books I’ve read in 2024 📖 no. 032

The Children’s Blizzard by Melanie Benjamin

“Hell is this life we lead now, not later.”

Four Must-Read Books Based on “Alice in Wonderland”

I know I just finished my “Artists in Wonderland” event, but I’m still in an Alice mood, and especially in regards to literature. So I decided to cover another topic in terms of Wonderland in writing: different books based on the “Alice” stories. Of course, movies, video games, and TV shows have given us countless reinterpretations of the “Alice” stories and characters, but there have been just as many - and probably more - in writing. From stories based on the real-life events behind the scenes, to sequels, reimaginings, and prequels of the Carrollian classics, literature has provided an abundance of different takes on Wonderland. What’s interesting is that - beyond children’s picture books and such other things -  many of these reinterpretations take a darker and more adult stance with the story, creating unique lore and diving into the characters in a way Carroll’s stories do not do. This is nothing new, of course, but literature can do this in a way that most screen-based versions either cannot or do not. Now, there are numerous books based on Wonderland, like I said, and I’ve read my fair share. Today, however, I wanted to provide a short “must read” list with four key books that I feel anyone interested in “Alice” should take a look at. Again, there are a LOT more than four. Some books I enjoy that I won’t be mentioning here are The Splintered Trilogy, The Alice Chronicles, The Queen of Hearts Saga, Still She Haunts Me, After Alice, and Grin: The Unauthorized Biography of a Cheshire Cat. These are just to name a few that aren’t included here: all of them have their own unique merits and are worth looking up if you have time. These are just four books that I would classify as the cream of the crop. I should add that I won’t be including non-fiction books on the list, such as biographies, analytical or informational texts, etc. I’m specifically looking at works of fiction inspired by the stories. With that said, here are Four Must-Read Books for Alice in Wonderland Fans.

4. Alice I Have Been.

I’m starting this off with the most unique and arguably the most fascinating of the whole bunch. “Alice I Have Been,” written by Melanie Benjamin, is NOT an “Alice in Wonderland” story. It isn’t about the Mad Hatter, the White Rabbit, the Queen of Hearts, or any of the characters in the books. Instead, this is a piece of historical fiction that effectively tells the life story of Alice Hargreaves (nee Liddell), the young lady who inspired Charles Dodgson (a.k.a. Lewis Carroll) to write the Wonderland books to begin with. The novel focuses on Alice’s relationship with Carroll, of course, but also just on her life in general, as she squares off her own desires and simple humanity with the fact that she is seen as someone she isn’t. In a way, the book is a lot like the movie “Dreamchild,” but while that film occasionally brings people into the fantasy of Wonderland and mostly focuses on Alice as an old woman, “Alice I Have Been” sticks entirely to the real world, and traces her life pretty much from birth to death. It’s not a biography, as it IS written in the form of a novel, and does take some liberties here and there based on the writer’s presumptions and the themes and ideas they want to play with. However, it does paint a very sincere and true-to-life portrait of the young woman, whose life story so many people never really paid attention to. If you’re more interested in reading about the actual Wonderland characters and world, then the other three books on this list are going to be more to your taste, but I felt I simply could not leave Melanie Benjamin’s gorgeous story out of the running.

3. Unbirthday.

This book is part of a series by Liz Braswell, called “Twisted Tales.” The series is published by Disney, and in each novel, a question is asked about a particular Disney movie. The novel then riffs on that question, usually by presenting a sort of AU or “What If?” scenario, but sometimes by creating a new story, a prequel or sequel, to provide a new spin on the world and characters. The latter is the case with “Unbirthday.” Admittedly, Unbirthday’s premise is not the most inspired: a grown-up Alice returns to Wonderland, and finds it has become a darker and more dangerous place than ever before. She thus joins forces with a group of freedom fighters to battle the Queen of Hearts and save Wonderland. This exact premise, in those two sentences, can sum up a LOT of different “Alice” works. And I mean A LOT: most of the more prominent darker reinterpretations of Wonderland follow that basic formula. This book isn’t the first, and it isn’t the last. So, what makes it special? One simple little thing: all other darker Wonderlands with this premise are essentially their own invention. They aren’t based on any specific pre-existing version of the stories, they’re really their own thing, with their own special spin on the setting and characters. “Unbirthday” is interesting because it’s actually based on a very particular version of Wonderland, the Disney one. This makes the story unique, because we aren’t simply seeing newer, darker takes on the Mad Hatter, the White Rabbit, the Queen of Hearts, and other characters. We’re seeing the Disney ones - the ones so many of us know best and are familiar with from childhood, beyond all the rest - being corrupted and twisted in various ways. Similarly, we aren’t simply seeing a grown-up Alice, we’re seeing the Disney Alice all grown up. It’s a bit like watching “Spider-Man: No Way Home” versus “Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse.” Both are films with similar concepts at play, but they take very different approaches, and a big part of this is that one uses versions of the characters we’ve seen before and have a pre-established connection with, while the other is totally original. The best part is that Braswell’s writing is so meticulously handled, the characters really DO feel like those Disney versions, from the way they speak to the way they are described as generally behaving. If you’re a fan of dark Wonderlands, a fan of the Disney film, or both, check this one out.

