Review: Naming Monsters by Hannah Eaton

From the press release:
The year is 1993, as we join Fran on a wild ride around London while she navigates the grief of losing her mother. Tales of strange creatures that might have been introduce each stage of her journey. Her adventure, often with best friend Alex in tow, is a psychogeography of the city and its suburbs, punctuated by encounters with Fran's semi-estranged dad, her out-of-touch East End nana, a selfish boyfriend and the odd black dog or two. 

As Fran says herself: monster are all around us. 

It occurs to me that all the coolest books have references to folklore. Seriously, Harry Potter, The End of Mr Y, everything Neil Gaiman ever writes? And now Naming Monsters. This was one of those books that I knew was going to be good right from the start, and it didn't disappoint.

Naming Monsters is a graphic novel in black and white, which seems to be the sign of a 'serious' graphic novel, as opposed to those belonging to the vaguely fantasy/superhero genres. Also, it is endorsed by Alison Bechdel who wrote Fun Home and Are You My Mother?, both of which I liked, although I'm not going to do that thing I normally do where I compare things the whole way through a review, because in some ways this is similar to Bechdel, but it's also very much its own thing.


The novel has an incredibly believable protagonist in Fran. I find that teenagers as protagonists can often be overwritten (kind of Dawson's Creek style, where they say things I've never heard a teenager say so that the writers can make them sound like adults..) or really two dimensional and undeveloped, but Fran was a lot like I remember being as a teenager. I think that was probably the thing I enjoyed most about the book - that the atmosphere of it felt so much like my teenager years, I could totally relate!

I also really loved the way that tit is divided by mythological creatures which relate to what is being dealt with in that section of the book. The death of Fran's mother is always present throughout the book, but it manages not to be depressing to read at all. Although she's always dealing with it and that is represented, she doesn't actually talk about it that much, which I found made the novel feel more truthful. When bad things happen you don't necessarily talk about them all the time, but try to take your mind off of them...

Basically Naming Monsters is beautiful and honest and if you were a teenager in the '90s you will probably love it. If you're interested in well written memoirs, anything to do with folklore, or just beautifully drawn graphic novels, you should read this.

And so to enable that, the lovely publishers, Myriad are providing me with two copies of Naming Monsters to give away here on the blog! To enter to win a copy you  must be from the UK and all you have to do is what it says on the form :-) The giveaway runs until Sunday 16th June, so everyone should have maximum time to enter!! a Rafflecopter giveaway

Telling Tales Challenge March Link Up!

It's the third month of the year! So far the master list (which can be found here) is looking pretty great and I'm happy with myself because my reading's going a lot better than last year so far! I am really enjoying discovering new stuff through all of your reviews. If you'd like to sign up for the challenge (or know anybody who might!) you can still do so here. Please feel free to contact me with thoughts, questions, ideas etc on twitter (@fairybookgirl) or by email (thetangledwebweweave(at)gmail(dot)com). If you want to talk about the challenge on twitter you can use #ttchallenge or just tag me in to your posts!

Happy reading!

Book & Film Review : - Beastly

If you're a regular reader (although what counts as regular at the moment? I seem to be posting about twice a month!), you'll know about my battle to read more YA. Regular readers will also be familiar with my slight obsession with fairytale retellings, and I've been trying to get both book and film of Beastly reviewed for about three weeks now, so here it is!

I had very different reactions to the book and the film, so I'll go with the good first. Alex Flinn, the author of Beastly, has also written other fairytale adaptations, and after reading this I'm quite interested to read them. I have to admit to approaching the book with trepidation, purely because it had the film tie-in cover, and I was (quite rightly, it turned out), worried the film would be crap. Anyway, the book, despite its cover, turned out to be brilliant :-) 

Basic synopsis (which is borrowed from Goodreads because my internet time and concentration are both severely limited and I was never good at writing synopsis anyway!):

I am a beast.

A beast. Not quite wolf or bear, gorilla or dog but a horrible new creature who walks upright--a creature with fangs and claws and hair springing from every pore. I am a monster.

You think I'm talking fairy tales? No way. The place is New York City. The time is now. It's no deformity, no disease. And I'll stay this way forever--ruined--unless I can break the spell.

Yes, the spell, the one the witch in my English class cast on me. Why did she turn me into a beast who hides by day and prowls by night? I'll tell you. I'll tell you how I used to be Kyle Kingsbury, the guy you wished you were, with money, perfect looks, and the perfect life. And then, I'll tell you how I became perfectly . . . beastly.

