 | |
| Please enjoy this picture of my dog sleeping in the sun, to get over the tuttie* that is February. | *Means poop in Punjabi |
In more exciting news, because it is the end of the month...it's time for another round of Reader Appreciation Awards! Coincidentally falling on the same night as the Oscars! The only difference between them, is my awards aren't tangible, about films, or selected by old white men. So lets move on to the award!
This year's award goes to a group of lovely people: The Crooks and Nannies Crew! They are a wonderful writers group, that I have the honour of being a part of, filled with tons of talent and passion. Thanks for reading! This one's for you!
In order my friends:
Book #6: A Book that's Becoming a Movie this Year
Lastly, I have no idea. Question number three is still currently a mystery.
Since I can't tell you what I'll have for dinner, let me tell you more about Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children (MPHFPC) by Ransom Riggs. Whose name is kind of ridiculous, but explains his fondness of alliteration. I mean why would you name a child ransom? Did the doctor mistakenly see a kidnapping and assume it was a naming?
My theory on how Ransom Riggs got his name
Absent-minded Doctor enters room with official forms.
Scared mother looks relieved and ready to call for help, as a vaudevillian villain twirls his mustache while holding new baby Riggs.
Mother: Doctor thank goodness you're here...call the-
Doctor: Yes, sorry it took so long. Have you decided on a name for the new baby?
Mother: (Frantic) He's trying to hold him for ransom-quick the pol-
Doctor: Aww, holding Ransom you say? Odd name but I've signed off on worse! (Goodnatured, old man, chuckle)
Mother: What? No! Do you not see this comically out of place man? This is an emergency!
Villain cackles.
Doctor: Not at all, Ransom Riggs has a fine ring to it. I'm sure he'll only be bullied a little. Well that's that then, paperwork all done.
Doctor Leaves.
Both Mother and Villain too surprised to do anything and thus we are given Ransom Riggs.
I guess we'll never know how the author got his name, but I like to think I'm not far off the mark.
Luckily we know how his book, which went on to become a trilogy, came into being...and it's a pretty cool tale.
Ransom is a collector of old photographs and approached a publisher about using some for a children's photo book. The publisher thought he should go a step further and use the photographs to tell a narrative. I have to say, reading the story-he did a really great job of taking the photos (which are shown in the novel) and building a truly engrossing tale around them.
There's this interesting suspense he builds, and the photographs add a touch of reality and an almost supernatural feel. As if writing the subjects into new characters has reanimated them. There were moments that after reading about a character, and then seeing the old picture they were based off of, I got some rather unexpected butterflies. Admittedly, old Victorian stuff kind of freaks me out to begin with. Like those creepy ass death albums? Or dolls with children's hair? WT Serious F old-timey people? So I can't guarantee the photos will give you the same feeling, but regardless there is a visceral and intimate response; like you've been let in on a secret, you were never supposed to know but are now responsible for keeping it.
I don't want to give too much away about this book, because at its core it is a mystery/horror (I don't think it's a horror but it has the elements I suppose). I also can't wait to see how they make the film, as I will definitely be watching it.
This book, about a boy named Jacob Portman, who grew up on his grandfather's stories of strange children he lived with during WWII, had me hooked in a way the first Harry Potter book did. The action is immediate, and the character's internal life is so well defined. The writer has a real gift at creating mood and atmosphere. You feel Jacob's wonder at his grandfather Abe's (A Jewish man, who somehow escaped the Nazi's invasion as a child, and made it to a safe house in Wales) tales of a magical place, filled with children who could do fantastic things like: Create fire (Pyrokinetic), levitate, have super strength, etc. You understand the bond the two share instantly. Then you quickly feel Jacob's heartbreak of realizing the tales you believed when you were young, were nothing but fictions. It's such a beautifully sad truth of growing up, that it's hard not to feel it with our protagonist. Jacob feels let down by his grandfather, but still wants to believe. Then tragedy strikes and Jacob is forced to believe.
The story is an adventure tale that touches on growing up, social class division, depression and meds, and family relationships.
Jacob's father, married a very wealthy woman, and thus has an inferiority complex for relying on her. (Ugh!Get over it men! Women can also make money/be wealthy, without it affecting your fragile masculinity. I mean, she's already chosen you to marry-relax!) His defining feature is his desire to be a writer, but inability to actually finish a book. It's a sore spot for him, which has him convinced that his wife will leave him eventually.
Meanwhile, all we really learn of Jacob's mother, is that she enjoys renovating her big home and showing it off to others. There is a scene where Jacob overhears her telling a friend how happy she is that her son and husband are going away for a month, so she can get her life back for some time without worrying about two babies. I wasn't overly fond of this moment.
I won't get into Miss Peregrine or her peculiar children, because I don't want to ruin the reveal. However, if you really want to know-there's always google!
I do recommend reading this one, I can't wait to get started on the sequels. There are definitely some slow parts, and a few moments I cringed at, but all in all a pretty good read. The past, and present blend near seamlessly, and the fantastical elements of the world have set rules that seem plausible for, you know, made-up stuff. You can tell research went into this book, beyond the photographs. So...go! Go read it! It's only eleven chapters and for children!
That's that then folks-See you in March!
No comments:
Post a Comment