The Un-Memoriam Mega-Post

I've been writing about things!

The Magician's Nephew!

Un Memoriam is a new column in which I’m going to be reviewing my nostalgia. Which is to say, I’m going to be taking things I’m nostalgic for (or “for which I’m nostalgic” if you’re one of THOSE people), writing about why I remember liking them, and reviewing them now that I’m old and wise. This will mostly be YA novels and movies (to be more specific, probably mostly YA fantasy novels and, uh, Disney movies), but something else might sneak in here occasionally, too (food, or activities, or board games, or what have you). I plan to keep this column up until one of three things happens:

1) I run out of stuff.
2) I get too sad and prefer to live a life of intense ignorance.
3) Umm… profit? I guess there were only two reasons.

The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe!

Before JK Rowling flew in on her broomstick and obliterated all comers, there was a time when CS Lewis’s The Lion, The Witch, and the Wardrobe was the go-to young adult fantasy novel. Everyone I knew loved it. Or maybe everyone I loved knew it. Whichever, it was one of my favorite books when I was a lad. There’s a decent chance that it was one of your favorite books too, right? I’ll acknowledge that it may have just been ubiquitous around me because I grew up in a very conservative, very Christian San Diego suburb… but no, I’m pretty sure it had reached critical mass elsewhere as well. Everybody loves lions, everybody loves witches, and my goodness gracious who doesn’t love a wardrobe? Universal appeal!

The Horse and His Boy!

It’s great. Seriously. It’s great. So yes, I’m flabbergasted. The characters are compelling and complicated and fleshed out, the quest they’re on is exciting and beautifully written, and the authorial voice seems far less ‘dictated into a tape recorder’ rather than ‘you know, actually written out’. I read without cringing at every page turn. I actually laughed at some of the jokes. I cared about the characters, and thought they made good decisions. For the most part, it’s wonderful.

Prince Fucking Caspian!

Oh, man. OOOOOH MAN. Nothing happens in Prince Caspian. “Prince Caspian” is barely in Prince Caspian, which seems like an odd choice, but whatever. And it’s not like I remembered it being awesome. All that I remembered about this volume before picking it back up again was that at one point, a boy and an old man were standing on a rooftop, looking at stars. About halfway through reading, I realized that what I was remembering was the cover art.

More to come. Soon and soon.

Cost/Benefit Analysis

Winter: Cold, but I can breathe.
Spring: Warm, but I can't breathe.

I'm not sure which is better. I'd try to break it down and figure it out but I HAVE TO BLOW MY NOSE AGAIN.