@aileth I set up a couple of notifications on online shops. Fingers crossed one shows up eventually! That's how I got "Emeralds for the King." A friend set up a notification if one came available. It took a couple years. She says it wasn't expensive, but I have my doubts. 😓 

Posted by: @valiantarcher

Congrats on getting your own set of CoN, @Glenwit! Which covers are they?

Thank you thank you  

They are the 2002 HarperCollins covers (the same ones I grew up with!).  

Posted by: @valiantarcher

Exactly, @Lady-Merian. I've actually been thinking about this a bit, and I'm wondering if the character arcs/moments stick out more than the plot to me with Wilson's books?

Spoiler

The Chestnut King

No, by having them stay in the portal world, at the very least said it was more of a "home" than our world. And, I think, that also says something about it being more "real" to them as they decided to live there.

that’s how I’d usually describe my memory of things, but in this case the plot ending actually worked for me instead of falling flat. Though the epilogue did still seem out of the blue. And as for the spoiler 

What you said about The Silent Bells did continue to be something I disliked, rather than becoming more accustomed to the idea. Time will tell whether this becomes something I reread, or whether it becomes one of the few series where I reread some books (or some parts of some books, even) but not others.

Hurrah for getting a boxed set of Narnia at last, @glenwit, and even better that it’s the same set your family had! Sometimes, even if more objectively beautiful editions exist, the ones you first read are the best.

@narnian78 That was a great article on theology in AoGG, thanks!

I’ve been meaning to read The Mysterious Benedict Society by Trenton Lee Stewart for a rather long time, and finally I have, and I loved it! I’ve got the next one ready to go, but first I’m trying to finish another library book I’ve had for a while. Once a Queen, by Sarah Arthur (I’ve read her Narnia devotional, Walking through the Wardrobe, and I think I liked it, but don’t actually remember much about it. But that says more about my memory than it does about her). I’ve been having a little trouble getting into it for some reason.

The Poirot fascination remains, but I’m taking a short break because alongside the new season of All Creatures Great and Small, I’ve picked up The Lord God Made them All by James Herriot. I definitely wouldn’t have tried the books if not for the show, but I do like them.

For a late birthday gift, I received The Usborne Complete Jane Austen: All the Novels Retold. I already have The Usborne Complete Shakespeare: Stories from All the Plays and The Usborne Complete Dickens: All the Novels Retold, so now my collection is complete. It may seem strange that I, an adult who has read the actual classic authors, would collect such books but I have an interest in retellings of classic adult literature aimed at children. Blame it on my enjoyment of Wishbone at an early age. 

I do kind of wonder if an actual kid would enjoy The Usborne Jane Austen. Compared to Shakespeare and Dickens, the stories don't have much action. Oh well. I enjoyed them. The retellings were able to include a lot of Austen's humor and personality in them. My only major criticism is that some of Elizabeth Bennet's best lines in her final confrontation with Lady Catherine de Bourgh were cut.

Ooh, I'm glad you've been able to find so many of Savery's works, @aileth! I've never heard of Up a Winding Stair before, but another WWII book is intriguing.
I know Forbidden Doors (and Tenthragon) is out of copyright in the US (and presumably then Canada) and was hoping there might be a copy online somewhere that would do in a pinch, but apparently it's too rare to have made it yet.

@Anfinwen, have your eBay purchases arrived yet?

Nice, @Glenwit! We never had that set, but friends growing up did.

@Lady-Merian, true,

@Col-Klink, I hadn't heard of that Usborne series before, but it sounds neat!

Came here to post about my most recently read book, realized there were several i from last year i didn't comment on. As anticipated, did not complete my book-reading goal last year; did not even come close. I did finish a few more books, though.

I finally finished Sunrise on the Reaping. I didn't like Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes as much as the original trilogy, and i didn't like Sunrise as much as Ballad. The pacing felt weird, and i'm not sure how i feel about the amount of editing that clearly went on behind-the-scenes of the actual Games. But i've seen other people point out some interesting themes and subtext as well, so maybe i'd like it better on a re-read? That probably won't be for a while, though.

