#DWJMarch: Wrap-Up

Oh no. It's the end of March and therefore, the end of DWJ March. Boo! I thought that it was another fantastic month of celebration and I hope that some of you enjoyed it too. It was a lot of fun starting a tumblr this year. I'll keep putting up DWJ stuff there throughout the year as I come across it.

Here's what I read this month:

Deep Secret - First time reading this one. I wanted to start it again almost as soon as I finished. This is already one of my favorites!

Enchanted Glass (reread) - I had fun with this one again except being a bit more bothered by that one revelation at the end than I was the other times I read the book.

Stopping for a Spell - This is a collection of three short stories for younger readers -- Chair Person, The Four Grannies, and Who Got Rid of Angus Flint? These were some of my least favorite DWJ pieces I've ever read because the adults in all of them were so loathsome!

Charmed Life (reread) - Wonderful as always. Poor Cat Chant.

Believing is Seeing: Seven Stories - I got both of the short story collections as ebooks from the library and was underwhelmed by both. I think I'm a bigger fan of DWJ novels than short stories. I did like a couple of the stories in this one enough to probably read them again later though -- Enna Hittims, What the Cat Told Me and Dragon Reserve, Home Eight.

House of Many Ways (reread) - Charmain! I think she's just fantastic. I really missed her.

The Merlin Conspiracy - First time reading this one too. I can't believe I hadn't picked up the Magid books yet but I seriously want to blame the US covers. They are quite bad. Now I own the pretty UK re-release covers and I love these stories!

The Islands of Chaldea - Boohoo. I don't want this to be Diana's final released story.

The Homeward Bounders (reread) - I had forgotten just about everything about this one so it was a fun reread.

I spent the month celebrating a wide variety of Diana's stories and worlds and it was really, really fun. I wish I could just keep going on forever and ever reading and re-reading her books. Be sure and let me know in the comments which book(s) you read this month!

I also want to say congratulations to the winners of books from my giveaway! They've already been contacted and their books are on the way.

Tif in the US is getting Fire and Hemlock and The Dark Lord of Derkholm.

Lauren in the UK is getting Year of the Griffin.

Carolina in Mexico is getting Eight Days of Luke and Enchanted Glass.

I love that I was able to have books sent all over the world. I might still have one or two books to send out too. I can't stop spreading the DWJ love!

Well, that's it for Year Three of #DWJMarch. If you have any suggestions or requests for next year, send me an email. And thank you for joining me in this celebration of Diana's life and literary legacy. Each person that wrote a post or a tweet or left a comment made this event that much better. I truly appreciate all of you (especially Anastasia, Jean, Jenny, Lauren, Amy, Chris, Tif, Carolina, Kim, Kerry, Kelly, mockturtle8, Goldeen, Heather, Trish, Hannah, Andrew, Thomas, Care, Livia and Ela).

I can't wait until next year for the 4th Annual version of DWJ March!

#DWJMarch: Series Highlight -- Magids

Deep Secret

1997

Magids are the strongest magic users in all of the worlds and Rupert Venables is the youngest, living on Earth and in charge of the Koryfonic Empire (the assignment always given to the youngest Magid). When things start going terribly wrong in the Empire, the timing couldn't be worse. Rupert's mentor has just died and he is also responsible for recruiting the new Magid. Between trying to sort through the list of Magid candidates left for him and solving the problems of the Empire, Rupert might just be making things worse rather than better.

The Merlin Conspiracy

2003

Roddy and her friend Grundo live a unique lifestyle on the Islands of Blest, following the King as members of his court as he constantly travels his lands, keeping the magic intact. But when some of his own advisors begin scheming, they have to step up and rescue their land and the magic that threads through all of the parallel worlds with the help of an unlikely companion -- Nick Mallory (of Deep Secret).

