with a book and a cup of tea

~Oscar Wilde

(written on my t-shirt)

I am a great lover of Oscar Wilde, I am wearing a fan t-shirt right now and I love all of his works. To be honest, the Picture is not even my favourite of his works. But not because it's bad, but because his other stuff is so dang good :)

I really love his writing style. It's so very simple, almost biblical but still very effective. In his other works (especially in his fairy tales and poems in prose) maybe more than here, but it's also in the Picture very beautiful.

It's a classic. A modern classic, but still a classic. But it isn't dusty or old, it's fresh and not modern, but simply timeless. People will always read it and always adore it. 

The charactersare interesting. I like Basil most, of course. I like Henry to some pits and agree with him at some points. I love/hate Dorian, just as I was supposed to.

The storyline is well known, so I don't have to say a lot about it. And I don't want to spoiler (in case someone doesn't know)

I know, many people love it, but just as many hate it. It's not a book for everyone.

But I recommend it.

My rating

five stars out of five

I am sure you have heard of that book. The musical is legendary, the character has been used for so many stories, everyone has heard about "The Phantom Of The Opera" - even if it's because of the Animaniacs or the Duck Tales or Sherlock Holmes. 

But have you read the book? 
Yes? Fine! Did you like it? I guess...

No? Then read it! No matter if you like the musical or not - I love both but many people like only one of them. 

Do you like to read on long afternoons or evening, watching the storm, rain or snow on the other side of the window, drinking tea, coffee, hot chocolate or wine and eating bisquits or other treats? Well, I personally do, so that book is just perfect for me.

It is interesting. It shoes happenings (both fact and fiction) from different points of view. Most of the characters are a little silly, yet still lovable. Christine is kind of my idol. The persian is fascinating. And Erik, poor, poor Erik...

I know, I should hate him, but I can't. I have mixed feelings about him in the musical (depending on the actor, mostly), but I mainly like him there. But book Erik... oh my poor, Erik. He is even a bit more evil there - but he is a thousand times more pitiful! I'm not like "Aaaah, Gerard Butler is so smexy, Erik is kewl", not at all (by the way, I can't stand the 2004 movie),. I like him as a character. 

Characters: Really good. It's an old novel, so don't expect the trendy, modern [insert random number here] dimensionality, you might be used to. But the characters are not flat at all. 

Writing style: Very beautiful. Very rational at some points, pretending it was real. At other points very flowery and poetic. 

Lenght: Not a big book, but also not thin. Long enough, but not too long. Between 300 and 400 pages, I think. 

Plot: Well, we know most of it right? But it's rather different from the musical and has some unexpected twists. Not many, but they are there.

It will follow you. Some bits of it are actually unforgettable.

And it has some unbelievably lovely quotes. I won't tell them - I don't want to spoiler. And I only have a German copy of it, I don't want to search all of the English quotes on the internet.

My rating:

five stars out of five.

You will never forget this book.

"Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell" by Susanna Clarke is surely one the most impressive fantasy books of our time, if not the best at all.

The story is exiting, complex, highly original, never predictable. All of the complex and inscrutable, but even though they are rather dark figures, most of them are rather lovable (there is only one character I really dislike).The writing style is superb, slightly funny and ironic (in a Jane Austen-ish way), mature, very elegant, rather unusual. The atmosphere is thick, dusty, dark. The first wto parts are rather flowery and light, the last part is darker and faster. 

If you don't like slow books or if you prefer lots of action, this book would clearly not be pleased with this book. If you like long reads on dark afternoons, drinking tea, and if you want to be inside of the book, if you love complicated plots and unusual characters, a lot of history in a fantasy book and the wonderful world of early 19th century England - then read it. Just. Read. It. You will love it!

I'm neither a Strangeist, nor am I a Norrellist. I understand both, both are right to some points, but both are wrong on other points. 

They compensate each other.

I was very impressed by the character of John Childermass. He fascinated me. More than most characters used to do.

My rating

five stars out of five

I think it is not simply a good read. It's an epic book, a signature piece of the Fantasy genre, influenced by gothic and historical novels. 

It is unique. Like "The Lord Of The Rings" is the red book, 

this is the black book.

The red book is the signature piece of High Fantasy, the black book is the signature piece of Contemporary Fantasy. I don't want to compare these books (I don't get why some people do that), because they have nothing in common. Exept that they are epic. I don't say they are the best books and many people don't like them (luckily, there have to be different opinions), but both of them will exist in centuries, when many other books are forgotten. In the future, this book will be a piece of classical literature. It will not be a random novel. It will be history.

Believe me, it was completely different from what I expected. I am a great lover of the brilliant but rather unknown fantasy series

"The Chronicles Of The Imaginarium Geographica" by James A. Owen,

so I simply had to get the spin-off book. I thought it was a novel. A novel related to the fifth book. The only finished IG book was the first, though. And while the Lost Treasures are interesting for IG fans, IG might not be interesting for LT readers. 

It's not a novel, it doesn't have a storyline. But it is full of interesting facts (and fictions...) and it has wonderful maps.

It also contains a riddle. Will you solve it?

I recommend it to people, that search for a delightful and fast read, to every pirate fan, to every IG lover, to every child-at-heart

If you want a really exiting fantasy book with pirates - red "The Chronicles Of The Imaginarium Geographica" - it has pirates, alongside many other exiting things :)

I have to say: five stars out of five