The Winter Warming

I might be spending all of December eschewing my reading list (it’s seriously out of control at this point) and delving back into books I’ve loved in the past, but only because I needed a mental break from all the new and wonderful books that came into my life this year. And let me tell you, it was a damned good year for reading, even if my travels and social life meant that I didn’t hit the same page count as previous years!

The Night Manager - John le Carré

Yes, your eyes do not deceive you, it’s a double win for John le Carré’s The Night Manager (in different formats of course)! After finishing off the amazing mini-series I headed right out to the bookshop to hunt for a copy of the novel. Low and behold, my shopping karma offered me up a first edition hardcover in near mint condition from my favourite local secondhand shop - SCORE (and cue rampant jealousy from my book-loving friends)! Now the novel may not have Tom Hiddleston to feast your eyes on, but thus far this is the most intimately Le Carré has ever gotten into any of his characters - even above the ever-popular George Smiley. The tv series delves well into all of the characters (as I discussed last week), but the novel’s focus is set squarely on our unlikely hero Jonathan Pine and his drive to take down Richard Onslow Roper is clearly driven by a simmering anger that most didn’t quite pick up on in the tv series. Anger at the death of a woman he briefly loved, at the ineffectiveness of the British intelligence apparatus, at the blindness of people, at the unfairness of the world - all culminating into a brilliant deep-cover mission that reads as an ode to “going forward because there's nothing behind and running because if you stand still any longer you'll fall over.”

A Midsummer Night’s Dream - Charles Vess & William Shakespeare

I hit the highest point ever of book karma this year when I finally cracked open Charles Vess’ illustrated version of my favourite Shakespeare play. Not only was I treated to one of my favourite stories combined with the most perfect artwork I can imagine for it, but I had previously missed the inscription penned on the inside cover. It is addressed to [a different] Jaimie with “best wishes,” 1989. Seriously, what kind of past life synergy would make a personalized inscription to a person who spells their name the same way that I do in the year after I was born occur? This is officially my proof that magic exists in the real world - if only you open the pages of a book!

Wormwood: Gentleman Corpse, volume 1: Birds, Bees, Blood, & Beer - Ben Templesmith

If creepy, supernatural, beautifully illustrated, blood-soaked, oddly endearing graphic novels are your jam (like they are mine), this is one series not to miss. I picked the first volume up for a song from a library book sale a while back, and finally got around to reading it this year and boy was I glad I decided to take a chance on it. It has hints of everything that I love about the urban fantasy genre (throwing unexpected characters together, treading on modernist themes in a dark faerie tale environment, and plenty of adventure) and takes full advantage of the graphic novel medium to depict the stunningly strange story of one of the oddest protagonists I’ve ever encountered - a supernaturally endowed worm with varying powers, aptly named Wormwood as he is as intoxicating as he is soaked in dry wit. It’s really just too bad that the series had to end so quickly, since, in my opinion, this is one of the few expressions of Templesmith’s art  in which he is truly free to roam the depths of his dark imagination. 

The Lies of Locke Lamora (The Gentleman Bastards #1) - Scott Lynch

Lately it’s been very rare that I pick up a 400+ page book and read it cover to cover in basically one sitting, but once I started reading this book there was really no other alternative. I read it while puppy-sitting the infamous Oscar & Felix (aka the Odd Couple), and literally every minute of that long weekend that I wasn’t playing with them or traipsing around their park my eyes were glued to the adventures of Locke Lamora & the Gentleman Bastards - the most notorious crew of thieves and con-men that the port city of Camorr has ever seen. Lynch’s story reads like a one-off crime caper, but as the series progresses (I also read the rest of the books in preparation for the release of the fourth book this Autumn, which didn’t happen…) the quarrels that Locke & co. pick in this first act start to come full circle and are hopefully building into a fantastic fourth book. The key that makes Lynch’s story so successful, in my opinion, is that he builds his characters and the world that they play in to a very specific point - just enough information to keep the story going but with endless opportunity to build more, which he later takes full advantage of to create well-rounded stories and characters which go far beyond what on the surface seems like a simple caper. Now if only Lynch would hurry up and get the next book published!!!

