A to Z Challenge 2015: M - A Monster Calls/Princess Mononoke

Hump day again!

Today I have something special for you.

I couldn't pick just one story for the letter M, so I picked two! My two favorites.

First is another Patrick Ness novel, which in case the story itself wasn't already poignant enough, is a tale he wrote finishing an idea a friend and fellow writer of his, Siobhan Dowd, had before she died.

Is that something in my eye?

Today's first 2015 April A to Z Blogging Challenge story for the letter M:

A Monster Calls

Here is the summary, from Goodreads:

The monster showed up after midnight. As they do.

But it isn't the monster Conor's been expecting. He's been expecting the one from his nightmare, the one he's had nearly every night since his mother started her treatments, the one with the darkness and the wind and the screaming...

This monster is something different, though. Something ancient, something wild. And it wants the most dangerous thing of all from Conor.

It wants the truth.

Author: Patrick Ness (from an original idea by Siobhan Dowd)

. . .

But like I said, today I have something special for you.

Two stories!

A book by one of my favorite authors, and a film by my favorite writer and director of animated features, the legend, Hayao Miyazaki.

Not only is Princess Mononoke a great film, it is, in my humble opinion, Miyazaki-san's greatest achievement. I did a list of my favorite Miyazaki films a while back on this blog, you can find it on my series page.

Anyway, how is your challenge going? I actually got behind on posting, and I've slowed down a little with my visiting, but I'm otherwise still going steady.

Today's second 2015 April A to Z Blogging Challenge story for the letter M:

Princess Mononoke

Here is the summary, from IMDB:

On a journey to find the cure for a Tatarigami's curse, Ashitaka finds himself in the middle of a war between the forest gods and Tatara, a mining colony. In this quest he also meets San, the Mononoke Hime.

Director: Hayao Miyazaki
Writer: Hayao Miyazaki
Stars: Billy Crudup, Billy Bob Thornton, Claire Danes

Isn't it interesting how the summaries for movies are always so much shorter than the summaries for books? That's it! Please come back tomorrow.

A to Z Challenge: M - Marlinspike

Marlinspike

This fun word appears in the first paragraph of one of my favorite recent reads, The Dust of 100 Dogs, by A.S. King.

mar·line·spike also mar·lin·spike [mahr-lin-spahyk] n. A pointed metal spike, used to separate strands of rope or wire in splicing

Synonyms: marlinespike, marlingspike

Etymology: (from Marlin) large marine game-fish, 1917, shortening of marlinspike "pointed iron tool used by sailors to separate strands of rope" (1620s), from M.Du. marlijn "small cord," from marlen "to fasten or secure (a sail)," probably frequentative of M.Du. maren "to tie, moor." The fish was so called from the shape of its elongated upper jaw.