220: I just realized I'm so original sometimes.

ww:

Ahh, thank you for that! I never quite thought of that before, but it makes sense now. I really need to do a re-read of Mansfield Park it seems.

I started Lark Rise to Candleford, so far it's been interesting although I haven't hit the main story yet. Right now (about three chapters in), it's still explaining life in Lark Rise, mainly the daily life of the hamlet people, which I find it's actually quite interesting. Although I wouldn't mind if we got to the main stories first. One thing I find particularly interesting is how it's written- it was first published in the 1930s/1940s, but it's actually set at the turn of the century. As such, to me it feels like a look back, reminiscing by the author, who is looking through that time period through the eyes of the then modern world. It may sound not so nice, but it's actually a different, yet still good, view on things... as if the author is older and wiser and in hind sight can see things clearer then when the events actually took place.

ww: Well, let me know what you think when you finally read The Eyre Affair (and yes, I'm well aware that it could be quite a while until that happens. )

The original legend of Tristan and Iseult (or Isolde) has them accidently taking a love potion that makes them fall in love with each other. I'll have to try some more Sutcliff some day, but I do entirely blame Lys for me want to read it. I was looking for a light read it was on his Arthurian legend recommendation list and was happy to see my university library had it.

And thanks for the tips on The Blue Sword. I was having a really hard time getting my brain in the right context for the story.

Ly: I wonder why my 10 year-old self hated the book so much. Maybe I was biased by my jealousy of other people who got to read The Westing Game.

I'll have to wait to answer your question about my reservations about McKinley until I visit the library and pick up the book again. I'm not sure if I so much find her prose bad so much as I don't really find it worthy of praise.

JI Packer is a favorite of my father's. My dad took a class from him at Regent College in Vancouver (The home of one of the best coffee shops in the world).

Cool links Ly! The covers are especially neat. I think the Potter ones are better than the CoN ones, I like the bold style.

Fanny: What are your thoughts on Nicholas as a character?

I found a copy of Stephen Lawhead's Pendragon on my library's free book table. I picked it up even though it's not the first in the series and I haven't read any of them yet. Maybe I'll get to it some day. Has anyone read Lawhead's take on the legend?

Yes, I agree with ww that it really depends on the role you play in your family. The brother right after me is the oldest boy, so he acts like the oldest child. I don't really, except for doing well in school and sometimes nagging the younger siblings. My little brother is and acts like the youngest, and my sister varies between being the youngest girl and acting like a big sister to her younger brother. Personality definitely plays a big role. My sister's personality is more driven than mine, so she often acts more like the older sister than I do.

*quietly echoes* Most people think that my younger sister and I are a) twins, or b) that she's actually older than I, because she's more outwardly confident and driven. Most people are in for a huge shock when they realize that I'm actually the older one.

So that must be why people are starting to think SnowAngel might be older than me? I thought it was just my innocent expression. No, I really should have seen that coming. I'm phlegmatic/melancholy and the two siblings just younger than me both have choleric as their secondary personality. No wonder they don't "fit" the birth order molds very well.

SnowAngel picked up Dream of Freedom by Michael Phillips at the library for me. (I was busy with the winter sewing.) I'm barely into the story at 80-some pages. The prologue was a whopping 57 pages in and of itself! Needless to say, my expectations for the rest of the book are quite high.

~Scarlet

wow I haven't been on here in a while. I've been busy with reading. I've started The Hobbit and like it pretty well so far. I just can't get past Gandalf being a wizard though.

I was actually crying last night when I finished my Robin Hood book- so sad how it ended. It was the best Robin Hood book I've read.

What's wrong with Gandalf?

I just finished reading The Uninvited by Tim Wynne-Jones (I don't think he's related to Diana Wynne-Jones). It was better than I expected it to be. I was thinking it was a cheesy horror-thriller type book, but it was a bit deeper than that. It's about a college student named Mimi who heads into Canada to stay at her father's remote cottage. She finds that someone is already living there and he's being stalked by a someone. They decide to work together to figure out what's going on. It's kind of a twisty book, but I didn't find the twists to be that big of a surprise. There's a lot of language for a YA book and a relationship not discussable on NarniaWeb, so it's probably not for everyone.