Harry Potter & the Philosopher’s Stone (illustrated edition) - Jim Kay & J.K. Rowling

I know, including what is technically a re-read novel on the best-of list is cheating a bit, but how could I resist gushing about the beautifully illustrated edition of Harry Potter & the Philosopher’s Stone that came out last Autumn? Harry Potter was and is such a big deal for my generation that this illustrated version could have been judged very poorly if they hadn’t done a good job, but thankfully Rowling has exceptional taste and this is definitely the beginning of a wonderful collaboration with artist Jim Kay!

**images from Goodreads

Other Places, Other Worlds

Unlike some years where I struggle to choose a mere five books to make the top 5 of the year list, this year the books seemingly chose themselves. Sure, I read a lot, and a lot of it was good, but these five were a step above the others and took it to a whole other level of enjoyable literature. 

The Hunger - Whitley Strieber

I’ve been a fan of the film version of this novel since I saw it back during my undergrad years - who doesn’t love David Bowie as a vampire, a Sandman-inspired musical intro, and a completely different take on vampirism - but until last year I had no idea that the movie was based on this stunning novel. A lot of the themes are the same between both mediums, and the general feeling of both book and film is well adapted, but the focus Strieber’s focus on the character of Miriam Blaylock heightens the tension to a point where it’s almost impossible to put the book down. This is definitely one of the seminal books within the vampire genre, so I’m incredibly glad that I finally read it (and added it to my collection - yay Value Village score) this year. 

All the Light we Cannot See - Anthony Doerr

This novel is kind of a slow burner, but it’s one of the best WWII-era books that I’ve ever read. Doerr weaves a compelling tale that really gets to the heart of the German-French conflict through the characters of two young children - each on opposing sides of the conflict, and neither with any real interest in the war besides the fact that they are in it. At times the story feels like a caper, with it’s plot line of a cursed jewel secreted away from Nazi looters, and at others like a human interest piece, with its family drama in a multi-story French household, and is all-together an absolute gem. I can’t wait to see more from Doerr, since it’s clear that he has a way with historical stories. 

Paris: The Novel - Edward Rutherfurd

Something about reading this book at the peak of the mid-summer heatwave made it incredibly easy to devour this lengthy and complex book in only seven days. Maybe it was the synergy with Paris in the summertime (not that I would technically know, since I have yet to set foot on the banks of the Seine), maybe it was Rutherfurd’s style of prose (which is impeccably detailed and historically accurate, yet easy to engage with), or maybe I was just caught up in the stories of one of the most fascinating cities in the world (even if they are fictional). Either way, this book made me an official fan of Rutherfurd and piqued my wanderlust for the City of Light. 

Harry Potter : The Creature Vault - Jody Revenson

When I read Rowling’s bonus book to the Harry Potter series, Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them, I wanted it to be exactly like this one: full of fantastic illustrations, carefully written but humorous text, and all the magical beasts that you could ever want! It came out just in time to pique all of us latent HP fans for the coming film adaptation of Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them next year as well, so I would say this book had perfect timing. 

A Madness of Angels - Kate Griffin

It’s been far too long since I’ve read a truly wonderful urban fantasy novel, but thankfully I stumbled upon this fantastic series by one of my favourite authors, who had been writing under a pseudonym so I had no idea that she had a whole bunch more books published than the four that I was aware of. In this book we get London, truly urbanized magic, an intriguing protagonist, and a horrifying but relatable villain, all wrapped up into a wonderfully rollicking adventure that sees a truly unique magical world realized - one that is right under the noses of modern Londoners. So far I’m three books into the series, and I never ever want them to end!

*images from Amazon

Afterword

Today is the Winter Solstice, so it is quite fitting that it is time for the annual book review as there’s no better way to spend the longest night of the year than curled up with a stack of wonderful books!

Coriolanus by William Shakespeare

To start off the list, I’ll begin with the oldest book that I read this year. Penned sometime in the first decade of the 1600s, this marvellous play still resonates today. Themes of war, familial obligations, breaking (or keeping with) tradition are ever-present in society, and are emphasized as conflicts across the globe cause strife for civilians and the loyalty of participants is tested as beliefs trump national obligations. Coriolanus was one of the last tragedies that Shakespeare wrote before his death, and it is clear that he has come quite far as a writer. Simplistic themes of star-crossed lovers have been replaced by greater societal motifs that revolve around a citizens duty to the populace - a topic that may have been on Shakespeare’s mind since his popularity as the leading playwright of the era demanded fresh performances for royal audiences and the people alike. What struck me most about this play are Shakespeare’s explorations of the various relationships that Caius Martius Coriolanus has with the people around him; he is a loyal son who follows the path that his mother made for him, but he is also driven by the ambitions of his pseudo-father Menenius, yet is also influenced by the domestic obligations to his wife and child. His relationship with Tullus Aufidius is the most fraught throughout the play, and is one that reveals much about the nature of competition and friendship between men. 

