The Phantom Tollbooth - Norton Juster

Title: The Phantom Tollbooth
Author: Norton Juster
Genre: Childrens
Rating: 2.5/5
# pages: 256
Date read: February 2013

For Milo, everything's a bore. When a tollbooth mysteriously appears in his room, he drives through only because he's got nothing better to do. But on the other side, things seem different. Milo visits the island of Conclusions (you get there by jumping), learns about time from a ticking watchdog named Tock, and even embarks on a quest to rescue Rhyme and Reason.

A mix of several different books like "The Little Prince", "The Wizard of Oz" and "Alice in Wonderland". I can't quite figure out what I think of it. Parts were rather slow-moving and "weird just for the sake of being weird" (much my problem with Terry Pratchett as well. I love good-weird like Douglas Adams, but some people just try too hard), but other parts I really liked!

In the end, I'm glad I stuck with it, because it's quite a fun and quirky book in parts, but I think I would have enjoyed it a lot more - even loved it - if I'd first come across it as a child rather than in my thirties.

The Five Languages of Apology - Gary Chapman & Jennifer Thomas

Title: The Five Languages of Apology
Author: Gary Chapman & Jennifer Thomas
Genre: Christian non-fiction
Rating: 3/5
# pages: 260
Date read: February, 2013

Just as you have a different love language, you also hear and express the words and gestures of apology in a different language. It's not just a matter of that you apologize but also how you apologize. By helping people identify the languages of apology, this book clears the way toward healing and sustaining vital relationships. The authors detail proven techniques for giving and receiving effective apologies.

The five languages of apology are: Expressing regret, Accepting responsibility, Making restitution, Genuinely repenting, Requesting forgiveness.

Unfortunately not nearly as good as "The Five Love Languages". I do think the authors have a point, that there are different languages of apology, but I found it a lot harder to relate to the differences between the languages, and I still have absolutely no clue what my primary language of apology is!

It's not a book I'd want to read in one sitting - although that's what I did with TFLL - because as it's a book about apology you're automatically made to think of times when you owed others an apology, or they owed you one. Made for rather depressing reading at times.

Gary and Jennifer do have some good points at times though, and while I still have no idea what neither my own nor my husband's language of apology is, I now know to rephrase my apology using several different ones. Besides, I do know one or two that it's definitely NOT, so that always helps.