Still working on The Prestige (I like the movie better) and I'm starting Abarat, since mar_girl likes it.

I've just finished reading Undine by Friedrich de la Motte Fouqué It's an old German romance about Undine, a water spirit who marries a Knight in order to gain a soul , rather sad how it ended but an interesting story. I found out about it after hearing that George Macdonald had read it, it was written in 1811. I'm not much of a romance reader, actual I think this is my first romance that I've ever read.

Bookwyrm wrote...

What's wrong with Gandalf?

nothing really I just never liked wizards. *shrugs*

*drops into the Books thread for a question and other stuff*

Question- I've heard alot about Ted Dekker's writing, and that it's really good but I've never read it. I'm not sure how many series he's written, the names of them all, or in what order they are all in. What would be the best series to start to read of his, and what are then in order and all? Answers to this would be muchly appreciated.

Also, I'm having a re-read of The Thief and liking it alot. I'm really excited for A Conspiracy of Kings this April!

Aslanisthebest,
It might be best to read some of Ted Dekker's thriller/suspense novels first.
These include The Paradise Trilogy - (Showdown, Saint, Sinner), Thr3e, Blink, Obsessed, Skin, Adam, Boneman's Daughters and House. Also, there's a book called Kiss (which I didn't enjoy much).
If you're new to grittier fiction, Blessed Child would ease you in nicely (there's also a sequel A Man Called Blessed but again, I didn't like that much either, you might), then When Heaven Weeps and Heaven's Wager (I didn't enjoy the book Thunder of Heaven).
There are many sci-fi/fantasy books he's written that are interconnected. The first of these is The Circle Trilogy, comprising of Black, Red and White. Then there's a fourth book - Green. Despite their basic titles, they're very interesting reads. Then there are six Lost Books - Chosen, Infidel, Renegade, Chaos, Lunatic and Elyon.
The Circle Trilogy and Green, The Paradise Trilogy and The Lost Books are all components of one huge, epic story.

The books vary from excellent to great, to very good to merely good. Ted is an amazing storyteller but he's also a fast writer, so some of his novels don't have the strongest writing (nothing like Eragon or anything, so don't worry too much).
If I were you, I'd begin with Thr3e and then read The Circle Trilogy and Green. Then continue as you wish. But they're probably his most accessible and some of his best written novels. Hope this helps.

Says the woman who has 18 of the Brother Cadfael Chronicles but also many other literary addictions

Okay, I might have to forgive you for being well-read. But I read them all in a bunch and so expect for everyone else to as well. It might help to split them up a little, because they can get kind of formulaic after awhile, but reading three to five together would be nice, and it would help in keeping the constant Maud/Stephen plot line straight. Plus, I really want to know your opinions on some of the upcoming books, two of which are favorites, The Leper of Saint Giles and The Virgin in the Ice. I'd also be interested to see what you think about The Sanctuary Sparrow, because I never read that one. The lady who recommended them to me thought I wouldn't be ready for the content of it, which was understandable given my age at the time.

I'm off to read and maybe finish Bel Canto tonight. lys, I think you would like it, if only for the constant and adoring references to opera

I figured.

Kate, I know TBG is a huge Lawhead fan, and my best friend counts the second book in his Arthurian series as one of his favorite books of all time. I've promised him I'd read it, of course.

I've just finished reading Undine by Friedrich de la Motte Fouqué

Oooh, I know the gist of the story and am very interested. Did you read it online, or is there an actual book I can check out?

