The Many Sins of Lord Cameron by Jennifer Ashley

★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★

6 stars!!!

 

Since last year in 2011, I have started reading Jennifer Ashley’s fantastic “Highland Pleasures” series beginning with “The Madness of Lord Ian Mackenzie” and ever since then, I have fallen in love with this fantastic series!  Now, I have currently read the third book in the “Highland Pleasures” series which is called “The Many Sins of Lord Cameron” and it is easily the best story in the series so far!  “The Many Sins of Lord Cameron” has loads of action, heartwarming moments and hot romance that every romance fan will definitely gush over for many years!

SUMMARY

Six years ago, a young Cameron Mackenzie meets up with a young woman named Ainsley Douglas and even though they tried to make love to each other that day, Ainsley could not finish it because she was married to John Douglas at the time and did not want to betray him.  Years later, Ainsley Douglas is now a widow and when she meets up with the notorious Cameron Mackenzie again, Cameron decided that he will finish what was started between him and Ainsley six years ago.  However, Cameron and Ainsley will soon realize that dark secrets will be revealed and that their love for each other might ignite brighter than before!

PROS

Oh my goodness! This book was just absolutely amazing, heartbreaking and exciting all at the same time!  Jennifer Ashley has certainly woven a truly brilliant and heartwarming story about two lovers who both have dark secrets in their pasts, but are willing to put the past behind them in order to obtain true love!  I just loved all the characters in this book and Jennifer Ashley has done an awesome job at crafting each character’s personalities to make every one of them stand out.  I especially loved Daniel Mackenzie, Cameron’s son, who was always trying to bring Ainsley and Cameron together while providing good humor for the story.  It was amusing seeing how Daniel always seems to know what is best for his father and Ainsley while he is always doing the opposite of what his father tells him to do.  I really loved the awkward relationship that Daniel shares with Cameron because it brings so much humor to the story, especially with Daniel just randomly spewing out secrets that his father never told anyone.  Now about the two main characters, Ainsley Douglas and Cameron Mackenzie, they were probably the greatest couple I have ever read about in any romance novel!  Ainsley Douglas is shown to be a strong and crafty heroine who does not let anything get in her way of her love for Cameron and it was hilarious seeing her constantly pick locks to get into other people’s rooms.  I also loved the way that Ainsley was trying to help Cameron overcome his inner demons that dealt with his late wife, Elizabeth and the things that Elizabeth did to Cameron were just too horrible to describe.  This truly shows that Ainsley really cares about Cameron and was willing to put her own desires on the side to be with Cameron.  Cameron Mackenzie is probably my favorite hero at this moment because he is so dark yet handsome and that really made his character truly interesting!  I also loved the way that Jennifer Ashley describes Cameron’s body being a body of “God” as he is truly large and muscular and tall! But what truly touched me about Cameron’s character was with his dark and frightening past.  It was sad seeing Cameron being so distrusting of women because of what his late wife, Elizabeth did to him all those years and I really felt sympathy for Cameron.  Bringing out Cameron’s dark past and his sadness over it has really brought out a new dimension to Cameron’s character by making him somewhat vulnerable, but still trying to overcome that fear that he has been holding up for many years.  I really loved the love shared between Cameron and Ainsley as it was genuine and sensual at the same time that I was literally anticipating the next scene of them loving each other!

CONS

For those of you who do not like sex scenes, there is sex scenes littered throughout this book and they are extremely explicit as many naughty phrases are littered throughout each sex scene.

OVERALL

Overall, “The Many Sins of Lord Cameron” is easily one of the best books out of Jennifer Ashley’s “Highland Pleasures” series and I am definitely looking forward to reading Hart’s book, “The Duke’s Perfect Wife.”

 

Yours Until Dawn by Teresa Medeiros

★ ★ ★ ★

 

I really cannot get enough of Teresa Medeiros’ works! I mean, she really knows how to create very heartwarming and very sensual romantic books and “Yours Until Dawn” is certainly no exception! “Yours Until Dawn” is the third book I read from Teresa Medeiros and it is about how a governess named Samantha Wickersham tries to help Gabriel Fairchild, who had lost his sight during the war, to cope with his blindness while loving him every inch of the way! Get ready for sparks to fly and romantic fires to burn because “Yours Until Dawn” is definitely a romantic novel you do not want to miss!