Trolls by Brian & Wendy Froud

Part whimsical picture book, part pseudo-scientific textbook, the Froud’s collaborative exploration of the Trolls of the wildwood was a quick pick for this year’s top 5 books. I’ve been a fan of the Froud’s artwork for years (getting my first taste in the macabré Lady Cottington’s Pressed Fairy Book), but Brian Froud hasn’t produced a book this comprehensive in many years. The wait was worth it though, as each page is packed edge to edge with Wendy’s sculptures and Brian’s illustrations, which are carefully balanced with whimsical (but still readable) typefaces to create a wonderful designed book. The layout was often reminiscent of the classic scientific series for children Eyewitness (which explored various topics such as Ancient Egypt or gemstones), which some readers might think detracts from the fragments of “collected troll stories” but which I found absolutely charming and offset the truly fictional portions. 

The Book Thief by Markus Zusak

I’ve read a lot of books on World War II, both fiction and non-fiction (and sometimes in-between the two), but nothing is quite like this stunning novel about a young German girl who is orphaned and adopted at the beginning of the war. Unlike most young protagonists in WWII novels, Liesel is not Jewish. She isn’t really much of anything in fact, yet this is what makes her story so intriguing and so unique. Liesel sees her adoptive parents struggle to make ends meet (life isn’t easy for a painter - especially one who has Jewish sympathies), sees them risk everything to hide a young Jewish man as a favour to her stepfather’s deceased friend, and sees their eventual deaths as their city is bombed. What struck me most about this novel is that Liesel is an observer of everything horrific that is going on around her - not always realizing the severity of the situations - but is still able to learn and grow into someone who takes risks for the things that she loves (books - she is definitely my kind of girl) and retains the ability to live a relatively happy life by finding the joy in small things. 

The Fifth Beatle by Vivek J. Tawary & Andrew Robinson

To me, the Beatles are synonymous with art from their creative album artwork to their carefully styled fashion choices, so I was very pleased with the presentation of this graphic novel. It tells the story of Brian Epstein (the manager of the Beatles), but the artist clearly drew on the artistic motifs of the Beatles themselves to depict his fascinating story. Presented in a larger format than in standard for a graphic novel, and published as a book rather than serialized and then collected, this piece of art breaks a lot of boundaries for the graphic novel industry. Relying on the most unified sense of story and art that I have seen in years, this book elevated the story of Epstein - which is actually quite tragic - to a place that is much more accesible. Themes of inspiration, music, adventure, youth, and love abound in an emotional play that is extremely successful. I hope that this collaborative team continues working on Beatles stories and artwork, since they are the perfect fit!

Dreams of Gods and Monsters by Laini Taylor

At the outset of the Daughter of Smoke and Bone trilogy Taylor paves the way for what could have been just a love story; with the final novel she proves that the story of a reborn chimera girl, Karou, is so much more. Once realizing who and what she is (clearly not human) Karou must face the choice to rejoin her warring chimera brethren and their savage leader or to reject them in favour of her angel lover and the wrongs committed in the past. Her choice is unexpected, even for readers, and the strategic gamble that she enacts is one which finally brings an end to the war between the races. Much more occurs in this novel than can easily be summed up, to the point of Taylor setting up an entirely new series and mythos (please, please, please make it happen!), but she still makes time to reunite Karou and her angel in the final pages, which is sure to please longtime readers of the series. Sometimes we all need to have our cake and eat it too!

*images courtesy of Goodreads

Hi, my Name is Jaimie, and I'm a Book Addict

I may be known to the wider world as a shopaholic & a shoe girl, but my first love was (and always will be) books. My idea of a perfect Friday night is spending it with a 2 foot stack of library books, and I often refer to my social life as “cutting into my reading time.” Clearly I have a problem. Then again, as addictions go, it’s a pretty tolerable one because my substance of choice is free (woohoo libraries), I’m kept out of trouble, and it increases brain cells instead of destroys them. If you want to see how deep my affection for books goes take a look at my Goodreads account (there’s a link under the socialize page), but I’ll start you off with an example of my 5 top books this year!