Reviews

Books and Other Thoughts, February 2009 (Conspiracy)
Ela's Book Blog, December 2013 (Secret)
Here There Be Books, November 2008 (Secret)
Necromancy Never Pays, August 2010 (Secret)
Reading the End, February 2010 (Secret)
Reading Matters (Conspiracy)
Shelf Love, August 2010 (Conspiracy)
Someone's Read It Already, January 2009 (Conspiracy)

Share your Magids love today!

#DWJMarch: Book Highlight -- The Game

The Game

2007

Fantasy/Mythology

Hayley lives with her Grandma and Grandad because she is an orphan. Grandma is overly strict and controlling but, if she finds him alone, Grandad will usually teach her about "forbidden" things like the solar system and cartoons. One day, he tells her about the most forbidden topic of all -- the mythosphere. This is a network of strands that circle the Earth and contain the various myths from human culture. Strands grow thick when similar myths are combined by topic. Then one day, Hayley meets a man who takes her for a walk on one of these strands. This opens up a new world to her and she is happy. Unfortunately, her grandma doesn't see this as a good thing and banishes her to an aunt's home in Scotland. As a stopping point, Hayley visits another aunt in Ireland. Here she finds a troop of cousins and she joins them in a secret game played in the mythosphere. Apparently, this is the true home of her family and Hayley soon learns that there is much more to her history than she ever knew.

Reviews

Charlotte's Library, August 2010

Here There Be Books, March 2013

Iris On Books, January 2013

Someone's Read It Already, May 2008

Tif Talks Books, April 2012

We Be Reading, August 2009

Share your The Game love today!

#DWJMarch: Fan Art Friday 4

For this last Fan Art Friday, I want to share some of the Diana Wynne Jones memorial fan art that I've seen.

Of course, my favorite piece is Granny Diana by yellowcrayolacrayon. She was so kind to let me use it for the event button when I asked. I love that she put Diana between Sophie and Howl.

Artist jetblac has done this RIP DWJ piece that I adore --

He says that for "those having trouble guessing we have Helen, Joris and Jamie from Homeward Bounders, Howl, Calcifer, Sophie and Morgan from Howl's Moving Castle series, Jonathan from Tale of Time City, Ann, Hume, Mordion and Yam from Hexwood, Janet, Rodger and Cat from Chrestomanci series, Erskine, Fifi and Howard from Archers' Goon, Millie, Cherestomanci, Julia and Tacroy, Ella, Lunkin, Olga, Ruskin, Claudia and Felim from Year of the Griffin, Hafny and Gair from Power of Three and Luke from Eight Days of Luke".

Finally, this piece from Deus-Marionette simply remembers a young and happy and healthy Diana --

We miss you, Diana!

#DWJMarch: Favorite Book/Series

I wasn't messing around with these prompts, was I? Favorite DWJ Book or Series tends to be, for me, whichever one I just finished reading or re-reading. I can't imagine choosing just one. So, here are my Top Five --

House of Many Ways

Enchanted Glass

Dark Lord of Derkholm

Year of the Griffin

The Pinhoe Egg

These are all magic stories and, strangely, almost all featuring special houses. They're mixed between male and female protagonists, so that's good. There is also very little direct parenting in these books (except the awesome Derk and Mara), which makes sense considering how horrid all of Diana's parents usually are. Three have griffins, which I love. And all of them are perfect DWJ stories.

What is your favorite book or series?

#DWJMarch: Book Highlight -- Black Maria (Aunt Maria)

Black Maria (Aunt Maria)

1991

Fantasy

Mig and Chris go with their mother to visit their Aunt Maria (mar-EYE-ah) in a small seaside town after the accidental death of their father. Many things seem strange here, from the subservient men to the missing children to the absolute control over her fellow citizens that Maria seems to have. It's up to Mig (after Chris runs afoul of Aunt Maria) to figure out what is going on and to reestablish a natural balance in the town.