I just never liked wizards. *shrugs*

Do you object to their literary presence through moral grounds? I understand; I went through that a bit during the Harry Potter craze and the coexistent backlash. If it makes you feel better, the background Tolkien gives for the Istari/"wizards" in The Silmarillion and other works makes them a lot less like real-world wizards than appears at first. Actually, they are emissaries, sent either by Iluvatar or the Valar (can't remember who exactly) to look after Middle-Earth; their power is part of their role, and not really communicable. This despite the trappings of spells and pointy hats.

I posted a review of The Silver Chair on LibraryThing. Now I only have FIVE to catch up on!

*waves hand in the air frantically* I know! I know! Pick me!

The Valar sent the five wizards and each was a lesser angel, a Maia, that followed one of the Valar.

nothing really I just never liked wizards. *shrugs*

I'm with you there...though a friend of mine is always telling me to view Gandalf as an "angel of sorts" rather than an actual "wizard".

The original legend of Tristan and Iseult (or Isolde) has them accidently taking a love potion that makes them fall in love with each other.

Ah, okay. Thanks, that's interesting. The way Sutcliff tells it makes them far more culpable for their actions, doesn't it? Hmm.

I'd be jealous if someone else got to read The Westing Game and I didn't, too!

I think TBG is a big fan of Lawhead. I read some of his fantasy a long time ago and don't remember much from it. I didn't dislike it though, so I've slowly been collecting his books as I see them. They aren't terribly common secondhand, which is probably a good sign.

Tell us how Abarat turns out, Booky. I've been curious about Clive Barker for awhile now!

Undine sounds interesting, 7chronicles! Is this your first post in the Books thread? Welcome

But I read them all in a bunch and so expect for everyone else to as well.

*struggles to live up to lys' expectations*

Just for you, I have added the next Cadfael book, Monk's Hood, to my on-deck reading pile. I have a lot of mysteries in that pile at the moment...

How can you not like Gandalf!? He's one of my favorite literary characters ever. So wise, so selfless, and yet so humorous at times. Being a wizard is like being a scholar, only with cool abilities

I finished Bel Canto yesterday and wrote my review. On the off-chance that any of you decide to read it, do let me know first and I'll warn you of a few issues with the content. I don't want to recommend books to younger readers that are not appropriate or that would make any of you feel uncomfortable!

Next up is probable Sherwood Smith's Wren to the Rescue. It's been "hovering high on my to-read list" for far too long now.

*just jumps in, attempting to ignore the fact that she hasn't been here in.... too many pages*

Kate, a friend of mine recently read The Eyre Affair. She raved about it (and when she told me the detective's name was Thursday Next... well. I wanted to read it too. Sadly, I haven't got the time. ), so I'm guessing it's not bad. However, she didn't really like The Thief, although she did tell me that if she'd found it earlier she might have liked it better. Personally, I think she should go on to QoA, since it's a little more mature in theme and might fit her style better. [/random Attolia musings] (I wonder why everything I post here has to trace back to Attolia? ) So, depending on which Attolia book you liked best, her recommendation may not mean much to you.

Aitb, I know what you mean about not being able to wait for CoK!

Spoiler

I'm so excited about Sophos being alive. I'm also hoping he and Helen get together. I wonder where he was all that time...

As for what I'm reading now... I'm working my way through my reread of LOTR (not that I've touched it since last Monday or anything ) and of course it's as good as it always is. I can't wait to get to Return of the King though! (I'm still in FotR!)

Les Mis was amazing!! (In case whoever asked is still wondering, I didn't read 800 pages in a weekend. Almost 500 pages, yes, but I had a long car ride.) I wasn't expecting it to end the way it did, but it makes sense... I suppose. I still really just over all enjoyed Les Mis and it definitely made the must-buy-someday list!

And that's really all...

lysander wrote

I've just finished reading Undine by Friedrich de la Motte Fouqué

Oooh, I know the gist of the story and am very interested. Did you read it online, or is there an actual book I can check out?

You can buy the book, I think Amazon.com has it. And I know that alibris.com has lots of used books they also sold it. I liked the book overall it wasn't very long but very interesting and for me a good read.