. I am anxious to finish the series in its' entirety for I believe, as a whole, it will stand out as a very clever mystery series with amusing protagonists and villians as well. It may be best to remember the wise (or unwise?) words of Captian Widdershins who said, "he (or she) who hesitates is lost" for any who hesitates to read this Series will be a lost reader indeed.