The more they don't give me something substantial to do at work, the more time I will spend writing up lj entries and editing wiki entries.

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After I watching Howl's Moving Castle the other day, I was left in a fluffy and romantic type of mood. That happens sometimes. So when I was at a shopping centre and had already picked up a copy of the Diana Wynne Jones book, I wandered over to the movie store, which proved to be a fatal mistake. I was just casually browsing when one Korean DVD caught my eye.

Thinking back now, I'm not sure what it was that really caught my eye. The cover was an openly and unremarkably fuzzy romantic set-up with soft filters and an obviously fake winter setting (what is up with Koreans and winter?) and featuring a young man holding a sign and a young woman peering around the corner of an open door, and the pair having caught each other's cheerful eye. I picked the DVD up, flipped it over and read the blurb at the back.

...cheerful girl orphaned... mysterious benefactor who pays her way through college... meets guy at work... will she find her mysterious benefactor?

My eyebrows hit the roof. That sounded awfully familiar, like one of my favourite books... I flipped it around and sure enough there was the title, neatly printed between the Korean characters: Daddy Long-Legs.

Aha! I went. You shall be mine!

( 'Inspired by' doesn't mean 'based on'. )

I finally got to watch Howl's Moving Castle, which was wonderful, through admittedly not as wonderful as Spirited Away, which was so well put-together. But I have yet to see the English-dubbed version, and I quiver with anticipation of hearing Christian Bale throw a tantrum. *g*

Then, naturally, I had to read the book. I popped over to the nearest bookstore, and though the cover featured Howl looking decidedly Gilderoy Lockhart-ish, I got it and read it. As warned, the original material is very different from the movie, and I found myself pleasantly surprised and unexpectedly liking the book more.

( My spoilerific blathering. )

Then, after finishing the book, I flipped to the back page and AHA there is a (sort of) sequel! Castle in the Air is the title, and it had to be mine.

A quick stop at the bookshop last Sunday and it did become mine. It has a nicer cover for one, although again I think that the design for the main character is so very off the mark. I've been reading it to and from work for the past two days and I'm now about three quarters through (I might finish it before I reach home later) and I have to say I disagree with the amazon reviewers who say that Castle in the Air is boring because the Howl’s Moving Castle characters barely make an appearance. I think the story stands on its own pretty well… though that may be because I’ve been spoiled for the ‘twist’ ending. >:)