#donald hounam | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

novelideasblog · 4 years

Photo

Gifted by Donald Hounam

This book is definitely not what I expected. I’ve always been drawn to the front cover and on the way out of my library a few weeks ago, I grabbed a few chunkier reads to get me through the Lockdown. But from the very first page, it’s clear that this book has more cahoonas - mainly by way of gore, swearing and complex characters - than your average magical Potter story.

Frank is a young sorcerer who has an anthropomorphic door, the smell of cats innards in his room and frantic code scrawls on his blackboard, which he can memorise and recreate exactly. But when the Bishop of Oxford is discovered without his head, Frank lends a hand and tries to help the police solve the murder case, using his rare and brilliant skill set. That is; magic. With Marvo by his side, a police colleague, they begin to piece together the facts and end up putting their lives at risk several times to find the culprit. But will they work it all out in the end?

I like the writing style of this book very much. Frank is an unlovable, emotionally stunted teen with a big ego but he is also hugely funny and self-deprecating as hell. As a first person narrative, this book works really well and by the end of the novel, we’re all rooting for Frank to see the light and make the right choices. The story is dark and, at times, honestly disgusting, but I think that this only adds to it’s odd appeal (if you like that kinda thing, of course!). There’s also a pretty good finale, which I honestly think should have begun 20 or 30 pages sooner - with so much build up, I was beginning to flag a little towards the end and a longer conclusion would have felt more generous plot-wise. However, this quirky, competent mystery novel is one that will certainly leave a lasting impression and have you pondering over some of the loose threads that unravel at the very end.

0 notes

cescalr · 4 years

Text

QUESTION TAG MEME.

hey, thanks @sunel0 for the tag!

Riles: answer 10 questions and come up with 10 questions of your own.

ANSWERS:

1. If you are in/finished college/uni/whatever, what’s your major, or what you’d like it to be? Why?

I’m a bit late to the party, but I am starting in september - I’ll be doing Professional and Creative Writing :). Also I’m English, so it’s not a major (idk what that actually is, a;lskgj;asg, i know america has the major/minor system but I have No Idea how it works), it’s an undergraduate degree.

2. Favourite pizza toppings?

Pepperoni.

3. Do you have pets? (with photos!)

YES!!! I have four (+ 1, technically, since he’s my Dad’s) and they’re all cats and I LOVE THEM TO PIECES. Malia, Luna, Ratty (Ratticus) and Brainy are my four, Rocky is my Dad’s. And an honorary mention to Rosie, my dad’s other cat, who passed away recently(ish), may she rest in peace. I don’t have pictures of everyone (and i need to rectify that as soon as possible, but I can show you a few old pics

Luna:

Rocky:

Rosie:

4. What’s your book recommendation?:

Oh god, too many. Do you want a list? I read a lot of books, and I really can’t narrow it down. I’m reading Gifted atm, by Donald Hounam, and though I haven’t managed to get through much of it (I really should work on that), it’s been a pretty engaging book so far! As for something I’ve already read, I’d say maybe The Graveyard Book; its a classic, or The Books Of Beginning, which is a good series that I haven’t heard enough people talk about.

5. What’s your ultimate OTP?

I don’t really have one for all time from every fandom i’ve ever been in, but I do have ones for each individual fandom. Stalia, Ronarry, etc etc.

6. What’s the first favourite colour you had as a child that you can remember?

Pink! It’s still my favourite. :)

7. What’s you favourite word (in any language you know)? Do you have a reason?

floccinaucinihilipilification. It’s so long and so dumb for something so simple. It’s great. Where the hell would you use this??

8. What’s a skill you’ve always wanted to learn but never managed/got to it?

Proper good video editing, or the ability to actually draw humans that don’t haunt my nightmares. I’m working on it, both of those things, but I’ve been working on it for the past nigh on two decades at this point (minus those first few years of being a small child ig) for the art, and that’s not really gotten anywhere, and as for video editing??? uhhhhhhhhhhhhhh yeahhh

9. What temperature you find the most comfortable?

room temperature.

10. What fake scent you absolutely despise?

Lavender. But, also, that really chemical scent of basic shampoo. And deodorant. And every perfume that has ever been sprayed in my general vicinity, though those last two are probably more to do with the fact I get sent into a coughing fit whenever that happens.

QUESTIONS:

I’m bad at this part

1) Favourite video game?

2) A cottage in the woods or a penthouse in a big city?

3) Favourite drink?

4) A current hobby? Something you’ve recently found yourself particularly enjoying doing?

5) If you could live anywhere, where would you go? (Other than your home country.)

6) Something to spice up this list; if you had to choose between never feeling any kind of attachment to another person again (familial, platonic, romantic, etc whatever rocks your boat), or never feeling happiness again, which would you choose?

7) Pineapple on pizza or nah?

8) Marmite: yay or nay?

9) Current favourite TV show? (Anything; Live Action, Cartoon (including Anime, bc why would that be excluded? International media and home country’s culture’s media for the win), literally something that is four episodes long (i.e., miniseries), including web shows like Camp Camp (i.e. the roosterteeth stuff and things of that nature))

10) In chess; play black, or play white? (If you don’t play chess; would you rather be the first person in a match to make the move, or the second?)

Also I’m a coward so if you see this feel free to just do my questions :)

#thanks dude!#tag meme #tag game #sorry for the long post i only have GINORMOUS images

0 notes