A Midsummer Night's Ultimate, Super Awsome, Life-Goal-Achieving Dream

So this post is completely out of time, as a) it is winter where I live, b) it isn't midsummer's day today and c) my Midsummer Night's Ultimate, Super Awesome, Life-Goal-Achieving Dream day was in winter, in London, 6 months ago. HOWEVER I am trying to coincide this post with the end of Carl's Once Upon A Time IV's challenge (and he is from a part of the world where it IS summer) and frankly, this is a far too exciting thing not to share with EVERYONE I know. As part of the challenge, there was an option to read or watch a performance of A Midsummer Night's Dream. Now I have seen this play this year (not within the time-frame of the challenge though, but what can you do?) and wow. It was epic.

Some background: When I was 12, I distinctly remember seeing a preview on TV for the movie Her Majesty Mrs Brown which starred Judi Dench (an actress I had never heard of). So like a good dutiful child I begged my mother to let me stay up and watch it because it looked so so good. Well of course she said no, it was on on a Wednesday night and I had school the next day, but she did let me tape it to watch it on the weekend. And I LOVED it. Not the standard movie that a 12 year old would love, but I was always a bit quirky! To this day this scene moves me to tears:

Image

"I cannot live without you. Without you, I cannot find the strength to be who I must be."

So over the next few years I became increasingly obsessed with Judi Dench and watched everything I could and read all the books I could about her and I still love her. Ever so much. And then last October I had a skydiving accident in which I dislocated my shoulder (hardcore) and tore lots of important inside shoulder bits and had to take 5 months off work. So feeling rather sore and sorry for myself I decided to do some googling and find out what Judi Dench was up to and discovered that she was starring in A Midsummer Night's Dream on stage in London. Now it would have been far too reckless and unrealistic to go all the way to London to see a play. Even if it was Judi Dench AND A Midsummer Night's Dream AND even though I had wanted to see her on stage since I was 12. But you know, the weeks dragged on, I had an operation, I broke up with the boyfriend, felt really sorry for myself and thought why the hell not?

SO I WENT!!!

And oh my, it was one of the most fabulous evenings of my life.I was in London, one of my favourite places, I was with one of my best friends who had just moved to the UK, and I was watching Judi Dench on stage, in my favourite Shakespearen play. I could tell you all about it, but what can I possibly say to convey the magic and wonder of that night?

Images from here and here

So was it worth the trip? Lets just say, isn't it just wonderful when something you dream about for half your life actually happens? I can tell you, it is bliss...

Book Review: The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe by C. S. Lewis

My Dear Lucy, 

I wrote this story for you, but when I began it I had not realised that girls grow quicker than books. As a result you are already too old for fairy tales, and by the time it is printed and bound you will be older still. But someday you will be old enough to start reading fairy tales again. You can then take it down from some upper shelf, dust it, and tell me what you think of it. I shall probably be too deaf to hear, and too old to understand, a word you say, but I shall still be your affectionate Godfather,

C. S. Lewis.

Was there ever a better book dedication than this?? I remember when I bought 'Harry Potter and The Deathly Hallows' (at 9:01am) and sat in my car and read the dedication and burst into tears (at 9:02am) and I just thought it was the most beautiful thing I had ever read. Well now I have found another tear-inducing dedication. And really, what is more moving than a tear-inducing dedication in a book?


However I am not here to review the dedication (although that is an idea, maybe I'll start a dedication day, as it is one of my favourite bits of the book!), I am going to review the actual book. I am 24 and have NEVER read this book. I didn't have a horribly deprived childhood cut off from literature, I actually was too chicken. I saw an episode of the (very old) television series and was really really really scared and subsequently never picked it up. So I decided to rectify this.


I just loved this book. I experienced it through the wonder of audio book, narrated by Michael York, and it was a such delightful medium! I was able to 'read' it almost completely innocently, I haven't seen the movie, and I didn't really know too much about it so I loved the story unfolding as though it was completely new to me. I am sure most people have read, or at least know the premise of 'The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe'. Four siblings, Peter, Susan, Edmund and Lucy, are evacuated from London during WWII, to a grand house in the countryside. In this house they discover a wardrobe leading to another world, the beautiful land of Narnia, a place stuck in a perpetual winter, though never Christmas. In control of this place is the White Witch who has had a tyrannical rule for many years. However Aslan, the true King of Narnia, is on the move, and along with the children, and several magical creatures along the way, sets out to defeat the witch.


