Locke and Key: the audiobook

So this isn't actually a review, that will come soon, but I wanted to get a post out about the audiobook adaptation of Joe Hill and Gabriel Rodriguez's graphic novel ASAP. Why? Because until November 4th, you can download the audiobook for free. FOR FREE.

I'm sure some people are a little curious as to how you translate a primarily visual medium to an entirely audio one. This adaptation of Locke and Key is very similar to the audiobook for Neil Gaiman's Neverwhere. It's less an audiobook and more an audioplay. Each chapter (which loosely corresponds to an issue of the comic) is introduced by a narrator who sets the scene in a few lines, after that it is made up entirely of dialogue between the cast. The production so far is incredibly well done and the cast is sensational. Tatiana Maslany, Kate Mulgrew, Haley Joel Osment (I think this is the first acting gig of his I've seen/heard since The Sixth Sense!), and Joe Hill himself all star in the audiobook along with a bunch of others. According to audible there are over 50 voice actors all told, so that gives you an idea of the scale of this project.

Anyway, if you've been looking for a new audiobook or have always been interested in checking out Locke and Key but wasn't too keen on comics then I highly recommend you get this while it's free.

Pages to Panels: A Bookish Guide to Getting into Comics (1)

Comics are a hard medium to break into. Unless you're purely sticking with the literary graphic novels you have 60 years of convoluted, conflicting and confusing story lines to try and get your head around. There are a tonne of great sites online that can help you work out which story line to start with for certain superheroes or which to avoid, but since everyone who reads this blog is a book reader first and foremost I thought I'd write a bit of an introductory post for people wanting to break into the comic world.

There are the obvious choices that I'm sure most of your have already read or at least heard about. Maus by Art Spiegelman, From Hell by Alan Moore, Alif the Unseen by G. Willow Wilson, Fun Home by Alison Bechdel. They're typically one off editions (or two in the case of Maus) and heavy on the literary angle. They're all brilliant and you should definitely read them *stares menacingly until you all add them to you Goodreads lists*. But what if you're thinking you want something a little more serial in nature? Something that tackles a particular genre or story line or character arc over a much longer time frame. Well aren't you a lucky duck? I'm here to do exactly that. And to make it even easier, rather than just list a bunch of awesome comics (I mean, you could just check out my review tab for that) I'm going to give you a neat little pathway to wander down, complete with shonky paint graphics.

I'm just starting with 5 recommendations today, but if people seem to enjoy these I'll plan out a few more posts*. And maybe work out a way to make these graphics look less pathetic. These are a mix of new and old comic series, but they're also all fairly straight forward. You're not likely to have any cross-over nightmares to deal with here, thank god.

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 1. Rat Queens - Kurtis J. Wiebe, Roc Upchurch (8 issues, ongoing)

If you like the comedic fantasy stylings of Terry Pratchett and Christopher Moore you will probably adore Rat Queens. Rat Queens has the style of D&D fantasy world elements and characters you'd expect to find in a Discworld novel and it's fantastically coupled with the biting humour of both Moore and Pratchett. It's foul-mouthed and rough, but the camaraderie between the four female protagonists is the real motivator in the story.

Similar comics you might also like: Saga (Brian K. Vaughan), Chew (John Layman)


2. Transmetropolitan - Warren Ellis, Darick Robertson (10 volumes, completed)

Big fan of Hunter S. Thompson and his outlaw breed of gonzo journalism? Then you should absolutely follow Spider Jerusalem's antics in Transmetropolitan - since he's inspired by the gun-wielding, drug-taking, truth-talkin' HST. The books take place in a futuristic world where morals, ethics and anything resembling self respect has been traded in for cold hard cash. The humour is dark and the social criticism biting. This was actually my very first graphic novel series and (fun fact) the way Tom wheedled his way into my heart when he saw me in a bar wearing a HST t-shirt ("have you heard of the comic Transmetro - I have the whole series if you want to borrow it").

Similar comics you might also like:  Preacher (Garth Ennis), Watchmen (Alan Moore)


3. Ms Marvel - G. Willow Wilson, Adrian Alphona (9 issues, ongoing)

Ms Marvel is a pretty big deal for a number of reasons. It's the first (or close to) comic to represent both a muslim and female protagonist in an incredibly progressive and positive way. It manages to take the stress of suddenly becoming a superhero and make it incredibly relatable. Khamala Khan deals with the issues every teenager deals with - doing her homework, abiding by her parents rules, conflicting with friends and school bullies, doubting with your self-worth and appearance every other minute - but it does it with the added lenses of being a Pakistani-American and a superhero. There are probably a half dozen YA novels I could have listed here, but one of the best qualities of Ms Marvel is how fresh and funny the dialogue is. Lots of pop culture references and self-deprecating humour, with  moments of startling reality thrown in to add weight. If you're a fan of Allie Brosh's ability to blend serious discussions on depression with ridiculous dog stories in Hyperbole and a Half and/or love Cline's pop culture rich Ready Player One then you should hunt this series down.

Similar comics you might also like:  The Runaways (Brian K. Vaughan/Joss Whedon), Lumberjanes (Noelle Stephenson), She-Hulk (Charles Soule)


4. Locke and Key - Joe Hill, Gabriel Rodriguez (6 volumes, completed)

If I am going to recommend one comic it'll probably be Locke and Key. Like NOS4R2 and The Ocean at the End of the Lane, Locke and Key blends horror and fantasy elements with stories of family and loss. They're fun and exciting and a teeny bit tense but they also pack a wallop of an emotional punch that hits you when you aren't expecting it. A horrific coming-of-age story, if you will.