Gabriel Fairchild was known as a war hero in London, but unfortunately, the war cost him his sight and all his hope of ever seeing again. So, Gabriel barricaded himself at Fairchild Park since he cannot bear to face society in the condition he is in. However, when a proper nurse named Samantha Wickersham comes to Fairchild Park to take care of Gabriel, Gabriel starts to fall in love with Samantha. Unfortunately, the two lovers will soon realize some secrets about each other that might put their relationship in jeopardy!

Whew! I am just fanning myself here because this book is definitely SIZZLING HOT!! Teresa Medeiros has certainly done an excellent job with describing her characters here as she goes into great detail about each character’s personalities. I think the two characters that truly stood out the most in this book were Samantha Wickersham and Gabriel Fairchild, since both characters had secrets that will shock anyone who read this book! I love the way that Teresa Medeiros realistically portrays Gabriel’s hardships with coping with his blindness because that is the trait of Gabriel that makes him a truly believable character and I usually found myself sympathizing with his condition, especially when he confesses to Samantha that he lost someone very dear to him because of his blindness and I just found myself feeling sorry for Gabriel at that point of the book. I also loved the character of Samantha herself as she seems like a mysterious person who who hides a tragic secret from Gabriel and you find yourself wondering about what her big secret is! Let me tell you, her secret is so shocking that I found myself being so surprised about what she was keeping from Gabriel. What I loved the most about Samantha’s character is that she is a strong and determined heroine who is willing to take Gabriel’s insufferable arrogant manner in order to make him see that life is still worth living, even when he is blind. Now onto the juicy bits of this book! There are many sexual scenes between Samantha and Gabriel that will make any romance novel fans’ hearts go aflutter. My favorite passage from this book that describes Gabriel is in this passage:

“Samantha studied Gabriel’s broad shoulders and muscled forearms, struck anew by what an imposing man he was. He could probably snap her delicate neck between thumb and forefinger. If he could find her, that is.”

I just love the way that Teresa Medeiros goes into detail about how strong Gabriel is in both appearance and strength.

For those of you who do not like sexual content, this book contains a great deal of sex scenes between Gabriel and Samantha. Also, the reason why I gave this book a four star instead of a five star rating is because I felt that Gabriel and Samantha spent almost 90% of the book arguing with each other rather than loving each other and I usually love romance novels where the characters occasionally argue with each other, but try to support each other the best that they can. I will admit though, that I did like the fact that Gabriel and Samantha took their time in knowing each other rather than jumping headfirst into a relationship.

All in all, “Yours Until Dawn” is definitely a book that will shock, warm and touch you all at the same time and I am sure that this book will definitely be an instant treat for Teresa Medeiros fans and romance novel fans everywhere!

 

Astonishing X-Men: Unstoppable by Joss Whedon

 

★  ★  ★  ★  ★  ★

6 stars!!!

Flashback:

After reading the first three volumes of “Astonishing X-Men” by Joss Whedon and John Cassaday, I was waiting with anticipation in reading the final volume of this fantastic series, “Astonishing X-Men: Unstoppable” and I was perfectly astonished and not disappointed! This volume will definitely not disappoint X-Men fans and will stand the test of time as one of the best endings to a comic book series!

What is the story?

After the events of the third volume “Astonishing X-Men: Torn,” the X-Men are transported into outer space and meet up with Agent Abigail Brand who informs the X-Men that recently the resurrected X-Men member, Colossus is the one who is destined to destroy the Breakworld, the planet that the alien invader Ord came from. What is worse is that since the inhabitants of the Breakworld has learned about Colossus’ destiny; they plan on destroying the Earth by firing a giant bullet towards the Earth! Can the X-Men stop the bullet from hitting Earth and will all of the X-Men members make it back alive? Read this volume to find out!

