Month: October 2007

World’s Most Haunted Places, The

The World's Most Haunted Places[rating:2/5]

I’m not even sure why I bought this book; perhaps because it was so cheap at the bookstore (I bought it from the bargain books section). Maybe because it mentioned several local “haunted places” that I’m familiar with (Queen Mary, the Whaley House, and the Hotel del Coronado)? Frankly, I still don’t know why, but I did read it. Overall, the “World’s Most Haunted Places” is one of those books that makes for good reading for the “little room” – short blurbs on a variety of allegedly “haunted” places located in English speaking countries (with one exception – the catacombs of Paris, France).The book did nothing for me except to help put me to sleep at night. Sure, it was “fun” but really did not have much substance. The writing was stilted and the “cute” little comments that concluded each story grew weary very, very quickly.

On another note, I found that the use of “BCE” (before “common” era) and “CE” (“common” era) in place of the traditional BC and AD to be very annoying. I don’t know why people who are trying to pretend that they’re “scholars” need to use such politically correct (but, to me offensive) terminology. The author’s writing style was quite stilted and was often a chore to get through.Would I recommend this book to others? Probably not unless they are seeking a temporary respite from insomnia: oh well.

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows[rating:5/5]

Well, the Potter series couldn’t have come to a more fitting ending. As a rule, I try not to read reviews of books prior to the time I’ve read them: I had; however, noted that some had stated that this book was a tear jerker. I did not find that to be the case at all. The Deathly Hallows deviated from the others in that a great portion of it takes place outside of Hogwarts. Just the same, the plot took numerous and surprising twists while maintaining my rapt attention. Having now read the entire series, I would have to state that Rowling seemed to mature as a writer as her story progressed. As before; I still don’t consider these books as great “literature” but they are certainly very entertaining. As such, I’m sure that they will continue to delight readers for a very long time.I especially liked they manner in which this final book was filled with all kinds of wonderful surprises. Without saying too much (after all, that would spoil the story), characters continue to develop and finally display their true personalities which, while radically different than what may have been previously revealed, was still enthralling.The only problem I had with Deathly Hollows would be with the epilogue: it was really unnecessary and to be honest, trite. That being said, Rowling has still done an outstanding job as a masterful storyteller.