#re3 - Mister Monday

Have you ever reread a book or audiobook that you really enjoyed in the past and yet, this time round, something feels off and you don't think it's the book but might be you? 

Well, I had that near the end of my reread of Mister Monday, the first book in the Keys to the Kingdom series by Garth Nix. And, like I said a few weeks ago, I think the events of the real world and possible blogging burnout might be the reason. 

Ok, I feel I should explain this book and why I decided to reread this, even though I reread this back in ... let me check my notes ... 2016 (write-up for that is here). So, I have read the series since Mister Monday was first published in the UK in 2003. This was published by HarperCollins and, while selling well and having a solid fanbase internationally, it never hit the heights of Garth Nix's other beloved series, The Old Kingdom (which, you guys know, I adore). So, it's been a little quiet in the past few years, until Hot Key Books bought the rights to republish the series. You see, in the past few years, Hot Key Books and its sister imprint, Piccadilly Press, have been publishing and rebranding Garth Nix's children and teen titles (Gollancz are publishing his adult titles, Angel Mage and Left-Handed Booksellers of London, and will be republishing Garth's space opera, A Confusion of Princes later this spring/summer). 

So, new covers, new branding for Garth Nix and, with it, a new audience. 

So, of course, I was excited and I wanted to reread this to refresh my memory and see what new tricks Hot Key is going to throw at it. 

And yet...

I really enjoyed returning to this world and its characters at the start of this. So excited and happy. And yet, the more I reread, the more meh I felt over it. And that;'s not the book's fault. I want to stress this. Normally, I would reread a book and usually, I love it or find new elements that make me go "Ooooh! I see what you did there", but this time, those "oooh" moments weren't really there and I can't explain why fully. 

I'm putting it down due to the climate the world is in at the moment. For the UK, we have been in a COVID-19 bubble/lockdown for a year now and, though there is the beginning of light at the end of the tunnel, I think the fatigue and the burnout is beginning to effect us now. Also, while I do love reread books and discovering new fun reads, I think I'm ready to rediscover some stories with a tad of meat on their books. 

So maybe my plan to read Middle Grade this March isn't going to happen. But as for my reread, sometimes, it's the right book for the wrong time. When I started, it was a the right story, but for the last few days, it wasn't and am glad I have refreshed my memory of this title and decided that, maybe later this year, I'll reread a later book in the (I was thinking one of the latter four: Sir Thursday, Lady Friday, Superior Saturday or Lord Sunday. Am leaning towards Sir Thursday or Lady Friday as, barring Mister Monday, these are the strongest of the series [Sir Thursday has an edge over Lady Friday]). 

#re3 - Mister Monday

This is going to be my last bookish post before my two week break and my themed month. And, of course, it's a reread.

Although, not really. I was reading something else. But, I got a good 150 pages in and I wasn't feeling it. Sometimes, you just don't click with a book at that moment. And I didn't click reading that book - though I do have plans to return to reading it in the future once everything has calmed a little down.

I had an itch to read Garth Nix. I was thinking of rereading books from his Old Kingdom series, to get myself ready for Goldenhand, out later this year. But after reading the prologue of Lirael, I changed my mind. Not sure why, but I picked up Mister Monday instead. I always had an itch to reread this series (though I have never read Drowned Wednesday).

On the first day, Arthur was meant to die of an asthma attack. Instead, Mister Monday and Sneezer appeared and changed all that. Now, Arthur can see a House that no one can see. Now, there are dog-faced men trying to catch him, trying to steal something Mister Monday gave to Arthur to protect himself from the Will, whatever that is.

Seven days. Seven keys. Seven sins. Seven virtues. One House. But is Arthur up to saving the House, but the his world as well...?

It's been a while since I had read this series, so I was going to back with a vague memory of this book. Not a complete memory, but I wasn't working in blind. But there were things in this that I read a went "Oh yeah! I forgot about you!"

This series is older middle-grade so it's very different from the Old Kingdom which is very much older YA. So little scenes that would be more graphic was much simpler (not a bad thing, mind). Plus, while I would class this as fantasy, it's a mix of genres - steampunk, for example, is dotted here and there.

And I forgot how nuts this series is. It really is mad on fantasy and magic. And this is book one. We get use to this as the series goes on, but in this first book, it's a little shocking and, for poor Arthur (and for us), overwhelming.

But I missed this world. I forgot how much I enjoy this! And I feel the itch to continue rereading this series. So, after my themed month is done and dusted, looks like am going to reread two series for the rest of the year. Brace yourselves, dear reader. It's going to be one weird ride!