the invention of hugo cabret by brian selznick!

The Invention of Hugo Cabret 

by Brian Selznick

published by Scholastic Press, 2007

The Invention of Hugo Cabret is a touching story filled to the brim with history, passion, magic, and most importantly - dreams.

There's also a lot of clockwork and thievery too. The story comes to life through the words and pictures, but let me tell you - there is so much more to it than that.

Nowadays, everywhere we look we see books turning into movies, but The Invention of Hugo Cabret is a film in the form of a book. You get the whole experience. Kind of.

I don't mean this in the sense that it was a film to begin with then someone turned it into a book (because that isn't the case), I'm saying that the story is sort of presented as a film but in the format of a book. It's really hard to explain but if you've read this book you probably know what I'm talking about.
e.g. the curtain opens and closes, and in between part 1 and part 2 it feels like an intermission.

Here's a video of me briefly flicking through the pages of Hugo. 

Normally I think of film as the ultimate medium of storytelling and communication, but after reading this book, it is obvious that words are just as powerful and capable - or even more so - than film.

I loved this book a lot - Selznick's simplistic writing style, the goregous, stunning images - I will never sell or give this book away because I'll be wanting to read this to my future children at bedtime one day.

the tippy top of my reading pile/TBR list

This is just a quick little update-y type of post telling you the books that are at the very top of my to-be-read pile that I want/need to read (or finish reading) ASAP! 

There really should be more on here such as The Perks of Being a Wallflower and The Fault in Our Stars, but anyway, here is the list (for now):

(pretty much in order of urgency)

Rhubarb by Craig Silvey

Mini Shopaholic by Sophie Kinsella

The Maze Runner by James Dashner

Cassandra by Kerry Greenwood

Mockingjay by Suzanne Collins

Trying War by S.D. Gentill

Pan's Whisper by Sue Lawson

The Invention of Hugo Cabret by Brian Selznick

Never Let Me Go by Kazuo Ishiguro

new on my bookshelf: selznick + gentill

THE INVENTION OF HUGO CABRET by Brian Selznick

(published 2007; read synopsis)

I first heard of this book after watching the film Hugo, which I quickly became a huge fan of. I didn't realise it was a book to film adaptation until I saw the special features on the DVD. I loved the movie so much that I quickly ordered it online. The book looks huge, but it is jam-packed with beautiful illustrations and pictures galore, as well as words of course.

Below are photos of the hardcover's jacket and the book without the jacket. And I also took a short little video of me flipping through the book quickly, so you can get an idea of what it's really like (awesome is what it's really like!).