Day 4- Your Favorite Book From Childhood

Just to warn you, this post is very, very link-ridden.

It's not a book, it's a series. And it's The Chronicles of Narnia by C.S Lewis. Always awesome. I always wanted to be a queen of Narnia, to meet interesting folk and have adventures.

Of course Narnia is one of the best literary worlds. It's up there with Carroll's Wonderland, Tolkien's Middle-Earth, Barrie's Neverland, Baum's Oz and of course Pratchett's Discworld. I think those are some of the best creations in literary fictional history. Although I do have to mention Cornelia Funke's Inkworld and Christopher Paolini's Alagaësia. Both rather awesome worlds.

I think I love all of these fictional places because there's so much there that you wouldn't find in reality, but it's always wonderful to think about what our world would be like if we had them. Who wouldn't want to fly in Neverland? I guess another thing that links all of these worlds is that there are film adaptations of every single one. in fact, most of them have quite a few adaptations. That means they must be good, right?

If I had to pick a particular book from the Chronicles, it would have to be The Voyage of the Dawn Treader. Which actually made an even better film, amazingly. (I very rarely will say a film even compares to the book, but this one actually manages to make the plot better.) I do have to say it is the film that made me notice Skandar Keynes. At the time I had a minor celebrity crush on him.

So yes, probably my favourite set of books from my childhood. And aren't they just first class?

Image from Wikipedia

Day 2- A Quote From my Favourite Book.

The whole Inkheart trilogy is littered with beautiful writing, and choosing just one quote is difficult.
It's especially difficult because I haven't read them in a while.

However, I'll give it a go.

This is a beautiful quote from it. it's very descriptive. and that's exactly what I like.

"They had gone. Had left him alone with all the blue, that clashed with the red of the fire. Blue as the evening sky, blue as cranesbill flowers, blue as the lips of drowned men and the heart of a blaze burning with too hot a flame. Yes, sometimes it was hot in this world, too. Hot and cold, light and dark, terrible and beautiful, it was everything all at once. It wasn't true that you felt nothing in the land of Death. You felt and heard and smelled and saw, but your heart remained strangely calm, as if it were resting before hte dance began again.
Peace. Was that the word?"

Day 1- My Favorite Book

Inkheart Film Poster (from IMDB)

Well, I have many books that I love.
But if I had to choose it would be Inkdeath by Cornelia Funke.

Inkdeath is the third book in the Inkworld Trilogy (Started by Inkheart, then Inkspell, and finally Inkdeath) by German writer Cornelia Funke (who also wrote The Thief Lord, which was also made into a film, and Reckless, the newest of her books and Reviewed HERE). They are really childrens or early teens books, but I love them.

And the reason Why is this:
Cornelia Funke writes in such a wonderful way. There are beautiful descrptions of magical worlds, people and creatures and basically, it's a situation I would love to find myself in.

As an avid book fan, Inkheart opened up an adventure that to me seemed infinitely possible. Characters coming out of a book seemed like on of the best things in the world. I think it did help that I read it when I was quite a lot younger, because there was still a magical wuality about this world, and the child's idea that anything can happen. I hope I haven't lost that really.

The whole series is wonderful, and I would encourage everyone to read it, no matter how old you are. I almost guarantee that you'll love it.
And, the books have some lovely covers.

You can read about the series on Cornelia Funke's website
or, by Visiting Wikipedia
or, if you don't trust my view on the subject, have a look at other reviews on Goodreads.

Inkdeath cover - from Wikipedia.

Reckless by Cornelia Funke

I have to admit at first I thought that Reckless was about werewolves, what with the vampire-werewolf-paranormal hype going on at the moment.  But I soon learnt that this wasn't the case.

Jacob Reckless has been going through the mirror for a long time. But never before has he been followed through. Now his brother Will is in deep trouble. Will is becoming a Goyl, the stone-faced creatures who prefer darkness, whose cold and angry characters are revealed in their golden eyes. Jacob will go through everything to stop it, but how far is too far?

