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Lily Fairbairn
Half-elven
Aug 19 2014, 2:22pm
Post #1 of 19
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It's the end of Dog Days reading thread!
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Traditionally, August 15 marks the end of Dog Days, the hottest days of the summer in the Northern Hemisphere, ruled by the dog star, Sirius. I'm sure that those of y'all in the Southern Hemisphere have the equivalent of Dog Days, but in January/February rather than July/August. I don't suppose Sirius is visible, though.
For us, one of the eeriest things about being Down Under is seeing the constellation Orion upside-down! Very disorienting. So is seeing a different "face" on the moon.
We're getting new flooring next week, meaning the furniture will have to be moved. So I've been packing away a lot of books but haven't had time to read any. Well, I am skimming through a couple of books of Reader's Digest jokes, anecdotes, and funny stories (this being just about my comprehension level!) that I found forgotten in a corner. One of them was published in 1961 and is quite a glimpse into the time period, not least the sexism that was considered perfectly normal. 
And what have you been reading?
Where now the horse and the rider? Where is the horn that was blowing?
Where is the helm and the hauberk, and the bright hair flowing?
Where is the hand on the harpstring, and the red fire glowing?
Where is the spring and the harvest and the tall corn growing?
They have passed like rain on the mountain, like a wind in the meadow;
The days have gone down in the West behind the hills into shadow....
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Dame Ioreth
Tol Eressea
Aug 19 2014, 2:46pm
Post #2 of 19
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Continuing on with my Williamsburg series by Elswyth Thane - Yankee Stranger
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This is the second book and starts out just before the Civil War with the teenage girl main character from the first book celebrating her 92nd birthday. Three generations have been born and Williamsburg is now a sleep backwater town since losing it's status of capitol of Virginia to Richmond. But the Day and Sprague families will soon be in the thick of a new war.
The books are historical romances of the 1930s variety but Mrs. Thane was very careful with her research, making sure that battles were authentically portrayed and all the details of period dress and custom faithful to the time. For me the romance is almost secondary to the history. It's my 7th or 8th time through the series. I read it eery now and then when I'm remembering my grandma. She was the one who gave it to me to read ...wow... 40 years ago.
I read through some of the children's books we have in the house. Couldn't help it. We were cleaning out my youngest daughter's room. She's 10 and reads at a high school level but still wanted to keep some of the books on her shelf. (Can't get rid of Pickle Feet!) Others I packed away for the next generation. The rest (yes there were a total of 7 book boxes worth of books in her room) are going to either the Friends of Library book sale or a used book store that will give me a bit of credit back.
Where there's life there's hope, and need of vittles.
― J.R.R. Tolkien, The Lord of the Rings
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Lily Fairbairn
Half-elven
Aug 19 2014, 3:36pm
Post #3 of 19
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I have boxes of children's books
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Many of them were mine, many years ago, and are very much the worse for wear. But I keep thinking the grandchildren would enjoy having books to read when they visit. And they are turning out to be good readers, yay!
I love Williamsburg 
Where now the horse and the rider? Where is the horn that was blowing?
Where is the helm and the hauberk, and the bright hair flowing?
Where is the hand on the harpstring, and the red fire glowing?
Where is the spring and the harvest and the tall corn growing?
They have passed like rain on the mountain, like a wind in the meadow;
The days have gone down in the West behind the hills into shadow....
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Meneldor
Valinor
Aug 19 2014, 10:03pm
Post #4 of 19
(593 views)
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I'm about halfway through The Green Hills of Earth
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a short story collection of RA Heinlein's work from late 40's and early 50's. It's kind of dated now, with speculation on space travel that reads like slightly modernized Jules Verne. So far, there hasn't been any of the social commentary that marked so much of his later work; all the characters seem to fit neatly into the accepted roles people had in those days.
