About Books Blog 57 - The Looking Glass Wars Trilogy

Author: Frank Beddor

Genre: Fantasy/Young Adult

Favorite Lines

“Control and power aren’t everything. Allow yourself to be the agent by which a cause greater than any single individual triumphs.” - Looking Glass Wars

“The most important questions are always answered with yet more questions.” - Seeing Redd

Summary

I don’t usually use book trailers but since this one summarized the books so well I thought why not.

My Thoughts

 The Looking Glass Wars sounded too interesting for me to pass up. Which is why I picked up the book despite my previously stated issues with Lewis Carroll’s Alice in Wonderland. The Looking Glass Wars Trilogy turned out to be awesome. Each book was just as good as the one before it. I literally could not put it down until I had read the whole series.

I loved Frank Beddor’s writing style. It was witty and imaginative. I also appreciated that he wrote his action scenes and descriptions in a way that was very easy for the reader to visualize. I thought it was brilliant that the author choose to combine his vision of Wonderland with historical events and people from Earth. He used real people such as Charles Dodgeson (a.k.a Lewis Carrol), Alice Liddell, and even Prince Leopold as an part of the story. In a very fictionalized way of course, but still it inspired me to want to look up the history of the real people themselves. The first book includes a timeline describing the parallels between what happens in Wonderland and what happened in reality on Earth. I thought it was a clever detail to add.

I absolutely adored the characters. Alyss was such a wonderfully developed protagonist, and she is surrounded by excellent supporting characters. I even enjoyed the villains, Redd and Arch, who kept the story interesting with their ability to scheme and destroy with the help of some very creative minions. What was great about the development of the characters was that the books shared the back-story of so many of them. This made the characters incredibly engaging for me as the reader.

The best thing about Looking Glass Wars, Seeing Redd, and Arch Enemy is that there is something in there for everybody. Action, drama, fantasy, steampunk, and a little romance. I think it is something both girls and guys would like. It is also something a variety of ages would enjoy. You don’t have to read Alice in Wonderland or Through the Looking Glass to have fun reading The Looking Glass Wars. However, it is more intriguing to see where Frank Beddor’s ideas come from if you read the source material and some history on Lewis Carrol. I highly suggest that everyone go to the book store and pick up The Looking Glass Wars. It is certainly going on my list of favorite book series. 

Interesting Facts

Frank Beddor claims that the story was inspired when he saw an incomplete set of ancient playing cards at the British Museum with images that resembled Wonderland characters.

There is a spin-off comic book series entitled Hatter M. The series centers around the character Hatter Madigan and his adventures searching for Princess Alyss.

The Movie

I would be overjoyed if this movie makes it to the screen. There is a movie in the works, but it has been on stand still for awhile due to other Alice themed movies that have been released in the past years. Hopefully it will be a fully developed project soon. This book deserves a really great movie. 

Music To Read By

I enjoyed listening to music with ethereal or mechanical type sounds while reading this. I liked listening to Confessionals by Florence and the Machine. I also liked listening to Speak For Yourself and Ellipse by Imogen Heap. In addition, I read a bulk of this series while movies were playing on the TV. It was particularly lovely to read this while Starwars, Van Helsing, and Lara Croft: Tomb Raider were on the television. Hence I have included songs from the movie soundtracks on my playlist. I’m thinking this is a playlist I may add on to later, but I like what I have on it so far.

 The Looking Glass Wars Playlist 

Looking Glass Wars - Geek

Red Heart - Vicki Hanson

Heartlines - Florence and the Machine

Burn It Down - Alan Silvestri

Wait It Out - Imogen Heap

Equinox - Skrillex

Duel of The Fates - John Williams

Have You Got It In You? - Imogen Heap

Invincible - Muse

The Clock - Graeme Revell

We Can Make The World Stop - The Glitch Mob

 

 That's it darlings. See you tomorrow with the short story review. I would have posted it today, but the book review won out on the writing table today. Happy reading and keep it shiny!

About Books Blog 56 - Complete Alice in Wonderland

Author: Lewis Carroll 

Adapted by: John Reppion and Leah Moore 

Genre: Graphic Novel, Fantasy, Classic 

Favorite Line 

“I wonder if I've been changed in the night? Let me think. Was I the same when I got up this morning? I almost think I can remember feeling a little different. But if I'm not the same, the next question is 'Who in the world am I?' Ah, that's the great puzzle!” 

 Summary (from Barnes and Nobel)

Take one stubborn and opinionated young girl. Add an overactive imagination. Shake in a heavy mix of puzzling and bizarre guides. Reduce all morals and lessons to the nonsensical degree and send it all on a journey to nowhere... These are the ingredients that Lewis Carroll combined to create a fairy tale unlike any other.

Dynamite Entertainment is proud to present for all ages The Complete Alice in Wonderland, the most vivid adaptation of Lewis Carroll’s genre bursting tales of young Alice and her Adventures in Wonderland.

