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a.s.
Valinor
Apr 25 2007, 12:28pm
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What have you been reading this week?
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I know there are others here who are dedicated library-goers just like me, who rejoice in modern technology mainly because of the ability to place books on reserve from the comfort of your own home any time of day or night! This is how I mainly check out new books.
But habits of a lifetime are hard to break, and so each week I find myself back at the "new books" shelf of one of my local libraries hoping to pick up a new author. Often, I'm disappointed, but sometimes I find a very readable book and occassionally a real gem.
Last week I picked up Ann Benson's The Physician's Tale, which is the third or fourth in a series of fantasy/science fiction combining the world of medieval England and France with a post-apocolyptic version of America and the world. The apocolypse arrived in the form of germ warfare and civilization has been reduced to small pockets of humanity. I didn't read any of the previous novels, but now am going back to check them out. She does get a little wordy at times, and I am not certain I really believe the connection between the medieval physician and the modern one. Still, I read the thing straight through and late into the night, so that's a good thing! Definately a B+ and worth a read.
I also picked up a mystery by Laura Lippman I haven't read before, while I wait for the new one I reserved to come in: Every Secret Thing. This is not one of her recurring series, but a stand-alone psychological thriller, and I'm only about half way done so avoiding reviews in case of spoilers. Pretty good so far, but I still vastly prefer Ruth Rendell and Minette Walters doing this kind of psychological thriller thing!
Picked up CS Lewis' Studies in Words because of a reference I read in another book. Wow. Dense (the wording AND me, it appears!). I don't know if I'll make it past the introduction. Anyone else read this?
I also finally received my misplaced Amazon order due to the kindness of a neighbor, and have read the first 4 chapters in a new book about the Inklings: The Company They Keep: CS Lewis and JRR Tolkien as Writers in Community, by Diana Glyer. The book flap says: Diana Glyer invites readers into the heart of the group, examining diary entries and personal letters and carefully comparing the rough drafts of their manuscripts with their final, published work. Her analysis not only demonstrates the high level of mutual influence that characterized this writers group but also provides a lively and compelling picture of how writers and other creative artists challenge, correct, and encourage one another as they work together in community.
Since I don't know much about the "theory" of writing communities or the writing process for that matter, some of the convincing going on is going over my head. However, to say this book has a depth of references is to underestimate the amount of sheer information she includes from diaries, letters, interviews, biographies, and essays. Even if it only takes one sentence to state her basic premise (the Inklings were a writing community and weekly read and critiqued each others works and deeply influenced each other in this way), I am hooked on this book for the great look at the Inklings as they unfold as a group. There is much more here on the "other" Inklings (especially but not exclusively Barfield and Williams) than I have previously known. I think anyone here interested in an alternate view to Carpenter's "they were not influenced by each other" thesis as well as lavish amounts of primary references would enjoy this book. Highly recommended and I haven't even finished it!
Children of Hurin is waiting for me....I'll get to it....even if I never liked any of the other versions so far. Eventually. When we read it in the RR I'll be forced to get to it (don't I sound enthusiastic!). I have to admit to what a pretty little book it is, I keep picking it up to leaf through it. Gorgeous size and pictures, and I love the way the map is set into it.
That's it for me! What about you all? What have you been reading this week?
a.s.
"an seileachan"
Some say they're going to a place called Glory, and I ain't saying it ain't a fact.
But I've heard that I'm on the road to Purgatory, and I don't like the sound of that!
I believe in love, and live my life accordingly,
And I choose: let the mystery be.