2. Heartless.

This book by Marissa Meyer is a rare example of a prequel to the “Alice” stories. This is something that actually isn’t as common as you would think. Sequels to Wonderland and reimaginings of the story are pretty easy to come by, but prequels - stories that detail the world before Alice - are quite rare. I think this is mostly because, in the books, Wonderland is supposedly just a dream Alice had. And in many strict adaptations, it’s left ambiguous, at best, how much of Wonderland was a dream and how much of it was real. So what’s the point in creating a backstory and lore to a world that doesn’t exist? Well, of course, these works base themselves on the idea it DOES exist, and while they are not common, they are out there. In my opinion, “Heartless” is the single best Wonderland prequel I’ve ever come across. The story ostensibly tells the tale of how the Queen of Hearts - here named Catherine - became the fat, pompous, bad-tempered old tyrant we all know and love to hate. In other words, it’s essentially “Wicked” (the novel, not the play), but for the Queen of Hearts. And much like “Wicked,” it not only gives us the skinny on the main villainess, but also involves multiple other characters from the books, most notably the Mad Hatter, the Cheshire Cat, the Duchess, and the King of Hearts, although other characters show up here and there, too. The primary reason I think Meyer’s book tops other prequels to the stories is simply this: with other prequels I’ve encountered, there’s always this sort of inconclusive feeling. Like, it’s hard to imagine these characters becoming the ones in the Carroll stories. That ISN’T the case with “Heartless”: not only is Catherine’s petulant, furious, rage-filled personality perfectly understandable, giving a once comically cruel and violently nasty villain a sympathetic and complex persona, but other characters feel very natural in their progression from where they start off to where we next see them. They’re written in such a way that they really do feel like those Victorian caricatures of madness we all care about so much, while still existing in their own unique space. This, above all else, makes Heartless one of my favorite Wonderland-based books. Check it out if you ever wanted to know what life was like before Alice’s fall.

1. The Looking-Glass Wars.

Frank Beddor’s “The Looking-Glass Wars” Trilogy is, without a doubt, my favorite book based on the “Alice” stories. It’s another dark reimagining of Wonderland that, on the surface, has the same basic formula “Unbirthday” and so many other stories have, but the way it interprets the world and the characters is totally its own, and wonderfully creative. The premise of “The Looking-Glass Wars” is that the story we all know and love so well is a boldfaced lie: the tale begins when Alyss Heart - the Princess of Wonderland, rightful heir to the throne - has her parents killed and kingdom usurped by her evil Aunt Redd. With the aid of Hatter Madigan, her loyal bodyguard, Alyss escapes through the Pool of Tears to our world…but because of some problems in-transit, Hatter is thrown all the way into France, while Alyss ends up in a slum in England. She is eventually taken in by the Liddell family, and meets Charles Dodgson, who writes a story inspired by the “wild fantasies” she tells him about. This story, of course, becomes the “Alice in Wonderland” we all know and love today. As time goes on, Alice forgets her old life and world entirely…until she’s finally rediscovered by her people, and brought back (along with Hatter M.) to Wonderland, to join the resistance and take back the crown from her traitorous aunt. In essence, the first book is “The Lion King” but with a Wonderland motif…but that’s only where the story starts, as the book would have two sequels, and not one, but TWO spin-off comic book series. I love the imagination and unique perspective Beddor’s books have, and the way it reinterprets classic characters. Some of them - like Aunt Redd, Bibwit Harte, and Blue the Caterpillar - feel very much like the Wonderlandian characters we all know and love, just a bit darker than usual. Others - like The Cat, Hatter Madigan, and Dodge Anders (Alice’s love interest, based on the Dodo, of all characters) - are radically different from the ones we know and love, but that’s kind of the point. The way the books mesh fantasy and history, tradition and new ideas, and so on really is one-of-a-kind, and it’s by far one of my favorite takes on “Alice” in general, and one that I wish more people knew about. I would love to see these books adapted to TV or cinema, or even to video games. Until that day, the stories stand on their own well enough. Admittedly, I’m not a huge fan of the comic book spinoffs I mentioned, but the original novels are truly fantastic. Read this trilogy as soon as you can.