The Ocean at the End of the Lane by Neil Gaiman

No top 5 book list is complete without an entry from the ever-popular Neil Gaiman, and I was super glad that his latest adult publication stands up to his past reputation of awesomeness. The Ocean draws themes from a lot of his other novels, but the story still stands up well on its own. Many have called him a modern-day myth maker, and this book proves once again that his stories are ones for the ages.

Vader’s Little Princess by Jeffrey Brown

I knew before I even picked up this book that it was going to be hilarious. Darth Vader with a teenage daughter is an alternate universe that really should have come to fruition in a sit com. Then again, the single page sketches perfectly contain Brown’s witty and satirical prose, so this format was perfect as a dose of laughs.

            Tim Gunn’s Fashion Bible by Tim Gunn

I read a lot of fashion books this year (thanks to the inter-library loans at Dalhousie and the surprisingly robust fashion collection at the Regina Public Library), but the most amusing, well-written, and helpful of the lot was penned by style guru Tim Gunn. The pages may not be filled with beautiful fashion photography – I got my fix of that elsewhere – but Gunn’s knowledge of fashion history and the development of trends lends itself to extremely well placed advice. Plus it’s organized into easily referenced chapters for each kind of clothing – and you know I love me some organization!

The Perks of Being a Wallflower by Stephen Chobosky

I shall confess: I was badly behaved and watched the movie before I read the book. Thankfully Chobosky had a lot of influence on the film, so I found myself remembering parts of the film as I read the book because they were so similar. Even when the two formats differed (translating speech from books to film is tricky) I found that they both evoked similar feelings, whether they were laughter or tears, and was very glad for this synergy.

Daughter of Smoke and Bone by Laini Taylor

There has been a lot of drivel published in the teen fantasy genre in recent years (I blame the advent of Twilight entirely), so I was utterly surprised when I found myself spellbound by this novel. Taylor’s lush mythlogy and well-written prose redeems the entire genre, and goes to prove that there are decent urban fantasy books out there – they’re just a little bit hidden. Considering how well this book seems to be faring on the ratings charts it would not surprise me if it was the beginning of a new supernatural being popularity change. Get on the band wagon now, or you’ll definitely regret it!

all images from Goodreads.

The Battle of the Books

It’s that time of year again! It’s time for my annual review of my top 5 books, movies, and albums. This year I read an awful lot of books, so it was pretty difficult to pick just five favourites because so many of them were amazing. But I managed to get the long list down to just 5 books, so if you want to see what other books I loved this year just go and check out my Goodreads account (which is linked in the right panel for your convenience)! So without further ado, here are my top 5 of 2012!

 The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern

This book has a little bit of everything: love, battle, family drama, magic, and the mystery of a fantastic circus to tie it all together. It’s hard not to become instantly enchanted when surrounded by the black and white circus tents and the strange characters who populate them, so be prepared to lose a few days to reading this book! For a breakout novel, Morgenstern did a smash-up job and I can’t wait to read her next publication.

Savage Beauty by Andrew Bolton

You’ll be drawn in by the holographic cover art that seamlessly contorts the portrait of the legendary Alexander McQueen into his favourite skull motif, but you’ll stay for the glorious fashion show that romps through the pages of this coffee table book. Readers are taken on a journey through McQueen’s fashion legacy, from his early pieces to the creations that made up his final show and which cemented his place as one of the greatest fashion designers of our age.

Life by Keith Richards

I normally can’t stand biography, but I was strangely absorbed with Richards’ telling of his childhood in England and his rise to fame as the leader of the infamous Rolling Stones. Richards’ story is one filled with action, romance, fame, music, and a surprising amount of humility. Even after all the drama, his words ring true and the man behind the stage persona shines through to reveal a man who is happily married, loves dogs, and spends lots of time in his home library.

Fight Club by Chuck Palahniuk

This was definitely one of the strangest books I’ve ever read, but it’s one that is not to be missed. The dual protagonist and his strange delusions are entertaining and frightening as he reveals the travesty of what the world has become. If you want your mind blown (figuratively, though I’m sure that Tyler Durden would try to make it physical) then take a wander through the strange world of the fight club.

Captain Corelli’s Mandolin by Louis des Bernieres

The stage is set on a Greek island, as the Second World War begins and Italy invades their neighbouring country, but action of war is the least reason to pick up this novel. Even within the horrors of war, the enemy is not always who it seems, and on an island it is difficult for two opposing sides to stay separated. Unique characters populate the pages of this stunning novel, and you’ll be on the edge of your seat to see what happens to each of them as the war carries on. 

