Morgan and Gable Review The Penultimate Peril

The Penultimate Peril by Lemony Snicket

Morgan: This distressing penultimate book is probably the most confusing, upsetting, saddening and confusing book in the Series of Unfortunate Events. There is a most horrific, accidental death which I actually cried at, lots of action and mystery and an EXTREMELY disappointing ending in which you are unsure if the Baudelaire’s are noble volunteers or notorious villains. My favorite character would have to be either Dewey or Kit because they were both noble volunteers and kind human beings. This book is a great book for children or young adults who feel alone in the big, scary world or who have just entered it alone and confused. It was tough for me to read because I am almost a teenager and am a little scared of entering the world; alone or not. I would NOT suggest this book for a Christmas read as it the total opposite of merry and bright. In this case, I would take Mr. Snicket’s advice and skip reading this book. Instead, sit back and relax by your favorite pond with some quiche.

Gable: This book didn’t really answer all the questions I had about V.F.D. and the previous books in the series. It kept saying it would reveal all but it never did. It just answered questions I had never thought of asking and added more questions to the list of ones I wanted to find answers to. The book itself was the best of all the books mashed into one, which made it my favorite out of them all. It was tragic, funny, witty, exciting, scary, intense, and nostalgic, all in one. In other words, this book was horrible in some ways, but wonderful in others, just like the members of V.F.D.

Gable Reviews Shouldn’t You Be In School?

Shouldn’t You Be In School? by Lemony Snicket

I enjoyed this book more than I thought I would. It was a great way to finish up this year of reading. I will miss this challenge but I will also very much enjoy my big break. This book has something for everyone; it has romance, it has mystery, it has intensity, it has excitement, it has horror, it even has a bit of fantasy! It had me hooked from page one. It also has some really nice quotes and very poetic speeches. It’s a wonderful, meaningful, and exciting story for everyone to enjoy.

Gable Reviews Lemony Snicket: The Unauthorized Autobiography

Lemony Snicket: The Unauthorized Autobiography by Lemony Snicket

This book was at first quite easy to understand and interesting, answering none of the questions I came here to answer but all the questions I had along the way. But the more I read, the more confusing it was and the less I could piece it together. However, at the last chapter, I found more of the information piecing together but, just as I thought I was about to find the answers to all my questions, the book ended and I was left unsatisfied and still confused.

Gable Reviews When Did You See Her Last?

When Did You See Her Last? By Lemony Snicket

Write 6 words you would put on this book if it were in the “Blind Date With A Book” shelf. Chemistry, Mystery, Invisible Ink, Jail, History, Dilemma Cars.

Genre: Children’s Mystery

Who was your favorite character and why? Lemony Snicket because I could relate to him the most and because he was one of the easiest characters to understand.

Who was your least favorite character and why? Hangfire because he was an evil trickster, liar and thief.

Did it grab you immediately or did it take a while? At first, it was more mysterious than the previous book in the series but it was actually far simpler but much more intense.

Was it plot or character driven? Character.

What did you think of the ending? It was a happy ending although now I don’t want to read anything else until the third book in the series gets published. Such a cliffhanger!

What was the moral of the story? Asking lots of questions can either kill the cat or make the cat wiser.

Favorite quote: “Anyone who gives you a cinnamon roll fresh from the oven is a friend for life.” – Lemony Snicket

Have you read other books in the series? I’ve read the first book in the series, Who Could That Be At This Hour?, but this one was much better.

Have you read other books by the same author? Yes. The Series of Unfortunate Events is a brilliant series but this book is also pretty awesome. I’m torn between which one I like more.

Who would you recommend it to? Lovers of intense mystery novels.

Number of unknown words: 23

Recipe: Cinnamon Rolls

Craft/Activity: Make your own invisible ink.

Tell us about a situation you thought was solved easily but turned out to be very convoluted.

Gable Review Who Could That Be At This Hour?

Who Could That Be At This Hour? By Lemony Snicket

Describe it in 25 words or less. Teenage Lemony Snicket is hired by a serious and mysterious detective to steal a mysterious statue but what is the real mystery behind the case?

Any particular reason for choosing this book? I have been reading The Series of Unfortunate Events, a series also by Lemony Snicket, and I was approaching the end of the series. I really love the series so I was afraid to read any more of the books. Then I found out about this series by Lemony Snicket; All The Wrong Questions. I could read Lemony Snicket but not finish my favorite series!

Who was your favorite character and why? Lemony Snicket because I could relate to him the most.

Who was your least favorite character and why? Stew Mitchum because he was evil and rude to people he hardly even knew and he treated nature badly.

Did it grab you immediately or did it take a while? I was really excited to start reading this book. As I read on, it just became a jumble of unsolved and loosely connected mysteries and awkward conversations. After halfway, some of the mysteries got answered but only by more mysteries. In the very last chapter, everything finally pieced together except for several mysteries which were the ones I wanted to be solved the most.

