My Five Last Reads by Cornelia Funke

As part of Cornelia Funke's blog tour for Reckless: The Golden Yarn, I'm pleased to welcome the author herself onto the blog to tell us about the last five books she read. 

Michael Pollan THE BOTANY OF DESIRE

My breakfast read for many mornings, as delicious as very good coffee, educating, enlightening…no plant will ever look the same

Michael Pollan A PLACE OF MY OWN

Another vastly enjoyable Michael Pollan. Brilliant reflections on the difference between European and American architecture and our need for shelter

ART OF ARMOUR Samurai Armor from the Ann and Gabriel Barbier-Mueller Collection

The exhibit this catalogue portraits changed and enrichened my perception of the Japanese Samurai. The book goes even deeper and was a brilliant source of research for my fourth Reckless Book which is set in Japan.

Warner Shedd OWLS AREN’T WISE AND BATS AREN’T BLIND

No they aren’tJ I felt always like returning from a hike in the wild when I had finished a chapter. They all prove how estranged we are from our furry and feathered fellow creatures- and how endlessly fascinating they are.

Antony Alpers MAORI MYTHS & TRIBAL LEGENDS

I have rarely read more powerful myths than these - and I read quite a few.

*****

Reckless: The Golden Yarn by Cornelia Funke 

Published by Pushkin Press

Summary

Jacob Reckless continues to travel the portal in his father's abandoned study. His name has continued to be famous on the other side of the mirror, as a finder of enchanted items and buried secrets. His family and friends, from his brother, Will to the shape-shifting vixen, Fox, are on a collision course as the two worlds become connected. Who is driving these two worlds together and why is he always a step ahead?

This new force isn’t limiting its influence to just Jacob’s efforts - it has broadened the horizon within MirrorWorld. Jacob, Will and Fox travel east and into the Russian folklore, to the land of the Baba Yaga, pursued by a new type of being that knows our world all to well.

To find out more about Cornelia Funke:

Twitter / Website

The Other Alice by Michelle Harrison

Alice Silver had never met anyone who had killed before, but that changed on the day Dorothy Grimes walked past the window of Alice's favourite coffee shop. 

Published by Simon and Schuster on 28th July 2016

Pages -352

Summary

What happens when a tale with real magic, that was supposed to be finished, never was? This is a story about one of those stories . . . 

Midge loves riddles, his cat, Twitch, and ‒ most of all ‒ stories. Especially because he’s grown up being read to by his sister Alice, a brilliant writer.

When Alice goes missing and a talking cat turns up in her bedroom, Midge searches Alice’s stories for a clue. Soon he discovers that her secret book, The Museum of Unfinished Stories, is much more than just a story. In fact, he finds two of its characters wandering around town.

But every tale has its villains ‒ and with them leaping off the page, Midge, Gypsy and Piper must use all their wits and cunning to work out how the story ends and find Alice. If they fail, a more sinister finale threatens them all...

*****

I may be completely biased, because I love everything Michelle Harrison writes. Ever since reading The Thirteen Treasures, I've hailed Michelle as the new Enid Blyton and I still stand by my words. She weaves fantasy with ease into a contemporary setting. 

This book is pure magic! I love that there is a book within the book! This tale brings to life, Alice's characters from her stories. Some are lovely but many are menacing and out to get what they want. For them to return to the story, Alice must finish writing it. When Alice disappears, Midge, Alice's younger brother, struggles to search for and save his sister. He must help her to return the characters back to the fictional world. 

The characters effortlessly spill out of the story into real life. I thought it was excellent how they believed themselves to be alive and really felt their shock  and fear on realising they were just characters from a story. I loved Tabitha, the talking cat, who loves a good cup of tea.

There is a real darkness to this tale, which is very much a signature of Michelle Harrison's style of writing. Her characters are never sweet or innocent. Dorothy Grimes is seriously scary!

The prose is intricately plotted and bursting with descriptive passages. I am in awe of Michelle's plotting abilities. 

The book reminded me how much I loved Inkheart by Cornelia Funke. If you are a fan of Inkheart, you will really enjoy this book.  

Ghost Knight by Cornelia Funke

Pages - 330

Published by Orion Children's Books in October 2012

I was eleven when my mother sent me to boarding school in Salisbury. Yes, granted, she did have tears in her eyes as she brought me to the station. But she still puts me on that train.

Goodreads Summary

Eleven-year-old Jon Whitcroft never expected to enjoy boarding school. Then again, he never expected to be confronted by a pack of vengeful ghosts, either. And then he meets Ella, a quirky new friend with a taste for adventure...