What I loved about this comic:

Joss Whedon’s writing: As always, Joss Whedon really knows how to weave a brilliant story with even more memorable characters to match! I loved the way that Joss Whedon truly makes this volume dramatically climatic as the story got more interesting and intense as it went on and I was on the edge of my seat trying to figure out how the X-Men would be able to stop the bullet from hitting the Earth. I also loved seeing the relationship between Kitty and Colossus become more serious and intimate in this volume as they truly care about each other and there is a really hot scene between the two lovebirds in this volume! I also loved the relationship between Emma and Scott and even they had their moments of doubt in their relationship and I thought that Joss Whedon had written that strain in their relationship extremely well. I also loved the fact that in the “Giant Size Astonishing X-Men One” which continues after the “Unstoppable” volume, we are introduced to other Marvel super heroes such as Spiderman, the Fantastic Four, Iron Man, Doctor Strange and many others and it was interesting to see them try to help out the X-Men in saving the world and I loved the jokes that Joss Whedon provided for Spiderman since it really fit his character. I also loved the humor that Joss Whedon incorporated into this volume as it made this final volume not only intense to read, but light-hearted in a way that will make you laugh so much at how the characters in this book took this worldwide threat in a more hilarious light. I especially loved the little quote that Colossus has when he attempted at making a joke at a serious situation:

Abigail Brand: “I’m assuming you’re as mystified by this as the rest of us, Rasputin.”

Colossus: “No. I’m not. I have been planning to destroy the Breakworld since I was a child.”

(silence)

Colossus: “This is why I don’t make so many jokes. I never know when is good.”

John Cassaday’s illustrations: John Cassaday’s illustrations are just are brilliant and gorgeous in this volume as it was in the first three volumes! I loved how all the characters have looks of shock and anger on their expressions when they found out the true scope of the plans for the Breakworld, especially Colossus’ shocked expressions when he realizes that he is the one destined to destroy the Breakworld. I also loved how John Cassaday did an excellent job at illustrating all of the other popular Marvel characters such as Spiderman and Iron Man coming together and the image of all the Marvel super heroes coming together in a space ship reminded me of DC comics “Justice League.”

Shadowcat (once again!): Joss Whedon has truly done an excellent job at portraying Kitty in this volume. I loved how she would try anything to save the world and how she was so brave and heroic throughout this volume because it really made her character truly stand out even more in this volume. I also loved her relationship with Peter as she truly cares about him and I loved the moments between them.

What made me feel uncomfortable about this book:

The only problem I had with this volume was how one of my favorite characters died. I will not tell you who die because that will spoil everything, but it is a character that I have grew fond of since I read this series and that character will be sorely missed.

Final Thoughts:

Overall, “Astonishing X-Men: Unstoppable” is a brilliant conclusion to this fantastic run by Joss Whedon and X-Men fans will definitely savor this series for all time!

Taken from my Goodreads review!

 

Astonishing X-Men: Torn by Joss Whedon

 

★  ★  ★  ★  ★

After finishing the second volume of the awesome “Astonishing X-Men” series “Dangerous,” I was definitely looking forward to reading the third volume of this series “Torn.” Imagine my pure delight after I had finished reading this volume since I was totally blown away by the twists and turns in this volume and I am sure that X-Men fans will enjoy this volume as much as I did!

What is the story?

Emma Frost has been acting strange ever since the incident with Danger in the last volume and now she is literally playing mind games with Cyclops which might cause harm to our beloved leader! Meanwhile, the new Hellfire Club starts making its move on the X-Men by playing vicious mind games with them that will help them get to their ultimate goal of releasing Cassandra Nova from her prison! Also, the identity of the mutant who is destined to destroy the Breakworld is finally revealed! There is a lot going on in this volume that determines the fate of the X-Men, so stay tuned!

