mystery – Page 11 – BookBunnies

Caramel reviews The Diamond of Darkhold by Jeanne DuPrau

Marshmallow reviewed The City of Ember by Jeanne DuPrau a few weeks ago. Soon after, Caramel reviewed the second book in the series, The People of Sparks. Today, he talks to Sprinkles about The Diamond of Darkhold, the 2008 sequel to The People of Sparks.

Sprinkles: So Caramel, you began reading this book recently, right?

Caramel: Right. I finished The People of Sparks and moved onto this one.

S: Does the story simply continue on from where that book left off?

C: Yes. It is now winter and the people of Sparks and the people of Ember are all people of Sparks now. It is actually quite cool.

S: I agree. I really liked the end of that book. So what happens in this book?

C: Lina and Doon meet a roamer who comes to Sparks and they get a few pages of a book from him that is dedicated to the people of Em. The rest of the word is gone but Lina and Doon are sure it means Ember. So they try to figure out what was in the book. And they start traveling because they think that there is something valuable in Ember that they should bring to the surface.

S: I see. So there is a puzzle that they need to solve like there was in the first book, right?

C: Yes. And I like puzzles. So that was cool.

S: Do we learn what the valuable thing is?

C: Not immediately. It takes more or less the whole book. So I won’t tell.

S: Okay. We don’t want too many spoilers.

Caramel is reading The Diamond of Darkhold by Jeanne DuPrau. — Caramel is reading *The Diamond of Darkhold* by Jeanne DuPrau.

S: So how did you like the book?

C: I think it was fun to read. It reads like an adventure book. The second book was more about how it is difficult for different people to live together and such big things. but this is more like the first book and there is a lot of adventure and excitement and I liked it.

S: That sounds like fun. I liked both of the first two books and I agree with you that the second was a bit more philosophical, in a way, and the first one felt more like an adventure. So you are saying this feels more like the first than the second.

C: Yes. And Lina and Doon are trying to figure things out together again, which is also good. They were always separated in the second book. I didn’t really like that too much.

S: They do make a good team.

C: Well, it seems they will make more than that but I won’t say more.

S: Hmm, I’m intrigued. Maybe I should read this book, too.

C: Yes, Sprinkles, you definitely should.

S: Alright. Let us wrap up this review this book then. What would you like to tell our readers?

C: Stay tuned for more book bunny reviews!

Caramel enjoyed reading The Diamond of Darkhold by Jeanne DuPrau and recommends it to all the bunnies who enjoyed the first two books in the series. — Caramel enjoyed reading *The Diamond of Darkhold* by Jeanne DuPrau and recommends it to all the bunnies who enjoyed the first two books in the series.

Caramel reviews The People of Sparks by Jeanne DuPrau

Today Caramel reviews The People of Sparks by Jeanne DuPrau, the second book in the author’s City of Ember series, published in 2004. As usual, Sprinkles is taking notes and asking questions.

Readers may recall that Marshmallow has already reviewed the first book, City of Ember.

Sprinkles: So Caramel, can you tell us a bit about what this book is about?

Caramel: The people of Ember come up to the surface and settle down in a town named Sparks.

S: Wait. Tell us a bit more about Ember. It is the city from the first book, City of Ember, right?

C: Yes. But at the end of that book, most of the people from that city ran away because their generator was failing and the city would soon be uninhabitable.

S: That is a big word, Caramel!

C: Yes, but it is the right word. It would be too dark without the generator, and it would be unlivable for people. And for bunnies of course. Because we like light too.

S: Sure we do. So okay, I remember that the first book had two main heroes, named Lina and Doon. Are they also in this book?

C: Yes, in fact they are again the heroes.

S: Okay, so what is the conflict of this book then? They are out and found a place to live.

C: Yes but the new place Sparks is not big enough or rich enough for all the people living there plus the new people from Ember.

S: I see. So there is some conflict between the two groups?

C: Yep.

S: Hmm, so in some sense it is a bit about immigration and refugees finding a new home but not feeling terribly welcome.

C: Kind of. But also Sparks people do not even have electricity. They do not know about it.

S: Hmm, that is interesting. I remember that in Ember, they had electricity even though they did not understand fully how it worked. So you are saying that they do not even have that much here in Sparks?

C: Yes.

S: So do the Ember folks try to teach them about electricity?

C: Well, only in the end. Doon finally figures it out.

S: Hmm, is that getting too close to spoiler territory?

C: Perhaps.

S: Okay so let us stop here with the plot then.

Caramel is reading The People of Sparks by Jeanne DuPrau. — Caramel is reading *The People of Sparks* by Jeanne DuPrau.

S: Tell me about Doon and Lina next. Are they any different in this book?