Reviews

A Pile of Leaves, March 2011

Everyday Reads, February 2009

Iris on Books, August 2013

Shelf Love, June 2010

Things Mean A Lot, April 2008

We Be Reading, March 2012

Share your Black Maria/Aunt Maria love today!

#DWJMarch: Early Reader Discussion -- The Islands of Chaldea

The Islands of Chaldea. Le sigh. Is this really Diana's last novel or do we think/hope/pray that there is a secret treasure trove of three-quarter finished stories somewhere that just need to be polished and released? We can dream, right?

The US release of this book is April 22 so, of course, many readers don't have this book in their hands yet. I don't want anyone's experience of this book ruined so here's fair warning. Everything below the next book cover, including comments, could have spoilers.

For those who want to know my basic impressions without giving anything away, I'll say this -- I devoured it in about a day and a half and I can honestly say that it's quite good on first read and it's definitely DWJ. Ursula's completion is totally acceptable and I couldn't tell where Diana left off and Ursula picked up in the story. It's one of Diana's younger books (middle grade) which was a little strange but also a somewhat fitting place to come back to at the end of her career/life. It has so many recognizable elements in it that it just felt right and I know that most of you are going to really enjoy it. And have your tissues ready before you read the Afterword because it will break your heart all over again that the world lost Diana far, far too early. This is the quote from the back of the UK version --

Getting to read an extra Diana Wynne Jones novel, almost finished at the time of her death, is like being given extra time with her: the wisdom, the humour and the storytelling magic were hers until the end... I am only grateful that she took us on this final journey. -- Neil Gaiman

Now, for those who have read the book --

What did you think of the pacing of the story?
I thought it was a bit slow at the start and a bit fast at the end but just right through the middle. The length of the book was good for the story. Any longer and it would have been too much journey for such small islands.

We don't get non-humanoid characters in many of DWJ's stories so what did you think about having so many in this one (Green Greet, Plug-Ugly, etc.)?
I think this was part of what gave this story a younger feel for me but I liked the way that the creatures were revealed through the story to have more and more power. When they were eventually identified as being the guardians, I was really happy that they were going to be revered and respected. I also liked that Aileen remained friends with the cat but it didn't remain her pet after its aim was achieved. I wonder if the same thing happened with the bird and the dragon. The bird seems to have always had an "owner" though.

How about the various romances in the story -- were there any that you did or didn't like?
I have to admit that the Aileen/Ogo romance was a bit hard to accept. At the beginning she calls him ugly and despised and doesn't act like he has any partner potential at all. Of course, I'm really happy that she didn't end up with Ivar. That guy was a tool! The romance between Aunt Beck and Prince Alasdair was totally unexpected but it made me smile, especially after it made a real physical change in her. Finally, we have a weirdly cranky adult with an explanation. I bet Ursula wrote that part though. Diana would have probably just left her cranky.

Did you think of any other DWJ stories while you were reading this one?
I thought a lot about the Magid stories. It might be because I just read them but the way the magic worked and the types of characters (evil mom!) seemed familiar. I wouldn't be surprised if this world was on the loop, way over on the magic side. Rebalancing magic after an evil working is definitely a Magid theme.

What else stood out to you from this story? Are you glad that it was released, even though it was finished by someone else? Do you think that Ursula got it right?

#DWJMarch: Book Highlight -- The Homeward Bounders

The Homeward Bounders

1981

Science Fiction

Jamie is wandering through his city when he hops the fence of a strange building. The garden is completely silent and the building is occupied by men in hooded robes. Jamie comes back another time, determined to find out what is going on in this strange place. Unfortunately, the men are Them, beings that play with the fates of those on many worlds. Jamie's discovery has made him a liability to their game and so they throw him out into the boundaries of another world. He is able to travel between worlds but cannot ever join in to their lives in any meaningful way. He is always tugged out of the world when a move is completed -- after hours or months. He, and others like him, are all "homeward bound". If they make it back to their home world, they can rejoin the game.

