Howl's Moving Castle (School & Library) | 
pickSophie is the oldest daughter destined for a life of obscurity & bad luck. When a witch curses her with old age, she goes the only place she can think of to escape her fate.
Howl is the dramatic, mysterious wizard with the bad reputation in the moving castle on the hill. What the people don‘t know is he‘s more interested in seducing the local girls than he is in knowing what he‘s doing.
Sophie plans to set him straight.
Funny, ridiculous, & cozy.
This month in our #Fable group…
If you enjoy horror, join us in RoaringWolf Fright Nights @ https://fable.co/club/roaringwolf-fright-night-with-roary47-202125311454?referra...
But a fantasy is more your thing, join us in The Wyvern Scrolls @ https://fable.co/club/the-wyvern-scrolls-with-littlewolf-178259080199?referralID...
My husband is obsessed with Howl‘s Moving Castle, so naturally we had to buy this beautiful box set when we found it. The covers are beautifully re-illustrated and each chapter starts with a fun illustration as well. I think it‘s only the third copy of Howl‘s (4th if you count the movie), the second copy of Castle in Air, and the first copy of House of Many Ways we own 😆
Finished!
I will eventually get it in a frame and hang it in my “library”
What an awesome book!!!!!!!! I never heard of this, found it in 1,000 Books to Read Before You Die by James Mustich couple yrs ago and finally checked it out. 5 stars. Now I want to read all her books and watch the movie.
#snowflake #snowflakes #papersnowflakes
I was so excited to see some HMC representation in this “test your knowledge” quiz in Good Reading… but perplexed that they dropped the Jones out of her name…
Quizzed my library colleagues and they collectively mostly didn‘t know the answers 😅
Howl's Moving Castle is my January pick for #12BooksOf2024. It's the sort of book I would probably have LOVED as a teenager; I still liked it a lot even now.
pickI really loved this book. I listened to the audio on libro.fm, and the narrator was amazing.There was so much happening! This is a great example of why I will always read YA. Such great writing and stories! And there was a super cool twist that gobsmacked me. I never saw it coming. I will be watching the movie soon and will definitely read more by this author. This is a wonderful fantasy adventure. I highly recommend this book.
I'm not far into this, but I've already noticed a talking fire and a sleeping area under the stairs. (published in 1986) This, combined with The Worst Witch (published in 1974 by Jill Murphy), might show where a certain terf got at least some of her inspiration. 🤔 Even Jill Murphy was quite frustrated with the comparisons it seems.
pick13-30 Oct 24 (audiobook)
A fun read on the school commute. I know I have seen the Studio Ghibli movie (possibly before having kids) but I remembered very little of the story.
Following a classic fairytale trope, Sophie is the eldest of three sisters, so destined for little. But cursed by the Witch of the Waste she meets Howl and the occupants of his enchanted castle and discovers she may be able to overcome the disadvantage of being the oldest.
I opened this at my grandparents and my Nana said - “what are these ugly things?” which was a kinda rude but mostly just inaccurate thing to say - because these Calcifer bud vases are gorgeous!
I bought two, mostly because I couldn‘t decide which colour I wanted but also with the intention of gifting one to my bestie with a July birthday (so if that‘s you - keep scrolling).
Decisions, decisions. (I think I‘ll give her the red one)
pickI finished listening to this on the tram and honestly it had me smiling and kicking my feet - it‘s just that good! First time listening to it and it really added to the experience, Kristin Atherton does a superb job.
I bought this Calcifer spoon rest with my adult money and I love it so much. Bought on Etsy from Tottopottery (based in Vietnam), they are made in small batches with great attention to detail.
New Calcifer pop socket and sticker collage for my Kindle 😊
I‘m noticing Howl‘s alternative names for Sophie so much more in the audio version. They‘re both actually kind of insane - I love them so much.
2 days into my working week and I haven‘t listened to any of this book. Which is unfortunate because that‘s really all I want to do.
🎨: Mochipong
I‘ve been in a bit of a slump lately so I‘ve retreated back to my stash of ✨all time favourites✨ - I‘m going the audio route for the first time & it‘s been an absolute delight, Kristen Atherton is killing it with character voices. I love this book so much. I‘m genuinely almost looking forward to going to work in the morning so that I can keep listening 😝
pickWhat a delight! This has been on my shelf for two years and I finally read it (mostly on a plane). The prose gently calls back to fairytale language while remaining eminently readable. I love a puzzle story. Love the characters, especially Calcifer. So glad I finally picked it up.
1. Sophie Hatter. She keeps a tidy home, no messy bathroom cabinets or spider webs here. We‘d be able to hype each other up and spill all the tea.
2. If you squint, this book contains roommates - in that Sophie just moves in, tells Howl she‘s staying and that‘s that. Best thing that ever happened to Howl, Calcifer and Michael tbh. Heck of a first meeting.