My Thoughts

I want to like Alice in Wonderland. I really do. The fact is that it bothers me. It wasn’t always that way. As a child I thought it was quite a lovely tale. Then I re-read it sometime in my late teens and I suddenly found it unsettling.

I started to notice that the story made zero sense. All the characters are mean beyond measure. Except for Alice of course, she’s quite nice. A little eccentric...but she’s still pleasant. I don’t know why all the other characters have to yell at her so much. I do like the bit of the story with the mad tea party. On the other hand, I find the part where the Duchess sings about beating her baby when he sneezes decidedly disturbing. I unexplainable issues with the mock turtle section as well. I like Through The Looking Glass better. Living chess pieces are awesome. Sometimes all the poetry gets on my second nerve. Though there are one or two poems I do enjoy. It’s safe to say that I have mixed feelings when it comes to Alice’s adventures. The nonsense of it all makes my head spin.

 Despite my qualms I decided I wanted to give it another try. Like I said, I really do want to like it. I found this graphic novel version of Alice in Wonderland and thought this was the perfect way to give it a chance. After all I haven’t met a graphic novel adaptation that I didn’t like. Not yet anyway. The complete Alice in Wonderland is a collection of four comic issues telling the whole tale from Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland and Through The Looking Glass. It even includes the lost chapter from the second book “A Wasp In A Wig.” Obviously not everything from the novels ended up the comic. Still so much of it remain true to the original material. I thought the authors did an excellent job at converting it graphic novel form. The artwork is so beautiful that I bought it for that factor alone.

I did like the story a better in this format. However, I couldn’t shake the fact that Lewis Carroll’s original tale disturbs and annoys me just the slightest bit. I did get some insight while doing research for this review. Alice in Wonderland is classified under the genre nonsensical literature. A writing form, which focuses on wordplay and the well...general lack of logical reasoning. So the author wasn’t insane. Alice in Wonderland is actually supposed to make no sense. Somehow understanding the concept of the story has helped me realize that maybe I’ve been taking it too seriously all along. Alice in Wonderland might not be exactly my cup of tea but this graphic novel was certainly worth buying and keeping in my library for re-reading.

Interesting Facts

Lewis Carroll was Charles Dodgeson’s writing pseudonym. Not only was he a writer but he was also a mathematician, logician, Anglican deacon, and a photographer.

The original manuscript of the book was entitled Alice’s Adventures Underground.

The character Alice is said to take her name from the real life figure Alice Liddell. The poem in Though The Looking Glass “A Boat Beneath A Sunny Sky” is an acrostic poem that spells her name.

There is said to be a hidden code in the chess theme of Through the Looking Glass. It has something to do with Alice Liddell and references to Dodgeson's favorite number 42. It's a very LOST like theory isn't it? Ha ha!

One of the authors of this graphic novel adaptation, Leah Moore, is the the daughter of renowned comic creator Alan Moore, who wrote such works as Watchmen. She and her husband, John Reppion, also collaborated on a story for the graphic novel Comic Book Tattoo. Ironically I have reviewed both Watchmen and Comic Book Tattoo.

 Movies and TV

 There are quite a few movies and television depictions of this novel considering it has been adapted again and again since 1903. This is a quick overview of the ones I’ve seen. Forgive me if some of my recollections are a little foggy. I haven’t watched some of these since I was a child.

 The 1951 Disney animated film of Alice in Wonderland was of course my first experience with the tale. The movie combines elements from both the first and second book which was a lovely choice. The songs are full of wit. I love “The Unbirthday Song.”

When I was young they used to play and old version of Alice and Wonderland and Through the Looking Glass on TV all the time. I remember really loving both films but I can’t figure out what year they were made. I don’t think it is 1966 version. Hmm...Maybe it was the 1972 version. I also use to watch a re-watch a version of Alice in Wonderland that I had on tape. This one depicted Alice as a teen and had so stop motion elements I believe. Gosh, I don’t know when that was made either. Curiouser and curiouser. Warned you that I was fuzzy on some the details.

I do remember enjoying the Disney TV series Adventures in Wonderland in the 90’s. I thought it was darn cute. I was nice that Alice could step through the looking glass and have her unusual friends help her solve her problems. I haven’t seen it since then. I kind of miss it.

In 2009 the Syfy channel came out with a science fiction re-imagining of the story in their two part mini-series Alice. If you’re wanting something true to the book this movie isn’t it. It’s one of those things where you have to play find the relationship to the original material game. If you want some creative steampunk with some entertaining acting performances, Alice is a nice choice. The first part of the series was a little slow, but the second part was pretty fast paced. It’s one of the the better Syfy original movies. 

There is of course Tim Burton’s 2010 adaptation of Alice in Wonderland. I wouldn’t say it was my favorite Tim Burton film. The only reason I didn’t completely love it is because it gave me that feel you get when reading the second book in a series without reading the first. Does that make any since? I couldn’t really get into the way the screenplay was written. Even so it has really cool imagery, and awesome actors doing awesomely. I would watch it again. However, never again in 3D. I had a headache for two hours after seeing in 3D in the theater. Perhaps the imagery was just too over powering in three dimensions. 