last weekend on the high plains...

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When the temperature drops...🤓

...Maybe it's just the crazy cold outside, but I've gone and picked up "The Children's Blizzard" again...look out, this could be a shitpost!

"Czemu dorośli tak głupio się wobec siebie zachowują? Nigdy nie mówią wprost, o co im chodzi; polegają na westchnieniach, spojrzeniach, dystansie... Jakie to niebezpieczne! Jak łatwo błędnie zrozumieć spojrzenie czy westchnienie!"

Jennifer Connelly: a super serious actress with an oscar on her shelf and is extremely good at crying in movies

Also Jennifer Connelly: 🥹

The cutest pookie ball your honor.

The Mad Women's Ball (2021)

agaypanic's Malcolm Wilkerson Playlist

MITM Masterlist | Main Masterlist

if you want something to listen to while you read my malcolm wilkerson fics, here you go! if yall have any suggestions for what to add on this playlist, lmk in the comments!!

Spotify Link

Liability - Lorde

this is me trying - Taylor Swift

The Lucky One - Taylor Swift

Show & Tell - Melanie Martinez

What the Hell - Avril Lavigne

Nothing New - Taylor Swift (feat. Phoebe Bridgers)

jealousy, jealousy - Olivia Rodrigo

ocean eyes - Billie Eilish

Bad Ideas - Tessa Violet

Everybody Talks - Neon Trees

If I Killed Someone for You - Alec Benjamin

In My Blood - Shawn Mendes

People Watching - Conan Gray

Crush Culture - Conan Gray

idfc - blackbear

Recess - Melanie Martinez

feel something - Bea Miller

Animal - Neon Trees

8TEEN - Khalid

God Must Hate Me - Catie Turner

brutal - Olivia Rodrigo

decode - Sabrina Carpenter

making the bed - Olivia Rodrigo

current concert lineup for the summer

tfb rose tour: may 18

glass animals: august 10

elo: september 21

likely adding to the list once i get the money

top clancy tour

melanie martinez

breaking benjamin

cavetown / mother mother

lancaster folk punk coachella II

well wisher

lake street dive

yung gravy

i aspire to write music like marina, alec, & melanie someday like

ugh

yall fr makin' me cry :_3

donald williams, lorraine graves, stephanie dabney with theara ward, laurie woodward, leslie woodward, carol crawford smith, linda swayze, melanie person, karen brown, judy tyrus, julie felix, karlya shelton-benjamin, cassandra phifer, yvonne hall, and the rest of the artists photographed performing as prince ivan, the princess of unreal beauty, the firebird, and beautiful maidens in john taras’ the firebird by jack vartoogian

WWW Wednesday: August 9th, 2023

WWW Wednesday is a weekly meme hosted by Sam at Taking on a World of Words. The Three Ws are: What are you currently reading?What did you recently finish reading? What do you think you’ll read next? Here is what I am currently reading, recently finished, and plan to read from Thursday to Wednesday. Let me know if you have read or are planning on reading any of these books!! Happy…

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Clint Eastwood's 'Flags of Our Fathers' on Prime Video, Paramount+ and MGM+

Clint Eastwood’s Flags of Our Fathers (2006) is ostensibly about an iconic moment in World War II history: the story behind the raising of the American flag on Mount Suribachi on Iwo Jima by five Marines and a Navy corpsman, a moment immortalized with a photograph featured on the cover of Life Magazine and later recreated as a sculpture. It’s about so much more. Adapted from the nonfiction book…

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