Tuesday 31 December 2019
Lasts of 2019
Last Novel read: 'Northanger Abbey' by Jane Austen
Last Children's Novel read: 'The Witch Family' by Eleanor Estes
Last Non-Fiction read: 'The Spiral Dance: A Rebirth of the Ancient Religion of the Great Goddess' by Starhawk
Last Comic read: 'Ms. Marvel, Vol. 10: Time and Again' by G. Willow Wilson (Writer), Nico Leon (Artist), Ian Herring (Colorist)
Last Manga read: 'Kisses, Sighs, and Cherry Blossom Pink: The Complete Collection' by Milk Morinaga
Last Picture Book read: 'Sulwe' by Lupita Nyong'o (Writer), Vashti Harrison (Illustrator)
Last Read: 'Hamilton: The Revolution' by Lin-Manuel Miranda, Jeremy McCarter
Last Film seen at the Cinema: 'Frozen II'
Last Film DVD watched: 'I Could Go On Singing'
Last Film watched on TV: 'Oliver!' (Christmas Day), 'Coraline' (before)
Last TV series watched: N/A
Last Anime watched: N/A
Last Diary Entry: 26th December
Last Family Letter written: 26th December
Last Sport/Walk Out: Not in the winter
Last Driving Lesson: 30th December
Last Job Shift: 31st December, 14.30-18.30
Last Children's Novel read: 'The Witch Family' by Eleanor Estes
Last Non-Fiction read: 'The Spiral Dance: A Rebirth of the Ancient Religion of the Great Goddess' by Starhawk
Last Comic read: 'Ms. Marvel, Vol. 10: Time and Again' by G. Willow Wilson (Writer), Nico Leon (Artist), Ian Herring (Colorist)
Last Manga read: 'Kisses, Sighs, and Cherry Blossom Pink: The Complete Collection' by Milk Morinaga
Last Picture Book read: 'Sulwe' by Lupita Nyong'o (Writer), Vashti Harrison (Illustrator)
Last Read: 'Hamilton: The Revolution' by Lin-Manuel Miranda, Jeremy McCarter
Last Film seen at the Cinema: 'Frozen II'
Last Film DVD watched: 'I Could Go On Singing'
Last Film watched on TV: 'Oliver!' (Christmas Day), 'Coraline' (before)
Last TV series watched: N/A
Last Anime watched: N/A
Last Diary Entry: 26th December
Last Family Letter written: 26th December
Last Sport/Walk Out: Not in the winter
Last Driving Lesson: 30th December
Last Job Shift: 31st December, 14.30-18.30
Monday 30 December 2019
Non-Fiction Book Review - 'Hamilton: The Revolution' by Lin-Manuel Miranda, Jeremy McCarter
2023 EDIT: Part of my 2023 clear-up, of books I no longer like, or am no longer interested in, or remember well as standing out, or find as special anymore, or I otherwise will not miss.
Final Score: 4/5
Original Review:
"...13 percent of the population is foreign-born, which is near an all-time high; that ONE DAY SOON, THERE WILL NO LONGER BE MAJORITY AND MINORITY RACES, ONLY A VIBRANT MIX OF COLORS."
"Ron [Chernow) tells you a story and he's the star of the story. I tell you a story and I'm the star of the story. HISTORY IS ENTIRELY CREATED BY THE PERSON WHO TELLS THE STORY."
"Just as we continue to forget that IMMIGRANTS ARE THE BACKBONE OF THE COUNTRY, we forget that MUSICAL THEATRE IS A MONGREL ART FORM."
To continue a legacy...
'Hamilton' is a musical, a Broadway show, a hip-hop phenomenon, a diverse and hopeful retooling of history, a continuation of historical revolutions, that defines this generation. Its grand popularity is a testament to how powerful its messages are, and how talented Lin-Manuel Miranda is.
So much drive and passion went into the making of this production; this retelling; this art collaboration.
'Hamilton: The Revolution' - a must for the fans, and for the fans of musical theatre. They and the shows they love have the power.
The power to (re)start a revolution of equality. Through song, dance, creativity, humour, drama, and education. And love.
Final Score: 5/5
Final Score: 4/5
Original Review:
"...13 percent of the population is foreign-born, which is near an all-time high; that ONE DAY SOON, THERE WILL NO LONGER BE MAJORITY AND MINORITY RACES, ONLY A VIBRANT MIX OF COLORS."
"Ron [Chernow) tells you a story and he's the star of the story. I tell you a story and I'm the star of the story. HISTORY IS ENTIRELY CREATED BY THE PERSON WHO TELLS THE STORY."
"Just as we continue to forget that IMMIGRANTS ARE THE BACKBONE OF THE COUNTRY, we forget that MUSICAL THEATRE IS A MONGREL ART FORM."
To continue a legacy...
'Hamilton' is a musical, a Broadway show, a hip-hop phenomenon, a diverse and hopeful retooling of history, a continuation of historical revolutions, that defines this generation. Its grand popularity is a testament to how powerful its messages are, and how talented Lin-Manuel Miranda is.
So much drive and passion went into the making of this production; this retelling; this art collaboration.
'Hamilton: The Revolution' - a must for the fans, and for the fans of musical theatre. They and the shows they love have the power.
The power to (re)start a revolution of equality. Through song, dance, creativity, humour, drama, and education. And love.
Final Score: 5/5
Sunday 29 December 2019
Best 5 Star Books of 2019
Totalling thirty five! I don't rate anything five stars lightly, so these are spectacular and amazing reads. Thirty five star studded books out of two hundred and twenty nine-going-on-thirty in 2019.
Getting right down to it:
35. The Mermaid's Voice Returns in This One (Women Are Some Kind of Magic #3) by Amanda Lovelace
Personal, powerful, healing feminist poetry, and the last of a trilogy. Review here.
34. Bookworm: A Memoir of Childhood Reading by Lucy Mangan
A UK reading memoir. Adorable, informative, and a dream for all bookworms. However, it is responsible for a lot of disappointing reads for me this year, in its book recommendations. Review here.
33. Kaiju Girl Caramelise, Vol. 1 by Spica Aoki
A cute, funny, charming and touching monster manga. Review here.
32. Each Peach Pear Plum by Janet Ahlberg, Allan Ahlberg
Too cute, clever and refreshing for words. A perfect children's rhyming picture book, Review here.
31. And Tango Makes Three by Justin Richardson, Peter Parnell, Henry Cole (Illustrator)
An LBGTQ picture book about real life penguins, and family. Review here.
30. Pan's Labyrinth: The Labyrinth of the Faun by Guillermo del Toro, Cornelia Funke
Lovely, macabre adult fairy tale book adaptation of one of the best fantasy films ever made. Review here.
29. Malala's Magic Pencil by Malala Yousafzai (Writer), KerascoΓ«t (Illustrator)
Beautiful, brave, relevant picture book. It's about Malala Yousafzai. Enough said. Review here.
28. Witch Hat Atelier, Vol. 1 by Kamome Shirahama
Magical and fantastical manga. Adorable, dramatic, and also feminist. The art is rich and gorgeous. Review here.
27. Book Love by Debbie Tung
An hilarious and adorable little anecdotal comic for book lovers everywhere. So relatable and cute. Review here.
26. Sailor Moon: Eternal Edition 1 by Naoko Takeuchi
A brand new and iridescent Sailor Moon collector's edition manga. 'Nuff said. Review here.
25. Fruits Basket Collector's Edition, Vol. 1 by Natsuki Takaya
Same with Fruits Basket, my favourite manga. I'm so happy! Review here.
24. Power & Magic: The Queer Witch Comics Anthology by Joamette Gil (Editor), Various
A special graphic novel anthology all about LBGTQ POC witches. It's as great, revolutionary and important as it sounds. Read it when you get the chance. Review here.
23. The Apple-Pip Princess by Jane Ray
An absolutely gorgeous and sweet fairy tale picture book starring a POC princess, who saves her kingdom via plantation and other kinds of growth. Personal growth. Positive energy, with a tinge of melancholy and tragedy. Review here.
22. Sophie's Masterpiece: A Spider's Tale by Eileen Spinelli (Writer), Jane Dyer (Illustrator)
A beautiful, masterful picture book that will make you cry. Review here.
21. The Princess and the Foal by Stacy Gregg
A princess and pony book based on true events. Spectacularly written children's tome. Delightful, aspiring, and inspirational. An underrated gemstone. Review here.
20. Hortense and the Shadow by Natalia O'Hara (Writer), Lauren O'Hara (Illustrator)
Another marvellous picture book. Dark, majestic, ethereal, and unique. Review here.
19. Little Red Reading Hood by Lucy Rowland (Writer), Ben Mantle (Illustrator)
Amazing. Every child should read this, and every reader should read it to every child. Review here.
18. The Burning by Laura Bates
The greatest YA book about misogyny and rape culture I never want to read again. Review here.
17. Prince & Knight by Daniel Haack (Writer), Stevie Lewis (Illustrator)
My review of this masterpiece of an all-ages picture book says it all.
16. Harley Quinn: Breaking Glass by Mariko Tamaki (Writer), Steve Pugh (Artist)
A surprising Harley Quinn YA graphic novel. So gorgeous and diverse, and it does Harley justice, even as a teenager. Ingenious plotting, character work, and action. Mariko Tamaki is a fantastic writer. Review here.
15. The Queens of Animation by Nathalia Holt
Digestible feminist nonfiction about the women behind Disney's animation from the very beginning. Honest, well researched, and passionate. Review here.
14. The Okay Witch by Emma Steinkellner
One of the most adorable and entertaining witch comics I've ever read. Its diversity and huge relevance today cannot be overstated. Review here.
13. The House at the End of Hope Street by Menna van Praag
The best, most magical and soulful and life affirming chick lit for any bookworm or creative persons, who are also feminist. I can't wait to read Menna van Praag's next magical feminist book in 2020. Review here.
12. Going Off Script by Jen Wilde
Another terrific, queer, cute, diverse-as-hell, pop culture-heavy, and geeky-as-hell YA by Jen Wilde. Exceedingly relevant in the #MeToo era. Representation matters. Review here.
11. Mooncakes by Suzanne Walker (Writer), Wendy Xu (Artist)
A fantasy graphic novel that has everything. The cuteness and the diverse rep go beyond any prism spectrum; far beyond the solar system. Get ready to fall in love. Review here.
10. I Love You So Mochi by Sarah Kuhn
The cutest and frothiest damn YA book ever. Like the best dessert you've ever tasted. Such colourful passions and sweetness burst from the pages and warm the heart. Review here.
9. The Tea Dragon Festival by Katie O'Neill
Speaking of heartwarming and colourful. Another exceptional and adorable little fantasy comic by Katie O'Neill. There is more diversity in her stories than ever before. The characters are fantastic and unforgettable. Lovely, warm and comforting, like the best sweet tea. So good it's almost scary. Review here.
8. Fierce Fairytales: Poems and Stories to Stir Your Soul by Nikita Gill
My new favourite poetry collection. It is poetry written especially for me. It is exactly what it says on the tin, and what the gorgeous cover promises. Review here.
7. Sulwe by Lupita Nyong’o (Writer), Vashti Harrison (Illustrator)
THIS should have won the Best Picture Book category on Goodreads in 2019. A stunningly beautiful, achingly enchanting, personal and relevant book for all ages about colorism. Review here.
6. The Witches Are Coming by Lindy West
A modern nonfiction feminist text that is extremely relevant. It will terrify you and make you think. Lindy West is queen. Review here.
5. On a Sunbeam by Tillie Walden
One of the best graphic novels I've ever read, and one of the best science fiction stories ever made. So beautiful and damn near perfect that it's scary. And it's feminist AF. It's not just a comic or a story - it's an experience. Review here.
4. Goodnight Mister Tom by Michelle Magorian
A new favourite book of mine, and about time too. I'm so glad I gave it another chance after a miserable school study reading. A masterpiece of writing. For children and adults. Get ready to cry. Review here.
3. Laura Dean Keeps Breaking Up with Me by Mariko Tamaki (Writer), Rosemary Valero-O'Connell (Illustrator)
A slice-of-life graphic novel about toxic relationships, that is a glowing piece of beauty. Of LBGTQ and POC love. No one can know what true perfection is, but this might come close to it. Mariko Tamaki strikes again, creating something so heart-achingly special. Review here.
2. Heartstopper: Volume One / Heartstopper: Volume Two by Alice Oseman
These two shall share a spot. It is Heartstopper by Alice Oseman - do I need to explain myself? See my reviews here and here.
1. Your Silence Will Not Protect You: Essays and Poems by Audre Lorde
I may have reached pure holiness; true enlightenment. And it is from a feminist text from the seventies. But written with rawness, passion, rage, and solidity by Audre Lorde, a black lesbian and mother.
A nonfiction text is my favourite book of 2019. It is extremely relevant. And timeless. I mean it when I say that everyone needs this - this collection of essays and poems - right now, right this second. Trust me when when I say that it will set you free. It can save all lives. It can help make the world a better place for everyone in it. It advocates for universal equality with such unapologetic, no-nonsense, and no-excuses love and passion and wisdom, that you will admire Lorde for her strength, bravery and spirit. Outstanding. A triumph in writing. Read more about it in my review here.
That's it for 2019.
I actually can't wait for 2020. It is a brand new, refreshing start to look forward to. Never looking back.
Goddesses know that I've been through some hardships this year, and bereavements. There are a great number of things to unpack and regret, both personally and on a much wider scale. But I must never stop hoping. I must never give up the good fight, and I will keep going. I aim to read a lot less (a LOT less than 230, to be sure) in 2020 - I wish to improve my social life and spend as much time as I possibly can with my family. I wish for positive, groundbreaking change in my life, and I will be the proactive heroine in my own life. I won't be lazy, scared and disillusioned, and wait around for life to happen to me anymore. I will go out there and do things myself.
At least I've got a couple of adorable kittens now, and a new baby niece in the family. Always look on the bright side, and look forward to new bright spots to come.
Carry kindness, hope and love with you at all times.
Getting right down to it:
35. The Mermaid's Voice Returns in This One (Women Are Some Kind of Magic #3) by Amanda Lovelace
Personal, powerful, healing feminist poetry, and the last of a trilogy. Review here.
34. Bookworm: A Memoir of Childhood Reading by Lucy Mangan
A UK reading memoir. Adorable, informative, and a dream for all bookworms. However, it is responsible for a lot of disappointing reads for me this year, in its book recommendations. Review here.
33. Kaiju Girl Caramelise, Vol. 1 by Spica Aoki
A cute, funny, charming and touching monster manga. Review here.
32. Each Peach Pear Plum by Janet Ahlberg, Allan Ahlberg
Too cute, clever and refreshing for words. A perfect children's rhyming picture book, Review here.
31. And Tango Makes Three by Justin Richardson, Peter Parnell, Henry Cole (Illustrator)
An LBGTQ picture book about real life penguins, and family. Review here.
30. Pan's Labyrinth: The Labyrinth of the Faun by Guillermo del Toro, Cornelia Funke
Lovely, macabre adult fairy tale book adaptation of one of the best fantasy films ever made. Review here.
29. Malala's Magic Pencil by Malala Yousafzai (Writer), KerascoΓ«t (Illustrator)
Beautiful, brave, relevant picture book. It's about Malala Yousafzai. Enough said. Review here.
28. Witch Hat Atelier, Vol. 1 by Kamome Shirahama
Magical and fantastical manga. Adorable, dramatic, and also feminist. The art is rich and gorgeous. Review here.
27. Book Love by Debbie Tung
An hilarious and adorable little anecdotal comic for book lovers everywhere. So relatable and cute. Review here.
26. Sailor Moon: Eternal Edition 1 by Naoko Takeuchi
A brand new and iridescent Sailor Moon collector's edition manga. 'Nuff said. Review here.
