I'm re-reading the last volume of the epic sci-fi/fantasy/adventure manga, Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind by Hayao Miyazaki.

Next I'm probably going to read Paris in the Twentieth Century by Jules Verne. It's a look at the world (particularly Paris) in the 1960's. But get this - the story was written in 1863! Was this man a visionary or what? It should be an interesting read.

Bella, yes it's really supposed to be that thick.

I'm glad to hear you liked Little Men! My sister read it aloud to us, that and Jo's Boys. I liked Little Men better.

I hope you enjoy Blessed Child. It's one of my all-time favorite books and my favorite Ted Dekker book.

P.S."Brooklyn!"

I'm guessing you don't like thriller/suspense novels much then? Blessed Child is quite good but I found it a little preachy at times. It's good that you enjoy it so much though.

Oh I do like thriller/suspense novels a lot. Thr3e was the first Ted Dekker book I read and I was completely floored by it. It was the best book I had read in a long, long time. I have since read Adam, Kiss, Skin, and all of the Lost Books series. And I liked each and every one of them. But Blessed Child kinda spoke to me in a different way. It actually got me more interested in reading my Bible, gave me a longing to be closer to God. So yeah, it's special to me in that way (cheesy as it may sound ).

P.S."Brooklyn!"

Doesn't sound cheesy at all, that's very good. You should read the Circle Quartet - Black, Red, White, Green. They're very good and portray God in an amazing way (sort of like what Lewis did with Aslan).

I would like to read some Dekker or Peretti but my mom doesn't like the idea of Christian Horror/Thriller stories.

Why not? They're probably the genre most suited to exploring Christian themes and ideas, other than Fantasy of course. Maybe you'll just have to wait until you're older then.

yeah, probably. I think she also doesn't want me to read them b/c when I was younger (well like up until a couple of years ago) I was obsessed with horror stories (Christian or not) and loved to terrify myself, and my mom awas afraid I would get in to some really bad occult or something so she banned me from anything scary, even just sleepover stories or whatever. So I think she just doesn't want me to get back in to that. That's probably why she doesn't like me to listen to metal either.

@7Chronicles Very cool! Did you like the movie? I'm planning on seeing it soon, after I finish my re-read.

That's cool you also do an annual re-read, gazer. I was thinking about reading it earlier because of the movie, but I'm always determined to not think about Christmas until after Thanksgiving. Like I said above, I hope to see it after I finish my re-read.

Tell me how you like 'A Christmas Carol', Bella. And yay for more Austen books! I'm also re-reading 'Emma' now and I'm almost finished, actually. 'Mansfield Park' is the only Austen novel I have yet to read. I'm asking for 'Les Misérables' for Christmas, even though I haven't read it yet. So it looks like we'll be reading the same novels in about the same time period.

'm currently wrapping up Randy Alcorn's Safely Home, which is a sort of 'spiritual thriller' in the vein of Frank Peretti's Darkness books.

Hmm, I've never heard of that one, but it sounds good. Peretti's 'This Present Darkness' is one of my favorite books, so it sounds like I might enjoy that one.

I finished the latest Skullduggery Pleasant book, The Faceless Ones, tonight. This time, Valkyrie and Skullduggery have to avert a plot to bring back the Faceless Ones, which are basically the same thing as the Elder Gods. The book is not brilliantly original, but the characters and dialogue are a lot of fun. Reminds me a bit of Artemis Fowl, but not quite as humor-focused. Next I'm starting The Fourth Bear by Jasper Fforde.

The earthly setting of Safely Home is in China; it seeks to educate Westerners about the plight of the persecuted church. I've finished it now and Peretti does seem to be the closest parallel that comes to mind.

Alcorn's book has several references to Lewis' writing, and Narnia in particular. The term "Shadowlands" is used to describe this earth, and the Lion of Judah is said to be "not tame and not safe," and at one point a character quotes Hwin's line from HHB ("I would rather be eaten by him than fed by anyone else").

@pogginfan I liked the movie very much, and I found myself catching some dialogue from the book, which made me glad that I had read it before seeing it. For me personally, I think it was the best 3-D film I have seen yet , though Avatar may change that after I see that.

I'm going to read A Christmas Carol on Christmas Eve. It's a tradition for me.

So I've just piled a load of books (or it seems so that it's that much) on myself, and I guess I'll give my opinons on them when I'm done. (Reading each for the first time...)

1. Emma by Jane Austen
2. Mansfield Park by Jane Austen
3. Les Misérables by Victor Hugo (Is it really supposed to be that thick, or did I just get an unusually large version of the book? )

WOW. That is seriously… all three at once? Along with American Journalism?? And here I thought I was being all longhair because I was reading The Problem of Pain over winter break. lol
Actually, it's kind of slow going, maybe because it's not a story and so I don't feel that narrative pull to keep reading. So maybe I'll pick up Wintersmith or something? That should be easy enough. Just so that I'll HAVE to keep reading in order to figure out what's happening, and then that will put me in the mood to read.

No books links this time... Although I did find some about book-related movies. Do we still have a movies thread?

I am not a huge fan of Frank Peretti.....I don't like his style......

has anyone else read A Series Of Unfortunate Events by Lemony Snicket? those books are SO sad!

I thought they were funny, actually. I don't think sad is what Lemony Snicket was going for. Dark humor, definitely. I kept up with the series until it hit the double digits and the same exact things were still happening and there was no sign of a resolution in sight. I think the same story could have been told in half the books if the editors had been a bit more ruthless.