The Book of Lost Things

Over the last few weeks, my mother has been telling me over and over to read this book, The Book of Lost Things by John Connolly. After checking for it in a few different stores, I finally ordered it from my local bookstore downtown. It was definitely worth the trouble and wait.

The Book of Lost Things is a modern fairy tale, that features fairy tales of old set in a new light. It all takes place in England, during the beginning of World War II. The story starts with David, and the death of his mother. His father remarries and has another child, and the family relocated. David is full of anger and resentment towards his step-mother and his new half-brother. Shortly after the move, David starts experiencing "attacks" and as a result he becomes able to hear the thoughts of books. This is where the Crooked Man enters his life, as well. One night David find himself in a sunken garden next to the house, where a German airplane crashes. David hides in the sunken garden, only to find himself transported to a fairy tale land. He meets a bevvy of characters, including the Woodsman and Roland the Knight, who join David on his quest to return home. The Crooked Man tries to thwart them at every turn, however, as does a series of nefarious beasts and characters.

Many of the fairy tales used in The Book of Lost Things are familiar, where others were brand new to me. Most have been twisted in such a way as to appear more relevant to David's plight. At the end of the edition that I purchased (paper back), there is notes by Connolly about the stories used and why they were important, as well as reprints of the original stories.

I give this book a 5 out of 5, and I think it has definitely found its place among my Top 10 Favorite Books.

A Lion Among Men

The first book finished in 2009 was Gregory Maguire's A Lion Among Men. This book is the third in the Wicked Years, coming after Wicked and Son of a Witch. Where Wicked followed the life of Elphaba (the Wicked Witch of the West), and Son of a Witch followed her "son" Liir, this book follows the story of the Cowardly Lion, also known as Brrr.

I really enjoyed the first book, and found the second lacking. I also found this one hard to read. I suffered through the first 2/3 of the book, only to be rewarded in the last third. I was invested more in the side character of Yackle than I was in the Lion. When everything started to come together at the end of the book, however, I was very interested and had a hard time putting the book down. That was a stark contrast to when I started the book, where I often left it lying around and didn't feel obligated to pick it up.

There were a lot of loose ends at the finish of this book, but there have been at the end of the two predecesors, so I was expecting it. I assume Maguire will write more in this series, and I'll probably end up reading them as well.

Overall, I give this book a 2.5 out of 5.