25. Fruits Basket Collector's Edition, Vol. 1 by Natsuki Takaya
Same with Fruits Basket, my favourite manga. I'm so happy! Review here.
24. Power & Magic: The Queer Witch Comics Anthology by Joamette Gil (Editor), Various
A special graphic novel anthology all about LBGTQ POC witches. It's as great, revolutionary and important as it sounds. Read it when you get the chance. Review here.
23. The Apple-Pip Princess by Jane Ray
An absolutely gorgeous and sweet fairy tale picture book starring a POC princess, who saves her kingdom via plantation and other kinds of growth. Personal growth. Positive energy, with a tinge of melancholy and tragedy. Review here.
22. Sophie's Masterpiece: A Spider's Tale by Eileen Spinelli (Writer), Jane Dyer (Illustrator)
A beautiful, masterful picture book that will make you cry. Review here.
21. The Princess and the Foal by Stacy Gregg
A princess and pony book based on true events. Spectacularly written children's tome. Delightful, aspiring, and inspirational. An underrated gemstone. Review here.
20. Hortense and the Shadow by Natalia O'Hara (Writer), Lauren O'Hara (Illustrator)
Another marvellous picture book. Dark, majestic, ethereal, and unique. Review here.
19. Little Red Reading Hood by Lucy Rowland (Writer), Ben Mantle (Illustrator)
Amazing. Every child should read this, and every reader should read it to every child. Review here.
18. The Burning by Laura Bates
The greatest YA book about misogyny and rape culture I never want to read again. Review here.
17. Prince & Knight by Daniel Haack (Writer), Stevie Lewis (Illustrator)
My review of this masterpiece of an all-ages picture book says it all.
16. Harley Quinn: Breaking Glass by Mariko Tamaki (Writer), Steve Pugh (Artist)
A surprising Harley Quinn YA graphic novel. So gorgeous and diverse, and it does Harley justice, even as a teenager. Ingenious plotting, character work, and action. Mariko Tamaki is a fantastic writer. Review here.
15. The Queens of Animation by Nathalia Holt
Digestible feminist nonfiction about the women behind Disney's animation from the very beginning. Honest, well researched, and passionate. Review here.
14. The Okay Witch by Emma Steinkellner
One of the most adorable and entertaining witch comics I've ever read. Its diversity and huge relevance today cannot be overstated. Review here.
13. The House at the End of Hope Street by Menna van Praag
The best, most magical and soulful and life affirming chick lit for any bookworm or creative persons, who are also feminist. I can't wait to read Menna van Praag's next magical feminist book in 2020. Review here.
12. Going Off Script by Jen Wilde
Another terrific, queer, cute, diverse-as-hell, pop culture-heavy, and geeky-as-hell YA by Jen Wilde. Exceedingly relevant in the #MeToo era. Representation matters. Review here.
11. Mooncakes by Suzanne Walker (Writer), Wendy Xu (Artist)
A fantasy graphic novel that has everything. The cuteness and the diverse rep go beyond any prism spectrum; far beyond the solar system. Get ready to fall in love. Review here.
10. I Love You So Mochi by Sarah Kuhn
The cutest and frothiest damn YA book ever. Like the best dessert you've ever tasted. Such colourful passions and sweetness burst from the pages and warm the heart. Review here.
9. The Tea Dragon Festival by Katie O'Neill
Speaking of heartwarming and colourful. Another exceptional and adorable little fantasy comic by Katie O'Neill. There is more diversity in her stories than ever before. The characters are fantastic and unforgettable. Lovely, warm and comforting, like the best sweet tea. So good it's almost scary. Review here.
8. Fierce Fairytales: Poems and Stories to Stir Your Soul by Nikita Gill
My new favourite poetry collection. It is poetry written especially for me. It is exactly what it says on the tin, and what the gorgeous cover promises. Review here.
7. Sulwe by Lupita Nyong’o (Writer), Vashti Harrison (Illustrator)
THIS should have won the Best Picture Book category on Goodreads in 2019. A stunningly beautiful, achingly enchanting, personal and relevant book for all ages about colorism. Review here.
6. The Witches Are Coming by Lindy West
A modern nonfiction feminist text that is extremely relevant. It will terrify you and make you think. Lindy West is queen. Review here.
5. On a Sunbeam by Tillie Walden
One of the best graphic novels I've ever read, and one of the best science fiction stories ever made. So beautiful and damn near perfect that it's scary. And it's feminist AF. It's not just a comic or a story - it's an experience. Review here.
4. Goodnight Mister Tom by Michelle Magorian
A new favourite book of mine, and about time too. I'm so glad I gave it another chance after a miserable school study reading. A masterpiece of writing. For children and adults. Get ready to cry. Review here.
3. Laura Dean Keeps Breaking Up with Me by Mariko Tamaki (Writer), Rosemary Valero-O'Connell (Illustrator)
A slice-of-life graphic novel about toxic relationships, that is a glowing piece of beauty. Of LBGTQ and POC love. No one can know what true perfection is, but this might come close to it. Mariko Tamaki strikes again, creating something so heart-achingly special. Review here.
2. Heartstopper: Volume One / Heartstopper: Volume Two by Alice Oseman
These two shall share a spot. It is Heartstopper by Alice Oseman - do I need to explain myself? See my reviews here and here.
1. Your Silence Will Not Protect You: Essays and Poems by Audre Lorde
I may have reached pure holiness; true enlightenment. And it is from a feminist text from the seventies. But written with rawness, passion, rage, and solidity by Audre Lorde, a black lesbian and mother.
A nonfiction text is my favourite book of 2019. It is extremely relevant. And timeless. I mean it when I say that everyone needs this - this collection of essays and poems - right now, right this second. Trust me when when I say that it will set you free. It can save all lives. It can help make the world a better place for everyone in it. It advocates for universal equality with such unapologetic, no-nonsense, and no-excuses love and passion and wisdom, that you will admire Lorde for her strength, bravery and spirit. Outstanding. A triumph in writing. Read more about it in my review here.
That's it for 2019.
I actually can't wait for 2020. It is a brand new, refreshing start to look forward to. Never looking back.
Goddesses know that I've been through some hardships this year, and bereavements. There are a great number of things to unpack and regret, both personally and on a much wider scale. But I must never stop hoping. I must never give up the good fight, and I will keep going. I aim to read a lot less (a LOT less than 230, to be sure) in 2020 - I wish to improve my social life and spend as much time as I possibly can with my family. I wish for positive, groundbreaking change in my life, and I will be the proactive heroine in my own life. I won't be lazy, scared and disillusioned, and wait around for life to happen to me anymore. I will go out there and do things myself.
At least I've got a couple of adorable kittens now, and a new baby niece in the family. Always look on the bright side, and look forward to new bright spots to come.
Carry kindness, hope and love with you at all times.
Saturday 28 December 2019
Best 4 Star Books of 2019
Yey! Finally on to the good stuff!
And there are forty good books that I have rated four stars this year! Maybe 2019 hasn't been as bad as everyone thought.
...
...
Okay it has, but a hopeful outlook and highlighting the positive in the negative never hurt anyone. For, contrary to what I have already written in my negative book lists, I want to stay hopeful, happy and kind for the New Year. For the new decade after a terrible one. For real progress and love, not hate and ignorance, to take flight and become mainstream, in the 2020s, at last.
Never give up on hope.
But anyway, here are my forty Best 4 Star Books of 2019! In order most enjoyed; which made the most impression on me.
40. I Married My Best Friend to Shut My Parents Up by Naoko Kodama
Fun, light yuri manga. Review here.
39. Beowulf by Unknown, Seamus Heaney (Translator, Introduction)
Ageless, epic adventure poetry. Review here.
38. Twelfth Night by William Shakespeare
Crossdressing comedy antics and challenging gender roles - and every role in society. For life is a stage. Clever wordplay. A new favourite of mine by the bard. Review here
37. Heather Has Two Mummies by LeslΓ©a Newman (Writer), Laura Cornell (Illustrator)
Classic LBGTQ children's picture book. Read it. Banned books are the best. Review here.
36. The Adventure Zone: Here There Be Gerblins by Clint McElroy, Griffin McElroy, Justin McElroy, Travis McElroy, Carey Pietsch (Illustrator)
A fun, riff-rolling and rip-roaring - and dice-rolling! - fantasy graphic novel. Very funny. Review here.
35. Feminists Don't Wear Pink (And Other Lies): Amazing Women on What the F-Word Means to Them by Scarlett Curtis (Author) (Curator), Bronwen Brenner (Author) (Contributor), Various
Modern feminist nonfiction text, with many female celebrity contributors. Review here.
34. Mary, Who Wrote Frankenstein by Linda Bailey (Writer), JΓΊlia SardΓ (Illustrator)
Dark and gorgeous picture book about Mary Shelley and how she came to conceive of her monster. Dream haunts; dreams haunt. Review here.
33. Suki's Kimono by Chieri Uegaki (Writer), StΓ©phane Jorisch (Illustrator)
Colourful, sweet, adorable, and incandescent diverse picture book about tolerance and beautiful cultures. Review here.
32. Northanger Abbey by Jane Austen
One of the biggest surprise pleasantries of the year. Review here.
31. The Phantom Tollbooth by Norton Juster
A funny and clever classic children's fantasy book that can be read in a day. Review here.
Down to the Top 30 Now:
30. Heckedy Peg by Audrey Wood (Writer), Don Wood (Illustrator)
A great and beautifully-illustrated fairy tale from the eighties. Review here.
29. Alice's Adventures in Wonderland and Through the Looking Glass by Lewis Carroll
A reread. A nostalgic, sweet, imaginative, and clever fantasy dreamland, that's highly appreciated now. Review here.
28. Domino, Vol. 1: Killer Instinct by Gail Simone (Writer), David BaldeΓ³n (Illustrator)
A smart, dramatic, action-packed and highly entertaining female-led Marvel comic, by Gail Simone. Underrated. Review here.
27. Snow White with the Red Hair, Vol. 1 by Sorata Akizuki
A sweet little fantasy/slice-of-life romance manga, featuring an intrepid and witty heroine. Review here.
26. The Borrowers by Mary Norton
A sweet, wholesome, rich, yet quiet and creative children's fantasy classic. Timeless. Small but big at heart. Review here.
25. Goddess of the Hunt by Shelby Eileen
Poetry about Artemis, and about other Greek goddesses talking about Artemis. Heh. Stunning and powerful aro ace rep. Review here.
24. Young Miss Holmes, Casebook 1-2 by Kaoru Shintani
Cute and dynamic shoujo mystery manga, centring around Sherlock Holmes's little niece who is fast becoming his equal. "It's elementary, my dear uncle!" Review here.
23. Satoko and Nada Vol. 1 by Yupechika, Marie Nishimori (Contributor)
Great modern manga about tolerance and learning about people's cultures. Educational and hilarious. Review here.
22. Woman World by Aminder Dhaliwal
Another hilarious graphic novel. Adorable. Review here.
21. Girl Friends: The Complete Collection 1 by Milk Morinaga
Beautiful high school yuri manga. So honest and real. Female friendships and companionship are forever. Review here.
Here is the Top 20:
20. Sorcery of Thorns by Margaret Rogerson
YA fantasy that's worth liking. An imperfect, heartfelt, action-packed and dynamic dream. For rambunctious bookworms, too. A gorgeous treasure. Review here.
19. The Unstoppable Wasp: G.I.R.L. Power (The Unstoppable Wasp (2017) #1-8) by Jeremy Whitley (Writer), Elsa Charretier (Artist)
The best of Marvel I have read this year. Girl power, indeed. Intelligent and fun girl power. Review here.
18. El Deafo by Cece Bell
An autobiographical graphic novel told through cartoon bunnies, about a deaf child. Review here.
17. Sadie by Courtney Summers
A very dark, harrowing and real YA novel. An eye-opener. Horrifying, deadly, cutthroat, and tearful. You will not be the same after reading it. Among Courtney Summers' best. Review here.
16. A Little Princess by Frances Hodgson Burnett
A reread, and I'm glad of it. A precious little classic. A lovely, darling, tender, sad, timeless tale. Review here.
15. The Loneliest Girl in the Universe by Lauren James
Feminist YA sci-fi. Review here.
14. Dead Blondes and Bad Mothers: Monstrosity, Patriarchy, and the Fear of Female Power by Sady Doyle
Feminist nonfiction text. Bloody brilliant, disgusting and disturbing. And vital. Review here.
13. The Princess and the Fangirl (Once Upon a Con #2) by Ashley Poston
Geeky, fab and massively diverse YA sequel to Geekerella. Review here.
12. Witchy by Ariel Slamet Ries
A surprise graphic novel. Epic, unassuming feminist fantasy. Bold and strong in story and character. Review here.
11. Sabrina the Teenage Witch by Kelly Thompson (Writer), Veronica Fish (Artist)
Now THIS is the Sabrina Spellman of the 21st century that I can get behind. A fun, colourful, great witch fantasy comic. Review here.
TOP TEN!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
10. Brave Irene by William Steig
A fantastic children's picture book about bravery and perseverance for those you love. Thrilling and feminist. Review here.
9. Great Goddesses: Life lessons from myths and monsters by Nikita Gill
Startling, starry, spellbinding poetry. An enchantress's cosmic power lies within these pages. Nikita Gill is an amazing writer. Review here.
8. Maiden & Princess by Daniel Haack (Writer), Isabel Galupo (Writer), Becca Human (Illustrator)
A lovely LBGTQ and diversity treasure chest for children. Review here.
7. The Lady's Guide to Celestial Mechanics by Olivia Waite
W/W love - in historical fiction. Wonderful and magical. Lush and sensual. Review here.
6. The Love & Lies of Rukhsana Ali by Sabina Khan
Important and brilliant. Short, fast and addictive, but not always easy to read. Harrowing, rage-inducing, heartbreaking, yet hopeful. LBGTQ and diversity/Muslim representation, of course. Review here.
5. On the Come Up by Angie Thomas
Another triumph by Angie Thomas. A worthy follow up to The Hate U Give. Review here.
4. Sawkill Girls by Claire Legrand
It has a bit of everything that I love. A feminist YA horror and fantasy novel. As brilliant as a Stephen King classic. Raw and brave. Review here.
3. Radio Silence by Alice Oseman
I'll never not be jealous of and rancorous towards Alice Oseman. I love her all the same. Unique, creative and terrific modern YA, and it's so diverse. Review here, my first of 2019.
2. Red, White & Royal Blue by Casey McQuiston
One of, if not the biggest book hit of the year. And for good reason. I want to live in the world of this book so badly. Please. As imperfect as it is, it's a million times better than this world. So full of hope and goodness. Life changing, groundbreaking, and revolutionary. Best LBGTQ and diverse rep. Fucking powerful. Review here: be warned, it's very long.
1. Internment by Samira Ahmed
Relevant and powerful YA dystopia that's set ten minutes in the future. It's set now; it's set yesterday. It's worthy of receiving the same praise and mainstream attention as The Hate U Give. It deserves newsworthy scrutiny. Public and political change needs to happen right now. Another long review here.
My next, and final, list of 2019 - the extra positive Best 5 Star Books - is coming soon...
And there are forty good books that I have rated four stars this year! Maybe 2019 hasn't been as bad as everyone thought.
...
...
Okay it has, but a hopeful outlook and highlighting the positive in the negative never hurt anyone. For, contrary to what I have already written in my negative book lists, I want to stay hopeful, happy and kind for the New Year. For the new decade after a terrible one. For real progress and love, not hate and ignorance, to take flight and become mainstream, in the 2020s, at last.
Never give up on hope.
But anyway, here are my forty Best 4 Star Books of 2019! In order most enjoyed; which made the most impression on me.
40. I Married My Best Friend to Shut My Parents Up by Naoko Kodama
Fun, light yuri manga. Review here.
39. Beowulf by Unknown, Seamus Heaney (Translator, Introduction)
Ageless, epic adventure poetry. Review here.