C: They are about the same. This book starts quite soon after the other book ends. So they are more or less the same people. They are curious and sometimes make mistakes, but they are trying to help their people.

S: I see. That sounds good. Are there any new characters that appear in this book that you liked?

C: Well, there is a whole new town of people, but I liked only Maddy. She is nice.

S: Who is she?

C: She is the traveling partner of Casper.

S: Who is Casper?

C: He is a person looking around in old ruins and finds things and brings them back to Sparks to trade them for other stuff.

S: So they are not quite from Sparks.

C: No. There seem to be a lot of small settlements all around, and some are abandoned.

S: I see. So this is some sort of a post-apocalyptic world.

C: Yes. It seems like this is a world after a World War Three.

S: Hmm, this reminds me of a quote by Albert Einstein: “I know not with what weapons World War III will be fought, but World War IV will be fought with sticks and stones.”

C: Yes, that is essentially what is happening in this world. I mean, they are not going to start another big war, but they lost almost all of the modern technology of today and the knowledge behind it.

S: That is interesting. And sobering at the same time. Alright, let us get back to the book. Did you enjoy reading it? Do you think you will read the next book in the series?

C: Yes. And yes.

S: I wonder if Marshmallow will read the third book before you so she can review it.

C: We can wait and see.

S: Alright. Let us do that. So before we wrap up this review, can you describe the book in three words?

C: Happy ending page-turner.

S: Hmm, that is a good description. I might need to read it before Marshmallow gets her paws on it.

C: You probably will.

S: Alright. What do you want to tell our readers?

C: Stay tuned for more book bunny reviews!

Caramel enjoyed reading The People of Sparks by Jeanne DuPrau and is keen to read the next book in the series to learn about what happens next to the people of Ember and Sparks. — Caramel enjoyed reading *The People of Sparks* by Jeanne DuPrau and is keen to read the next book in the series to learn about what happens next to the people of Ember and Sparks.

Marshmallow reviews The City of Ember by Jeanne DuPrau

As her first review for the new season, Marshmallow chose to talk about the first book of Jeanne DuPrau’s Books of Ember series: The City of Ember (2008). Sprinkles also read the book and enjoyed it so much that she is asking questions and taking notes.

Sprinkles: Welcome back Marshmallow!

Marshmallow: It is good to be back!

S: So let us dive right in. Please tell us a bit about this book.

M: This book is about a girl named Lina and a boy named Doon who live in a city named Ember, which is lit by artificial means. There are no suns, stars, or moons. The city has city lights which go off at night, and so it becomes completely dark.

S: At the end of the book, we learn why this is so, of course.

M: Right, but we are not giving away any spoilers today!

S: Sure. So tell me about the girl and the boy.

M: They are eleven, and the book starts right about the time they are finishing school and being assigned their jobs for life.

S: So they go to school only till they are eleven or so and then they are assigned a job for life. Do you like that idea?

M: Well, not particularly. Plus you don’t even get to choose your job. You can switch around in a year or so, but it is still kind of limiting. But these people do not know anything different. So maybe they do not feel it is a bad thing.

S: Makes sense to me.

M: Unfortunately schooling is so short and everyone gets trained on the job. They also do not know a lot. I mean, the city has a system that generates electricity that works the lights and so on, but they do not know or understand fire, electricity, or the inner workings of the generator. So when the generator begins to malfunction, they are at a loss.

S: Reminds me of the Star Trek Next Generation episode When the Bough Breaks.

M: It does have similarities actually! There too you have a society that does not understand how their planetary computer system is sustaining them, and then the system starts to fail. Though in The City of Ember, there are no computers.

S: Sure. So Lina and Doon try to figure out how to solve their city’s big problem, right?

M: Well, Lina kind of stumbles into it, but Doon has been thinking of trying to save his city for a while now. But yes, they are trying to figure out things.

S: I think that is a good overview of the plot Marshmallow.

Marshmallow is reading The City of Ember by Jeanne DuPrau. — Marshmallow is reading *The City of Ember* by Jeanne DuPrau.

S: So now tell me a bit about the characters. Did you find them compelling?

M: Yes. I thought the most compelling character is Lina, and she tries to make sure her baby sister is safe. Lina’s life and that of her sister is more precarious than some of the other folks in town, and she is very caring of the little baby. They have been orphans for a while, but now their grandmother who is taking care of them is also starting to have health problems.

S: Doon also does not seem to have a mother, right?

M: True, both of the main characters are coming from families where at least one parent is missing. But they are both self-reliant and also want to help all the others.

S: Still they make some mistakes…

M: Yes, but unlike in all the Harry Potter books where Harry and Ron and Hermione make all kinds of mistakes, these two feel remorse that they did not consult with or confide in the caring adults in their lives. So in some sense, Lina and Doon are a lot more responsible.