Image from Wikipedia

Now, I love Cornelia Funke. Inkdeath is one of my favourite books. So this book just reminded me how much I adore her beautiful prose and wonderful descriptions of both the land beyond the mirror, and the imaginative creatures roaming around the land.  I think my favourite part was the novel idea of stone/jewel people. I've always loved the beauty and idea of precious stones, so this kind of topped it a little for me.

I was quite surprised when the second chapter landed us smack-bang in the middle of the story, and even though it did vaguely tell us how Will had become hurt and how he could become as Goyl, it was never fully explained.

Another thing that I wasn't overly impressed with, that seemed to be explored better in Funke's Inkworld (although probably because it was a trilogy, and the books were bigger.. I think) was the relationships and any bonds between the characters. There was already bonds between them and so nothing was really introduced in the story. The existing relationships weren't explored during the book. As readers we were expected to believe that the relationships had substance, without much evidence. The only real conviction I got was how much Jacob wanted Will not to become a Goyl.

Saying this, Reckless was filled with adventure, fairy tales and creatures of all sorts. Quite a lot happened within the book that I loved. It's the kind of book I knew I would like.



Luckily, there seems to be a sequel in the works, so hopefully the relationships will be explored more, and we get to know what happens in the next chapter of Jacob's life. Should make for an interesting read.

I'm giving reckless around a 4 out of 5. Although because of the relationships I was tempted to give it a little less. But the adventure was exceedingly likable, as was Jacob.
And I WILL be getting the sequel, when it comes out.
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Goodreads.com Reviews
Wikipedia Page
Reckless Website

Fire by Kristin Cashore

This novel by Kristin Cashore is set in the same, beautifully detailed world that her debut novel Graceling was set in. But a different part. Fire is the writers second book and is a companion book to Graceling.
(by that way, Graceling is a wonderful book, do give it a read.)

But this book in a way was a little more sophisticated than the writers first novel.
It explores the life a woman named Fire.

Fire is a monster. This means that she possesses a beauty so stunning that it entrances peoples minds. They can't help but feel something for her.

This is an intoxicating tale of a woman's quest to uncover her purpose whilst battling against her own horrific beauty.

It explores many themes; Monsters, Beauty and Control, Power, Strength, Parental Influence, Grief and Loss, Individuality, Embracing Yourself and so on, all in a mix of wonderfully developed characters and a wonderfully ambitious setting.

Again, as with Jodi Picoults The Pact, at first I found the names and areas confusing, having to retreat to the map a few times, but I was completely into it from the start.
I just couldn't put it down. Which is always a sign of a good book. (Though I would say this book was particularly suited to me, as I adore fantasy adventures.)

Another minor downfall was that it was slightly predictable, although so many twists and turns arose that for the most part I was a little dumbfounded.
Quite an intense read (if you read it all at once like I did) and infused with such a comprehensive set of emotions it leaves the mind wondering what exactly just happened.

This book I would say is along the Lines of Cornelia Funke and Tolkien proportions.

Though through multiple twists Cashore kept me reading and wanting to know how it panned out, and she ties up the ends rather nicely.

A definite 5 out of 5. But not for the idle reader.
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Another readers take on Fire by Kristin Cashore
A readers take on Graceling
Kristin Cashore's Blog

On the to read/review list

Some of these I have yet to read, and some I have read, and have yet to read again and then review.
So here's the first set of 10:

(picture from google)

1. Beastly - Alex Flinn
2. A Kiss in Time - Alex Flinn
3. Inkheart, Inkspell, Inkdeath (Inkworld Trilogy)- Cornelia Funke
4. The Five People You Meet In Heaven - Mitch Albom
5. The Book of Lost Things - John Connolly
6. The Pact - Jodi Picoult
7. Fire - Kristin Cashore
8. The Interpretation of Murder - Jed Rubenfield
9.The Book Thief - Markus Zusak
10. Anansi Boys - Neil Gaiman

I've chosen these first because I have all of these around my house/s somewhere. And read a few very, very recently. (The ones with links on them (in green) are the one's I've already done.)
I look forward to reading and reviewing them.
Wish me luck!