"A Very Bookish Christmas" collection

Yep, the Christmas one of these. I'm going to do this review like the last one, with the mini-reviews and the multiple ratings and all.

(Note: As with the other one, my mom reviewed this, and her review tells you much more what the stories are about.)

Gingerbread Treasures by Rebekah Jones (The Sign of the Four)

This is by the same person who wrote The Windles and the Lost Boy in the Thanksgiving one, which I wouldn't have noticed except that it mentioned Arborville (the town in TW&tLB). It's my second favorite of these four stories; as with TW&tLB, it had a more action-y plot. It's still not the book version of an action movie or anything, but I think this is the only story in this collection where anyone gets in a physical fight.

(Because it doesn't say in the beginning synopsis which Sherlock Holmes mystery this is inspired by, I thought it was the Dancing Men one, what with the gingerbread men and all.)

Rating this E10+ for mild violence and mentions of death. 4 stars.

Molly and Anna by Sarah Holman (Pollyanna)

I didn't love this one, despite the fact that it's by the same person who wrote my favorite story in the other one. Molly and Anna has... less of what I liked about As Long as I Belong, maybe? Something like that. That's not to say I disliked Molly and Anna, but I didn't like it as much as As Long as I Belong.

Rating this E10+ for discussion of racism. 4 stars.

Sylvie of Amber Apartments by J. Grace Pennington (Anne of Green Gables)

I feel like this one was just kind of there. It's not bad or anything, but it also doesn't really interest me. Accordingly, I don't have much to say about this.

Rating this E, 3 stars.

Sincerely, Jem by Kate Willis (Daddy-Long-Legs)

This one is indubitably my favorite. There's a reason it provided all three of the favorite lines (below). I think part of my affinity for this is because I really like the main character; she's just so fun to read about. I'm having a hard time finding things to say about this novella, but it's hilarious and fun and entertaining, so those are three adjectives for you.

Rating this E, 5 stars. (Yes.)

Were this collection a collection of videogames, I'd rate it: E10+.

The collection, on a whole, gets 4 stars. And guess what? Unlike with the other one, it's the actual average of the individual story ratings.

Favorite lines:

    Dear Longfellow,

    Here are thirteen pages of hilarious rubbish.

    Page 358. It's in Sincerely, Jem.

 

    The profs had an ugly sweater contest. (Page 360).

    ...

    Oh, if you have time, sometime, anyway, do tell more about the ugly sweater contest. I have a whole story going in my head about the English teacher wearing his regular clothes and accidentally winning and the art teacher making something sufficiently ugly but with a surprising amount of symbolism or something. How far off am I? (Page 362).

     ...

    You are dead on about the ugly sweater contest, though it was the creative writing teacher, not the English teacher. And you forgot the science prof who thought they were all crazy and dressed as nicely as possible. (Page 363).

    This is an exchange from the letters in Sincerely, Jem, that makes me chuckle every time I read it. It's actually spread out over multiple letters, but I collected it in one place so I could write it here.

    The best prank I ever did was convincing my art teacher in high school that it was a holiday, and we were all there by mistake. Since Columbus Day is a thing, I made up Amerigo Vespucci Day, told all the other students what I would have been doing to celebrate it if I hadn't been in school, and asked my teacher what her plans were.

    Page 363. Also from Sincerely, Jem.

(Endnote: It was kind hard not just rereading Sincerely, Jem again while writing this post. It's such a fun story and I like it so muuuuuch...)