Reviews

Bella On Books, August 2010

GeekeryDo, June 2013

Katie Who Can Read, February 2013

Readers By Night, June 2013

We Be Reading, October 2010

Share your The Homeward Bounders love today!

#DWJMarch: Series Highlight -- The Dalemark Quartet

"The first three books can be read in any order, but the last in the sequence, Crown of Dalemark, has to be read last. You won't get a proper understanding of who the characters are and why they do what they do unless you've already read at the very least Cart and Cwidder and Drowned Ammet, but preferably all three." -- The Official DWJ Website

Cart and Cwidder

1975

The story of Moril and his brother and sister who are travelling musicians journeying through Dalemark, until one day they pick up a mysterious passenger. Somehow Moril's family and the stranger become bound together in terror, flight, and music.

Drowned Ammet

1977

The people of Holand in South Dalemark are bitterly oppressed by the tyrannical earl Hadd. Informers, secret police, and cruel rent-collectors terrorize the countryside, and Mitt has grown up with more than enough reasons for joining the freedom fighters.
When his protest against the tyrannical government fails, a young boy escapes, with two other children, to the mysterious Holy Islands where they learn the identity and the power of two folk figures celebrated by their countrymen.

The Spellcoats

1979

Tanaqui and her family have always known they were somehow different from the other villagers. But when the great floods come and they are driven out by the village, they begin to see the part they must play in the destiny of the land. As Tanaqui weaves the story of their frightening journey to the sea, and the terrifying, powerful evil of the mage Kankredin, she realises the desperate need to understand the meaning of it all. Can she fit the pieces of the puzzle together in time to halt Kankredin's destruction? (summary by DWJ)

The Crown of Dalemark

1993

Since his arrival in the North of Dalemark, Mitt has become disillusioned. The North seems no more free than the Holand he fled from, a fugitive accused of attempted murder. And now he is trapped by the order to kill someone he doesn't know or else risk the lives of his friends. Forced once more to flee, Mitt is joined by Moril, the quietly powerful musician, and Maewen - out of her time, but mysteriously fated to play a part in their quest. For the evil powers of the mage Krankredin are re-assembling, and only the Adon's gifts - the ring, sword and crown - can once more unite Dalemark. (summary by DWJ)

Reviews

Charlotte's Library, April 2010 (Spellcoats)

Here There Be Books, February 2009 (Cart)

In The Forest of Stories, November 2013 (Ammet)

Reading the End, August 2010 (Cart and Ammet)

Reading the End, August 2010 (Spellcoats and Crown)

Sonderbooks, November 2004 (Crown)

Sophisticated Dorkiness, August 2010 (Cart and Ammet)

Share your Dalemark love today!

#DWJMarch: Favorite Villain

Favorite DWJ Villain ... this seemed like such a good prompt idea. After all, Diana is a master at creating stomach-churning villains. But then I started thinking too much about what I meant by "favorite". Do I mean her best character that happens to be a villain? Or perhaps I mean the one that I most love to hate? Or maybe I just meant the one that is so abhorrent that there is nothing to do but hate them? I'm not sure exactly so here are a few of the contenders.

Aunt Maria (Black Maria). The woman is E-V-I-L in a cute-old-lady package. She turns her own nephew into a wolf!

Gwendolen Chant (Charmed Life). I don't want to spoil too much about Cat's darling older sister but DAMN, she's a bad 'un.

Laurel (Fire and Hemlock). The ex-wife from hell.

Aunt Duffie (Dogsbody). This woman needs to be punished. What a horrible, horrible person to treat a young relative and refugee the way that she does. Disgusting.

Vivian Lee (A Tale of Time City). She comes in a close second to Gwendolen for the worst kid ever award.

Janine Mallory (Deep Secret) and Sibyl Temple (The Merlin Conspiracy). These two women would probably tie for the Worst Mother of the Year award as they were both willing to sacrifice their own sons to gain power.

