Dear blog,
Now for something completely different.
To explain: The other day I was reading a list put together by the food company Innocent about how to make a bowl of popcorn last the whole length of a film.I was thinking about this, and how similar it is to those times you sit down with a novel and a packet of minstrels*, but then have devoured them all by the time you’re at page 50.
I am going to remedy this for you, readers. Here's a guideline; depending on what you're reading, certain events should indicate how many Minstrels you should eat and when.
Note: some packets of Minstrels are quite small. Some novels are like 400 pages. This is why I'm referring to the packets of Minstrels that you can get at the cinema, which are a little bigger.
Another note: Eating a packet of cinema-sized minstrels in one go is discouraged. It will probably make you feel sick and therefore ruin the whole experience. It takes me a few days to read most books, so this is a sufficient time to eat a packet of minstrels.
Anyway.
If I Stay- eat two every time the word “cello”, “guitar” or “band” comes up.
The Princess and the Captain- Eat two every time you wish Orpheus was real.
Forbidden- Save all the minstrels for the end, and then devour them all to comfort yourself.
This is All- Eat three every time you feel enlightened, learn something new or have gained new insight into something.
Looking for Alaska- three every time Alaska is drunk or two every time there’s a gorgeous profound quietly beautiful quote.
Becoming Bindy Mackenzie- have two every time you’re all, “Pure genius. Jaclyn Moriarty is one.”
The Broken Bridge- Eat three every time you’re like, “Why does Phillip Pullman need to write those sweeping epic trilogies when, fantastic as they are, he can write such an engaging, refreshing but simplistic YA book about a sixteen-year-old girl?”
Tokyo- Eat one every time the writing style, which tries so hard, too hard, to sound like the POV of an eighteen-year-old boy, makes you cringe.
Anything by Haruki Murakami- two minstrels every time you fangirl squee.
The Hunger Games or Catching Fire- Four every time someone dies or is brutally beaten.
Notre-Dame de Paris (okay it's not really a YA book, but I feel like it deserves a mention as one of my favourite books of all time)- Read the book first, saving all the minstrels until the end. When you’re done, melt them, pour them between the pages and then eat the book.
Anthem (again, not a YA book, but.) - Two every time there’s some mention of “self”, “identity”, or “ego”.
Twilight- two every time Edward says something along the lines of “But Bella, it’s not safe for us to be together!” or half a minstrel every time Bella describes his porcelain skin, smouldering eyes and the like.
Crank or Glass- Two every time Kristina/Bree smokes or abuses some sort of illegal substance.
Eunoia (again, not YA, but every poetry lover should read it)- three every time you’re like “Dayum, Christian Bök has a way with words.”
any of the Ichigo Mashimaro volumes- one every time you laugh, snort, or fall out of your chair in a fit of giggles.
*or Maltesers, crisps, smarties, a bar of chocolate or some of those Tesco mini brownies.
