book crush thursday: Inkheart

"It's a good idea to have your own books with you in a strange place," Mo always said. He himself always took at least a dozen. -- Inkheart, Cornelia Funke

Perhaps there's another, much larger story behind the printed one, a story that changes just as our own world does. And the letters on the page tell us only as much as we'd see peering through a keyhole. -- Mo

Badly told stories never come to life. -- Inkheart

If you've known me for a while and have asked me about books, chances are good that I've grabbed you by the sleeve and told you, in no uncertain terms, that you absolutely must read Inkheart, by Cornelia Funke.

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I might even have come across as a little intense on this point.

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This book makes me do things like that.

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It is, in short, a book that explores the world of books. Book lovers, book hoarders, books stolen and books found, books written, books read aloud, books that come to life, books that snatch people into them, characters and their fates, and the ever-blurry line between fiction and our own world.

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And I love it all insanely.

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Cornelia Funke is a genius of a writer. In her rich world, books come alive when they're read properly. And on one particular night, as the book Inkheart is read, a villain comes out. And a woman falls in.

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You see? The sort of book you stay up too late reading, a kind of flashlight-under-the-covers book.

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As a girl who loves to read, I thoroughly enjoy how bookcrazy the characters are. (Makes me feel normal! Like I've found my posse.) Books are not a neutral subject in this story: people hate them, love them, heal them, burn them.

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As a writer, I love reading about characters coming to life. I'm sure that this happens more than we would think. On three separate occasions, I've been ready to swear that one of my characters walked past me, only no one was there. I don't believe in ghosts, but I do believe in my characters, so there you have it.

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(Oddly enough, this little tidbit can stop a conversation dead. Especially when I say I'm not kidding. But hey, it's Thursday, and I feel like confessing strange things about my book life...)

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So, in light of that, I'll just add that Funke writes some really brilliant and lovely characters.

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And that I kind of want to marry Dustfinger, even though he's terribly untrustworthy. Terribly. ... Could someone who's read this please explain the psychology of this to me? What his appeal is? So I can stop worrying about myself?

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... And after Dustfinger, I think I'd choose Mo. He's a bit safer and kinder, and--see the quote above--he travels with a dozen books. A man after my own heart.

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(Note: I wouldn't recommend the movie on this one. Not at all. Unless you'd like to see how Paul Bettany is as Dustfinger--it's the only perfect thing about it. The rest is quite sad if you loved the book.)

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Recommendation: Most of this takes place in Italy, so I'd recommend some really, really strong coffee, and--what, something sweet as well? Pastry-ish?

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Is this what I recommend every time? If I did, would that be okay with you? It's certainly what I want every single day of my life: strong coffee, something sweet and pleasant, and a book I'm going to love.

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Yeah. That would do it.