I'm starting to notice a pattern here in which villains stand out most to me. They are all female and all family. Apparently that is something that seems especially inexcusable. Who gets your vote for favorite villain?

#DWJMarch: Fan Art Friday 3

Yesterday's featured book was Fire and Hemlock and there is a lot of fan art out there around Polly and Tom (and fire ... and hemlock).

Fire and Hemlock by Budotty

Polly and Hemlock by ladyrhiannon

Tom Lynn by ki-chan

polly and mr lynn by madis-hartte

I like the last one the best, I think. It looks the most like they do in my head.

#DWJMarch: Book Highlight -- Fire and Hemlock

Fire and Hemlock

1985

Fantasy

This is Diana Wynne Jones' modern retelling of the Scottish ballad of Tam Lin, a story of fairies, trickery and love. Polly is a college student who is slowly regaining memories about a part of her life that was completely forgotten. The thing is that she has alternate memories of events for the same time period, which implies that the other memories were taken from her forcefully. As Polly remembers, she discovers that she might have been responsible for ending a unique friendship and losing something precious to her. And the answer seems to lie in the photograph she has on her bedroom wall, one of fire and hemlock.

Reviews

A Chair, a Fireplace and a Tea Cozy, April 2012

Iris On Books, March 2012

Leaves & Pages, November 2012

Reading the End, February 2010

Shelf Love, June 2011

We Be Reading, August 2010

Share your Fire and Hemlock love today!

#DWJMarch: GIVEAWAY DAY!

Thank you to everyone who has been participating so far in DWJ March! I hope that you have enjoyed any books that you have picked up already or that you have gotten some ideas of which of her books might be a good fit for you.

So many of us have fond memories of the person who first got a Diana Wynne Jones book into our hands that I wanted to designate today as Giveaway Day! There are many ways to participate today:

Give a DWJ book to a friend (or a stranger)

Host a giveaway on your site

Loan a book from your own shelves

Make a DWJ recommendation to someone

I want to help get a book (or two) into circulation so here's my giveaway. Just fill out the form below and I will choose a winner at the end of the month. Book(s) will be ordered from a retailer based on your location.

Giving with love, K

#DWJMarch: Book Highlight -- Archer's Goon

Archer's Goon

1984

Fantasy

A "goon" arrives at the Sykes house, demanding "two thousand words" that are supposedly owed to someone called Archer. While the family tries to figure out what is going on, they end up uncovering a complex magical balance between wizard siblings in their town and a crazy plot (or two).

Reviews

A Case for Books, March 2011

British Fantasy Newsletter (Neil Gaiman), 1984

Necromancy Never Pays, March 2013

Reading the End, March 2012

The Book Smugglers, July 2013

Share your Archer's Goon love today!

#DWJMarch: Favorite World

Today's prompt is one of the most difficult -- Favorite DWJ World. I really just want to say "ALL OF THEM!!" but I suppose there's one or two that wouldn't be as pleasant to be in.

If I was to be in one of the Chrestomanci parallel worlds, I would want it to be one with magic, of course. But not all of them are as pleasant as the others so I will pass on that -- unless I could actually live in Chrestomanci Castle!

The world of The Game is a fascinating one, moving through myths, but it also seems that there's just as much chance for something terrible to happen as something amazing.

I certainly don't want to live in the worlds of The Homeward Bounders where I would be a pawn in a game played by heartless beings.

I think I would, therefore, choose the fantasy world of which Derkholm is part, especially if I got to go to the university! There seems to be a freedom of how magic is used and when. I also like the wealth of species and characters that live there. I know that it's meant to represent a world of fantasy tropes but I think that it is so much more.

If I had to have a second choice, it would likely be Time City. To be able to study everything that has ever happened is irresistible, even more so to be able to travel to any time simply to observe.

Which world would you choose?