~~~~Iris DeMent
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Aunt Dora Baggins
Immortal
Apr 25 2007, 12:34pm
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My daughter re-read HP 6 in preparation for 7, and I decided to do the same. She read it in one day, as she does, but it took me about three days. There must be some kind of curse on the last 100 pages: the first time I read it, I knew I had to go to work in half an hour, and I wanted to finish before I left, so I skimmed through, reading just the first sentence of each paragraph, and didn't have time for the emotional impact. This time I was determined to read it more slowly. I came home from work with an hour to spare before dinner and saw the Children of Hurin had arrived in the mail. I wanted to finish HP first, so I read the last hundred pages as my husband was asking “What's for dinner?” and I was saying “I don't know, I'm reading.” He said a new trailer for the next HP movie was going to be on the news, so I sat with him to wait for that while I tried to read and ignore the news stories. The trailer didn't come on and didn't come on; we finally gave up after an hour. I was weeping over the story while he was muttering at the TV. Oh, well. Anyway, it is an emotional ending and better written than a lot of her writing. The song of the Phoenix is the part that really gets to me. And it is a nice setup for the next book, with lots of hints to drive the reader wild wondering what will happen next.
OK, so Children of Hurin. I'm only to the second chapter, so I can't comment very well yet. Other people here have said that the first chapter is still pretty Biblical in style, and that it gets more expansive later. I'm looking forward to that. So far, it seems that if the goal was to make this book more accessible to the casual reader than the Sil is, that goal hasn't been met. Name after name is thrown out, and lists of genealogy. I'm somewhat familiar with the story, so I can follow it, but it doesn't seem “accessible” to me. I'm reminded of the time I read LotR out loud to my kids and they begged me to skip the Council of Elrond, and we finally jumped past it with no real detriment to their enjoyment of the rest of the story. I can't really say yet, but I'm wondering whether the introduction and the first chapter would have worked better with less explanation. If this were a work by an unknown author, I can't imagine that first chapter getting past an editor. On the other hand, I love Lee's drawings, much more than his paintings. The drawing of the child Turin is intriguing and haunting. Well, forward I go.
I'm also still theoretically reading Le Morte d'Arthur and winding my way through my 26th reading of LotR. Arthur has migrated to the bookshelf in my bathroom; it's actually a good bathroom book because the chapters are short and stand alone pretty well. I'm at the gates of Moria in LotR, but I've been sidetracked and it may be a while before I set off again.
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"For DORA BAGGINS in memory of a LONG correspondence, with love from Bilbo; on a large wastebasket. Dora was Drogo's sister, and the eldest surviving female relative of Bilbo and Frodo; she was ninety-nine, and had written reams of good advice for more than half a century."
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Chance Meeting at Rivendell: a Tolkien Fanfic
and some other stuff I wrote...
leleni at hotmail dot com
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Morwen
Rohan
Apr 25 2007, 12:53pm
Post #3 of 34
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I got bogged down in the introduction to CoH and skipped ahead to the first chapter. I went back to it after I read the rest of the book. If you already know the story from the Sil or UT you really don't miss anything by skipping it. The one thing that made CoH more readable for me than previous versions is that it is broken down into chapters. The language and style is much the same as in UT and the Sil, but I found it easier to read a chapter at a time than one long narrative.
I wish you could have been there
When she opened up the door
And looked me in the face
Like she never did before
I felt about as welcome
As a Wal-Mart Superstore--John Prine
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Annael
Immortal
Apr 25 2007, 1:32pm
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Einstein's Dreams and biographies
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Einstein's Dreams by Alan Lightman is a series of very short stories about different ways time could work. In one story, time is slower at higher elevations, so everyone moves to the mountains and then builds houses on stilts on top of them. In another, no one remembers anything from a day or more ago. In another, entropy is reversed; the longer you leave something, the cleaner and newer it becomes. In spring everyone goes crazy and wrecks stuff and tracks dirt all over, because we all need some disorder in our lives. I like his writing style, which reminds me a bit of Ursula Le Guin's short stories in The Compass Rose and Changing Planes.
For my book research I'm reading biographies of famous women. I've got Marilyn Monroe's autobiography, a biography of Amelia Earhart, and right now I'm deep into Linda Lear's biography of Beatrix Potter, who was one amazing woman - artist, scientist, and ardent land conservationist. Potter came from a Unitarian family with roots in Manchester, and her grandparents knew Elizabeth Gaskell, author of North & South. The book itself is gorgeous, with lots of color plates of her paintings, not just the animal ones but landscapes, and photos. The pic of Norman Warne does look a lot like Ewan MacGregor. I'm glad I bought a hardbound copy because I think this is going to be a book to treasure.