They that go down to the sea in ships, that do business in great waters, these see the works of the Lord, and His wonders in the deep. -Psalm 107
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Riven Delve
Tol Eressea
Aug 20 2014, 12:23am
Post #5 of 19
(586 views)
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The Wind in the Willows, The Stormy Petrel
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I finally got around to reading The Wind in the Willows--it's one of those books I thought I'd read, but it turned out I hadn't! At least, I'd only read the parts about Toad somewhere. It was charming with very cozy illustrations by Robert Ingpen.
I enjoyed The Stormy Petrel by Mary Stewart. This is one of her later books, which aren't suspenseful at all. Now that I've lowered my expectations (the first time I read this book I was terribly disappointed!), I can enjoy it. It took me a couple readings to make the connection that the stormy petrels are the Mother Carey's chickens I knew from reading Patrick O'Brian. 
“Tollers,” Lewis said to Tolkien, “there is too little of what we really like in stories. I am afraid we shall have to try and write some ourselves.”
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cats16
Half-elven
Aug 20 2014, 5:47am
Post #6 of 19
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Enjoying Dickens thus far. I'll be finishing this one in the next week or so, depending on time.
The Pip/Estella relationship has a dynamic I find incredibly interesting. Now, I'm always trying to connect things back to Proust. Will be letting those thoughts marinate for a bit.
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Annael
Immortal
Aug 20 2014, 3:33pm
Post #7 of 19
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finished The Book of Life; now reading a book by Lillian Stewart Carl
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gifted to me by the author 
I liked The Book of Life better than the first two, especially the Plot B bit about the genetics of "creatures." I still don't think Harkness is much of a writer; the climactic moments were over & done with in a sentence or two - after three volumes of build-up, one wants more than that! And she still has to tell us stuff, like that Diana is upset by what happens to Matthew, instead of SHOWING us. So my final verdict is that the series is just okay, not great.
Fortunately I'm now reading a book by someone who knows how to write fiction (with plenty of description, yay!), and what a pleasure it is. Plus Lucifer's Crown has a lot to do with the Arthurian legends, something I've studied extensively, and I'm enjoying it for that reason as well.
To be sane we must recognize our beliefs as fictions.
- James Hillman, Healing Fiction
* * * * * * * * * *
NARF and member of Deplorable Cultus since 1967
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dernwyn
Forum Admin
/ Moderator
Aug 20 2014, 4:04pm
Post #8 of 19
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should be made into a movie. I loved that book! 
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"I desired dragons with a profound desire"
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Lily Fairbairn
Half-elven
Aug 20 2014, 5:52pm
Post #9 of 19
(562 views)
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Not everyone likes description, unfortunately
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I believe one of the charges leveled at Tolkien's writing is "too much description". I lap up every word, of course, but YMMV.
Glad you're enjoying the book.
Where now the horse and the rider? Where is the horn that was blowing?
Where is the helm and the hauberk, and the bright hair flowing?
Where is the hand on the harpstring, and the red fire glowing?
Where is the spring and the harvest and the tall corn growing?
They have passed like rain on the mountain, like a wind in the meadow;
The days have gone down in the West behind the hills into shadow....
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Lily Fairbairn
Half-elven
Aug 20 2014, 5:54pm
Post #10 of 19
(563 views)
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...occasionally has nightmares about that book being made into a movie! 
Where now the horse and the rider? Where is the horn that was blowing?
Where is the helm and the hauberk, and the bright hair flowing?
Where is the hand on the harpstring, and the red fire glowing?
Where is the spring and the harvest and the tall corn growing?
They have passed like rain on the mountain, like a wind in the meadow;
The days have gone down in the West behind the hills into shadow....
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Ettelewen
Rohan
Aug 20 2014, 10:33pm
Post #11 of 19
(552 views)
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The Green Hills of Earth is one of my favorite collections. Sometimes I just get in the mood to read his older novels, including the "juveniles", and I can spend days gobbling up the likes of "Rocket Ship Gallileo", "Have Space Suit, Will Travel", and "The Moon is a Harsh Mistress".
Glad to meet another afficionado!
