Saturday, March 30, 2013

DWJ March: Books I Read This Month

The blog has been so busy this month that I haven't had time to share what I've been reading but rest assured that I've made the most of this event. I read the two read-along books, of course -- Howl's Moving Castle and A Tale of Time City. I also read Spellbound: Fantasy Stories Chosen by Diana Wynne Jones and about half of Reflections: On the Magic of Writing. I'm going to read the rest slowly, to savor the special experience of learning from Diana. There's so much to absorb that I don't want to rush through it. Finally, I read three more novels for the first time each --


Archer's Goon was fantastic. I loved the twists and turns. Though the ending was Diana's standard quickly escalated and resolved type, I was able to follow for once. The parents were more complex than in many DWJ stories and were actually good people, though a bit cranky because of circumstance. It's definitely one that I'm going to find my own copy of to reread regularly.


Wild Robert was really short, more of a novella but it was a good story. It was another one that one wishes had been expanded into a bigger story but that also has value in its smaller form. It's got magic and history and the fate of a stately home. What could be more interesting?!


Power of Three was quite different in language and cadence and it took a little while to get used to. I loved the way it built up though and connected fantasy and reality. I also enjoyed the friendships and sibling relationships. This is definitely one that I want to read again though, especially as I had to read it on my iPhone since, in a rare fail, my library system didn't have a hard copy of it. It was hard to read it in long stretches and I got distracted by the high page count. E-books are still not really my thing, I guess!

I have just a few DWJ books left to read for the first time: the four Dalemark books, Deep Secret and The Merlin Conspiracy, A Sudden Wild Magic, Hexwood, Unexpected Magics and The Tough Guide to Fantasyland. There's also a new collection of stories out -- Vile Visitors that I'll have to pick up that I think collects a few of her earlier works. It'll be a sad day when I'm done with all of these.

If I haven't heard from you yet, tell me which DWJ book(s) you read this month. How was your  reading experience?

Exploring new magic and adventures,
K

7 comments:

  1. Deep Secret! I can't believe you haven't read Deep Secret! I love Deep Secret! It's one of those that took me a few tries to enjoy, but now it is in my top five DWJ books. Archer's Goon is up there too -- all the sibling stuff is fun, and I love the resolution.

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    1. Okay, I will read Deep Secret this summer. :) And Archer's Goon was totally awesome! I can't imagine being able to like it more on reread but I'm sure I will. :)

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  2. I read Earwig and the Witch this month. I read it pretty quickly, but I really enjoyed it.

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    1. It's a great little book and I wish that it had become a series. :(

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  3. I read Howl's Moving Castle and I'm almost done with A Tale of Time City. Loving both, but Howl is definitely one of my new faves!!

    I'm curious ... What has been your favorite so far?!?

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    1. That's a really tough question because it changes when I reread. I think the Chrestomanci books might be my favorites, possibly the last one the most -- The Pinhoe Egg. I also really love House of Many Ways. Oh, Enchanted Glass! See ... I don't know if I can pick one. Maybe I could draw a vague diagram of how much I like each one? ;)

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    2. I love this idea!! ;) But, now I also know that I haven't even read your favorites yet! I gotta get on this!!

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