I really can't fault this book, it is a true classic. There is no wonder that it has survived years and still delights children today. This book is full of adventure, tragedy, magic, love and comedy. I found myself chuckling quite often, and often found myself with tears in my eyes. And by 'tears in my eyes' I mean 'actually crying'. I don't really know what else I can say about this, except that if you haven't read it, make it a priority!! And remember, it is very foolish to lock oneself in a wardrobe. So be careful!!

I've reviewed this also as part of Carl's Once Upon A Time Challenge. Check it out here, plenty of awesome fantastical reviews!!

Book Review: The Halfmen of O by Maurice Gee

Do you remember when you were little and you watched Fern Gully for the first time and it was the most magical and visually stunning thing you had ever seen? Then you tried to relive the magic when you were all grown up and it was poor quality (because you're watching it on video) and dull with a very simple story? Well I am afraid that that is how I felt about The 'Halfmen of O' by Maurice Gee. When I was in grade 5 we read this as a class and I loved every minute of it. However I moved to another city and subsequently left the class before we finished and I have wanted to finish it ever since. So I took the opportunity of the Once Upon A Time IV Challenge as the perfect opportunity. Oh how I wish it was perfect.


The blurb of this book reads...

Susan has always been a bit odd and never really got on with her cousin Nick, but the mark on her wrist draws them together in a frightening adventure. They are summoned to the beautiful land of O in a last-ditch attempt to save the planet from cruel Otis Claw and his followers, the evil Halfmen, who have lost every trace of human goodness and kindness.

I don't quite know what to say about this book because it is a children's fantasy book, which is a genre I haven't read since I was a child myself. The book is average length for a children's/YA novel, 186 pages, so the action begins and finishes very quickly. I felt that the writing wasn't stellar, however it was appropriate for its target audience. I will be the first to admit (and I've said it before) that I am far from an expert on the fantasy genre but I felt that this book had all the fundamental elements of a fantasy. A young heroine who rises to a mammoth task, another world, strange creatures, lots of things that warrant capital letters (the Halves, the Motherstone) and people wearing cloaks. But I am not able to discern if this makes it an original and unique children's fantasy, or a run-of-the-mill adventure book set on another planet.


What I liked: The land of O was beautifully described and made out to be a beautiful planet. It seemed to me reminiscent of Pandora, of Avatar fame (which I haven't seen), or Fern Gully. O was so diverse and full of different and fantastical species, the Halfmen, the Woodlanders, the Birdfolk, the Stonefolk and the Seafolk, and their quest took them to such different environments throughout the land. Susan was a worthy heroine and got appropriately drawn in to the drama and enormity of her task.

Image from here

Image from here

What I didn't like: Nick. Possibly one of the most annoying characters I have ever read. He was so full of his self importance, yet obviously an idiot (harsh?). He tried to be protective and noble but had his own agenda (of being the protective and noble) and stated the obvious ALL THE DAMN TIME!! All the big action bits were over in a couple of pages and there was always a convenient solution to the bigger challenges. I never felt the suspense, worried for the characters or wanted them to complete their task.


So... the biggest letdown for me was the memory. I think if I had finished it when I was 11 I would have just loveloveloved it. I am giving this a big yes for the 10-13 age group but sadly a no for me at this age. Maurice Gee is a New Zealand author and this book was first published in 1982. It won a few awards back in the day, but I haven't seen it in any book shops recently, nor have any of my friends read it. Though I didn't love it myself, I think this book is too good to be forgotten. I am interested to hear of anyone else out there who has read this? What did you think?

Book Review: Tender Morsels by Margo Lanagan

image from here

This will be my first review for the Once Upon a Time IV Challenge, and what a beautiful book to begin with! I have always been a wee bit cautious when faced with a 'fantasy' book, well lets be honest here, frankly terrified!! My brother is an avid fantasy reader and can often be found battling with a book that weighs more than he does and his endless refrains of "Don't worry! It's easy! It's the second book of the 4th trilogy, you read it before the 6th book in the prequel series but the events in it don't actually occur until after the 6th trilogy. Oh yeah, and all the characters are called Saraman." follow me as I run away in terror. And that is why I have never read 'Lord of the Rings'. So where does 'Tender Morsels' actually fit? To preserve my own sense of morals, I am placing it in the 'fairy tale' category, which is frankly a synonym meaning 'fantasy for chickens'.


Tender Morsels is a retelling of the tale of Snow White and Rose Red, a German fairytale. It tells the story of Liga, a broken young woman who disappears from her sad and difficult life into a world far more beautiful, her own perfect heaven. With her she takes her daughter Branza, and a second unborn daughter Urdda. In this world they live peacefully with no threat of danger, poverty or heartbreak. However this magic and perfect happiness cannot last forever and before long, the divide between the real world and Liga's world begins to break down.


