Marshmallow’s reviews – Page 16

Marshmallow reviews Enola Holmes: The Case of the Bizarre Bouquets by Nancy Springer

Today Marshmallow reviews the third book in Nancy Springer’s Enola Holmes series: The Case of the Bizarre Bouquets, first published in 2008. (You might also like to see Marshmallow’s reviews of the first two books: The Case of the Missing Marquess and The Case of the Left-Handed Lady.)

Marshmallow’s Quick Take: If you’re a Sherlock Holmes fan or if you like mysteries with female protagonist detectives, then this is the book for you!

Marshmallow’s Summary (with Spoilers): Enola Holmes has been living on her own in nineteenth century London for a couple months now. Given the fact that she is fourteen years old, one might ask why. The reason for her self-inflicted solitude is the fact that, during this period, women have no autonomy in the social status quo. Enola’s mother ran away from this set-up in a previous book and left Enola the means to do the same. Enola (whose name spells “alone” backwards) examined her surroundings and the expectations she was going to be forced to fulfill (finishing school, marriage, childbirth, etc.) and followed her mother’s suit. In doing so, Enola escaped the control of her older brothers: Mycroft and Sherlock Holmes (the famous detective). But even the famous detective Sherlock Holmes cannot locate her and she (while lying low) becomes adept at disguising herself by altering her appearance through various methods. Drawn to mysteries and puzzles, she solves several cases on her own (see for example The Case of the Missing Marquess and The Case of the Left-Handed Lady) and decides to found her own business as the world’s first and only professional “perditorian” (see The Case of the Missing Marquess: “From the Latin perditus, meaning “lost.” Perditorian: one who divines that which is lost”.)

Unfortunately, because women have no autonomy, she creates the business under the name of a male doctor while she disguises herself as his “assistant” Ivy Meshle. However, if her brothers find her, she will be forced to return to them and begin training to be a perfect “ornament to genteel society.” After several close brushes of being discovered by Sherlock and / or Mycroft, Enola once again finds herself drawn to the case of a certain Dr. John Watson. The reticent Arthur Conan Doyle reader may notice that this is the same Dr. Watson who is Sherlock’s loyal companion on his cases. For the few times she met him, Enola felt a fatherly affection towards Dr. Watson, so she (after some introspection and inspection of the situation) decides to search for Dr. Watson, too.

Normal mysteries are dangerous on their own. But her brother’s close proximity to this case makes it also a gamble with the freedom and autonomy she has had so far. Will Enola be able to find the doctor before her brother finds her?

Marshmallow is reading Enola Holmes: The Case of the Bizarre Bouquets by Nancy Springer. — Marshmallow is reading *Enola Holmes: The Case of the Bizarre Bouquets* by Nancy Springer.

Marshmallow’s Review: I would really recommend reading the first couple books in this series before this one to get context. But on its own, the world-building is enough to immerse the reader entirely in this Victorian-era mystery. The author consistently writes fascinating mysteries that never fail to disappoint in intrigue and complexity; yet the reader is never left confused at the end.

These Enola Holmes books stand out among all other mysteries I’ve read so far because the setting is so wonderfully set up. People often say reading is like a passport to other worlds and times. I was pretty sure they were lying, until now. Once I started reading this book, I couldn’t put it down because I didn’t want to stop learning about the mystery and the fascinating world it is in. The descriptions of London (I am pretty sure) are all factually correct for that time and all the details create an immersive experience that I would fully recommend.

This book series is also unique because it depicts a girl who is fully independent. Enola is perhaps the only female protagonist I have ever read about who isn’t in love, interested in, dating, or married to a guy. She is truly alone (in that sense) and is perfectly fine with it. It is good for girls to see that they have the choice to be so and that it is fine to be fine with that. This book also has strong themes of feminism; Enola’s strength, competence, and wit are rebelliously scandalous for the time. She stands up to the patriarchical system and doesn’t care what it thinks of her. She games the system to use it to her advantage when she disguises herself. But she never forgets to help the less fortunate with her fortunes.

But Enola is also more distinctive among other female protagonists because, as the author explicitly makes sure to state, Enola is not traditionally beautiful. She has a large nose, no delicate, feminine features of particular value, and a body like a “beanpole.” It is Enola’s virtue, brains, and bravery that makes her such a compelling character and I, for one, am expectantly looking forward to reading the next book!

Marshmallow’s Rating: 100%.

Marshmallow rates Enola Holmes: The Case of the Bizarre Bouquets by Nancy Springer 100%. — Marshmallow rates *Enola Holmes: The Case of the Bizarre Bouquets* by Nancy Springer 100%.

Marshmallow reviews Reckless by Lauren Roberts

A few months ago Marshmallow reviewed Powerless by Lauren Roberts. This week she reviews the sequel, Reckless, published in July 2024.

