The Cat of Bubastes

Title: The Cat of Bubastes

Author: G. A. Henty (The Cat of Bubastes is 1 of 144 books that Henty wrote in his lifetime)

Genre: Historical Fiction

Review: This certainly wasn't the most exciting book in the world, but there were definitely a few perks to reading it. One, it had a very unique perspective on religion. There were a few points when I would read something, then go back to read it again, because it was so good.

The Cat of Bubastes is centered around a boy by the name of Amuba and his companion Jethro. Amuba is a prince, but when their people, the Rebu, go to war with the Egyptians, he and many others are taken captive. Amuba and Jethro manage to stay together, and are taken into the household of Ameres, as companions and friends to his children.

There is plenty of excitement throughout the book, and even though they aren't the most energetic fight scenes in the world, I can see where the appeal is. I would recommend this book, perhaps for older children or teenagers (adults as well), but only for the reasoning that the language is a bit more refined. I think that overall it was a good book, and I believe that it's a good addition to your bookshelf.

Inkheart

Title: Inkheart

Author: Cornelia Funke (The first book of the 'Inkworld' trilogy)

Genre: Fantasy, Young Adult

Review: This was my second time reading this book, and I was definitely not disappointed. I've been wanting to read the entire Inkworld trilogy for a while now, but I came to the realization that I didn't quite remember what happened in the first book. Thus, I decided to read it over again. It certainly holds up to multiple readings, and I enjoyed it the second time around, even though the plot details kept coming back to me as time went on.

Mo, the main character's father, can read characters out of books, when he reads aloud. However, this always comes with a consequence, and because of it, our main character Meggie has never heard her father's reading voice. One day, one of the characters Mo had read out of the book comes to his house, begging him to try to read him back. This man's name is Dustfinger, and he calls Meggie's father 'Silvertounge', much to her surprise at the strange sounding name.

This is a story of thieves and fantasy villains come to life, and it is absolutely gripping. It was initially intended for a younger audience, I believe, but I found it interesting as a teenager, and I'm all but assuming some adults would enjoy it as well. If you like fantasy and adventure, then I would definitely recommend this book.

Mere Christianity

Title: Mere Christianity

Author: C. S. Lewis

Genre: Non - Fiction

Review: I personally found this book amazing. I have been thinking about reading some of C. S. Lewis' non fiction for a while now, and I am beyond ecstatic now that I finally got around to it. When I first started reading, I wasn't quite sure what to expect. I'm so used to his fantasy books, that I didn't have a good perspective of what his non fiction would be like.

Mere Christianity is split into four separate sub-books. I love the way Lewis approached the tender subject of christianity, as it is often difficult to do right, without offending people. I have often found myself reading christian fiction books, and it still feels like I'm having religion shoved into my face. Even though I personally believe in the things they're saying, I don't believe in the way it is being portrayed. Lewis, on the other hand, does this excellently. In the entire first part of the book, he barely mentions God or religion at all. He only talks about moral laws and tendencies of human behavior. From that point on, it gets gradually more in depth, until we get to the last book, which focuses mostly on Theology.

I had a great time reading this book. I'm just sorry that I didn't start it sooner. It was well worth the time I put into it. It's not a particularly lengthy book, but some of the concepts that Lewis gives were so intriguing I found myself going back to them, rereading his examples again and again. I would highly recommend this book to anyone who is looking for an interesting book that gives you plenty to think about.

Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone

Title: Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone

Author: J. K. Rowling; this is the first book out of seven in the Harry Potter series.

Genre: Fantasy, Young Adult

Review: Harry Potter is one of those series that I've always wanted to read, but have never quite got around to. I knew everyone loved the books, but I was always in the middle of something else. However, I finally decided to just bite the bullet and read the first one. I'm definitely glad I did. It was well worth it.

Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone follows a young boy by the name (obviously) of Harry Potter through his adventures at his first year at the wizard school Hogwarts. He runs into various dilemmas throughout his first year, and you constantly find yourself feeling for him; about the second chapter is when you really start to feel bad for him. Throughout the book, you're thinking one thing, and, at the very end, Rowling twists it. And it makes sense. The ending is amazing. Lots of loose ends are tied up, and it's a very satisfying conclusion, even though there are major storylines that are clearly left open for what I know to be multiple sequels.

The book is written from a third person omniscient point of view, so you know how everyone is feeling at any particular moment; sometimes you even get the viewpoints of animals or some mystical creature. It's interestingly done, and doesn't get old very quickly. The book is very quirky and fun, and, for the moment, light-hearted. However, it did seem to have dark undertones at parts that promised something a bit more dangerous in the future. I also loved the sense of humor that Rowling used; I laughed out loud several times.

At any rate, I think that this book is more than worth reading, and I would highly recommend it to anyone who is a fan of fantasy, or books with a quirky style.