I finished my re-read of Piranesi, mentioned in my previous post. I did overall like Piranesi a little better on my second read; not that i disliked it the first time, but it felt like it was dragging a little. I think it was because, as i think would be the case for anyone with a sufficient awareness of story structure and tropes, the reader can see things more clearly than the title character can. Knowing what is likely to happen but not when, it can feel like you've been waiting longer than you have for it to actually happen.

I also re-read A Little Princess, which i've been meaning to do for a while. I don't think i would like it as much if i'd first read it as an adult, but i think that's because as a children's book, it necessarily skims over things that would be too grim for the target audience, making it a little thin for an adult. But it's still good at what it's trying to be, i think.

Last two books of 2025 were Project Hail Mary by Andy Weir, and The Unraveling of Emlyn DuLaine by Lindsey A. Franklin.

For the first time in at least a year, i'm interested in an upcoming film, and that's probably due to Project Hail Mary being basically a blockbuster action film in print format. I never actually read The Martian, though i saw the film, and Weir's style is clearly established. He's got a heavily rose-tinted pair of glasses on when he writes about the world coming together to save humanity from potential extinction, but it's not the focus of the book, so i'm able to forgive it. There's not much of depth to it, but it's not trying to be the next great novel, it's just telling an exciting story with enjoyable characters, and it's good at what it does.

While at the library, i went looking for any available Christian fantasy books i hadn't read, and The Unraveling of Emlyn DuLaine was the one i found. It was bad. Very, very bad. It felt like the author had a half-dozen different ideas she was excited to write about, but either couldn't make one novel-length, or didn't think it would be a problem if she threw them all together, and completely failed to develop any of them into something worth reading. The "romance" is probably not the worst i've ever read, but it's up there, and i think it has the worst set-up, execution, and pay-off for a heroic sacrifice i've ever seen. I think it's the author's first work, so i hope she gets better with experience, but i'm not giving her any more chances. Bleck.

That's 2025 wrapped up. 2026 began inauspiciously with Empire of Silence by Christopher Ruocchio, a sci-fi by a Christian author (though not a Christian sci-fi, as you will pick up on quickly). It was recommended on another website, and is apparently quite popular with secular audiences as well, which i thought was a good sign. I gave up on it about a third of the way through. I just could not get into it, and the beginning was way too long -- the back and forth on what was going to happen with the main character's future was too much to begin with, but then it turns out it was basically completely pointless, which was even more aggravating. And while i'm not usually one to complain about "men writing women", i was not a fan of how Ruocchio handled his hero's interactions with them. 

And now to the book i came here to talk about, The Will of the Many by James Islington. I first flipped through it on a bookshelf in Target, and while the first chapters were intriguing, i thought maybe i would wait to get it from the library. But when i went back a few days later, i decided to give it a try, and i'm so glad i did. I don't remember the last time i was so invested in a book. It has a lot of similarities to The Hunger Games, but not in a knock-off kind of way. It made me sad over already-dead characters and engrossed me in the action in ways few books have, and while i'm not looking forward to the tension of waiting for the next books to come out (there's a sequel, The Strength of the Few, already out, but it's apparently going to be a quartet), i'm definitely going to be reading them. A much better start to the year.

Posted by: @valiantarcher

Ooh, I'm glad you've been able to find so many of Savery's works, @aileth! I've never heard of Up a Winding Stair before, but another WWII book is intriguing.

That's a complete list of Savery's published books: I've not included any of the manuscript titles, which probably should be in the list; the bold titles are ones I have.  Sir Dominic's Scapegrace is apparently more or less a pamphlet, relatively recently put out by the British Library.