Marshmallow’s Quick Take: If you like fantasy books about family, friendship, and romance, then this is the book for you!

Marshmallow’s Summary (with Spoilers): Paedyn Gray killed the king of Ilya and is now, quite expectedly, on the run. Despite the fact that both of Ilya’s princes were falling for her, she is hunted by both: Kai (the ruthless Enforcer of Ilya, who carries out the king’s dirty work) and Kitt (the now-king). Paedyn herself was falling for Kai, but was also desperately trying to stop herself. Spoiler alert: she wasn’t and still isn’t winning. But despite their feelings towards her, Kai and Kitt are now bound by duty and blood to kill Paedyn for revenge and “justice”.

See, in Ilya, there are Elites (people who are born with special, magical powers) and there are Ordinaries (as the name suggests, people who are born without powers). Paedyn is an Ordinary who has been trying to disguise as a Elite her whole life; Ordinaries are hunted down and killed by… who else other than the Enforcer (Kai).

This way the author sets up what seems to be a tragedy waiting to happen between the hunted (Paedyn) and the hunter (Kai). In the first book, Paedyn joined a Resistance, a group that saves Ordinaries and fights to have Elites recognize them as equal. This has been a struggle because, according to the (now deceased) king, Ordinaries’ presence lessens the power of the Elites. Paedyn’s father was the founder of the Resistance, and he was killed by the king when she was very young, making her an orphan for the whole book. This leads to her, at the end of Powerless, killing the king in self defense (but also partially for revenge).

Since Ilya is no longer safe for her, Paedyn decides to leave for the nearby city of Dor; but to do so, she must cross the vast expanse of the Scorches, a massive, brutally parched desert. But before she can make it to the Scorches, Kai intercepts her. After learning that Paedyn was the one who killed his father, Kai gives her a head start because he knows he’ll need time to find the “courage” to kill her. This allows Paedyn to find refuge in her old house for a while, until Kai burns it down and keeps on chasing her. She evades him but is injured as she begins to traverse the desert. Eventually, she makes it to Dor. Unfortunately, Dor is full of enemies as well; Kitt has placed a bounty on her head and it’s not helping her out. But with her skill and finesse, she manages to keep a relatively low profile (as an anonymous underground fighter for illegal gambling purposes). But Kai still manages to track her down in Dor and forces her back into the open. As he begins to take her back to Ilya and presumably her death, their feelings begin to present problems. Kai must now choose between duty and love for his brother and love for Paedyn. And Paedyn is determined to keep fighting against him, to hate him till she dies. Once again though (spoiler alert!), she’s not winning.

Marshmallow is reading Reckless by Lauren Roberts. — Marshmallow is reading *Reckless* by Lauren Roberts.

Marshmallow’s Review: I really liked Reckless. The plot and the world-building are both fantastic! But the thing that makes this story stand out to me among other Young Adult fantasy books is that the author maintains a nuanced balance between romance and fantasy.

Reckless has a very good storyline about revolution and fighting against injustice. And I really love reading about the world the author has created because it’s actually really interesting on its own as well. The romance plot line contributes to the story and pushes it forward, so I appreciated its existence. I also want to know what happens to the characters because they are well-written and very, very deep. Unfortunately, I’ll need to wait till next year when the third (and last?) book in the series will be published.

In many fantasy YA novels, I find that the promising, amazing story and fantasy world soon become overwhelmed by a relatively unnecessary romance or a passionate relationship that takes over too much of the plot (e.g. Shatter Me, Unravel Me, Ignite Me). This book struck the perfect balance for me; I think there is a very thin line between just a full-on fantasy for young adults and a romance that is perhaps better put in the adults section.

I really enjoyed reading Reckless as a whole and I think that this book is what fantasy YA should be like. I couldn’t put it down once I started reading it and I would fully recommend it to all fantasy-lovers!

Marshmallow’s Rating: 101%.

Marshmallow rates Reckless by Lauren Roberts 101%. — Marshmallow rates *Reckless* by Lauren Roberts 101%.

Marshmallow reviews Slow Productivity by Cal Newport

Last year Marshmallow reviewed two advice books by cal Newport directed towards students: How to Become a Straight-A Student and How to Be a High School Superstar. This week she got into Newport’s most recent book Slow Productivity, published in March 2024. Sprinkles enjoyed reading this book immensely, so she wanted to join Marshmallow in this review.

Sprinkles: So Marshmallow, this is your third book by Cal Newport, isn’t it?

Marshmallow: Yes. I find him to present very thought-provoking ideas.

S: I find his books interesting as well. So we both read this one. It is titled Slow Productivity. I think he was inspired by the slow food movement, where you emphasize slowness and quality and community and local ingredients instead of mass-produced generic fast food. I also read a book a while back about slow teaching; it was also cool. So can you tell us briefly what Newport means by slow productivity?

