20211229 - Review: Howl's Moving Castle

Her words bring to life\ the ability to change,\ the magick of speech.

#HAIKUPRAJNA - Review: Howl's Moving Castle

Hello readers, this review is also available to read on;

https://haikuprajna.blogspot.com/2021/12/20211229-review-howls-moving-castle.html 

https://medium.com/haikuprajna/haikuprajna-review-howls-moving-castle-13d0cfa9921e 

https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/4294872408

...

    "It was, she thought dizzily, as if the man sitting there and the huge, important thing which was kingship were two separate things that just happened to occupy the same chair."

Howl's Moving Castle by Diana Wynne Jones is a novel about Sophie Hatter, the eldest daughter of three at eighteen years old, who is transformed into an older lady by the evil Witch of the Waste. The subsequent adventures led her to forming a contract with the fire demon Calcifer, who controls the eponymous castle, which pushes her into the life of Wizard Howl, all the while showing the power of thought and speech through the deceiving appearances of magic.

    " “What does Howl do to these poor females? I was told he ate their hearts and took their souls away.” Michael laughed uncomfortably. “Then you must come from Market Chipping. Howl sent me down there to blacken his name when we first set up the castle. I—er—I said that sort of thing. It’s what aunts usually say. It’s only true in a manner of speaking.” "

The world which Ingary inhabits is rooted in fantasy, but it incorporates elements of magical realism with roots in metaphysics, logic and morality, using real-world locations and occult concepts such as demonology, chaos, alchemy and ceremonial magick; in effect, the cast's need to keep track of multiple settings in the wizard's castle, their climatic battles and circular studying of spell castings to root out traps are well grounded in relatability. 

    " “Not the servitor,” said Mrs. Pentstemmon. “I do not think he is clever enough to cause me concern. I am talking about Howell, Mrs. Pendragon.” " 

While Howl casts spells and makes demands, Sophie realizes that what she says has the power to create change through charming hats for their owners and bringing objects to life by talking to them. The loveable cast of characters were made to be animated in film, as all of the charm was preserved in its Studio Ghibli adaptation, and watching was just as good of an experience as reading. (Shoutout to April @electricarmchair who loves the Ghibli films)

These Goodreads poems will be collected in a future edition of the HaikuPrajna Collection. More can be found on my Book Reviews page: [UPDATED LINK: https://haikuprajna.blogspot.com/p/book-review-sumarries.html] https://haikuprajna.blogspot.com/p/goodreads-book-reviews.html

Check out #MyYearInBooks @goodreads to discover the books I read in 2021! Add me as a friend! https://www.goodreads.com/user/year_in_books/2021/83965332 

"Fishing for Caribou" eBook, paperback and hardcover are available through Amazon Kindle apps and devices; read with Kindle Unlimited: https://haikuprajna.blogspot.com/p/spear-thrower.html

For bite-sized insights into this metaphysical magic realism story, including excerpts straight from the book plus more from HaikuPrajna and Electric Armchair like free reading promotions on books, please follow us online: https://haikuprajna.blogspot.com/p/follow-on-social-media.html

Thank you for reading.

Until next time,

Allen W. McLean

...Updated 221002...

Need more Bite-sized Insights to relieve your stress and suffering?

Readers can follow HaikuPrajna and Electric Armchair via our emailing lists (on Medium, Patreon, LinkedIn and more) for mindfulness meditation scifaiku and haiku poetry based on book reviews and on previews of metaphysical stories such as "Escape Perennial City" (available on Kindle Unlimited); as a free gift, all readers get an Amazon Kindle ebook short story every week on Free Fridays--selection rotates every few weeks, so follow via email to collect them all! https://haikuprajna.blogspot.com/p/follow-on-social-media.html 

Thanks to you, over 500 followers have joined us on Medium! If anyone reading this needs followers to stay in the Medium Partner Program, I am asking you to please follow me (and sign up for emails!) and I'll follow you back!