38. Twelfth Night by William Shakespeare
Crossdressing comedy antics and challenging gender roles - and every role in society. For life is a stage. Clever wordplay. A new favourite of mine by the bard. Review here
37. Heather Has Two Mummies by LeslΓ©a Newman (Writer), Laura Cornell (Illustrator)
Classic LBGTQ children's picture book. Read it. Banned books are the best. Review here.
36. The Adventure Zone: Here There Be Gerblins by Clint McElroy, Griffin McElroy, Justin McElroy, Travis McElroy, Carey Pietsch (Illustrator)
A fun, riff-rolling and rip-roaring - and dice-rolling! - fantasy graphic novel. Very funny. Review here.
35. Feminists Don't Wear Pink (And Other Lies): Amazing Women on What the F-Word Means to Them by Scarlett Curtis (Author) (Curator), Bronwen Brenner (Author) (Contributor), Various
Modern feminist nonfiction text, with many female celebrity contributors. Review here.
34. Mary, Who Wrote Frankenstein by Linda Bailey (Writer), JΓΊlia SardΓ (Illustrator)
Dark and gorgeous picture book about Mary Shelley and how she came to conceive of her monster. Dream haunts; dreams haunt. Review here.
33. Suki's Kimono by Chieri Uegaki (Writer), StΓ©phane Jorisch (Illustrator)
Colourful, sweet, adorable, and incandescent diverse picture book about tolerance and beautiful cultures. Review here.
32. Northanger Abbey by Jane Austen
One of the biggest surprise pleasantries of the year. Review here.
31. The Phantom Tollbooth by Norton Juster
A funny and clever classic children's fantasy book that can be read in a day. Review here.
Down to the Top 30 Now:
30. Heckedy Peg by Audrey Wood (Writer), Don Wood (Illustrator)
A great and beautifully-illustrated fairy tale from the eighties. Review here.
29. Alice's Adventures in Wonderland and Through the Looking Glass by Lewis Carroll
A reread. A nostalgic, sweet, imaginative, and clever fantasy dreamland, that's highly appreciated now. Review here.
28. Domino, Vol. 1: Killer Instinct by Gail Simone (Writer), David BaldeΓ³n (Illustrator)
A smart, dramatic, action-packed and highly entertaining female-led Marvel comic, by Gail Simone. Underrated. Review here.
27. Snow White with the Red Hair, Vol. 1 by Sorata Akizuki
A sweet little fantasy/slice-of-life romance manga, featuring an intrepid and witty heroine. Review here.
26. The Borrowers by Mary Norton
A sweet, wholesome, rich, yet quiet and creative children's fantasy classic. Timeless. Small but big at heart. Review here.
25. Goddess of the Hunt by Shelby Eileen
Poetry about Artemis, and about other Greek goddesses talking about Artemis. Heh. Stunning and powerful aro ace rep. Review here.
24. Young Miss Holmes, Casebook 1-2 by Kaoru Shintani
Cute and dynamic shoujo mystery manga, centring around Sherlock Holmes's little niece who is fast becoming his equal. "It's elementary, my dear uncle!" Review here.
23. Satoko and Nada Vol. 1 by Yupechika, Marie Nishimori (Contributor)
Great modern manga about tolerance and learning about people's cultures. Educational and hilarious. Review here.
22. Woman World by Aminder Dhaliwal
Another hilarious graphic novel. Adorable. Review here.
21. Girl Friends: The Complete Collection 1 by Milk Morinaga
Beautiful high school yuri manga. So honest and real. Female friendships and companionship are forever. Review here.
Here is the Top 20:
20. Sorcery of Thorns by Margaret Rogerson
YA fantasy that's worth liking. An imperfect, heartfelt, action-packed and dynamic dream. For rambunctious bookworms, too. A gorgeous treasure. Review here.
19. The Unstoppable Wasp: G.I.R.L. Power (The Unstoppable Wasp (2017) #1-8) by Jeremy Whitley (Writer), Elsa Charretier (Artist)
The best of Marvel I have read this year. Girl power, indeed. Intelligent and fun girl power. Review here.
18. El Deafo by Cece Bell
An autobiographical graphic novel told through cartoon bunnies, about a deaf child. Review here.
17. Sadie by Courtney Summers
A very dark, harrowing and real YA novel. An eye-opener. Horrifying, deadly, cutthroat, and tearful. You will not be the same after reading it. Among Courtney Summers' best. Review here.
16. A Little Princess by Frances Hodgson Burnett
A reread, and I'm glad of it. A precious little classic. A lovely, darling, tender, sad, timeless tale. Review here.
15. The Loneliest Girl in the Universe by Lauren James
Feminist YA sci-fi. Review here.
14. Dead Blondes and Bad Mothers: Monstrosity, Patriarchy, and the Fear of Female Power by Sady Doyle
Feminist nonfiction text. Bloody brilliant, disgusting and disturbing. And vital. Review here.
13. The Princess and the Fangirl (Once Upon a Con #2) by Ashley Poston
Geeky, fab and massively diverse YA sequel to Geekerella. Review here.
12. Witchy by Ariel Slamet Ries
A surprise graphic novel. Epic, unassuming feminist fantasy. Bold and strong in story and character. Review here.
11. Sabrina the Teenage Witch by Kelly Thompson (Writer), Veronica Fish (Artist)
Now THIS is the Sabrina Spellman of the 21st century that I can get behind. A fun, colourful, great witch fantasy comic. Review here.
TOP TEN!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
10. Brave Irene by William Steig
A fantastic children's picture book about bravery and perseverance for those you love. Thrilling and feminist. Review here.
9. Great Goddesses: Life lessons from myths and monsters by Nikita Gill
Startling, starry, spellbinding poetry. An enchantress's cosmic power lies within these pages. Nikita Gill is an amazing writer. Review here.
8. Maiden & Princess by Daniel Haack (Writer), Isabel Galupo (Writer), Becca Human (Illustrator)
A lovely LBGTQ and diversity treasure chest for children. Review here.
7. The Lady's Guide to Celestial Mechanics by Olivia Waite
W/W love - in historical fiction. Wonderful and magical. Lush and sensual. Review here.
6. The Love & Lies of Rukhsana Ali by Sabina Khan
Important and brilliant. Short, fast and addictive, but not always easy to read. Harrowing, rage-inducing, heartbreaking, yet hopeful. LBGTQ and diversity/Muslim representation, of course. Review here.
5. On the Come Up by Angie Thomas
Another triumph by Angie Thomas. A worthy follow up to The Hate U Give. Review here.
4. Sawkill Girls by Claire Legrand
It has a bit of everything that I love. A feminist YA horror and fantasy novel. As brilliant as a Stephen King classic. Raw and brave. Review here.
3. Radio Silence by Alice Oseman
I'll never not be jealous of and rancorous towards Alice Oseman. I love her all the same. Unique, creative and terrific modern YA, and it's so diverse. Review here, my first of 2019.
2. Red, White & Royal Blue by Casey McQuiston
One of, if not the biggest book hit of the year. And for good reason. I want to live in the world of this book so badly. Please. As imperfect as it is, it's a million times better than this world. So full of hope and goodness. Life changing, groundbreaking, and revolutionary. Best LBGTQ and diverse rep. Fucking powerful. Review here: be warned, it's very long.
1. Internment by Samira Ahmed
Relevant and powerful YA dystopia that's set ten minutes in the future. It's set now; it's set yesterday. It's worthy of receiving the same praise and mainstream attention as The Hate U Give. It deserves newsworthy scrutiny. Public and political change needs to happen right now. Another long review here.
My next, and final, list of 2019 - the extra positive Best 5 Star Books - is coming soon...
DNFs of 2019
2019 has been unique to me - one reason being that I have been skimming and just outright not finishing more books than ever before. I used to hate not finishing anything. But I suppose that since reading War and Peace - and since I'm getting older - I've come to fully realise that life is too short to read books that you don't enjoy. Don't torture yourself and waste time with something you'll clearly not like and never will. Reading should be fun, not a chore.
There is no shame in not finishing a book, I realise that now. I won't feel guilty about it again in the future.
There is a kind of reading that makes me hate reading, and the books on this list are indicative of that. So here they are, the slogs, the drains, the not-for-me's. Totalling thirteen(!), here are my Did Not Finish's of 2019.
13. The Confessions of Frannie Langton by Sara Collins
Couldn't keep my interest, sadly - and this is historical fiction about an LBGTQ slave girl. Didn't like the writing style. A less interesting version of Margaret Atwood's Alias Grace, in my opinion.
12. The Vagabond by Colette, Enid McLeod (Translator)
I just didn't care for the characters and setting. Where was the feminism and the fire of the older female protagonist? Three strikes and you're out: Sadly, Colette, we will have to part ways.
11. The Jungle Book by Rudyard Kipling
I managed to read this through until later on, unlike the other DNFs where I gave up quite early. I skimmed some of it, and I... don't care. The author's pro-imperialism definitely shows through his writing, and I am having none of it. Well written and researched for its time, though.
10. Moroda by L.L. McNeil
I was looking forward to reading this self-published fantasy book by a kind and involved modern author. The beginning is engaging and makes you want to find out more about what's going on. But it loses steam quickly. I got very bored. The writing isn't great and that it is self-published painfully shows. I skimmed through it and found that it contains cliched YA high fantasy tropes. Like, masses of people are stupid enough by themselves without actual mind control influencing them, writers! Look at the last few years as proof of that! Politics are a cesspool! Oh yeah, Moroda has dragons in it as well, doesn't it? Oh well, still bored. Sorry, L.L. McNeil.
9. Emma by Jane Austen
An attempted reread from years ago, and after one hundred pages I gave up and skimmed...
8. Sense and Sensibility by Jane Austen
...and with this I gave up after about thirty pages. I barely bothered skimming. Why is this so popular? It's so dull and bland. How is it entertaining? Emma is more entertaining in its beginning. The boring writing and the obsession with women getting married to rich and handsome men in society is so irritating. I hate costume dramas! Nothing happens in Sense and Sensibility, and there is internalised misogyny going on as well. Of course there is. But I didn't give up on Jane Austen after this. In fact she managed to pleasantly surprise me with another book of hers, which I will talk about on another 2019 list...
7. The Illiad by Homer, E.V. Rieu (Translator)
Read my review here.
6. The Odyssey by Homer, E.V. Rieu (Translator)
See above. My review of The Odyssey can be read here.
5. The Fifth Season by N.K. Jemisin
Everybody loves this book. Everybody. It has won countless awards. It is an adult fantasy diversity goldmine. And I couldn't finish it. I'm sorry, I truly am. I am not a fan of the second person perspective narration, the intertwining POV narrations, and the all-around confusion. It is rich and deep and vastly detailed high fantasy, and I'm sure very original, but I couldn't get into it. I couldn't follow which POV and time period I was supposed to be paying the most attention to. The depictions of child abuse disturbed me and put me off as well. Too horrific, overwhelming yet underwhelming at the same time, and weird for me. I am so sorry. A diverse and critically acclaimed fantasy book by a POC author which I didn't want to continue with? What kind of fantasy fan am I?
4. Miss Garnet's Angel by Salley Vickers
Very, very, very boring - I could barely reach thirty pages. It should have been a little interesting to me since I have been to Venice this year, but I guess not.
3. Dimsie Goes to School by Dorita Fairlie Bruce
Dreadfully dull. And it's a children's book! Something as short as this shouldn't be a DNF, but there you go, it is that bad.
2. Watership Down by Richard Adams
On the flip side, we have a ridiculously long children's book. How can a book about rabbits for kids be 656 pages long?! It certainly didn't keep me invested for long. Or at all, but I endured it until I couldn't any longer. Just...why do so many people love this huge bore? How do kids manage to read it without being bored to tears? A classic status shouldn't be an immunity against criticism. The writing is overly dense and overly descriptive, and the rabbit characters are almost nonentities. Not interesting to me at all, sorry.
1. The Arabian Nights by Anonymous, Richard Francis Burton (Translator), Haralambie GrΔmescu (TraducΔtor), Lilly-Ferrari-Accame (Translator), A.S. Byatt (Introduction)
A travesty; a large, bloated, badly written and badly translated mess. It is practically unreadable. I hated the misogyny, slut shaming, and double standards of times past as well. Definitely not to be read to be enjoyed. It is the worst endurance test imaginable. I regret nothing.
Thew! With that out of the way, time for the positive reads of 2019! Next up...
There is no shame in not finishing a book, I realise that now. I won't feel guilty about it again in the future.
There is a kind of reading that makes me hate reading, and the books on this list are indicative of that. So here they are, the slogs, the drains, the not-for-me's. Totalling thirteen(!), here are my Did Not Finish's of 2019.
13. The Confessions of Frannie Langton by Sara Collins
Couldn't keep my interest, sadly - and this is historical fiction about an LBGTQ slave girl. Didn't like the writing style. A less interesting version of Margaret Atwood's Alias Grace, in my opinion.
12. The Vagabond by Colette, Enid McLeod (Translator)
I just didn't care for the characters and setting. Where was the feminism and the fire of the older female protagonist? Three strikes and you're out: Sadly, Colette, we will have to part ways.
11. The Jungle Book by Rudyard Kipling
I managed to read this through until later on, unlike the other DNFs where I gave up quite early. I skimmed some of it, and I... don't care. The author's pro-imperialism definitely shows through his writing, and I am having none of it. Well written and researched for its time, though.
10. Moroda by L.L. McNeil
I was looking forward to reading this self-published fantasy book by a kind and involved modern author. The beginning is engaging and makes you want to find out more about what's going on. But it loses steam quickly. I got very bored. The writing isn't great and that it is self-published painfully shows. I skimmed through it and found that it contains cliched YA high fantasy tropes. Like, masses of people are stupid enough by themselves without actual mind control influencing them, writers! Look at the last few years as proof of that! Politics are a cesspool! Oh yeah, Moroda has dragons in it as well, doesn't it? Oh well, still bored. Sorry, L.L. McNeil.
9. Emma by Jane Austen
An attempted reread from years ago, and after one hundred pages I gave up and skimmed...
8. Sense and Sensibility by Jane Austen
...and with this I gave up after about thirty pages. I barely bothered skimming. Why is this so popular? It's so dull and bland. How is it entertaining? Emma is more entertaining in its beginning. The boring writing and the obsession with women getting married to rich and handsome men in society is so irritating. I hate costume dramas! Nothing happens in Sense and Sensibility, and there is internalised misogyny going on as well. Of course there is. But I didn't give up on Jane Austen after this. In fact she managed to pleasantly surprise me with another book of hers, which I will talk about on another 2019 list...
7. The Illiad by Homer, E.V. Rieu (Translator)
Read my review here.
6. The Odyssey by Homer, E.V. Rieu (Translator)
See above. My review of The Odyssey can be read here.
5. The Fifth Season by N.K. Jemisin
Everybody loves this book. Everybody. It has won countless awards. It is an adult fantasy diversity goldmine. And I couldn't finish it. I'm sorry, I truly am. I am not a fan of the second person perspective narration, the intertwining POV narrations, and the all-around confusion. It is rich and deep and vastly detailed high fantasy, and I'm sure very original, but I couldn't get into it. I couldn't follow which POV and time period I was supposed to be paying the most attention to. The depictions of child abuse disturbed me and put me off as well. Too horrific, overwhelming yet underwhelming at the same time, and weird for me. I am so sorry. A diverse and critically acclaimed fantasy book by a POC author which I didn't want to continue with? What kind of fantasy fan am I?
4. Miss Garnet's Angel by Salley Vickers
Very, very, very boring - I could barely reach thirty pages. It should have been a little interesting to me since I have been to Venice this year, but I guess not.
3. Dimsie Goes to School by Dorita Fairlie Bruce
Dreadfully dull. And it's a children's book! Something as short as this shouldn't be a DNF, but there you go, it is that bad.