M: Slow productivity is the idea of decreasing your workload so you can increase the quality of your work to reach certain, specific goals all the while making sure you are living a sustainable life.

S: That sounds like a very appealing goal. Tell us more.

M: So his method, Newport promises, will decrease the familiar overwhelming anxiety and stress the modern knowledge worker experiences.

S: Wait, what is a knowledge worker?

M: According to IBM, a knowledge worker is “a professional who generates value for the organization with their expertise, critical thinking and interpersonal skills.” So someone who uses computers for accounting, writes code to solve specific business problems, works as a professor, or is a freelance writer, or stuff like that. So unlike the previous Cal Newport books I’ve reviewed (which were intended to help students), Slow Productivity is aimed at adults who have already begun their careers.

S: Yes, I think so too. So I was surprised when you picked it up. But you seem to have enjoyed it, seeing how you have finished it already.

M: Yes! I started reading it so that I could be prepared for when I grow up and have my own career. I think adults are always too stressed. I wanted to go into my career with ideas on how to be productive in a healthy manner that yields professional success. I also thought this book might still have principles and methods that could be helpful to me as a student.

S: That second part makes total sense, but the first part is really interesting and would probably be surprising for most folks. Especially if they do not know you well… I am sure you are one of only a few little bunnies your age who are thinking of reading about how to be a productive well-balanced adult! Okay so tell us a bit more about the book. How do we do this slow productivity thing?

M: Well, there are three principal ideas of slow productivity. And these are: do fewer things, work at a natural pace, and obsess over quality. The book utilizes a plethora of “case studies” (as Newport calls them) to prove the author’s suggestions and theories. From each of these examples, he synthesizes (or reiterates) the related slow productivity lesson.

S: I think these are good principles for almost anyone. I mean, they are definitely meaningful for me as a working adult and parent, but also for you. You are now a busy kid going to school and doing a lot of extracurricular activities. And these principles seem to agree with the advice he gives students. Do not cram too many activities just to impress. Do fewer things but do those at such a high level that you will be impressive that way.

M: Yes, I’ve recently seen this idea of his show up in the Atlantic under the name of a spike applicant (one who is exceptionally good at one thing.

Marshmallow is reading Slow Productivity by Cal Newport while the friendly but slightly annoying little duckling is joined by several others. — Marshmallow is reading *Slow Productivity* by Cal Newport while the friendly but slightly annoying little duckling is joined by several others.

S: I remember a colleague who said, “Everyone talks about well-rounded students; what is wrong with a sharp knife?” I loved his analogy. I think this spike idea is similar. I mean not everyone is or needs to be a sharp knife, but we do need sharp knives, and they often find their niche. But I also think it makes sense for young bunnies to explore different types of activities to see what they enjoy and what they are good at. Those explorations provide a lot of insight and you can be surprised by what you end up liking and being good at.

M: Yes. In this book though, Cal Newport focuses on maintaining a low, easy workload so you can finish larger goals over long periods of time and build your expertise in your field.

S: That is a different life stage than the exploration stage I was talking about. Of course, his student advice is also about being selective with extracurricular activities, but one needs to figure out what they like and what they want to productively focus on. There is serendipity, some portion will always be about chance, but one also needs time to try out new things. At least that is what I think. But what do I know? I have not written any productivity books!

M: Well that’s okay! Cal Newport gives you the tips so you can focus on other things you like to do and how you can become a fuller person as a whole by managing your workload. In his book for high school students, he focuses on becoming a more interesting person for the sake of college applications (personal growth too I suppose, but primarily applications). In this book, he focuses more on the idea of growing yourself to be a more complete, content individual. I found his idea of pseudo-productivity being unnatural to be quite stimulating. Cal Newport’s books all have this underlying idea that the general consensus (whether in college apps or in careers) is bad because it has been unnaturally perverted towards pseudo-productivity, or doing things just to seem like you’re productive. His main mission is to convince you that this is not the correct way of things and that the situation can be improved by acting in a more natural, original way.

S: Yes, I think that is a good way to put his message in these three books together. I too find his books always give me good ideas. And I am glad you appreciated this book too.

M: Yes! I found his ideas to be very useful, even as a child bunny.

S: This is already quite a long post. Shall we wrap it up?

M: Sure! In summary, I would really recommend this book for all adults who work in the knowledge sector. Even as a bunny in school, I can see that the current work system is set up in a way that is not sustainable for individuals and society as a whole. I hope the situation improves before I join the workforce for my sake. But for the sake of others, I hope this book is more widely read so more people can enjoy full lives with more success.

S: That is a nice sentiment! So how would you rate this book?

M: I would rate this book at 100%. I really liked it and I found it to be very helpful. Cal Newport’s methods are quite logical.

