Well, weather is warming and fingers are busy with a selection of various projects. Reading has slipped just a bit. BUT I have managed to finish the third book in the Miss Peregrine’s Peculiar Children… Library of Souls (by Ransom Riggs). Now I must warn you… this is an impossible book to review without putting forth information regarding the first two books… and you really MUST read them in order!

Dramatic and at times heart rending, Library of Souls is full of action and angst, friendship and betrayal, love and pain. One of the things I love and hate about this book is the confusion that runs through it. There are so many possible allies and enemies. The world is a dark place in book #3 where the entirety of Peculiardom is in upheaval and distress. The Ymbrynes are all abducted, the peculiars dead, taken or destroyed by a need for what is later shown to be essence of other peculiar’s “second soul” which acts much like an addictive drug.

In this dark and dangerous scenario are Emma and Jacob and Addison the peculiar dog. There is something absolutely lovable about Addison… There are so many other characters… and so many amazing pictures to put faces to descriptions. That really is the key to these books, Ransom Riggs has such a touch and eye to combining amazing images to enthralling words. 

Book 1 was an introduction to the world, a hint a the troubles… book 2 threw us into danger and intrigue, book 3 brings us full circle to even more new and unique loops and worlds that defy imagination. Library of Souls is a dark book, but it is a book of hope and possible redemption. It is a book of adventure and battle and decisions made under pressure. 

I have a favourite line in this one… said by Emma Bloom – when asked whether or not she doubted…

Emma shook her head. “Doubt is the pinprick in the life raft.” 

I don’t know why but that resonates with me. I hope that you will hunt down these books at your local bookstore or library, they are well worth it… Go, jump into the world of the peculiar! 

Well, after Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children book and graphic novel AND Hollow City I figured I would go ahead and put in a request at the library for Ransom Riggs’ photo book – Talking Picture – Images and Messages Rescued From the Past. Definitely worth a look and a borrow from the library.

This over 300 page book is full of varied photographs and commentary from Ransom Riggs. All the photos are black and white or sepia prints though some of the notations made on them are in colour ink. All original to the pictures. The most touching and heart rending portion of this book is under the title Janet Lee. This series of pictures and the notations on the back tell a story worth seeing. (I won’t explain more, you will have to look for yourself)

While I doubt I will purchase a copy of this book for myself, I could definitely see re requesting it from our public library. Ransom Riggs has a real talent for choosing photos that not only tell a story but draw you in, make you wonder and make and impression on  you.

I suddenly have an urge to dig out the photos I rescued from the family albums when my parents dispersed them between us all and put them away properly. In fact, this is my summer goal (since I need to purchase books for them and hope like mad they are still stored in some sort of order!). One more bucket to unearth, sort and prepare and fingers crossed they are still in relative order!

What this book does is make you think about those photos you see at the rummage sales, the old images someone simply scans and puts up on the internet. So many stories, so many events we now have to imagine and guess at. But there is some worth in not knowing, in creating our own narrative. In loving them for whole new reasons unique to ourselves and our view of them as past images. Be sure to check this book out if you enjoy a glimpse of the past from a rather unique viewpoint!

Well, when the opportunity presents itself in the form of a graphic novel, well it is well worth revisiting a book that was so enjoyable in its original (rather quirky) form. So of course I had to request the graphic novel version of Ransom Riggs’ Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children. It was more than enjoyable with a few differences from the original that I will warn right now could be SPOILERS for said original (and this version as well). So proceed at your own risk!

Some of the pictures that were used in the original are cropped slightly and definitely not sitting on pages all alone, I found this did lesson their impact. BUT on the flip side, I absolutely LOVED the way the artist (Cassandra Jean) drew the main character Jacob. The way she drew his eyes and his demeanor really embraced the emotional stress he was under, the feeling of imminent danger and unrest is palpable. 

I love the colour palate the artist chose, and her use of it in a situation specific manner (man is it difficult to talk about a graphic novel and not spill too much information). I will say there is less background on the characters shared and a few characters are completely written out… the friend, the “normal” is not mentioned in any detail, the family history and the chain of drugstores Jacob’s mother is to inherit only barely touched upon. This does not take away from the story in a grand sense, but for someone who enjoys the minute details… definitely read the original first. 

I think  you could read the graphic novel and feel you really understood and enjoyed the story, but my own preference would be to read the original and then enjoy the graphic novel for its images more than its story content. This does put my back up further against watching the movie. Tim Burton or not, the original story is AMAZING and I don’t wish to be disappointed. 

Sadly I do not have the second graphic novel available through the library yet… but I will keep an eye peeled. Hollow City was an amazing read and I have Library of Souls on hold request at the library. So do check back for my further impressions!