diana wynne jones

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It’s Monday! What are you reading?

It’s Monday! What are you reading? is a meme created at Book Journey to catalogue everything read in the past week, what you’re working on now, and what you hope to get to in the coming week.

The Past Week

About Last Night by Ruthie Knox

Howl’s Moving Castle by Diana Wynne Jones

Beautiful Disaster by Jamie McGuire

Reading Now

Magic’s Pawn by Mercedes Lackey

The Week Ahead

Between You & Me by Marisa Calin

 

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Top Ten Tuesday

Top Ten Tuesday is a meme created over at The Broke and the Bookish that allows us to list our top ten answers to a different question each week.

This week’s theme is: Top Ten Books for People Who Liked Howl’s Moving Castle by Diana Wynne Jones

Howl’s Moving Castle by Diana Wynne Jones

1. The Queen’s Thief series by Megan Whalen Turner

These two talented ladies found inspiration in each other’s work, and it shows. There’s much of Howl in Gen, including an impossible wit and proclivity for temper tantrums. There’s also just enough fantasy to keep genre fans satisfied.

2. Nightrunner series by Lynn Flewelling

Flewelling’s series juggles numerous adult themes and so the tone is more mature than that of Jones’s classic children’s book. However, Alec and Seregil constantly snark at each other and get into hijinks reminiscent of Sophie and Howl’s adventures.

3. Graceling by Kristin Cashore

There’s decidedly less humor in Cashore’s series, yet fans of Diana Wynne Jones’ writing will surely find much to love in Cashore’s lush worldbuilding.

4. Unspoken by Sarah Rees Brennan

Unlike Howl, Unspoken is set in modern times, yet Brennan has infused her story with the same wry humor that Jones was so well known for. Had Jones decided to write a gothic romance novel, Unspoken surely would have been its doppleganger.

5. A Matter of Magic by Patricia C. Wrede

Mairelon reminded me quite a bit of Howl, though he was rather less prone to histrionics. A Matter of Magic is a slower read than Howl and rather less funny, but it’s a great example of a fantasy of manners.

6. Stardust by Neil Gaiman

Gaiman can turn anything into gold, and his attempt at an original fairy tale is no exception. Both Howl and Stardust excel at not taking themselves too seriously, which I believe is an important but oft-overlooked elemet to any humorous fantasy novel.

7. The Blue Sword by Robin McKinley

McKinley is the queen of fairy tale adaptations, yet her Damar stories are just as brilliant. While Howl fans should seek out McKinley’s entire catalogue of work, The Blue Sword is a good place to start.

8. The Princess Bride by William Goldman

If you’re after humorous fantasy, you can’t do better than The Princess Bride.

Some other titles that aren’t quite as similar yet that might interest Howl’s fans include: Chronicles of Lumatere series by Melina Marchetta, Study series by Maria V. Snyder, Crown Duel by Sherwood Smith, and Ella Enchanted by Gail Carson Levine.

 

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Musing Mondays

Musing Mondays is a meme started over on Should Be Reading that presents a different literary-themed question every week.

This week’s question is: 

What are you currently reading? Is it any good? Would you recommend it?

Howl’s Moving Castle by Diana Wynne Jones

I’m between books at the moment, but I’ve got one of my absolute favorites queued up to read later this week. I recently discovered a young adult-focused book club that meets in my town. I have been meaning to join a book club for years. Yet every time someone reminded me of this fact, I would find excuses: the only ones I knew of were too far away, they only read general fiction, they met on days I was unavailable. Well, now I have no excuse to avoid book clubs as I found one close-by that meets on the weekend, particularly as this month’s selection is Howl’s Moving Castle by Diana Wynne Jones. I first read Howl’s Moving Castle on a car trip a few years back, and I was shocked when we reached our destination because I had become so thoroughly engrossed in the story. Howl’s Moving Castle is witty and whimsical and so unexpected in its execution, and Howl is one of my favorite literary characters of all time.
While browsing through my regular book blogs this morning, I came across this wonderful post by The Readventurer comparing the book and film versions of Howl’s Moving Castle. I have to agree with the post: while I like the movie, the book will forever hold a special place in my heart. Even Christian Bale’s dulcet tones cannot eclipse the epic awe of Jones’s story as it unfolds on the page.
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It’s Monday! What are you reading?

It’s Monday! What are you reading? is a meme created at Book Journey to catalogue everything read in the past week, what you’re working on now, and what you hope to get to in the coming week.

The Past Week

Throne of Glass by Sarah J. Maas

Released by Megan Duncan

Risking It All by Jennifer Schmidt

Where You Hurt the Most by Anne Brooke

Counterpoint by Rachel Haimowitz

Reading Now

Howl’s Moving Castle by Diana Wynne Jones

The Week Ahead

Lothaire by Kresley Cole

The Brides of Rollrock Island by Margo Lanagan

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Top Ten Tuesday

Top Ten Tuesday is a meme created over at The Broke and the Bookish that allows us to list our top ten answers to a different question each week.

This week’s theme is: Top Ten Books for People Who Like X Author

I decided to mix it up and interpret this week’s theme a little bit differently.

