I love the Jane Eyre with a touch of Becky sharp bit! And you mentioned Topaz twice. Not that she doesn't deserve it or anything

I've just started Men at Arms and Hogfather this evening, and I plan to start Going Postal tomorrow.

Lady Haleth, I'm glad you also enjoy the Herriot books!
Out of the Alexander books you listed, I've only read The Marvelous Misadventures of Sebastian, but I rather liked it.
I think I've also read Men at Arms but I can't quite remember. With Pratchet, I found him absolutely hilarious, but always had to try to figure out how much was too much with the innuendo and I haven't read any in a while.
I read Beowulf years ago for school, and remember liking it also. What translation do you have?

Glad you have some reading material with you this week, DiGs!
And I'm pleased that your re-read of The Mixed Up Files was enjoyable. Though I didn't love it like Val did, I do remember reading it several times and rather liking it. There's just something so cool about running away and living in a museum---it sounds like it would be so much fun to try.

You're welcome, 7chronicles. Ooh, the Arabian Nights sounds lovely!

I did like The Club of Queer Trades, Orious. I still prefer The Man Who Was Thursday over it, but it was good. I believe my local public library is rather lacking in Chesterton (yep, just checked and they have two books and a few anthologies with short stories or essays by them), so, yeah. It just happens that the university library has probably a dozen Chesterton, so I'm pretty fortunate that way. Aww, that's lovely that you're getting the book soon! I hope you like it, too.
And enjoy Les Mis. What translation do you have?

lys, you only read Winter Rose this year? That means I read a McKillip before you did!

stwin, I'd probably have to agree with you on Belle. My very short thoughts on it two summers ago were "Sappy and unoriginal". I do have to say, though, that I remember reading at least one fairy tale collection with the tales in at least a semi-original condition and it described Beauty as a bookish person. I don't remember how close that is to the very original story, but it wasn't an entirely modern invention then.

Val, I Capture the Castle is one of those coming-of-age stories, isn't it?

I am done with the Poe stories I was reading; I can definitely see why The Rue Morgue Murders is considered the first modern detective story and the inspiration/precursor to Sherlock Holmes. Just like with a number of Holmes stories, the solution came pretty much out of nowhere. I also finished The Club of Queer Trades and found it rather enjoyable, though not my favourite Chesterton. I think my favourite trades were I'm currently reading Manalive---it's very peculiar. I think Michael Moon is some sort of identical twin, separated at birth, to Basil Grant, though; they said almost the exact same thing with regard to legal justice vs. social/familial justice. The same themes seem to run through the books. Also, Smith seems pretty much to be mad for madness sake; I'm not sure if there's going to be some grand scheme below it all or if that is exactly what it looks like. I think I like Inglewood, though, and we shall just have to see how it goes.
Oh, and I'm also re-reading The Perilous Gard.

O, Pioneers! by Willa Cather

Oooh, Cather. O, Pioneers! is definitely on my reading list now, as I read A Lost Lady recently and quite enjoyed the writing style. Have you read any of her other books?

Shanra, lys? !

I read My Ántonia last year and loved it. I definitely feel a place for Willa Cather in my favourite authors list is possible, I just need to get my hands on more of her work. I'm hoping to read either The Song of the Lark (completing the prairie trilogy also including O, Pioneers! and My Ántonia) or The Professor's House, which I keep having recommended to me.

I've never heard a mention of Cather on NarniaWeb, I really think she'd go down well with a lot of the people here.

I've read O Pioneers! and My Antonia. I liked O Pioneers! best.
i'm reading the Seamus-Heany translation of Beowulf. Its different from the translation I had at home (I can't remember what that one was), but I like it.

i'm reading the Seamus-Heany translation of Beowulf. Its different from the translation I had at home (I can't remember what that one was), but I like it.

I once had a professor of Medieval English that told me that when that particular translation came out, it even outstold a recently released Harry Potter book for a while. I was shocked that a medieval book still had that much pull, but it did.