#DWJMarch: Series Highlight -- Wizard Derk

Dark Lord of Derkholm

1998

Though meant as a spoof of a high fantasy novel, the main theme of it is actually the family relationship between Wizard Derk, his wife Mara, and their children -- both human and griffin. Derk's special talent is the ability to make things grow, things being both plant and animal. He has many experimental animals in the yard--horses with wings, invisible cats (that might not be in the yard anymore), flying pigs and more--but only one of his creations was given human DNA and those are the griffins. When the world is threatened by a ruthless man from a parallel universe and his "Pilgrim Parties" into the realm, the entire family will have to come together to make things right. And they're not perfect--sometimes far from it--but even in the darkest times they can count on each other.

Year of the Griffin

2010

Derk’s youngest griffin daughter Elda goes to University to learn how to be a wizard. The book is all about the troubles that she and her University friends have. All of her friends have troubles. Lukin is an impoverished Prince, and his father doesn’t want him to come; Felim has crept away from the Emirates in secret and has assassins after him; Ruskin has been sent by a tribe of dwarf revolutionaries; Olga is the daughter of a totally wicked pirate; and Claudia is the half-sister of the Emperor of the South, and she is a half-breed so the Senators all don’t want her. (summary by Jenny)

Reviews

BookLust, September 2009 (Derkholm)

Fyrefly's Book Blog, October 2008 (Derkholm)

Here There Be Books, March 2013 (Derkholm)

Here There Be Books, June 2013 (Griffin)

Reading the End, January 2009 (Griffin)

Sabrina's Library, August 2010 (Griffin)

Sonderbooks, September 2001 (both)

The Book Coop, December 2011 (Derkholm)

Share your Dark Lord of Derkholm and Year of the Griffin love today!

#DWJMarch: Read-Along Discussion -- Enchanted Glass

I hope that a few of you found the time to read Enchanted Glass. This is one of my favorite DWJ books. It's for a bit younger of a reader than some of her other books but I think it's a good entry book for those who haven't given her a try yet. It's got quite a few of her trademark elements (magic, mythology, unconventional families) and it brings everything together in a strong stand-alone story.

Please feel free to discuss this story any way you would like on your blog or here in the comments (or anywhere else you choose). Here are a few questions to get discussion started. Feel free to answer some or all of them here or on your own site.

  1. What do you think of the relationship between Aidan and Andrew? Do you see it as more of a father/son relationship or older/younger brother or not familial at all? What do you think of the fact that they "see" magic in the same way? Did that give anything away?

  2. What are your thoughts on DWJ including a disabled character (Tarquin)? What do you think of the treatment of his disability/injury?

  3. What's the deal with Mrs. Stock? (Did anyone else want Groil to accidentally step on her?)

  4. Why do you think some counterpart pairs are opposites in personality (Titania/Stashe) while others are both "good" (Shaun/Groil)?

  5. What did you think of the ending? Too rushed or just right?

Here are my thoughts. There will be spoilers.

This was my third time through this book but I still didn't remember that last letter from Mr. Brown and didn't suspect anything about the Aidan/Andrew relationship. It was a pleasant surprise (again, I guess) except for the fact that you start thinking about Jocelyn Brandon being a creep. Up until that point, you kind of wish you had a chance to see/meet him and then, all of a sudden, you don't. Luckily, there's no chance of meeting him and so you're just left with Andrew and Stashe who are obviously going to do all the right things by Aidan.

I really liked Tarquin, both when he was living a productive life with just one leg and after, when he was (mostly) whole again. I do like that he still carried around the crutch and worried about the leg disappearing again though. It gave him more depth than if DWJ had just had Andrew wave a magic hand to make Tarquin hop and run about with no residual worries or anything. I also really like that Tarquin was such a good father. In fact, besides so many parents being dead in this story, there were actually good parents in the story (Trixie, Tarquin and Andrew as a surrogate) and the only bad one, Mr. Brown, was actually the villain. Even the foster parents were good to their children and were let off the hook about Aidan when it was revealed that he enchanted them.