It is not only Liga that has made the transition to this world; a kind young man finds himself within this world in the body of a bear and seeks warmth and kindness from the family. An uncouth, beastly dwarf makes several visits searching for riches he cannot attain at home; and another man/bear appears, though not as placid or kind as the first. As the children grow, their encounters with these foreigners lead their paths in separate directions and force them to realise there may be more to life than they know.


This book is beautifully written, exquisitely beautifully written in fact, Margo Lanagan WHO ARE YOU?? The description in this book is vivid, everything just grows inside your head until you feel as though you're there, and that is a rare thing in a book. One thing that Ms Lanagan does which just gives me a hundred goosebumps, is describe the smaller things, the things that don't really matter, that the book doesn't need to fulfill the story, yet makes the reading experience so pleasurable that you wish it was Margo Lanagan who was writing your life! One such passage is when Branza and Urdda are feeding some birds:

The air began to fill with the light, dusty sound of their wings, and the pips and peeps of their calls. They landed and landed, and Urdda's arms rocked at each landing. The birds were bright in the sun, and the busyness of them flaunted and flapped the sunlight so that Urdda felt radiant with them, as if they were a kind of fire flaming across the top of her. What a grand idea this was! 

She stood straight and still, not frightening a single bird away, and Branza, hands clasped, watched her from the wood-edge until the birds had pecked up all the crumbs from Urdda's person, and all the spilled crumbs and and pieces from the grass around her feet, and one by one had flown off, leaving widening breaks in the flaring line of sunlight. Two sparrows must sit and preen awhile once they had fed, but when they were done they, too, darted away, and then Branza ran out of the trees in delight and satisfaction, waving the other bread-end. "Now me!" she said. "That was quite wonderful!"

Whilst I loved every word within this book, I found the story at times unnerving and difficult to follow. It dealt with issues such as abuse (physical, sexual and emotional) and incest in graphic detail and is certainly not for the faint of heart. It is marketed as a young adult book, however I don't think I personally would have enjoyed this book at that time of my life, and at the same time I know several grown up adults who would love this.


I was initially confused with the switching between worlds and times, and the narrative also switches between first and third person with regularity, and the first person sections have different narrators as well. I found this confusing at times and it took me a while to get used to this style. However I think this is also a very positive aspect of this book as it allows the reader to have perspective of both worlds and what goes on within each.


Overall, I enjoyed this book. The writing often moved me to tears, but the story wasn't my favourite. I think this is really just because I'm new to fantasy/fairytale beyond His Dark Materials and Harry Potter. In saying that, I think this is such a valuable piece of writing, especially as it is written by an Australian author. And if you love anything fantastical and magical you will love this. And Margo Lanagan is a storytelling genius. Full stop. No argument. The end.

Imagine, always to have this arm at your waist, the arm of a good man and kind, who had been to your heaven and loved it too; who had seen your daughters in their childhoods there and begun wanting daughters himself.

Other Reviews
things mean a lot
my fluttering heart

My First Ever Book Challenge

I am completely new to blogging and new to book challenges (unless a grade 6 read-a-thon counts) and have decided to participate in one! I will have to implement my dubious speed reading skill for this, or cheat massively and read short books, as in amongst full time shift work I can go days without reading (something other than medical notes). This is terrible and I plan to rectify this. So in order to help me kick things off I am participating in Carl's (from Stainless Steel Droppings) Once Upon A Time IV Challenge.

I will be participating in Quest The First and Quest The Third as I am in A Midsummer Night's Dream Heaven at the moment having just seen it with Judi Dench as Titania. More about that later. The challenge stipulates that I must read 5 books that fit into the category of fantasy, fairytale, folklore or mythology. I have chosen three of my 5 books at this point and they are as follows:

Other Ideas:

• Stardust by Neil Gaiman - I loved the movie but I don't want to choose all my books based on the movie (alright so I've only done The Princess Bride so far!)
• Beauty by Robin McKinley - A retelling of one of my favourite stories ever, Beauty and the Beast.
• If You Could See Me Now by Cecelia Ahern - this book is just begging to be reread, but I'm not sure that it technically falls into any of the categories but it is just so beautiful!
• Ransom by David Malouf - a retelling of The Iliad, this counts as mythology yes?
• Magician by Raymond E Feist - suggested by my brother who is a hardcore fantasy fan. I am not a hardcore fantasy fan and struggle to navigate my way around the fantasy section of the bookstore, so it is very much a maybe at the moment.

All of those chosen really fall into the fairytale/fantasy category so I really want to try and read something folklore-y or mythological. Any suggestions?

If you're interested in participating in this challenge, details and sign-up info are here.