Similar comics you might also like:  The Cape (Jason Ciaramella), Pretty Deadly (Kelly Sue DeConnick)


5. Fables - Bill Willingham, Mark Buckingham (145 issues, ongoing)

Okay, so throwing in Once Upon a Time is a bit of a cheat since it's TV but it did begin as an adaptation of Fables, so cram it. Bookwise though, I see a lot of similarities to the Thursday Next series by Jasper Fforde. While Thursday is an outsider coming into the literary world, Fables is told entirely from the perspective of the displaced fairytale characters. Both work hard to infuse clever nods and hints to their literary origins and are broad mystery series. They also have a lot of heart and a good idea at its core but didn't really come out of the gate at full speed. Which is a nicer way to say that I was pretty meh when I first read each of them, but ended up loving a lot of it in later volumes.

Similar comics you might also like: The League of Extraordinary Gentleman (Alan Moore), Kill Shakespeare (Conor McCreery), Unwritten (Mike Carey)

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* If people have specific genres or styles of books they'd like to find a comic partner for let me know in the comments and I'll see what I can do!

My Holiday Reads: A Bunch of Mini-Reviews (part 2)

Straining my brain to remember enough details for reviews turned out to be harder than I thought. Plus I'm lazy. Okay, maybe it was just the lazy thing that made me decide to split this post up. But I've taken two days and I'm ready to write a few more reviews. Aren't you lucky!

*NOS4R2 by Joe Hill*

(audiobook)

Tom and I listened to the audiobook edition of this book on our way between LA, San Fran and New York. We'd finish up our nights with 30-60 minutes of Kate Mulgrew navigating this story of Christmas, mysterious pathways, broken lives and familial love. I have a physical copy of this book which I'm going to read and review at some point this year, so I'm going to keep this short and mainly focus on the audiobook experience. I really liked Kate Mulgrew as the narrator. I may be a little biased since I know her as Captain Janeway from Star Trek Voyager and Red in OiTNB and love her in those roles but I do think the voices she used for the central cast were excellent. Her Charlie Manx was breathy and sinister, Vic was broken and desperate but strong, Maggie is scared but brave simultaneously, and Bing/The Gasmask Man was thick-headed and aggressive. She absolutely brought the characters to life, which more than made up for the few smaller characters that she butchered the accents of, like poor Dr Patel who must have taken a hit to the head because he swayed between Indian and Irish every other sentence. But seriously, if the size of the book is daunting you maybe give this audiobook a shot.

*The Circle by Dave Eggers* 

Of all of these books I'm reviewing this is probably the one I wish I could review full length, because it was amazing. Unfortunately I took zero notes so it'd probably end up a pretty vague review. I had never read any Dave Eggers before, I think I'd dismissed him as being too art-literature and not something I would enjoy, but I completely misjudged him. This book is terrifying, absolutely captivating but terrifying. It really effectively examines the modern obsession with technology and the influential role some tech brands have on the way we live our lives. There were some bits that were a little sloppy or obvious (such as the identity of the mysterious young man) but the overall affect of the book is so intense and creepy that they were teeny blips on the whole.

For an alternate (and hilarious) review for The Circle click through this link.

*We Have Always Lived in the Castle by Shirley Jackson*

I've been meaning to read some of Shirley Jackson's stories since everyone seemed to read The Haunting of Hill House last year, and even though I bought a bunch of digital editions I never got around to reading them. I was flipping through my Kindle one night when I couldn't sleep and something about this title drew me in. I clicked on it and didn't click out until I had finished it. That may sound more impressive than it actually is since this is it's only a novella (160 pages), but I still found it completely un-putdownable. It's a story about two sisters and their uncle who live in a grand house but keep completely to themselves. Why? Because several years earlier most of the family died of arsenic poisoning and even though eldest sister Constance was acquitted of murder the town doesn't trust them one bit. They may keep to themselves but they are completely content with their solitary lives. The younger sister Merricat, who narrates the story, protects the house and the family with talismans and magical charms, Constance has a green thumb that keeps the family fed and happy and uncle Julian, alive but damaged by the arsenic poisoning, relives that day constantly but is beloved by the sisters. The arrival of a cousin, Charles, shifts the family dynamic into chaos and Merricat struggles to right the status quo that they strove so hard to find. This is a gorgeous novella, the writing is beautiful and Merricat is a fascinating, if completely unreliable, narrator. 

*Neverwhere by Neil Gaiman*

(BBC radio-play)

I honestly have no idea if this audio version is even remotely like the actual book (Goodreads suggests...maybe?) but when it advertises a cast of Benedict Cumberbatch, Anthony Head, Natalie Dormer and Christopher Lee what am I supposed to do? Not buy it? Not likely. Regardless of whether the actual story is the same, the setting is the one and the same in both. Underneath London there exists another London, London Below, and this darker London is full of angels and monsters and secret doorways and marketplaces. The radio-play is purely dialogue with absolutely no narration, which does make it difficult to follow the action at times and given it is so short (approximately 3 hours) the pacing does feel off at times. I imagine if it is telling the same story ( in this story normal Londoner Richard Mayhew helps a young lady which leads him to an adventure with her and some others in London Below) there are some details missing that link sections or develop characters and add to that slightly off-kilter feel. But seriously, James McEvoy, Sophie Okonedo, Romola Garai and CHRISTOPHER LEE. Who cares if it's not perfect with a cast that perfect?

