Lo~ovin' you, is easy 'cause you're beautiful (Loving You – Minnie Riperton).I’ll admit that a lot more decision making went into starting this book than most of the stuff I read. I was doing some serious research, watching the movie, a bunch of “behind-the-scenes” stuff on YouTube, and I even had the soundtrack on repeat for several days. Then I decided… yeah, I should probably read the book. It is the original after all. Though, it’s kind of scary, you know? Reading a book from so long ago. I ...

‘Doors are very powerful things. Things are different on either side of them.’If the whimsy for a magical adventure oozing with charm and full of unforgettable characters ever strikes you, might I direct your attention to the Diana Wynne Jones’ endlessly entertaining Howl’s Moving Castle. It is a story where assumptions are tested and often overturned and the characters are full of as much nuance as they are personality, making for an engaging read that will keep you on your toes. Sure, there is...

Buddy reading this with Howl's Moving Castle fans helped me get more pumped up for the story. I enjoyed the whimsical atmosphere, the simple charm of the protagonist, and the quirkiness of Howl. As I got to the second half of the book though, it was hard to maintain interest due to not much happening. I think if it weren’t for me projecting the Miyazaki characters onto the text, I’m not sure if I would enjoy the book as much by itself. That being said, if there were more romance, I would have be...

this is the most magical story I have ever read

I came in expecting a novelization of the movie (one of my favorites), but what I got was even better. Good news: The atmosphere and characterization is extremely similar to the Studio Ghibli film. I absolutely loved practical, stubborn Sophie and vain, dramatic Howl as well as the overall concept of the story. Those were the reasons I wanted to read the book in the first place, and luckily it delivered.The book is simply more. We get more insight into Sophie and Howl's backstories and strong pe...

I have to say I love Hayao Miyazaki's movie better because come on, it's an awesome movie. (Although, Spirited Away is my favorite movie)



There were some differences in the book but the movie was based off the book and it's not going to be the same. All that matters is they both were awesome and the author loved the movie too.

I absolutely love fantasy worlds that are way out there.


Happy Reading!

Mel 🖤🐾🐺

I read this to my daughter, Celyn (10 at the time), who is too disabled to read books by herself.I had seen some of the anime film version years ago but remembered basically nothing of it.I found the whole thing original and refreshing. The point of view character (Sophie) is engaging and no-nonsense with a very capable can-do attitude. The story moves along at a good pace and the whole moving castle / multiple doors thing is a great idea and used well.The Welsh connection is well-played, and th...

There is, of course, a wonderful anime about this book, with the same title. But as is true of many, many books and movies, I found the experience of reading to be very different from that of viewing.In my opinion, any movie based on a book is really a movie about one reader's reaction and interpretation of a book. In this case, it's an enjoyable one, but I felt that it missed many of the nuances of the story that made it such a great read. I've yet to read a book by Diana Wynne Jones that did n...

For some reason I've been reading a lot of really great books lately. I feel that itch to find something I can tear apart and relish in the destruction. However, Howl's Moving Castle didn't provide me with that opportunity.It is an amazing and fantastic book. The characters are so very different, funny, quirky and lovable that I was sucked in right away. The storyline was intriguing and fun to read. The writing was quite good and the world was utterly fascinating.If you've watched the movie then...

Honestly what made me want to read this book was the movie. *gasp* I know, I know shouldn't do that. The movie was good (I am a fan of Hayo Miyazaki's films) and I wasn't disappointed in the book. As always much of the book wasn't put into the movie, but it was understandable because I imagine it would be hard to piece together a movie with all the components this story has.To really grasp and understand the book I would suggest that it be read twice I think. Since I did watch the movie I wasn't...