Friday, September 6, 2013

Howl's Moving Castle by Diana Wynne Jones

In Howl's Moving Castle, we meet Sophie, an unfortunate young lady.  She is the eldest of three daughters and she has been placed under a spell that only allows others to see her as an old lady.  She resorts to the castle of Wizard Howl (a horrible, heartless man) to break the spell.  During her stay, she discovers so much more than just the secret behind her spell, embarking on a journey she never expected.

WARNING:  This is my current favorite book of the year, so proceed with caution!

Sophie is an amazing character:  strong, resourceful, determined, loyal.  Howl, on the other hand, can be said to be the exact opposite, but just as amazing.  Combine these two characters with a moving castle with doors that open to a multitude of worlds, and you get a story with unimaginable and unending possibilities ... and that is just where Diana Wynne Jones takes us.

I had no idea that when I received this book in the mail as a giveaway from Kristen of We Be Reading that I would be holding one of my all-time favorite books.  It was a book that landed in my lap at just the right time -- for DWJ March as well as right before a move that was causing me some anxiety.  Howl and Sophie helped to put my mind at ease, and I wrote all about it over on Kristen's blog in honor of DWJ March!  I owe Kristen a HUGE THANK YOU!  If you have not yet met Howl and Sophie, go do it.  You can thank me later!

What books have landed in your life at just the right time.  Tell me more!

8 comments:

  1. I just read this one last month myself. Fell totally in love with it. I adore the Miyazaki as well, but this version of Sophie is much stronger. Plus, there are two more books in the series!

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    1. editorialeyes ... I just discovered recently that there were more to this series, and I can't wait to get my hands on them. And, I need to see the movie soon, too!

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  2. Don't you just love those favorite books that sneak up on you?! So glad you enjoyed this one, and I'm even more excited to read it now.

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    1. Andi ... I do! Keep me posted when you get to this one!

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  3. Ah this book. I love it because it's awesome, but also because it's the gateway drug I'm always recommending to Diana Wynne Jones newbies. It just gets better and better when you reread it too so you have many happy rereads in your future.

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    1. Jenny @ Reading the End ... Yeah!! I am so excited to re-read this one at some point! It will definitely be sooner rather than later!

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  4. It's very strange to read a kid/YA book for the first time as an adult and just feel totally connected to it. I keep getting that with DWJ and it's amazing! I'm so glad that you loved this one. :)

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    1. Kristen M. ... That is such a great point! This one especially resonated with me! I can't wait to re-read this one and continue with the series!!

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