My Holiday Reads: A Bunch of Mini-Reviews (part 1)

Bringing my Kindle turned out to be one of the best decisions I made for this holiday. Other than the 16 hour flight over we had several 4+ hour bus or train rides, which were the perfect times to settle down with one of the books I'd downloaded and lose myself in their stories. I managed to finish 8 books and start 2 more, all of which I really enjoyed. I wanted to write proper reviews for them all, but I read them so quickly after each other and made so few notes I don't think I could really pull out a full-length review that'd do the books justice. So instead here are some smaller reviews about each of my holiday reads.

*Bossypants by Tina Fey* 

(audiobook)

I'd been meaning to read this book for ages but never got around to picking it up from the book store or library. I ended up buying an audio copy with some Audible credit and I am so glad I decided to go that route. I'm sure the actual-words-copy is awesome too, but how can you pass up a book being read by Tina Fey? You can't basically. Apart from the greatness of listening to Tina Fey read out her own life experiences and jokes, the audiobook also included a few moments when she broke script and spoke off the cuff as well as some audio-tracks from her time on SNL playing Sarah Palin. There are some bits about her childhood but the book is really about making a career as a female writer/actor in a very male dominated world and raising a child to be level-headed, secure and happy in such a world. It's a wonderfully girl-powery book without actually setting out to be that kind of book. It's really the little things, like remembering the time that Amy Poehler was telling a gross joke and when a male colleague said "ew stop, it's not cute" she told him to fuck right off. Or when she made the decision to use yellow instead of blonde so that her daughter never thinks that one hair colour is more special than another. I don't know if I'd recommend this to someone who isn't aware of or already in love with Tina Fey, but if you're even remotely aware of who she is you'll probably get a kick out of it.

*Orange is the New Black by Piper Kerman*

I wasn't if I'd like this book. Don't get me wrong I love the show, but even though the first 50 pages or so are incredibly close to what was included in the first few episodes I wasn't sure if I had much interest in the memoirs of a middle-class white lady going to jail. After finishing I still feel pretty much the same way. It was an interesting book, the details about America's prison system (guuuuys, what the F) that Piper included were illuminating and it was interesting to see how much of the TV show's characters are actually true to life (or true to Piper's memory anyway). But, I don't know, I felt like the real story was sitting just off the page. The beauty of the TV series is that you see so many stories, and how similar the women are even though they've had very different lives up to that point. In this there's a momentary peek at the other women but it's only ever to do with how they relate to Piper or impact on Piper's stay in some way. I knew that the book would not be the TV show, but I think I'd probably have liked the book more if I'd read it first...or at least I wouldn't feel like I was missing out on so much. That said, if you've seen and loved the show you should definitely give it a read. I know I just spent an entire mini-review whinging but I am definitely glad I gave it a read.

Also this. There was a little bit of this.

*The Ocean at the End of the Lane by Neil Gaiman*

I know not everyone here is a big fan of Neil Gaiman and although I loved a lot of the books you've all disliked, I think you'll like this one. Like Coraline and The Graveyard Book this one is (maybe not really) for children and has that wonderful modern fairytale feel. Most of the book actually takes place in a flashback as a middle aged man remembers an eventful period in his life at his childhood home. It's an absolutely gorgeous tale. It's such a profoundly moving story of childhood innocence and trust and the fear of monsters unleashed in our lives and the power of words and stories. It's basically right in Gaiman's wheelhouse and it made me feel so many damn feels that even now, nearly two months later, I am caught up in the melancholic feelings that the book evoked. It's probably more YA/Adult than children (there are a few scenes that would be a little graphic or complicated for little minds) but it retains the special magical feel that Gaiman seems to reserve for his younger novels.

*Fangirl by Rainbow Rowell*

Do I need to even bother with a review here? You all know it's going to be a bunch of squees and OMG LEVI's right? Anyway, in case anyone was wondering if Rowell released two smashing books and then fumbled the third - nope. She is on fire, I only hope she can keep writing as many wonderful stories full of the best relationships (platonic and romantic) in contemporary fiction.

 I really loved exploring the two vastly different twins and their experiences in college. While Wren is out conquering the campus one keg stand at a time, Cath is struggling to gather the courage to even step into her mess hall. And neither lifestyle is really demonised or victimised which was really refreshing. They both have their downs (and way way downs) but there are obvious benefits to each of the twins' approaches to life in college and life in general. And, a few small tweaks aside, it works for them. And that's kind of beautiful. Not that it isn't without conflict since that's basically what the book is about, but it was a really honest look at that awkward/terrifying/invigorating transition period between high school and university, childhood and adulthood.

*Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children by Ransom Riggs*

This book was actually a bit of a mixed bag for me. I thought the story was intriguing and imaginative, but it was ( sometimes painfully) clear it was Riggs' first novel. Some of the writing and plot progression was stiff or a little weird, and there were definitely times when it felt like the pictures were guiding the story too much, rather than complimenting it. However, I think I went into this with pretty high expectations and that tainted what should have been a fun and mysterious read. When I put the awkwardness out of mind I really enjoyed the story and I'm interested to see where the next two (I believe it's meant to be a trilogy?) books head and how he develops the adventure for these peculiar children.

2013 Wrap Up Survey

I had planned to do an end-of-year survey but my holiday got in the way of doing it any earlier.