Lastly if you are looking for something not Wonderland exactly, but related to it you can take a look at the film Dreamchild. The movie centers around fictionalized flashbacks of an elderly Alice Liddell, primarily focusing on her childhood around the time the book was written. I watched this several years ago. I vaguely remember it was pretty good. The only thing I strongly remember about it was this creepy flashback/dream about the “mad tea party.” That part totally freaked me out. I haven’t watched it since, but maybe I should try it again. 

 Music To Read By 

I didn’t listen to any music. I just enjoyed reading though the television commercials this time around. I was going to make a playlist containing all the songs written that are based on the book . Then I found a web page that listed 20 songs inspired by Alice in Wonderland. I thought why not just link you to that page. It even includes songs with music videos based on Alice in Wonderland. That is way more awesome than the playlist I had planed. 

That is all my darlings. This was a long one and a link extravaganza. Now you see why it took me so long to post it. Sorry for the wait. Happy reading and keep it shiny!

About Books Blog 55 - The Wolves of Willoughby Chase

Author: Joan Aiken 

Genre: Children’s/Young Adult/Alternate History/Adventure 

Summary (from Goodreads)

Wicked wolves and a grim governess threaten Bonnie and her cousin Sylvia when Bonnie's parents leave Willoughby Chase for a sea voyage. Left in the care of the cruel Miss Slighcarp, the girls can hardly believe what is happening to their once happy home. The servants are dismissed, the furniture is sold, and Bonnie and Sylvia are sent to a prison-like orphan school. It seems as if the endless hours of drudgery will never cease.

 With the help of Simon the gooseboy and his flock, they escape. But how will they ever get Willoughby Chase free from the clutches of the evil Miss Slighcarp?

 My Thoughts 

 The Wolves of Willoughby Chase had been gathering dust on my book shelf since I was in grade school. For some reason I never got around to reading it. I have to admit that I initially picked it up off the shelf because it was short and I was short on time. I didn’t have any notions of greatness from such a slim volume, but as it has been said the best things come in small packages. This book proves that point.

 I loved how charming the children characters were in this book. Bonnie, Syliva, and Simon were such lovely children. Each noble in their own way. Reading their adventure was more fun, because I really cared about them. I thought it a little strange that the wolves were not more involved in the tale considering the title. Then I thought that perhaps the author was trying to be metaphorical. The villains in the book, Miss Slighcarp (awesome villainous name by the way) and her nasty companions, could be considered wolf like in their plot to steal the Green family fortune.

 The book stands out because of it’s unique mixture of genres. It combines the excitement of mystery with the endearing qualities of a children’s book. Interestingly it is also an alternate history novel. Though I learned by reading this that I know too little of British and European history to really know the difference. Commentary on Wikipedia and Goodreads has since given me more insight where that is concerned. The novel’s ability to be both adorable and gothic made me fall in love. The Wolves of Willoughby Chase is going to be a favorite of mine from now on.

 Interesting Facts 

 This book is the first in The Wolves Chronicles series. I wonder if I can find the books on Amazon. I am very interested in reading them. What am I saying? You can find almost anything on Amazon. 

 The Wolves of Willoughby Chase was written over several years with a seven year gap due to Joan Aiken’s full time job.

 The book has  in recent years been adapted into a stage play.

 The Movie 

The film has a cohesive story and is fairly entertaining. I couldn’t help feeling underwhelmed. The first half of the movie is semi close to the book, while the last half is nothing like it at all. I think it was right to make a few changes to make it more exciting visually. However, some of the changes were so silly. The entire thing was far too melodramatic in both acting and scene choices. I disliked what was done with the child characters. Sylvia so tightly wound and a little snooty about it. In the books she is shy and sensitive. Bonnie was an adventurous yet caring child in the book. Yet in the film I felt that she was a brat. When I was watching the film I couldn’t believe that they would want to be around each other, much less be friendly cousins. To add to all this Simon’s character (which is so prominent and the novel) was basically used and then forgotten about. Overall, the movie okay. I would probably watch it again if not for my qualms with the character depictions. The book is definitely better than the movie, but it is rare that that statement doesn’t apply to an adaptation. Maybe I’m being too picky. My gosh, the trailer for the movie is hilarious! I laughed so hard. It's so bad it's good. It actually makes the movie look so much worse than it was. Ha ha! 

The Wolves of Willoughby Chase Trailer

Music To Read By 

 I only got around to listening to one album. Tori Amos’ album Night Of The Hunters. The album uses a lot of influences from classical music. It has a very orchestral sound that went very nicely with the book. Though I wouldn’t say the lyrics fit very well with it. I think it’s a good album for reading in general since it has lyrics, but they don’t cause you to become distracted. Since I was inclined toward classical sounds for this book I made a playlist of mostly classical music and instrumentals. The some of the titles were quite long so I just posted the player instead of typing them out.

That is all my darlings. I typed this review instead of dictating it, because of my cough. I hope there aren't too many mistakes, but if there are I apologize. Happy reading and keep it shiny!