You can find about a dozen of her books at archive.org, mainly children's titles, but also including some of the rarer ones like Magic in My Shoes and Welcome, Santza, besides Young Elizabeth Green, Tenthragon and The Good Ship Red Lily @anfinwen

I know Forbidden Doors (and Tenthragon) is out of copyright in the US (and presumably then Canada) and was hoping there might be a copy online somewhere that would do in a pinch, but apparently it's too rare to have made it yet.

Unfortunately, Savery's works are not out of copyright in Canada, and won't be in my lifetime.  We had life +50 copyright up until recently, which I thought was quite reasonable and sufficient (some might disagree, but that's a different subject). Now it's life +70, and Savery didn't die until 1999 (at 102 years of age!). So maybe if I'm still alive in 2070 ....

I have read some gripping, powerful books over the past few months.

*Evidence Not Seen: a woman's miraculous faith in the jungles of World War II by Darlene Deibler Rose (1988) -a re-read

*Out of the Depths: the autobiography of John Newton (1764) - a re-read

*The Saddest Ship Afloat: the tragedy of the MS St. Louis by Allison Lawlor (2016)

*Village of Secrets: defying the nazis in Vichy France by Caroline Moorehead (2014) - a re-read

*Christy by Catherine Marshall (1967) - a re-read from decades ago

*The Midwife of Auschwitz by Anna Stuart (2022)

*I just started Safely Home by Randy Alcorn (2001), and am 1/3 of the way through. This is a novel about the persecution of the Christian church in China. From what I have read elsewhere, Randy did a ton of research for this excellent (and tough) book.

*About to start a re-read of A Train in Winter: an extraordinary story of women, friendship, and survival in World War Two by Caroline Moorehead (2011)

*also, in a awhile I will be beginning a re-read of the excellent, convicting, and thought-provoking Dark Clouds, Deep Mercy: discovering the grace of lament by Mark Vroegop (2019).

I re-read The Lord of the Rings every two years (and have since I was mid-teens), and this is my year, so I will be starting that excellent tale sometime over the summer.

All ^ highly recommended!

Has anyone here read this book?  It was written by Peter Schakel, who was my professor in college. It is a study of C. S. Lewis’s novel Till We Have Faces, and much of it is based on Greek mythology:

https://www.amazon.com/dp/0802819982?ref=ppx_yo2ov_dt_b_fed_asin_title

 I just purchased my copy of it recently but haven’t yet read it.  The full title is Reason and Imagination in C. S. Lewis: A Study of Till We Have Faces.  I remember reading that novel in the C. S. Lewis course I took with Dr. Schakel decades ago. Although it wasn’t my favorite Lewis book, Dr. Schakel’s study of it looks really interesting.  His books are just as lively and interesting as the classes he taught, and I know that from experience.

If you have read it what did you think of it? I wonder if anyone here likes Till We Have Faces. It probably is not the favorite of C. S. Lewis fans even for most people that enjoy his writing. I read somewhere that Lewis considered it one of his best books. 🙂

@narnian78 Not only is Till We Have Faces my favorite book by C. S. Lewis, it's one of my favorite books of all time. (If that strikes you as strange, perhaps the fact that I'm really interested in Greek mythology plays a part.) I think Orual is probably his best written character. I remember reading part of Dr. Schakel's book on it but I'm afraid I didn't finish it. Maybe I should fix that sometime. 

@col-klink 

I am glad that you enjoyed Till We Have Faces. Perhaps sometime I will reread it since decades ago I was a young college student.  I may have a different view of it if I were reading it today.  I am much older and I would hope that I am wiser.  I don’t think Till We Have Faces will ever be as popular as Narnia, but I am sure that people will always consider it worth reading.   🙂

@narnian78 While I don't remember reading of Peter Schakel's book on Till We Have Faces, I have read Bareface: A Guide to C. S. Lewis's Last Novel by Doris T. Myers. If you or anyone else would like to read another analysis of the book, I recommend it. 

