Anyone else hear the news about the new edition of Huckleberry Finn that has all the stuff removed from it that upsets people?

I actually just read that on yahoo. I don't understand why they would want to change such an excellent read. Those words are there for a reason, like the article said- he wasn't endorsing it, he was critiquing it. I have my unedited copy so thankfully I am set there. And not all future printings will be edited for these words. I don't agree with it, but at least the original will still be available.

I just ordered Westmark, A Wizard of Earthsea, and The World's Last Night and Other Essays last night. I was attempting to get all of the Westmark trilogy that we didn't own (my sister already bought The Kestrel last year), but I was unable to find a new paperback copy of The Beggar Queen on either Barnes&Noble or Amazon. Grrrrr. My mother did promise to order it for me when it becomes available. So glad to get the other books, though.
If there's another book before The Edge on the Sword, I would definitely want to read it.
I always hate it when people censor things like that. I found that Jim was actually pretty smart. (Always loved the part where he says no wise man would want 1000 wives.)

Has anyone here read Andrew Peterson's book, On the Edge of the Dark Sea of Darkness?

Yes. It has a sequel titled North! Or Be Eaten. as well. Neither of them is high literature, but if you're mainly looking for a zany read they can be pretty entertaining.

Wait, there's a book before The Edge on the Sword? I... don't think I knew that. EDIT: According to my library, it's a sequel, but that's okay too. They also reminded me of a book called The Legend of Lady Ilena which was interesting because it was told first person, present tense. I liked that one too, but it seemed to be fiction for fiction's sake rather than historical fiction that gives one a picture of the period or the major events in that area and time. In fact, I can't really tell you when Legend of Lady Ilena is supposed to take place.

*does a quick check* There's a Sword Song by Bernard Cornwell that seems to be set in that time period. Sutcliff's Sword Song (which I seem to have mixed up in my head with The Shield Ring) focuses more on the Vikings.

Has anyone here read Andrew Peterson's book, On the Edge of the Dark Sea of Darkness?

I've read that one and its sequel. I enjoyed them both. There were places in the second one where the idea was more interesting than the execution, but I'm looking forward to what happens next. (Also, Peet the Sockman is on my favourite characters list. )

I'm half way through reading a book called "Dragon Slippers" by Jessica Day George and it's awesome! way better than I expected!

Oh, I love that book, Libby. Jessica Day George is a great author. I love her work. What I've read is so fairy-taleish, but she makes it her own, too.

Can I redeem that credit for books at participating thrift stores, Wisewoman?

Definitely! Just tell them wisewoman sent you and they'll be sure to give you a free book

I get what you're saying about the Cupboards books being confusing. I could follow it, but there was so much technical description of how the cupboards worked and how they figured it out that I got a little floundered. I do plan to continue with the series, though I don't own Dandelion Fire yet. I do, however, have a copy of Leepike Ridge.

Oh yes, Wilson is writing the screenplay for The Great Divorce, thanks Mel! I have a reasonable amount of faith in his abilities after reading 100 Cupboards. It was fun to see the nods to Narnia in it

I recently started and dropped a Lawhead book, Byzantium. I had read some Lawhead as a teen and just wasn't impressed, but after hearing people rave about him over at LibraryThing I decided to give him another try. I think I had read Taliesin and considered it forgettable. I should have just stood by my first impressions; they were right. There is just something about his writing that I can't abide.

And as for the sexual content of his books, I can't speak about any besides the one I just finished, but there were some fairly graphic descriptions. Probably very realistic for the period, and not as bad as it could have been, but it still presented a very clear picture in my mind that I found hard to get rid of. I'm not a prude and I can handle some content of that kind (depending on how it's done). But I think we are very sinful and weak people, and something doesn't have to be inherently sinful for it to be the occasion for us to sin. It doesn't cause us to sin — we choose to and it is our own selfish desires that drag us away — but it can provide the opportunity for temptation. For each of us, we have to determine what tempts us to sin and deal radically with it (if-your-eye-causes-you-to-sin-pluck-it-out kind of radical). The standard never changes, but people struggle in different ways.

*is not surprised that so many Sutcliff books are MIA*

Valia, I'm so excited you are reading When People Are Big and God is Small! What are your impressions so far?

Ooh, enjoy your books, flam! Especially The Princess Bride (though I would strongly advise you to just skip the intro; I found it meanspirited even if it was completely fabricated).

Nioniel, you're on BM? How did I not know this? *tracks Nioniel down on BM and friends her*

I always wanted to read Paradise Lost, but I've read some people say that it portrays the Devil in a positive light? Is this true, or is it just a matter of option?

There is definitely an element of that, but it's not so cut and dry. From my review:

Paradise Lost is a classic in that it continues to spark controversy among academics to this day, with multiple interpretations hotly debated. Much has been made of William Blake's view, that Milton is "of the Devil's party without knowing it," that he unconsciously admires Satan and portrays him as a sympathetic character. I think this is a valid reading, as the story begins with Satan and spends a lot of time with him. He is evil and heartless and depraved, but there is something grand in his tragic defiance, something oddly powerful. I felt that pull, too.

There is another school of thought that argues that Milton's seemingly heroic depiction of Satan is deliberate, as a mirror to the attraction Satan naturally has for sinful humans. This theory holds that when we are drawn to Milton's Satan, we are displaying our human tendency to be deceived. This is probably where I come down, because of my background. We filter everything through our presuppositions. Milton may very well have been an unconscious admirer of Satan's grand rebellion, but for me this confirms that part of us that always wants to rebel. Our art is not free of it — and Satan would not be nearly so effective if he wasn't wily and beautiful (and not just to Adam and Eve). Naturally the notion that Satan is deceptively attractive to us because we are easily deceived isn't popular among non-Christians. I can understand why many readers embrace the idea that Satan is the real hero of the poem; there's evidence for it, definitely. But I see textual support for the other view as well, and where you fall (ha) is dependent on your personal theology.