Was it plot or character driven? Definitely character but I think the mysteries would have been solved at a more pleasing pace if it had been totally plot driven.

What did you think of the ending? Like I said before, it was a pleasant ending in that most of the mysteries were solved but still the few that I really wanted solved were the ones that were spoken about the least.

What was the moral of the story? Just because you were wrong several times doesn’t mean you can’t be right a few times, too.

Favorite quote: “I used to be that young man, and that child, and that baby. Stretched out in front of me was my time as an adult, and then a skeleton, and then nothing except perhaps a few books on a few shelves.” – Lemony Snicket

What would you change? I would make it plot driven and not just from the mind of Lemony Snicket so that the mysteries could be solved quicker but also in a more subtle way.

Have you read other books in the series? He says there is supposed to be four in the series but he has only published two so far. I am going to read the second one next but I will read the whole series when it all comes out.

Have you read other books by the same author? Yes, and I am a huge Lemony Snicket fan. I plan on reading every book that he has written during my lifetime. Check out my Series of Unfortunate Events reviews here.

Who would you recommend it to? People who like confusing mysteries, people who enjoyed reading The Beatrice Letters, and people who liked A Series of Unfortunate Events.

Number of unknown words: 17

Recipe:
Almond Cookies
Orecchiette Al Pesto

Artwork: Alexandros of Antioch’s Venus de Milo

(source)

Tell us about a time you did several wrong things but then righted yourself and made a big but good change.

Gable and Morgan Review The Grim Grotto

The Grim Grotto by Lemony Snicket

Write 6 words you would put on this book if it were in the “Blind Date With A Book” shelf.

Gable: Mushrooms, Ocean, Submarines, Friends, Betrayal, Orphans

Describe it in 25 words or less.

Morgan: The Baudelaire’s board a submarine, meet a mycologist, learn about a deadly fungus and even face evil once more. But will things finally look up?

Color Palette: (Morgan’s specialty)

Any particular reason for choosing this book?

Morgan: I’m reading the whole “Series of Unfortunate Events” and each book is better than the last and makes me want to read on and on and on!

Genre:

Gable: Children’s Action/Mystery

Morgan: Action/Mystery/Children’s Literature

Who was your favorite character and why?

Gable: Klaus because he always thought about the more important subjects and he never gave up.

Morgan: Sunny because she was the smartest.

Who was your least favorite character and why?

Gable: Carmelita Spats because she was rude and she was very annoying.

Morgan: Carmelita because she was so infernal that I wanted to slap her.

Did it grab you immediately or did it take a while?

Gable: It left right off of the previous book, whose ending was very intense, so, yes. As soon as you thought it was going to be alright, another event happened that got your heart racing.

Morgan: All the “Series of Unfortunate Events” books grab me at the beginning and all the action, mystery and knowledge keep me interested the whole way through.

Was it plot or character driven?

Morgan: I’d say slightly more on the character side.

What did you think of the ending?

Gable: It was a happy ending, which is rare for a book from The Series of Unfortunate Events.

Morgan: Mysterious. Can’t wait to read the last two books!

What was the moral of the story?

Gable: The tables can turn at any moment in your life and they could turn to something better or something worse.

Morgan: Everyone is good and bad whether they seem plain old wicked or plain old wonderful. You just need to look hard.

Did you learn anything?

Gable: I learned the meaning of passive.

Favorite quote:

Gable: “It is one thing to believe that people have both good and bad inside them, mixed together like ingredients in a salad bowl. But it is quite another to look at a cohort of a despicable villain, who has tried again and again to cause so much harm, and try to see where the good parts are buried, when all you can remember is the pain and suffering he has caused.” – Lemony Snicket

Morgan: “It’s one of life’s bitterest truths that bedtime so often arrives just when things are just really getting interesting.” – Lemony Snicket

What would you change?

Morgan: I would change all the times they had to explain the water cycle over and over again. Ugh!

Have you read other books in the series?

Gable: Yes and this is one of the best ones yet. Although, I am hesitant to continue reading the series because there are only two more left and I really like the books. Check out my reviews of the other books in the series here.

Who would you recommend it to?

Gable: People who enjoyed The Vile Village.

Morgan: Those interested in the previous books in this series, those interested in fungi, those interested in submarines and those interested in the water cycle.

Number of unknown words:

Gable: 28

Morgan: 5

Recipe:
Clam Chowder
Lemon Lime Soda

Craft/Activity: Learn to read tidal charts.

Tell us about a friendship that ended in betrayal.

Morgan and Gable Review The Beatrice Letters

The Beatrice Letters by Lemony Snicket

Write 6 words you would put on this book if it were in the “Blind Date With A Book” shelf.