Leave a comment with books you would like to see reviewed and I will add them to my Goodreads!!

Always open to reading book recommendations. Looking forward to adding new friends on Goodreads, to share what we read with each other: www.goodreads.com/author/show/19557396.Allen_W_McLean

Have been looking for other free kindle books to read, ones that are only free for a day or so, so if you have an ebook on Kindle feel free to share them and I'll download!

April's latest psychedelic music videos, art and poetry is available on all streaming platforms.

Electric Armchair - Living Ghosts (FULL ALBUM): distrokid.com/hyperfollow/electricarmchair/living-ghosts

"Tomothy and the Overseer of the Forest" is available as an eBook through Amazon Kindle apps and devices; read right now with Kindle Unlimited! www.haikuprajna.blogspot.com/p/tomothy-and-overseer-of-forest.html

Kindle ebooks can be read on any device through one's web browser at www.read.amazon.com

These poems will be collected in future editions of the HaikuPrajna Collection.

20211221 - Together Forever

Redshifting away,\ black holes evaporating.\ Singularity.

#HAIKUPRAJNA - Together in Forever

Today (1221) is my ninth anniversary with April, and we are spending the day working on projects for each other while wrapping Christmas presents, eating finger foods and enjoying some wine and smokes together. 

My project is a story about space piracy and involves a digital pirate finishing a deal with a sentient black hole named Zeus who was holding her lover hostage. Zeus has a list of "most evil" holograms that the pirate murders or steals to capture and jettison toward the black hole. The pirate copes with the guilt of the task but also suffers the consequences of having grown to enjoy this never-ending self-perpetuating cycle. 

We have been keeping ourselves busy this holiday season, so we wish everyone a merry Christmas and a happy New Year.  

Happy Holidays, and thank you for reading!

Allen and April

"Fishing for Caribou" eBook, paperback and hardcover are available through Amazon Kindle apps and devices; read with Kindle Unlimited: https://haikuprajna.blogspot.com/p/spear-thrower.html

For bite-sized insights into this metaphysical magic realism story, including excerpts straight from the book plus more from HaikuPrajna and Electric Armchair like free reading promotions on books, please follow us online: https://haikuprajna.blogspot.com/p/follow-on-social-media.html

20211212 - "Escape Perennial City" Free Book Promotion

One final "Escape Perennial City" free book promotion of the year! 

All you need is an Amazon Kindle account to download and keep forever on December 18th here: https://www.amazon.ca/dp/B099C5LJ6W

More info here, including emails from HaikuPrajna 

https://haikuprajna.blogspot.com/2021/11/20211104-escape-perennial-city-november.html

Thank you for reading

These poems are based on my metaphysical superhero novel, "Escape Perennial City", and can be found in "SM-SARA, Poems and Other Stories", the second book of the HaikuPrajna Collection. 

"Escape Perennial City" eBook, paperback and hardcover are available through Amazon Kindle apps and devices; read with Kindle Unlimited: https://haikuprajna.blogspot.com/p/escape-perennial-city.html

For bite-sized insights into this metaphysical superhero novel, including excerpts straight from the book plus more from HaikuPrajna and Electric Armchair like free reading promotions on books, please follow us online: https://haikuprajna.blogspot.com/p/follow-on-social-media.html

Thank you for reading.

Until next time,

Allen W. McLean

20211210 - River Caribou

Feel the flow of life,\ sense passageways in the stream,\ fish to catch meaning.

#HAIKUPRAJNA - River Caribou

These poems are based on my metaphysical magic realism novella, "Fishing for Caribou", and can be found in the third book of the HaikuPrajna Collection.