What I loved about this comic:

Joss Whedon’s writing: Once again, Joss Whedon has woven a story that is full of humor and suspense that will keep anyone’s attention at bay! This story was fantastic as it was full of mystery and drama and I was shocked at how ruthless the new Hellfire Club is when they were manipulating each X-Men team member mentally. Probably the most traumatic scene in this entire book was of Kitty’s nightmare sequence involving her, Peter and their son that the White Queen put on her. I will not reveal what happened during this sequence, but you might want to pray for Peter and Kitty’s relationship to work after this volume. Joss Whedon also had a great knack for humor and I loved the scenes where the Hellfire Club messes with Wolverine’s mind and makes him into a wimpy man who constantly spews random things whenever he is scared. This is such a rare moment for me to see all serious and bad-tempered Wolverine become a scared wimp in a matter of seconds and it really provided so much humor for a serious storyline.

John Cassaday’s illustrations: John Cassaday’s illustrations are just as memorable here as they were in the previous two volumes. I loved the way that he makes the characters look so realistic and one of my favorite images was of Wolverine looking so scared throughout his episode of his mind being altered because they were extremely hilarious and it was rare seeing Wolverine in this state. But, my all-time favorite image in this volume was of Kitty running through the sewers that was reminiscent of the earlier comics where Wolverine was also in the sewers after being defeated by the Hellfire Club at the time and John Cassaday made Kitty look so intense and brilliant in this scene that I think that this was one of the most memorable scenes in the “Astonishing X-Men” series since Colossus’ return!

Shadowcat: Wow! Kitty was just truly awesome in this volume that I just love her character even more than I did in the cartoon series! I loved the way that she was the only person who was not affected by the Hellfire Club’s attempts at messing with the X-Men’s mind, although briefly, and the way that she fought Emma was just spectacular! I truly think that Joss Whedon has done her character justice in this series and it makes me want to read more of this series!

Peter and Kitty’s relationship (once again!): This time, Peter and Kitty’s relationship is up a notch and I really enjoyed seeing their relationship go even further! I especially loved the opening scene in this volume of Peter and Kitty having a picnic together and I really loved the little cute banter that Kitty and Peter have with each other before Peter (gasps) kisses Kitty!

What made me feel uncomfortable about this book:

The only problem I had with this book was that the plot tends to be a bit confusing and there were times where there were certain moments in the story where the conflict is not fully explained. For example, I am not sure about the Cassandra Nova arc and I was trying to figure out what was going on in that arc since I do not understand what Cassandra Nova was after at Xavier’s Institute. Well, I guess this might be made clearer in the next volume.

Final Thoughts:

Overall, even though “Astonishing X-Men: Torn” has some confusing moments, this was still a brilliant read for me and I cannot wait to read the final volume in Joss Whedon’s and John Cassaday’s run on this series, “Unstoppable!”

Taken from my Goodreads review!

 

Astonishing X-Men: Dangerous by Joss Whedon

 

★  ★  ★  ★

Flashback:

After reading the first volume, “Astonishing X-Men: Gifted,” I just could not wait to read the second volume in this fantastic series, “Astonishing X-Men: Dangerous!” Joss Whedon and John Cassaday has once again woven a truly interesting story that is way more intense than the first and is full of shocking surprises that will leave every X-Men fan shocked for the rest of their lives!

What is the story?

After the events of the first volume “Astonishing X-Men: Gifted,” a young student named Wing had lost his mutant powers when Ord, the alien invader in the last volume, took away his powers using the mutant cure. Unfortunately, because of this, Wing has decided to commit suicide…in the Danger Room! This then causes a strange and horrific occurrence at the Xavier Institute as a giant damaged Sentinel starts attacking the X-Men and the Danger Room starts haunting all the students at the Institute! Who is this mysterious being who is causing trouble at the Institute? Read this volume to find out!

What I loved about this comic:

Joss Whedon’s writing: Once again, Joss Whedon has astonished me again by writing a truly creepy yet exciting sequel to this fantastic series! Joss Whedon’s writing is full of shocking surprises that really shocked me to the core, especially towards the end when it is revealed who is controlling the Danger Room! It was interesting seeing the Danger Room turn against the X-Men and I loved how Joss Whedon incorporated some of the horror elements from “Buffy the Vampire Slayer,” such as monsters and living corpses, into this volume as they made this volume such a shock to read through.