NARF and member of Deplorable Cultus since 1967
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Aunt Dora Baggins
Immortal
Apr 25 2007, 2:47pm
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I'm going to have a lot more to say
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about this when we discuss CoH in the Reading Room. But for now, I'll just say that I've been imagining what Harry Potter would have been like if everything had been explained in the first chapter of the first book, instead of unfolding in a compelling mystery: Spoilers: "Now Eileen gave birth to Severus and ..." "And Tom Riddle despised his muggle father, and he took the name of Voldemort and ..."
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"For DORA BAGGINS in memory of a LONG correspondence, with love from Bilbo; on a large wastebasket. Dora was Drogo's sister, and the eldest surviving female relative of Bilbo and Frodo; she was ninety-nine, and had written reams of good advice for more than half a century."
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Chance Meeting at Rivendell: a Tolkien Fanfic
and some other stuff I wrote...
leleni at hotmail dot com
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Elberbeth
Tol Eressea
Apr 25 2007, 4:15pm
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I had been warned that the movie was only lightly based on the book, and the movie had made a deep impression on me. But although that was true, I found it a compelling read, and when I got to the end (not to spoil it for anyone) I really wished it had gone on further. Is that a sign of a really good book, that you don't want it to end?
I have known the name P.D. James, but I can't think of anything else of hers I have read, so now I am going seek some of them out.
"There are some things that it is better to begin than to refuse, even though the end may be dark."
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sherlock
Gondor
Apr 25 2007, 4:46pm
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Definitely a sign of a good book
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and movie, too. I read Children of Men when it first came out and don't remember much about it other than that I liked it. I saw the movie, also, so now I'm thinking about re-reading the book. PD James is one of my favorite mystery authors. I think you'll enjoy her other books.
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Radhruin
Rohan
Apr 25 2007, 4:47pm
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I had heard the name too, before I read Children of Men, but had never read any of her work. I thought Children of Men was brilliant. Absolutely loved it. I was very surprised (and maybe a little disappointed) to find out, on a trip to Barnes and Noble, that her other novels are in the mystery genre, not science fiction. So I have not ventured to read any more, although I will someday as I love her writing style. I would have loved to read more in the vein of Children of Men. Glad you enjoyed it!
"A dead thing can go with the stream, but only a living thing can go against it."
~Chesterton
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ringhead91
Rivendell
Apr 25 2007, 7:28pm
Post #9 of 34
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Pride and Prejudice and Emma {NT}
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The Road goes ever on and on
Down from the door where it began.
Now far ahead the Road has gone,
And I must follow, if I can,
Pursuing it with eager feet,
Until it joins some larger way
Where many paths and errands meet.
And whither then? I cannot say.
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Entwife Wandlimb
Lorien
Apr 25 2007, 8:59pm
Post #10 of 34
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I was thinking of trying another but haven't decided which one. Maybe Sense and Sensibility since I recently saw the Emma Thompson movie.
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a.s.
Valinor
Apr 25 2007, 10:39pm
Post #11 of 34
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but she's a WONDERFUL mystery writer!
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I was very surprised (and maybe a little disappointed) to find out, on a trip to Barnes and Noble, that her other novels are in the mystery genre, not science fiction.
She's great, a classic. Her series featuring her poet-detective Adam Dalgliesh is really great straight English detective fiction, smart and realistic without gratuitious gore. The one I like least of her recent (last ten years) is Death in Holy Orders, so maybe start with one of the others. You don't have to read them in order.
If you liked Children of Men for the writing, you'll probably like her Adam Dalgliesh novels, as she is a very good writer, IMHO.
a.s.
"an seileachan"
Some say they're going to a place called Glory, and I ain't saying it ain't a fact.
But I've heard that I'm on the road to Purgatory, and I don't like the sound of that!