#HardLifeAmirite

But now that I'm home I am ready to share my reflections and recommendations from 2013. Most of my answers are probably pretty obvious if you've paid even the smallest amount of attention to this blog over the year, but maybe a couple of answers will surprise you (or they won't, but it's fun to read these things!)

Number of books read in 2013: 73, thanks largely to the crap-ton of books I read on my holiday.

Best Book You Read In 2013? I read so many good books and so many new authors who I am now obsessed with (Rainbow Rowsell anyone?) but I think my absolute favourite would have to be Horns by Joe Hill. It was just SO good, I read it addictively and got that wonderful-terrible book hangover afterwards.

Book You Were Excited About & Thought You Were Going To Love More But Didn't? Hmmmm, probably Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn. Maybe if I'd never heard of it and discovered it on my own I'd have enjoyed it more, but I didn't feel like it lived up to its reputation at all and was actually pretty badly written at certain points.

Most surprising (in a good way!) book of 2013? The Circle by Dave Eggers. I was able to get a free copy off Netgalley otherwise I probably would have skipped over it. It was a fascinating and tense techno-drama and definitely in my top 5 reads of the year.

Book you read in 2013 that you recommended to people most in 2013? In the blog world it was probably Horns. If you read that book in 2013 I'm taking credit, even if you read it first. In the non-blog world it was probably Ready Player One by Earnest Cline. It was a good book to introduce to my pop-culture and game loving friends who don't read a whole lot.

Best series you discovered in 2013? I'm almost surprised to say this considering how long it took me to get into it but it'd definitely be the Thursday Next series by Jasper Fforde. If you've read the first book in this series and finished it feeling on the fence about whether to continue, try to hang in their until the third book. If you still don't like it by the end of book 3, you probably won't change your mind.

Favorite new author you discovered in 2013? I read a lot of new-to-me authors this year but my favourite would absolutely have to be Rainbow Rowell. She is the most wonderful of wonderful things.

Best book that was out of your comfort zone or was a new genre for you? Ooooh tough one. It wasn't really outside of my comfort zone, but I enjoyed Warm Bodies by Isaac Marion far more than I expected. Whoulda thunk a romantic YA about zombies would be anything other than terrible?!

Most thrilling, unputdownable book in 2013? Horns, Attachments, The Circle, Ready Player One...I can't pick just one!

Book You Read In 2013 That You Are Most Likely To Re-Read Next Year? Any of Rainbow Rowell's books, but probably Attachments. I miss that book, I need it in my life again.

Favorite cover of a book you read in 2013? Where'd You Go, Bernadette by Maria Semple. It's so bright and poppy and just inseparable from the story.

Most memorable character in 2013? Eleanor and Park from Eleanor and Park. They are both the most wonderful and complicated and vibrant characters, if I can summon the strength I'm definitely going to revisit them soon.

Most beautifully written book read in 2013? I think that'd probably be The Ocean at the End of the Lane by Neil Gaiman, both in terms of writing style and the content of the story. That book made my heart swell.

Book you can’t believe you waited UNTIL 2013 to finally read? It's ridiculous that it took me so long to continue into Stephen King's Dark Tower series with The Drawing of the Three. I don't really do New Year resolutions but I plan to get much further into this series this year.

Shortest and Longest Book You Read In 2013? According to Goodreads (I didn't count graphic novels fyi);
Shortest: In The Tall Grass by Joe Hill and Stephen King
Longest: Harry Potter and the Deathly Hollows by JK Rowling

Book That Had A Scene In It That Had You Reeling And Dying To Talk To Somebody About It? SO MANY. But the one that comes to mind first is Where'd You Go, Bernadette. I was so conflicted with the character reveals and developments I had to know how everyone else felt about them too.

Favorite Relationship From A Book You Read In 2013 (be it romantic, friendship, etc). So many good relationships this year, Eleanor and Park, Cath and Reagan (Fangirl), Art3mis and Parzival (Ready Player One) but none were as amazing as the friendship between Beth and Jennifer in Attachments. I could read their email correspondence for the rest of my life and I would be the happiest for it.

Favorite Book You Read in 2013 From An Author You've Read Previously. Does reading Allie Brosch's blog count as an author I've read before? Who cares, I'm answering Hyperbole and a Half anyway.

Best Book You Read In 2013 That You Read Based SOLELY on a Recommendation From Somebody Else. There were so many books I read this year that were completely off everyone's recommendation, but I'm going to answer Tipping the Velvet by Sarah Waters since I am sure I wouldn't have read it if it wasn't for Alice's big list of LGBT lit.

Genre You Read The Most From in 2013? I don't organise my reading by genre, but a quick look over the year's reads shows a lot of dark fantasy, stuff that's not quite horror and a little more realism based than straight fantasy.

Newest fictional crush from a book you read in 2013? Hmmmm, maybe Lincoln from Attachments or Levi from Fangirl? Rainbow Rowell writes the best fellas.

Best debut book you read? For sure Ready Player One.

Most vivid world/imagery in a book you read in 2013? Harry Potter, the answer for this will always be Harry Potter.

Book That Was the Most Fun To Read in 2013? I read a lot of fun books in 2013, but the two readalongs (HP and The Corrections) were my favourite reads of the year. Even if the quality of reads in one readalong was infinitely better than the other, the company for both was first class.

Book That Made You Cry Or Nearly Cry in 2013? If it's possible to die from too-much-cryingitis then I came close when I read Eleanor and Park. That book tore my heart out of my chest and made me feel things, for reals guys.