John Cassaday’s illustrations: John Cassaday’s illustrations are simply amazing in this volume and I loved the way that he drew all the monsters in the Danger Room as they all look so creepy and realistic that I was literally on edge when I looked at the illustrations! I also loved all the characters’ appearances, especially Peter and Kitty’s appearances because they look so lovely together and their facial expressions are always drawn so realistically that I often find myself either sympathizing or rooting for the character.

Peter and Kitty’s Relationship: I just love this couple to death! Peter Rasputin and Kitty Pryde are the perfect couple for each other as they stand by each others side during battle and I just loved the little private conversation that Peter and Kitty have about what happened at Genosha because it showed how much Peter truly cares for Kitty’s feelings and how he wanted to protect her at all cost. I just thought that was the most romantic scene in this entire book (coming from a romance novel fan!)

What made me feel uncomfortable about this book:

Be forewarned that there are some images in this book, mainly the appearances of the monsters that show up in the Danger Room, that will make your skin crawl, it certainly made my skin crawl and it was hard for me to sit through some parts of this book without my skin crawling. Also, the reason why I gave this a four star rating instead of a five star rating is because while this book was really interesting to read, I thought that it steered too far from the original plot of the first volume as it just jumps from the plot about an alien invader coming to earth to the X-Men trying to fight the Danger Room. This would usually lead me to wondering what is actually going to happen next and why we are off topic from the main plot and it also confuses me so much that I often cannot concentrate too much on the story at hand.

Final Thoughts:

Overall, “Astonishing X-Men: Dangerous” was a great read and I am definitely looking forward to reading the third volume in the series “Torn” next!

Taken from my Goodreads review!

 

Astonishing X-Men: Gifted by Joss Whedon

★  ★  ★  ★  ★  ★

6 stars!

Brief History:

Alright, I have actually first heard of the “X-Men” series when I was little and it was through a 90s cartoon series entitled “X-Men: The Animated Series.” From that day on, I was so hooked onto the “X-Men” franchise that I practically watched every incarnation of “X-Men” throughout my life which included the animated series “X-Men: Evolution” and I even watched all three “X-Men” movies. Now the truth of the matter is that even though I have heard of the “X-Men” franchise ever since I was a child, I never read the comics at all, until now. I never read the comics before because there was just too many universes involving everyone’s favorite superhero mutants and I am one of those people who cannot keep up with too many different versions of certain characters’ lives because I will get confused easily. Well, I stumbled upon this unique comic book from the “X-Men” series entitled “Astonishing X-Men: Gifted” and when I found out that Joss Whedon (creator of “Buffy the Vampire Slayer”) was going to write an “X-Men” comic, I was shocked and excited at the same time! Joss Whedon is surely an accomplished writer and I have watched “Buffy the Vampire Slayer” before and I really enjoyed that show! And now, without further ado, I will now discuss about what this book is all about and my opinions on this comic.

What is the story?

Cyclops and Emma Frost, who are now in charge of the institute, started reforming the X-Men once again to prove to the world that even though they are mutants, they are the heroes and they want to “astonish” the world with their heroic deeds. However, when a mutant cure reaches all over the world and many mutants line up to get the cure, will the X-Men’s efforts to prove to the world that they are the good guys fall in vain? And to add to that, the X-Men will soon reunite with a fellow mutant who was presumed dead. Who is that mutant? Find out once you pick up “Astonishing X-Men: Gifted!”

What I loved about this comic:

Joss Whedon’s writing: Joss Whedon’s writing was so brilliant in this comic! He really knows how to bring excitement and suspense to the storyline regarding the X-Men trying to figure out the secrets of this “mutant cure” and who is behind all of this commotion. I also loved the way that Joss Whedon is able to shock the audience with various scenes that came so unexpected in the story, such as the scene where we find out about the mutant who was presumed dead and when I found out about that situation, I was totally shocked beyond all reason and yet I was extremely happy to see how the shock of this scene was written and shown. I also loved the way that Joss Whedon incorporated humor into the story at the right places, like Wolverine’s obsession with beer and that one popular line in the book where Wolverine is cursing like crazy and you just see a bunch of symbols indicating the strong language.

