City of Bones - Revisited

There are many reasons for re-reading a book - it's your favourite; school; you don't remember it etc.  In my case it was book club.  I was hosting a book club at work called Not Just For Teens, a great idea that highlights teen books that adults read.  City of Bones was the first book that came to my mind (yes I did think Hunger Games, but there were reasons not to pick it).  I thought at first that I could manage without re-reading, but I realised that it was a few years since I last cracked it open. - it was originally published in 2007.  So I got down my signed copy (big grin on my face here - I met Cassie Clare!) and I settled down to read.  Less than 24 hrs later I was done.

It was so wonderful revisiting Clary's world.  I had forgotten so many small details, which is ridiculous really since I have read, listened to and reread before.  The two things that stand out this time are these - how fragile the 5 kids are and the humour.  Clary is discovering a world that she knew nothing about but is in fact her heritage; Simon is struggling with his feelings for Clary; Jace is still dealing with the loss of his father;  Alec is struggling with love for Jace and Isabel is overcompensating for everything. I had forgotten how young they all are, and what complex, involved characters Ms Clare has produced. 

The thing that really surprised me though was the humour. City of Bones is really such a serious and involved book that it's easy to forget that thread of wit that tumbles it's way through the whole story.

'Madame Dorothea shot him a dark look.  "If you were half as funny as you thought you were, my boy, you'd be twice as funny as you are."' (p102)

'Sarcasm is the last refuge of the imaginatively bankrup," she told him. "I can't help it.  I use my rapier with to hide my inner pain."  "Your pain will be outer soon if you don't get out of traffic.  Are you trying to get run over by a cab?"  "Don't be ridiculous," he said.  "We could never get a cab that easily in this neighborhood."' (p171)

'She thought she saw a muscle twitch in his cheek. "Hello' is girly," he informed her.  "Real men are terse. Laconic."  "So the more manly you are, the less you say?"  "Right." Simon nodded.  .........."That's why when major dadasses greet each other in movies they don't say anything, they just nod. The nod means, 'I am a badass, and I recognize  that you, too, are a badass,' but they don't say anything because they're Wolverine and Magneto and it would mess up their vibe to explain."' (p339)

How I just love the way Ms Clare writes.  You get completely drawn in to her version of the world and it's hard to remember that it's not real. 

The other exciting thing about City of Bones is that it does look as if the movie is going to be made.  I saw an actual release date somewhere, but I can't find it again and I don't have the time to do a full search. After having just finished the book again I'm excited to see what the movie industry does with one of my favourite books.  I'll try to keep an open mind.

Finally, if you  haven't read the book yet, give it a try.  It really is worth it, and I'm sorry if I just gave out any spoilers.