As for Mrs. Stock, I still couldn't figure her out this time through. There is no apparent reason for her to be so vengeful and mean and stubborn. I guess it's just supposed to be her personality? I wish that you at least found out that she had been wronged or disappointed when she was young or something. On a side note, does anyone out there really like cauliflower cheese?

I found the counterparts to be a really interesting part of the story, especially because characters would momentarily mistake them for their friends and family, even with missing facial hair or different clothing styles or whatever, which makes me think that there was something essential in their beings that radiated a sameness that was more than just cosmetic. I've always thought of doppelgängers as "evil twins" but it does seem more likely that, when duplicating a person from faerie to the real world, there's just as much chance that they would have similar personalities as opposites, or even more likely that they would just end up being a shade different. Maybe this explains Mrs. Stock? I don't think we ever saw a counterpart for her but maybe she ended up being just as disagreeable as her faerie counterpart, just as Groil and Shaun were similarly pleasant, with no real reason?

Finally, I remember the ending seeming very rushed the first time I read this story but this time I didn't feel that at all. Either I'm finally acclimated to the pace of DWJ's endings or this one has a large finale but not necessarily a rushed one. It certainly is a big and amazing and abrupt ending but there's the foreshadowing of the racing results and also many hints that the story is going to come to its climax at the fete.

Overall, this reading just reaffirmed that this is one of my favorite DWJ stories. What did the rest of you think?

#DWJMarch: Fan Art Friday 2

Welcome to the second Fan Art Friday. Today I want to feature a couple of my favorite pieces of DWJ fan art.

I've always loved this first piece by chirart (Jayd Aït-Kaci of Canada) that has Christopher Chant and Throgmorten the cat (who does indeed say "wong")--

Chirart has other Chrestomanci pieces too that are all amazing and perfectly capture his style as described by Diana.

I also adore this piece by Kecky called Derkbabies --

It's Shona and Kit and all kinds of cute!

Finally, I found this painting by gyldenstjerne showing Cat, Klarch and Syracuse from The Pinhoe Egg --

I apparently have a thing for DWJ's griffins -- how about you?

#DWJMarch: Book Highlight -- A Tale of Time City

A Tale of Time City

1987

Science Fiction

Evacuee Vivian Smith is kidnapped by two boys who take her much farther away from 1939 London than she was expecting. Now the three of them have to unearth the history and secrets of Time City to save the city and to get Vivian home.

Reviews

Here There Be Books, November 2013

Novel Reaction, April 2011

Sam Downing, April 2012

Teabag Central, August 2010

The Book Smugglers, July 2012

We Be Reading, August 2012

Share your A Tale of Time City love today!

#DWJMarch: Book Highlight -- Dogsbody

 

Dogsbody

1975

Fantasy/Science Fiction

Sirius, the Dog Star, is punished for murder by being sent to Earth to inhabit the body of a puppy until he can complete a task that should return him to his rightful place. Though he is a celestial being, he becomes so much more by becoming a faithful companion to Irish refugee Kathleen.

Reviews

Books and Chocolate, March 2013

Here There Be Books, December 2012

Reading the End, November 2009

Things Mean A Lot, January 2008

Tif Talks Books, April 2011

We Be Reading, August 2010

Share your Dogsbody love today!

#DWJMarch: Favorite Supporting Character

We debated main characters the other day so now let's try and decide on Favorite Supporting Character(s). Post on your blog or any social media site. Use the hashtag #dwjmarch and/or come back and leave a link here (or comment here, of course).

First, we can count out just about anyone who is a parent, right? We'll save them for the villain prompt. ::wink:: But this is also tough because Diana's characters are almost all written as if they could be main characters. Most of them could have eventually had their own stories.

Calcifer (Howl's Moving Castle, Castle in the Air and House of Many Ways) has to get a nod. He's powerful and sometimes friendly and he's loyal when it matters.

