Posted by: @cyberlucy

I am currently reading The Adventure of English by Melvyn Bragg. He refers to it as a "biography" of the English language.  It's very entertaining and informative.  

I listened to the audiobook version of that just recently, read by the author — somewhat abridged from the book itself, but I agree, very entertaining and informative. I was particularly interested in his section on Australian English, though I'm not sure I agree (as an Aussie) with all his conjectures about it.

The worst part of that, mind you, was when he had the first verse of Waltzing Matilda read by a voice-over actor who was quite obviously an Englishman trying to do an Aussie accent... an absolutely ATROCIOUS attempt at an Aussie accent. I'd rather have heard it read in a straight-out English accent of any sort — gosh, even in a traditional BBC RP accent, which at least would have been funny!! — than be subjected to that... (Not as bad as Dick Van Dyke's infamous attempt at a Cockney accent in Mary Poppins, but bad enough. )

Posted by: @courtenay

 

I listened to the audiobook version of that just recently, read by the author — somewhat abridged from the book itself, but I agree, very entertaining and informative. I was particularly interested in his section on Australian English, though I'm not sure I agree (as an Aussie) with all his conjectures about it.

The worst part of that, mind you, was when he had the first verse of Waltzing Matilda read by a voice-over actor who was quite obviously an Englishman trying to do an Aussie accent... an absolutely ATROCIOUS attempt at an Aussie accent. I'd rather have heard it read in a straight-out English accent of any sort — gosh, even in a traditional BBC RP accent, which at least would have been funny!! — than be subjected to that... (Not as bad as Dick Van Dyke's infamous attempt at a Cockney accent in Mary Poppins, but bad enough. )

 Thanks for the insight on his thoughts about Aussie English.   I'm reading the book so I missed the accent attempt.  LOL  Sounds like I'm missing an element to the entertainment value.    

A long time ago on this thread I mentioned that I didn't exactly love Jane Austen books but I considered them important because their messages aren't preached very often nowadays. (And they were arguably a bit controversial in the Romantic era when she was writing.) Well, if anyone would like clarification as to what I mean by that, I'd heartily recommend they read A Jane Austen Education: How Six Novels Taught Me About Love, Friendship and the Things That Really Matter by William Deresiewicz, which I believe sums it up nicely.

I've read some people praising this book because the male author admits to having learned something from a female author. I'm kind of cynical about that take myself. Not that I have a problem with men learning from women, but I feel this does Jane Austen a disservice, implying that her wisdom came from being a woman, a pretty mediocre achievement. Maybe I'm not giving women enough credit though. If, in your experience, women are more likely than men to understand that our feelings don't always reflect reality or that being good is more important than being fun, PM me. 

Posted by: @col-klink

Well, if anyone would like clarification as to what I mean by that, I'd heartily recommend they read A Jane Austen Education: How Six Novels Taught Me About Love, Friendship and the Things That Really Matter by William Deresiewicz, which I believe sums it up nicely.

That sounds really interesting and I'll make a note to have a look for it! (Don't have much time to read at the moment and I already have too many things on my must-read list already...)

I reckon it'll be quite refreshing and interesting to read a book on Jane Austen by a man, simply because most of the books about her and her writings and their impact are written by women and it's nice to have a different perspective sometimes!! And there's nothing wrong with men liking Jane Austen, or not liking Jane Austen, or learning something from her, or not, or whatever... we're all different. I also agree Jane's own wisdom didn't come from simply "being a woman", but it certainly came from being an incredibly astute observer of humanity and an absolutely brilliant writer, and it's always interesting to see how other fans (and non-fans) respond to her works. Thanks for the recommendation!

So for Black Friday this year, I did something I have never done before and I only bought books. I preordered The Sinking City by Christine Cohen from Canon Press along with The Winter King also by C.C., The Legend of Sam Miracle by N.D. Wilson, and a few other books (a couple of them will probably be gifts). And my sister ordered from Ligonier, so I got two more in The Long Line of Godly Men series to add to my incomplete set. My sister is also planning to order from Thriftbooks over the weekend, so there might be more books in my future.  