About Books Blog 47: A Wrinkle in Time

Author: Madeleine L’Engle

Genre: Children’s/Young Adult/Science Fiction/Fantasy

Favorite Line

“We look not at the things which are what you would call see, but at the things which are not seen. For the things which are seen are temporal. But the things which are not seen are eternal.”

Summary (Scholastic.com)

Everything is wrong in Meg Murray's life. In school, she's been dropped down to the lowest section of her grade. She's teased about her five-year-old brother, Charles Wallace, who everyone mistakenly thinks is dumb. Not to mention that Meg wears braces and glasses and has mouse-brown hair.

Much will be better in her miserable life when her father gets back. But gets back from where? Meg's physicist father had been experimenting with the fifth dimension of time travel when he mysteriously disappeared. One dark and stormy night, the family is visited by a disheveled heap of a woman named Mrs. Whatsit. Eccentric and brilliant, she will turn out to be the force who spurs on Meg, Charles Wallace, and their new friend, Calvin O'Keefe, to embark on a dangerous quest through space to find their father. In doing so, they must travel behind the shadow of an evil power that is darkening the cosmos.

My Thoughts

I will never forget one of my grade school teachers reading A Wrinkle in Time to us in class. It was not only an introduction to a great story, but for me it was an introduction to science fiction. I was so inspired back then I read the rest of the books in the series. However, I hadn’t looked at them in a long time since, and I missed having the story in my life. In re-reading this, I realized that the real beauty of A Wrinkle in Time is that you can appreciate it at any age. A young person can enjoy the excitement of reading about kids who travel into the unknown and face great evil. An adult can choose to enjoy not only the story, but also the novel’s many complexities.

A Wrinkle in Time centers such wonderful themes such as loyalty, finding family connections, celebrating our differences, and many more. The book uses a lot of religious symbolism, which I found quite interesting. I think it is amazing the way the author balanced the scientific and the emotional elements in the book. She was also brave enough to use a huge vocabulary in book for young people, which I really appreciated. I just love learning new big words.

The words beautiful and awesome come to mind when I think of the characters in the novel. They are so easy to relate to. I think everyone can see parts of themselves in Meg, Calvin, and Charles Wallace. However, I think most of us can identify with Meg the most. She often feels like she doesn’t fit in her own skin, and rarely sees how lovely and important she is to others. I mean who hasn’t felt like that occasionally. I love the bond that is created between the three main characters. They always seek ways to care for and protect one another. The reader can really sense their bond by the way it is written. I have to mention that Meg and Calvin are so adorable. Though their relationship is only just developing in this book, they share one of those one of those immediate emotional connections. It is so cute. To add to this already fabulous bunch of characters, Mrs. Whatsit, Mrs. Who, and Mrs. Which are great eccentric fun. They always have great wisdom to offer. They also know when to lighten the mood in the story when the need calls for it.

I have to say I loved A Wrinkle in Time as a kid, but I think I loved it more as an adult. It is a wonderful adventure with so many facets.

Facts I Found Interesting

My copy of the book has a question and answer section with the author in the back. If you want to know what inspired Madeleine L’Engle and other shiny facts about her personally, you should give it a read. Even after reading that I couldn’t get off the fact-finding train. Here are a few more facts I found interesting.

1. Much of L’Engle’s interest in quantum physics is infiltrated into the novel. Though she claimed she was never very interested in science in school, she found she very much understood particle science when she read it on her own.

2. A Wrinkle in Time is listed as number 22 on the American Library Association’s list of the 100 Most Frequently Challenged Books 1990 - 2000.

3. Twenty-six publishers rejected the book before it was finally published in 1963.

4. Graphic novelist Hope Larson is said to be working on adapting the novel into a graphic novel. That would be so shiny!

5.A Wrinkle in Time was adapted into a play in 2010 by John Glore. The play is written for six actors with twelve parts. This sounds kind of wacky in a cool way.

The Movie

The movie is certainly not for the A Wrinkle in Time purest. It’s not bad though. I had a few qualms with it, but there were things I liked too. I liked how well they interpreted the imagery. It has to be difficult to re-create things like time and space travel (a.k.a the tesseract), and the various alien creatures in the book. I think they did that part well. I liked the actors they cast for Meg, Calvin, and Charles Wallace. I felt they captured the essence of what the characters were like in the book. This was a factor that was important to me going into watching this adaptation, so I’m glad that that worked out. I would have been happier if they had put some glasses and braces on Meg. However, I think they were trying to modernize the piece so I’m going to give them that one. I didn’t care for the placement of the events, and the beginning was a little slow. I think there were a lot of things that were added to the story in the movie that it could've done without. Sometimes I didn't agree with their interpretation of the supporting characters, and Charles Wallace's gifts. Of course, Disney made it so they had some of those...Disney-ified moments. You know those moments in the Disney TV movies that make you want to roll your eyes. You do know what I am talking about right?

