The books are starting to get longer as I get further into the series, and they’re taking me a little longer than the beginning! This week, I finished books 7 through 9 (The Vile Village, The Hostile Hospital, and The Carnivorous Carnival). I think I’ll still be able to finish all of the books by next weekend, though. At least, that’s my goal! To finish all of the books by labor day.
I’m finding as I get further into the series that I’ve forgotten a lot of what’s happened in the later books. That could partially be attributed to the Netflix series, because the books that they covered were fresh in my memory, which definitely helped. I had forgotten how much Snicket factors into the story line, especially after the Baudelaires discover one page of the Snicket file in The Hostile Hospital. But, I can’t remember where it leads after this. Some of the events I remember once I start the book, but most of it I’ve forgotten since I read the books about 10 years ago.
While reading, I’ve also forgotten how much I like Lemony Snicket’s (or should I say Daniel Handler’s?) writing style. When I read the books the first time, I liked that he defined long words that I might not have understood and other terms that I may not have been familiar with. One of my favorites is when he defines deja vu. In order to explain the term, he repeats a page in The Hostile Hospital. It amused me when I was younger, and it still amuses me now. It’s a clever way to help children learn different words and literary terms while they’re reading an entertaining (yet unfortunate) story.
I remember that these last books have taken a turn from the beginning, especially since the Baudelaires are pretty much acting on their own, since Mr. Poe hasn’t been seen in at least the last two books. The Baudelaries have been accused of murder, and they’ve had to figure out most things on their own. We’ve left them in the clutches of Count Olaf, with little hope of being able to escape.