...(book review) the graveyard book by neil gaiman

Nobody Owens, known to his friends as Bod, is a perfectly normal boy. Apart from the fact that he lives in a graveyard and is being raised and educated by ghosts, and his guardian belongs to neither the world of the living nor the dead.

There are dangers and adventures for Bod in the graveyard: the strange and terrible menace of the Sleer; a gravestone entrance to a desert that leads to the city of ghouls; friendship with a witch; and so much more.

But it is in the land of the living that the real dangers lurk, for it is there that the man Jack lives and he has already killed Bod's family.

THE GRAVEYARD BOOK by Neil Gaiman

Genre: YA Fantasy Fiction, Paranormal > Ghost Story

Published: 2008

My rating: ⭐⭐⭐

The Graveyard Book follows Bod's obscure childhood in the sanctuary of the graveyard, exploring and learning from each of the ghosts residing there who contribute to raising him. 

His coming to live amongst the dead is the result of a brutal local murder of which his parents and older sister were victims. Just a baby at the time, Bod managed to slip free and crawl through the bars of the graveyard on the hill where he was discovered by Mr and Mistress Owens, long deceased, knowing that the time had passed for them to have a child. Bod became their living son.

Of all the Neil Gaiman books I've read, I have to say upfront that although this was a clever concept, it wasn't my favourite of his books. I couldn't help but compare it to Coraline due to it's similarities in tone, genre and target audience, which I was thoroughly gripped by, even reading it as an adult. There was just something more convincing in the characters that kept me intrigued.

My moments of intrigue throughout The Graveyard Book were plentiful, but burned briefly. The scenes were built up in suspense, then resolved too quickly for my liking. I craved more detail and explanation that would have given a new layer of complexity to the story and characters. I kept expecting it on the next page, and then feeling disappointed.

For example, I would have loved a more detailed explanation for why some ghosts can go amongst the living. We're given the impression that they're different, but the explanation was inadequate and not at all along the lines I expected. Whilst I can appreciate the author leaving this ambiguous to preserve the characters aloof nature and mystery, I'm a reader who can't stand to be left in suspense, and with questions unanswered. If anything I have more questions now.

I also thought the characters were a tad vague, even Bod. Normally when I read a book I find myself drawn to particular characters, routing for others, hating some even, but the only character I was intrigued by was the man Jack who's appearance on the first page was sinister, and cast shadows through the book. By the end however, I felt deflated by his involvement. I desperately wanted more information on the Jack of all Trade Society. 

However, having said all this, the thing that I can never deny Neil Gaiman is that he is an incredible world builder. The setting of this book was was spot on, and there were moments I swear I could feel the damp of the tombstones surrounding me. I felt that I knew every inch of the graveyard as well as Bod did himself. In this way the graveyard was the most defined and fleshed out character, despite the fact that it was filled with bones. I enjoyed the sense of community from the dead, and the way the banded together to take care of Bod and to defend him, even if they could only do so from inside the graveyard fence. I could picture the ghoul-gate entrance and their parasitic city on the other side, and I wanted to read more. The descriptions of the crypts, and the Sleer lurking in the darkness, and the quirky tombstones were all so atmospheric.

Thomas Pennyworth 

(here he lyes in the certainty of the moft glorious refurrection)

Overall, this was a unique ghost story to set aside for spooky season, especially if you're one for paranormal genres with softer edges. 

I'd be really interested to hear your thoughts on The Graveyard Book. Please leave a comment below if you've read it, or if you plan to!

Zuzu 🖋

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...(book review) the binding by bridget collins

 Imagine you could erase your grief.  Imagine you could forget your pain. 

Imagine you could hide a secret. Forever.

Emmett Farmer is working in the fields when a letter arrives summoning him to begin an apprenticeship. He will work for a Bookbinder, a vocation that arouses fear, superstition and prejudice - but one neither he nor his parents can afford to refuse.

He will learn to hand-craft beautiful volumes, and within each he will capture something unique and extraordinary: a memory. If there's something you want to forget, he can help. If there's something you need to erase he can assist. Your past will be stored safely in a book and you will never remember your secret, however terrible. 