Overall it was okay. Weirdly the things I disliked and the things I liked balanced each other out. I wasn’t overly satisfied with it. Still I was at least entertained and they didn’t do anything too crazy to the story. It’s not something I would want to watch a bunch of times, but nothing in it bothered me so badly that I wouldn’t watch it if it was on TV. I saw on Wikipedia that last year Disney announced that they plan to re-make the movie. Yay! Please let the remake lean more toward the direction of awesomeness. By the way, do rent the DVD for the interview with Madeleine L’Engle in the special features. It’s interesting and worth watching.

A Wrinkle in Time On IMDb

Music To Read By

This was the first book I completed on my Nook Color, which happened to come with the Pandora Radio application already installed. Thus, I discovered the beauty of Pandora and I love it. My favorite thing to do while reading this was listening to my Fireflight radio station. To me the music really fit what I was reading. I think the playlist became more of a representation of my favorite songs and bands that I listened to while reading the book, rather than songs that actually fit the story. I did try to pick songs that share similar themes to the story even if they don't fit the story exactly.

A Wrinkle In Time Playlist

For Those Who Wait - Fireflight

Never Alone - Barlow Girl

Anticonformity - Krystal Meyers

There for You - Flyleaf

Hallelujah - Paramore

Collide - Skillet

Fight Inside - Red

Breathe - Superchick

Always - Plumb

Brand New Day (Acoustic) - Fireflight

That's all my loves. Happy reading and keep it shiny!!!

About Books Blog 40: Cinderella: Ninja Warrior and Sleeping Beauty: Vampire Slayer

http://www.virtualauthorbooktours.com/

Author: Maureen McGowan

Genre: Young Adult/Fantasy/Adventure

Favorite Line

“Confidence was one thing, over confidence was another...” - Cinderella: Ninja Warrior

Summaries

Cinderella: Ninja Warrior

In this fast-paced story full of adventure and romance, Cinderella is more than just a servant girl waiting for her prince—she's a tough, fearless girl who is capable of taking charge of a dangerous situation. Seeking to escape the clutches of her evil stepmother, Cinderella perfects her ninja skills and magic talents in secret, waiting for the day when she can break free and live happily ever after. In a special twist, readers have the opportunity to make key decisions for Cinderella and decide where she goes next—but no matter the choice; the result is a story unlike any fairy tale you've ever read!

Sleeping Beauty: Vampire Slayer

In this thrilling story full of adventure and romance, Sleeping Beauty is more than just a lonely princess waiting for her prince—she's a brave, tenacious girl who never backs down from a challenge. With vampire-slaying talents that she practices in secret, Sleeping Beauty puts her courage to the test in the dark of night, fighting evil as she searches for a way to break the spell that has cut her off from her family. In a special twist, readers have the opportunity to make key decisions for Sleeping Beauty and decide where she goes next—but no matter the choice; the result is a story unlike any fairy tale you've ever read!

Sleeping Beauty: Vampire Slayer is an entirely new type of fairy tale–one that will keep today's kids guessing and offer them hours of magical fun.

My Thoughts

Since I was reviewing both books for the blog tour today I decided mash both reviews into one big review. Both of these books were awesomely fun reads. I loved the crazy twists that were added to the traditional fairy tale idea. The author brought lovely since of humor to the writing that I enjoyed immensely. Maureen McGowan did a wonderful job of describing action sequences. They were not only exciting, but also easy to imagine. What made the even better was that occasionally the reader gets to choose destiny of the characters. There are up to eight different paths the story can take. You can read the book many times and get a new version of the story each time. I reminded me of when I would read those kinds of stories as a kid.

Cinderella: Ninja Warrior really made me grin. In the story, Cinderella not only has super ninja skills, but a wizard as well. I really found myself rooting for her. Not to mention I held high hopes that she would zap that stepmother in to the dirt. Ha ha.

I must admit before I started Sleeping Beauty: Vampire Slayer, I wasn’t sure how it was going to work out. The traditional story of Sleeping Beauty has the princess sleeping for a hundred years. I didn’t know how that would fit with the vampire slaying. Amazingly, the author made all the elements come together. I felt this book was a little more serious than Cinderella: Ninja Warrior. It seemed to have heavier themes, and more difficult choices for the reader. In a way that made Sleeping Beauty: Vampire Slayer my favorite of the two.

Once I started these, I was glued to them. They had wacky fun, romance, humor, and action. Everything that I love. Though these books are geared toward the younger age teens, they were a wonderful escape for me as an adult.

The Movie

As of yet their are no films. I do think these books lend themselves to being movies. Obviously, who ever adapted them would have to pick only one of the paths the characters can take, but otherwise I would jump for joy if these books were made into movies.

Music To Read By

I finished the books so quickly I didn’t get much music in. Well not enough to have a favorite album anyway. I just listened to whatever music caught my fancy, if I listened to any all. I wanted to make a playlist anyway. I did think of some songs after reading that I felt fit both books.

