Howl's Moving Castle

I think Howl and Sophie are just real magic. The movie is my all-time favorite and I've been putting off reading the book because I was worried it would change my feelings for the movie. It really hasn't. The book is vastly different, but it has enough elements that stayed the same to make it familiar. I loved this book. There is no redemption for the witch of the waste, but it didn't need it. I loved Calcifer, and book Michael, being 15 instead of 9 or 10, was perfect. I liked that Sophie had her own magic. Lettie and Martha were great. The relationship between Howl and Sophie was nuanced and it was almost surprising that he had fallen for Sophie at the end of the book even though I knew it was coming. I was a little sad that Turniphead was less of a character as the scarecrow golem. My favorite part of the book was how Howl really was from Wales and loved rugby so much that his heart made Calcifer sing Sosban fach (the saucepan song). This story is timeless and I'm sure I will read this book again throughout my life.