The final Miss Peregrine book is coming in four weeks and I, for one, am excited. Not just to read the conclusion but to see what Ransom Riggs will give us next. I'm sure he is not finished sharing stories with us from this amazing world that he's created. I've been watching his hour long Instagram Live Q&A's that he's been doing over on his Instagram every Friday at 5pm EST. If you haven't watched them, I think they might still be viewable. They are great as he gives an insight, not just to how he came up with his ideas for this series, but also how he comes up with ideas period. This is invaluable information for me, a writer.
I first came across Ransom Riggs through Quirk Books. I can't quite remember what book it was that I picked up one day in a bookstore, possibly Horrorstor? A book that looks like an Ikea catalog, that takes place in a similar Ikea-like store, and all the horrors you could possibly imagine that happens there. In any event, with a name like Ransom, how could I not be intrigued by his work? It was his Sherlock book that first introduced me to his writing. I love anything having to do with Sherlock Holmes and so I purchased the book right away. It was at that time the first Miss Peregrine book was released, back in 2011.
I remember I read through the first book in a matter of days. That is how I know a series/author will be around for a while and a fast favorite of mine. It was a no-brainer that I would be buying and reading whatever he wrote next. I was equally glad to see there would be more in the series. I believe it was intended to be a trilogy, but here we are on book six and I secretly hope there will be another 3 books to follow or perhaps a collection of short stories?
My intent, as I have not read all 5 currently released books, is to reread the books I have read already (namely 1 & 2 with part of 3) and then keep going through all 6. I'll likely check-in with a "read-through" of what I've read along the way? I honestly don't know the exact set-up of how this will go or what it will look like. It won't be a conventional "review" of the book(s). I want it to serve as a research project for myself as it pertains to great storytelling, arcs, plot, dialogue, etc. I'm going to read these books through the lens of a writer first and a reader (for enjoyment) second. In doing so, I hope it will ignite a spark in me I'd love to revisit in the future. But I digress.
If you'd like to join me in my quest to read through the entire series of Miss Peregrine's Peculiar Children, might I suggest you find your copy and crack it open to the prologue. Next time you hear from me, I will have read the first two chapters (at least).
Till then...