The Last Battle, a review

To fulfil one of the prompts for the Buzzwordathon I reread this last book in the Narnia series. It was… not the experience I had expected.

Of course, I got all of the nostalgia feels. I first read this series borrowing books from one of the teachers in my school. And I loved them so much my parents had to get me my own copies. I’ve since reread them more times than I can count and I know the stories like the back of my hand. I’ve never read them as an adult though.

And that’s where the issue lies. These books are so prejudice. They’re sexist, racist, this one specifically is Islamophobic, and many other problems aside. They actually cast a very poor light on Christianity in my (ironic) opinion.

These are not books that can be read for the first time today. I will still always hold them in a special place in my heart, and I’m grateful I have the nostalgia around them. To me, the Narnia in my head will always be progressive, and caring towards all. But I would not give these books to a child to read. Not when there are so many modern books out that are so much better in their representation and their messages.

So it was a little sad to read this one, but I’m also glad that I know so I don’t recommend this wrongly to someone. If you really do want to read them, I won’t stop you! But go in knowing what to expect.

On CAWPILE I gave this book:

Characters: 8, Atmosphere: 9, Writing: 6, Plot: 8, Intrigue: 8, Logic: 7, Enjoyment: 9 (purely nostalgia), and that overall gives a score of 7.86 which is a 4 star.

Again it’s a 4 star with caveats. But a 4 star for me nonetheless.

What books do you associate with Christmas?

🎄🎄🎄

It’s Christmas Eve Eve! And what’s better than a nice Christmass-y The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe to get us into the seasonal spirit!

Narnia was one of my all time favourite series as a child. I know these books off by heart and I can fall back into their worlds at any moment.

As an adult I’ve noticed some… issues when I reread them. So I probably wouldn’t give them to a child now. But for me? With the nostalgia? I’ll always love them, and this book itself will always make me think of Christmas!

Image ID: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe by C.S. Lewis laid flat, surrounding the book on all sides are other open books

First Lines Friday! #31

It’s time for another First Lines Friday! Hosted by Wandering Words!!

What if, instead of judging a book by its cover or its author, we judged the book by its opening lines?

Here is how it works:

– Pick a book and open to the first page.

– Copy the first few lines without revealing which book it is.

– Reveal the book!

So… do these first lines entice you?

Once there were four children whose names were Peter, Susan, Edmund and Lucy. This story is about something that happened to them when they were sent away from London during the war because of the air-raids.

Scroll down to reveal the book!

The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe by C.S. Lewis

I feel like most of you were able to guess this one!! It’s a pretty obvious one if you have any knowledge of the story. This is one of my favourite series from my childhood. I recently found out the origin from my mum (cause I was too young to remember it myself). We borrowed the box set from one of the teachers at my school because I was running out of material in the school library to read. I absolutely adored the books, ran through them at the speed of light and my parents then gave the set back to the teacher and bought me my own. And my own copies are very beloved and a little bit tattered. I recently reread the last book and… they don’t quite stand up. Not on a story telling level, I can’t take that away from Lewis. But instead with the sexism, racism, and religious bigotry in the books. I don’t think a new reader today would enjoy them. But for me? The nostalgia is high enough that I still have fond memories and I’m happy to keep them on my shelves. Maybe some newer books can be given to kids nowadays though.

Mid July Check In!

We’re halfway through the month now, and hopefully halfway through our tbr piles! But let’s be honest… that ain’t the case! So lets see what I’ve managed to read so far.

First up was Lady Susan by Jane Austen, a collection of letters which chronicle Lady Susan’s intent to settle herself down in life and rid herself of her daughter whilst landing a high placement. She’s not a very likeable woman. I enjoyed these, although I felt the ending was rather rushed.

Next was my few short stories from Armageddon Outta Here by Derek Landy which I’m reading the short stories in chronological order. So that I don’t spoil anyone I won’t go into details, but as always these were really fun.

Then we have The Last Battle by C.S. Lewis which I forgot to put on my July tbr to fulfil the prompt for the Buzzwordathon “Last”. This is a reread for me, but it also brought quite a few things to light. I hadn’t read these since childhood so there were definitely issues with racism, sexism, and the portrayal of religion.

I’m making my way through Labyrinth by Kate Mosse and should finish this before the end of the month if all goes to plan! I’m making my way slowly through this so that I don’t freak myself out by trying to read all 700 pages at once.

And lastly is War and Peace by Leo Tolstoy, as always me and Olivia are making our way through the book. There have been some time jumps in these later chapters which I have found interesting, as well as the way that Tolstoy chooses to portray events.

Left on my tbr pile are:

Death Bringer by Derek Landy, Checkmate by Malorie Blackman, The Perplexing Theft of the Jewel in the Crown by Vaseem Khan, Pompeii by Mary Beard, Prodigy by Marie Lu, Persuasion by Jane Austen, and The End of the World by Derek Landy.

That is a BIG tbr left for the second half of the month. I should be fine for the Skulduggery and for Persuasion as it’s split into a few chapters a day. I’m not sure about the rest though so wish me luck!!

How much do you have left on your tbr so far this month?