2. Watership Down by Richard Adams
On the flip side, we have a ridiculously long children's book. How can a book about rabbits for kids be 656 pages long?! It certainly didn't keep me invested for long. Or at all, but I endured it until I couldn't any longer. Just...why do so many people love this huge bore? How do kids manage to read it without being bored to tears? A classic status shouldn't be an immunity against criticism. The writing is overly dense and overly descriptive, and the rabbit characters are almost nonentities. Not interesting to me at all, sorry.
1. The Arabian Nights by Anonymous, Richard Francis Burton (Translator), Haralambie GrΔmescu (TraducΔtor), Lilly-Ferrari-Accame (Translator), A.S. Byatt (Introduction)
A travesty; a large, bloated, badly written and badly translated mess. It is practically unreadable. I hated the misogyny, slut shaming, and double standards of times past as well. Definitely not to be read to be enjoyed. It is the worst endurance test imaginable. I regret nothing.
Thew! With that out of the way, time for the positive reads of 2019! Next up...
Worst 1 Star Books of 2019
Surprisingly, there are not as many books which I've rated one star this year than I had initially thought. It's nonetheless heartbreaking, however.
Let's clean up this crap already! My Worst 1 Star Books of 2019, totalling ten.
10. ChΓ©ri by Colette, Roger Senhouse (Translator)
I think I can safely say that Colette is not for me. A shame because I love the movie Colette!
9. The Family Trade, Vol. 1 by Justin Jordan (Story), Nikki Ryan (Story), Morgan Beem (Art)
An ugly, messy, disjointed comic book. Not even the blatant allusions to and condemnations of the current US president could make this worth it. It isn't subtle in the slightest. How can you take anything seriously in this confusing, un-engaging comic? Please tell me this isn't how noir is supposed to be.
8. American Princess: A Novel of First Daughter Alice Roosevelt by Stephanie Marie Thornton
The blurb is a lie. I'm sure that Alice Roosevelt was a force to be reckoned with. I hadn't even heard of her until I first heard of this book, and it sounded great. Give more attention to female figures and trailblazers in history, please! I wanted to read about Alice's antics, her scandals, her gives-no-shits attitude, her independence, her boldness, her thirst for freedom in a patriarchal society - in a time when women didn't have the vote, and her privileged lifestyle not being as it seemed to the papers, in spite of her father being president of the United States. I wanted her to be loud and proud - to burst out of the pages - to yearn for true freedom. To yearn for truth in her country. American Princess: A Novel of First Daughter Alice Roosevelt delivers none of the above. Instead what I got was a weak, docile, male dependent, spoilt brat and daddy's girl of a president's daughter. She absolutely worships her father, and her views and beliefs reflect his unconditionally, as a Republican. Any thoughts she has for herself don't amount to anything. Was I reading about Alice Roosevelt, or Ivanka Trump's autobiography? For actual, flying fuck's sake, the women's suffrage movement is only mentioned once - and it is as a positive remark made by President Theodore Roosevelt! The fuck was THAT?! It's a pretty boring novel as well, which should be a crime. By 2019 standards, and especially in politics, Alice's "scandalous" life is beyond coy and benign. Alice Roosevelt deserves better by epic proportions, I'm sure.
7. The Dolls' House by Rumer Godden
Review here. Just... what the fuck?
6. Dumplin' by Julie Murphy
Again, review here. This book makes me angry, but the film adaptation improves it so much.
5. The Girl Who Drank the Moon by Kelly Barnhill
See here for my review. Another underdeveloped, WTF fantasy.
4. I, Coriander by Sally Gardner
I was torn over whether I, Coriander is better or worse than The Girl Who Drank the Moon. But at least the latter has diversity attempts going for it, so I judge the former to be the most bafflingly bad children's fantasy novel that I have read this year, which I should have loved but didn't. Review here.
3. Kindred by Octavia E. Butler
*sigh* Read my review here. I don't want to talk about this again. It's too controversial and uncomfortable for me to revisit. Such sensitive, and vitally important, topics... yet this...
2. The Life of Captain Marvel by Margaret Stohl (Writer), Carlos Pacheco (Artist), Marguerite Sauvage (Artist)
Fuck this comic. Review here.
1. Opal Plumstead by Jacqueline Wilson
Hands down the worst book I have read in 2019, bar none. Holy shit this is atrocious. The audacity of it being allowed to be published. Quite possibly the worst children's and YA book I have ever been stupid enough to buy and read through to the end. Towards the last, craptastic page. It is so offensive it hurts. It is legitimately dangerous, for a book aimed at young audiences. It joins Ready Player One, Hush, Hush, Bitten, and Shadowmancer as among the worst books I have ever read in my life. No more Jacqueline Wilson for me. I have grown out of her for good. For more information, read my very long and very ranty review of Opal Plumstead here.
We are not quite done accentuating the negative yet, I'm afraid. Stay tuned.
Let's clean up this crap already! My Worst 1 Star Books of 2019, totalling ten.
10. ChΓ©ri by Colette, Roger Senhouse (Translator)
I think I can safely say that Colette is not for me. A shame because I love the movie Colette!
9. The Family Trade, Vol. 1 by Justin Jordan (Story), Nikki Ryan (Story), Morgan Beem (Art)
An ugly, messy, disjointed comic book. Not even the blatant allusions to and condemnations of the current US president could make this worth it. It isn't subtle in the slightest. How can you take anything seriously in this confusing, un-engaging comic? Please tell me this isn't how noir is supposed to be.
8. American Princess: A Novel of First Daughter Alice Roosevelt by Stephanie Marie Thornton
The blurb is a lie. I'm sure that Alice Roosevelt was a force to be reckoned with. I hadn't even heard of her until I first heard of this book, and it sounded great. Give more attention to female figures and trailblazers in history, please! I wanted to read about Alice's antics, her scandals, her gives-no-shits attitude, her independence, her boldness, her thirst for freedom in a patriarchal society - in a time when women didn't have the vote, and her privileged lifestyle not being as it seemed to the papers, in spite of her father being president of the United States. I wanted her to be loud and proud - to burst out of the pages - to yearn for true freedom. To yearn for truth in her country. American Princess: A Novel of First Daughter Alice Roosevelt delivers none of the above. Instead what I got was a weak, docile, male dependent, spoilt brat and daddy's girl of a president's daughter. She absolutely worships her father, and her views and beliefs reflect his unconditionally, as a Republican. Any thoughts she has for herself don't amount to anything. Was I reading about Alice Roosevelt, or Ivanka Trump's autobiography? For actual, flying fuck's sake, the women's suffrage movement is only mentioned once - and it is as a positive remark made by President Theodore Roosevelt! The fuck was THAT?! It's a pretty boring novel as well, which should be a crime. By 2019 standards, and especially in politics, Alice's "scandalous" life is beyond coy and benign. Alice Roosevelt deserves better by epic proportions, I'm sure.
7. The Dolls' House by Rumer Godden
Review here. Just... what the fuck?
6. Dumplin' by Julie Murphy
Again, review here. This book makes me angry, but the film adaptation improves it so much.
5. The Girl Who Drank the Moon by Kelly Barnhill
See here for my review. Another underdeveloped, WTF fantasy.
4. I, Coriander by Sally Gardner
I was torn over whether I, Coriander is better or worse than The Girl Who Drank the Moon. But at least the latter has diversity attempts going for it, so I judge the former to be the most bafflingly bad children's fantasy novel that I have read this year, which I should have loved but didn't. Review here.
3. Kindred by Octavia E. Butler
*sigh* Read my review here. I don't want to talk about this again. It's too controversial and uncomfortable for me to revisit. Such sensitive, and vitally important, topics... yet this...
2. The Life of Captain Marvel by Margaret Stohl (Writer), Carlos Pacheco (Artist), Marguerite Sauvage (Artist)
Fuck this comic. Review here.
1. Opal Plumstead by Jacqueline Wilson
Hands down the worst book I have read in 2019, bar none. Holy shit this is atrocious. The audacity of it being allowed to be published. Quite possibly the worst children's and YA book I have ever been stupid enough to buy and read through to the end. Towards the last, craptastic page. It is so offensive it hurts. It is legitimately dangerous, for a book aimed at young audiences. It joins Ready Player One, Hush, Hush, Bitten, and Shadowmancer as among the worst books I have ever read in my life. No more Jacqueline Wilson for me. I have grown out of her for good. For more information, read my very long and very ranty review of Opal Plumstead here.
We are not quite done accentuating the negative yet, I'm afraid. Stay tuned.
Worst 2 Star Books of 2019
2019 might be my worst reading year yet - along with the worst of many other things. I don't think I've ever rated so many books three stars and two stars within twelve months. A considerable amount I've rated one star as well; enough to write negative reviews of, which I haven't done much of before. I've also never not finished so many books in succession before. I used to hate not finishing a book, but now I think that it's necessary, depending on the person. We all have limitations.
It's been dreadful. But like everything in life it hasn't been all bad. Best to get the negativity over and done with before finishing on the positive for this year.
I've read 229 books in 2019 - going on 230 if I'm lucky and something else comes in the post before the year is out. I'll skip the mediocre three star listings (they're too many anyway), and get right down to the Worst 2 Star Books of 2019 - twenty two in total. These are listed in the order depending on how disappointed, angry, offended, or just bored they made me.
22. The Testaments by Margaret Atwood
Okay, I am cheating here, since I did rate The Testaments three stars originally. But it was a close, generous case, in hindsight, and this won the Best Fiction category on Goodreads, when it really didn't deserve it. Marketing and hype are what got it its votes. It could have been - and should have been - so much better than it was. Read my review here for more of my thoughts on The Testaments. I do need to reread The Handmaid's Tale. Unnecessary sequels are unnecessary - it is possible that The Testaments only exists because of the success of The Handmaid's Tale TV series. Let's just leave the classics alone. It's well written, as is to be expected from Margaret Atwood, but it is rushed, unrealistic, simplistic, and full of wasted potential. It doesn't tell us what we don't already know; and it tells us what we don't need to know.
21. Milly Molly Mandy Stories by Joyce Lankester Brisley
A classic for babies and little children, but just not for me. For 21st century adult me, it's so dull, generic, and milquetoast - there is no conflict, no effort of investment, barely any creativity and cleverness, in any of these stories. Milly Molly Mandy is far too bland and white for children nowadays. How it has staying power after a hundred years, I'm not sure.
20. Chocolates for Breakfast by Pamela Moore
Starts out interesting and well written, but it loses me halfway through. A good look into an American sixties zeitgeist - in Hollywood and LA specifically - full of spoilt teenagers, drugs and sexual freedom. But it overuses homophobic slurs, and the main character Courtney's crush on her female college teacher goes nowhere and amounts to absolutely nothing. It is semi-autobiographical to be sure, and it can get repetitive and pretentious, with no plot or satisfactory resolutions. I won't say anymore, in respect to its tragic author.
19. Mystic and the Midnight Ride by Stacy Gregg
A tiresome disappointment right after loving another book by the same author, The Princess and the Foal. Too kiddie and generic for me, with girl-hate and a pointless love interest for the prepubescent girl protagonist. I hardly felt a thing with this one, I'm afraid, and I was bored.
18. Journey to the River Sea by Eva Ibbotson
Speaking of bored, wow. This and The Star of Kazan have been on my radar for years, in reading more Eva Ibbotson children's classics. The latter is okay, I thought, with a predictable and lacklustre ending bringing it down, but the former...what actually happened here? Why is Journey to the River Sea so beloved? And it's for children, too? I didn't care enough about it to give it sufficient space in my memory bank. It's not an exciting adventure, in my opinion, but just dull and weak.
17. The Legend of Bold Riley by Leia Weathington, various artists
A graphic novel with an adventurous POC lesbian princess heroine? I should have loved this! But it's underdeveloped and underwhelming. Bold Riley didn't even have her own agency originally - a white man gave her her legendary name and life advice, back at her palace. What the fuck? The stories are not forgettable and can fit into traditional fairy tale lore, but the characters are forgettable. No relationship is developed, and I don't care about anything. What a waste of money.
16. Herland by Charlotte Perkins Gilman
So abortion is an abomination and against every "good" woman's nature, is it? Only good women can have babies, and if she is a bad mother then other women can raise the baby away from her? Sisterhood and progress work well together, but only if they're biologically able to have children? Being a woman is all about motherhood only? Men's reproduction is optional, but male companionship, even after he attempts to rape her, is still preferable to other women's? Yeah, fuck you. I'll only read and like The Yellow Wallpaper by Gilman from now on. Herland is full of gender stereotypes, even if it does offer interesting and relevant social commentary sometimes for a classic. But a lot of aspects haven't aged well.
15. The Paper Bag Princess by Robert Munsch, Michael Martchenko (Illustrator)
THAT'S IT? was my first thought upon finishing this picture book. It's too short, the art is unappealing and dirty, and everything comes too easily for the princess heroine. It might have been feminist for its time, but it's run-of-the-mill now. The princess is barely a rebel until the very end.
14. Starring Sally J. Freedman as Herself by Judy Blume
After Are You There, God? It's Me, Margaret, I thought I would give Judy Blume another go. But Starring Sally J. Freedman as Herself has put me off her works completely. There is no plot, everything and everyone is all over the place, and there is latent racism in the implication that Sally Freedman got nits from a black family she sat with on a train. It tries to be tolerant and inclusive for post-WWII historical fiction, but anyone who isn't white is barely given the time of day. An accurate look at childhood, I suppose, but not to be read and be excited about.
13. Old Baggage by Lissa Evans
I'd been looking forward to reading Old Baggage after seeing it in my local Waterstones bookshop. Historical fiction about a UK former suffragette's look at progress and times' past - yes please! But for a story with a middle aged, childless and single female protagonist, who was a suffragette, who wants to help girls and women out in her local area, there is some internalised misogyny going on. And preference for boy children. Oh, and the only LBGTQ character - she's dead at the end of the book. For fuck's sake, this is a 2018 publication! It's as disappointing as its protagonist is at the state of modern girls and womanhood. Though it is not the worst book about suffragettes containing internalised misogyny that I've read this year. I'll get to THAT one on the next list.
12. Howards End by E.M. Forster
Too stereotypical, sexist and misogynistic for my taste, even for a classic starring female main characters. I've also read A Room with a View and Maurice this year, and I find that E.M. Forster's novels tend to start off strong and powerful, but then loose their steam near the end. He knew how to begin a story, but not really how to finish one. Howards End the house barely even factors into Howards End. Any issues throughout suddenly become non-issues at the end. Seriously, that final chapter is the worst. It's rushed, stupid, lazy and cowardly. But I still respect Forster, and what he had to endure as a closeted gay man in his time.
11. Much Ado About Nothing by William Shakespeare
A reread, and still not impressed. I still can't get over the sexism and slut shaming. And the overt character stupidity. I'm unimpressed by the "witty" Beatrice (no woman is independent in Much Ado), and I hate how docile, passive and pathetic Hero is. A frustrating play by the bard, in my opinion. Too contrived and melodramatic even for Shakespeare. Don't read it, or see it, to learn what love is, I beg you.
10. Brave Margaret: An Irish Adventure by Robert D. San Souci, Sally Wern Comport (Illustrator)
A picture book that's proto-Brave? Hardly. A bored and stupid male-dependent woman falls in love with the first handsome man she sees and immediately goes along on an adventure with him, and only vaguely becomes a hero by the end; with the man's help, that is. And a not-so-evil witch dies. Ends with wedding bells. That's it. Margaret is only brave and strong because of a man. How progressive! Nice art, however.
9. Private - Keep Out! by Gwen Grant
An even worse version of Starring Sally J. Freedman as Herself. Even less happens here, and it is so boring! Maybe there is a reason this had been forgotten about and left out of print until recently. Yeah, these kinds of children's books are not my cup of tea.