John Cassaday’s illustrations: John Cassaday’s illustrations were simply gorgeous and fitted this story perfectly. I loved how all the X-Men characters look so real and I especially loved seeing their expressions that ranged from anger to shock as it was amusing to look at. I also loved the lighting of certain scenes such as the X-Men going to the Benetech lab and everything inside the lab is shaded in green which fitted the brooding mood of the lab.

The characters: I have never seen such amazing characters from the “X-Men” universe in my entire life! All the characters were interesting without being boring at all and I loved seeing the actual conflicts they have with each other, especially between Emma Frost and Kitty Pryde as they clearly have contempt for each other due to Emma’s horrible past. Even though I will always be a Cyclops/Jean Grey fan, I thought that the relationship between Emma and Scott was pretty interesting and they seem to share some kind of bond that I never would have seen in any other comic. I also loved the fact that Kitty Pryde seems to be the star of this issue since the media rarely focuses on her character and what was so interesting about her character was that she resembled Buffy from “Buffy the Vampire Slayer” in being the heroic heroine who would do anything to save her friends from disaster.

What made me feel uncomfortable about this book:

I do not really have much of a problem with this issue since I thought it was perfect, but for those of you who do not like gore and language, this volume contains plenty of gore and language, so I would probably not read this issue if language and violence is a bother to some people.

Final Thoughts:

Overall, I really enjoyed reading “Astonishing X-Men: Gifted” and I am looking forward to reading up on the next issue “Dangerous” from this fantastic series! If anyone has ever read the “X-Men” series before and you want to recommend me some titles, please recommend me some “X-Men” titles that were really great to read!

The Madness of Lord Ian Mackenzie by Jennifer Ashley

★  ★  ★  ★  ★

I have read some Highlander romance novels with the dashing heroes and the strong-willed heroines, but never have I read a romance novel quite like this one! “The Madness of Lord Ian Mackenzie” is a highlander romance novel written by Jennifer Ashley and is the first romance novel I have read from her. This novel is filled with action, drama, mystery and hot sizzling romance that will set any romance fan ablaze!

Beth Ackerley is a young and beautiful woman who was once raised in the dark slums of London and was engaged to Lyndon Mather until she met a seductive and mysterious Scottish man named Lord Ian Mackenzie, who cleverly took Beth away from Lyndon! Now that Beth is now staying close to Ian, she will soon discover some of Ian’s most dangerous and destructive secrets that could either destroy or repair their relationship with each other.

Oh my goodness! This novel was so amazing and heartbreaking at the same time! Jennifer Ashley has certainly done a brilliant job at not only providing the readers with enough mystery and drama contained in one romance novel, but Jennifer Ashley also did a brilliant job at characterizing each character and the situations they were involved in. My favorite characters in this novel were Lord Ian Mackenzie and Beth Ackerley as they clearly had the most character development and their stories truly cut me to the core of my heart. Beth Ackerley is clearly one strong and determined heroine as she would go out of her way to discover the terrible secrets haunting her lover, Ian Mackenzie and try to set Ian free from his haunting memories and I strongly admired Beth for her determination and her kind heart. Lord Ian Mackenzie is definitely one of my favorite tortured heroes ever as his love for Beth is truly genuine, but he is constantly haunted by his memories of his dark past. It was really interesting seeing a hero who is constantly haunted by his past and Jennifer Ashley did an excellent job at portraying his insecurity about hurting other people because of his explosive rages and it really made Ian into such a mysterious and seductive person that I just fell head over heels in love with him! I also loved the way that Ian truly loved Beth, especially since he thought that if he was a bit distant towards her, he would not hurt her since that is his greatest fear is hurting the one he truly loves and it was that part of Ian that truly loved (also, I loved Ian’s large and muscular body!) It was also interesting to note that while I was reading my friends’ reviews about this book, Ian appears to have Asperger’s Syndrome, which is a form of autism and it was interesting to see how the book never really pointed this out, but presented it in a subtle manner. I also loved meeting with Ian’s family as they were eccentric in their own way, but similar to Lisa Kleypas’ portrayal of the Hathaways from her “Hathaways” series, they truly cared about each other and would look out for each other. The romance scenes between Ian and Beth were hot and spicy and I was literally fanning myself with anticipation at reading these scenes!

