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Aunt Dora Baggins
Immortal
Mar 31 2015, 12:21pm
Post #1 of 15
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What have you been reading this week?
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Our dear Lily is having her second surgery and has asked me to start the weekly book-discussion thread today. I know we'll all be thinking of her and sending her healing thoughts and well-wishes.
I've been reading "The Last Continent" by Terry Pratchett. I do love those wizards!
Also "The Wave in the Mind" by Ursula K. LeGuin. Her fiction has never grabbed me, but her essays are absolutely marvelous. This book is a collection of essays about literature and writing.
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GNU Terry Pratchett
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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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"A Chance Meeting at Rivendell" and other stories
leleni at hotmail dot com
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Gianna
Rohan
Mar 31 2015, 5:23pm
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I've started Hilaire Belloc's "The Path to Rome"
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A friend of mine said one of the scenes in my novel reminded him of a scene in Path to Rome, so I'm finally reading it. (It has been on my reading list for a while - kind of like a thousand other books...) So far it's interesting and sometimes quite funny. I think I'll enjoy it. It's very different from Belloc's history books, for sure.
~There's some good left in this world. And it's worth fighting for.~
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Aunt Dora Baggins
Immortal
Mar 31 2015, 5:36pm
Post #3 of 15
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The only thing of his that I knew was the "Bad Child's Book of Beasts", which I love. (I can quote the Yak from memory.) Thanks to your post, I found that it's available on Project Gutenberg, as is the Path to Rome, so I'll get both of them.
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GNU Terry Pratchett
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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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"A Chance Meeting at Rivendell" and other stories
leleni at hotmail dot com
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Eruvandi
Tol Eressea
Mar 31 2015, 8:37pm
Post #4 of 15
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Moonblood by Anne Elisabeth Stengl (I'm not crying...Yes I am.)
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Oh, goodness. That moment when a book manages to move you to tears...
I'm reading "Moonblood" right now, which is Book 3 of the Tales of Goldstone Wood series by Anne Elisabeth Stengle. I don't know if anyone remembers a couple months ago when I said I was reading "Heartless", which was Book 1 of this series. Well, I kept reading, and now I'm on Book 3. I'm still in love with this series. The stories are just so fun while also being complex and beautiful and moving all at the same time.
"Moonblood" is technically a continuation of the stories in both Book 1 and Book 2: "Veiled Rose". I think the best description of it is the one given on the ToGW website:
The Night of Moonblood Approaches
In a desperate bid to earn back the trust of his kingdom, Prince Lionheart banishes his only friend, Rose Red, to certain death. Now, his last hope for regaining his honor is to descend into the treacherous Wilderlands and find her.
But many perils stand in Lionheart's path. A mysterious Hunter is on his trail, a dangerous unicorn prowls the darker shadows, and Rose Red herself has been drawn into the hidden realm of Arpiar where the goblin king holds her captive for foul purposes of his own.
With the help of a blind cat, an ugly knight, and the gentle Lady of the Haven, Lionheart can only hope he will find Rose Red before the Night of Moonblood . . . when the sleeping dragons will awake . . . I'm a little more than halfway through the story, I was reading on it just a half hour ago actually, and WOW it just got really emotional, hence the reason I'm crying.
It's a little hard to explain if you haven't read the book, but throughout the story up to the point I'm at now, the reader doesn't actually know what the "Night of Moonblood" is. The author only give you little hints that it's probably a really bad thing. Well, the part that just made me cry was the part that finally explains the story behind the Night of Moonblood. It was revealed in the form of a poem sung by a bard at the command of his Queen for the clarification of the heroes of the story and I...I'm going to need a little while to get over it. It was so tragic, but beautiful at the same time it just...I just...I can't. I really can't. I'm sorry. *weeps**sniff* At this rate, especially given all the emotional emotional-ness that I think is coming later on in the story, my copy of the book is going to end up soaked in my tears before I'm finished. But it's worth it because it's really good.
Now I understand why some of the reviews on Goodreads had gifs of people crying with the caption "It's so beautiful!"... *sniff*
P.S. All the best wishes to Lily. Hope her surgery goes well and she has a full recovery.
There's hope for the hopeless, and all those who've strayed
Come sit at the table, come taste the grace
There's rest for the weary, rest that endures
Earth has no sorrow, that Heaven can't cure.
So lay down your burdens, lay down your shame
All who are broken, lift up your face
Oh wanderer come home, you're not too far
So lay down your hurt, lay down your heart
Come as you are.
~"Come As You Are" by David Crowder
(This post was edited by Eruvandi on Mar 31 2015, 8:39pm)
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Old Toby
Grey Havens
Mar 31 2015, 10:53pm
Post #5 of 15
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You Can Date Boys When You're Forty, and The Praise Singer
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I love Dave Barry' s sense of humor. I have several of his books, and this one is just as hysterical as the others. The title refers to what he said to his thirteen year old daughter. LOL! He also has a chapter on forgetfulness, which is something I really relate to!
The Praise Singer by Mary Renault I just started. The author was recommended by a friend who, like me, adores Mary Stewart's Merlin trilogy. It took me a few pages before I could get into the narrative style, although being told from the first person perspective is something I like. So far it's an interesting read, for sure, set in ancient Greece.