Did you complete any reading challenges or goals that you had set for yourself at the beginning of this year/Bookish Events on your blog in 2013? I didn't have any goal-goals, but I completely the one challenge I signed up for (eclectic reader -12 books from 12 genres) and took part and in 3 readalongs and 3 readathons.

One Book You Didn’t Get To In 2013 But Will Be Your Number 1 Priority in 2014? Tell the Wolves You're Home by Carol Rifka Brunt is at the top of my list. I borrowed it from the library late last year but I didn't manage to get to it before heading on my holiday.

Book You Are Most Anticipating For 2014 (non-debut)? I'm never really on top of new releases but I'll be first in line for Rainbow Rowell's new book when it comes out.

One Thing You Hope To Accomplish Or Do In Your Reading/Blogging In 2014? This year is going to be crazy busy what with writing out my PhD and all, so my main plan is to keep keep working on this blog as a way to release some stress and not let it fall out of focus.

Short story Reviews: UR by Stephen King, In the Tall Grass by Stephen King and Joe Hill, The Legend of Sleepy Hollow

A few months ago I read Stephen King and Joe Hill's short story In the Tall Grass and had no idea how to review it. Short stories are always hard to review, because there isn't a lot to discuss without giving away some of the critical elements, but they usually (or the ones I read anyway) come in an anthology so you can bluff your way through by writing a couple of lines or paragraphs about each story and make up a full review that way. This was a singular story, something I found when I was searching the Stephen King tag on Amazon, and I just couldn't review it in any way that seemed worth it. Lucky for me RIP VIII came along and gave me the perfect platform to write about it and a couple of other short stories I'd been considering reading. So here you go, reviews to In the Tall Grass, The Legend of Sleepy Hollow and UR.

Advertisement:  "I use Grammarly to correct grammar because 'ain't nobody got time for that*' 
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In the Tall Grass

Written by: Joe Hill and Stephen King

Published: 2012

Synopsis: In the Tall Grass begins with a sister and brother who pull off to the side of the road after hearing a young boy crying for help from beyond the tall grass. Within minutes they are disoriented, in deeper than seems possible, and they’ve lost one another. The boy’s cries are more and more desperate.

My thoughts: About a year ago I read a comic based on a Joe Hill and Stephen King novella titled Throttle. I really enjoyed seeing their different styles clash and meld, so when I came across this short story I snapped it up immediately.

I really love Stephen King's short stories. I think it's because they tend to be really experimental, either he's playing around with ideas that will later become full time novels or they're something so completely different to what I'm used to from him. At the time of reading this short story, the only Joe Hill I'd read was his comic series Locke and Key (which is a MUST read) and I had loved how much Joe seemed to pay homage to his father while never seeming like he was simply riding that wave of nepotism and fame (his obvious talent also helps immensely).

This story is very short and very quick. Brother and sister duo Becky and Cal DeMuth are driving through Kansas when they hear someone calling for help. They park on the side of a road near a church and look into the field of tall, tall grass and hear a child and his terrified mother calling out. Once they make their way in though, they get lost and no matter how hard they try, they can't get their bearings back.

The premise is all King. It's a quiet story, one that teeters on that thin line between panic and supernatural. Is the grass actually working against them, hiding a killer who is coming to get them? Or are they just overtaken by their own fears of getting lost and it seems like everything is working against them? Joe Hill, I would guess, brings the darker and more gruesome elements. It's not that King often shies away from these sorts of details, but it was, for want of a better phrase, more in your face than he typically writes. The blend of the quiet with the aggressive, the subtle with the dark makes for something of a schizophrenic narrative. It never felt like two people passing the keyboard from one to another as they wrote the story, but if you're as familiar with King as I am, the influence of his son is instantly recognisable. And I loved it.

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The Legend of Sleepy Hollow

Written by: Washington Irving

Published: 1820

Synopsis: Sleepy Hollow is a strange little place...some say bewitched. Some talk of its haunted valleys and streams, the ghostly woman in white, eerie midnight shrieks and howls, but most of all they talk of the Headless Horseman. A huge, shadowy soldier who rides headless through the night, terrifying unlucky travellers.

Schoolteacher Ichabod Crane is fascinated by these stories....Until late one night, walking home through Wiley's swamp, he finds that maybe they're not just stories.

My thoughts: I decided to pick up this novella when I watched the first episode of the new TV series Sleepy Hollow. As I watched it I was like "wait, wait, wait, the headless horseman was one of the four horses of the apocalypse?" and "Ichabod's wife was a witch, I didn't think he even had a wife" and I realised that while I know a bit about the Washington Irving story, I didn't know enough (and what I do know maybe came from the Johnny Depp film). I really enjoyed this read, although I'm a little embarrassed to say it took me awhile to get back into the rhythm of pre-20th century writing. There are so many adjectives and lengthy descriptions about absolutely everything, that tree over there, the school hall, the shape of Ichabod's face and when it's been as long between classic texts as it has been for me it's hard not to just be like "why Washington WHY". But once I fell back into the style, I enjoyed the hell out of it, even though it was nothing like I thought it would be.

