Music: Breaking Down by Florence and The Machines
To say that I've already 3 books in 2012 seems like a fairy tale itself, but nonetheless I assure you that it is not. A Lion Among Men, Confessions of An Ugly Stepsister and Mirror Mirror, all written by the gregarious linguist, Gregory Maguire. A few months ago I found out that he is gay, and then it all makes sense. The way he writes is like nothing that I've ever encountered before, but one gets the hang of it after a few chapters in. But may I warn that not everybody may like his style, sometimes it can be difficult to read. Fortunately, I do. His sarcastic humor is really golden, and I lightly smile when I read his witty writings and conversations, but never laugh out loud, for sarcasm and humor doesn't warrant anything more than a mere chuckle to appreciate the cleverness of it.
For those who need an introduction, Gregory Maguire wrote Wicked, about the Wicked Witch of the West from the Land of Oz. An alternate story from the Dorothy and her red slippers that we know. A Lion Among Men is the 3rd book in the Wicked Years series, Son of A Witch being the second. As the title suggests, Confessions of An Ugly Stepsister and Mirror Mirror tells the alternate story of, well, you guessed it, Cinderella and Snow White, respectively. I used to watch these Disney movies every week when I was very young, and Sleeping Beauty of course (oh god I'm such a girl!). So when I found out about Maguire's books I was naturally intrigued.
I really can't comprehend this sudden compulsion to read all his books at once, but I guess the reading mood that took over me at the end of last year (its only last week), had gained more momentum that I could ever have predicted. I will now start my quest to finish Out of Oz, the 4th and last instalment of the Wicked Years. I say quest because its a huge book likely to be mistaken as a physics text book, and only 20 pages shy from reaching 600.
Oh btw, I went to watch Wicked The Musical in Singapore a few weeks back, and it was.. well, superbly awesomely and gloriously Wicked!!
