During this Halloween, this Christmas, and now the beginning of this New Year, I've been enjoying some great books and movies. It would take me forever to describe them all. However, for Halloween, I read the novel A Monster Calls and for Christmas I read a Christmas anthology called Let It Snow. Then today I saw the movie version of A Monster Calls. My thoughts on these are below.
A Monster Calls (book and movie)
I first learned about this book when I saw the trailer for the film version. The trailer blew me away, and when I looked up the book on Amazon, it sounded very interesting. The book is illustrated, and though it is geared toward young adults, it deals with some pretty dark themes. The main character, Conor O'Malley, deals with bullying, the impending death of his mother from cancer, and regular nightly visits from a monster who seems to know his fate. The book is a beautiful work that expands on the nature of loss, suffering, and mortality.
The movie is different, but also quite good. Conor is somewhat softened in the movie, his rough edges and rebelliousness toned down a bit. The characters are also given a bit more space to breathe, especially the mother, who takes on near mythic dimensions here. The film is beautiful to look at and overall is very well done. It really makes you feel for Conor's difficult situation and, at the end, entertains the possibility of his rising above it.
Let It Snow
I gave this book to my family for Christmas, and it is a really great holiday treat. The stories interlock and intersect in fascinating ways, each involves Christmas, and each, in its own way, is a love story. The first story is probably my favorite (Flobie Santa Villages!), but the other two are also really good. The John Green story really had a huge impact on me, and reminds me that I need to check out more of his work. The whole thing is very charming and uplifting. I just wish it had more stories.
Too bad the holidays are over! See you next week!
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