Ichabod Crane is not the delightfully weird fellow I expected him to be. He's actually kind of despicable, not a bad guy per say, but he's hardly the person you root for in a love triangle. His "love" is basically motivated by Katrina Van Tassel's father's wealth and standing in Sleepy Hollow, which is made beautifully aware in a scene where Ichabod imagines all the farm animals as tasty meals that Katrina would cook him. The entire story seems to have been written by Washington with his tongue pressed firmly in his cheek, so while quotes like;

"Spare the rod and spoil the child - Ichabod Crane's scholars certainly were not spoiled"

and;

"Balt Van Tassel was an easy indulgent soul; he loved his daughter better even than his pipe"

Are a little "oh right, 1820 was really different," they're also kind of hilarious.

But It's the descriptions that Washington Irving writes about Mr Crane, or the town of Sleepy Hollow and the town's penchant for supernatural goings-on that really makes this story worth reading. They do border on the laborious from time to time, but the people are so wonderfully drawn and the setting so gorgeously painted that it's easy to motivate yourself to keep going past the bits that drag. I mean, tell me this isn't a wonderful description of Ichabod;

"...for he was a huge feeder, and though lank, had the dilating powers of an anaconda" 

See, it's great. So come for the ghost story about a headless horseman and a stuck up school teacher and stay for the gorgeous descriptions. And then recommend other Washington Irving stories to me, because I want more.

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UR

Written by: Stephen King

Published: 2009

Synopsis: Following a nasty break-up, lovelorn college English instructor Wesley Smith can't seem to get his ex-girlfriend's parting shot out of his head: "Why can't you just read off the computer like the rest of us?" Egged on by her question and piqued by a student's suggestion, Wesley places an order for Amazon.com's Kindle eReader. The [pink?] device that arrives in a box stamped with the smile logo -via one-day delivery that he hadn't requested - unlocks a literary world that even the most avid of book lovers could never imagine. But once the door is open, there are those things that one hopes we'll never read or live through.

My Thoughts: This was a spontaneous purchase on my phone's kindle app when I was waiting for the bus and had nothing else to read. It was, if wikipedia is correct, a short story King wrote exclusively for sale for Kindle, and that really shows. It hovers somewhere between being a long ad for Kindle and a cute little way of tying an exclusive deal into the narrative. When lines like "Wesley went to the Kindle shop and bought X" comes up a gazillion times I started to wonder if Amazon had written into the contract a minimum of references that needed to be in the story, and considering the whole story hinges on the Kindle, it grew a little tiring. If you've read Mr Penumbra's 24 Hour Bookstore it sort of felt like the Google references which almost overshadowed the story by the end. But all that aside, it was still an enjoyable little short story.

Basically, the kindle that Wesley buys to spite his sports coach ex-girlfriend -they broke up after a fight where he called her illiterate (oof) and she said he was out of touch with the world - turns out not to be a real kindle. It has the regular buy and read functions, but it's also pink and has some experimental functions. These functions allow him to search the multiverse for books that his favourite authors may have written elsewhere, and with a student and co-worker, Wesley spends a long night exploring the works of Hemingway, Shakespeare etc that don't exist in his particular world. While the three men have an uncomfortable feeling that they're peeking through a doorway they shouldn't, it mostly just seems like a harmless - albeit addictive - activity. However, things shift suddenly when Wesley explores other UR functions, one of which allows him to read news headlines from the future. It's here that Wesley finds out that Ellen, his ex, and her busload of college girls are going to die when a drunk driver runs them off the road. Wesley's faced with the decision, does he act on this knowledge and try and save his ex (who he still loves) and break the paradox laws, or does he respect those laws and let his girlfriend and a group of students die?

The story isn't particularly tense or scary, but it is fun and there are a couple of neat references to other King books (primarily Dark Tower references, because duh). There's a few interesting looks at the physical vs digital debate that take place during one of Wesley's class, and it's refreshing to have the students be like "who cares if it has binding, books are about ideas and emotions" rather than the typical garbage about us Millennials** only liking digital whatevers. So if you're a fan of King or looking for a fun short story about books that don't exist (but we wish did) then this could be for you. Also, if you're one of the The Corrections readalongers, Wesley is like a breath of fresh air compared to Chip's pretentious teaching style, so have at.

*I may have had this meme stuck in my head when writing this post.

**When did Millennials become a thing btw? What happened with being Gen Y?

Monday Links

Before the news broke of JK Rowling writing a new series of films set in the HP world my Monday Links was already shaping up to be heavily HP related and now it all makes sense! So enjoy these mostly HP related links and let me know in the comments what you think of the news from JKR, yay or nay? (I mean clearly it's yay, but is it the yay you were wanting?)

*Blackmilk is selling a range of Harry Potter themed swimmers, dresses and tights. If they weren't a gazillion dollars I would buy them all in a heartbeat. (Via Blackmilk)

*Charlie Hunnam was named as the uh, lucky (I guess?) actor set to play Christian Grey in the 50 Shades film. I couldn't give a shit about the film, but this post of why he's perfect for the role (i.e. Charlie Hunnam in a suit, Charlie Hunnam basically naked, abs, abs, more abs) is my kind of post. (Via Eonline)

*I thought this article about how Daniel Radcliffe has made Harry Potter "disappear" was great - I'm so glad the kids from HP, or the main trio at least, don't seem to be having too much trouble shedding their wizard robes for other roles. (Via Buzzfeed)

*It seems that there's going to be a bunch of new TV shows starting soon all based on books or characters from books. None really jump out as must-watches, but some good be pretty interesting takes on the sources. (Via Word and Film)

*I know you know I love Hermione, and I know you love Hermione, but let's just bask in the Hermione-ness of this particular link. (Via Hello Giggles)

*Horns premiered at TIFF last week and has been getting favourable reviews (from genre critics, which if you've read the book is understandable) but it looks like it might take awhile to get to our cinemas. (Via Uproxx)

*Ummmm, a Harry-Potter themed Myers-Briggs personality infograph?! I'm Neville :) (Via Huffington Post)

Winner of the Horns Giveaway!

