Bingo Square (Round 2): And So It Begins I am not sure why I keep trying adaptations of Alice in Wonderland. I didn’t have enough of a connection to the original story or movie as a child to get all the references. It was the one Disney movie that scared the hell out of me as a child, and which I refused to re-watch (or my parents never showed again, not wanting to deal with the aftermath). I was less than enthralled with Splintered (though I […]
“This Isn’t a Wonderful Place for Boys to Play and Have Adventures”
Earlier this year I read another one of Christina Henry’s novels, The Mermaid, which is also a reimagining of a classic story or myth (in that case, of PT Barnum’s infamous Feejee Mermaid). While it was a good read though not super captivating, upon looking at some of Henry’s other works, I was drawn in by a series of covers for the UK versions of her various novels to date, which included this one pictured for Lost Boy: The True Story of Captain Hook. And you know […]
Oh, the Many Cages We Find Ourselves In
Coincidentally the second piece of media released recently that I’ve taken in having to do with the historical figure of PT Barnum; one more and it’s a pattern. But in The Mermaid, the story is not per say about him, but rather about a fictional recounting of a mermaid who finds herself in his exploitative employ (inspired by the infamous Fiji mermaid hoax). But despite the magical elements therein, this novel is more of an introspective exploration of personhood, freedom, and human cruelty. The Mermaid begins with […]
You Can Never Leave the Island
Since I drove up to visit my parents’ new house last weekend (and to catch up with my cat), I actually had a long enough drive for once to make progress in an audiobook (“thanks” to traffic, it ended up being much more progress than I expected). I think I bought this when it was an Audible deal of the day, and I am so glad I did. It was an enjoyable story, easy to listen to, though I do feel that the narrator’s voice […]