Posted by: @aileth

You can find about a dozen of her books at archive.org, mainly children's titles, but also including some of the rarer ones like Magic in My Shoes and Welcome, Santza, besides Young Elizabeth Green, Tenthragon and The Good Ship Red Lily @anfinwen

Oh goodness, I'm so excited. I didn't think to check there. It would be nice to read before collecting. All three of the ones I ordered came in. I finished "Meg" and have started on "Elizabeth Green" @valiantarcher I am enjoying them very much. 

Posted by: @arin

I also re-read A Little Princess, which i've been meaning to do for a while. I don't think i would like it as much if i'd first read it as an adult, but i think that's because as a children's book, it necessarily skims over things that would be too grim for the target audience, making it a little thin for an adult. But it's still good at what it's trying to be, i think.

Well, you made me go rewatch the 1987 miniseries again (It's free on Amazon) and now I'm listening to the audiobook on LibriVox. 😊 I just love the riches-to-rags-to-riches story. I connected to the story deeply by reading it while stuck for hours at the funeral/viewing of a distant family member. Others were coming in with takeout, and I felt cold and starving right along with Sara. 🤭 

@jo I have read both "Evidence Not Seen" and "Christy." I enjoyed them both at the time, but I think the former I would be most inclined to re-read. "Christy" was good, but a little depressing, so much suffering and need. I recall I liked the ending though. 

I just read Lost Evangeline by Kate DiCamillo. It was...fine, I guess. But I feel like DiCamillo's work has gone downhill lately. The Beatryce Prophecy had a wonderful beginning but the rest of it was pretty meh IMO. My favorite of her recent books was Ferris and even that one I haven't felt like reading more than once. (So far anyway. I believe I'll reread and enjoy it someday.) It seems like she's more about style than substance nowadays and isn't turning out anything to compete with what I consider her best work. (Those are The Tale of Despereaux, The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane and Flora & Ulysses, for those interested.) 

But, hey, as an author, I only seem to have two really good books in me, so who am I judge?  

To end 2025 I read The Reluctant Widow by Georgette Heyer (it had very entertaining plot, might be one of my favorites) and a Luke Short western that I was given for Christmas. I started 2026 off by reading a couple of the Samantha mysteries (picked them up at the library book sale and then gifted them to one of my sisters who has the Samantha books), then I read another Luke Short western that was also a Christmas gift (enjoyed it, I usually like the ones written in the '30s/'40s), and then it was back to the library sale books for a collection of stories by Beatrix Potter and a juvenile biography of Robert E. Lee. I particularly enjoyed reading about Robert E. Lee on his birthday and I think this might be my favorite of the Childhood of Famous Americans series. I also read a Peanuts book and a Christmas novella in January. 

I am currently reading The Two Swords of Christ by Raymond Ibrahim, although I am enjoying it, it's taking me weeks to read it since I haven't been able to read it every day. Recently I read multiple chapters in one day and I felt very accomplished. It's very interesting, I've been enjoyed the overlap with Defenders of the West. 

I had paused on reading The Two Swords of Christ for a couple weeks because my sister got Bitter Harvest by Ian Douglas Smith via interlibrary loan for me. From the date it was picked up from the library, I had three weeks to read 436 pages and the book is packed.  Also tons of British politics (such a weird system) that's quite a switch from reading about the Templars and Hospitallers. I've found with a lot of the longer nonfiction, dividing the length of the book by the days it's checked out for makes for a great daily reading goal and helps keep me on track and I enjoy reading the books more if I know I'm going to be able to complete them. It worked well with Bitter Harvest. I finished it in just over two weeks and it's been safely returned to the library. Now I just need to make a similar goal for my own book since I've been reading The Two Swords of Christ on and off since mid December.

To go along with my nonfiction reading, I decided it was time to read the Tahn series by L.A. Kelly again. Last time I read it was in 2021 in the middle of a very hectic summer. This is one of my all time favorite series and I think the first time I read it was in 2007 shortly after it was released. I'm about two-thirds of the way through Tahn and really enjoying revisiting this story and characters.