For those of you who do not like reading about sex scenes, the sex scenes in this novel are extremely explicit and it might be a bit disgusting to read through if you do not like reading sex scenes.

Overall, “The Madness of Lord Ian Mackenzie” is truly one delightful read that every romance fan should read!

 

The Sneetches by Dr. Seuss

★  ★  ★  ★  ★

I have been reading many of Dr. Seuss’ books ever since I was a child, but out of all the books I have read from him, this book was the most effective book I have ever read! “The Sneetches and Other Stories” is a short collection of stories by Dr. Seuss where each of them detailed how to accept other people for who they are. “The Sneetches and Other Stories” is a truly memorable book that displays some of Dr. Seuss’ best works!

Alright, not only will I talk about how I felt about this book, I will also discuss about the various themes in this book from my viewpoint on the situations. Dr. Seuss has certainly done a brilliant job at both illustrating and writing this memorable book about the importance of accepting other people for their different qualities and the consequences if we do not accept them for who they are. Let me discuss about my thoughts on the stories “The Sneetches” and “What was I scared of?” as they were my most favorite stories out of the entire book. In “The Sneetches,” it was obvious that this story was discussing about accepting other people’s differences, or in a more general sense:

RACISM AND PREJUDICE

The Star-Belly Sneetches believed themselves to be far more superior than the Plain-Belly Sneetches because they possessed qualities that the plain-belly sneetches did not possessed, which were the stars on their bellies. I am guessing that this story was relating to the extreme racism and prejudice going on during the 1960s at the time, since this book was written during the 60s. I really enjoyed this story because it seemed to have a solution at the end of the story, that it is pointless to see who is better than the other and it shows that no matter what your skin color (or in this case, whether you have a star on your belly or not) everyone is still a human being and we are all equal in every way. The other story I wanted to talk about is “What Was I Scared of?” and this story talks about how a young boy was scared of a “pair of pants” when walking through the night on an errand and what was so interesting about this story was that this story was about the fact that it expresses the whole “the person I am afraid of is just as scared of me as I am of him or her” situation. I really loved how the situation was handled at the end of the story and how becoming friends with a person you were once afraid of is the best solution in trying to connect with a person who is different from you. Dr. Seuss’s illustrations are just as creative in this book as they were in his other books! I just loved how the sneetches’ appearances in this book as they are shown as tall and yellow creatures who all look alike, except that some of them have blue stars on their bellies which indicates the differences between the Star-Belly Sneetches and the Plain-Belly Sneetches. I also loved in the story, “What Was I Scared of?” where the majority of the story is illustrated in blue colors, giving this story a spooky mood.

The only problem I had with this book was with the two stories, “The Zax” and “Too Many Daves.” I know that Dr. Seuss is well known for his nonsensical works, but I felt that “The Zax” and “Too Many Daves” were not as memorable as “The Sneetches” and “What Was I Scared Of?” since there was no real solution to the characters’ problems in those stories and they also kind of had abrupt endings that sort of left me feeling incomplete with the stories.

Before I give my final verdict on this book, I like to give my opinions on the issue of racism and prejudice. Personally, I think that racism and prejudice is pretty pointless in society and it will just make more people unhappy with the world and not accept other people for who they are. Does racism and prejudice exist even in today’s society? It definitely does and it is so sad because it seems that people who are against other cultures and races do not want to experience the cultures’ differences and I always think that everyone is equal, no matter what country, culture or race they are apart of. We are all human beings and we should try to learn to get along with other countries and races instead of fighting each other because of fear and hatred. This issue really affects me to the core and I would love to see more people try to get along with each other instead of despising each other for their differences. So, basically overall “The Sneetches and Other Stories” is a great children’s book to use to discuss racism and prejudice issues for young children and I think the more people read this book, the better they gain an understanding about how ugly racism and prejudice really is. I would recommend this book to children ages four and up since there is nothing inappropriate in this book.

 

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