I believe in love, and live my life accordingly,
And I choose: let the mystery be.
~~~~Iris DeMent
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a.s.
Valinor
Apr 25 2007, 10:46pm
Post #12 of 34
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Not sure why.
But after having read them all back to back, I really liked Northanger Abbey the best.
And it's a heck of a lot shorter than Emma!!
a.s.
"an seileachan"
Some say they're going to a place called Glory, and I ain't saying it ain't a fact.
But I've heard that I'm on the road to Purgatory, and I don't like the sound of that!
I believe in love, and live my life accordingly,
And I choose: let the mystery be.
~~~~Iris DeMent
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Radhruin
Rohan
Apr 25 2007, 10:57pm
Post #13 of 34
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Oh, I didn't mean that I was disappointed
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that she wrote mystery novels. I suppose I should have used surprised, instead of disappointed. I just enjoyed Children of Men so much that I hoped to find even more in that genre. :) I am very much looking forward to her other books. Thanks so much for the recommendation. From what I have read of the book synopsis, I wouldn't have picked that one to read first, and you reinforced my first instinct! She's number one on my list after I get the three books read that are already waiting impatiently for me!
"A dead thing can go with the stream, but only a living thing can go against it."
~Chesterton
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a.s.
Valinor
Apr 25 2007, 10:59pm
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For my book research I'm reading biographies of famous women.
I'm not sure if you are concentrating on a certain, er, category of women. But in case you're just concentrating on "famous" women, I'd like to recommend Nightingales: The Extraordinary Upbringing and Curious Life of Miss Florence Nightingale . This is a really interesting biography placing Flo in the context of family, class, and society at large. Very well done, IMHO. You get an idea of her as a real woman with all her faults in addition to her genuine genius in certain areas. And the challenges she faced being a determined woman in a time of such extraordinary constraint---and yet you can see how her particular upbringing in that particular family and small group of friends made Flo into Flo!
OK, she's one of my heroes. But it's still a really interesting book!
a.s.
"an seileachan"
Some say they're going to a place called Glory, and I ain't saying it ain't a fact.
But I've heard that I'm on the road to Purgatory, and I don't like the sound of that!
I believe in love, and live my life accordingly,
And I choose: let the mystery be.
~~~~Iris DeMent
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silneldor
Half-elven
Apr 26 2007, 2:08am
Post #15 of 34
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by Joseph Campbell. It is amazing how his thoughts parallel Spongs.
"Tolkien, like Lewis, believed that, through story, the real world would become a more magical place, full of meaning. We see its patterns and colors in a fresh way. The recovery of a true view of the world applies both to individual things, like hills and stones, and to the cosmic - the depths of space and time itself. For in sub-creation, in Tolkien's view, there is a "survey" of space and time. Reality is captured on a miniature scale. Through stories like The Lord of the Rings, a renewed view of things is given, illuminating the homely, the spiritial, the physical, and the moral dimensions of the world."
Tolkien and C.S. Lewis- The Gift of Friendship -Duriez
A little bit of Rivendell to warm the home
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RosieLass
Valinor
Apr 26 2007, 2:59am
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I just started the latest No. 1 Ladies Detective Agency book.
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"The Good Husband of Zebra Drive"
Mr. J.L.B. Maketoni has decided he wants to do some detecting, and Mma Makutsi is mutinying.
Also, I am totally in love with Peter Dennis reading Winnie the Pooh and The House at Pooh Corner. I'm listening to it for the third time in a month. 
This writing business. Pencils and what-not. Over-rated, if you ask me. Silly stuff. Nothing in it.
--Eeyore
http://mallika.vox.com/
(This post was edited by RosieLass on Apr 26 2007, 3:00am)
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Finding Frodo
Tol Eressea
Apr 26 2007, 3:24am
Post #17 of 34
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I'm halfway through the book and there are fewer and fewer things I have an appetite for. That's a good thing.
Where's Frodo?