"Age is always advancing and I'm fairly sure it's up to no good." Harry Dresden (Jim Butcher)
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Annael
Immortal
Apr 1 2015, 1:19am
Post #6 of 15
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Reading Dante: From Here to Eternity by Prue Shaw
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I'm going to teach a class on Dante's Commedia this fall so I'm reading reference materials.
There are some works that, I think, you almost need to be guided through reading. At least, it really helps if there's someone knowledgeable available to you as you read it. I was taken through the Commedia by someone who has studied it, and it really added to my ability to take in all the amazing aspects of this great work. I worked through Moby-dick and The Odyssey with the same person, and another prof took us through TS Eliot's poetry. Now I need someone to guide me through Ulysses . . .
People with soul can identify with another person's basic human struggle without either judgment or indifference.
-- Thomas Moore
* * * * * * * * * *
NARF and member of Deplorable Cultus since 1967
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zarabia
Tol Eressea
Apr 1 2015, 4:18am
Post #7 of 15
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The Last Continent is one of my favorite Pratchett books :) //
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You realize that life goes fast
It's hard to make the good things last
You realize the sun doesn't go down
It's just an illusion caused by the world spinning 'round
~Do You Realize?, The Flaming Lips
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Aunt Dora Baggins
Immortal
Apr 1 2015, 2:59pm
Post #8 of 15
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I made it about five pages into Dante.
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And I made it 2/3 of the way through Moby Dick a couple of years ago before I had finally had enough and gave it up. I suppose a guide would have been helpful in both cases. I did read the Odyssey a few years ago and enjoyed it tremendously. It's not just adventures at sea, like the movies would have you believe. And I loved my son's take on it: "Here's this fine tripod if you will just go away." The Iliad, on the other hand, was gruellng: grim realistic descriptions of what happens to the human body in a battle. Ugh. I haven't tried Joyce yet, but I keep thinking someday I should.
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GNU Terry Pratchett
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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."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"A Chance Meeting at Rivendell" and other stories
leleni at hotmail dot com
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Aunt Dora Baggins
Immortal
Apr 1 2015, 3:04pm
Post #9 of 15
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The way I can tell if I really love a book or movie is if it makes me cry. I'll have to look for those.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
GNU Terry Pratchett
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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."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"A Chance Meeting at Rivendell" and other stories
leleni at hotmail dot com
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Aunt Dora Baggins
Immortal
Apr 1 2015, 3:06pm
Post #10 of 15
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I always enjoyed Dave Barry's columns, but haven't read any of his books.
I remember Mary Stewart, but I haven't tried Mary Renault, though her name sounds very familiar for some reason.
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GNU Terry Pratchett
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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."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"A Chance Meeting at Rivendell" and other stories
leleni at hotmail dot com
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
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Riven Delve
Tol Eressea
Apr 1 2015, 5:59pm
Post #11 of 15
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Continuing my Lois McMaster Bujold binge
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I read Memory, Komarr, and A Civil Campaign. I loved Memory so much that as soon as I finished I went back and read it again (skipping that painful moment when Miles deletes the "long version" of his report). Also, yay, Ivan! So far, it's my favorite book of the series. Komarr was the most science-y, IMO, of these sci-fi books--and a fascinating view of the older, more controlled Miles seen from the outside. I was quite taken with the dedication in A Civil Campaign to Jane, Charlotte, Georgette, and Dorothy, some of my favorite writers of all time. In fact, Bylery Vorrutyer could have walked straight off the pages of a Georgette Heyer novel. I'd love to see some of the hijinks scenes staged.  However, though the scenes were funny, they seemed contrived, somehow, and so I was feeling a little off-kilter in the space between what was supposed to be hilarious and what was actually hilarious. Maybe it was just that I was disoriented by the political/social comedy of manners. OK, fun, but let's get back to some serious Milesian drama here.  Diplomatic Immunity is next!
I hope Lily is healing up nicely. Hang in there, Lily!
“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
Apr 2 2015, 5:41am
Post #12 of 15
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Right now I'm rereading Heart of Darkness. I bought the Norton Critical Edition, which has some very interesting analysis and historical commentary. Lots for future reading in there!
Also tackling Proust again, this time expanding it beyond the text into his influence on artists after the Search. Excited to read it again!
Join us every weekend in the Hobbit movie forum for this week's CHOW (Chapter of the Week) discussion!
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Ettelewen
Rohan
Apr 2 2015, 7:21pm
Post #13 of 15
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I just started Michael Crichton's "Congo"
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I've really enjoyed reading several of his other books but somehow missed this one.
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Kim
Valinor
Apr 2 2015, 7:55pm
Post #14 of 15
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I really enjoyed reading that for the first time. Unfortunately, the movie they made from it was not as good.
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Meneldor
Valinor
Apr 8 2015, 2:29am
Post #15 of 15
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by RM Meluch. It's old fashioned pulp space opera, full of US Space Marines with swords and blasters fighting tentacled aliens and cyborg Space Romans. Light and fun reading.
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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