Inkspell - Cornelia Funke

A year after the events of Inkheart, the characters are still reeling from the effect this book had on their lives. Dustfinger, still desperate to return to the Inkworld, meets Orpheus, a somewhat shifty character also possessing the magical ability to read characters to life. Leaving behind the marten responsible for his future fictional demise, Dustfinger finally returns home, only to find the world much changed in his absence. His apprentice Farid, distraught at being abandoned in the real world, seeks out Meggie and a way into the Inkworld. Soon Meggie and her parents all find themselves trapped in the Inkworld, and a story that seems to ignore its own author, Fenoglio, changing in ways none of them could have predicted.

A complaint I heard regularly from Inkheart readers (and their parents), was that the story was too simple and not involved enough; the characters a little shallow. Inkspell should diffuse much of this criticism. The story becomes far more involved and complex, introducing a vast array of new characters with different agendas. The main characters are all developed more, with Dustfinger and Mo becoming more interesting by the page, almost becoming shadows of each other. Even by the end of this book though, I still could not bring myself to care a great deal about Meggie, which is a shame, but is a feeling I also had about Lyra in Pullman’s His Dark Materials trilogy, thus is by no means limited to Funke’s writing. I did become quite attached to Farid, and even more intrigued by my favourite character Dustfinger, and his companion the Black Prince. The evil Mortola and Basta make a return, along with several new characters including the sinister Adderhead and his daughter, Her Ugliness.

The Inkworld itself is rich and vibrant, full of familiar creatures and ingenious new creations (the fire elves are fabulous, but why would a man made of glass ever seem like a good idea?!). Funke scrapes the surface of the world she has created but allows the reader to fill in the gaps.

My advice, if you enjoyed Inkheart, but weren’t quite satisfied with the character and story development, give Inkspell a whirl. By no means the best fantasy series out there, but I don’t think you’ll be disappointed. And I defy you to read this and not rush out to get hold of the last in the series.

(let me know if you have reviewed this book)

USA adventures...part three

After leaving Montana, I headed west through some of the most stunningly beautiful parts of Washington State (with the most fantastic rain clouds I have seen since leaving China!), past Seattle and into the Olympic Peninsular. There I drove through Port Angeles and into Forks, of Twilight fame, a quaint little town very much reliant on the books' fame but full of hidden gems and interesting people. Then I hiked a trail I have long wanted to visit, the Hoh River Rainforest Trail, full of stunning forests covered in moss, and little beasties that popped up to greet me. Ending my trip in Seattle was a little disappointing after all that wildlife (though I did spend a day shopping in The Elliot Bay Book Company, where I returned with many a read!! All in all, an excellent trip!

Deer in Glacier National Park

Lake McDonald, Glacier National Park

The Hoh River Rainforest

Hungry squirrel!

Hummingbird

A very watchful young elk

My beloved Pacific Ocean!

USA adventures...part two

After a fabulous few days hiking in Yellowstone, I drove up through the Flathead Indian Reservation in Montana, and through the lovely town of Kalispell, to the very quaint town of Whitefish. Just outside, I joined the highlight of my travels, the Bar W Guest Ranch where I stayed for several days. The weather was suprisingly hot for this time of year, and I spent my hours, riding, walking, eating, riding, riding some more (!), arena skills such as barrel racing and pole bending, and practised my hand at roping cows and team penning. In the evenings we had delicious meals cooked in the beautiful homestead, bbqs out in the gazebo by the lake, rides in the horsedrawn cart and drinking beers to piano and guitar music on the porch with excellent company. Fabulous. I really did not want to leave, but afterwards I got to spend a day in the stunning Glacier National Park, possibly one of the most beautiful places I have ever seen. Where I was also lucky enough to see a grizzly up close. I shall definitely be returning to Montana.

Bar W Ranch, Whitefish, Montana

Bar W Ranch, Whitefish, Montana

Chilling out after a long morning trail ride

Barrel racing

Frolics!

Team penning

Lake McDonald, Glacier National Park

USA adventures...part one

Bit late in my holiday posts but things continue to be manic in old Norfolk!

My trip to the States was primarily to spend a week in Minnesota catching up with old friends from Hawaii, and celebrating my dear friend Susie's wedding. But after going all that way, I decided to make the most of the trip and travel across country, visiting some of the sites I have longed to see. I hired a car and drived from Minneapolis to Seattle, making a few stops along the way...

Badlands, South Dakota

Mount Rushmore, South Dakota

Crazy Horse Mountain, Sout Dakota

Crazy Horse Mountain...a work in progress..

Yellowstone National Park, Wyoming

Early spring in Yellowstone

Old Faithful

One small step for man...

