DWJ readalike!

Weave A Circle Round, Kari Maaren. Norton (Nebula YA) finalist but lost to Art of Starving.

Let's do this in stages. If my recommendations sometimes work for you, and you like Diana Wynne Jones, I am recommending this one, and I think it's the kind of book that's fun to read while knowing absolutely nothing about it (except that it's YA that someone thought was Norton-eligible, obviously, although there are ways that it feels more like upper-middlegrade, and as a further tone/content data point I'm planning to suggest it to Junie).

If you would like at least a couple of hints from the first couple of chapters about what you might be getting into here, ( Read more... )

And if you would like still more of an idea of what this book might be like or why you might like it, here's a probably-not-complete list of Diana Wynne Jones books that I think are being referenced or homaged here: ( Read more... )

, My best guess is that even if you haven't read much DWJ this is still a really fun book, just in a somewhat different way. I promise that if anyone hasn't read much or any DWJ and wants to share their reaction to Weave in the comments I won't reply saying "YOU HAVEN'T READ ANY DWJ??". There are several books on that list I only read as an adult, and at least one more I only *liked* as an adult. ...Junie, it occurs to me, has not read any DWJ, and is thus the perfect test subject for this investigation. (I know, I know, how has she not, but she went through a phase of resistance to my book recommendations. I think she's come around now that she's reading so fast she's having trouble keeping herself in things to read next though. Muahaha, my day has arrived.)

Hotel Transylvania 3

Some thoughts on Hotel Transylvania 3:

1) I did not expect the Macarena guys to be picking up new royalties in 2018.

2) I liked that they backed off of the "you only get ONE ROMANTIC RELATIONSHIP EVER and you HAVE TO MAKE IT WORK because it's YOUR ONLY CHANCE" plot driver from the first movie, but I'm still not thrilled with "you INSTANTLY KNOW when you see someone if they're RIGHT FOR YOU". Like, look, okay, I love those tropes in fanfiction - instant soulbonds, name-on-wrist, all that shit - but in fanfic I'm reading it in the context of a pairing I already ship, who I've seen fall for each other dozens or hundreds of different other ways. I dislike it as the whole introduction to/canonical basis for a ship. And I particularly dislike it for media aimed at my kids, who I would prefer not to see internalize too many messages of "if you're attracted to someone right away you have to follow up on that" or "if someone is attracted to you right away you're obligated to give them a chance", although I was complaining about this a little bit in the car on the way home and Quentin was like "yeah and also Dracula got an axe in his head and that's clearly not real either, Mom", so the kids are probably fine. But anyways, meh.

3) Can't unsee the macguffin as an ancient Atlantean tentacle dildo.

4) Related to 1), I feel like the choices of the three songs could have been funnier, although perhaps not lending themselves as well to an animation gag. "Call Me Maybe" would have been hilarious though *and also fit perfectly with the plot/theme*, just saying.