8. Terminal Alliance by Jim C. Hines
I hate to do this to Jim C. Hines, in light of a personal tragedy of his this year, but I just found Terminal Alliance to be a great idea (space janitors turned heroes, oh my! Take that, class divide!) that's executed with not-so great and unexciting writing. I admit to skimming most of it. It's too long, and the main female character, Mops, is definitely a Mary Sue. She has no flaws, and can do anything - even quickly and suddenly captain a spaceship, which she had no experience with before. The "twist" is predictable and disappointingly xenophobic for a sci-fi story. As if humans can't fuck themselves up on their own! No, it ALWAYS has to be space aliens who are responsible for both the progress and the destruction of the human race - we can't achieve anything by ourselves! I hate this trope so much. But hey, how many science fiction books do I read anyway? Terminal Alliance at least has a capable female protagonist. I wish it could have been written in a more engaging way. I'm sure I'm missing out other details, but I can't remember them. Another boring skim read.
7. The Grief Keeper by Alexandra Villasante
Everything you need to know about this book is written in my review here. One of the biggest disappointments of 2019.
6. Becoming the Villainess by Jeannine Hall Gailey
This should have come with multiple trigger warnings. Or if it did, I barely remember them being present. Becoming the Villainess, instead of being a fairy tale, Greek mythology, and pop culture feminist empowerment poetry klaxon, is just an unpleasant and confusing mess. I've blocked out most of it from my memory, likely for good reasons.
5. Out of Salem by Hal Schrieve
This is just gross. Fantastic rep by an #ownvoices trans and non-binary author - every character is diverse - but something about the writing was off putting to me. I couldn't enjoy it. No one is very likeable. Well, what did I expect from a book starring two protagonists, a zombie and a werewolf, I guess. Plus the ending is confusing as hell. Too ambiguous, and a cop out. A shame because we need more of this kind of representation in the fantasy genre. Awkward, grey, gross, and unfinished would be words that I would describe Out of Salem to a T.
4. The Dark Lord Clementine by Sarah Jean Horwitz
Now THIS is what I call disappointing! I happened upon The Dark Lord Clementine on Amazon, and the cute, colourful and cartoony cover, and the amazing children's fantasy premise, made me buy it almost immediately. I should have adored it. It should have been like Castle Hangnail, but better! But no! It wasn't! Clementine, who should've been my lovely blue-haired antiheroine after my own heart, isn't a strong and wilful badass daughter of an evil lord of a land, but a pathetic child. She isn't smart or witty or assertive, but a shy, overly-dependent doormat. Other characters get more page time and development than she does, and they're not exactly likeable either. Practically every female main character is a stupid crybaby; one of whose motivation makes no sense. The Dark Lord Clementine tries to be feminist, but it misses the mark on making the female leads at least consistent, with solid characterisation, and a reason for the reader to care about them. I've seen these types of poorly written women and girls before too many times. The Dark Lord Clementine - nice fantasy elements, with mermaids, unicorns, and King Arthur references, such as a Lady in the Lake who throws swords to anyone. To its credit, it can be funny at times. But I couldn't care less about the characters, and it is super safe at the end - with a gigantic cop out and fuck-you to the reader, where no one dies. Yeah, spoiler, but again, I don't care. Kids deserve better feminist entertainment than this.
3. Rose Rivers by Jacqueline Wilson
One of my lead ins to being done with Jacqueline Wilson for good. A cute historical fiction children's book turns absolutely nasty, ugly and uncomfortable at the end. Why was that downer ending necessary? And after such a long book at that!? I don't even care anymore if there is going to be a sequel. It won't be worth it, I know for certain. Poor Rose, nothing is your fault. You are only a child living in the Victorian patriarchy. You deserve better. Also typical of Jacqueline Wilson books, the mother is awful. Heck, nearly all of the women are awful. Let the professional men handle things! Male doctors always know better than female medics! Feminism!
2. These Witches Don't Burn by Isabel Sterling
Another very disappointing YA novel. A YA witch novel, too. Why does witch media keep disappointing me? I didn't care for this at all. There's nothing new, surprising or special about it. The witch teens themselves are absolutely useless and need rescuing by adults via pure luck at the end. They're not capable and independent heroines. And it contains a fantasy and sci-fi trope that I abominably loathe - the violation of a person's free will without thought or consequence. This is done to the protagonist by her own mother - right after the mother scolded her for using a love charm to get information from others, and then the mother uses the same charm to force information out of her own daughter! The fucking nerve! The fucking hypocrite! This is never called out on in writing. Ever. It's a given in the book. In any kind of reality, this violation of your child's emotions and thoughts - using a truth serum - would be called abuse. But it is dropped in and never come back to in These Witches Don't Burn. That was when I knew I would hate it. Apart from that it's just boring and common, even with the LBGTQ content. Urgh!
1. Fireweed by Jill Paton Walsh
Read my review here. Utterly infuriating. Utterly sexist and crap. I don't care that it's a classic - there are far better WWII books for young readers out there.
More lists coming soon.
It's been dreadful. But like everything in life it hasn't been all bad. Best to get the negativity over and done with before finishing on the positive for this year.
I've read 229 books in 2019 - going on 230 if I'm lucky and something else comes in the post before the year is out. I'll skip the mediocre three star listings (they're too many anyway), and get right down to the Worst 2 Star Books of 2019 - twenty two in total. These are listed in the order depending on how disappointed, angry, offended, or just bored they made me.
22. The Testaments by Margaret Atwood
Okay, I am cheating here, since I did rate The Testaments three stars originally. But it was a close, generous case, in hindsight, and this won the Best Fiction category on Goodreads, when it really didn't deserve it. Marketing and hype are what got it its votes. It could have been - and should have been - so much better than it was. Read my review here for more of my thoughts on The Testaments. I do need to reread The Handmaid's Tale. Unnecessary sequels are unnecessary - it is possible that The Testaments only exists because of the success of The Handmaid's Tale TV series. Let's just leave the classics alone. It's well written, as is to be expected from Margaret Atwood, but it is rushed, unrealistic, simplistic, and full of wasted potential. It doesn't tell us what we don't already know; and it tells us what we don't need to know.
21. Milly Molly Mandy Stories by Joyce Lankester Brisley
A classic for babies and little children, but just not for me. For 21st century adult me, it's so dull, generic, and milquetoast - there is no conflict, no effort of investment, barely any creativity and cleverness, in any of these stories. Milly Molly Mandy is far too bland and white for children nowadays. How it has staying power after a hundred years, I'm not sure.
20. Chocolates for Breakfast by Pamela Moore
Starts out interesting and well written, but it loses me halfway through. A good look into an American sixties zeitgeist - in Hollywood and LA specifically - full of spoilt teenagers, drugs and sexual freedom. But it overuses homophobic slurs, and the main character Courtney's crush on her female college teacher goes nowhere and amounts to absolutely nothing. It is semi-autobiographical to be sure, and it can get repetitive and pretentious, with no plot or satisfactory resolutions. I won't say anymore, in respect to its tragic author.
19. Mystic and the Midnight Ride by Stacy Gregg
A tiresome disappointment right after loving another book by the same author, The Princess and the Foal. Too kiddie and generic for me, with girl-hate and a pointless love interest for the prepubescent girl protagonist. I hardly felt a thing with this one, I'm afraid, and I was bored.
18. Journey to the River Sea by Eva Ibbotson
Speaking of bored, wow. This and The Star of Kazan have been on my radar for years, in reading more Eva Ibbotson children's classics. The latter is okay, I thought, with a predictable and lacklustre ending bringing it down, but the former...what actually happened here? Why is Journey to the River Sea so beloved? And it's for children, too? I didn't care enough about it to give it sufficient space in my memory bank. It's not an exciting adventure, in my opinion, but just dull and weak.
17. The Legend of Bold Riley by Leia Weathington, various artists
A graphic novel with an adventurous POC lesbian princess heroine? I should have loved this! But it's underdeveloped and underwhelming. Bold Riley didn't even have her own agency originally - a white man gave her her legendary name and life advice, back at her palace. What the fuck? The stories are not forgettable and can fit into traditional fairy tale lore, but the characters are forgettable. No relationship is developed, and I don't care about anything. What a waste of money.
16. Herland by Charlotte Perkins Gilman
So abortion is an abomination and against every "good" woman's nature, is it? Only good women can have babies, and if she is a bad mother then other women can raise the baby away from her? Sisterhood and progress work well together, but only if they're biologically able to have children? Being a woman is all about motherhood only? Men's reproduction is optional, but male companionship, even after he attempts to rape her, is still preferable to other women's? Yeah, fuck you. I'll only read and like The Yellow Wallpaper by Gilman from now on. Herland is full of gender stereotypes, even if it does offer interesting and relevant social commentary sometimes for a classic. But a lot of aspects haven't aged well.
15. The Paper Bag Princess by Robert Munsch, Michael Martchenko (Illustrator)
THAT'S IT? was my first thought upon finishing this picture book. It's too short, the art is unappealing and dirty, and everything comes too easily for the princess heroine. It might have been feminist for its time, but it's run-of-the-mill now. The princess is barely a rebel until the very end.
14. Starring Sally J. Freedman as Herself by Judy Blume
After Are You There, God? It's Me, Margaret, I thought I would give Judy Blume another go. But Starring Sally J. Freedman as Herself has put me off her works completely. There is no plot, everything and everyone is all over the place, and there is latent racism in the implication that Sally Freedman got nits from a black family she sat with on a train. It tries to be tolerant and inclusive for post-WWII historical fiction, but anyone who isn't white is barely given the time of day. An accurate look at childhood, I suppose, but not to be read and be excited about.
13. Old Baggage by Lissa Evans
I'd been looking forward to reading Old Baggage after seeing it in my local Waterstones bookshop. Historical fiction about a UK former suffragette's look at progress and times' past - yes please! But for a story with a middle aged, childless and single female protagonist, who was a suffragette, who wants to help girls and women out in her local area, there is some internalised misogyny going on. And preference for boy children. Oh, and the only LBGTQ character - she's dead at the end of the book. For fuck's sake, this is a 2018 publication! It's as disappointing as its protagonist is at the state of modern girls and womanhood. Though it is not the worst book about suffragettes containing internalised misogyny that I've read this year. I'll get to THAT one on the next list.
12. Howards End by E.M. Forster
Too stereotypical, sexist and misogynistic for my taste, even for a classic starring female main characters. I've also read A Room with a View and Maurice this year, and I find that E.M. Forster's novels tend to start off strong and powerful, but then loose their steam near the end. He knew how to begin a story, but not really how to finish one. Howards End the house barely even factors into Howards End. Any issues throughout suddenly become non-issues at the end. Seriously, that final chapter is the worst. It's rushed, stupid, lazy and cowardly. But I still respect Forster, and what he had to endure as a closeted gay man in his time.
11. Much Ado About Nothing by William Shakespeare
A reread, and still not impressed. I still can't get over the sexism and slut shaming. And the overt character stupidity. I'm unimpressed by the "witty" Beatrice (no woman is independent in Much Ado), and I hate how docile, passive and pathetic Hero is. A frustrating play by the bard, in my opinion. Too contrived and melodramatic even for Shakespeare. Don't read it, or see it, to learn what love is, I beg you.
10. Brave Margaret: An Irish Adventure by Robert D. San Souci, Sally Wern Comport (Illustrator)
A picture book that's proto-Brave? Hardly. A bored and stupid male-dependent woman falls in love with the first handsome man she sees and immediately goes along on an adventure with him, and only vaguely becomes a hero by the end; with the man's help, that is. And a not-so-evil witch dies. Ends with wedding bells. That's it. Margaret is only brave and strong because of a man. How progressive! Nice art, however.
9. Private - Keep Out! by Gwen Grant
An even worse version of Starring Sally J. Freedman as Herself. Even less happens here, and it is so boring! Maybe there is a reason this had been forgotten about and left out of print until recently. Yeah, these kinds of children's books are not my cup of tea.
8. Terminal Alliance by Jim C. Hines
I hate to do this to Jim C. Hines, in light of a personal tragedy of his this year, but I just found Terminal Alliance to be a great idea (space janitors turned heroes, oh my! Take that, class divide!) that's executed with not-so great and unexciting writing. I admit to skimming most of it. It's too long, and the main female character, Mops, is definitely a Mary Sue. She has no flaws, and can do anything - even quickly and suddenly captain a spaceship, which she had no experience with before. The "twist" is predictable and disappointingly xenophobic for a sci-fi story. As if humans can't fuck themselves up on their own! No, it ALWAYS has to be space aliens who are responsible for both the progress and the destruction of the human race - we can't achieve anything by ourselves! I hate this trope so much. But hey, how many science fiction books do I read anyway? Terminal Alliance at least has a capable female protagonist. I wish it could have been written in a more engaging way. I'm sure I'm missing out other details, but I can't remember them. Another boring skim read.
7. The Grief Keeper by Alexandra Villasante
Everything you need to know about this book is written in my review here. One of the biggest disappointments of 2019.
6. Becoming the Villainess by Jeannine Hall Gailey
This should have come with multiple trigger warnings. Or if it did, I barely remember them being present. Becoming the Villainess, instead of being a fairy tale, Greek mythology, and pop culture feminist empowerment poetry klaxon, is just an unpleasant and confusing mess. I've blocked out most of it from my memory, likely for good reasons.
5. Out of Salem by Hal Schrieve
This is just gross. Fantastic rep by an #ownvoices trans and non-binary author - every character is diverse - but something about the writing was off putting to me. I couldn't enjoy it. No one is very likeable. Well, what did I expect from a book starring two protagonists, a zombie and a werewolf, I guess. Plus the ending is confusing as hell. Too ambiguous, and a cop out. A shame because we need more of this kind of representation in the fantasy genre. Awkward, grey, gross, and unfinished would be words that I would describe Out of Salem to a T.
4. The Dark Lord Clementine by Sarah Jean Horwitz
Now THIS is what I call disappointing! I happened upon The Dark Lord Clementine on Amazon, and the cute, colourful and cartoony cover, and the amazing children's fantasy premise, made me buy it almost immediately. I should have adored it. It should have been like Castle Hangnail, but better! But no! It wasn't! Clementine, who should've been my lovely blue-haired antiheroine after my own heart, isn't a strong and wilful badass daughter of an evil lord of a land, but a pathetic child. She isn't smart or witty or assertive, but a shy, overly-dependent doormat. Other characters get more page time and development than she does, and they're not exactly likeable either. Practically every female main character is a stupid crybaby; one of whose motivation makes no sense. The Dark Lord Clementine tries to be feminist, but it misses the mark on making the female leads at least consistent, with solid characterisation, and a reason for the reader to care about them. I've seen these types of poorly written women and girls before too many times. The Dark Lord Clementine - nice fantasy elements, with mermaids, unicorns, and King Arthur references, such as a Lady in the Lake who throws swords to anyone. To its credit, it can be funny at times. But I couldn't care less about the characters, and it is super safe at the end - with a gigantic cop out and fuck-you to the reader, where no one dies. Yeah, spoiler, but again, I don't care. Kids deserve better feminist entertainment than this.
3. Rose Rivers by Jacqueline Wilson
One of my lead ins to being done with Jacqueline Wilson for good. A cute historical fiction children's book turns absolutely nasty, ugly and uncomfortable at the end. Why was that downer ending necessary? And after such a long book at that!? I don't even care anymore if there is going to be a sequel. It won't be worth it, I know for certain. Poor Rose, nothing is your fault. You are only a child living in the Victorian patriarchy. You deserve better. Also typical of Jacqueline Wilson books, the mother is awful. Heck, nearly all of the women are awful. Let the professional men handle things! Male doctors always know better than female medics! Feminism!