Images taken from Amazon.ca

Z is for Zoos, Zebras, & Zippers

... all of which can be found in The Norton Anthology of Children's Literature, edited by Jack Zipes. He's one of the foremost scholar's on children's literature (both content and historically), so for anyone with an interest in the genre this is not a book to be missed. Normally I don't bother keeping the Norton/Oxford/etc anthologies that I was forced to buy as part of my English degree, but this one I kept because it has a whole bunch of stories that aren't in publication anymore and aren't easy to find, even though they're important to the historical development of children's literature. It's a huge volume, even in paperback, hence why it comes with a carrying case, so that it won't get damaged, and every page is packed with useful information and wonderful tales.

image from Good Reads

Dragontamer, Historian, Magician, Storyweaver (Y is for Jane Yolen)

image from Jacket Flap

image from Steven Silver's Reviews

We're going back to my childhood again for this post, because Jane Yolen was a pretty important writer in my library stacks. I've read pretty much everything she's ever written, and a lot of her stories remain my favourites to this day. The series that always comes to mind when I hear her name is the Pit Dragon Trilogy, which I read over and over and over, and still have multiple copies of in my collection. It's typical fantasy, with a teenage protagonist, who befriends a fighting dragon and brings himself out of a life of indentured servitude. But it's still a good read, for all it's minor clichés. More recently I finally got around to reading Briar Rose, which is a re-telling of the story of Sleeping Beauty, but with themes involving the Holocaust, family history, and the lies parents tell their children. It's a kind of strange story, and I'm not sure if I entirely get it, so I'm going to have to go back and re-read it at some point.

XXX-Rated (?)

I've never really gotten why Clamp called their über-awesome manga series Xxxholic, because there's really very little about it that's x-rated. Sure there's death, dying, the occult, love triangles, and the occasional boob, but there are many more manga sesries that are closer to soft-core or blatant pornography than Xxxholic. I'm going to write the title slip as a "lost in translation" thing, and continue to adore the series, because Clamp can do no wrong! And really, who doesn't love a bumbling hero, who cleans up nicely when you get him into a tuxedo?

image from Manga-Reader

Storybook Love (W is for Willingham)

I've already said that I love re-told fairytales, so it's no wonder I fell head-over-heels into storybook love with Bill Willingham's graphic novel series Fables. Every creature from fairytales around the world are reworked into the series, but in the most modern sense. These characters are referred to as "Fables," and have been chased out of their homelands by the Adversary to reside in New York (and other locales around the world) among the "mundies." Political drama, relationships made and broken, magic, adventure, and a glass slipper or two all reside within the pages of these volumes, and in the spin-off series. It's no wonder that Fables started racking in the awards soon after their inception, since they're everything that a reader could want.

image from Scene 360

V is for Veritas (and Vivian Vande Velde)

image from Good Reads

Secrets, duality, and truth have always been some of the my favourite literary themes, and every single one of Vivian Vande Velde's novels deals with these themes in some form. Whether it's vampires who are capable of love, people who don't know their own power, or (my personal favourite) dragons who turn out to have hearts of gold as well as scales, none of her characters are quite who they seem at first. 

And How are You All Doing? (U is for You)

Apparently U is an extremely un-used letter to begin last-names with, so I have not a single author to suggest that you read. Instead I want to hear what you're all reading for the summer! Whether it's a 6 foot stack of Harlequin romances, Sherlock Holmes (Liz and I discovered we were reading it at exactly the same time without discussing doing so, and therefore you should follow along), pre-reading textbooks for next year (though hopefully not...), or catching up on your favourite authors I wanna hear about it! Though I can't promise not to laugh if you're actually reading a 6 foot stack of Harlequins...