Did I mention that I loved the book? Disney's Beauty and the Beast is pretty much my favourite film ever. It's the first film I ever saw in the cinema (I was four and had to sit on a pile of cushions in order to see the screen. It's a very strong memory), and I just... I don't know how to describe it. I think we should probably just sing about it instead (all together now 'Nooooo onnnnnnne's smart like Gaston'. Anyway, despite knowing the story pretty much backwards (that would be much less exciting), I found reading Beastly that the characters felt very fresh and I liked them for themselves rather than for the archetypes that they represented. I loved how sweet Kyle became by the end (sorry about the spoilers, but if you're not familiar with Beauty and the Beast by now, what the hell have you been doing with your life?!) - it wasn't just that he learned to love other people, but he became a totally different person while doing so and it was brilliant. The story also lends itself really well to having a teenage protagonist. The issues raised in it - beauty, popularity, love and so on - worked really well from a teen perspective and although I don't personally know anyone who has been turned into a beast (that I'm aware of, anyway!), I am far too familiar with people who think they own the world just because they're good looking. 

The love story was also really sweet and natural. 'Beauty' is Linda Adams, or Lindy, who lives with her drug addict father whom she takes care of, often getting herself into fairly dangerous situations. She comes to live with Kyle when he catches her father breaking into the greenhouse where he grows his roses (so sweet!), and he offers her his daughter in return for Kyle letting him go. The thing that I loved is that Kyle accepts the offer because he wants to save her from ending up in a worse place. At least he knows that this way she'll be safe. I never really got the whole 'I'm an asshole' thing from him that I do from the Beast in most other versions I've ever read or watched. Yeah he was a bit of an idiot in the beginning, but you could totally see how it stemmed from the fact that his dad basically doesn't care about him at all and was really more of a defensive strategy than anything else. 

In the film, none of this came across. Alex Pettyfer was kind of an idiot, and don't even get me started on Vanessa Hudgens. She was so far from how I imagined Lindy being it was just untrue. Also, that thing where they change really small things for no reason in an adaptation REALLY bugs me and they did it a lot in Beastly. About two seconds in they called Kyle 'Kyle Kingston', and pretty much from then on I was out. Even the appearance of Neil Patrick Harris as Kyle's blind tutor Will couldn't save it. I missed the magic mirror, which is included in the book in a fairly similar way to the Disney story but totally erased from the film, meaning that they had to change a few plot points around fairly majorly. The characters never really developed as much as they did in the book and they entirely removed the epic end scene that's in the book. Also, and most importantly, in the book Kyle is actually transformed into a beast, the same as in the various other versions, whereas in the film for some reason they'd just given him a bunch of tattoos, which while they weren't very pretty, didn't have the same effect at all. After all there are people in the world who choose to have tattoos and piercings all over their face. As far as I'm aware there's nobody who would volunteer to be a big hairy animal. I didn't hate the film so much as was just mildly irritated by it. It just seemed like every change they made was really unnecessary and I think the book as it was would have made a pretty good film, even with Vanessa Hudgens in it. Can you tell I don't like her?

So, to summarise, if you're going to do one, read the book. I wouldn't bother with the film unless you really have nothing better to do for a couple of hours. :-)

The Telling Tales Challenge - February Link Up!

We seem to have got off to a flying start already in 2013 with loads of reviews posted in January! If you want to check out what people have been reading, you can do so here, or the master list for this year is here. You can still sign up to join us in reading any and all fairytale related things here, and if you know of any fairytale challenges or events, please let me know about them! 

If you want to talk about the challenge on twitter, use #ttchallenge, or tag me in (@fairybookgirl). Happy reading!

January Telling Tales Review Link up!

And so it begins! The second year of the Telling Tales Challenge is upon us! Every month (as close to the beginning as I remember to do it!) I'll be posting a review link up where you can come and post reviews of anything and everything you've read for the challenge in that month. Then I'll put all the reviews into a master list, like I did last year. 

If you'd like to join us in the challenge, you can sign up here, and if you want to talk about the challenge on twitter, please add the hashtag #ttchallenge, so I can find your posts easily! Alternatively you can tag me in (@fairybookgirl). The master list of reviews can be found here. Thanks and happy reading! 

Many Mini Reviews:- Fables Volumes 2, 3 & 4 by Bill Willingham

I think that graphic novels have been under-represented on the blog this year, and it really isn't because I'm not reading any - I just haven't managed to discipline myself to write about them yet! This is a vaguely lazy way of catching up with what I've been reading. 


I discovered the world of graphic novels through Neil Gaiman's Sandman series, centering around the Lord of Dreams and his siblings (Death, Destiny, Delirium, Desire etc), with a heavy leaning towards the mythological. After I finished the series I was looking for something to follow it with when I started hearing things about Bill Willingham's Fables series. Taking characters from fairytale and folklore and placing them into a modern setting, how could I resist?! 