2. These Witches Don't Burn by Isabel Sterling
Another very disappointing YA novel. A YA witch novel, too. Why does witch media keep disappointing me? I didn't care for this at all. There's nothing new, surprising or special about it. The witch teens themselves are absolutely useless and need rescuing by adults via pure luck at the end. They're not capable and independent heroines. And it contains a fantasy and sci-fi trope that I abominably loathe - the violation of a person's free will without thought or consequence. This is done to the protagonist by her own mother - right after the mother scolded her for using a love charm to get information from others, and then the mother uses the same charm to force information out of her own daughter! The fucking nerve! The fucking hypocrite! This is never called out on in writing. Ever. It's a given in the book. In any kind of reality, this violation of your child's emotions and thoughts - using a truth serum - would be called abuse. But it is dropped in and never come back to in These Witches Don't Burn. That was when I knew I would hate it. Apart from that it's just boring and common, even with the LBGTQ content. Urgh!
1. Fireweed by Jill Paton Walsh
Read my review here. Utterly infuriating. Utterly sexist and crap. I don't care that it's a classic - there are far better WWII books for young readers out there.
More lists coming soon.
Wednesday 25 December 2019
Happy Holidays, Happy Yuletide
Happy Christmas, Happy Holidays, to everyone, and I mean everyone ☃️⛄️π Love to all xxx
(Okay, I also just had marshmallows with a chocolate fountain - thanks for the present, bro xxx)
Sunday 22 December 2019
Top 25 Animated Films with Female Protagonists - Part 2
14. Sita Sings the Blues (2008)
Nina Paley, you really outdid yourself for this animated masterpiece.
Independently animated and put together, Sita Sings the Blues is a marvel that must be seen to be believed (in fact it easily can be - the whole feature is free to view on YouTube. I got a DVD of it from Amazon). Described as a musical romantic comedy drama, it incorporates so many different art styles and techniques without it being forced, bloated, pretentious, or unnecessary. Slice and splice and layering never looked so beautiful. The story of Ramayana is retold from a feminist perspective, is commented on by shadow puppets, and is mirrored through a period of Paley's own life when she experienced her own heartbreak. Betrayed by a man who you trusted and whom you were so certain would love you forever.
Funny, magical, lush, weird, spiritual, and downright charming in its experimentation and presentation. One person - one woman - animated all of Sita Sings the Blues. One woman made it all possible. The only real downside to it is that it doesn't really pass the Bechdel Test (I hope I don't have to explain what that is in this day and age), and neither Sita nor Nina seem to have female friends or relatives onscreen. But the universal female power of heartbreak, rage and justice is shown through the animation, which bursts like a dark red blossom in the night, like fireworks.
I bet not many people had heard of Annette Hanshaw before seeing Sita either.
Nina seems happy and content now, as an artist, without a man. One hopes that Sita had found her own true happiness at some stage, too. Why is it that women are always fated to be mistreated by men? Oh yeah, patriarchy.
13. Coraline (2009)
My type of movie! Stop motion animation, vibrant and meaningful colours, a moody, imperfect and unconventional female lead, creepiness, a lesson about bravery that genuinely challenges kids, playful scenarios, a witchy, ethereal feel and atmosphere, and a black cat.
The original Coraline book is one of my favourite children's books, and it is the perfect fit for an animated adaptation. The movie does push boundaries (and conservative sensibilities, as Laika likes to do, and I applaud them for it) - adults can enjoy it as much as kids. To be a little scary is to be thrilling, and to teach a life lesson that not everything is as it seems. Most of the time if something is too good to be true, it probably is.
With this and The Princess and the Frog, Keith David was on fire in animated feature length films in 2009.
Coraline can be watched - and read - again and again. It's a shame that Laika, after the success of their first film, to this date hasn't made another with a female protagonist. It worked brilliantly the first time, why not do it again?
12. Kiki's Delivery Service (1989)
A lovely, wholesome movie. Oh, my heart! What can I say without spoiling any of the magic of this deceptively simple, unpretentious masterpiece by Hayao Miyazaki? No plot, no recognisable structure - just Kiki the thirteen-year-old witch living her life in a new town alongside her talking black cat Jiji (a witch convention that never gets old and I love it).
It is her coming of age tale; her passions, her independence, her struggles, her creativity block and subsequent depression that we are made privy to. Kiki is so real and relatable it's almost scary - the only witchy thing she actually does is fly on her broomstick, and when she suddenly can't do that after facing some of life's disappointments, she feels she can't do anything else. The thing she is good at, what defines her, is lost to her. She will also learn that not everyone in the world is friendly and understanding. No one is all good and all bad in Kiki's Delivery Service - they just are. They are everyday humans we interact with on a daily basis.
Kiki's Delivery Service is about the self; specifically what it is like to begin life as a teenage girl, in all its messy, confusing glory.
Slice-of-life is magic. A more mature version of Kiki can be found in the manga The Flying Witch. But this sweet and charming anime film can be loved and appreciated by all ages, for all time.
An extract of what I wrote about Kiki in a previous post from years ago:
Her simple, slice-of-life story as a teen witch moving to a new town is a wonderful metaphor for growing up, accepting change, and finding yourself again, after issues with self-confidence and self-esteem get you down. She is just like every young teen girl in reality. Because magic or not, cartoon or not, Kiki is a real girl. Her talents lie within herself; she only has to believe in her own capabilities. Witches - they are all women and girls in general. Beautiful. Important representation.
11. The Secret of NIMH (1982)
One of the most unique, dark, thrilling and gripping animated films ever made, let alone from the '80s.
The Secret of NIMH blends fantasy, science fiction, and real life issues together, in a film starring talking rodents. The protagonist is truly unique, especially in western animation: Mrs. Brisby is a widowed, single mother who is clearly frightened by all the danger and the suddenness of a new world around her she never knew existed before. But her character defines what it means to be brave: She will keep trying, and will keep striving to achieve what she needs to for the sake of her children; their safety is what matters to her more than anything.
Timid and modest, Mrs. Brisby mourns the loss of her husband, who died before the start of the film, but she will not be defined by him and his previous heroics. The Secret of NIMH is her story, without a shadow of a doubt. She will become a hero in her own right. She will become powerful. She will ask for nothing in return other than her children, alive and well.
Because you do not fuck with mothers, ever, even mouse mothers.
Never call females hysterical, either. You will pay dearly. Women who tell the truth are heroes, and they must be listened to.
Auntie Shrew is great, too.
How magnificent that Don Bluth's first feature length film as director contains a female protagonist such as Mrs. Brisby. Sixteen years later Anastasia will save his studio, albeit temporarily, in a decade full of flops. It's almost as if female led animation isn't a risky business and a guarantee of failure. Why does Hollywood never pay attention? Oh yeah, sexism and the patriarchy.
Every single aspect of NIMH's uniqueness will be completely undone in the abominable direct-to-video sequel, The Secret of NIMH 2: Timmy to the Rescue, possibly the worst animated sequel ever made. But let's forget that disgrace ever happened and remember The Secret of NIMH and Mrs. Brisby.
We have a lot to learn from NIMH and Wolf Children. Great stories.
10. The Breadwinner (2017)
Read my short review here. One of the best animated films ever made, period.
9. Alice in Wonderland (1951)
Colourful, vibrant, wacky, creative, and manages to stay faithful to the content and the nonsensical spirit of the source material, while being its own fresh thing. And: 1951, and Disney's first movie where the female lead isn't a princess, and who doesn't have a love interest. She's an independent freethinker with a kitten!
Read no. 20 on a previous list here for more information.
8. Frozen (2013)
Nuff said.
Still the highest grossing animated film of all time. Co-written and co-directed by a woman.
More of my thoughts on no. 18 here, plus my dossiers and analyses on Elsa, one of Disney's greatest heroines, a queen after every woman's frozen and thawed out heart, here and here (no. 6).
7. Howl's Moving Castle (2004)
Another unique fantasy animated masterpiece by Miyazaki-sensei.
A stubborn and intrepid English milliner girl is cursed into old age, and from there she journeys on, away from her comfortable and boring life, and learns about magic, war, diabolical plots, love, loyalty, and compassion. It is a coming of age fairy tale about personal growth - turned on its turnip head! As well as growing up and maturing in the internal sense, not just external, there's time travel in Howl's Moving Castle too!
Beautiful, sumptuous animation, rich in exquisite detail, as usual from Studio Ghibli. Howl is beyond charming, joyful, and poignant.
Read more of my thoughts here (no. 11 on the list).
6. Moana (2016)
Read here for my thoughts on Moana from another list I've done (sorry, I just don't like repeating myself), and here for my Moana character analysis.
5. Chicken Run (2000)
Again, already talked in great detail about this gemstone. One of my favourite films and animated films. Read why here (at no. 6). It's stop motion Aardman animation, containing great, universal appeal, flawless comedy and drama, and it is feminist as flock. A British classic.
4. Brave (2012)
How often have I talked about this one? Too often.
Okay, gathering up my records:
Read here,
And here (a list: read no. 16),
And here (no. 15).
3. Millennium Actress (2001)
Another female experience, another enchanting masterpiece. Everyone should see it.
The best and most charming and subtly symbolic anime by the late great Satoshi Kon. Psychological, yet in reality fairly simple. A real life fairy tale. To say that the 2D animation is groundbreaking is an understatement. I love it so much.
Years later a book with a similar premise titled The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo by Taylor Jenkins Reid came out. Coincidentally, it is one of my favourite books of all time.
Read my review of Millennium Actress on a previous list here (no. 9).
2. Beauty and the Beast (1991)
Like with Moana and Brave, Beauty and the Beast is a Disney film that I have praised to the heavens and all the way down to hell and back and all over again. To the point where I'm getting redundant, no matter how passionate I am about it. My favourite Disney film, and my favourite hand drawn and 2D animated film.
Read no. 3 on my list here for more information that I had given before,
and for more analyses on the beautiful, remarkable, capable, and timeless bookworm outcast Belle - my ultimate cartoon heroine - read no 3. here, and here as part of my Heroines of Legend series.
We do not talk about the live action remake of this, either. It can rot in hell along with the other lazy, cynical, un-creative cash grabs by Disney.
And my number one pick for the greatest animated film starring a female protagonist is...
1. Inside Out (2015)
My favourite movie ever. Everything I love about film and storytelling in general is in Inside Out. Colourful, charming, cognitive, super poignant, relatable, sweet, multilayered, and suitable for all ages, containing such a unique message in film.
Is the protagonist Joy or Riley? It doesn't really matter: both go through their personal journeys - together, with Riley not even knowing of Joy's existence. Joy, who cares about Riley so much, is an emotion who is like a conscientious Tinkerbell and an overprotective mother. It is easy to see why she is like Woody from the Toy Story quadrilogy. Joy is literally of a child's mind. She has childlike sensibilities, and as positive as she tries to be, she too fears change and losing her place in life. She too will learn to grow up. To grow from the inside out.
Inside Out - a movie about childhood, and growing up and change, and accepting it as a part of life. It is Pixar, doing what they do best.
Read the rest of my thoughts from years ago in a favourites list here, at no. 1.
Whoa, what a ride! Hope you all enjoyed this list.
Have a lovely, wonderful moonlit night, and a happy, joyful Christmas, full of promise and love.
Nina Paley, you really outdid yourself for this animated masterpiece.
Independently animated and put together, Sita Sings the Blues is a marvel that must be seen to be believed (in fact it easily can be - the whole feature is free to view on YouTube. I got a DVD of it from Amazon). Described as a musical romantic comedy drama, it incorporates so many different art styles and techniques without it being forced, bloated, pretentious, or unnecessary. Slice and splice and layering never looked so beautiful. The story of Ramayana is retold from a feminist perspective, is commented on by shadow puppets, and is mirrored through a period of Paley's own life when she experienced her own heartbreak. Betrayed by a man who you trusted and whom you were so certain would love you forever.
Funny, magical, lush, weird, spiritual, and downright charming in its experimentation and presentation. One person - one woman - animated all of Sita Sings the Blues. One woman made it all possible. The only real downside to it is that it doesn't really pass the Bechdel Test (I hope I don't have to explain what that is in this day and age), and neither Sita nor Nina seem to have female friends or relatives onscreen. But the universal female power of heartbreak, rage and justice is shown through the animation, which bursts like a dark red blossom in the night, like fireworks.
I bet not many people had heard of Annette Hanshaw before seeing Sita either.
Nina seems happy and content now, as an artist, without a man. One hopes that Sita had found her own true happiness at some stage, too. Why is it that women are always fated to be mistreated by men? Oh yeah, patriarchy.
13. Coraline (2009)
My type of movie! Stop motion animation, vibrant and meaningful colours, a moody, imperfect and unconventional female lead, creepiness, a lesson about bravery that genuinely challenges kids, playful scenarios, a witchy, ethereal feel and atmosphere, and a black cat.
The original Coraline book is one of my favourite children's books, and it is the perfect fit for an animated adaptation. The movie does push boundaries (and conservative sensibilities, as Laika likes to do, and I applaud them for it) - adults can enjoy it as much as kids. To be a little scary is to be thrilling, and to teach a life lesson that not everything is as it seems. Most of the time if something is too good to be true, it probably is.
With this and The Princess and the Frog, Keith David was on fire in animated feature length films in 2009.
Coraline can be watched - and read - again and again. It's a shame that Laika, after the success of their first film, to this date hasn't made another with a female protagonist. It worked brilliantly the first time, why not do it again?
12. Kiki's Delivery Service (1989)
A lovely, wholesome movie. Oh, my heart! What can I say without spoiling any of the magic of this deceptively simple, unpretentious masterpiece by Hayao Miyazaki? No plot, no recognisable structure - just Kiki the thirteen-year-old witch living her life in a new town alongside her talking black cat Jiji (a witch convention that never gets old and I love it).
It is her coming of age tale; her passions, her independence, her struggles, her creativity block and subsequent depression that we are made privy to. Kiki is so real and relatable it's almost scary - the only witchy thing she actually does is fly on her broomstick, and when she suddenly can't do that after facing some of life's disappointments, she feels she can't do anything else. The thing she is good at, what defines her, is lost to her. She will also learn that not everyone in the world is friendly and understanding. No one is all good and all bad in Kiki's Delivery Service - they just are. They are everyday humans we interact with on a daily basis.
Kiki's Delivery Service is about the self; specifically what it is like to begin life as a teenage girl, in all its messy, confusing glory.
Slice-of-life is magic. A more mature version of Kiki can be found in the manga The Flying Witch. But this sweet and charming anime film can be loved and appreciated by all ages, for all time.
An extract of what I wrote about Kiki in a previous post from years ago:
Her simple, slice-of-life story as a teen witch moving to a new town is a wonderful metaphor for growing up, accepting change, and finding yourself again, after issues with self-confidence and self-esteem get you down. She is just like every young teen girl in reality. Because magic or not, cartoon or not, Kiki is a real girl. Her talents lie within herself; she only has to believe in her own capabilities. Witches - they are all women and girls in general. Beautiful. Important representation.
11. The Secret of NIMH (1982)
One of the most unique, dark, thrilling and gripping animated films ever made, let alone from the '80s.
The Secret of NIMH blends fantasy, science fiction, and real life issues together, in a film starring talking rodents. The protagonist is truly unique, especially in western animation: Mrs. Brisby is a widowed, single mother who is clearly frightened by all the danger and the suddenness of a new world around her she never knew existed before. But her character defines what it means to be brave: She will keep trying, and will keep striving to achieve what she needs to for the sake of her children; their safety is what matters to her more than anything.
Timid and modest, Mrs. Brisby mourns the loss of her husband, who died before the start of the film, but she will not be defined by him and his previous heroics. The Secret of NIMH is her story, without a shadow of a doubt. She will become a hero in her own right. She will become powerful. She will ask for nothing in return other than her children, alive and well.
Because you do not fuck with mothers, ever, even mouse mothers.
Never call females hysterical, either. You will pay dearly. Women who tell the truth are heroes, and they must be listened to.
Auntie Shrew is great, too.