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Meneldor
Valinor
Aug 20 2014, 10:41pm
Post #12 of 19
(551 views)
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I might have been 12 when I read that. I didn't even remember it was by RAH.
Have you seen the movie Iron Sky? The RAH estate should get royalties for it.
They that go down to the sea in ships, that do business in great waters, these see the works of the Lord, and His wonders in the deep. -Psalm 107
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Ettelewen
Rohan
Aug 20 2014, 11:27pm
Post #13 of 19
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Do you know when it was made? I've seen an awful lot of science fiction movies (very good and God-awful). My brain still hurts from Starship Troopers (I love the book).
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Meneldor
Valinor
Aug 21 2014, 1:15am
Post #14 of 19
(546 views)
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Iron Sky was released in 2012.
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It's a fanmade film released direct to the web, or you can watch it on Netflix streaming. It's a parody of the Nazis secret moon base story, and I thought it was hilarious.
They that go down to the sea in ships, that do business in great waters, these see the works of the Lord, and His wonders in the deep. -Psalm 107
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Eruwestial37
Rohan
Aug 21 2014, 6:31am
Post #15 of 19
(540 views)
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By R A McAvoy
I have loved this book for years, but lost my copy when I moved. Wouldn't you know Amazon would put it on the Daily Deal page on my birthday!
Mayland Long is a dragon. Or he was...in his search for Truth he found himself turned into a mortal man...
I'm now currently reading the sequel that I'd never seen before: The Twisted Rope
If you like mysteries, Zen and well drawn characters, these are books for you.
They were originally printed in the 1980's so they may be out of print. I got them on my Kindle.
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Meneldor
Valinor
Aug 22 2014, 3:46am
Post #16 of 19
(536 views)
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by Molly Cochran and Warren Murphy. Yet another "King Arthur returns in the 20th century" novel. It pushed all the right buttons for me; I read it in a day. Characters are believable and likable, except for the villain who is believable and utterly despicable. The story is familiar, but enough of a fresh take to keep it interesting. I'll keep my eyes open for more novels by these authors.
They that go down to the sea in ships, that do business in great waters, these see the works of the Lord, and His wonders in the deep. -Psalm 107
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Na Vedui
Rohan
Aug 22 2014, 11:26pm
Post #17 of 19
(521 views)
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by Washington Irving. It's an old book (1832, revised in the 1850s, or so) but very readable. If you don't know it: he stayed in the ruined Alhambra palace in Granada , and the book is a mixture of his current life and encounters there, and old stories of the Alhambra's past. I know very little of the history of Spain, except in a very general way, and found it quite fascinating, with a gentle humour: I rather suspect WI of being a decent sort, was he?
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Lily Fairbairn
Half-elven
Aug 23 2014, 2:48pm
Post #18 of 19
(513 views)
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I have an old copy of that around here somewhere
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But I remember very little about it. Likewise, I remember very little of what I learned about Washington Irving, other than that he hasn't come down in literary history with some of the same baggage as, say, Edgar Allan Poe! His most famous pieces are Rip Van Winkle and The Legend of Sleepy Hollow.
Where now the horse and the rider? Where is the horn that was blowing?
Where is the helm and the hauberk, and the bright hair flowing?
Where is the hand on the harpstring, and the red fire glowing?
Where is the spring and the harvest and the tall corn growing?
They have passed like rain on the mountain, like a wind in the meadow;
The days have gone down in the West behind the hills into shadow....
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Cuwen Maegmacil
Rivendell
Aug 24 2014, 11:52pm
Post #19 of 19
(501 views)
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I haven't had much time to read lately
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And I'm, grievously, still reading the same books:
Scarlett:The Sequel to Margaret Mitchell's Gone With The Wind by Alexandria Ripley,
And
It's Greek to Me! by Michael Macrone
Hoping to finish them very soon, though, and start some other books on my reading list! :)
"The Ring is Mine!" ~ Frodo Baggins
It is our fight!~ Tauriel
I fear neither death nor pain! ~Eowyn
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