Back in May 2022 I posted about the online venture of having Bram Stoker’s Dracula emailed to you on the days mentioned in the novel. The final email was sent 8 November and honestly it was quite sad to know the journey has come to an end. For seven months I had been following the adventures of Jonathan, Mina, Lucy and a whole host of characters as they have their lives uprooted by Dracula.
It was absolutely fascinating to read Dracula this way and I spent a lot of the time trying to fathom how Stoker laid this out in the original because the build-up and the suspense was actually at times more terrifying in chronological order. The slow build of Lucy’s sickness, the chase to hunt The Count, the waiting to see if characters make it out alive all added to the atmosphere. Having the knowledge of what is hunting people while none of the characters did was amazing because they don’t know what is picking men from boats but we do, and reading their thoughts and fears of the unknown entity was chilling.
Of course, the downsides were weeks of waiting, not hearing from our friend Jonathan, never knowing if he was ok after his Ordeals, but it also reflects the other character’s experience as they too must wait to hear of news via telegram or mail.
It was a fascinating experiment, one I am glad ran for a second year because I adored it; the online community it created as well was excellent and getting to read a one hundred and twenty five year old story, readily available in the public domain, across seven months was delightful.
What was unexpected was how completely different the original story is to any other adaptation of popular culture depiction of Dracula is. It was its own story, a complex, character driven story that may have nothing much to do with modern depictions, but nonetheless was its own gothic horror story.
Mina is a strong woman and Van Helsing was knowledgeable, but also old and feeble to his own admissions (and my word can he talk!). It was a story of love and loss and while there is the obvious racism, sexism, misogyny which one can’t escape, there is also acknowledgement of the strength of women and their passion, also there are men openly weeping and confessing their love, this is definitely a found family story.
I can see why movie adaptations pick and choose from the story to embellish and rewrite, there is a lot more realism than you’d think, definitely more talk of train timetables, telegrams and booking hotels in part, but that adds to the charm because of course you need to stay in places and attend your normal work, Dracula being on the loose doesn’t stop that. The epistolary style works in the character’s favour too because we see their thoughts intimately, and every character has a chance to tell their part in the story.
The creator behind Dracula Daily is putting a book out of the reordered story, including I believe a few of the commentary from the community read which I think would be fascinating to see. There is a chance it is running again this year so if you feel like partaking in a fabulous project and experiencing Dracula in a whole new way sign up and be delighted for a change when emails arrive in your inbox. It doesn’t matter if you have never read Dracula or you already know the story this is a fantastic experience and one I am incredibly grateful I got to take part in last year. I may still need to write a review because aside from the whole experience there was a lot of great things in the book that are worth discussing.
This is the experience of one-legged Joe, a child who just wants to have fun in the playground. Constantly seen first for his disability, Joe is fed up of only ever being asked about his leg. All he wants to do is play Pirates.
‘Wait! Just wait!’ You find yourself saying this all the time, right?
I did not realise until writing this I had so many rereads in my five star category. I thought there’d be more but clearly I was not that generous last year. I thought about adding some four stars but that is not the rules here. I had 25 to choose from and most of them were in a series or rereads. On the flipside, if I had read the pile of picture books I had gotten from work last year when I borrowed them instead of early in the new year I would have a few more options for that category, but those will have to wait for next time. Like last year where I only had four main reads, this time I only have four in my picture books. I will definitely have to up my reading game this year and try and find some magnificent reads that are stand alone books.
The highlight of the whole entire year was finally reading the masterpiece that is Animorphs. As a whole I have to give the entire series five stars. A lot of the individual books rated five stars, but I have to acknowledge the absolute way this series took over my life for two months and continues to live in my head as one of the most impactful things I’ve ever read.
This was a reread but it was amazing once again. I love the humour and the amazing science behind it. Mark is a great narrator and Weir tells the story in creative ways that are impactful and clever. There are enough little surprises that each time I am amazed by a plot twist because there’s tiny details I forget while other favouritess stick firmly in my mind.
This is number two in the series but it was an amazing read. Wayward Children is a brilliant series and tells the story of children who have found other worlds and then returned to their original world often against their wishes. Down Among the Sticks and Bones is the backstory of two characters we met in book one and is an incredible insight into their characters and the imagination of McGuire. It’s a tad morbid and maybe lightly gruesome in context with mad scientists and paranormal figures but highly enjoyable with a fabulous narrative voice and dry humour.
Another reread but the entire series holds up really well. My favourite book is still number five Burning for Revenge but going on the whole journey with Ellie, Homer and everyone else after so many years was so much fun and it’s truly a classic Aussie YA series everyone should read. It goes through the realities of war, of growing up, of being teenagers, and enduring the unexpected and unfathomable.
Even though I gave this five stars when I read it, it feels weird adding to my Top Five. It feels too obvious. Too…I dunno, weird. But it certainly a five star read. Douglas Adams is a genius with his words, his ideas, his ability to loop everything back together and weave the strings together where what seems nonsensical suddenly had greater meaning. And then of course at the same time make you realise nothing has meaning. It’s a fantastic book and a great introduction to the five book trilogy and even though it seems a clear choice, you can’t ignore it is still all these years later an amazing read.
Jon Klassen is one of my all-time favourite picture book authors and this is a new addition to his spectacular catalogue. The humour found in all his books is there, there’s drama and beauty, suspense and jealousy. The use of the page in terms of illustrations and text narration is amazing and I love the unexpectedness of the story.
I was crying with laughter by the end of this book which is a solid review in itself. The illustrations are also fantastically cute, filled with colour and great character designs. The humour is great, it’s engaging for kids and adults, and the absurdity adds a whole other level of enjoyment.
Once again drawn in by a cute cover and rewarded with a great story. The illustrations aren’t only adorable but there is a great story about wanting to big and grown up only to realise there is something wonderfully special about being yourself and not rushing to change who you are.
I was surprised how much I adored this book. Mini Rabbit is adorable and her desire to help and her curiosity and enthusiasm for everything is lovely. The illustrations are charming and really pull you into the story and make you invested in the story.
