@snow angel: I finished Klassen's The Girl in the Gatehouse this afternoon. I liked it almost as much as Apothecary's Daughter, mostly because it's set in a village and there's lots of intermingling among the characters, regardless of age, gender, and class. It felt homey. I like a sense of community in fiction.

Mmm, I didn't like that one as well when I read it, but maybe I need to reread it. Although I do think that my cousin liked TGITG. I am adding it to the list of the books I am getting the next time I go to the library.

I think I am going to read Anne of Green Gables now. It has been quite a while since I last read it. I have been trying to get my younger sisters to read it, but they haven't read it yet. Maybe if I read it, then they will want to read it.

SnowAngel

I got my copy of Words of Radiance, the second book in The Stormlight Archive series by Brandon Sanderson, on Tuesday. I read some of it that evening, and ended up staying up till 7 AM on Wednesday to finish it.

This is how big a book it is:

In addition to being an excellent book, it can be used in your weightlifting regimen or as a means of self-defense.

If you haven't read the first book, The Way of Kings, you really shouldn't read Words of Radiance, because it pretty much picks up where the last one left off. I gave a brief summary of my opinion on the first book here, but i didn't really say much.

I'm caught between keeping it brief (always a struggle; i think it's not a coincidence most of my favorite books are very long) and going into elaborate detail about just how amazing this series is. If you like epic fantasy, can stomach a 1,000-page book, and don't mind the prospect of waiting heaven only knows how many years for the next eight installments, The Stormlight Archive comes highly recommended. It takes place on the unearthly world of Roshar, where seasons change randomly every few weeks, the land is ravaged frequently with highstorms so violent even the grass retracts into the ground, tiny creatures known as "spren" appear with strong emotion (angerspren, fearspren), natural occurrences (rainspren, windspren), and human actions (gloryspren, creationspren), and things like "soil", "chickens" and "horses" are foreign oddities. Being a ten-book series, there's a lot going on that hasn't even been introduced yet, but book one focuses on four characters:
- Dalinar, a highprince of Alekhar, fights on the Shattered Plains with his countrymen, seeking to avenge the murder of his brother, King Gavilar. But after five years, the war has become more of a glory-seeking competition, and while his nephew has the potential to be a good king, his increasing paranoia threatens to undermine what little respect the highprinces have for him. The visions he's started to receive strengthen his resolution to keep his country united, but at the same time make him doubt his sanity.
- Kaladin, the son of a backwater surgeon turned soldier turned slave, has reached the bottom of the social ladder by becoming a bridgeman (i.e. arrow fodder) in the army of Highprince Sadeas. Giving his fellow bridgemen a reason to live is as hard as keeping them alive, and Kaladin is at the end of his rope as it is.
- Shallan, the only daughter of an impoverished noble house, has a plan to save not only her house, but most likely her life and the lives of her brothers. Unfortunately, it involves not only venturing out into the world on her own for the first time in her life, but also convincing renowned scholar Jasnah Kholin to accept her as a ward, and stealing her soulcaster - a magical item of incredible value - without getting caught.
- Szeth, a member of the little-known Shin race, has powers and abilities beyond those of any other assassin. He is also "Truthless", meaning he must obey without question the orders of anyone who holds his Oathstone. Working for wandering drunks and wannabe crime lords is bad enough, but his newest master has much bigger plans for him.

Okay, so i guess i failed brevity again. Oh well. Highly recommended. Five stars. Etc.

@wagga: The 'making out' scenes in the film were definitely PG-13, way beyond 'petting.' And on the cottage, yes to usage and permission. The film still had many risque scenes, especially with Nan and her lover. ...

I liked it ... mostly because it's set in a village and there's lots of intermingling among the characters, regardless of age, gender, and class. It felt homey. I like a sense of community in fiction.

I've not read the Klassen books, but I'll have a look in the local library next time I'm there. If you like a sense of community that comes out very much so in Circle of Friends as well, the community being the village of Knockglen, far enough away from Dublin to have to commute there to attend university or other city services. That is the book, I mean. But I fear the film did not do anything like justice to this book. I'll say why in spoilers in case anyone does want to read the book or see the film.

I stayed up until 2am this morning finishing Klassen's Silent Governess. I liked it almost as much as Apothecary's Daughter. They're a loving family.