Gable: Letters, Bats, Root Beer, Anagrams, Marriage

Describe it in 25 words or less.

Morgan: Letters to, from and about the mysterious Beatrice that is mentioned in the Series of Unfortunate Events.

Any particular reason for choosing this book?

Gable: have five more books to go in the Series of Unfortunate Events and I heard that The Beatrice Letters was about the Baudelaires. In a review I read of it, it said “for those who are interested in the Baudelaire case”. So, I had to read it.

Morgan: I heard it was a supplementary book for the Series of Unfortunate Events (which I love) and decided to read it.

Genre:

Gable: Romance/Mystery

Morgan: Mystery/Children’s Fiction

What did you think of the cover art?

Gable: Mysterious and also annoying. It was annoying because it only has Beatrice’s silhouette and not her actual face and there is no description of her anywhere, except that she is “intelligent and beautiful”. And everyone has a different idea of beautiful and intelligent – looking people.

Who was your favorite part and why?

Gable: Lemony Snicket’s reply to Beatrice’s book, question nine. It was extremely poetic. The best piece written by Snicket, in my mind. Also, the whole letter where he answered her questions and hid the little message on the first page was totally awesome. It gave me a better idea of Beatrice and what happened to her, before and after, and it was poetic.

Morgan: The whole book was my favorite part!

Who was your least favorite part and why?

Gable: The end. If you read on, you’ll find out why.

Did it grab you immediately or did it take a while?

Gable: Just the title and description of the book, and I was hooked.

Morgan: The title itself had me intrigued as did the rest of the book.

Was it plot or character driven?

Morgan: Most definitely character driven.

What did you think of the ending?

Gable: I felt there was more still to the story. It felt unfinished.

Morgan: It still left a lot of questions unanswered.

Favorite quote:

Gable: “I still hope for the best, even though the best, like an interesting piece of mail, so rarely arrives, and even when it does, it can be lost so easily.” – Lemony Snicket

Morgan: “No matter what documents you investigate, and what objects you retrieve, you may never answer the questions that are most important to you.” – Lemony Snicket

What would you change?

Gable: I’d explain more about Beatrice and have less letters.

Would you read it again?

Morgan: I would probably read it again when I am all done with the Series of Unfortunate Events to see how well they piece together.

Have you read other books by the same author?

Gable: Yes, I have read 9 of the Series of Unfortunate Events series. You can see my reviews here.

Morgan: Yes. I have read books 1 to 10 of the Series of Unfortunate Events. You can see my reviews of the books here.

Who would you recommend it to?

Gable: People who want to find out more about Beatrice, genealogists, and girls who want to become actresses when they grow up.

Morgan: Those who are interested in Beatrice from the Series of Unfortunate Events.

Number of unknown words:

Gable: 11

Morgan: 1

Recipe: Root Beer Floats

Tell us about a time when your love was taken from you by another person.

Morgan and Gable Review The Slippery Slope

The Slippery Slope by Lemony Snicket

Describe it in 25 words or less.

Morgan: Two siblings try to solve mystery after mystery whilst trying to save their little sister from the evil clutches of Count Olaf.

Gable: The Baudelaire case continues with more of Olaf’s treachery and a few steps closer to cracking the code of V.F.D.

Color Palette:

Genre:

Morgan: Mystery/Action/Children’s Literature

Gable: Children’s Drama/Action/Adventure/Mystery

Who was your favorite character and why?

Morgan: I can’t tell you or it’ll ruin the story.

Gable: I can’t say who it was or else I’ll be giving the story away.

Who was your least favorite character and why?

Morgan: Count Olaf because he was cruel, ridiculous and greedy, but I also dislike Esmé Squalor for the same reason.

Gable: Count Olaf because of how badly he treated these three innocent children and his own troupe members.

Did it grab you immediately or did it take a while?

Morgan: All the books in “The Series of Unfortunate Events” grab me immediately and have me the whole way through.

Gable: It was intense from the start. Every time you thought it would be calm again, it got intense once more.

Was it plot or character driven?

Morgan: A nice balance of both.

Gable: Character.

What did you think of the ending?

Morgan: A bit sad.

Gable: It made me so curious that I leaped to the next book in the series but it was also sad and deserved some time for me to soak it all in.

What was the moral of the story?

Morgan: Don’t fight fire with fire.

Gable: Friends come out of the unlikeliest of places and sometimes they are mysterious at first but that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t always try to make friends with everybody.

Favorite quote:

Morgan: “Just because you don’t understand something doesn’t mean that it’s nonsense.” – Sunny

Gable: “It is so rare in this world to meet a trustworthy person who truly wants to help you, and finding such a person can make you feel warm and safe.” – Lemony Snicket

Who would you recommend it to?