Adeona, thanks for the info on The Eagle. I have reservations about it but I am still holding out hope that the trailer overdramatized certain things to make it seem more exciting. I wonder if they will adapt more Sutcliff books into films if this one does well?

Yes, I read City of God in its entirety. Here is my review. You can skip all my comments and go right to the quotes I included (not surprisingly, Augustine's words are the best part of the review ). You are so sweet to congratulate me, thank you! It did take almost two months but I did it. I felt about ten times smarter when I finished it

In two months?! Even more amazing.

I think the reason I confused Edge on the Sword and Far Traveler was that I actually found Far Traveler first (when searching for a book of the same name, a non-fiction on vikings. Quite interesting). It sounded good, and I saw that it was a sequel, so I ended up reading the first one first but not having it in my head as the first. If that makes sense!

*Tiptoes in*

*tries to remember her readings over 2010*

I think some of my favorites were... (or simply the best things I read)

...The Gallagher Girls series

Ooh, I love those books! They're so funny, and well written! Normally, I'm not a huge fan of the whole teenage romance plot, but I thought it was good, and not overly-what's the word I'm looking for?-I hesitate to say "Twilight-ish", but that really is the sort of teenage romance that I despise. And to top it off, Alley Carter is from the same region as me! Did you have a favorite character? Favorite book?

So is anyone else going to read A Tale of Two Cities ? I'm reading the intro but I will read the book soon, I hope!

Lu

I got the entire Little House series by Laura Ingalls Wilder, The Princess Bride (which I have not read), The Fellowship of the Ring, Stepping Heavenward, Prince Caspian, and Runaway Ralph (gotta love Beverly Cleary books! ). Me is happy!

Nice finds! I believe I've read all but Stepping Heavenward. I have to echo ww, though, and say don't read the intro to The Princess Bride. It pretty much ruined the entire book for me.

My goals this year: one, to read at least two books I already have for each book I buy. . . . Two, to not read quite so much fantasy (in comparison with my reading in general). Three, to diminish my to-read pile by a good number.

Ooh. Those are all extremely good goals. I don't do much book buying outside of library booksales, but still, I could benefit no doubt from that goal. Actually, all of those goals would be good for me.

Well, Adeona, that would explain why there are very few Sutcliff books around. I guess I shall just have to keep an eye out at library booksales and hope that someone didn't like them so much.

HelloHurricane, I haven't read On the Edge of the Dark Sea of Darkness but some of my sisters and friends have, and they've all reported it (and the sequel) are fun.

Glad you're enjoying Dragon Slippers, Liberty! It's a pretty fun book.

Valia, I'm so excited you are reading When People Are Big and God is Small! What are your impressions so far?

I knew you'd be excited, ww, which was the main reason I mentioned it. I'm liking it so far; he has touched on a number of things I think about/struggle with, so that's been nice/useful. I'm still pretty early on, though, but I think I shall enjoy it.
And I'm glad that you are not surprised at the missing Sutcliff books. I have to admit I've never had a huge, em, regard/impression for my fellow classmates' reading tastes, so I was surprised about some of the Sutcliff books being checked out and then gone. I am still more inclined to think the missing books due to an inefficient library system than good taste, though.

I haven't read A Tale of Two Cities, Lucy of Narnia, but I've heard good things about it.

I finished Vets Might Fly and also read Vet in a Spin. I knew I'd liked Herriot, but I'd forgotten how great he was. Most of the stories are down-right hilarious, and the few that aren't are usually pretty bitter-sweet/thought-provoking. There is a bit of language and gore and such, but I mainly didn't have too much of a problem with it.

I've only got a few papers left for my intersession, so I'm trying to figure out what to read now. They'll probably reach me kind of late, but any suggestions?

Still reading The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe. I'm loving it, although some essays are really frustrating - one that derides Lewis as extremely sexist and promoting war as good (um) and the other saying that Aslan is standoff-ish like the Christian God (nice). The rest of the essays so far though are great.

I have another Narnia essay book, called Through the Wardrobe: Your Favorite Authors on C.S. Lewis' Chronicles of Narnia, edited by Herbie Brennan. I encourage you to check it out. There were only a few things that bugged me (statements about some of the books being overly heavy-handed on their message, an essay that seemed to say Lewis was racist, and a statement or two by people who preferred the mythological elements to the religious elements.) Otherwise it was great, with essays on everything from food to female characters (which essay said that he was not sexist. Whee!) to growing up to mythical elements. Very nice overall.

Thanks for the recommendation. I checked my local library and they have the book on order but it hasn't been published in Australia yet.
I've always wondered about the role of editors who compile academic-type essays into a book. What do they actually do that is so important for them to receive top-creditals on the front cover? Someone please explain that one to me.

I knew you'd be excited, ww, which was the main reason I mentioned it. I'm liking it so far; he has touched on a number of things I think about/struggle with, so that's been nice/useful. I'm still pretty early on, though, but I think I shall enjoy it.

Ah, I'm so predictable . I'm so glad you are enjoying it! Wait till you hit chapters 7–9, especially 8. Maybe these concepts won't be new to you, but they were eye opening for me, truly transforming. Secular psychology is not neutral or benign; it is incredibly dangerous because it is rooted in an unbiblical view of man. I never realized how many worldly assumptions and presuppositions I had picked up until I read this book.

I have been thinking about rereading some of Herriot's books myself lately. He is just so wholesomely fun! I used to read him in college as an antidote to all the depressing and pretentious "literature" they made us English majors read.

You're looking for suggestions, Valia? What options do you have close at hand?