MEET RANSOM RIGGS

Miss Peregrine's home for peculiar childrenRansom Riggs.  I wonder what will happen if my computer is ever confiscated and “they” (the forensic scientists) find that I have been searching ‘Ransom’ for three days straight, how would that look? I imagine trying to explain that I was looking up a person, trying to figure out who would name their son Ransom?  I would also have to explain my stalker-esque zeal at trying to discover more and more about this obviously magical creature but no matter how you slice it I would just look guilty as charged.  I had a sample of Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children on my Kindle queue for ages, I had neglected to read it as a few reviewer’s had noted that it wasn’t good for the Kindle as it had photos and letters and other ephemera that would be more appreciated in a paper book form.  The other night after tossing and turning for what seemed like hours, I picked up my Kindle and without much motivation to look for another sample I read the one I had.  I wish I hadn’t.  I already couldn’t sleep and now all I wanted to do was read the rest of the book.  I decided to look up Ransom and thus fell into a world so incredibly creative and original that I am wondering what I have been doing with myself for the past few decades (obviously not being as awesome as Ransom). Ransom has traveled the world, finding obscure abandoned (and decidedly unglamorous) locations and then putting his unique voice to describe them; filming + narrating them making you wish you could be by his side on the adventure. What I didn’t know before my interweb stalking had begun was that Ransom is a prolific writer having penned multiple books on a variety of interesting subjects such as Sherlock Holmes or his collection of found photos (quite a story there) called ‘Talking Pictures’.  At this rate I am sure that we will have many more intriguing projects of his to follow in the near future; I for one am wholeheartedly looking forward to them.  You can see a trailer for Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children here (created by Ransom of course) and if you want to fall down the rabbit hole with me, here’s a trailer for his ‘Talking Pictures’ and a short called ‘The Accidental Sea’. In Ransom’s copious spare time when he’s not penning best selling tomes or getting said tomes turned into movies which are then directed by Tim Burton he writes a blog about his adventures and a column for the always erudite Mental Floss called Strange Geographies. For the record I was never able to sleuth why his name is Ransom.

Have you read any of his books? I just started reading the one so I can’t give a proper review but so far I am pleasantly ‘sucked in’. I can absolutely see this being turned into a movie. I know a lot of you are Sherlock Holmes fans (like myself) so perhaps you know of him from his Sherlock Holmes book? Do you know why his name is Ransom?

P.S. Yes, I am fully aware of how creepy this image is, thank you.

Author / Miss Tristan B

Miss Tristan B. is the proprietress of Besotted Brand and the writer of this delightful blog. She likes to stay up (very) late and read, she’s a bit wild like that.

21 thoughts on “MEET RANSOM RIGGS

  1. Yay! Another author to add to my list. Thanks for sharing. One of my life’s goals it to be a constant reader, because it’s I love it and being absorbed in new plot is such a great break from studying, and school work.

    1. Amy, yes, totally creepy, lol. The good thing is that the way he describes them make them a lot more likeable and less creepy;)

  2. i literally finished this book two days ago! i am horrible at letting a finished book marinate in my mind for longer than a few minutes as i ALWAYS have another waiting in the stack. miss peregrine’s was pretty magical, my favorite adjective for literature :) my only gripe is that the ending was a cliff hanger…i am hoping that there is a second book waiting in the wings. i’m not a fan of open-for-interpretaion endings for some reason. i like black and white :) ramblings aside, totally worth the time! p.s. thanks so much for stopping by my space a few weeks ago…i’m still tinkering with everything and pushing away thoughts of perfectionism :)

    1. Jillian I read that the second book should be out at the end of the year! That’s so smart to have a book waiting in the wings, much better system then my scavenger hunt of book search. Btw, you won last weeks Bestowal! Congrats:)

  3. I am secretary at our local high school. Went to the library and lo & behold, there it was! So I will get back to you! I like things a little extraordinary…..

  4. Oh, this sounds like a good read! I always love book recommendations. There was a boy named Ransom in my daughter’s class last year and I was always intrigued by the name as well. Perhaps the parents are a fan of this author!

    1. Oh, that’s really interesting, I would love to know more about this name. I am considering emailing him and asking. I would think on his bio he would have an explanation. The good thing about Ransom is that when the kids tease you ‘Handsome’ is the only good rhyme:)

    2. Haha! So true – he did go by Handsome Ransom and was quite the cutie. Because I have an unusual name, kids tried to tease me but had trouble coming up with a good rhyme. The best they could come up with was “Sanae the private eye” which in retrospect is kinda cool.

  5. I got this book sent to me to review for a book website I contribute to (http://judgingcovers.co.uk/reviews/miss-peregrines-home-for-peculiar-children/) and I read it one day on the patio outside my home in France – I totally got sucked in, and as a photographer and a writer the concept of using both mediums together totally fascinated me. The book drew me in as a story, but the whole thing is such a work of art! I can’t wait for the next one to come out.

  6. I’ve read this book and I couldn’t put it down! The pictures were so hauntingly beautiful and worked perfectly with the story, like wine and cheese! Now I also like to know more about Ransom Riggs. I can’t wait for the next book! Have you read The Invention of Hugo Cabret and Wonderstruck?

    1. I haven’t read the book you mentioned but I SO want to! I agree I LOVED this story and can’t wait for the next book, very creative:)

  7. You have me completely curious after this review. I’m going to pick it up this weekend! Having recently been sucked into the BBC series on Sherlock, can’t wait to see what Ransom has been up to there too. (Newcomer to your blog – so glad I have found it.)

    1. I love this author so clever, if you can get the real book, I read this on the Kindle and there are many images that I missed because of it! I was so hooked on Sherlock, wonderfully done!

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