Not too long ago I watched a beautiful little animated short film entitled The Fantastic Flying Books of Mr. Morris Lessmore. There is no dialogue and yet it (excuse the phrase) spoke to me on a very personal level. Imagine my delight when I discovered that it was created by the same man that created that other magical movie Meet the Robinsons! Yes, William Joyce has stolen my heart once again with a tale that is both heartbreaking and hopeful all at once. Of course, I knew that it was more than likely based off one of his books and I was right. Much like Meet the Robinsons which I reviewed not too long ago, Joyce wrote a beautifully illustrated picture book called The Fantastic Flying Books of Mr. Morris Lessmore which is about exactly what the title implies. This is the story of a man who loves books and indeed is trying to write one of his own when a crazy storm comes along and upends not only his whole life but the buildings of his entire town. In a brilliant move of cinematography, after the storm everything is in black and white to depict the bleakness of his situation. But then he sees something which completely changes his outlook...I don't want to spoil this bit. This is about the power of the written word and the transformative power that books hold over the imagination. It is a love letter to literature. It's charming and extraordinarily moving. I admit to crying over the film AND the book. I urge you to take a few minutes and enjoy them both because they really are worth your time.10/10

I love love love this art style. Source: sccl.org

Cress by Marissa Meyer (5 stars)

A lot of fun with a great cast of characters. Sci-fi fantasy fairytale retellings done well. It doesn't get much better.

The Demon's Lexicon series by Sarah Rees Brennan

  The Demon's Lexicon (4 stars) 

  The Demon's Covenant (5 stars) 

  The Demon's Surrender (4 stars)

GAH THIS SERIES. Lots of kissing and also angst, but oh the emotions. These two brothers couldn't rip my hearts out anymore, I swear.

Seeking Persephone by Sarah M. Eden (4 stars)

So much cuteness! Think Beauty and The Beast meets a slightly Georgette Heyer Regency romance feel.

Delilah Dirk and The Turkish Lieutenant by Tony Cliff (4 stars)

A charming graphic novel, complete with lovable characters and beautiful illustrations. The atmosphere and settings were also lovely, and not something that is generally seen in the literary world here, or at least, not wherever I'm looking.

Joan of Arc by Mark Twain (4 stars)

A well-written classic actually deserving of that title. Definitely Twain's best, out of those  that I've read.

The Screwtape Letters by C.S. Lewis (5 stars)

Just really brilliant and full of important points to ponder.

The Whispering Skull by Jonathan Stroud (4 stars)

Not as good as the first book in the series, but still a good installment and lots of fun hanging out  with Lockwood and Co. Oh, and all the ghosts too.

The Fantastic Flying Books of Mr. Morris Lessmore by William Joyce (5 stars)

One of the best children's books I've ever read, and it helps that it's a bibliomaniac's dream come true.

 Honorable Mentions:

Prisoner of Night and Fog by Anne Blankman (4 stars)

Tsarina by J. Nelle Patrick (4 stars)

I read this story over and over again and the more I read it, the richer it became.   It’s about words, it’s about books, it’s about stories and order and life and ….I could go on but I think everyone who reads it will find their own meaning. Morris loved stories and books, writing his own joys and sorrows down each morning. His hopes and dreams, all written in print as he loved words and order.   As life would have it, a storm blew in and upset his world and he finds himself in world like Oz. The illustrations do a superb job with this transformation with the color and the details. A woman floats by in a festival of books and hands him her favorite book, he follows her to the library where he is totally amazed at this building. The room is in dismay as he hears the book calling to him as they float around the room. The books all need assistance and Morris tries to help them. He gets wrapped up inside their pages, those wonderful stories captive him so Morris decides to share the stories with the people of the town. It’s a wonderful tale of Morris and his life; it’s a book you just want to share with everyone. The illustrations fit perfectly with the book and the script is written on a tan paper which I thought added to the warmth of the story.

““Everyone’s story matters,” said Morris. And all the books agreed.”

I wish I could live in this book. 

A short film was inspired by this book The Fantastic Flying Books of Mr Morris Lessmore

written by William Joyce, illustrated by William Joyce and Joe Bluhm (I'm going to meet them sometime in March)

I first encountered this story when the animated short based on the book was nominated for (and later won) an academy award. The short is very good, and I recommend you watch it. In fact, I would recommend watching it over reading the book (though I'm interested to download the app now).

The story is good, but it lacks the punch the film had for me, which surprised me, since the text emphasizes the importance of words and the film has no dialogue. Something about the book is just less exciting than the film. It's still a solid picture book worth checking out.