le book review number number seventy-one~ the penultimate peril

title: the penultimate peril
author: lemony snicket
series: a series of unfortunate events #12
personal star rating: 5/5 stars

from the back cover:
Dear Reader,
If this is the first book you found while searching for a book to read next, then the first thing you should know is that this next to last book is what you should put down first. Sadly, this book presents the next-to-last chronicle of the lives of the Baudelaire orphans, and it is next-to-first in its supply of misery, despair, and unpleasantness.
Probably the next-to-last things you would like to read about are a harpoon gun, a rooftop sunbathing salon, two mysterious initials, three unidentified triplets, a notorious villain, and an unsavory curry.
Next-to-last things are the first thing to be avoided, and so allow me to recommend that you put this next-to-last book down first, and find something else to read next at last, such as the next-to-last book in another chronicle, or a chronicle containing other next-to-last things, so that this next-to-last book does not become the last book you will read.
With all due respect,
Lemony Snicket

first sentence:
"Certain people have said that the world is like a calm pond, and that anytime a person does even the smallest thing, it is as if a stone has dropped into the pond, spreading circles of ripples further and further out, until the entire world has been changed by one tiny action."

review:
This next-to-last book in the series really shows how intertwined and connected the stories from earlier on in the series are coming to one epic finale. I'm super excited to almost be completed these miserable books because i really cannot anticipate what will happen in conclusion. As the series progressed, I'm really most fascinated by the cleverness of certain things and the philosophical feel in simpler terms. I've actually learned new things while reading this series and I'm extremely happy that I decided to finish these books, once and for all. Despite my impatience of finally getting to the last book, I almost want to prolong it so i can keep the journey going. I'm always a bit fearful when finishing a series from when i was quite young since they obviously have meant something to me all these years that i've kept the series in mind. I do know that the past few "book reviews" haven't really been much of reviews, more me saying how much i like these books and just accepting them for what they are and how i am excited to be finishing the series. But twelve books into the series, i'm basically repeating myself. Anyway, if you've made a reading goal, these books will help you get ahead. Aimed at a younger audience, these books are relatively quick to read. So, READ THIS SERIES DURING A SNOWY/RAINY WEEKEND SOMETIME.

le book review number seventy~ the grim grotto

title: the grim grotto
author: lemony snicket
series: a series of unfortunate events (#11)
personal star rating: 5/5 stars

from the back cover:
Dear Reader,
Unless you are a slug, a sea anemone, or mildew, you probably prefer not to be damp. You might also prefer not to read this book, in which the Baudelaire siblings encounter an unpleasant amount of dampness as they descend into the depths of despair, underwater.
In fact, the horrors they encounter are too numerous to list, and you wouldn't want me even to mention the worst of it, which includes mushrooms, a desperate search for something lost, a mechanical monster, a distressing message from a lost friend, and tap dancing.
As a dedicated author who has pledged to keep recording the depressing story of the Baudelaires, I must continue to delve deep into the cavernous depths of the orphans' lives. You, on the other hand, may delve into some happier book in order to keep your eyes and your spirits from being dampened.
With all due respect,
Lemony Snicket   

first sentence:
"After a great deal of time examining oceans, investigating rainstorms, and staring very hard at several drinking fountains, the scientists of the world developed a theory regarding how water is distributed around our planet, which they have named "the water cycle."

review:
you may wonder why my ratings for this series is so high. I think it's that these books are informative, eventful, captivating and the characters are really interesting. and also perhaps because i started the series a long time ago and they just have this special spot that means a lot to me. I am also really excited to see how this series ends after all this time. I would say more but the basis of the story is the same. It is building towards the end however.

le book review number sixty-nine~ the slippery slope

title: the slippery slope
author: lemony snicket
series: a series of unfortunate events (#10)
personal star rating: 5/5 stars

from the back cover:
Dear Reader,
Like handshakes, house pets, or raw carrots, many things are preferable when not slippery. Unfortunately, in this miserable volume, I am afraid that Violet, Klaus, and Sunny Baudelaire run into more than their fair share of slipperiness during their harrowing journey up - and down - a range of strange and distressing mountains.
In order to spare you any further repulsion, it would be best not to mention any of the unpleasant details of this story, particularly a secret message, a toboggan, a deceitful trap, a swarm of snow gnats, a scheming villain, a troupe of organized youngsters, a casserole dish, and a surprising survivor of a terrible fire.
Unfortunately, I have dedicated my life to researching and recording the sad tale of the Baudelaire Orphans. There is no reason for you to dedicate yourself to such things, and you might instead dedicate yourself to letting this slippery book slip from your hands into a nearby trash receptacle, or deep pit.
With all due respect,
Lemony Snicket

review:
This book brought a new face, a friendly face. The Baudelaire's make it to V.F.D. headquarters. Or what remains at least. The story continues and I want to see how it ends desperately. One specific thing that I really like about this series is that even though it's geared towards a younger audience, it continues to build and grow in terms of characters and the events and even the book length. I really like this series okay.

my shelf this monday~ (14/1/2013)

Resurrection of a dead feature? Perhaps. Nearing the time I stopped this feature, I felt it was boring for the readers. However, it's a new year and I really would like to read more. Perhaps this little post every week (however insignificant it seems to the blog as a whole), will be a spark to something.

So once again, we begin.

Image found through google on this website.

