Horton Halfpott or the Fiendish Mystery of Smugwick Manor or The Loosening of M'Lady Luggertuck's Corset

From Tom Angleberger [read my interview with him here] author of the New York Times best-seller, The Strange Case of Origami Yoda comes Horton Halfpott or the Fiendish Mystery of Smugwick Manor or the Loosening of M'Lady Luggertuck's Corset. Wow is that a mouthful of a title!

Summary: Tom Angleberger's latest, loopiest middle-grade novel begins when M'Lady Luggertuck loosens her corset (it's never been loosened before!), thereby setting off a chain of events in which all the strict rules of Smugwick Manor are abandoned. When, as a result of "the Loosening," the precious family heirloom, the Luggertuck Lump (quite literally a lump), goes missing, the Luggertucks look for someone to blame. Is it Horton Halfpott, the good-natured but lowly kitchen boy who can't tell a lie? Or one of the many colorful cast members in this silly romp of a mystery.

So as you can see from the summary, this book does not take itself seriously, and I think that makes the book a whole lot more fun! One thing I was surprised by in this book was how different it was from The Strange Case of Origami Yoda but I guess that's to be expected seeing how this book takes place in Victorian England and Origami Yoda takes place is middle school. Personally I'm glad that Tom Angleberger can write well in two different genres. The only problem of this book was that it goes off on way too many side stories and ends of giving the reading a cartoon-filled headache. What can I say? As the back cover states "Tom Angleberger's loopiest novel yet".

4/5

Matched

I've been hearing a lot about this book, every time I check the "New York Times Best-Seller List" it's near the top, and I've been reading lots of positive reviews, so finally I decided to read it. "Matched" is Ally Condie's debut, In the story everything is controlled by "The Society" who decide Who You Love, Where you Work, When you Die, and basically everything else in your life. Cassia has always trusted their choices, and when her best friend is her match she is confident he is the one. But when she sees a face before the screen flashes blank, she suddenly is doubting 'The Society" and their choices. She develops a relationship with this new boy, Ky, but she still has feelings for he Match Xander. She starts to doubt everything about the society, and what they stand for.

This book was a great read, I started six hours ago and just finished it a few minutes ago. Many people say it is just a imitation of "The Hunger Games" I however thought that it was very unique, though you could make connections to " Hunger Games" it was still really good। Even though her writing style wasn't original, it was very simple and matter-of-fact which made me want to keep reading. This book is supposed it be the first in a trilogy that will be the "Next Big Read" and I think it has that potential, if Condie keeps making them interesting, fun, and enjoyable. Though the book had a few flaws the good qualities deeply outnumbered the bad. All in all, a book that readers will eagerly devour and longing for the second.
5/5