Hey! So, I'm back with another book that I just finished reading. And I couldn't be happier, as it marks the end of my year-long book buying ban. I bought it about a month ago, along with another book by one of my favorite authors, which I'm also excited to read and share here on the blog.
Anyway, a little backstory: I made it my mission to read and/or collect books about my favorite movies or series, if they have any. And you may or may not know that most of the Studio Ghibli movies are based on novels. I did some research on what those movies are based on, and I have been slowly collecting them. It started with the Howl's Moving Castle trilogy by Diana Wynne Jones and then later with When Marnie Was There by Joan G. Robinson.
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| From Book Adventure |
Adding to my growing collection of Studio Ghibli books (and physical books) is none other than my favorite witch, Kiki of Kiki's Delivery Service. Honestly, it was very impulsive of me to purchase this book. It's been on my long list of books I badly want to buy, but buying books is not really my priority at the moment, but I guess when an opportunity presents itself to you, you will just grab it.
So, a little backstory again on how I ended up buying this book: I went to Fully Booked Ayala Central Block in I.T. Park just to check if Uncle Rick's new book, The Sun and The Stars, has finally arrived in the local bookstores. While waiting for confirmation from the staff, I roamed around the store for a few minutes when this book just magically appeared right in front of me. It was the only copy available, so I grabbed it as an option if Uncle Rick's book was not available. Fortunately, they have the book the book I was looking for. The problem is that they only have one copy available for their Cebu branch at that time, which if I decide to purchase, they will have to transfer from Ayala Terraces to I.T. Park. So, my mind went blank, and without hesitation, I decided to buy both because what are the odds that I will get these books again soon. And yes, I'm fully aware I'm way over the budget, and I was ready to starve until my next payday. But again, universe, thank you. I didn't know that when I went there, it was their Midyear sale. So, I ended up paying less for both books, and I still have extra.
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| Illustrated by Akiko Hayashi |
So much for a backstory; now let's talk about the book. Kiki's Delivery Service, also known as Witch's Express Home Delivery in Japan, is a children's fantasy novel written by Eiko Kadono and illustrated by Akiko Hayashi. This was originally published in 1985 and later translated into English in 2003. It was also the inspiration for our favorite Studio Ghibli film of the same name, which was released in 2014.
The plot revolves around our 13-year-old witch, Kiki, who has reached the age where she needs to find a new town to call home for a year. She is basically a witch in training. Of course, being the true witch that she is, she is accompanied on this journey by her black cat buddy, Jiji.
On these 193 pages, you will get to see how she meets strangers that turn into family, friends, or more than friends, but most importantly, a new town she calls home. This coming-of-age story reminds me of how it feels to be a teenager again.
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| Studio Ghibli's Kiki's Delivery Service |
I had a great time reading this book. It was refreshing to read something without a complex plot. There were parts of the book that were not in the movie, and vice versa. The book and the movie have done their own magic.
Also, I did some digging to see if there were any sequels for this, as I feel like it's too short. I'm especially curious about what happened next to Kiki and Tombo (they are my favorite Studio Ghibli pair) because their story was left hanging in both the book and the movie. It turned out it did have eight sequels, but I couldn't find any English translations yet.
Overall, I recommend that you read this book and, of course, watch the movie. I'm sure you will love it.
That concludes today's entry in this blog series called "Books I Read." I'm starting a new book or books, and I can't wait to share about them with you.
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