"Work in Progress" - 8 x 10" colored pencil on pastelbord.Copyright 2007 Maggie Stiefvater.
e-mail me at portraitswithcharacter AT gmail.com for prepurchase info.
I've been fascinated by Neil Gaiman's Coraline ever since I read it the first time, because it breaks all the rules of writing and still works. This strange and spooky little novel (more properly a novella) was recommended to me by my favorite local indy bookstore, Fountain Bookstore. Though it's technically a creepy story for middle-graders, I dare you to find an adult who won't enjoy it and be at least slightly given the willies by it. I'm actually glad I didn't read it as a middle-grader . . .
Coraline, a clever girl who is small for her age, opens a door in her family's large house one day and discovers a dark hallway -- curious as it previously opened to a solid brick wall. On the other side of the hallway she finds a mirror copy of her family's apartment, complete with an "other mother," with sewn-on buttons for eyes, curiously long and curved nails, and a deep love for Coraline ("or perhaps she's just hungry," remarks one of the other characters to Coraline "it's hard to tell with creatures like her.")
Sound weird? It is. What's not weird is Coraline herself, a brave, often funny, and taciturn main character who leads this deliciously wicked bedtime story down increasingly eerie paths with an increasingly endearing voice. The plot unfolds in perfect dreamlike style, where the silliest of subjects can turn scary when seen a different way.
Verdict: I can read this novel in three or four hours and I often do. Gaiman remarks that this book took longer than any of his others to write, spanning years, and I think it was worth it - definitely one of the top middle grade books I've ever read. (And I'm not the only one who thinks so: Melissa Marr (of Wicked Lovely fame) agrees).
5 out of 5 cookie dough scoops (and I'd do 6 if I had them.
e-mail me at portraitswithcharacter AT gmail.com for prepurchase info.
I've been fascinated by Neil Gaiman's Coraline ever since I read it the first time, because it breaks all the rules of writing and still works. This strange and spooky little novel (more properly a novella) was recommended to me by my favorite local indy bookstore, Fountain Bookstore. Though it's technically a creepy story for middle-graders, I dare you to find an adult who won't enjoy it and be at least slightly given the willies by it. I'm actually glad I didn't read it as a middle-grader . . .
Coraline, a clever girl who is small for her age, opens a door in her family's large house one day and discovers a dark hallway -- curious as it previously opened to a solid brick wall. On the other side of the hallway she finds a mirror copy of her family's apartment, complete with an "other mother," with sewn-on buttons for eyes, curiously long and curved nails, and a deep love for Coraline ("or perhaps she's just hungry," remarks one of the other characters to Coraline "it's hard to tell with creatures like her.")
Sound weird? It is. What's not weird is Coraline herself, a brave, often funny, and taciturn main character who leads this deliciously wicked bedtime story down increasingly eerie paths with an increasingly endearing voice. The plot unfolds in perfect dreamlike style, where the silliest of subjects can turn scary when seen a different way.
Verdict: I can read this novel in three or four hours and I often do. Gaiman remarks that this book took longer than any of his others to write, spanning years, and I think it was worth it - definitely one of the top middle grade books I've ever read. (And I'm not the only one who thinks so: Melissa Marr (of Wicked Lovely fame) agrees).
5 out of 5 cookie dough scoops (and I'd do 6 if I had them.Next up: The Sun and Moon by The Bravery. I really wasn't going to buy this album. Seriously. It had mixed reviews by former fans who liked their last album but not this one (I guess the last one had more of an electronic tilt, which is not at all in evidence in The Sun and Moon) and every DJ playing them had some dig to make about the band.
But I couldn't help it. They snagged me initially with their single, "Time Won't Let Me Go, " with a style bordering on something between British Invasion and Ah-Ha. I swayed dangerously, but I haven't bought an album based on one single for years. Then out came "Believe," a tremendously catchy tune that aches. One of those tunes that makes you get up, desperate to do something about something. Yes, I know they're channeling U2 and Coldplay. I don't care.
The rest of the album is a solid effort with no stinkers and some pretty nice ones (check out Fistful of Sand if you're clicking on the soundbites on amazon), and then you get to the final track "The Ocean."
Ahh.
This was what I was waiting for. As a composer and arranger myself, I can appreciate the structure; the careful building of instrumentation until you're rattling your cage at the last refrain. This song of loss sneaks up on you, pretty at first with Beatlesesque finger-picked guitar and strings, lyrical as counter melodies are introduced, and finally crushingly beautiful by the time you hear the final words of the album, "I lose your hand through the waves."
Verdict: I would love to give it 5 cookie dough scoops because I love "The Ocean" so much, and "Believe" and "Time Won't Let Me Go" are great singles, but an album only gets 5 stars from me if every song is a killer. So ignore the 4 scoop rating and buy this one anyway. ;) C'mon, it's cheap if you buy it used.
4 cookie dough scoops out of 5.
1 comment:
Awesome Cat!
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