I've been meaning to do a reread of Beowulf for years now. . . just haven't had the time

lys,

Belle is the Cameron Dokey retelling, yes. And I have read Beauty. That's probably my favorite retelling of the tale in print.

lys, you only read Winter Rose this year? That means I read a McKillip before you did!

Yes, you did. That and Winter Rose. Actually, I think you've read a few of her early works that I have yet to find (The Night Gift and/or The House on Parchment Street?). I'm sort of making my way slowly through her oeuvre -- I don't want to gobble all her books up and then have nothing to look forward to! (Nothing to look forward to other than rereads, that is. ) And I am very glad I didn't read Winter Rose until this year -- it's one of her more confusing and advanced titles, and I'm not sure I would have liked it if I read it early on in my McKillip fandom. Now, I love it. I'll have to read it again eventually. It's my favorite of her standalones so far, after The Bell at Sealey Head.

And yes, I Capture the Castle is definitely a coming-of-age story. I even created the tag "bildungsroman" for it on LibraryThing.

*will have to check his copies of the de Villeneuve and de Beaumont tellings of Beauty and the Beast to see if they mention Beauty being a bookworm*

Shanra, lys? !

Oh gosh, I don't know where that came from. My mind is obviously going.

I quite agree with you on Cather. There's not a terrible lot of American lit that gets read and enjoyed around here, but I feel like Cather's style would "fit" the reading tastes of the NWeb community better than, say, Hemingway or Faulkner. Her prose is simple and direct without being terse, and surprisingly effective, too. I would recommend A Lost Lady to you, but the plot wasn't my favorite and my grandmother said she didn't like it half so well as O Pioneers! and My Ántonia. It is worth reading at some point, I think, partially because it is so short -- basically a novella.

I'm actually wanting to reread The Dark is Rising now as a result of the discussion on here -- something I never expected to happen!

*writes down all the I Capture the Castle quotes and is almost, but not quite, convinced to read the book* I want to like it, but I'm terrified that I'll end up in the not-liking it camp. So... I put it off.

I've now read Leviathan and I've got the next one on reserve. I heartily agree with everyone who recommended the illustrations. They're lovely! As for the book itself, it was a light, fluffy, fast, read; shades of Temeraire and The Lady's Guardian.

I followed it with a re-read (? I can't remember which I read and which I didn't) of Mandie and the Mysterious Bells. I now remember why I didn't think much of the series. The mystery is solved entirely by dumb luck, and the townspeople are easily swayed by anybody who comes along.

EDIT: I read Winter Rose a little while back and I wasn't confused. It seemed quite straightforward in its way, which is to say that it takes awhile to grasp all the strands but once you've got them they end up neatly woven together. A nice contrast to the one I read before that, which was Fool's Run. That one has several very large plot threads just kind of dangling at the end.

Still reading the Discworld books mentioned earlier. I think my favorite so far is Men at Arms.

I hope you like Going Postal a lot too! That is a very interesting read! If you have any clues on this once you read the book you must be sure to post them.

Spoiler

Any clues on the main character whathisname's "death." Did he die when he was hanged? Did he survive? Was this his reincarnation?

I'm still reading Men at Arms.

So I caved in. I bought Mockingjay on my Kindle instead of waiting for the library.
I've just finished Part one... oh my goodness. O.O I want to go on, but I can't, because I read all the spoilers and know what happens to my favorite characters. I feel like I can't stand it.
...except I will. After typing this, I'll probably have to get the Kindle and read on. So much for indecision. . . I can never hold out when it comes to books.

Still reading Hogfather.

Spoiler

The picture of Death in a red robe with a fake beard is a very strange one

I use graphics of what you put in spoiler boxes most Christmases, Lady Haleth, and without fail I get at least one PM demanding to know why I'm using that freaky looking thing.

I found out yesterday while textbook shopping that Jonathan Stroud wrote a new Bartimaeus book! It's a prequel to the trilogy, set in the days of King Solomon.