The Legend of Sleepy Hollow

by Washington Irving
4 Stars
Children's Classic
Historical Fiction
Setting: Sleepy Hollow, NY
112 pages
Published 1819

Ellie's Review
To bring out the Halloween spirit (or spirits?), I read this classic American tale for the first time even though I've heard the retelling countless times and ways.  This short story was a quick and entertaining read and something people should read at least once in their lives.  I had never really known the truth about what happened between the Headless Horseman and Ichabod Crane.  (But does anyone really know?)

Book Summary
Since this story's first appearance in 1819, generations of readers, young and old, have thrilled to the Headless Horseman galloping through the haunted woods of Sleepy Hollow.

Note on Editions
While many editions of this classic tale are available, I recommend finding an illustrated copy to make reading it that much more fun!  I enjoyed the illustrations of Arthur Rackham who focused on the haunting spirits that the inhabitants of Sleepy Hollow saw in everything.

Stiff: The Curious Lives of Human Cadavers

by Mary Roach
4 Stars
Nonfiction: Other
304 pages
Published 2003


Ellie's Review
This book is utterly fascinating.  As I learned about the many kinds of research on cadavers (including auto safety testing), I actually laughed out loud numerous times as Roach kept it light without being inappropriate.  I am even more convinced now to donate my organs.


Book Summary
Stiff is an oddly compelling, often hilarious exploration of the strange lives of our bodies postmortem.  For two thousand years, cadavers - some willingly, some unwittingly - have been involved in science's boldest strides and weirdest undertakings.  They've tested France's first guillotines, ridden the NASA Space Shuttle, been crucified in a Parisian laboratory to test the authenticity of the Shroud of Turn, and helped solve the mystery of TWA Flight 800.  For every new surgical procedure, from heart transplants to gender reassignment surgery, cadavers have been there alongside surgeons, making history in their quiet way.

In this fascinating, ennobling account, Mary Roach visits the good deeds of cadavers over the centuries—from the anatomy labs and human-sourced pharmacies of medieval and nineteenth-century Europe to a human decay research facility in Tennessee, to a plastic surgery practice lab, to a Scandinavian funeral directors' conference on human composting. In her droll, inimitable voice, Roach tells the engrossing story of our bodies when we are no longer with them.

City of Fallen Angels (The Mortal Instruments #4)

by Cassandra Clare
3 Stars
Young Adult
Fantasy with Vampires
Setting: NY
424 pages
Published 2011

Ellie's Review
While I did really enjoy the latest novel in The Mortal Instruments series, I didn't like it as much as the 2nd and 3rd books.  In the middle, too much was going on with the subplots and drama that was being created.  I would have been happy if Clare ended the series after the third novel since things were tied up so nicely.  She had to create so many new problems with the characters who had already overcame their numerous conflicts.  I did like City of Fallen Angels though and will probably read the next book whenever it is published.

Book Summary
Who will betray everything they ever believed in? Who will fall in love, and who will find their relationship torn apart?  Love.  Blood.  Betrayal.  Revenge.  In the heart-pounding fourth installment of The Mortal Instruments series, the stakes are higher than ever.

View Ellie's reviews of the rest of the series:
City of Bones (The Mortal Instruments #1)
City of Ashes (The Mortal Instruments #2)
City of Glass (The Mortal Instruments #3)

City of Glass (The Mortal Instruments #3)

by Cassandra Clare
4 Stars
Young Adult
Fantasy with Vampires
Setting: NY
683 pages
Published 2009

Ellie's Review
Once again, I was totally hooked on a cheesy, juvenile, vampire novel.  Clare nicely wrapped up the trilogy in City of Glass, and I was happy with the ending.  The teenage characters are still learning and making mistakes, but they have matured some since the first installment of The Mortal Instruments series, City of Bones.

Book Summary
To save her mother's life, Clary must travel to the City of Glass, the ancestral home of the Shadowhunters -- never mind that entering the city without permission is against the Law, and breaking the Law could mean death.  To make things worse, she learns that Jace does not want her there, and Simon has been thrown in prison by the Shadowhunters, who are deeply suspicious of a vampire who can withstand sunlight.

View Ellie's reviews of the rest of the series:
City of Bones (The Mortal Instruments #1)
City of Ashes (The Mortal Instruments #2)
City of Fallen Angels (The Mortal Instruments #4)

City of Ashes (The Mortal Instruments #2)

by Cassandra Clare
4 Stars
Young Adult
Fantasy with Vampires
Setting: NY
464 pages
Published 2007

Ellie's Review
I'm embarrassed to admit that I really liked this book, but I did.  The dialogue is cheesy, but again I stayed up late at night reading this!  I'm not too ashamed to say I have a crush on Jace.

Book Summary
As readers of series starter City of Bones already know, teenager Clary Fray is a Shadowhunter, a demon slayer who has the gift (?) of spotting Downworlder werewolves, vampires, and faeries.  She is also an adolescent in an abnormally dysfunctional family: Her mom is in a magically induced coma and her father is probably insane and undoubtedly evil.  All of which places Clary in situations that would challenge even the most talented average American girl.

View Ellie's reviews of the rest of the series:
City of Bones (The Mortal Instruments #1)
City of Glass (The Mortal Instruments #3)
City of Fallen Angels (The Mortal Instruments #4)

City of Bones (The Mortal Instruments #1)

by Cassandra Clare
4 Stars
Young Adult
Fantasy with Vampires
Setting: NY
485 pages
Published 2007

Ellie's Review
This book sucked me from from the start, and I stayed up many nights past my bedtime reading it. This reminded me of Twilight due to the juvenile fantasy genre and the magnetism I was drawn in with. However, I didn't rate it higher because the writing itself is not fabulous. This would be a great book to read on a trip: it's easy to read and is a page-turner.  If you are a fan of Stephenie Meyers and wanted more after Breaking Dawn, pick this book up.

Book Summary
When fifteen-year-old Clary Fray heads out to the Pandemonium Club in New York City, she hardly expects to witness a murder - much less a murder committed by three teenagers covered with strange tattoos and brandishing bizarre weapons. Then the body disappears into thin air. It's hard to call the police when the murderers are invisible to everyone else and when there is nothing - not even a smear of blood - to show that a boy has died. Or was he a boy?

This is Clary's first meeting with the Shadowhunters, warriors dedicated to ridding the earth of demons. It's also her first encounter with Jace, a Shadowhunter who looks a little like an angel and acts a lot like a jerk. Within twenty-four hours Clary is pulled into Jace's world with a vengeance, when her mother disappears and Clary herself is attacked by a demon. But why would demons be interested in ordinary mundanes like Clary and her mother? And how did Clary suddenly get the Sight? The Shadowhunters would like to know.... 

Series Information
Originally The Mortal Instruments were to be a trilogy, but Clare decided to continue with a fourth, which is City of Fallen Angels, published in 2011. 


View Ellie's reviews of the rest of the series:
City of Ashes (The Mortal Instruments #2)
City of Glass (The Mortal Instruments #3)
City of Fallen Angels (The Mortal Instruments #4)