I had been reading Laddie by Gene Stratton-Porter earlier this month and I had to return it to the library before I was able to finish it, so a sibling got it for me again this week. However I had started reading Seconds To Live by Susan Sleeman which I am very close to finishing. I'm going to try to finish Seconds To Live today, so I can spend part of Sunday reading Laddie which I was enjoying very much a few weeks ago.  

SnowAngel

I am an avid reader. Unfortunately, due college classes, I am unable to read nearly as much as I want to. Right now, if I have time to read, I am rereading childhood favorites that I can read mindlessly. These include the Boxcar Children series by Gertude Chandler Warner, the Nancy Drew series by Caroyln Keene, or the Hardy Boys series by Franklin Dixon.

I am really looking forward to the end of this semester so I can dive into some more time consuming books like A Hobbit, A Wardrobe, and A Great War by Joseph Loconte, any teaching book, or any of the Kendrick Brother books.

NarnianRose

The Ten Thousand Doors of January by Alix E. Harrow was excellent. The writing style was very nostalgic, and the way the story wove the portals throughout the pseudo-historical setting was a great read.

Managed to get an advance copy of Year of the Reaper by Makiia Lucier a few months ago. I think it's out now though? Anyhow, it's not as good as some of her other works, and reading a story inspired by the black plague while in the midst of a pandemic is not super enjoyable. However, Lucier is really good at characters and setting so although there was definitely stuff I didn't like it was still a mostly good read. I met her when she came to book club a couple years ago when we were reading Isle of Blood and Stone, and she mentioned that a plague story was her next project then, so the timing of the publishing is I guess just an unfortunate coincidence.

I recently re-read Brandon Sanderson's Skyward and Starsight in preparation for the third book, Cytonic, coming out last week. I pre-ordered it but it still hasn't come. I also read the two new novellas, Sunreach, and ReDawn. You can tell Sanderson had a co-author because they're actually reasonable lengths. ReDawn wasn't as good as Sunreach, but they both had some interesting world building.

While waiting for Cytonic ( ), I read the novelization of Pan's Labyrinth. It's not quite as intense as the movie, but that might be because I already knew what happens. The extra Underworld stuff was great and the illustrations are beautiful.

For December, the YA book club I'm in is reading The Afterlife of Holly Chase by Cynthia Hand. It's kinda-sorta but not really a retelling of A Christmas Carol. A teenager who didn't mend her ways after being visited by Christmas ghosts is now working through her afterlife as a Ghost of Christmas Past.

This spring-summer, I've read The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde by Robert Louis Stevenson. I kind of knew the story, but it wasn't what I expected. It had a plot twist. They want you to think that they were two different people, but it turned out that they were one of the same.

I've also read The Count of Monte Cristo by Alexandre Dumas. It's pretty sad and a lot of heavy stuff. Edmond Dantes was wronged, and put in prison for not doing anything. I actually felt bad for him. Eventually, he found treasure on the Island of Monte Cristo, and dressed himself as "The Count of Monte Cristo". He was trying to get revenge on those who wronged him.

New year, new reading goals. Last year I read over 120 books and about 25,000 pages. So this year I am hoping for a similar amount plus I want to read a Bible commentary every quarter and reread three of my favorite series (Stuart Brannon by Stephen Bly, Cheney Duvall M.D. by Gilbert Morris and Lynn Morris, and Anne of Green Gables by L.M. Montgomery).

Currently I am reading The Sinking City by Christine Cohen and enjoying it. I preordered it from Canon Press, so I was more than a little nervous it would not be to my liking. However, at just over halfway through I am enjoying the story. I was half sold on it just from the cover.  

I am also reading Learning To Love The Psalms by W. Robert Godfrey and If You Survive by George Wilson, both nonfiction.  I haven't made much progress on either of these in the last week, even though I am liking both books. There just isn't enough reading time in a day lately.

SnowAngel

In December, I read for the first time some tales by H. P. Lovecraft; I was kinda apprehensive about it because of the racist views I knew the author had, but I enjoyed the experience; his fantastic beings and the way he builds the thrilling atmosphere were very interesting. The best ones in my opinion were The Hound and The Shadow Out of Time. In very few passages of The Call of Cthulhu and Herbert West, the author put offensive descriptions, unfortunately (I liked Cthulhu but Herbert West was boring). 