Morgan: Those who have read the previous books in this series, those who feel lost in the world or those who feel like they never seem to find the answers to their questions.

Gable: People who enjoyed The Wide Window, The Ersatz Elevator, and people who enjoy intense crime mystery novels.

Have you read other books in the series?

Morgan: Yes, and this has been my favorite one so far. Check out my other reviews of the series here.

Gable: Yes, but this is the best one so far. Check out my other reviews of the series here.

Number of unknown words:

Morgan: 5

Gable: 38

Recipe:
Sunny’s Orange Granita
Sunny’s Lox

Tell us about a time when you had to risk your life to save a loved one.

Morgan and Gable Review The Carnivorous Carnival

The Carnivorous Carnival by Lemony Snicket

Describe it in 25 words or less.

Morgan: Three orphans have to disguise themselves and try to hide from their arch nemesis, Count Olaf.

Gable: The Baudelaire case continues with whacky disguises, violent entertainment and a step closer to V.F.D.!

Color Palette:

Any particular reason for choosing this book?

Morgan: I am reading the whole “Series of Unfortunate Events”.

Genre:

Morgan: Drama/Children’s Literature

Who was your favorite character and why?

Morgan: Klaus because he was smart.

Gable: I didn’t have a favorite character because, in the end, the ones that were going to be my favorite characters made decisions that I don’t think were smart.

Who was your least favorite character and why?

Morgan: Count Olaf because he was evil and also Esmé Squalor for the same reason.

Gable: Esmé Squalor because she wanted to see people get eaten alive just because they prevented her from getting presents from the man she loved. Babyish, Esmé, babyish. That is NOT in!

Did it grab you immediately or did it take a while?

Morgan: It grabbed me immediately and had me at different parts throughout the book.

Gable: At first it sounded like it would be a boring book but it was actually terrific!

Was it plot or character driven?

Morgan: Both.

What did you think of the ending?

Morgan: It left you on edge. Very scary.

Gable: Makes me want to rush straight to the next book.

What was the moral of the story?

Morgan: Everybody’s different and you just have to accept that.

Gable: Sometimes you’ll end up doing something you thought you’d never ever do in your life just to save yourself.

Favorite quote:

Morgan: “There are some things we might not know, but that doesn’t mean we should give up.” – Klaus

Gable: “There are times to stay put and what you want will you come to you and there are times to go out into the world and find such a thing for yourself.” – Lemony Snicket

What would you change?

Gable: I’d make a few characters make different decisions but, then again, that would’ve changed the whole rest of the series.

Have you read other books in the series?

Morgan: Yes. See what I thought of some of the other books in the series so far.

Gable: Yes, but this is up there with the best, along with The Vile Village and The Wide Window. See my reviews of the rest of the series here.

Who would you recommend it to?

Morgan: People who have read the rest of the series or people with a birth defect.

Gable: People who enjoyed the The Wide Window, The Vile Village and The Ersatz Elevator.

Number of unknown words:

Morgan: 5

Gable: 26

Recipe: Tom Kha Gai

What is something quirky about you?

Gable Reviews The Reptile Room

The Reptile Room by Lemony Snicket

Describe it in 25 words or less. The continuation of The Bad Beginning and the unfortunate lives of the three Baudelaire orphans.

Genre: Children’s/Action

Who was your favorite character and why? Uncle Monty because he was very nice to the Baudelaire orphans.

Who was your least favorite character and why? Count Olaf because he was the most evil jerk I have ever heard of.

Did it grab you immediately or did it take a while? It grabbed me straight away and I thought that Uncle Monty would be an evil person, just like Count Olaf. It was very intense and sad and happy all at the same time.

Was it plot or character driven? Character.

What did you think of the ending? Happy. But also, it was a bit sad, just like the other one.

What was the moral of the story? Everything that has been in your life is there for a reason but it will never be there forever.

Did you learn anything? What vainglorious and dramatic irony mean, that “bambini” means “children” in Italian, that herpetology is the study of snakes and how the Mamba Du Mal snake kills its prey.

Favorite quote: “It is a curious thing, the death of a loved one. We all know our time in this world is limited and that eventually we will end up underneath a sheet, never to wake up. And yet it is always a surprise when it happens to someone we know.” – Lemony Snicket.

What would you change? I wouldn’t let Count Olaf do what he did to Uncle Monty (which I can’t tell you what but you’ll know what I mean if you’ve read it) but then again, if I did, I bet there would be no more books in the series.

Have you read other books in the series? I read The Bad Beginning and loved it but I loved this one more. I will read the whole series this year.

Who would you recommend it to? Criminals, orphans, kids who love drama and action in their books, people who have lost a loved one recently, and people who have a fear of snakes.

Number of unknown words: 2

Recipe: Coconut Cream Cake

Do you like it when an author tells you ahead of time that something bad is going to happen?