@wagga: I can't answer all your questions about the movie, since I haven't seen it in over a decade. But I do remember some things.

@wagga: I liked “Circle of Friends” as a film. I’d watch it again if I had the chance. Jack and Benny’s relationship is much warmer in the film than what you’ve described in the book. I don’t remember him giving her grief about anything. Broken relationships with family (sibling, lover, spouse, parent) fill me with the most angst. I’m not sure I would like the book for that reason.

I finished Klassen’s Milkweed Manor this morning. It’s her first novel and I read it last. I liked the ending and its message: God transforms our messes into beauty (Romans 8:28). It’s just that the plot felt like a mess when I was reading it. I didn’t know where the story was going or what to expect. That’s real life. But I dislike it in fiction. The vehicle was interesting: out-of-wedlock mothers/babies and wet-nurses. I’m glad someone was taking care of abandoned babies then. That part hasn’t changed. But 19th-century ideas on nursing were awful!

I saw “Jezebel” with Bette Davis last night. It’s set in 1850s New Orleans. The South had ridiculous ideas on yellow fever, how it spreads and how to kill it. They blew cannons to change the air current in order to get rid of what they thought was a communicable disease. At least the North understood sanitation. A cause and cure for yellow fever weren’t found until 1900, thanks to the Panama Canal. Until then, as with wet nursing, science hadn’t caught up with life.

I just reread The Thief. I was inspired to do so after blazing through The King of Attolia in a single afternoon because I couldn't put it down. (I tend to read fast).Now I have to see if the library has A Conspiracy of Kings, because I haven't read it yet.

Spoiler

And I didn't realize it before, but when Gen finds the dolphin ring in the temple, it's the same design as Marcus' father's ring from The Eagle of the Ninth and the following books by Rosemary Sutcliff.
And Gen gets in a funny dig at Greek myths "Do you really think the sky god's wife is a shrew who is always outwitted?"

*wonders if Lady Haleth has found and read Conspiracy of Kings yet, and what she thought of it*

Last night I finished reading The Fall of Arthur by J. R. R. Tolkien (admittedly, I skipped the line by line analysis of words he changed and which parts he moved where when ).

The actual poem is evocative--I'd love to hear someone read it aloud (which, yes, I'm sure exists, but I would rather hear it live). With a few strong words Tolkien paints the picture of a brooding Mordred and a beautiful, selfish, Guenivere who exist in the same landscape Rosemary Sutcliff loved. You're not left on a cliff-hanger, per say, but you would like to know how he would have wrapped up the threads.

At the end of the book is transcribed a portion of a talk Tolkien gave on the alliterative form. It's deceptively simple looking when you read it, but requires a great deal of skill to accomplish (and a nimble vocabulary!)

The rest of the optional material takes up slightly over half the pages and includes a look at which Arthurian sources Tolkien was drawing from or ignoring and is a fun exercise in reading/translating early forms of English.

Highly recommended!

Unfortunately, the library didn't have A Conspiracy of Kings. However, I did buy a copy of The Thief for fifty cents.

Any Sherlock Holmes fans here? Check out a new discussion thread! Conan Doyle's books are mostly what I'm reading now.

viewtopic.php?f=10&t=7934

My reading list is just growing. I have so many books that I should be reading, and I'm having a hard time rationing them and sticking to my book schedule. I've recently gotten into non-fiction, which has been nice. I can't believe I ignored the existence of that category for a while.

Right now, I am reading FotR in an attempt to meet my three-year-delayed resolution to read the LotR. I have read FotR before, but that was probably 5 years ago, so I'm reading it with a different perspective. I am enjoying Tolkien's writing, but I admit that sitting down to read it and going through the chapters is a commitment.

I've also fallen in love with Ray Bradbury's writing. Gah. The man was a genius. I want to write like him when I grow up. I enjoyed Fahrenheit 451, and then I checked out his short stories. I've really been enjoying reading them, but I'm not very good at remembering names. I liked "The Man," and the one with the girl's sixteenth/seventeenth birthday represented by hopscotch. I got another collection of his stories, and I'm going to enjoy reading them.