S: I can see that. So overall, did you enjoy reading this book?

M: Yep.

S: I liked it too. I read it in one sitting.

M: And I want to read the next book in the series. Though it will likely be quite different.

S: For reasons we cannot quite divulge, of course.

M: Of course.

S: So let us wrap up this review then. How would you rate the book Marshmallow?

M: I’d rate it 100%.

S: Sounds fair to me. What do you want to tell our readers?

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

Marshmallow rates The City of Ember by Jeanne DuPrau 100%. — Marshmallow rates *The City of Ember* by Jeanne DuPrau 100%.

Marshmallow reviews Miss Marple: The Complete Short Stories by Agatha Christie

Today Marshmallow reviews Miss Marple: The Complete Short Stories, a book that collects together all twenty short stories Agatha Christie wrote featuring her favorite detective, Miss Marple; the original dates of the stories range from 1932 to 1961. Sprinkles, who has been a life-long Christie fan, is asking questions and taking notes.

Sprinkles: Marshmallow, you know that I was so happy to find this collection of Miss Marple stories! But I was especially excited to have you read them, too. So what did you think?

Marshmallow: At first I found them very confusing.

S: How come?

M: I found the language a bit challenging at first. But reading the stories the second time, I got a lot more, and I really enjoyed them.

S: I guess the language is not contemporary. Christie wrote some of these almost a hundred years ago.

M: Yes. There were a lot of things I did not know about. For example you and I needed to look up the “hundreds and thousands” and the trifle that was one of the main plot points in the story “The Tuesday Night Club”.

S: Yes, apparently we do not know every traditional English dish and the usual ingredients for them.

M: And then there was “banting”. Apparently it means to diet by not eating things with carbs in them. And it is named after a scientist, Sir Frederick Grant Banting, who was one of the people who discovered insulin.

S: Yes, one learns a lot by reading!

M: Yes, of course.

S: So overall, what did you think of Miss Marple? Can you tell us a bit about who she is and what kind of a person she is?

M: She is an older lady, who seems like a nice and kind and easily distracted person, but she is extremely smart and insightful. So the first few stories in the book are told in the setting of a dinner party, where people are sharing mysteries and challenging others to figure them out. In almost all of them, everyone else is stumped, and Miss Marple outwits everyone, figuring things out.

S: And in the one that she claims she could not figure out the mystery, she actually did, but she had a reason not to divulge her reasoning. Right?

M: Right.

Marshmallow is reading Miss Marple: The Complete Short Stories by Agatha Christie. — Marshmallow is reading *Miss Marple: The Complete Short Stories* by Agatha Christie.

S: So I have been a fan of Agatha Christie stories since I was a young bunny around your age. This is your very first exposure to Christie. What do you think about her writing style?

M: Other than the fact that her language took me a little while to get used to, I think she is a clever storyteller. The plots are very good. The mysteries are hard to figure out on one’s own, but when they are explained at the end, they all make sense, and you see that the author had sprinkled in the right clues all along.

S: Agreed. When compared with your favorite detective, Nancy Drew, how does Miss Marple measure up?

M: I am still quite loyal to Nancy Drew, and I don’t want to hurt her feelings. But Miss Marple is sharp, and she can figure things out pretty quickly.

S: Then again, you did not read a full novel with Miss Marple, so maybe in the novels she is more like Nancy, and the story opens up slowly and more gradually.

M: Yes, it is true that all Nancy Drew books I read were long-form novels. In a short story, things have to happen quicker.

S: You do not review short story collections much for our blog.

M: True. I do not read too many short story collections. I have read and reviewed Beasts and Beauty: Dangerous Tales by Soman Chainani and The Demigod Diaries by Rick Riordan, which were short story collections, but it seems that most stuff I read is in novel form.

S: You know Agatha Christie wrote a ton of novels, right?

M: Yep. Wikipedia says that she wrote 66 detective novels.

S: That is a lot!

M: Yes, I agree. So did you read all of them, Sprinkles?

S: I read all her books that my school library had, but no, I did not read all. I also do not remember any of them. I should reread them at some point. Would you join me? Did this book make you curious to read some of her novels?

M: Yep. I did watch the movie version of The Murder on the Orient Express, though I do not remember much. So maybe we should read that first.

S: Yes, that is a classic! Okay, let us do that. Alright, this is probably a good time to end this review. How would you rate Miss Marple: The Complete Short Stories by Agatha Christie?

M: I’d rate it 100%, though it did take me a second read!

S: Sounds good to me. What do you want to tell our readers next?

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

Marshmallow rates Miss Marple: The Complete Short Stories by Agatha Christie 100%. — Marshmallow rates *Miss Marple: The Complete Short Stories* by Agatha Christie 100%.