Top Ten Books Featuring Travel

1. Amy and Roger's Epic Detour by Morgan Matson. The best roadtrip book I've read. It will make you laugh, cry and swoooon.

2. Finnikin of the Rock by Melina Marchetta. I could put the whole of The Lumatere Chronicles, but Finnikin is the one with the most travel. They're all wonderful.

3. The Last Unicorn by Peter S. Beagle. The magical, gorgeous tale of one unicorn's quest to find others like her.

4. The Reluctant Hallelujah by Gabrielle Williams. A roadtrip book with a very unique twist. Not for everyone, but I loved it.

5. Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen. Trip to the Peak District, anyone? Namely Derbyshire.

6. The Time Traveler's Wife by Audrey Niffenegger. What better way to travel than through time? Though it doesn't exactly work out well for Henry. This book gives me All The Feels.

7. Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants by Ann Brashares. Four friends use a magical pair of jeans to stay in touch when they're separated over the summer. It's nowhere near as lame as I thought it would be before I read it.

8. Peter Pan by J. M. Barrie. Second star to the right and straight on till morning!

9. The Princess Bride by William Goldman. One of my favourite books of all time, I wouldn't mind a trip with Fezzik and Inigo - and Westley, of course. Buttercup can stay at home.

10. Anna and the French Kiss by Stephanie Perkins. While it's mostly set in Paris, the kids do travel there to start with (and to America and back again over the holidays). Anna may whinge about it at first, but I wouldn't have minded going to school in such a gorgeous city!

The Book Was Better (But The Movie Was Still Great): The Last Unicorn

As I said in my review of the book, I loved The Last Unicorn movie as a kid. I watched it repeatedly, and I remember thinking it was sooo pretty and had a wonderful story, though it was sad and kinda strange in places. Upon rewatching it as an adult, I discovered that not much has changed - it's still pretty, still wonderful, still sad and, yes, still a little strange.


Having read the book this time around, I was surprised by how faithful the movie adaptation was - though I guess I shouldn't have been, considering that author Peter S. Beagle also wrote the screenplay. Some things - such as Schmendrick's immortality, and the town of Hagsgate - were cut out, simplifying the plot slightly, but ultimately not damaging it. The only thing I did kinda miss was the Hagsgate prophecy and Lir's connection to the town, because I liked how it added another layer to his character. However, I can see that it might not have fit within time constraints, and it's not a major issue - the removal of this subplot still leaves a strong and lovely story.

As for the movie itself, while the animation doesn't flow the greatest in places (it's not exactly high-tech), the imagery is beautiful and a pleasure to watch. But it was the voices that really spoke to me (no pun intended) - Mia Farrow, Angela Lansbury, Alan Arkin, Jeff Bridges, Christopher Lee... they brought the characters to life and greeted my ears like old friends. The only thing that made me cringe a little - and I remember that I didn't like it much as a kid, either - was the music. To me, it made the film seem more dated than it would otherwise. But with that being said, it's still a classic.

Rating:  4/5

My Book Boyfriend: Prince Lir

My Book Boyfriend is hosted by Missie at The Unread Reader. It's all about fictional boys who make us swoon. This week my BB is Prince Lir from The Last Unicorn by Peter S. Beagle. He starts out as a bit of a "marshmallow" - sweet and soft - but love transforms him into a hero; slaying dragons, defeating dark knights, and sacrificing everything to save his sweetheart. He's pretty lovely. I pictured him looking a lot like Max Irons, who I'm slightly obsessed with right now.

Swoon-Worthy Quotes

"Marveling at his own boldness, he said softly, 'I would enter your sleep if I could, and guard you there, and slay the thing that hounds you, as I would if it had the courage to face me in fair daylight. But I cannot come in unless you dream of me.'"

"'You were the one who taught me,' he said. 'I never looked at you without seeing the sweetness of the way the world goes together, or without sorrow for its spoiling. I became a hero to serve you, and all that is like you. Also to find some way of starting a conversation.'"

"'Unicorn, mermaid, lamia, sorceress, Gorgon - no name you give her would surprise me, or frighten me. I love whom I love.'

'That's a very nice sentiment,' Schmendrick said. 'But when I change her back into her true self, so that she may do battle with the Red Bull and free her people-'

'I love whom I love,' Prince Lir repeated firmly. 'You have no power over anything that matters.'"

Review: The Last Unicorn by Peter S. Beagle

This book was so beautiful I wanted to hug it (in fact, I may have).

I looooved The Last Unicorn movie as a kid and watched it repeatedly, but I’m ashamed to say until recently I didn’t even realise it was a book. I ordered it as soon as I discovered it was, and finally got around to reading it this week. From the opening lines (“The unicorn lived in a lilac wood, and she lived all alone... she was no longer the careless color of sea foam, but rather the color of snow falling on a moonlit night.”) I knew I was in for an amazing read. Of course, I already knew the story, but I didn’t know just how clever and wonderful the telling of it would be.

If you’re unfamiliar with the tale, The Last Unicorn is, as the title suggests, about a unicorn who discovers she’s the last of her kind and leaves the safety of her lilac woods in search of the truth about what happened to her people. Along the way, she picks up some allies in the adorably incompetent magician, Schmendrick, the strong, rough but caring Molly Grue and the handsome, heroic Prince Lir. She also learns a couple of important truths about herself and the nature of humanity.

This is a fairy tale full of whimsy, warmth, comedy, action and sadness. Beagle’s use of language is exquisite, his pacing is pretty much perfect and his characters are quirky but real, each one of them flawed and dealing with their own search for meaning and purpose. So while on the surface this is an entertaining read, it’s strengthened by a deeper level. What struck me most was the poignant exploration of love, life and mortality. Unicorns are immortal but cannot feel love, while humans love deeply but must die. Then there’s Schmendrick, stuck in between – a human blessed (or cursed) with immortality until he can find his true self and access his full power. I suppose your own interpretation would determine which state was better, but to me the ultimate message of The Last Unicorn seemed to be that love is the most powerful magic of all; able to conquer mortality (or the fear of it, at least) and give meaning to life. Now that’s a message I can embrace (literally... excuse me while I go back to hugging my book).

Rating: 5/5

Eye Candy

I pictured...

Max Irons as Prince Lir

Zachary Levi as Schmendrick the Magician

Helena Bonham Carter as Molly Grue

Frida Gustavsson as the Lady Amalthia

Fine Print

Genre: Fantasy

Publisher: Signet

Published: 1991 (40th Anniversary Edition)

Get It: Book Depository