A bunch of you stuck your hands up for the Horns giveaway I announced last week and I wish I could buy all of you a copy but alas, alack I can not. I will however be buying a shiny new copy for one of you, that lucky-duck being......

*drumroll*

Alley!! (What Red Read)

Yay! Enjoy your copy of Horns and your extra not-really-related-to-horns-at-all gift!

Monday Links (on Tuesday)

*Breaking Bad as a middle-school musical. These kids KILL it, especially Jesse and the Gus Fring "Are you a chicken like the chicken I sell in my chicken shop" song. This is how you win at being a kid.

*There are a bunch of books mentioned or pictured in OitNB, and buzzfeed rounded them all up for you (Via Buzzfeed)

*I know most of us are big on the "THE BOOK IS ALWAYS BETER" mantra, but here are 5 books that the authors actually thought were better than their original work (Via Cracked)

*The internet went a little crazy last week when Peter Capaldi was named as the next doctor (apparently people think he's too old or not "hot" enough - boo to them), but this article accepts the casting and argues that it's Moffat needs to move on. (Via Zap 2 it)

*Here are 28 things JKR has revealed about Harry Potter characters since the books ended. #18 is actually a point we raised in the readalong - I bet she answered that after reading our posts! (Via Buzzfeed)

*Writers as architects, a series of architectural models inspired by literary texts made by SOA students. (Via NY Times)

*I reviewed Horns last Friday and LOVED IT. Loved it so much, in fact, that I'm offering a copy + goodies to one lucky person. Just head to the post for details. (Via Me!)

Book Review: Horns by Joe Hill (and a very neat giveaway)

Horns

Written by: Joe Hill

Published: 2010

Synopsis: Once the righteous Ig had enjoyed the life of the blessed: born into privilege, the second son of a renowned musician and younger brother of a rising late-night TV star, he had security, wealth, and a place in his community. Ig had it all, and more—he had Merrin and a love founded on shared daydreams, mutual daring, and unlikely midsummer magic.

But Merrin’s death damned all that. The only suspect in the crime, Ig was never charged or tried. And he was never cleared. In the court of public opinion in Gideon, New Hampshire, Ig is and always will be guilty because his rich and connected parents pulled strings to make the investigation go away. Nothing Ig can do, nothing he can say, matters. Everyone, it seems, including God, has abandoned him. Everyone, that is, but the devil inside. . . .

Now Ig is possessed of a terrible new power to go with his terrible new look—a macabre talent he intends to use to find the monster who killed Merrin and destroyed his life. Being good and praying for the best got him nowhere. It’s time for a little revenge. . . . It’s time the devil had his due. . . .

**stay tuned down the bottom of the post for the giveaway details**
________________________________________________________________________________________________________

"From small things, mama, big things one day come"

Oh you guys, this book is such a treat to read!

I am a big fan of Joe Hill. Not only does he come from a pretty stellar family (he's Stephen King's son) but he's also the writer of one of my absolute favourite graphic novel series, Locke and Key. And his novel-length fiction is just as engrossing as his graphic novels. He's a breath of fresh air. He clearly knows and respects the weight and history of the horror/supernatural genre and yet he never falls back on tired tropes or imagery. He's brilliant and this book is brilliant and life is brilliant... Too much?

I picked this one up after finishing the somewhat disappointing Gone Girl, and I was kind of amazed at how similar they are. I mean, they're totally not since this is a supernatural thriller and Gone Girl is a pretty traditional crime/neo-noir, but there are some real similarities in the plot and this one is SO MUCH BETTER. Both books are about a couple where the woman goes missing/is murdered, the husband/boyfriend is suspected, it turns out maybe the story of their relationship isn't quite as it seemed, the husband/boyfriend goes on a hunt for the real perpetrator to clear their name. But unlike Gone Girl which relied heavily on twists to count for character and narrative development, Horns is a gorgeously dark and human story that made you feel for the characters and invest in their story. It has a few twists, but they're not about swerving the story onto an unexpected trajectory, they're there to add a dimension to the story, to give you the final piece of the puzzle and to take the story to the satisfying conclusion it had been building towards.

The story follows Ig (or Iggy, short for Ignatius) a year after the rape and murder of his girlfriend Merrin. Ig was immediately suspected for the crime given his weak alibi (he was sleeping off a hangover in front of an abandoned Dunkin' Donuts) and the very big, very public fight they had the night before. And while a fire that decimated the evidence clears him officially, public opinion in their small town is that he (literally) got away with murder. So the book opens with Ig waking up with a blinding hangover and horns. Ig's first assumption is that they're a hallucination brought on by a tumor, but when he goes to show his housemate-kind-of-girlfriend and she spills a waterfall of secrets and insecurities he begins to piece together that these aren't just figments of a diseased mind.

This first part of the novel is especially phenomenal. As Ig gets more panicked and upset about his new accessories, he gets a glimpse into the minds of the people he thought loved and supported him. I won't spoil what they reveal exactly, but it's dark and absolutely heart-wrenching to see the pain and torment that Ig goes through as he realises he has no one and nowhere to turn. It isn't written as a dark and tormented story (or not overly so), but when I put it down to go to sleep that night I just felt unbelievably sad for Ig. He felt real and tangible and I just wanted to give him a hug and tell him it'll all be ok. He's so young, and he was so in love and happy and was due to fly to England to start his career the day after Merrin was murdered, and now his whole life is frozen. He can't start his career, he can't start a new relationship, he can't move on. He's stuck and is tormented by his loss and to find out that no one is on his side? So. Sad.