#two4tuesday
Very mixed feelings about HMC getting the fairy loot treatment…
It‘s not a pastel book, this makes it look like a fairytale romance…
https://community.fairyloot.com/howls-moving-castle-by-diana-wynne-jones/
pickI have the feeling that younger me would have read a copy of this to death if she‘d had it back then. Current me liked this a great deal. I would pick up a copy if I stumbled across a nice edition.
so-soI really wanted to like this more, and maybe that‘s why it sat for most of a year on the shelf after I finally bought it. I liked the premise, I liked Sophie and her sisters…I just didn‘t love it. One of the problems I had will go under a spoiler tag, but overall I just really wanted more. It just always felt like it was on the brink of something great, but we never got there.
Took my old lady on a quick very cold walk. Listening to howl's moving castle finally. That sun went down fast so it became icey and cold fast.
pickI adored Sophie, she really was something :D I loved how fun she was and how she didn't let tiny things - like being suddenly in 90-yo body - disturb or slow her somehow. Howl & Calcifer were amazing characters too.
I loved this magical world too. It was super intriguing and I loved to read about it.
I have to say there was one thing I was disappointed: plot. All the action was dumped in the last pages and it was suddenly much.
#SeriesLove23
It's Diana Wynne's Jones birthday today, and therefore the perfect excuse for posting another photo of a Miyazaki tapestry!
A huge tapestry of Howl's Moving Castle hanging in the lobby of the Cité internationale de la tapisserie in Aubusson. There are half a dozen Miyazaki tapestries on show at the moment.
I was about 1/3 of the way through Jones book when I realized that it was essentially a fantasy version of Black Books. Tamsin Greig's Fran as Sophie Hatter, Bill Bailey's Manny as Michael Fisher & Dylan Moran's Bernard Black as Howell Jenkins. I watched the Miyazaki movie ages ago & thought, “Meh,“ & was struggling a bit at the beginning as it felt like a bit of an imitation of Pratchett. However, when I came up with my own cast for it, I (cont)
pickI picked this one up the other day as I'm now working in the kids department every once in awhile and realized I couldn't recommend many books as I hadn't read them. This one is not only cute but had great world building and characters. Highly recommend.
My husband just realized Calcifer's saucepan song is a real song and he's literally bouncing around the kitchen delighting in his discovery.
pickAfter almost two decades of loving the film, I finally made my way to this novel. Absolutely what I was hoping for. Love the way Miyazaki and Jones use the same bones of story to work through similar and very different themes.
Standing on it's own though, the book is still a delight. Magic, fairy tales, courage, and true love - it's all there.
pickI absolutely adored this book! I only watched the Studio Ghibli movie about a month ago, but as soon as I found out it was based on a book I knew I had to read it. I liked the differences and similarities between the two, and I especially loved Sophie, even more so her interactions with Howl. Calcifer the fire demon was great, and I loved the plot and magic of the story. It was fast paced and easy to read, and overall a great book!
Read this caption on a gorgeous fanart of Howl dancing with a youthful Witch of the Waste and it absolutely wrinkled my brain.
Most age appropriate love interest 🤯🤔
pickWhile the book was very different from the movie, it was also very similar in all the ways that matter! It still has a cozy fantasy feeling with a lovable cast and the snark from Sophie and Howl. While the plots were fairly different, there were a lot of similarities. As a huge fan of the movie, I really did love reading the book it was based on. 4/5
Thank you very much, Becky! I love it! I very much look forward to reading Howl's Moving Castle and enjoying these delicious-looking chocolates. Of all the cards I've received this season, this card is my favorite. I dearly love candy canes, especially the classic red and white. Happy Jolabokaflod and Merry Christmas!
Posting this early because I will be sleeping tomorrow morning!
The comfort and convenience of home plus the ability to travel and explore new places? Yes please! ❤️
#SundayFunday Hope everyone has a good Sunday and don‘t forget to tag me in your answers!
We haven't been camping yet this season but here's a pic from an outing last year with a favorite reread 🔥
#Campfire #OminousOctober @Alwaysbeenaloverofbooks @Eggs
It‘s time for #LetterH !
📗 Howl‘s Moving Castle by Diana Wynne Jones
🖋️ Drew Hayes
🎥 Holes
📺 Hannibal
🎤 Hozier
🎶 Hell‘s Coming With Me by Poor Man‘s Poison
Hope everyone‘s had a good #ManicMonday ! @CBee
so-soWe read this for bookclub recently. It was ok, but I thought I'd like it more. I like the movie better! 🤫 We had a good conversation about it though which is what bookclubs are about, anyway.
@Blueberry
pickI absolutely loved reading this one the first time that I went out of my way to go get my own copy.
Howl is just sooooo and then Sophie is just enough of her own person so be able to just deal with him that they work together. Even when they're arguing, there's this undertone of appreciation and respect for the other that I missed the first time but noticed on the re-read.