The Playlist

One Girl Revolution - Superchic(k)

Cinderella - Hooverphonic

Die Another Day - Madonna

Battle Without Honor or Humanity - Tomoyasu Hotei

Hong Kong Garden - Siouxsie and the Banshees

Explosive - Bond

Sleeping Beauty - Danny Elfman

Story Book Ending - Alan Menkin

Buffy The Vampire Slayer Theme - Nerf Herder

Well that's all folks. Hope see you soon. Keep it shiny!

About Books Blog 33: The Wonderful Wizard of OZ

Author: L. Frank Baum

Genre: Classic, Children’s, Fantasy, Adventure

Favorite Line

“No matter how dreary and gray our homes are, we people of flesh and blood would rather live there than in any other country, be it ever so beautiful. There is no place like home.”

Summary

 (In the unlikely case you don’t know what this is about already.)

Dorothy Gale and her faithful dog Toto get caught up in a tornado, which lands them in the magical land of OZ. With the help of a Scarecrow, a Tin Man, and a Lion, Dorothy must find her way back to her home in Kansas, by traveling to the Emerald City to meet great Wizard.

What I Thought of This Book

I’ve always wanted to read the OZ books. I have a strange affinity for all things OZ, yet I had never read the book until now. I also took the book on because I thought it would be a nice story to read before going to sleep. It was in fact a nice bedtime read. The story was formulated for children and is thus simplistically written, and has a pleasant fairy tale quality. The Wizard of OZ captures the imagination.

The characters aren’t incredibly layered by any means. I didn’t expect that out of the story anyway since it is written almost in the manner of Grimm’s fairy tales which don’t often give much characterization. I did occasionally wish that the author would stop repeating how the Scarecrow, Tin Man, and Lion didn’t have their brain, heart, and courage. I mean I got it the first time the characters were introduced, no need to harp on it endlessly.

There were several elements of the book I found a bit disturbing. For example how the Tin Woodman came to be made of tin. The man was cursed by a the Witch of The East to cut off his own limbs one by one until all of him was replaced with tin. Call me crazy but that just gives me the wiggins. I was also disturbed by the lengths in which the not so Wonderful Wizard of OZ would go to make the people of OZ think he was great and powerful. Oh yes, and let’s not forget the fact that he essentially asks a little girl to go out and murder his enemy for him. I mean that is pretty low. Aside from the few unsettling moments I couldn’t help but enjoy myself while reading this. I’m excited to read some of the other OZ books. I can totally get some of them for free from the many e-readers on my phone. Public Domain rocks!

Facts I Found Interesting

There are so many interesting facts I can’t put them all down here. I’ve limited myself to the four facts.

1. The protagonist of Wizard of Oz takes her the niece of L. Frank Baum’s wife, Dorothy Louise Gage. Dorothy died as a baby and Baum named his main character after her to ease some of his wife’s grief.

2. The book is said by many to be a social, economic, and political allegory for the events of America in the 1890’s. L. Frank Baum never officially confirmed that this was his intention with the book. Whether it was his intention or not I’m inclined to believe there is political symbolism wrapped in the tale. (See Political Interpretations of The Wizard of OZ.)

3. Originally The Wonderful Wizard of OZ was written with no intention of a sequel. However, after its release thousands of children wrote the author asking for more OZ stories. L. Frank Baum completed thirteen novels for the series. After his death the publishers assigned Ruth Plumly Thompson to write twenty-one more OZ novels. After her retirement four other authors jumped on the OZ book band wagon leaving forty books in the entire series.

4. In 1995 author Gregory Maguire published Wicked: The Life and Times of The Wicked Witch of the West. It is parallel novel exploring the time before Dorothy came to OZ from the perspective of the Wicked Witch of The West also known as Elphaba. I flipping love this book and will probably re-read it and review it. I now know that Wicked actually draws more from the film adaption than the OZ novel. I just realized that Wicked explains why I disliked the Wizard so much while reading this book.

Musicals, Movies, and TV Oh My!

This book has been adapted since the author himself created the musical version in 1902. Since then there have been several stage, film, and television creations offering ode to OZ. Obviously I can’t go into all of them, and I haven’t seen all of them anyway. However, I will give my points of view on what I have seen. Most of what is below focuses on my experiences with film and television adaptations, because they are the most widely accessible format. The titles above each film are link to IMDb, so you can watch trailers and such.

The Wizard of OZ (1939)

You can’t even think the words Wizard of OZ without thinking about the most well known 1939 classic adaptation. This film includes fabulous scenes in Technicolor, wonderful storytelling, and of course the memorable and endearing songs. There are said to be at least 44 identifiable differences between the film and the book, most notably the fact that the slippers in the novel were sliver not ruby red. The color was changed to take advantage of the brilliance of Technicolor, and I believe because the red appeared better against the yellow brick road. I suppose the only thing I might change about this film is the fact that Dorothy is often portrayed in the light of a damsel in distress, where as in the book she is often the one saving everyone else. Aside from the changes it is so similar to the novel that you barely notice the big changes. I basically love the film to pieces. You just can’t beat Judy Garland entering the land of OZ.

