13 Clocks: (Penguin Classics Deluxe Edition) | 
pick“We all have flaws, and mine is being wicked” - The (Cold) Duke
The audio book version came complete with atmospheric background music and it certainly added to the fever dream experience of listening to this story. It played like an enthusiastic 80s animation in my mind.
I really enjoyed this - truly the best books find you by chance (in my case, via a comment left on my IG photo of The Last Unicorn).
pickI can‘t believe I‘ve never read this delightful book before. In his introduction, Gaiman calls it the “best book in the world”. It‘s a story of adventure that reminded me of The Princess Bride & Stardust. It has an evil Duke, an imprisoned princess, & the indescribable Golux.
“Time is for dragonflies and Angels. The former live too little and the latter live too long.”
“Remember laughter. You‘ll need it even in the blessed isles of Ever After.”
pickWell, that didn‘t take very long! This book is a wonderful tale of adventure and a princess in a castle and the prince who sets out to win her hand. It‘s a children‘s book that can be equally enjoyed by adults. Thurber‘s language and word choices are perfect and give the book a rhythmic pace even though it‘s not poetry. I can see why a young Neil Gaiman, and even an adult one, would love it so much; I can detect Thurber‘s influence in his work.
Tonight‘s reading. Neil Gaiman assures me in his introduction that this is “... the best book in the world.” We shall see. 😊
pickThey say books are like dreams. This book is doubly so. Though I read it, I‘m still not entirely sure what happened... but I do know that I loved it
pick#ReadingResolutions Day 6: 13 #Clocks revolves around this story of an evil duke who has murdered time; an enchanted princess, Saralinda, who is unable to say anything but “I wish him well” in the presence of the Duke; and a Prince disguised as a Minstrel who wishes to save the princess (and marry her of course, need I say that). Link to Full review ⬇️
pickThis was 100 pages of fairy tale perfection. It‘s the standard “prince must accomplish an impossible task to win the hand of a princess” but written with so much style and flourish that I wanted to frame every line. This is a reread-yearly-forever book.
The Golux was just the kind of meta-narrative self aware plot device that I am always down for. When the Duke of Coffin Castle called him “Golux Ex Machina” I may have squealed.
#SummerOfShort
I imagine this is what we‘d get if Dr. Seuss wrote epic fantasy.
This book was so good, you guys.
#SummerOfShort
“A soft finger touched his shoulder and he turned to see a little man smiling in the moonlight. He wore an indescribable hat, his eyes were wide and astonished, as if everything were happening for the first time, and he had a dark describable beard.”
Everyone meet the Golux. As Neil Gaiman says in the Introduction “Every tale needs a Golux. Luckily for all of us, this book has one.”
#theGolux #SummerOfShort
“The cold Duke was afraid of Now, for Now has warmth and urgency, and Then is dead and buried.”
Yes, the Duke wears an eyepatch over one eye and a monocle over the other. He‘s just that evil.
#SummerOfShort
“There was a smell, the Golux thought, a little like Forever in the air, but mixed with something faint and less enduring, possibly the fragrance of a flower.”
#theGolux #SummerOfShort
There are probably lots of things that Neil Gaiman is not good at... but writing Introductions is not on that list. Check out this high praise for my #currentread
One time I heard him say he doesn‘t know much about ice hockey, so there‘s that...
#SummerOfShort
I'm too immersed in The Shadow of the Wind right now to crack these open, but I did pick up some short fiction options from the library in case I needed a break from longer books. Which one do you think I should read for the #readathon?
#readathonhourlyphoto
pickHow to describe this book? It‘s totally bonkers. Favorite quote: ‘On guard, you musty sofa!‘ #1001books #shortandsweet
Today‘s #bookmail
Neil Gaiman has mentioned often how influential The 13 Clocks was for him so I decided to get this illustrated paperback with his introduction.
I also decided that it was time to try Mouse Guard. @GrilledCheeseSamurai this seems like it might be in your purview. Thoughts?
pickHow do I even describe this book!? It's adorable, it's funny, it's a pleasant surprise! I LOVED The Wonderful O and this book didn't disappoint either! He's sarcastic, he's silly and just plain brilliant! #1001Books 116/1,001
pickIt's no secret that I'm a huge Gaiman fangirl, so when he picked this for his Wall Street Journal book club, I promptly bought it, then didn't read it. It's a delightful speedy little read, a simple story, but with a fair bit of nonsense thrown in, and a lovely rhythm to the words. I'd have loved this as a kid, if only I'd known it existed.
pickRecommended by author Elizabeth Wein during a book talk she gave at the Edinburgh International Book Festival. It's favourite of Neil Gaiman (who does the introduction to my edition) and I can see why they both love it. The language is wonderful. Hugely enjoyable and clever fairytale.
pickThis was a fast (like 2-3 hours) and super enjoyable read! It was refreshing, funny, quirky and different, and still, it felt like reading an old fairy tale.
If you have never read this book, I would definitely recommend it.
I love this book! So cute and funny! Recommend it to anyone who wants to read a really funny fairy tale!
pickWitty. Inventive. Genius. James Thurber hit my radar thanks to Gaiman. I promptly requested it from the library and thoroughly enjoyed reading it! Also love Marc Simont's illustrations. Definitely need to acquire a copy to add to my personal library!
Blurb on book jacket starts, "How can anyone describe this book? It isn't a parable, a fairy story or a poem, but rather a mixture of all three. It is beautiful and it is comic. It is philosophical and it is cheery..."
@JReid - and there is a knight!
Neil Gaiman's View from the Cheap Seats has been causing a significant increase in my TBR list. I just added James Thurber's The 13 Clocks. How can I not when Gaiman says of it, "It's that sort of book. It's unique. It makes people happier, like ice cream."
...also, I now want ice cream!
My Mother's Day gift? My family took me on a tour of Boston area book stores. I found this posted on a bookshelf of Commonwealth books (the cat bookstore from my earlier post).
Found this book while going through stuff at my parent's house. I remember loving it as a kid but not much more! So I'm rereading it to see if the magic is still there!
Remember laughter. You'll need it even in the blessed isles of Ever After.
...baffled, delighted, her problems forgotten. It's that sort of book. (from the intro by Neil Gaiman)
When I saw today's #somethingforsept #septemberphotochallenge was a #numberintitle I immediately thought if this hard-to-describe Thurber book. In the newer edition, Neil Gaiman in the intro calls it 'probably the best book in the world'.
That means it's time for a reread!
panI know it's supposed to be a classic, but ☹️. There were some funny bits, but overall👎🏻
pick"We all have flaws," he said, "and mine is being wicked."