We shall not cease from exploration

And the end of all our exploring

Will be to arrive where we started

And know the place for the first time.
Little Gidding, T.S. Eliot

On July 20, 1969 (21st in the UK!) the human race accomplished possibly the greatest scientific and technological leap in our relatively short history, when a human first set foot on the moon. Although some may argue that our space programmes have reached their potential, but surely it is our desire for exploration that makes us who we are…

Regardless, this is certainly a time to celebrate what we have achieved and encourage the scientific exploration of our own planet if not others…something I hope to learn much from in my lifetime.

NASA anniversary website

The Yellow-Lighted Bookshop - Lewis Buzbee

The first few pages of Lewis Buzbee's ode to the bookshop caught my interest immediately, appealing to all those of us who love to wile away the hours holed up in our favourite bookshops. Using his own personal experience, Buzbee explores our love of the written word, the books that hold them and the ancient bookselling trade that brings them into our lives.

Buzbee has had an interesting career, beginning as a bookseller, becoming a sales rep (sadly the advent of the internet have made that line of work almost defunct). He discusses the love of books, with anecdotes from his career, interwoven with interesting historical details and fascinating facts about the publishing industry in the United States. One chapter that particularly stood out for me was concerning the famous Shakespeare & Co bookshop in Paris, that changed the face of bookselling, and was ultimately responsible for the publication of James Joyce's epic novel Ulysses.

I loved my few years of working as a bookseller, and this fascinating and endearing book reminded me of all the amusing and satisfying days I had, the kindred spirits I inevitably worked with, and left me with a warm nostalgia I have not felt in years. The dream is still there...to open my little independent bookshop one day, even if it only remains a dream. I still spend hours at a time wandering through the shelves of many a bookshop, and in all honestly, I find nowhere else as peaceful when there are still people present.

A really enjoyable read for anyone who loves books or bookshops...so thats most people that are reading this blog!

Other blog reviews:
A Striped Armchair
things mean a lot
You Can Never Have Too Many Books

"This is very midsummer madness."

"Be not afraid of greatness: some are born great, some achieve greatness
and some have greatness thrust upon them".

It may or may not be obvious, but I love William Shakespeare. And I don't just mean the deliciousness of his prose, but his style, his manner, his humour, his pain, his intrigue and his honour. I love the period he lived in, his world, his peers, the food for his works. I've loved his work since first I read it, back in the first year of high school, aged 11. The first play I read was A Midsummer Night's Dream, which I have seen several times over the years, more than any other of his plays, despite it being far from my favourite. Interestingly, my favourites over the years have been the great tragedy Hamlet, and the quirky fantastical Tempest. And the productions I have seen tend to be large stage plays, at Shakespeare's Globe in London, and various other theatres around the country. So I can honestly say that I have never been as pleasantly suprised by a production as I was last week.

The Lord Chamberlain's Men, a travelling all-male troupe are currently touring East Anglia, playing in the grounds of several stately homes, and I managed to get tickets for one of my favourite houses, Blickling Hall. Worryingly it absolutely poured down with rain for most of the afternoon, including on the drive to the Hall, but we rallied together, armed with raincoats, garden chairs, picnic and, in the true spirit of Shakespearean merriment...wine. We arrived very early, managing to pitch our chairs right in front of the stage, and dug in to our delectable feast! Sadly, it did rain on us a little and by the end we felt the chill in the air, but the production was so entertaining that none of that mattered one bit. I do not think I have laughed that much since the second half of the excellent A Midsummer Night's Dream production at the Globe several years ago. The Lord Chamberlain's Men beguiled us with their wit, charm, singing and wonderful portrayal of Shakespeare's female characters, especially the lovely Olivia.

So I am excited. This appears to be turning into a year of Shakespeare for me. I already have tickets to both Much Ado About Nothing and A Midsummer Night's Dream (there it is again!) being performed in the cloisters of Norwich Cathedral in three weeks...and you all know how much I love the Cathedral! This year is also the love season at Shakespeare's Globe, with several plays I have not seen in a long time, if ever: Love's Labour's Lost, As You Like It, Romeo and Juliet and Troilus and Cressida. And (oh yes!) the Cambridge Shakespeare Festival begins soon with six plays between now and October, so the anticipation is really getting to me.

And so I must apologise in advance, that this blog may be barraged with all things Shakespearean over the next few months...you'll just have to bear with me! Enjoy...

Waiting with our picnic!

Blickling Hall at dusk

The cosy stage

The Lord Chamberlain's Men

The drunken Sir Toby Belch and devious Maria

The lovely Olivia!