The Wiz

The Wiz is a retelling of the story featured in the context of African American culture. I say if you get a chance to see the stage version of The Wiz please do. It is very lively with wonderful music. Even my dad who is not a musical theater fan like me likes the stage version of The Wiz. If you are planning on buying/renting a copy of the film The Wiz avoid it like the plague. The music is still good. The rest of the film is a complete waste of time. This is one of the worse films I’ve ever seen. It has no pacing and seems to drag on for eternity and balk of the scenes are just plain stupid. I seriously think they only made it so they could put Dianna Ross and Michael Jackson could be in the same movie. Can you tell how much I dislike this film?

Return To Oz

I’ve always loved Disney’s 1985 film Return To OZ. It’s a bit of an unofficial sequel to the 1939 film which contains characters from later books in the series. It definitely not as cute as the previous classic film. In fact the imagery in Return To OZ is occasionally so creepy it makes you giddy, and I still have a hard time believing it was made by Disney. However, I think the imagery is what I liked the best about it. I’m amused that Dorothy is played by a young Fairuza Balk, who later appeared in the film The Craft. From Dorothy to a wicked witch... Come on it is a little funny right?

Tin Man

Tin Man was a television mini-series created by the Syfy Channel. Tin Man was advertised as futuristic imagining of the original story, but it isn’t really that at all. In fact it is actually a tale about a woman named DG, a descendant of Dorothy Gale, caught in the O.Z. (Outer Zone). Tin Man wasn’t my cup of tea. Maybe I was just distracted by the fact that it had so very little to do with the original story. Parts of it bored me to tears the rest of it had a lack of direction. I found it rather disappointing. The acting is good and it is very visually appealing, but that’s really all it’s got.

If you want to know about more adaptations click here. In my research I discovered that there were many new stage and film productions being developed as we speak. Some of them are set debut this year.

Music To Read By

I didn’t listen to music at all for The Wonderful Wizard of OZ. I think perhaps I am not alone in the idea that it would be difficult to read this book without thinking about songs from the musicals. That does not facilitate the idea of listening to various amounts of music. It was only after I finished the book I realized I could have created a playlist of my favorite songs from the musicals and other renditions of the songs by various artists. I don’t know why I didn’t occur to me before. Silly me, that is the whole point of the playlist section on this blog. Oh well, I’ve made a playlist now, just in case I read it again.

The Wonderful Wizard of Oz Playlist

Somewhere Over The Rainbow - Judy Garland

The Feeling We Once Had - The Wiz Cast

Ding Dong The Witch Is Dead - Maureen McGovern

If I Only Had A Brain - Mandy Patinkin

The Jitterbug - Wizard of OZ Cast or Wizard of Oz in Concert Version

(Note: This song was in the film, but later ended up on the cutting room floor. I still love it. I couldn't decide which version I liked best, so I just put them both on here.)

Ease On Down The Road - The Wiz Cast

The Return of Glinda - Wizard of OZ Cast

Home - Glee Cast

Somewhere Over The Rainbow - Melody Gardot

I hope you guys had fun reading this. I felt like it was crazy long. I tried not to go crazy with words, but you know I love to babble. Ha ha! See you all later. Keep it shiny!

About Books Blog 32: Calling for Angels

Author: Alex Smith

Genre: Young Adult, Urban Fantasy, Romance, Adventure

Favorite Line

“Funny eh? Even when you’re dead your heart can still break.”

Summary (from Red Telephone Books)

Em - shy, sensitive, with her head in the clouds - and Caitlyn - gorgeous, popular and talented - have been best friends forever, in a sleepy, nondescript town called Philiton.

But when new boy Zak moves into town, Philiton suddenly becomes a much more interesting place. With his meltingly hot looks, sense of humour and a smile that has even the hardest-hearted girls falling at his feet, Zak has the female population of Philiton Comprehensive School convinced he's an angel.

Caitlyn usually has the boys worshipping at her feet, so it’s a shock when Zak seems to be more interested in Em. Cracks appear, tensions arise, but surely Em and Caitlyn’s lifelong friendship can survive?

Em feels beset by demons. At home, she’s looking after her grandmother, who is slowly deteriorating, whilst despairing at her normally sensible brother, who is going off the rails just to fit in with the ‘right crowd’. Even Zak’s unexpected attention causes jealous girls to shower Em with spite – not least Caitlyn. If only she had a guardian angel…

Then a second boy steps into Em’s life. Dark and brooding, a captive to the secrets of a past he’d rather forget, Kai, who has appeared as if from nowhere and fallen head over heels in love with Em, is the exact opposite of Zak.

And although he may not seem like it, Kai is the real thing. He really is an angel.

What I Thought Of This Book

Two words...Absolutely lovely. Calling for Angels is such an emotional tale that one can not help but find a connection with it in some way. I think every emotion that you can have was reflected in the story, love, loss, humor, you name it and it was in there. I personally found it very endearing.

