There was really nothing like sitting by a Christmas tree READING about Christmas. Once the Fall season rolled around, I wanted to try to read something seasonable and when I got a notification that 'The Rules of Magic' by Alice Hoffman was available for $.99 on Kindle, I immediately bought it and started reading.
I love the movie "Practical Magic" but never read the book. The fact that "The Rules of Magic" is the prequel to "Practical Magic" was more than enough reason to start the series. Plus, it was the perfect time to get witchy and into the Halloween spirit.
This isn't technically a book review because how does one review the great Alice Hoffman? It's just a stream of consciousness about Practical Magic, both the book(s) and movie.
The Rules of Magic
This is one of Hoffman's newer books and was written after Practical Magic (both book and movie). It follows Jet, Franny, and their brother Vincent. We see them discover who they are, go through life and deal with hardships and make it to adulthood.I only knew of the Owens sisters from the movie Practical Magic so it was interesting to learn more about them from this book. It was a very long, strange book; it almost didn't have a point but I think that was the beauty of it!
The thing that surprised me about both books was that there wasn't a whole lot of magic. The characters are obviously witches and they understand that but it wasn't witchy in a sense of traditional witches, it wasn't about Halloween -- it didn't even all take place in the fall but it felt very cozy. I think that's a testament to Hoffman's writing. I was inside the mind of the characters and needed to know where their stories were going. It was just so good and a book I think I would love to re-read every fall.
Practical Magic
After finishing up The Rules of Magic, I dove headfirst into starting Practical Magic. I will say, I think I liked Rules of Magic better only because I didn't have a preconceived notion of what the story was going to be. The book is totally different than the movie -- it was sort of the same but really, really different. For instance, Sally's daughters are teenagers the entire time, Jimmy doesn't come back from the dead, and Sally lives in Long Island for most of the book! It was wild but also really fun that it was totally different. I think I liked the book more than the movie! The writing was just as flowery, beautiful, creative and warming -- it was just so good!Neither one of these books is Halloween themed but I think they are the best books to read during the fall season. They are cozy, fun, creative, and comforting; I simply cannot describe it...for lack of a better word, they are magic, pure magic!
The movie is no different, really. It's a classic for a reason! It's definitely a little scarier than the books and for a while, I couldn't watch it because of the aspect of Jimmy possessing people around him. In the middle of reading "The Rules of Magic," I simply couldn't wait any longer to turn the movie on; I rented it on Amazon Prime and spent a Sunday afternoon watching it. Ugh, it's just so good and Sandra Bullock, Nicole Kidman, and Stockard Channing are brilliant. I would dare say it's one of my favorite movies and one that I need to watch more.
If you have not read or watched any of the Practical Magic books/movies, please do so! If anything, watch Practical Magic tonight and start reading ASAP! While these are definitely my fall comfort novels, they don't NEED to be read during this time of year. Just read them -- you won't regret it!
xoxo
B
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