Together, Jon and Ella must work to uncover the secrets of a centuries-old murder while being haunted by terrifying spirits, their bloodless faces set on revenge. So when Jon summons the ghost of the late knight Longspee for his protection, there's just one question: Can Longspee truly be trusted?

********

Cornelia Funke is one of my favourite international children's authors...EVER! I have yet to read a book by this author that I haven't loved and Ghost Knight will sat happily on my book shelf next to the author's other books which I have loved.

This book is an excellent ghost story written for the 9 to 12 age bracket, set in the stunning surroundings of Salisbury; inspired after a visit to Salisbury Cathedral on a book tour. Considering that Cornelia does not live in England,  her writing portrays the characters and the setting in such a way that you would think  she had lived here for years. I am amazed by her talent as she seems to be the first international author to truly be able to recreate life in England within her stories. 

The book is extremely well written, completely engaging and I was totally absorbed from beginning to end. It reminded me of the classic ghost stories I read as a child, such as The Children of Green Knowe and Moondial. 
The main character Jon, is sent to boarding school and you instantly think of Harry Potter. Yet this boarding school is a little more realistic in appearance, yet  it is filled with  some rather gruesome ghosts rather than magic. The ghosts within the story are pretty scary, so I wouldn't recommend for the younger children, but definitely an ideal book for the 11 to 12 year olds as long as they don't frighten to easily. Jon's friend, Ella was based on a real person who is really sassy and stands no nonsense from anyone. She was definitely my favourite character within the story. 

The author brings to life historical figures and I loved the way the plot centred around them, offering a little bit of history disguised in a thrilling tale. It made me desperate to explore Salisbury, especially Stonehenge and the Cathedral.  The UK is filled to the brim with ghost stories that need to be told, so I am so pleased to find one as wonderful as this.
The illustrations in the book are stunning and helped to bring the story alive. I really would like to see more 9 to 12 books with illustrations, even in older books, the odd picture would be nice. 
This is an ideal winter read for those cold, snowy nights - an  excellent Christmas present for the older spookily enchanted child. 

Reckless by Cornelia Funke

Pages - 343
Published by Chicken House Books
Kindly sent to me by the publisher for an honest review

The night breathed through the apartment like a dark animal. The ticking of a clock. The groan of a floorboard as he slipped out of his room. All was drowned by its silence. But Jacob loved the night. He felt it on his skin like a promise. Like a cloak woven from freedom and danger.
Goodreads Summary

For years, Jacob Reckless has enjoyed the Mirrorworld’s secrets and treasures.

Not anymore.

His younger brother has followed him.

Now dark magic will turn the boy to beast, break the heart of the girl he loves, and destroy everything Jacob holds most dear. . . .

Unless he can find a way to stop it.

*********

I can always tell when I am reading a Cornelia Funke book. You could take away the front cover and hide her name but I would still know she had written it. She has such a uniqueness to each fantasy world she creates. She is fantastic at creating a fairytale world that has the darkness of Grimms Fairytales hidden within it. I could easily place this book in the same world as the Inkheart series as those books have that similar fairytale darkness.  I really enjoy Cornelia Funke's unique development of portals into her imaginary worlds.  This world is reflected through a mirror which transports you to the other side just by touching it. Wouldn't if be lovely if we could really step into another world with such ease and quite by accident.

I loved this book as soon as I read the first chapter. Jacob is definitely a character that is reckless by name and nature. He is dangerous and will stop at nothing to get what he wants. With his brother's arrival in the strange world he sees as home, Jacob has to deal with emotions he hasn't coped with for years. He is in a difficult quandary which sets him off on a perilous journey to save his brother. 

I found the characters all to be so well written and unique. I loved Evenaugh Valiant, the dwarf who had nearly led Jacob to his death. I couldn't help but imagine Martin Short playing the part in a film version of it. The character had so many of his comical tendencies I have seen brought to life so many times before.   The Fox was a gorgeous character too; her loyalties to Jacob are so strong, she will stop at nothing to protect him. 

I thought the creation of the Goyl was thoroughly originally. This breed' s appearance was made of different precious stones and could be recreated by the Dark Fairy who had the ability to turn humans into stone people. I haven't read anything similar to this before and I found it fascinating.

The story was extremely fast paced. Jacob could give Jack Bauer from 24 a run for his money as he raced against time to stop his brother from dying. I found that the action never let up leaving you quite breathless by the end.

This is a fast, action packed read in a dark fairytale world that has the classic uniqueness of Cornelia Funke sewn in. 

I have just discovered that this is the first book in a trilogy, which I am really excited about now. Cornelia is excellent at tying up any loose ends within her books, so I am no intrigued as to where the story will go from here.