1. If you like Neil Gaiman, try Tim Powers.
Powers is a master of his class, yet unfortunately his name isn’t nearly as well known as it should be. His works take work, though; Powers is quite the ambitious author, often utilizing existing cultural figures to construct alternative histories replete with lamias, psychotic serial killer clowns, werewolves, time travel, and the gods.
2. If you like John Green, try David Levithan.
So this won’t come as a shock to many of you, especially since these two authors have actually collaborated before. (If you haven’t read Will Grayson, Will Grayson, do so immediately). Still, for those of you not in the know, Levithan’s writing often reaches the exhalted heights of wry youthful optimism that Green is so famous for.
3. If you like Ilona Andrews, try Seanan McGuire.
The Toby Daye series exhibits some of the best worldbuilding and characterization in urban fantasy today. For those who love Kate Daniels’s toughness and capability coupled with a quick wit and unbearable sexual tension, you’re missing out if you’re not reading about Toby.
4. If you like Holly Black, try Rob Thurman.
Though I’ve mentioned this before, I’ll say it again: Cassel Sharpe and Cal Leandros would be best buds. Though the worldbuilding in each series is starkly different, they share an easy and sarcastic narration that strikes a chord with my cynical nature.
5. If you like Diana Wynne Jones, try Megan Whalen Turner.
These two remarkable ladies drew inspiration from each other’s writing, and it shows in both of their most ubiquitous narrators. I would have loved to read a crossover book starring Gen and Howl.
6. If you like Kristin Cashore, try Sherwood Smith.
If you’re a fan Cashore’s lush prose and mixture of romance, political intrigue, and fantasy, you’ll find all that and more in the Crown Duel duet. Mel is a great heroine, and while there is slightly less magic in Smith’s work, the feel is very similar to that elicited by Cashore’s series.
7. If you like Karen Marie Moning, try Anne Bishop.
While Moning’s Fever series and Bishop’s Black Jewels series have little in common, they will forever be linked in my mind since I discovered them (and fell in love with both) in a short two-month period. Despite their differences, I believe that fans of Moning’s dark fantasy tone will be able to appreciate Bishop’s world and the ambiguously drawn characters that inhabit it.
8. If you like Stephanie Perkins, try Cath Crowley.
Perkins is undoubtedly one of the hottest names in young adult contemporary, due mainly to her remarkable ability to write main characters who seem all at once too good to be true yet utterly believable. Crowley’s work is eminently relatable yet a little grittier than Perkins; still, fans of Perkins work will likely adore Crowley’s writing as well.
9. If you like Maggie Stiefvater, try Liz Berry.
I’ve adored Berry’s The China Garden for nearly a decade now. It’s lovely and unique and criminally unrecognized, especially considering the recent surge in interest for young adult paranormal. Fans of Stiefvater’s lyrical writing will recognize the same quality in Berry’s.
That’s all I’ve got this week. Happy Fourth, all ye readers!
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Top Ten Tuesday

Top Ten Tuesday is a meme created over at The Broke and the Bookish that allows us to list our top ten answers to a different question each week.

This week we get to revisit a past topic, so I’ve chosen: Top Ten Dynamic Duos

1. Sherlock Holmes and John Watson (Sir Arthur Conan Doyle)
Okay, confession time: I’ve never read any of Doyle’s work. In fact, the only exposure I have to this crime-solving team is the BBC miniseries (I tried watching the Robert Downey, Jr. films but couldn’t get into them). However, my unforgivable negligence in having failed to read the source material doesn’t stop me from recognizing the sheer awesomeness of this duo, and rest assured, I have Doyle’s work on my TBR list.
2. Cal and Niko (Cal Leandros series by Rob Thurman)
These brothers never fail to bring a tear to my eye with the depth of devotion toward each other that they exhibit time and again. I can’t help but claim Cal as my favorite (Niko’s ability to kill you with a tubesock notwithstanding), yet both brothers hold such a soft spot in my heart.
3. Sal and Dean (On the Road by Jack Kerouac)
Kerouac’s star duo (modeled after himself and Neal Cassady) pretty much define the concept of dynamic. In their quest to burn, burn, burn like roman candles, they exemplified the chaotic energy of an entire generation and provided inspiration for the many generations that followed.
4. Harry and Hermione (Harry Potter series by J.K. Rowling)
Sorry, Ron, but Harry and Hermione’s platonic friendship is the glue that held it all together. I’m sure many HP fans will lambast my decision to break up the golden trio. I’m unrepentant.
5. Kate and Curran (Kate Daniels series by Ilona Andrews)
This Alpha pair has been combustible since day one, and thankfully their playful antagonism hasn’t gone anywhere despite now being mated. Best of all, they are both still just as capable on their own as they are when they’re together.
6. Cat and Bones (Night Huntress series by Jeaniene Frost)
So Cat is still somewhat of a brat. Even so, she’s exhibited such character growth since Halfway to the Grave that I can forgive her the occasional temper tantrum. I adore these two together and, though married life has subdued them somewhat, they are still a fearsome pair to behold when the stakes are high.
7. Gen and Irene (The Queen’s Thief series by Megan Whalen Turner)
To list the convoluted history of this duo’s relationship would be to give away precious spoilers for a remarkable series that is never as it seems. Suffice it to say, they will satisfy even the pickiest reader’s definition of dynamic and then some.
8. Howl and Sophie (Castle series by Diana Wynne Jones)
I have a bit of a thing for couples who are as likely to snipe at each other as they are to kiss. Sophie has always refused to allow Howl to assuage his penchant for self-indulgent histrionics, and their interactions are as hilarious as they are sweet.
9. Seregil and Alec (Nightrunner series by Lynn Flewelling)
No list would be complete without by favorite pair of Nightrunners. They’ve endured more than their fair share of madness and mayhem throughout the years, with threats ranging from the supernatural to the political and familial. Though they began their story as master and apprentice, they have grown into true equals without sacrificing those qualities that defined them coming into their relationship. My love for these two is massive.
I’m afraid I’ll have to stop at nine this week. Let me know who you think deserves the last slot!
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It’s Monday! What are you reading?