How magnificent that Don Bluth's first feature length film as director contains a female protagonist such as Mrs. Brisby. Sixteen years later Anastasia will save his studio, albeit temporarily, in a decade full of flops. It's almost as if female led animation isn't a risky business and a guarantee of failure. Why does Hollywood never pay attention? Oh yeah, sexism and the patriarchy.
Every single aspect of NIMH's uniqueness will be completely undone in the abominable direct-to-video sequel, The Secret of NIMH 2: Timmy to the Rescue, possibly the worst animated sequel ever made. But let's forget that disgrace ever happened and remember The Secret of NIMH and Mrs. Brisby.
We have a lot to learn from NIMH and Wolf Children. Great stories.
10. The Breadwinner (2017)
Read my short review here. One of the best animated films ever made, period.
9. Alice in Wonderland (1951)
Colourful, vibrant, wacky, creative, and manages to stay faithful to the content and the nonsensical spirit of the source material, while being its own fresh thing. And: 1951, and Disney's first movie where the female lead isn't a princess, and who doesn't have a love interest. She's an independent freethinker with a kitten!
Read no. 20 on a previous list here for more information.
8. Frozen (2013)
Nuff said.
Still the highest grossing animated film of all time. Co-written and co-directed by a woman.
More of my thoughts on no. 18 here, plus my dossiers and analyses on Elsa, one of Disney's greatest heroines, a queen after every woman's frozen and thawed out heart, here and here (no. 6).
7. Howl's Moving Castle (2004)
Another unique fantasy animated masterpiece by Miyazaki-sensei.
A stubborn and intrepid English milliner girl is cursed into old age, and from there she journeys on, away from her comfortable and boring life, and learns about magic, war, diabolical plots, love, loyalty, and compassion. It is a coming of age fairy tale about personal growth - turned on its turnip head! As well as growing up and maturing in the internal sense, not just external, there's time travel in Howl's Moving Castle too!
Beautiful, sumptuous animation, rich in exquisite detail, as usual from Studio Ghibli. Howl is beyond charming, joyful, and poignant.
Read more of my thoughts here (no. 11 on the list).
6. Moana (2016)
Read here for my thoughts on Moana from another list I've done (sorry, I just don't like repeating myself), and here for my Moana character analysis.
5. Chicken Run (2000)
Again, already talked in great detail about this gemstone. One of my favourite films and animated films. Read why here (at no. 6). It's stop motion Aardman animation, containing great, universal appeal, flawless comedy and drama, and it is feminist as flock. A British classic.
4. Brave (2012)
How often have I talked about this one? Too often.
Okay, gathering up my records:
Read here,
And here (a list: read no. 16),
And here (no. 15).
3. Millennium Actress (2001)
Another female experience, another enchanting masterpiece. Everyone should see it.
The best and most charming and subtly symbolic anime by the late great Satoshi Kon. Psychological, yet in reality fairly simple. A real life fairy tale. To say that the 2D animation is groundbreaking is an understatement. I love it so much.
Years later a book with a similar premise titled The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo by Taylor Jenkins Reid came out. Coincidentally, it is one of my favourite books of all time.
Read my review of Millennium Actress on a previous list here (no. 9).
2. Beauty and the Beast (1991)
Like with Moana and Brave, Beauty and the Beast is a Disney film that I have praised to the heavens and all the way down to hell and back and all over again. To the point where I'm getting redundant, no matter how passionate I am about it. My favourite Disney film, and my favourite hand drawn and 2D animated film.
Read no. 3 on my list here for more information that I had given before,
and for more analyses on the beautiful, remarkable, capable, and timeless bookworm outcast Belle - my ultimate cartoon heroine - read no 3. here, and here as part of my Heroines of Legend series.
We do not talk about the live action remake of this, either. It can rot in hell along with the other lazy, cynical, un-creative cash grabs by Disney.
And my number one pick for the greatest animated film starring a female protagonist is...
1. Inside Out (2015)
My favourite movie ever. Everything I love about film and storytelling in general is in Inside Out. Colourful, charming, cognitive, super poignant, relatable, sweet, multilayered, and suitable for all ages, containing such a unique message in film.
Is the protagonist Joy or Riley? It doesn't really matter: both go through their personal journeys - together, with Riley not even knowing of Joy's existence. Joy, who cares about Riley so much, is an emotion who is like a conscientious Tinkerbell and an overprotective mother. It is easy to see why she is like Woody from the Toy Story quadrilogy. Joy is literally of a child's mind. She has childlike sensibilities, and as positive as she tries to be, she too fears change and losing her place in life. She too will learn to grow up. To grow from the inside out.
Inside Out - a movie about childhood, and growing up and change, and accepting it as a part of life. It is Pixar, doing what they do best.
Read the rest of my thoughts from years ago in a favourites list here, at no. 1.
Whoa, what a ride! Hope you all enjoyed this list.
Have a lovely, wonderful moonlit night, and a happy, joyful Christmas, full of promise and love.
Top 25 Animated Films with Female Protagonists - Part 1
For one of my final lists of the year, I have decided to celebrate two things I love - animation and heroines - and combine them. Plus as far as I know no one has made a list like this yet.
Heaven knows we all need to see the bright side of life right now. This year - this last half decade - has been terrible on apocalyptic levels. Here is my attempt to show that there are still good things - things to be proud of - things to be proud of being human for - in life, and on our one planet.
It's Christmas, too, so where's the joy and cheer and goodwill and caring and light, magical holiday spirit? Well, here're my happy thoughts, brought together for everyone as well as for myself.
Let's make a start. My Top 25 (Fully) Animated Films with Female Protagonists:
25. Monsters vs. Aliens (2009)
Monsters vs. Aliens is a very silly film.
Just the title alone tells you not to expect much. On the surface it's a fairly typical good guys vs. bad guys kids' cartoon by Dreamworks, with a political satire and a Stephen Colbert role the only things that make it stand out.
But underneath all the goofiness is a unique coming of age story of a woman who learns to be independent, who learns who her real, supportive companions are, and who learns to embrace who she is - and with that newfound power of self-esteem she will save the world. Literally.
Susan Murphy is one of the most underrated, underappreciated female protagonists ever. An ordinary American woman who gets turned into a mutant giantess by a meteorite on her wedding day, she unwillingly becomes a government weapon, and is pretty much abandoned by everyone she thought had loved her: including her fiance, who, as it turns out, cares more about his own reputation and masculinity than her well being. Any woman bigger than he is in any sense is too much for his ego to stand.
Could it be possible that Monsters vs. Aliens is an intentional metaphor for womanhood? Complete with the madness of the outside world and its reactions to women who are "too big" and don't fit into their assigned little boxes? Complete with the OTTs, the contradictions, the mix ups, and the unpredictability? Is it really that smart? And coming from Dreamworks of all companies? Well, Susan stays giant, white-haired and single by the end of the film, where she saves earth and is confident in her skin. She is no one's tool or trophy, either. Her personal growth (no pun intended) from a nervous, docile woman who goes along with what everyone else tells her to do - as it is the social convention - to a brave and totally unconventional hero - a lady big and proud and not giving a damn what anyone thinks... it is a triumph to say the least.
Can you even think of any other animated film with an adult female protagonist aimed at kids like this? Any other film like this, period? Though Susan is pretty much the only named female character in Monsters vs. Aliens, so it's not a perfect representation of womanhood. I think it's the only Dreamworks movie with a female protag*, too, excluding any involvement from Aardman... wow that's depressing.
But it's still remarkable for the relatable Susan and her character development and journey alone. Recommended.
24. The Princess and the Frog (2009)
Not one of my absolute favourite Disney films, I admit. The 2D animation and songs are fantastic, but I find the development of Tiana's character to be a bit dodgy - the message seems to be that a strong, hardworking and independent woman is still nothing without a man and babies to make up a family in her life; as if she can't find love, happiness and fulfilment elsewhere (which Tiana seemingly does at the beginning, but the movie nevertheless tells us she's wrong). And why would Disney have its first African American princess be a frog for the majority of her film? Plus the prince is a promiscuous, spoilt brat. Unique in a Disney prince, yes, but I don't have to like it.
However, The Princess and the Frog is gorgeous, entertaining and funny, with a rich, 1920s New Orleans musical atmosphere, and a great villain. Putting aside the problems I have with how certain characters are handled, there is an old school Disney charm to be found here, which had been missing from Disney films for too long by then. It at least tries to criticise the whole "wishing for something alone makes it come true" motif that the company has been associated with for decades; how much it actually follows up on that deconstruction in its storytelling is debatable.
Well, Disney tried and mostly succeeded, in my opinion - there's a major POC voice cast, at least - and please don't let hand drawn, 2D animation be dead!
23. Spirited Away (2001)
Now moving on to a famous Studio Ghibli film which is not a favourite of mine, personally. There's nothing wrong with it - it has great animation that is absolutely rich and vibrant in detail, as is to be expected by Hayao Miyazaki, memorable characters, and a haunting, bittersweet, and enchanting and exciting atmosphere. I just find the story to be a bit too safe and conventional, that's all. It's Japanese Alice in Wonderland, with an emphasis on spirits and the Asian cultures and folklore surrounding them.
Regardless, it is easy to become sucked in and invested in this huge, wild and scary world along with Chihiro, the ten-year-old protagonist. It is her coming of age tale, her hero's journey, her fear, pain, confusion, and growing bravery and dexterity that we see, feel, and cheer on. It is her development from an apathetic child to an active, hardworking hero...which she might not remember and take away with her after she leaves the dreamlike world of spirits by the end of the film. I guess some dreams do stick with us, though, when they are as epic as in Spirited Away.
There is much to experience from this animation landmark, especially on multiple viewings. The audience is young Chihiro, and we brave through this bizarre world with her; a world that may not be as terrifying as when introduced. Nice, much-needed anti-greed message, too.
22. Persepolis (2007)
A French-Iranian adult animated film that is based on true events. It contains fantastic, exceptional 2D animation techniques and important, universal themes, but I prefer the autobiographical graphic novel it is based on. There are more details and character information in the source material. See my review of that here. This adaptation is still excellent, with a painfully-relatable heroine, Marjane Satrapi, as we get to know her and her outer circumstances and inner turmoils, from childhood to teenhood to adulthood. Every moment is a struggle for her - an epiphany, a risk, even a deadly danger. That she is female makes her a bigger target in her life.
Most of all, Persepolis is an honest story about hope. A passionate rise from depression and the horrors of the world we live in, to working to make it better for everyone - no fear, no prejudice, no compromises, no corruption, no dictators, no hierarchy.
21. Anastasia (1997)
Yeah, to make an animated musical kids' film based on a true-life mass tragedy - where children were murdered no less - is questionable to say the least. But this is one of the rare times where I can say that a work of art can work as its own fairy tale separate from what historical event had inspired it.
Anastasia is probably the only animated movie from the '90s that succeeded in copying the Disney princess formula. It works surprisingly well in its own right. The animation is vibrant and colourful, the songs are lovely and exciting, the characters are dynamic standouts, the romance, with all its snarky-hate-to-love development that I usually despise, is still well developed, and overall it is an entertaining, tender, precious little film.
Anastasia, or Anya, is no average rags-to-riches lost princess - she has amnesia, but throughout the film she doesn't change what doesn't need to be changed about herself, and she possesses a self-aware gleam and sarcastic attitude that I admire. She is proactive, smart, assertive and stubborn, and she saves the male lead more than vice versa. Her "ordinary" rags-to-royalty journey of love and finding oneself is admittedly far more interesting than any fantasy and supernatural interference. Her family and romance are equally important to her, and the audience roots for her all the way - we root for her choices and how she came to make them; any deception by other characters notwithstanding.
Anastasia - one of the original non-Disney animated chick flicks. Lovely, classical, witty, sad, scary, awe-striking, and awesome. An almost-forgotten gem.
20. Sleeping Beauty (1959)
What, you think I added Disney's Sleeping Beauty to this list all because of Aurora, arguably the blandest Disney princess? No, it is because of the true protagonists - the three good fairies, Flora, Fauna, and Merryweather. They are three middle aged biddies who are a great comedic trio, and are kind, supportive, brave, loyal, and massively proactive - they raised Aurora/Briar Rose, and freed the prince Phillip from Maleficent's clutches and gave him the magic used to defeat her. There would be no film without them.
Aurora, a girl who is comatose for most of her fairy tale, is not entirely bland, passive and boring - at the beginning there is a subtle cheek, an in-the-know, a sexual expressiveness, and a yearning to explore life outside of the woods, to her character. But the three fairies are a dime-a-million, a diamond in the ruff, of female leads; there are simply no others like them. In a 1959 movie.
But what do we get in the 21st century? Maleficent, where these heroic fairies are reduced to useless, neglectful, bumbling, bickering Three Stooges knockoffs who would have killed a baby before they even entered their house if not for Maleficent's interference. Feminism! Progress! Older women are useless! Better to stay young and pretty forever, impossible as that is.
Anyway, this isn't about my hatred of live action remakes. Disney's original Sleeping Beauty gave us Flora, Fauna, and Merryweather, as well as lovely, paint cell animation, which I miss in 2D art. The ballet inspired music and darling, magical, classical aesthetic add to its charms. A wonderful classic.
19. Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs (1937)
The first ever animated feature length film has a female protagonist. A young princess who doesn't actually do much and who is there to look pretty, cook, clean, sing, dance, make friends with animals and the dwarfs, wait for a prince, and be a damsel in distress in need of saving. But still, baby steps. This was back when Disney most faithfully adapted Grimm fairy tales, after all.
Snow White may be representative of an idealised thirties good Christian woman (or fourteen-year-old girl, yes she is that young), but it is hard to hate her. She is sweetness and goodness personified; the most charming of saints. Disney knew that they had to give her some personality - something to make the audience connect with her - before she stupidly eats the poisoned apple from a stranger at her window. Snow White is full of love, and even humour, in all of her screen time. Let us never forget the scene of that frightening forest which she runs into and tries to escape from, all in desperation (Disney needs to scare us like that more often now, I think).
I also think that each and every one of us needs a little of that Snow White goodness, and ability to love and trust unconditionally without suspicion, right now.
18. Finding Dory (2016)
Finding Nemo is one of my favourite Pixar films, and one I felt definitely did not need a sequel. But Finding Dory, with the breakout female lead at its center, as it turned out, worked very well. It's adventurous, sweet, charming, sad, and warmhearted.
Dory the fish may have short term memory loss, but it is not a hindrance, in her newfound quest to find her previously forgotten, beloved parents. Her disability is a part of her; it is who she is. It is not a weakness; for all her comedic effect, she's assertive, she drives the story, and makes things happen. She has plenty of hidden valour like many of the other heroines included on this list. I talk more about this personal journey of Dory's on this list, at no. 14, where I discuss her character and arc.
Wonderful characters and scenarios. Funny, tearful and hopeful. Pixar's third movie with a female protagonist is a fun, water-filled triumph.
17. Cinderella (1950)
The definition of a classic. The original animated chick flick, and one of the few financially successful animated films in Walt Disney's lifetime.
For most of my life I didn't think much of Cinderella, having not as many fond memories of it from childhood when compared to other Disney classics, and I wasn't a fan of the original fairy tale or any of its incarnations, period. But recently, upon discovering Ever After and rewatching the Disney cartoon, a new love and appreciation of the story grew inside of me. Now I consider Cinderella to be one of my favourite Disney films. I don't know what it is about it - the animation? The music? The characters? The setting and atmosphere? The humour? All of the above.
But maybe, prominently, it is the fact that Cinderella herself is not the passive doormat that she is often remembered and dismissed as. She is kind, loving, and hardworking, but she has her limits, and talks back to her evil stepmother and stepsisters when the need arises. Understandably she has a temper that she tries to keep under control, and she is sure as Lucifer's whiskers not happy about being made a slave in her own house with the only family she has left from her tragic childhood.
