[ 
Mood: Happy ]
[ Currently: Breastfeeding my son ]
Abdullah is a humble carpet merchant who dreams of having more. His daydreams were a disappointment to his late father. They continue to be a disappointment to his family, who believe he could be more.
Then one day, a stranger appears in his shop to sell him a flying carpet. Abdullah is skeptical, but once the carpet’s magic has been provenm he takes to sleeping on the carpet to protect it. He wakes up in the Sultan’s night garden, where he falls in love with Flower-in-the-Night, who also happpens to be the Sultan’s daughter. When Flower-in-the-Night is kidnapped by a djinn, Abdullah finds himself thrust into a series of harrowing adventures as he tries to win her back.
Often billed as a sequel to Howl’s Moving Castle, this is far more of a companion book to the classic. Howl and Sophie play nothing more than supporting roles. In fact, you really don’t recognize them until the third act. Other charaters from Howl’s Moving Castle also appear, but again as spear carriers rather than main characters.
Still author Diana Wynne-Jones has created a good, quick read that relies heavily on the Arabian Nights as its muse. This is worth picking up.