  Currently, I'm reading the novel Ivanhoe, by Walter Scott; I usually love stories settled in Middle Age, so I've been enjoying it a lot. The characters are fun and the author teaches many things about the Norman dominion over England in the 12th century. 

I tend to... uh... get distracted easily (definitely an understatement- I consider myself lucky to be passionate enough about books to be able to focus on reading at all), and now I find myself in the middle of several books and series and not knowing which to focus on .

I'm about a fourth of the way (I think) through Les Misérables by Victor Hugo, which- if you don't already know- is very long (also an understatement, at least by my standards ). I am also in the middle of Alexandré Dumas' The Count of Monte Cristo, which is a bit of a long book as well (not anywhere near Les Mis, but still), though I'm sure it's more like 40% through for that one.

For Christmas I got (and began) Alcatraz Versus the Evil Librarians by Brandon Sanderson, but I'm only a chapter or so into that one. I also barely began another of Brandon Sanderson's books not too long ago: Starsight, the second book in the Skyward series, and I have a hold on the eBook of Cytonic, the third book, which I set for late delivery (and will continue to do so until I finish Starsight).

In addition, I need to start the fifth book in the Kingdom Keepers series by Ridley Pearson, Shell Game, before I forget what happened in the fourth (which I finished some months ago). I also need to start the second book of the Magisterium series by Holly Black and Cassandra Clare, The Copper Gauntlet, before I forget the plot of that first book, too.

Oh yeah, and I need to finish the finale to Rick Riordan's Trials of Apollo, The Tower of Nero, which I think I was about 20% through before I had to return it. 

On top of it all, I'm currently rereading LWW because it's been awhile and... well, it's Narnia- what more must I say?

I'm sort of craving fantasy right now, and I'm in the mood for a nice story (meaning something not especially dark or heavy).

Posted by: @jasmine_tarkheena

I've also read The Count of Monte Cristo by Alexandre Dumas. It's pretty sad and a lot of heavy stuff.

I'm thinking maybe not The Count of Monte Cristo, then, for now. And, knowing somewhat of the plot from listening to songs from the musical, Les Mis is definitely a sad one, too.

So, um, any idea where I should start ?

Also (even though it's probably a mistake to ask for any more books to add to my million mile reading list), does anyone have any good comfort books- cozy books you like to read or reread when you need a bit of happiness and hope? For me that would be the whole Chronicles of Narnia, George MacDonald's The Princess and the Goblin, Gail Carson Levine's The Two Princesses of Bamarre, and collections of fairy tales (because nostalgia, not because they're all particularly comforting- many are quite gruesome), along with Kate DiCamillo's Flora and Ulysses, The Beatryce Prophecy, and The Tale of Desperaux. So, if you could share any books with similar themes, styles, and feels, or your own comfort stories that you love, that would be much appreciated !

@rainyweather, my sisters love The Princess and The Goblin. I like it too, but normally prefer to read his novels. I really should reread some of them this year. My favorites are The Laird's Inheritance, The Baron's Apprenticeship, and The Fisherman's Lady.

I finished The Sinking City by Christine Cohen, it's now making the rounds with my sisters who are enjoying it too. I didn't read the first hundred or so pages very quickly, but I then read the last 140 pages in one sitting...I couldn't stop. Would recommend The Sinking City to fantasy fans.

Now I'm reading the Anne of Green Gables series which I should have done ages ago. I already finished reading Anne of Green Gables and have started on Anne of Avonlea. I am so enjoying reading the series again, it's such fun to read.  

SnowAngel

Posted by: @rainyweather

does anyone have any good comfort books- cozy books you like to read or reread when you need a bit of happiness and hope?

Honestly, my favorite comfort book will always be The Hobbit. It's not all happiness, but I do find it hopeful.  

The last book that made me laugh hysterically was Howl's Moving Castle.  

My comfort reads are Narnia, Howl's Moving Castle, The Lord of the Rings, Mirriam Neal's Paper Crowns, Holes, and The Westing Game. They aren't all necessarily sunshine and rainbows, but there's familiarity and hope in all of them.

@shastastwin Howl and its sequels will always be comfort books for me (have you read House of Many Ways? he is hilariously disguised in that one too) as well as others by this author.