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namadriel
Lorien
Apr 26 2007, 3:35am
Post #18 of 34
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Like half of you out there, Children of Hurin
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Finished reading Lisey's Story by Stephen King. Not his best work, but interesting enough.
And I've started Children of Hurin. I'm only in the first chapter. It looks like the weather this weekend will be good, so I probably will be out on the boat instead of reading. Of course, there is always the joy of reading while on the boat.
Ah, I'm too boat-obsessed these days.
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Elf Princess of Lorien
Bree
Apr 26 2007, 6:10am
Post #19 of 34
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Seriously, the main thing I got out of the book is that "Wow, Emma Thompson is one heck of a screenwriter to have made this book such a fantastic movie." A co-worker agreed. :)
My fave Austen of the three I've read (S&S, P&P and ...) is Persuasion. I rented the movie with the divine Cirian Hinds, and totally loved it, and it was the first Austen book I finished. After reading the other two, I really have to say it's my fave so far. But I also do have Northanger Abbey with a couple other stories tucked away to read later. I finished three and was proud of that, so I figured i needed a bit of a break. ;)
'Mercy!' cried Gandalf. 'If the giving of information is to be the cure of you inquisitiveness, I shall spend all the rest of my days in answering you. What more do you want to know?'
'The names of all the stars, and of all living things, and the whole history of Middle-earth and Over-heaven and of the Sundering Seas,' laughed Pippin. 'Of course! What less?'"
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Annael
Immortal
Apr 26 2007, 2:28pm
Post #20 of 34
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Persuasion is my favorite, even more than P&P; I love the Ciaran Hinds-Amanda Root movie version of it; and Emma Thompson made a better movie of S&S than the book.
Did you know there's a new Persuasion? It was done in Britain recently. You can see the whole thing on youtube, or it will be shown here on Masterpiece Theater in the fall. But it's not very good imho. Not a patch on the older one.
NARF and member of Deplorable Cultus since 1967
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RosieLass
Valinor
Apr 26 2007, 3:07pm
Post #21 of 34
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I would recommend James' earlier books.
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I haven't been able to get into her latest Dalgliesh books at all. I'm not sure why. But I love the earlier ones, especially the ones they used to adapt for the television.
This writing business. Pencils and what-not. Over-rated, if you ask me. Silly stuff. Nothing in it.
--Eeyore
http://mallika.vox.com/
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Elberbeth
Tol Eressea
Apr 26 2007, 3:44pm
Post #22 of 34
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and just couldn't get interested in them. But so many of you have mentioned them here I might just give them another try.
"There are some things that it is better to begin than to refuse, even though the end may be dark."
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Radhruin
Rohan
Apr 26 2007, 4:01pm
Post #23 of 34
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I'll keep that in mind. Is there a television series based on her books?
"A dead thing can go with the stream, but only a living thing can go against it."
~Chesterton
(This post was edited by Radhruin on Apr 26 2007, 4:03pm)
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RosieLass
Valinor
Apr 26 2007, 4:23pm
Post #24 of 34
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Yes. It was a very good series.
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Pretty faithful to the books, as I recall, and very well done. They showed them on PBS here.
Roy Marsden played Dalgliesh.
I think they have done some of her more recent books with someone else in the lead role, but I haven't seen any of those. They might be available on Netflix?
This writing business. Pencils and what-not. Over-rated, if you ask me. Silly stuff. Nothing in it.
--Eeyore
http://mallika.vox.com/
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RosieLass
Valinor
Apr 26 2007, 4:27pm
Post #25 of 34
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I've started listening to the first audio book.
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Read by Lisette Lescat, and it's very good also.
They aren't your typical mystery stories, with a corpse and a series of clues for the detective to follow, and Mma Ramotswe isn't a typical detective anyway. The books are less about investigating crime and more about understanding why human nature causes people to do certain things.
I think that trips a lot of people up, who are expecting a more traditional mystery story.
This writing business. Pencils and what-not. Over-rated, if you ask me. Silly stuff. Nothing in it.
--Eeyore
http://mallika.vox.com/
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