I've also fallen in love with Ray Bradbury's writing. Gah. The man was a genius. I want to write like him when I grow up. I enjoyed Fahrenheit 451, and then I checked out his short stories. I've really been enjoying reading them, but I'm not very good at remembering names. I liked "The Man," and the one with the girl's sixteenth/seventeenth birthday represented by hopscotch. I got another collection of his stories, and I'm going to enjoy reading them.

I feel the exact same way about his writing. Even his stories that aren't phenomenal are still so lyrical that I don't care. One of my favorites of his is "The Fire Balloons."

Hear hear! Bradbury is a wonderful writer and his pose is like poetry. I've been meaning to pick up a few more of his books but if you like his short stories I recommend The Illustrated Man. I blame Schwin there for opening my eyes to Bradbury .

Unfortunately, the library didn't have A Conspiracy of Kings. However, I did buy a copy of The Thief for fifty cents.

I was happy to be able to get all four Attolia books from one bookseller. Saved on the shipping and they all came at once, which meant that I could devour them in short order. It's all the fault of Nwebbers--never heard of the author until I came on here, and then half of everybody recommended the books. What else could I do, devoured by curiosity as I was? It's all the fault of Nwebbers....

Haven't regretted it, either. Except for the horrifying event at the beginning of Queen, I liked the whole series. And even that bit was important to the story, so I can almost forgive it.

I kept comparing it to Violet Needham's stories--not so much the writing, but many of the themes are alike. Megan Turner was able to capture a sense of tension similar to that found in the Stormy Petrel series. The reluctant ruler theme (Emerald Crown, Changeling of Monte Lucia), the Ruritanian feel, the inclusion of a pantheon of gods (though VN stayed with the classical Greek/Roman ones, whereas MT made up her own). I could have done without the latter theme, but that is my personal preference.

VN's theme word in The Black Riders was "Fortitude," and it seems that Gen's word might be the same. He and Dick Fauconbois shared many of the same characteristics--loyalty, a healthy bit of cheek, and unswerving steadfastness towards a goal.

Stwin, I read "The Fire Balloons" earlier this week. It's probably one of my favorites now. The concept reminded me a lot of Lewis' description of Aslan as Christ in another world rather than simply an allegorical figure.

Yay for the Bradburyites! I wish I had learned about him before he passed away; I would have loved to have written to him. SL, is The Illustrated Man the one with the tattooed man? I think I read bits of that one.
One of his stories that sticks out to me was the one where the main character thought that insects were messengers of some evil cosmic force. I laughed a lot at that one, but I admit that it made me flinch at bugs for a few minutes after reading it.

It's all the fault of Nwebbers....

I think I can say this for around 90% of all the media I like.

I think this summer will be the one I actually read the LotR. When I first read FotR, I found the Council of Elrond yawningly boring, but it was engrossing this time around. I find Tolkien's long descriptions of the journey and of random directions that the Company was walking in tiresome, but they are forgivable because of how well-written they are. I got The Two Towers and hope to finish it soon.

I am talking a World Literature class at school, which is studying literature from the earliest recorded texts. There is some heavy reading, but it's been a good class. I especially like the medieval poetry and the Chinese Tang poetry, as well as the old Classic of Poetry. We read Euripedes' Medea which was... wild. I am going through Hamlet for a project, and it's my first Shakespeare. I don't think I am able to fully appreciate Shakespeare, but I do like his writing of what I've read, so I'll probably give him more chances.

SL, is The Illustrated Man the one with the tattooed man? I think I read bits of that one.

You don't mind if I still call you "BellanotfromTwilight", do ya? I always thought it was pretty funny but one can never tell on a forum, so let me know! As to The Illustrated Man that would be the one. I read Farenheit 451, Illustrated Man, and Something Wicked This Way Comes. All are wonderfully written and Bradbury's prose and lyrical cadence are really something to behold. It really does read like poetry in a way (which I've mentioned to Stwin in the past) and that's coming from one who doesn't like poetry because it beats around the bush too much. Poets could learn a thing or two from Bradbury, methinks. I want to try out The Martian Chronicles next.

Heinlein was a contemporary of Bradbury and wrote sci-fi as well. I read Have Spacesuit, Will Travel last year and really enjoyed it. It's one of his juvenile sci-fi books (which he wrote a number of before his big philosophical/military works later on in life) and I suspect you'd like it well enough.