I wrote about the prequel, 1001 Nights of Snowfall, and the first volume, Legends in Exile, but after that I got caught up with other things. So here goes. (I just wanted to say this is also a brilliant exercise because some of these I read so long ago that I'm pretty much having to re-read them to remember details, which is brilliant)

Volume 2: Animal Farm
Following on from where Legends in Exile left off, the second volume follows the story of the non-human fables, forced to live in the Farm community. Snow White and Rose Red (going to take up her new position as head of the farm, as punishment for her schemes of the first installment), walk into a suspicious meeting, and quickly learn that everything is far from what it should be... 


I have to say that so far, this is one of my favourite installments. I love the way that Willingham is continually introducing new characters in unexpected ways, and how they tangle with characters they should have nothing to do with. Unlikely pairings in this installment include Bluebeard (the wife killer), and Goldilocks (of three bears fame), Shere Khan and Bagheera, and Rose Red bargaining for the life of her sister... It's full of revolution, anger, and unexpected twists. Also, Bigby Wolf who has to be my favourite character. So brooding, so mysterious. So much love. 


Volume 3: Storybook Love


This is the book in which backstories of different characters start appearing; first Jack (beanstalk, Giant killer), then Briar Rose (otherwise known as Sleeping Beauty), who just happens to be the second wife of the enigmatic Prince Charming, ex-husband of Snow White, who, at the beginning of the book is recouperating from the events of Animal Farm. There's a lot going on here, and a lot more characters involved than in the first two!


First off, Bigby Wolf and the other Fables are threatened with exposure, so there's that to take care of, and then there's interesting developments in the relationship between Bigby and Snow White... Oh and Goldilocks, mustn't forget about her! 


This book is the one where it really all kicks off. From now on there are at least three parallel storylines running at the same time, and twists and turns all over the place. It's really gripping, and I loved that the characters are becoming more three dimensional and complex. Also, I haven't yet mentioned how gorgeous the artwork is, and it really is. 


Volume 4: March of the Wooden Soldiers
This is my other favourite so far. Fabletown receives its' first new inhabitant in a long, long time, fresh from the old lands, now controlled by the Adversary. Red Riding Hood has an interesting back story, but is she all she seems? Following on from the idea that the gateways between the old world and the new might not be quite so closed as everybody thought, Jack is pursued by some creepily resilient black suited men, and Fabletown prepares itself for the possibility of war... Meanwhile, Snow White is miraculously pregnant!


I think I'm showing a bit of a predilection for the volumes containing lots of angst and gore, but I think they give the characters more opportunities for awesomeness, especially Boy Blue, who has lurked in the background up until this point, and whose back story you learn a lot more about. Another unlikely hero of this volume is Pinocchio, whose story is somewhat more complicated than expected... I thought the plot of this volume was particularly strong and well put-together. At points, there was so much going on that I did wonder how Willingham keeps it all together! 


There will be another one of these mini posts at some point soon, for volumes 5 and 6. I was going to do them all together, but I thought that it might be a little much... But anyway, in summary I would really recommend these if you're at all into fairytale type stuff. I know a couple of people besides me have been reading them for the Telling Tales Challenge!

The Sunday Salon - I refuse to believe it's almost Christmas!

I feel like I've failed quite epicly on the review front lately. For a while now I've been reading a lot and not reviewing much, and after beating myself up over it for a week or so I decided to cut myself some slack. I've already decided to make December an 'easy reading' month, where I will be mostly re-reading plus a few library books (currently Gods Behaving Badly by Marie Phillips, which is shaping up to be a lot of fun), so hoepfully I'll be able to catch up on a few reviews in the next couple of weeks.

It's been a while since I've done a monthly summary post, so here's what's happened in November...

I have read the following sixteen books:

• The Last Werewolf by Glen Duncan
• An Abundance of Katherines by John Green
• Fables: Animal Farm by Bill Willingham
• Chocolat by Joanne Harris (re-read)
• Percy Jackson and the Titan's Curse by Rick Riordan
• Little Women by Louisa M. Alcott (re-read)
• Good Wives by Louisa M. Alcott (re-read)
• The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao by Junot Diaz
• Little Men by Louisa M. Alcott (re-read)
• Jo's Boys by Louisa M. Alcott (re-read)
• Saplings by Noel Streatfeild
• A Killer of Pilgrims by Susanna Gregory
• What Lies Beneath by Sarah Rayne
• Still Alice by Lisa Genova
• Mort by Terry Pratchett (re-read)
• Curtain Up by Noel Streatfeild

I also signed up for a lot of reading challenges for next year. I really feel like I'm getting better at reading the books I own and controlling the impulse to buy more. Having said that, I did buy three this week - Amazon just makes it too easy, and there were a couple I wanted to get hold of for Advent with Austen. This past week I was reading A Walk with Jane Austen by Lori Smith, which I absolutely adored, and which got me all inspired to write and to re-read all the Austen I read so long ago. Pride and Prejudice and Sense and Sensibility were the first of her novels I read, and that was about six years ago I think if not more. It really must be time for a re-read! I love that this event is giving me an opportunity to completely indulge myself and get immersed in all things Jane - Austen makes me happy to read and that's what I need right now :-)

Most excitingly (for me at least), I am hosting my first ever reading challenge for 2012. The Telling Tales Reading Challenge is the amalgamation of my passion for fairytale and mythology, several conversations on the subject with my sister, and the fun I had participating in the Once Upon a Time challenge this year. If you want to know more about it, and to sign up, go here, and forgive me for the convoluted nature of the levels - I got a little carried away with the list making!!