Cinderella certainly has a backbone, and an assertiveness. She knows her own worth as a flesh and blood human being. Unlike the 2015 live action remake, where Cinderella really is a passive, stupid doormat who doesn't comment on her late mother's dress being drastically changed by magic for a ball, and who doesn't think to try to shake open a locked door or open a window to cry for help when that isn't locked. "Have courage and be kind" is not synonymous with being a doormat, filmmakers!
Hard work and perseverance can lead to greater things, but not always, sadly, as is the way of life. But in fairy tales such as this, a happy ending for our intrepid heroine surviving her circumstances in the only way she knows how is inevitable. Cinderella is an abuse victim, probably the first Disney princess who is realistically human (but still storybook pretty, can't escape that), and she deserves a happily ever after, dammit.
16. Wolf Children (2012)
How rarely do we see a film starring a single, widowed mother protagonist, let alone an animated one?
Wolf Children, an anime feature film co-produced by Madhouse Inc., has one of the most realistic depictions of motherhood I have seen in film - that the children have wolf features sometimes is incidental. It is beautiful, absorbing, sad, tragic in more ways than one, and just gorgeous slice-of-life. It can be difficult to watch at times with how painfully real it is. You will likely cry with Hana, the young lead, as you witness her struggles, losses, hard work, desperation, and hopes.
Wolf Children is about Hana's coming of age journey, as it is also one for her children, Yuki and Ame, who have to hide their shifting wolf sides from the outside world in order to survive. In order to stay together as a happy, relatively normal family. The children hardly knew their father, a wolf man who died when they were very young, and they may not always understand why they have to hide who they are from people.Their feelings concerning their half-wolf genetics shift themselves as they grow older and learn more about the world and their place in it.
Trust me when I say that these shifting, switching perspectives in the children's characters, as well as Hana's love and determination to keep her children safe even if it might cost them their freedom, is heart wrenching.
Such a marvellous anime movie. About home, about change, about living.
About family.
About love and sacrifice.
15. Mulan (1998)
Mulan - a Chinese action heroine - the hero of China - happy where she is at home with her family, as a peasant, marketed as a Disney princess because...the brand's got to include more diversity and Asian rep, I guess. Read here and here for the rest of my thoughts on this revolutionary, crossdressing warrior woman, from previous posts. Fa Mulan is smart, funny, caring, brave, determined, humble, resourceful, cunning, and strong on the inside and out.
To be continued in Part 2.
*Trolls (2016) might count, although Princess Poppy works alongside the male lead Branch consistently throughout the movie. The Croods (2013) doesn't count, as Eep gets unceremoniously switched for her father Grug as the protagonist halfway through the film.
Heaven knows we all need to see the bright side of life right now. This year - this last half decade - has been terrible on apocalyptic levels. Here is my attempt to show that there are still good things - things to be proud of - things to be proud of being human for - in life, and on our one planet.
It's Christmas, too, so where's the joy and cheer and goodwill and caring and light, magical holiday spirit? Well, here're my happy thoughts, brought together for everyone as well as for myself.
Let's make a start. My Top 25 (Fully) Animated Films with Female Protagonists:
25. Monsters vs. Aliens (2009)
Monsters vs. Aliens is a very silly film.
Just the title alone tells you not to expect much. On the surface it's a fairly typical good guys vs. bad guys kids' cartoon by Dreamworks, with a political satire and a Stephen Colbert role the only things that make it stand out.
But underneath all the goofiness is a unique coming of age story of a woman who learns to be independent, who learns who her real, supportive companions are, and who learns to embrace who she is - and with that newfound power of self-esteem she will save the world. Literally.
Susan Murphy is one of the most underrated, underappreciated female protagonists ever. An ordinary American woman who gets turned into a mutant giantess by a meteorite on her wedding day, she unwillingly becomes a government weapon, and is pretty much abandoned by everyone she thought had loved her: including her fiance, who, as it turns out, cares more about his own reputation and masculinity than her well being. Any woman bigger than he is in any sense is too much for his ego to stand.
Could it be possible that Monsters vs. Aliens is an intentional metaphor for womanhood? Complete with the madness of the outside world and its reactions to women who are "too big" and don't fit into their assigned little boxes? Complete with the OTTs, the contradictions, the mix ups, and the unpredictability? Is it really that smart? And coming from Dreamworks of all companies? Well, Susan stays giant, white-haired and single by the end of the film, where she saves earth and is confident in her skin. She is no one's tool or trophy, either. Her personal growth (no pun intended) from a nervous, docile woman who goes along with what everyone else tells her to do - as it is the social convention - to a brave and totally unconventional hero - a lady big and proud and not giving a damn what anyone thinks... it is a triumph to say the least.
Can you even think of any other animated film with an adult female protagonist aimed at kids like this? Any other film like this, period? Though Susan is pretty much the only named female character in Monsters vs. Aliens, so it's not a perfect representation of womanhood. I think it's the only Dreamworks movie with a female protag*, too, excluding any involvement from Aardman... wow that's depressing.
But it's still remarkable for the relatable Susan and her character development and journey alone. Recommended.
24. The Princess and the Frog (2009)
Not one of my absolute favourite Disney films, I admit. The 2D animation and songs are fantastic, but I find the development of Tiana's character to be a bit dodgy - the message seems to be that a strong, hardworking and independent woman is still nothing without a man and babies to make up a family in her life; as if she can't find love, happiness and fulfilment elsewhere (which Tiana seemingly does at the beginning, but the movie nevertheless tells us she's wrong). And why would Disney have its first African American princess be a frog for the majority of her film? Plus the prince is a promiscuous, spoilt brat. Unique in a Disney prince, yes, but I don't have to like it.
However, The Princess and the Frog is gorgeous, entertaining and funny, with a rich, 1920s New Orleans musical atmosphere, and a great villain. Putting aside the problems I have with how certain characters are handled, there is an old school Disney charm to be found here, which had been missing from Disney films for too long by then. It at least tries to criticise the whole "wishing for something alone makes it come true" motif that the company has been associated with for decades; how much it actually follows up on that deconstruction in its storytelling is debatable.
Well, Disney tried and mostly succeeded, in my opinion - there's a major POC voice cast, at least - and please don't let hand drawn, 2D animation be dead!
23. Spirited Away (2001)
Now moving on to a famous Studio Ghibli film which is not a favourite of mine, personally. There's nothing wrong with it - it has great animation that is absolutely rich and vibrant in detail, as is to be expected by Hayao Miyazaki, memorable characters, and a haunting, bittersweet, and enchanting and exciting atmosphere. I just find the story to be a bit too safe and conventional, that's all. It's Japanese Alice in Wonderland, with an emphasis on spirits and the Asian cultures and folklore surrounding them.
Regardless, it is easy to become sucked in and invested in this huge, wild and scary world along with Chihiro, the ten-year-old protagonist. It is her coming of age tale, her hero's journey, her fear, pain, confusion, and growing bravery and dexterity that we see, feel, and cheer on. It is her development from an apathetic child to an active, hardworking hero...which she might not remember and take away with her after she leaves the dreamlike world of spirits by the end of the film. I guess some dreams do stick with us, though, when they are as epic as in Spirited Away.
There is much to experience from this animation landmark, especially on multiple viewings. The audience is young Chihiro, and we brave through this bizarre world with her; a world that may not be as terrifying as when introduced. Nice, much-needed anti-greed message, too.
22. Persepolis (2007)
A French-Iranian adult animated film that is based on true events. It contains fantastic, exceptional 2D animation techniques and important, universal themes, but I prefer the autobiographical graphic novel it is based on. There are more details and character information in the source material. See my review of that here. This adaptation is still excellent, with a painfully-relatable heroine, Marjane Satrapi, as we get to know her and her outer circumstances and inner turmoils, from childhood to teenhood to adulthood. Every moment is a struggle for her - an epiphany, a risk, even a deadly danger. That she is female makes her a bigger target in her life.
Most of all, Persepolis is an honest story about hope. A passionate rise from depression and the horrors of the world we live in, to working to make it better for everyone - no fear, no prejudice, no compromises, no corruption, no dictators, no hierarchy.
21. Anastasia (1997)
Yeah, to make an animated musical kids' film based on a true-life mass tragedy - where children were murdered no less - is questionable to say the least. But this is one of the rare times where I can say that a work of art can work as its own fairy tale separate from what historical event had inspired it.
Anastasia is probably the only animated movie from the '90s that succeeded in copying the Disney princess formula. It works surprisingly well in its own right. The animation is vibrant and colourful, the songs are lovely and exciting, the characters are dynamic standouts, the romance, with all its snarky-hate-to-love development that I usually despise, is still well developed, and overall it is an entertaining, tender, precious little film.
Anastasia, or Anya, is no average rags-to-riches lost princess - she has amnesia, but throughout the film she doesn't change what doesn't need to be changed about herself, and she possesses a self-aware gleam and sarcastic attitude that I admire. She is proactive, smart, assertive and stubborn, and she saves the male lead more than vice versa. Her "ordinary" rags-to-royalty journey of love and finding oneself is admittedly far more interesting than any fantasy and supernatural interference. Her family and romance are equally important to her, and the audience roots for her all the way - we root for her choices and how she came to make them; any deception by other characters notwithstanding.
Anastasia - one of the original non-Disney animated chick flicks. Lovely, classical, witty, sad, scary, awe-striking, and awesome. An almost-forgotten gem.
20. Sleeping Beauty (1959)
What, you think I added Disney's Sleeping Beauty to this list all because of Aurora, arguably the blandest Disney princess? No, it is because of the true protagonists - the three good fairies, Flora, Fauna, and Merryweather. They are three middle aged biddies who are a great comedic trio, and are kind, supportive, brave, loyal, and massively proactive - they raised Aurora/Briar Rose, and freed the prince Phillip from Maleficent's clutches and gave him the magic used to defeat her. There would be no film without them.
Aurora, a girl who is comatose for most of her fairy tale, is not entirely bland, passive and boring - at the beginning there is a subtle cheek, an in-the-know, a sexual expressiveness, and a yearning to explore life outside of the woods, to her character. But the three fairies are a dime-a-million, a diamond in the ruff, of female leads; there are simply no others like them. In a 1959 movie.
But what do we get in the 21st century? Maleficent, where these heroic fairies are reduced to useless, neglectful, bumbling, bickering Three Stooges knockoffs who would have killed a baby before they even entered their house if not for Maleficent's interference. Feminism! Progress! Older women are useless! Better to stay young and pretty forever, impossible as that is.
Anyway, this isn't about my hatred of live action remakes. Disney's original Sleeping Beauty gave us Flora, Fauna, and Merryweather, as well as lovely, paint cell animation, which I miss in 2D art. The ballet inspired music and darling, magical, classical aesthetic add to its charms. A wonderful classic.
19. Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs (1937)
The first ever animated feature length film has a female protagonist. A young princess who doesn't actually do much and who is there to look pretty, cook, clean, sing, dance, make friends with animals and the dwarfs, wait for a prince, and be a damsel in distress in need of saving. But still, baby steps. This was back when Disney most faithfully adapted Grimm fairy tales, after all.
Snow White may be representative of an idealised thirties good Christian woman (or fourteen-year-old girl, yes she is that young), but it is hard to hate her. She is sweetness and goodness personified; the most charming of saints. Disney knew that they had to give her some personality - something to make the audience connect with her - before she stupidly eats the poisoned apple from a stranger at her window. Snow White is full of love, and even humour, in all of her screen time. Let us never forget the scene of that frightening forest which she runs into and tries to escape from, all in desperation (Disney needs to scare us like that more often now, I think).
I also think that each and every one of us needs a little of that Snow White goodness, and ability to love and trust unconditionally without suspicion, right now.
18. Finding Dory (2016)
Finding Nemo is one of my favourite Pixar films, and one I felt definitely did not need a sequel. But Finding Dory, with the breakout female lead at its center, as it turned out, worked very well. It's adventurous, sweet, charming, sad, and warmhearted.
Dory the fish may have short term memory loss, but it is not a hindrance, in her newfound quest to find her previously forgotten, beloved parents. Her disability is a part of her; it is who she is. It is not a weakness; for all her comedic effect, she's assertive, she drives the story, and makes things happen. She has plenty of hidden valour like many of the other heroines included on this list. I talk more about this personal journey of Dory's on this list, at no. 14, where I discuss her character and arc.
Wonderful characters and scenarios. Funny, tearful and hopeful. Pixar's third movie with a female protagonist is a fun, water-filled triumph.
17. Cinderella (1950)
The definition of a classic. The original animated chick flick, and one of the few financially successful animated films in Walt Disney's lifetime.
For most of my life I didn't think much of Cinderella, having not as many fond memories of it from childhood when compared to other Disney classics, and I wasn't a fan of the original fairy tale or any of its incarnations, period. But recently, upon discovering Ever After and rewatching the Disney cartoon, a new love and appreciation of the story grew inside of me. Now I consider Cinderella to be one of my favourite Disney films. I don't know what it is about it - the animation? The music? The characters? The setting and atmosphere? The humour? All of the above.
But maybe, prominently, it is the fact that Cinderella herself is not the passive doormat that she is often remembered and dismissed as. She is kind, loving, and hardworking, but she has her limits, and talks back to her evil stepmother and stepsisters when the need arises. Understandably she has a temper that she tries to keep under control, and she is sure as Lucifer's whiskers not happy about being made a slave in her own house with the only family she has left from her tragic childhood.
Cinderella certainly has a backbone, and an assertiveness. She knows her own worth as a flesh and blood human being. Unlike the 2015 live action remake, where Cinderella really is a passive, stupid doormat who doesn't comment on her late mother's dress being drastically changed by magic for a ball, and who doesn't think to try to shake open a locked door or open a window to cry for help when that isn't locked. "Have courage and be kind" is not synonymous with being a doormat, filmmakers!
Hard work and perseverance can lead to greater things, but not always, sadly, as is the way of life. But in fairy tales such as this, a happy ending for our intrepid heroine surviving her circumstances in the only way she knows how is inevitable. Cinderella is an abuse victim, probably the first Disney princess who is realistically human (but still storybook pretty, can't escape that), and she deserves a happily ever after, dammit.
16. Wolf Children (2012)
How rarely do we see a film starring a single, widowed mother protagonist, let alone an animated one?
Wolf Children, an anime feature film co-produced by Madhouse Inc., has one of the most realistic depictions of motherhood I have seen in film - that the children have wolf features sometimes is incidental. It is beautiful, absorbing, sad, tragic in more ways than one, and just gorgeous slice-of-life. It can be difficult to watch at times with how painfully real it is. You will likely cry with Hana, the young lead, as you witness her struggles, losses, hard work, desperation, and hopes.
Wolf Children is about Hana's coming of age journey, as it is also one for her children, Yuki and Ame, who have to hide their shifting wolf sides from the outside world in order to survive. In order to stay together as a happy, relatively normal family. The children hardly knew their father, a wolf man who died when they were very young, and they may not always understand why they have to hide who they are from people.Their feelings concerning their half-wolf genetics shift themselves as they grow older and learn more about the world and their place in it.
Trust me when I say that these shifting, switching perspectives in the children's characters, as well as Hana's love and determination to keep her children safe even if it might cost them their freedom, is heart wrenching.
Such a marvellous anime movie. About home, about change, about living.
About family.
About love and sacrifice.
15. Mulan (1998)
Mulan - a Chinese action heroine - the hero of China - happy where she is at home with her family, as a peasant, marketed as a Disney princess because...the brand's got to include more diversity and Asian rep, I guess. Read here and here for the rest of my thoughts on this revolutionary, crossdressing warrior woman, from previous posts. Fa Mulan is smart, funny, caring, brave, determined, humble, resourceful, cunning, and strong on the inside and out.
To be continued in Part 2.
*Trolls (2016) might count, although Princess Poppy works alongside the male lead Branch consistently throughout the movie. The Croods (2013) doesn't count, as Eep gets unceremoniously switched for her father Grug as the protagonist halfway through the film.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)