The Russian (T is for Tolstoy)

I dare you to go pick up a novel by Tolstoy. Seriously. Go ahead and prove to me that you're not as literarily weak as I think you are ;)

image from Rob Around Books

S is for Spies, San Diego Comic-Con, & Art Spiegelman

Anyone who says graphic novels can't be literature obviously hasn't read Art Speigelman's classic comic book Maus. It doesn't get any more serious than the Holocaust, and that's exactly what the book tackles, alongside themes of family relationships, PTSD, history, memory, and the plight of the writer. It has it's moments of being clichéd, but no novel is perfect, and as a student of history, literature, and art this book is an extremely well-done blending of the three genres.

image from Can't Explain

On the Bright Side, I'm Now the Girlfriend of a Sex God (R is for Louise Rennison)

It's summer, and we deserve a mental break from anything serious, so go ahead and get that venti mocha cookie crumble frappuccino from Starbucks and lay out on the beach with one of the hilarious Georgia Nicholson books from Louise Rennison. You'll be laughing away those calories in no time!

image from the Book Slooth

Literary Lioness (P is for Tamora Pierce)

When I was young and unsure of who I was I didn't turn to my mother, or to famous people, or to Oprah for guidance. I turned to literature. Specifically Tamora Pierce's Song of the Lioness quartet about Alanna, a girl who pretends to be a boy and becomes the first female knight of Tortall. She taught me that sometimes we have to hide who we are to succeed, but once we do succeed nothing can stop us. She taught me that women can be as fierce, or fiercer than men. She taught me that life gets tricky sometimes, but also that if you fight for it, you can achieve anything. Being a girl isn't a limitation, it's an inspiration.

image from Good Reads

O is for Jamie Oliver

I think it's time to introduce some new foods into my recipe collection, so why not hit up the chef with (almost) the same name as me? Though chances are I'll stick to finding stuff on his website, since that's free and leaves more room in my budget for buying ingrediants :p

image from Amazon

Nine Bells of a Necromancer (N is for Garth Nix)

I read the Abhorsen Trilogy (also known as the Old Kingdom Chronicles) when I was in early highschool, but I had to re-read part of it for a class 2 years ago and found it just as charming the however-many-times-around it was. Not only does Garth Nix write about a believable and complex set of female characters, they're all inextricably tied to the history of their world, but not in the overwhelming way that some fantasy writers play it (sorry Tolkien fans). The first book is all about Sabriel, and she gets to play with the dead. Which I think is pretty bad-ass. I have this weird fixation with death-lore and underworld mythology apparently. The best part about the series is that Nix has woven a ridiculous amount of allusions to other stories and clever plays on language into his story. Most people aren't going to notice that some of the necromantic bells are named after angels, that Sabriel's name is a clever blending of name-ology, and that there's a reason the cat is the way he is, but to someone who's versed in a range of mythological traditions the books take on a whole new meaning. Someday I'll sit down and do a close reading of them and publish that shit and become famous. But that day is not today, because alas, I am tired. But eventually, it shall be done!

image from Amazon

M is for Ian McEwan

cover image from BookBath

Reading Rainbow (L is for Andrew Lang)

image from Great Books Education

Fairy tales and legends are some of the most influential stories since the beginning of human history. They define the social norms, values, morals, fears, and expectations of any given culture, and they contain themes that echo around the world and across a variety of nations. Themes, characters, and locales from these stories are still seen in literature today, and many writers model their own stories based on these classic tales (whether they realize it or not).

A good place to get a broad overview of fairy tales from around the world are in Andrew Lang's coloured fairy books. There are 12 volumes in total, and they cover stories ranging from the Brother's Grimm, to Madame D'Aulnoy, to stories from the Arabian Nights. The collection isn't meant to be comprehensive (it's not even possible to cover all the stories), but Lang's volumes give the reader a taste of the familiar and of the unknown, so they're a great starting place for anyone wishing to explore the realms of fairytales.

Before there was Hogwarts... (J is for Diana Wynne Jones)

... there was Chrestomanci Castle. Welcome to the world of Christopher (Cat) Chant. A boy who discovers at the age of 11 that he is a powerful enchanter, after spending his whole life in the shadow of his domineering witch sister, Gwen, and is whisked away to be trained by the most powerful enchanter of all time, Chrestomanci. Sound familiar, Harry Potter fans? The Chrestomanci series was around years and years before the world of Harry Potter was even a figment of J.K. Rowling's imagination. As much as I'm a fan of the HP series, I read the Chrestomanci books when I was a kid, so HP just can't add up to the original magical boy. Plus Cat doesn't have a scar, there are other awesome worlds that he can travel to, and his friends are much more than mere sidekicks (sorry Hermione and Ron), since he's not the feature of every book.

image from Amazon

For more on Diana Wynne Jones, check out her website, or the official fansite! Trust me, all her books are amazing.