I felt that it was very well thought out both in terms of the plot and the supernatural elements. I was fascinated by how much consideration was put into inter-workings of angels and demons, or what spiritual warfare might be like from perspective of beings on of the unseen world. One thing I really appreciated was that the romance side of the story wasn’t silly, tragic, or overly obsessive.

As for the characters I positively adored their sense of humor. It created some delightful dialogue. I loved that Em wasn’t your average teenage heroine. She was quirky and fairly comfortable with it. Although I must say my favorite character had to be Kai. I think this was because I enjoyed his emotional journey the most. I liked watching him grow as a character.

I was basically smitten with Calling for Angels. I think I might have read it in less than a week. Thus, proving how much fun I had reading. I think it is a wonderful read for all ages. Many thanks to Red Telephone Books for giving me this wonderful book to review.

Facts I Found Interesting

Author Alex Smith is only seventeen years old. She began writing Calling for Angels at age fourteen. Good grief! If she writes this good now can you imagine how she’ll write later?

The Movie

There’s obviously no film yet, but I think it would make a darn cute movie though.

Music to Read By

I read this very quickly so there were not very many albums in the mix. Mostly I just listened to random playlists I had already. The only full albums I listened to were Speak Now by Taylor Swift and Tiger Suit by KT Tunstall. I thought both of these albums fit the mood of the story at times. Though I think I loved Tiger Suit the best. I’m pretty sure I listened to one more album but I can’t remember what it was now. Oh...That is just going to get on my nerves. I'm drawing a blank. Gosh, I don’t know what it was.

While reading this I got the feeling that Alex Smith and I were musical kindred spirits. There were references to two bands I love Red Hot Chili Peppers and Led Zeppelin. In addition the character Em has Florence and the Machine’s Dog Days Are Over as her phone ring tone. My phone ring tone is Cosmic Love. Ha ha. Yay for Florence and the Machine ring tones!

Calling for Angels Playlist

Looking For Angels - Skillet

Under The Bridge - Red Hot Chili Peppers

(Still A) Weirdo - KT Tunstall

Pretty Eyes - The Cranberries

Everything Is Not Lost - Coldplay

Sparks Fly - Taylor Swift

Smile - Glee Cast

Just The Way You Are - Bruno Mars

The Heart Of Life - John Mayer

Sing - Travis

Little Wonders - Rob Thomas

Friends - Led Zeppelin

For Those Who Wait - Fireflight

Dog Days Are Over - Florence and the Machine

Yay! I finally got this out to you lovely people. Very exciting. I hope you had fun reading this post. See you soon. Keep it shiny!

About Books Blog 30: Scourge: A Grim Doyle Novel

Author: David H. Burton

Genre: Adventure/Fantasy/Science Fiction/Young Adult/Steampunk

Favorite Line

“The cause determines the cure.”

Summary (from davidhburton.com)

Grim Doyle has always known his life was not exactly “normal”, and things get even more curious when he discovers a set of stones that sweep him and his family to the fantasy, steam punk world of Verne – a place they had escaped from years ago. Now that they’ve returned, Grim and his siblings hide from the evil Lord Victor and his minions. And while learning about Jinns, Mystics, and the power of absinth they try to discover who is trying to kill them with the deadly Scourge.

What I Thought of This Book

First I would like to thank author David H. Burton for giving me this book to review. Now on with the show.

Scourge is an extremely imaginative work of fiction. Not only does the world of Verne have a numerous creative inventions, it also houses almost every fantasy creature you can think of. It’s not often you see changelings, sylphs, and jinns in the same book. I found the creativity fun to read.

I think I may have liked the main character Grim Doyle more than the story itself. I found him relatable and adorable. I often found myself giggling, because he would say things that I would say. The other characters quite delightful as well.

Scourge was presented to me as a book for children. However, though the writing style fit this age group, I felt there were themes and ideas in it that perhaps would be better understood by an older group. Even then I would recommend that parents read it first and judge for themselves. I personally would feel more comfortable with people of the young adult age range reading it, but that’s just me.

This book is what I assume will be the first of a series. Thus, it is written as such. Don’t expect the big battles to be fought it this book; just enjoy this first journey of many.

Facts I Found Interesting

Since this book was just released it November 2010 there’s not much in the way of facts yet. I suggest clicking the link to David’s blog above and gleaning facts that way.

The Movie

This would probably make a good movie with lots of cool visual effects. It has Syfy channel written all over it if nothing else.

Music To Read By

Favorite Albums

I listened to almost no music at all while reading this. I don’t know if it was because of time, or the fact that I didn’t know of anything that would fit. The playlist is actually comprised of music I listened to while working on this review. I discovered an artist called The Cinematic Orchestra, and found that their music works very well with the book. If only I had discovered them sooner. All the songs are by the same artist so I'm just going to list the titles.

Scourge Playlist

The Magician

Child Song

As The Stars Fall

Yoyo Waltz

Continuum

Everyday

Postlude

Transformation

That's all darlings. I hope you enjoyed reading. See you soon. Keep it shiny!