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Lily Fairbairn
Half-elven
Oct 10 2017, 2:55pm
Post #1 of 6
(341 views)
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It's the change-of-season reading thread!
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Can't Post
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Or not  Just because an actual cool front has gone through North Texas, so that today's high temperature will be about the same as yesterday's low, it means only that we get 48 hours of autumn, not that autumn is actually here.
Anyway....
This week I've read Mystery in White, a "Golden Age" British mystery by J. Jefferson Farjeon---an author I've never heard of despite his extensive backlist. The story was published in 1937 and is set at just about that time. It takes place during a Christmas blizzard, when several people stranded on a train take matters into their own hands and seek refuge in a nearby house.
There's a nice little "Is it paranormal or is it real" thread running through the story, and the mystery works itself out nicely, but the characters are dated in many ways and my suspenders of disbelief  were snapped just a bit by the length of time people spent blundering around in the snowstorm without particular ill effect.
I'm now reading Cavalier: A Tale of Chivalry, Passion, and Great Houses, by historian Lucy Worsley. It's more or less a biography of William Cavendish, a 17th century nobleman and courtier who lived through (and suffered from) the Civil War.
Worsley uses the events of his life as a springboard to a comprehensive picture of the time period. I love her TV documentaries and her other books, but this is a bit dry. Still, it's better than much non-fiction.
I'm listening to another mystery by Donna Leon, By Its Cover. In this installment, Venetian police detective Guido Brunetti is called to investigate the theft of several rare books, and finds himself also investigating a noble family.
The American narrator is obviously very familiar with Italian names and pronunciations, as he should be. But I'm wondering if he should give all the dialog an Italian accent. I mean, since the characters are really speaking Italian, they wouldn't have accents, would they?
Ah well. This sort of thing is close to a "how many angels can dance on the head of a pin" question 
So 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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Annael
Immortal
Oct 10 2017, 3:08pm
Post #2 of 6
(322 views)
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there's much debate among book editors about accents or dialect. Unless the writer is a local, they're probably going to commit a howler or two, and they also risk making the characters sound stupid. My advice is to only do it if you 1. know the accent yourself or 2. have a local consultant. Which is true of anything writers attempt to write about - if you make a character a pilot, for example, do get advice from a real pilot. And yes, if it were a translation from Italian, they wouldn't have accents . . .
I'm just finishing up "The Magicians" and plan on reading the series. Grossman is a great writer. I've enjoyed the tv series which sticks fairly close to the story (and when it takes liberties, does a good job of at least staying within the spirit of Grossman's ideas and attitudes). Next up is Patricia McKillip's "The Kingfisher." McKillip's one of my favorite fantasy writers, although I don't always follow what just happened in action scenes.
I am a dreamer of words, of written words. I think I am reading; a word stops me. I leave the page. The syllables of the words begin to move around … The words take on other meanings as if they had the right to be young.
-- Gaston Bachelard
* * * * * * * * * *
NARF and member of Deplorable Cultus since 1967
(This post was edited by Annael on Oct 10 2017, 3:09pm)
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Lily Fairbairn
Half-elven
Oct 10 2017, 5:54pm
Post #3 of 6
(308 views)
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Accents and/or dialect can be very tricky, which is why I always run the dialog of my Scottish characters past a Scottish friend. And even he's made mistakes! 
As for By Its Cover, Donna Leon is actually an American writing mysteries set in Italy. All the local touches sound authoritative to me, but then, I've never been to Venice. Still, it seems to me as though the narrator of the audio book went a bit overboard having the Italian characters sound Italian---unless he's setting up for the later appearance of an American character who so far has only been referred to.
I remember reading a review of the dramatized Wallender mysteries in which the reviewer was pondering if Kenneth Branagh's British accent counted as a Swedish accent for the purposes of the story....
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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Elberbeth
Tol Eressea
Oct 11 2017, 3:02pm
Post #4 of 6
(284 views)
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by Max Hastings, who has a long list of military books. This is a compilation of extraordinary deeds done by both well-known (mostly) and unlikely military men (and a couple of women), beginning with the Peninsular war, including Harry Smith of the Rifle Brigade (The Spanish Bride, Anneal!); the "lazy engineer" John Chard (Roarke's Drift); Joshua Chamberlain of the Union Army during the American Civil War; Guy Gibson of the RAF (the dam-buster), through to more modern-day conflicts in WWI and II, Vietnam and Yom Kippur. Very interesting,well-written, and best of all, they read as short stories so I can pick it up and put it down whenever I want.
"There are some things that it is better to begin than to refuse, even though the end may be dark."
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dernwyn
Forum Admin
/ Moderator
Oct 11 2017, 4:10pm
Post #5 of 6
(279 views)
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The Inquisitor's tale; or, The three magical children and their holy dog
[In reply to]
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by Adam Gidwitz. One of the latest Newbery Honor books, and well-deserved.
Written in the style of the Canterbury Tales (and illustrated as if it were a manuscript), the official description says it best: "Crossing paths at an inn, thirteenth-century travelers impart the tales of a (half-Saracen) monastery oblate, a Jewish refugee, and a psychic peasant girl with a loyal greyhound, the three of whom join forces on a chase through France to escape persecution".
With plenty of Medieval way-of-life and prejudices, sprinkled with mysticism, and several people/events based on actual ones. Another of my this-should-be-required-reading-for-all-kids choices.
"By Its Cover" sounds like it would be a great read, I'm putting that on my to-read list!
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"I desired dragons with a profound desire"
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Darkstone
Immortal
Oct 12 2017, 4:05pm
Post #6 of 6
(259 views)
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The King of the Elves. An early story by Dick. It seems pretty straightforward: An old man who owns a run-down gas station in Colorado is visited by tiny Elves during a stormy night. He is made their King and is asked to lead them in their centuries-long war against the evil Trolls. Of course this is Philip K. Dick we're talking about here and reality is never that straightforward. Even the old man sometimes has his doubts. Delightful on one level and thought provoking on another.
An animated movie version has been in development hell over at Disney for almost a decade.
-Recommended.
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The audacious proposal stirred his heart. And the stirring became a song, and it mingled with the songs of Gil-galad and Celebrian, and with those of Feanor and Fingon. The song-weaving created a larger song, and then another, until suddenly it was as if a long forgotten memory woke and for one breathtaking moment the Music of the Ainur revealed itself in all glory. He opened his lips to sing and share this song. Then he realized that the others would not understand. Not even Mithrandir given his current state of mind. So he smiled and simply said "A diversion.”
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