UPDATE 1209: One final "Escape Perennial City" free book promotion of the year! https://haikuprajna.blogspot.com/2021/11/20211104-escape-perennial-city-november.html

"Fishing for Caribou" eBook, paperback and hardcover are available through Amazon Kindle apps and devices; read with Kindle Unlimited: https://haikuprajna.blogspot.com/p/spear-thrower.html

For bite-sized insights into this metaphysical magic realism story, including excerpts straight from the book plus more from HaikuPrajna and Electric Armchair like free reading promotions on books, please follow us online: https://haikuprajna.blogspot.com/p/follow-on-social-media.html

Thank you for reading.

Until next time,

Allen W. McLean

20211208 - Stand on Guard

Make humanity\ apparent upon approach.\ Rigid from caution.

#HAIKUPRAJNA - Stand on Guard

These poems are based on my metaphysical magic realism novella, "Fishing for Caribou", and can be found in the third book of the HaikuPrajna Collection.

"Fishing for Caribou" eBook, paperback and hardcover are available through Amazon Kindle apps and devices; read with Kindle Unlimited: https://haikuprajna.blogspot.com/p/spear-thrower.html

For bite-sized insights into this metaphysical magic realism story, including excerpts straight from the book plus more from HaikuPrajna and Electric Armchair like free reading promotions on books, please follow us online: https://haikuprajna.blogspot.com/p/follow-on-social-media.html

Thank you for reading.

Until next time,

Allen W. McLean

20211203 - Message of the Wisps

A necessity.\ Information must be shared,\ wisdom passed along.

#HAIKUPRAJNA - Message of the Wisps

These poems are based on my metaphysical magic realism novella, "Fishing for Caribou", and can be found in the third book of the HaikuPrajna Collection.

"Fishing for Caribou" eBook, paperback and hardcover are available through Amazon Kindle apps and devices; read with Kindle Unlimited: https://haikuprajna.blogspot.com/p/spear-thrower.html

For bite-sized insights into this metaphysical magic realism story, including excerpts straight from the book plus more from HaikuPrajna and Electric Armchair like free reading promotions on books, please follow us online: https://haikuprajna.blogspot.com/p/follow-on-social-media.html

Thank you for reading.

Until next time,

Allen W. McLean

20211201 - Review: Coraline

Long for connection,\ a world older than they know.\ Weaving possessions.

#HAIKUPRAJNA - Review: Coraline

Coraline by Neil Gaiman is a modern fairy tale that has woven invaluable lessons on topics like being, love, anxiety, fear and doubt for both children and adults in a simple to understand way.

"It was true: the other mother loved her. But she loved Coraline as a miser loves money, or a dragon loves its gold. In the other mother’s button eyes, Coraline knew that she was a possession, nothing more. A tolerated pet, whose behavior was no longer amusing"

The dryness of a child's perspective is always refreshing to read, and was far more enjoyable as a book, being a more compelling tale than the movie. What I enjoyed the most was the world building and symbolism shown through the Other Mother's creation of the world and her interactions with its inhabitants, such as the other children before Coraline, displaying a desire to form a loving connection between parent and child.

"Whatever that corridor was was older by far than the other mother. It was deep, and slow, and it knew that she was there… ."

Coraline's displays of courage, empathy and resourcefulness are as real and scary as they are exciting to imagine, creating an excellent model for the young at heart. Neil Gaiman tackles philosophical ideas such as name and form to offer an unsettling happily-ever-after story that anyone will find meaning in.

These Goodreads poems will be collected in a future edition of the HaikuPrajna Collection. More can be found on my Book Reviews page: https://haikuprajna.blogspot.com/p/goodreads-book-reviews.html

Add me as a friend on Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/19557396.Allen_W_McLean

"Fishing for Caribou" eBook, paperback and hardcover are available through Amazon Kindle apps and devices; read with Kindle Unlimited: https://haikuprajna.blogspot.com/p/spear-thrower.html

For bite-sized insights into this metaphysical magic realism story, including excerpts straight from the book plus more from HaikuPrajna and Electric Armchair like free reading promotions on books, please follow us online: https://haikuprajna.blogspot.com/p/follow-on-social-media.html

Thank you for reading.

Until next time,

Allen W. McLean