Disney book tag

A combination of Disney and books – what could be better? Thank you to the lovely Aneta over at Inspire Script for tagging me; you should definitely take a look at her blog and her own writing because it’s pretty cool.

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The Little Mermaid – A character that is out of their element, a ‘fish out of water’

I recently read The Casual Vacancy by J.K. Rowling which was really engaging with all of it’s characters and was a lot darker than I expected. Krystal Weedon, one of the novel’s more tragic characters, definitely seemed to be a fish out of water. She had struggled her whole life just to keep her head above water (carrying on the water theme, which interestingly crops up in the novel) but following a series of horrible events Krystal is completely out of her depth, to her demise.

Cinderella – A character that goes through a major transformation

I’ve just read and reviewed The Watchmaker of Filigree Street by Natasha Pulley (find my review here) and the protagonist, Thaniel, definitely experiences a transformation. He goes from a friendless, overworked cleric to being thrown into a world of clairvoyance, mystery and clockwork. He also comes to realise the value of friendship; it’s moving stuff.

Snow White – A book with an eclectic cast of characters

My first instinct is to go with the Harry Potter novels but I think a lot of people have chosen them, plus I’ve already used a J.K. Rowling novel! So I think Nights at the Circus by Angela Carter fits this quite nicely. It’s has lots of different characters with varying and clashing personalities, notably Fevvers who is larger than life both physically and personality wise.

Sleeping Beauty – A book that put you to sleep

One book that always sticks in my mind for being super boring (in my opinion) is New Grub Street by George Gissing. Admittedly I did not choose to read this novel through choice as it was novel I was studying during my first year at university. I tried really hard to like it and get into it but the novel takes realism to another level altogether and it just didn’t interest me at all. I do think about trying to reread it now that I would appreciate more.

The Lion King – A character that had something traumatic happen to them in their childhood

One of my favourite novels, The Book of Lost Things  by John Connolly, follows a little boy named David and there is no doubt that his journey in the novel will leave lasting trauma. David, after experiencing the death of his mother and the remarriage of his father, hears whispering from his beloved fairy tale books and often suffers from fainting fits. Following the crash of WWII plane in his garden, he finds himself in the world of his books; although they’re fairy tale books, some of the things he sees and experiences there are pretty disturbing.

Beauty and the Beast – A beast of a book (a big book) that you were first intimated by, but found the story to be beautiful 

I recently read The Crimson Petal and the White by Michel Faber (find my review here) which is an enormous book of around 900 pages, and it has really tiny font! I did enjoy this novel and found it really interesting and wonderfully descriptive, although I wouldn’t call the story beautiful as it’s not a particularly happy one!

Aladdin – A character that gets their wish granted, for better or for worse 

High-Rise by J.G. Ballard (my review can be found here) is another one of my favourite novels. Robert Laing lives in a modern, high rise tower block with other affluent people. They appear to have every convince at their fingertips with the building but Robert longs for something to break the monotony of day to day life. He does get what he wishes for and life with the tower block begins to break down; it goes from being civilised and a beacon of modernity to housing a tribes of primitive beings. It’s a really interesting read.

Mulan – A character that pretends to be something or someone they’re not

For this I’d have to go with Oryx and Crake by Margaret Atwood, the first novel of the trilogy I studied for my dissertation. Jimmy is the survivor of a manmade pandemic that virtually wiped out all humanity. The pandemic was created by Jimmy’s best friend known as Crake, to make room for his new and improved humanoids nicknamed the ‘Crakers’. The Crakers idolise Jimmy, who they called Snowman (after he accidentally referred to himself as the Abominable Snowman), and they believe he can speak to Crake through his watch. Jimmy allows them to believe that he is a prophet so that he feels accepted and needed by these superior breed of humans.

Toy Story – A book with characters you wish would come to life

Okay, so I’m definitely going to have to go with the Harry Potter books for this one! Imagine Harry and Ron and Hermione in real life! I’d love to have tea with Hagrid, give Mrs Weasley a hug because he’s so cute and tell little Teddy Lupin how badass his parents were. Although not too keen on the idea of Voldemort or Bellatrix coming to life because that’s a scary thought.

Disney Descendants – Your favourite villain or morally ambiguous character

Alex Thomas from Margaret Atwood’s The Blind Assassin is definitely a loveable bad guy.  He seems to be cold in the face of affection and is a political dissident but it is clear that he has lived a tough life and he really does care for Iris.

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I tag the following people to take part in this, I hope you all enjoy it!

Tash @ The Bookie Monsters

Kerrie @ comfyreading

Audrey @ Forwards and Bookwards