In other news, I just got back from seeing Hugo which was entirely amazing. It's been a very long time since I watched a film through my hands, but I had to because not knowing what was going to happen made me so tense! The film was incredibly acted and very moving and now I really really must get my hands on a copy of the book! Anybody read it? What did you think?

Hope you're all having a lovely winter Sunday

The Telling Tales Challenge 2012!!

Picture credit: the Cheeseninja

Welcome to An Armchair by the Sea’s first reading challenge! Some of you may know about my love of/obsession with/totally crazed mania for all things fairytale and mythology based. While chatting with my sister Esther about our shared love of reading challenges and desire to set up a challenge of our own, we came up with an idea (inspired by the Once Upon a Time Challenge) for a challenge based around reading things to do with mythology, fairytales, legends and folklore, and so here it is!

The Telling Tales Reading Challenge 2012

Rules:

·         Challenge runs from January 1^st 2012 to December 31^st 2012. You may sign up to participate at any point between these dates.

·         Any genre counts as long as it is related to fairytale, folklore, or mythology in some way. If you’re not sure if it counts – as long as you can make a case for why it should, then it does!

·         You can re-read books for this challenge as long as the reviews you link are written during 2012, and the challenge can also overlap other challenges.

·         Whatever you read must either be a version of a fairytale or myth, or contain fairytale or mythological characters, settings, or sequence of events.

·         Every month there will be update posts either here or on my sister’s blog. Please link up your reviews for that month on this post.

That’s it!

Now, the important bit.

The Categories

These are the levels:

Level 1: Read 5 books

Level 2: Read 10 books

Level 3: Read 15 books

Level 4: Read 20 books

Level 5: Read 25 books

You can sign up for any level, and choose to read either purely the categories listed below, or to participate in the Mix n Match category, or the Adaptation Amalgamation category, or all of them if you're that brave!

Categories:

Twisted Fairytales – retellings or modern interpretations of fairytales or myths. For inspiration, look here.

Classics – Myth and fairytale from the classics genre (e.g. Homer, Grimm, Virgil, Hans Christian Andersen)

Graphics – Graphic novels and comics based around or containing elements of mythology and fairytale. Examples include Neil Gaiman’s Sandman series and Bill Willingham’s Fables series among others. For a list that barely scrapes the surface, go here.

Poetry & Drama – We’ve put this in because we’re sure there must be some. I've managed to find some, but if you know of any others please let us know!

Non- Fiction – Anything about myth, fairytale, folklore or fantasy in general that doesn’t belong to the fictional genre.

Extra Categories

Adaptation Amalgamation – Watch a film and read the book it is based on. This category can incorporate as many other categories as you like (i.e all your films do not have to be based on graphic novels, but some can be, and some twisted fairytale, some non-fiction etc)

Mix n Match – Exactly what it says. Sign up for a level and pick that number of books from any or all of the other categories.

As you can probably tell, Esther and I like to make lists. If this seems incredibly convoluted and off-putting, we apologise and take solace in the fact that we have each other, so neither of us will be doing the challenge alone! We do hope that other people will join us though, as it’s always fun to find out about new books, and the more people that do it, the more likely we are to finish it!

If you’d like to join, please leave a comment with a link to your sign up post. 

Participants:
1.Bex  (An Armchair by the Sea)
2.Esther (Always Look on the Bright Side of Life)
3.Jennifer (An Abundance of Books)
4. Hannah (Once Upon a Time)
5. Kailana (The Written World)
6.Tom (Life, Love and the Universe)
7. Lindy
8. Alberta (Alberta Reads)
9. Nicola (Back to Books)
10. Kim (Page After Page)
11. K (Very Simple Secret)  
12. West Virginia Red (West Virginia Red Reads)
13. Tobe (Wading Through the Ocean of Life)
14. Michelle (The True Book Addict) 
15. Jenny (Stone Soup Books)
16. Jackie (Books n Tea)  
17. Mirjam
18. Ricki (Reading Challenged)  
19. Eden Mabee (A Garden of Delights)
20. Michele A (NinjaInk)
21. Lisa (Lit and Life)
22. Hanna (Booking in Heels)
23. Kristen (A Writer's Wife)
24. Sary (Some People Use Their Imagination)

  
Master list of reviews here.