Janet Chant (Charmed Life, The Pinhoe Egg) is a favorite -- she's everything her other-world counterpart, Gwendolen, should have been.

Then there are a couple of cats who at least deserve mentions -- Benvenuto (The Magicians of Caprona) and Throgmorten (The Lives of Christopher Chant).

Oh, Jason and Irene (The Pinhoe Egg)! I love them. They'll end up being an exception to the horrible parents rule once they start a family.

Who are your favorite supporting characters?

#DWJMarch: Book Highlight -- The Ogre Downstairs

The Ogre Downstairs

1974

Fantasy

Five children in a blended family have trouble finding a way to coexist when the father (a.k.a. "The Ogre") is such a beast. But just add a couple of magic chemistry sets to the mix and adventures and bonding and understanding will likely follow.

Reviews

Dead Houseplants, March 2013

Here There Be Books, July 2013

Marvelous Tales, July 2013

Mugglenet, January 2013

Readers by Night, February 2013

Swan Tower, May 2011

Things Mean a Lot, November 2007

Share your The Ogre Downstairs love today! 

#DWJMarch: Series Highlight -- Howl and Sophie

Howl's Moving Castle

1986

Sophie is a shy girl who doesn't expect much out of life so, when she is put under a spell by the Witch of the Waste that changes her into an old woman, she simply leaves home and everything she knows and ends up taking up residence in the castle of the wizard Howl -- a castle that moves around the countryside and has multiple magical entrances in multiple towns. Sophie becomes Howl's housekeeper as she looks for a way to reverse her curse (with the help of the fire demon Calcifer).

Castle in the Air

1990

In a fictional Arabian city, Abdullah is a carpet merchant whose dreams come true when he acquires a magic carpet that takes him to the garden of Flower-in-the-Night, a beautiful princess. Abdullah is immediately in love but, between the djinn that kidnaps Flower and Abdullah's subsequent imprisonment by her father, it's questionable whether having one's dreams come true is a good thing or not.

House of Many Ways

2002

House of Many Ways is about a sheltered girl called Charmain who only wants to sit and read. Her family sends her to care for the house of her grandfather while he goes away to be healed by the elves. There are piles and piles of dirty laundry there, and a kitchen full of dirty dishes, and Charmain, without the first idea of how to do regular household chores, settles for reading books and learning how to do magic and helping the king and princess organize their library. Unlike in most books where the protagonist likes to read and her parents wish she would desist, Charmain’s reading has served her ill in some ways (well, that and her mother’s determination that she should be Privileged). She’s incapable of doing regular chores like laundry and dishes and cooking, which gives rise to much mockery by a boy called Peter who comes to stay at her grandfather’s house to be his apprentice. (summary by Jenny)

Reviews

Bookwyrme's Lair, August 2010 (House)
Bunbury in the Stacks, October 2012 (House)
Chachic's Book Nook, March 2011 (Castle)
Here There Be Books, February 2009 (House)

Here There Be Books, March 2013 (Castle)
Teacups and Things, January 2014 (Howl)
The Book Smugglers, February 2011 (Howl)

Things Mean A Lot, April 2007 (Castle)

Tif Talks Books, September 2013 (Howl)

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#DWJMarch: Book Highlight -- The Time of the Ghost

The Time of the Ghost

1981

Fantasy

A ghost appears in a field, outside of what appears to be a boarding school, but she has no memory of who she is or how she is connected to the place. As she visits the school, she starts having feelings of familiarity even though she isn't remembering much. She thinks the three girls living in the back of the boarding school may be her sisters but she's not sure. The one thing she is sure of is that danger is coming from an unexpected place (and time) and she's the only one who can stop it.

Reviews

Readers by Night, May 2013

Scholar's Blog, October 2005

Somewhere I Have Never Traveled, February 2011

The Book Coop, June 2010

We Be Reading, October 2010

Share your The Time of the Ghost love today!