6. Inkheart by Cornelia Funke



Books were her home when she was somewhere strange - familiar voices, friends that never quarrelled with her, clever, powerful friends, daring and knowledgeable, tried and tested adventurers who had travelled far and wide.

Of all the books I probably wouldn't have read if I hadn't been a children's librarian, Inkheart has to be pretty high up on the list of my favourites. It's not only a gloriously old-fashioned, complex and engaging children's fantasy (in the best possible way, and beautifully written - or, very well translated, since I'm unable to read German), it's an exercise in pure bibliophilia. Inkheart is about book-loving Meggie, her book-binder (or book doctor) father, Mo, her great Aunt Elinor (a book collector who verges on bibliomania), an author and a number of escaped book characters. It's a genuine fantasy novel, but the only magic in it is the power of books and words, of printed paper pages, and reading, and writing - and reading aloud. And about the power, danger and addictiveness of stories and the imagination, of the contrast between fantasy and reality. It's also about the way that stories and characters have a life of their own that can't truly be owned by anybody, even their creators.

The hardback copy I first read (published by Chicken House) was lovely - covers, paper quality, typesetting, everything. A lot of thought went into having not just the cover art (which is nice, but not the thing here) but the whole feel of the book match the theme of it, of getting completely lost in a story. (Actually, I'm thinking now, given how much of it is also about loving the sheer physicality of books - the covers, the paper, their presence in the house, under the pillow, everywhere - it's a little ironic to think how many people are going to read an e-book version of this. That's not a criticism... just a passing thought.)

My only regret is that I couldn't have read it when I was 10 or 12 or so. On the other hand, whether I'd have ever been able to emerge again is a good question, so perhaps it's as well. It is, however, very much one of those books that is a worthwhile read at any age. (Stories have their own shape, and sometimes that shape is a children's novel. That doesn't automatically make it not worth reading by adults.)

( Books are like flypapers )

Credits: textures by tiger_tyger

Meme found in the wild: Make a list of all the characters in your icons. (Although you may have more than one icon of a single character, they only go on the list once.) Alphabetize it. Take the first two people on the list; that's your first pairing. Second two people; second pairing, etc. Treat us to some commentary once you're done.

I thought it'd be fun... I hadn't quite realised what a weird jumble of characters I have - some of them are there more for the action in the icon than the character. So, in most cases, let's say that instead of a commentary, a horrified silence might be more appropriate?

(Actually, it turned out better than I expected. For the first half of the alphabet, anyway.)

( 38 random pairings and an odd man out )

The full set of icons made for naarmamo (minus only the icons that were made as specific requests, and the Big Finish ones, which will follow shortly). It does include some extras and alternates not posted elsewhere. (Gosh. I know. Heh.) A fairly random mix of sources, as follows:

1-5 The Way We Live Now
6-9 Northanger Abbey (BBC 1986)
10-12 Seaside penguins
13-16 North & South) (BBC)
17-26 Text icons from Framed by Frank Cottrell Boyce
28-30 Dungeons & Dragons (Cartoon)
31-33 Elizabeth R
34-37 Life
38 Inkheart
39-40 I Capture the Castle
41-46 Doctor Who (Classic)
47-48 Buffy the Vampire Slayer
49-53 Spooks/MI-5
54-57 Sapphire & Steel
58-59 Red Dwarf
60-66 Blake's 7
67-72 The West Wing
73-74 Press Gang
75-76 Jenna Russell
77-86 The House of Eliott
87-88 The Four Musketeers
89-91 Midnight Is A Place (1977/78 ITV)

Teasers:



( Icons here )