S: That sounds just about right! Okay, what do you want to tell our readers as we wrap this up?

M: Stay tuned for more amazing reviews from the book bunnies!

Marshmallow rates Slow Productivity by Cal Newport 100% and hopes it will provide some cover, while the ducklings continue to amass. — Marshmallow rates *Slow Productivity* by Cal Newport 100% and hopes it will provide some cover, while the ducklings continue to amass.

Marshmallow reviews The Lost Words: A Spell Book by Robert Macfarlane and Jackie Morris

Today Marshmallow reviews a beautiful large-format book by Robert Macfarlane and Jackie Morris: The Lost Words: A Spell Book, published in 2017. Sprinkles is taking notes and asking questions.

Marshmallow reviews The Lost Words: A Spell Book written by Robert Macfarlane and illustrated by Jackie Morris. — Marshmallow reviews *The Lost Words: A Spell Book* written by Robert Macfarlane and illustrated by Jackie Morris.

Sprinkles: So Marshmallow, let us begin. I thought this was a beautiful book, so I am very happy we get to talk about it today.

Marshmallow: Yes, it is a really beautiful book. Majestic, I could say. Each page is almost like a work of art.

S: I heard about this book a while back. I read the following and it stuck with me:

The book began as a response to the removal of everyday nature words – among them “acorn”, “bluebell”, “kingfisher” and “wren” – from a widely used children’s dictionary, because those words were not being used enough by children to merit inclusion. But The Lost Words then grew to become a much broader protest at the loss of the natural world around us, as well as a celebration of the creatures and plants with which we share our lives, in all their wonderful, characterful glory. –https://www.thelostwords.org/lostwordsbook/

M: Well, I did not know about this when I began reading the book. But it totally makes sense. The book is kind of like a children’s alphabet book. Approximately one word for each letter of the alphabet. For “A” for example there is an entry for “acorn” and another for “adder”. And for “B”, there is “bluebell” and “bramble”. but there is nothing for “E” for example. But anyways, each word chosen is a word for an animal or plant, some object of nature that used to be more familiar to young bunnies many years ago, but now that most of us live in much more urbanized environments, we do not always see or hear about them. So I really like that the authors decided to bring back these words to us.

S: Yes, me too! Okay, so then there should be about twenty-five words, then.

M: Not quite. There were apparently forty words that were dropped from that children’s dictionary, and the people who created this book picked twenty of those words and focused on those.

S: The book is not only twenty pages though.

M: Of course not, Sprinkles! That would be kind of too short. There are six pages for each word.

Marshmallow is reading The Lost Words: A Spell Book written by Robert Macfarlane and illustrated by Jackie Morris. — Marshmallow is reading *The Lost Words: A Spell Book* written by Robert Macfarlane and illustrated by Jackie Morris.

S: I see. So what happens on each of those pages?

M: What they do with each word is actually really amazing. For each word, there is first a two-page spread showing the letters making up the word in a way that is aesthetically pleasing. The letters making up the word are kind of hiding among many other letters, kind of reminding us that the word is lost somehow, but if we look carefully, we will find it again.

S: That is beautiful, Marshmallow.

M: Yes, the book is really beautifully designed. Anyways, after the first two-page spread, then there is a second two-page spread for the word. The left hand side there is an acrostic poem describing the word, and on the right hand side there is a water color painting of the animal or plant that the word depicts.

S: Remind our readers what an acrostic poem is maybe?

M: Sure. Basically when you take the letters of the first word on each line and put them in a vertical line, they make up a word. So for example here is the poem for IVY:

ivy

I am ivy, a real high-flyer.
Via bark and stone I scale tree and spire.
You call me ground-cover; I say sky-wire.

S; That is lovely!

M: It really is! I love the paintings! They are kind of like portraits! And then there is a final two-page spread, which is a large picture showing the animal or plant in its natural environment. Again the paintings are beautiful.

S: I agree with you completely Marshmallow. I have been looking through the pages for the last hour or so and I am amazed. The poems are quite neat too.

M: Yes, agreed. Each poem has a deeper meaning; they do not just provide a physical description, but also what it might represent, what makes it unique and special, and how it is a part of nature. I really liked the book!

S: I can see that. So if you were to rate it–

M: -I’d rate it 100% for sure!

S: That is wonderful Marshmallow. I am glad we were able to read this book.

M: Yes.

S: So let us wrap up this review then. What would you like to tell our readers?

M: Stay tuned for more amazing reviews from the book bunnies!

Marshmallow rates The Lost Words: A Spell Book written by by Robert Macfarlane and illustrated by Jackie Morris 100%. — Marshmallow rates *The Lost Words: A Spell Book* written by by Robert Macfarlane and illustrated by Jackie Morris 100%.