This week I want to try and finish the series of unfortunate events series:

• The Slippery Slope by Lemony Snicket
• The Grim Grotto by Lemony Snicket
• The Penultimate Peril by Lemony Snicket
• The End by Lemony Snicket

What are you currently reading/ planning on reading this week?

le book review number sixty-eight~ the carnivorous carnival

title: the carnivorous carnival
author: lemony snicket
series: a series of unfortunate events (#9)
personal star rating: 5/5 stars

from the back cover:
Dear Reader,
The word, "carnivorous," which appears in the title of this book, means "meat-eating," and once you have read such a bloodthirsty word, there is no reason to read any further. This carnivorous volume contains such a distressing story that consuming any of its contents would be far more stomach-turning than even the most imbalanced meal.
To avoid causing discomfort, it would be best if I didn't mention any of the unnerving ingredients of the story, particularly a confusing map, an ambidextrous person, an unruly crowd, a wooden plank, and Chabo the Wolf Baby.
Sadly for me, my time is filled with researching and recording the displeasing and disenchanting lives of the Baudelaire orphans. But your time might be better filled with something more palatable, such as eating your vegetables, or feeding them to someone else.
With all due respect,
Lemony Snicket

first sentence:
"When my workday is over, and I have closed my notebook, hidden my pen, and sawed holes in my rented canoe so that it cannot be found, I often like to spend the evening in conversation with my few surviving friends."

review:
As the Baudelaire orphans fool the "master of disguise", they begin work as freaks at the carnival. Uncovering more and more secrets, the mystery continues. We see how the children are growing, especially Sunny, and I'm just really excited over these books.

le book review number sixty-seven~ the hostile hospital

title: the hostile hospital
author: lemony snicket
series: a series of unfortunate events (#8)
personal star rating: 5/5 stars

from the back cover
Dear Reader,
Before you throw this awful book to the ground and run as far away from it as possible, you should probably know why. This book is the only one which describes every last detail of the Baudelaire children's miserable stay at Heimlich Hospital, which makes it one of the most dreadful books in the world.
There are many pleasant things to read about, but this book contains none of them. Within its pages are such burdensome details as a suspicious shopkeeper, unnecessary surgery, an intercom system, anesthesia  heart-shaped balloons, and some very startling news about a fire. Clearly you do not want to read about such things.
I have sworn to research this story, and to write it down as best as I can, so I should know that this book is something best left on the ground, where you undoubtedly found it.
With all due respect,
Lemony Snicket

first sentence:
"There are two reasons why a writer would end a sentence with the word "stop" written entirely in capital letters STOP."

review:
In this book, Violet, Klaus and Sunny seem to be fending for themselves. Being accused of crimes they didn't commit, they are forced to live in an unfinished ward in a "hostile hospital". Even in these dire circumstances, the three orphans try to solve the mystery of V.F.D. and the fire while avoiding the clutches of Count Olaf. This series has so much going, I can't wait to finish reading it. I would love to say more, but that would keep me from the next book so the brevity of this review should show how I can't stop reading.

le book review number sixty-six~ the vile village

title: the vile village
author: Lemony Snicket
series: a series of unfortunate events (#7)
personal star rating: 5/5 stars

from the back cover:
Dear Reader, 
You have undoubtedly picked up this book by mistake, so please put it down. Nobody in their right mind would read this particular book about the lives of Violet, Klaus, and Sunny Baudelaire on purpose, because each dismal moment of their stay in the village of V.F.D. has been faithfully and dreadfully recorded in these pages.
I can think of no single reason why anyone would ever want to open a book containing such unpleasant matters as migrating crows, an angry mob, a newspaper headline, the arrest of innocent people, the Deluxe Cell, and some very strange hats.
It is my solemn and sacred occupation to research each detail of the Baudelaire children's lives and write them all down, but you may prefer to do some other solemn and sacred thing, such as reading another book instead.
With all due respect,
Lemony Snicket

first sentence:
"No matter who you are, no matter where you live, and no matter how many people are chasing you, what you don't read is often as important as what you do read."

review:
Once again, the Baudelaire orphans are subject to unfortunate ordeals. This was one of my favourite in the entire series. There was much to it and I enjoyed it immensely. There is not much to say except that this series is superlative and I look forward to finding out how the series ends. I think I'm going to go to the library and get the rest of these books and have a lovely day of reading.

le book review number sixty-five~ the ersatz elevator

title: the ersatz elevator
author: lemony snicket
series: a series of unfortunate events book the sixth
personal star rating: 4/5 stars

from the back cover:
Dear Reader,
If you have just picked up this book, then it is not too late to put it back down. Like the previous books in A Series of Unfortunate Events, there is nothing to be found in these pages but misery, despair, and discomfort, and you still have time to choose something else to read.
Within the chapters of this story, Violet, Klaus, and Sunny Baudelaire encounter a darkened staircase, a red herring, some friends in a dire situation, three mysterious initials, a liar with an evil scheme, a secret passageway, and parsley soda.
I have sworn to write down these tales of the Baudelaire orphans so the general public will know each terrible thing that has happened to them, but if you decide to read something else instead, you will save yourself from a heapful of horror and woe.
With all due respect,
Lemony Snicket

first sentence:
"The book you are holding in your two hands right now - assuming that you are, in fact, holding this book, and that you have only two hands - is one of two books in the world that will show you the difference between the word "nervous" and the word "anxious."

review:
As promised, this book once again depicts the terrible happenings that the Baudelaire orphans are subject to. But as always, the book also has interesting definitions (example of this in the first sentence) and has twists and turns with each chapter. Although aimed at a younger audience, these books make for a great read. I feel that as the series progresses there is more mystery interwoven and the characters become more complex as the next book is read. Usually when it comes to series books, I tend to get bored somewhere and continue reading for the sole reason that I think "I've read this far, let's see how it ends". However, with this series, I genuinely care about it. Perhaps with the book being directed at a younger age group I'm not as easily annoyed by some things as I would be for other books. Nevertheless, I continue to enjoy this series and can't wait to finish reading it once and for all.