It’s Monday! What are you reading? is a meme created at Book Journey to catalogue everything read in the past week, what you’re working on now, and what you hope to get to in the coming week.

The Past Week

Shadowfell by Juliet Marillier

Romancing Mister Bridgerton by Julia Quinn

Anna and the French Kiss by Stephanie Perkins

Lola and the Boy Next Door by Stephanie Perkins

House of Many Ways by Diana Wynne Jones

Ink Exchange by Melissa Marr

Flat-Out Sexy by Erin McCarthy

Unspoken by Sarah Rees Brennan

Revolution by Jennifer Donnelly

Speak by Laurie Halse Anderson

Reading Now

Boys of Summer Anthology edited by Steve Berman

The Week Ahead

Divergent by Veronica Roth

Insurgent by Veronica Roth

The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern

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Meandering Around the Interweb

In my various hours of wandering through book blogs far and wide, I’ve come across some pretty fantastic posts lately, so I thought I would spotlight my favorites. Hopefully I can make this a semi-regular feature, although my laziness will test the bounds of my determination to do so, so stay tuned for now.

  • The Final Battle in the YA Fantasy Showdown was a delightful bit of wordplay between Howl from Diana Wynne Jones’s Castle series and Gen from Megan Whalen Turner’s The Queen’s Thief series. I know that these two ladies were mutually inspired by the other’s writing, so it’s wonderful to see what a meeting between these two unreliable characters might have been like.
  • While I’ve yet to get my hands on a copy of Kristin Cashore’s Bitterblue, this series of letters among Bitterblue, Katsa, Po, Raffin and Giddon set post-Graceling whets my appetite and makes me want to reread the first two in the Seven Kingdoms series.
  • Justin Gustainis recently wrote a pithy post about the tenable distinction between urban fantasy, paranormal, horror, and all the supernatural genres that fall in between.
  • After reading Cath Crowley’s Graffiti Moon earlier this year, I immediately went in search of all of the fabulously described pieces of art that pepper Lucy and Ed’s narrations. Luckily, Adele at Persnickety Snark had already managed to track them all down.
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Showcase Sunday

Showcase Sunday is a meme created by Vicky at Books, Biscuits, and Tea to share new book acquisitions, whether bought, gifted, received for review, borrowed, or won.

Bought

  • House of Many Ways by Diana Wynne Jones
  • The Lord of the Rings Trilogy by J.R.R. Tolkien
  • The Warrior Heir by Cinda Williams Chima
  • Eragon & Eldest by Christopher Paolini
  • Child of the Prophecy by Juliet Marillier
  • Heir to Sevenwaters by Juliet Marillier
  • Touch Not the Cat by Mary Stewart
  • Nine Coaches Waiting by Mary Stewart
  • The Ivy Tree by Mary Stewart
  • This Rough Magic by Mary Stewart
  • I Capture the Castle by Dodie Smith
 
  • Garden Spells by Sarah Addison Allen
  • The Sugar Queen by Sarah Addison Allen

Gifted

  • Bitten by Kelley Armstrong First Edition Hardcover

For Review

 

  • The Immortal Rules by Julie Kagawa (from NetGalley)
  • What I Didn’t Say by Keary Taylor (from NetGalley)

Won

  • Chopsticks by Jessica Anthony and Rodrigo Corral plus $25 iTunes giftcard (Thanks to Liz at Being Geek Chic and Razorbill Publishers)
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It’s Monday! What are you reading?

It’s Monday! What are you reading? is a meme created at Book Journey to catalogue everything read in the past week, what you’re working on now, and what you hope to get to in the coming week.

The final exams rage on, but despite it all I’ve managed to get in more reading than I thought possible.

The Past Week

Something Wicked This Way Comes by Ray Bradbury

Fire and Hemlock by Diana Wynne Jones

Jenna Starborn by Sharon Shinn

The Seer and the Sword by Victoria Hanley

Something Like Normal by Trish Doller

Reading Now

Code Name Verity by Elizabeth Wein

The Week Ahead

Marcelo in the Real World by Francisco X. Stork

Froi of the Exiles by Melina Marchetta