Using the power of the horns to try and avenge Merrin's murder, the book becomes equal parts badass revenge thriller, somewhat comical allegorical depiction of inner demons, and a sensitive portrayal of loss, love and turbulent life events. It covers so much ground, and yet it's such a contained and understated book. Or, I guess to put it another way, it's a much deeper and more thoughtful book hiding just under the surface of a contemporary supernatural thriller. Slotted within the primary narrative are two sections which take place in the character's past. The first is about the start of Ig and Merrin's relationship at 15 and the second I can't mention without spoiling the story, but it begins 6 weeks prior and leads up to Merrin's murder. Both are engaging and interesting and are when a lot of the twists are revealed, but both lasted maybe a smidge too long for me. I connected with current day Ig so much that if I was away from that section of the story too long I missed him, and I found myself rushing through to get back to the current day story. Which I guess is less a complaint about the back stories and more a double thumbs up to the engaging central story, but yes, that's a thing.

Sidebar; do you want to another reason why Joe Hill is the most awesome? If you read my Monday Links posts I linked to a buzzfeed post a couple of weeks ago about the connections that exist between Stephen King's books. Joe Hill, doing his dad proud no doubt, added some connections between his books and his dads. What!! For instance, a nice and easy one is a brief mention of Derry, a fictional town in Maine which has appeared in around 18 King stories and books. A second is more of an homage, but awesome nonetheless. In Horns Merrin's older sister died of an aggressive form of cancer at age 20. She became angry and nasty as her disease progressed and seemed to hate Merrin, which is undoubtedly a nod to the character Zelda in Pet Semetary, who is easily one of the scariest characters in any Stephen King books (seriously, I get scared just remembering her). So yep, Joe Hill is great. /sidebar

When I was about 40 pages from the end I contemplated putting the book down and walking away for awhile. I just wasn't ready to say goodbye to the story and all the characters. Of course I didn't put it down because I needed to know how it ended, but there was a brief tug-of-war where I considered it for like 20 seconds. But instead of feeling sad when I got to the end, I felt a sense of closure. It doesn't wrap up neatly or with an overly happy ending, but it was the right ending for the story and the characters and it felt good. *sigh* I just love this book SO MUCH and I can't recommend it enough. You all really, really, REALLY need to find a copy and read this book. If you were all having birthdays tomorrow I'd buy you all a copy and force you to read it immediately so we could all discuss how amazing it is and form the greatest Joe Hill fan club ever. Except I can't since I'm not a Rockefeller (is there a more modern rich person I should compare myself to here? Warren Buffet? Mitt Romney?) but I am going to offer one of you the opportunity to read this book on my dime. All you have to do is shout out about wanting it in the comments and in a week or so I'll pull names out of a hat and you'll be named Queen/King of the Nylon Admiral Giveaways. And I might give you an extra little present if I can think of something suitable for this book, otherwise it'll just be chocolate. It'll probably just be chocolate.

Graphic Novel mini-reviews #5

Crossed (Volume #1)
By Garth Ennis and Jacen Burrows

Published: 2006

My Thoughts: Remember how I reviewed a few single issues of Crossed a few weeks back? Well I finally got my hands on Volume 1 and 2 of the primary story. Volume 1 was fantastic!! Infusing elements of the zombie genre (these aren't zombies though), with global fears of contagion, primal aggression and the end of the world, this book is dark and nihilistic yet incredibly compelling. I found it so easy to slip into the mind frame of the primary characters, which only made it more clear how ill-equipped I would be for anything like it! This isn't for the faint hearted...if you find it hard to read violence, viewing it in graphic novel form is not going to make it any better. However it isn't mindless violence, the social commentary runs thick through it and it never feels like it's just for shock and awe sake. A really great read, I highly recommend it.

Crossed: Family Values (Volume 2)
by David Lapham and Javier Barreno

Published: 2011

My Thoughts: Remember a few lines back when I said the violence wasn't gratuitous...wasn't simply for shock and awe? Well one volume later, that's all that I could take from this story. A new writing and art team tackle a new story with all new characters in this volume. The only similarity is  that the world is still over-run with the "Crossed". Where the first volume showed restraint, reality and was full of commentary on the state of our current society, this volume  just took it too far, horrendously far, and lacked the substance to back it up. It wasn't terrible, there was a few really decent story threads and the basic premise was very promising. I just wish it hadn't felt like a snuff film. Only read this is you're a completest.

Locke and Key: Keys to the Kingdom (Volume 4)
By Joe Hill and Gabriel Rodriguez

Published: 2011

My Thoughts: I seriously cannot say enough good things about this series. The writing is fantastic, the story is amazing and every time I think the artwork has hit a new high Rodriguez goes and blows himself out of the water! This book continues to advance the story of the Locke family as they discover even more mysterious keys and slowly seem to be piecing together the larger mystery. Dodge is batshit crazy as ever, and the sneakiest motherf*cker of all time....but man oh man do I love him! This is such a rich series, even if you don't normally read graphic novels you simply have to start reading this one. It will blow your mind and convert you to a comic lover for life!!