In a vault under his mentor's workshop, row upon row of books - and memories - are meticulously stored and recorded. 

Then one day Emmett makes an astonishing discovery: one of them has his name on it.

THE BINDING by Bridget Collins

Genre: Historical Fiction,  Fantasy Fiction > Magical Realism

Published: 2018

My rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

WHAT A CONCEPT! I've read so many clever and compelling books, but there are only a few that manage to make me feel true envy towards the authors who thought of the idea before me! Bridget Collins is a genius; I can't wait to read more of her work. (Watch this space for a book review of The Binding later this month).

We all know words have power, but what if books were dangerous? What if you could pay for the privilege to forget? What if you could sell your memories? What if you've been bound into a book against your will? What happens when part of your mind is bound inside a book, and the book falls into the wrong hands?

The questions buzzed in my mind, all shockingly answered by the end of the book, but not in the ways I would have expected.

"Which is worse? To feel nothing, or to grieve something you no longer remembered?"

Reading this will make you think differently about books and their contents. Only the author can tell you how much of a story is fictional or real, and what was sacrificed to write them. The though now gives me a shivery chill, that's both thrilling and eerie.

We all have memories and moments from our past that we would love to expunge, and that's why this novel is so relatable. It frightens me that so many people would jump at the opportunity to take memories away if bookbinders like this existed in our world and society. Memories in exchange for money. Desperate people do desperate things, as proved by Bridget Collins' imperfectly human characters. I was so invested in their stories!

The Binding was an alluringly immersive blend of historical fiction, fantasy and fairy-tale inspiration and boundary-defying love that literally makes my mouth water with appeal. It's pure untainted magic that will hold you captive from start to finish. I honestly could not be persuaded to put it down! I read it walking up the stairs to bed and night, and found it in my hands the moment I woke. I felt like I'd been bound between its pages.

Zuzu 🖋

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...the glories of autumn

(photo featuring my adorable autumnal notebook cover handmade by Designed by Lesley-Jane, who is now my official provider of handmade bookmarks - please check out her Facebook page!)

Though the weather hasn't quite settled on the fact, it is indeed Autumn!

If you've read any of my seasonal blogs, you may have cottoned onto the fact that I like to embrace the seasons by acknowledging all the activities associated with them. And if you've never read any of my blogs...well...let's just say  I can get a bit obsessive...

I go to Christmas Tree Farms and hang lights on the outside of the house in Winter, walk amongst the blossom in Spring, and go to lavender and sunflower fields in the Summer. But without doubt, my most anticipated season will always be Autumn!

Perhaps it's because I was born in Canada where Halloween was acknowledged with decorations and trick-or-treating in the proper fashion, or perhaps it's because I grew up in the theatre and therefore have maintained a child-like excitement for dressing up in costumes. Whatever the reason, from the moment the weather gets warm, I'm on a mental countdown to Autumn Equinox when it will start to get cool again and the leaves will turn 50 shades of orange above my head.

If, unlike me, you struggle to see the glories of Autumn, allow me to help you along with a bucket list of activities:

✅ Shop for Autumn scented candles

✅ Go Apple Picking
⬜ Visit a Pumpkin Patch

⬜ Watch Spooky Films

⬜ Read Horror Books and Twisted Tales

⬜ Make my own Halloween Costume with a bookish theme

✅ Drink many Pumpkin Spice Lattes

⬜ Bake Halloween Cookies

⬜ Decorate the doorstep with a Pumpkin display

⬜ Collect and wax some Autumn leaves and make a wreath or a garland

⬜ Go to a Fright Night

⬜ Host a Halloween Party with lots of treats, blankets and movies to enjoy

✅ Find a Theatre that's doing The Rocky Horror Picture Show

⬜ Visit a Corn Maze

I've already kick started my Autumn Bucket List. Let me know if you intend to do any of these activities, or if you've got any suggestions to add to my list! Always hungry for more Autumn!!!! 

Zuzu 🖋

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