Glenstorm: How is P&P going? I had a chance to read some more today, which was quite lovely. Of course.

Is it Pride and Prejudice you're reading? . I was just making sure if it's the one because maybe I had the wrong one.

Yes Fanny and I both read it together this past week, but we're done now. Have you read it? It's a great book .

The other day! I thought we were supposed to read it in ten days, which would mean finishing it tommorrow!

So indeed it was. I really must try to stick to schedules better, eh? It's never good to be doing so well I run ahead of things, right?

I love it even better this time around . After, I'm done, I think I'm going to try more Austen, or some other old literature .

Hurrah! Do you have any particular books of this genre in mind that you'd like to read next?

Is it Pride and Prejudice you're reading? . I was just making sure if it's the one because maybe I had the wrong one.

Yes indeed! As Glenstorm said, we were both doing a much needed re-read of the book.

How far are you? And what do you think of Levin's brothers?

Spoiler

*thinks* I'm to the part where all the men are at the elections. Vronsky just finished asserting his male independence over Anna, and Levin...is doing something that I can't remember.
Levin's brothers...hmm. They're about as different from Levin as three brothers can be. I like Sergei Ivanovich quite a bit. Is it odd, though, to think of him as a slightly tragic character? There just seems to be a quiet sadness about his intellectualism and inability to love a woman.
With Nikolai, so much of his character is his sickness rather than a person underneath, it's hard to care about him. His importance seems to be more what he brings out in Levin (and Kitty) than as an actual character.
What do you think? And what's your opinion of Karenin?

I think I'll pick up another McKillip- I really like her writing style. It's very descriptive and flowy, and after I finish reading it, I want to go through to find all the beautiful quotes .

I've never found anything else quite like her writing. Other authors take words and paint a picture of something. And some of them do it extremely well! But she takes words and they become whatever it is she's describing. It's rather like the difference between looking at a chocolate and biting into one.

Bella, re Little Men:

Spoiler

Ah, yes, I do see what you mean; it was definitely a betrayal of the hope we were taught to have in Dan from Little Men. I have to say, though, Nat's relapse bothered me far more than Dan's did. There was at least some foreshadowing for Dan. Nat suddenly deciding to lose all common sense was...random, to say the least.
And about "coquettish", doesn't she use that word quite a bit? I seem to remember it connected to Polly and Rose, at least in the matter of hats.

And thank you for the Grimms book title! I'll have to see if my library has it.

I was/am really disappointed in myself that I hadn't read War and Peace until it was due. I'll make a commitment to finish it over the summer.

War and Peace is rather nervously on my reading list for this summer also. Maybe we can cheer each other on!

I think I'll move 100 Cupboards up quite a bit on my reading list, since so many people are enjoying it.

You could always read Norm's Notes for Vegetables on the Go; I heard that one VeggieTales character (Mr. Lunt, actually) did so with War and Peace and it took him fifteen minutes.

This made me laugh out loud (probably because it took me completely by surprise). And are you recommending an abridged book, Fanny? Tsk, tsk.

About Anne in Persuasion: While I would agree that she's aware of her family's selfishness, I'm not sure that equals self-righteousness. I read her as having made a conscious choice to be selfless and others-focused, and being grieved by her family's shameful behavior. But she wasn't viewing it with a comparing, holier-than-thou attitude.

I finished The Tower at Stony Wood a few nights ago. Excellent, as usual for a McKillip book. Lots of twists and turns in the plot and lovely descriptions.

Oh dear. That is the one McKillip that I do not like, and it doesn't improve on rereading. I wanted to love it; it's a twist on the Lady of Shalott, after all! And the writing is absolutely gorgeous. But there are far too many subplots for any of them to make sense, and then she ends it by telling us that the supposed villain is actually good and Cyan's quest was for nothing and there really is no discernible difference between good and evil anyway.

My question to any of Mr. Shaara's fans who may read this is: Which series or specific novel of his should I read first? Is there a certain work which is a really good starting point, a place from which to really get the feel of his novels?

Firstly, welcome to the Books thread! Do stop by often!
I would definitely recommend you start with Michael Shaara's The Killer Angels, about the battle of Gettysburg. It's a magnificently written, heartbreaking, grittily beautiful novel that brings the battle to such vivid life you're convinced you were there. And it was also Jeff Shaara's inspiration to write his own novels. His first two books, Gods and Generals and The Last Full Measure, were written to complete the trilogy begun with The Killer Angels.
So I would read TKA, and then the other two books. Besides being a good starting point, they're some of Jeff Shaara's best work. Anyways, hope you enjoy whatever you decide!

has anyone read the Diamond Brothers series by Anthony Horowitz? I love that series! it's funny and awesome!

So indeed it was. I really must try to stick to schedules better, eh? It's never good to be doing so well I run ahead of things, right?

yes, I don't know if I'll read a book with you again . Just kidding .

Hurrah! Do you have any particular books of this genre in mind that you'd like to read next?

Well after I finish Sealey Head and TTT, I think I'm going to read either Mansfield Park, Daniel Deronda, Little Dorrit or Jane Eyre .

I've never found anything else quite like her writing. Other authors take words and paint a picture of something. And some of them do it extremely well! But she takes words and they become whatever it is she's describing. It's rather like the difference between looking at a chocolate and biting into one.

that's a very different way of looking at it . I like it . Do you have any reccomendations?

has anyone read the Diamond Brothers series by Anthony Horowitz? I love that series! it's funny and awesome!

I have. They are very fun and very clever. Horowitz' other writing can be kind of low quality, but The Diamond Brothers shows that he has a great talent for puns and is very clever.

Today is my first day of summer and already I'm in the mood to read again!

My first order of business is to reread Mansfield Park. It's my favorite Austen and I haven't read it in about 2 and a half years. I wanted to see if it really is as good as I remember. I'm only a few pages and I must have missed dear Jane because I love every single page and every single word. She's such a wonderful writer.

Well after I finish Sealey Head and TTT, I think I'm going to read either Mansfield Park, Daniel Deronda, Little Dorrit or Jane Eyre .

Join me and read MP! But Jane Eyre is also one of my favorites and all your options are wonderful.

Join me and read MP! But Jane Eyre is also one of my favorites and all your options are wonderful.

we'll see. I still have to finish what I'm reading now and I've been doing more school b/c I'm trying to butter my parents up to let me go to a music festival this fall . But I think I'll probably read that. It's one of the two Austens I have yet to read and I meant to read it before the 20th (which is the end of a spring reading thing I'm doing ).

GTG: Yes I have. Some words were very hard on comprehending, that's the time when my dictionary comes in handy, haha.

^lol . I remember when I first read Oliver Twist I had just started doing a new vocabulary book and almost all the words I learned in the schoolbook were in Twist .

nice! haha. so is Oliver Twist nice?

About Inkheart--I absolutly adore Inkheart and can't believe anyone would find it boring.

Well, I can't believe anyone would dislike the last two Prydain books, so there. As for Inkheart, I didn't find it boring per se, although it could be so at times (remember, I was listening to it on audiobook, which tends to accentuate both the strengths and the flaws of any book's pacing) ... more like repetitive, poorly plotted, and, given the wonderful opening, quite disappoint.

Matette and AJ, I think giving Emma a second try is an excellent idea. While it will never be my favorite Austen, I far preferred it my second time around.

I finished The Tower at Stony Wood a few nights ago. Excellent, as usual for a McKillip book. Lots of twists and turns in the plot and lovely descriptions.

That was my first McKillip. I read it almost exactly two years ago, and I'm afraid I didn't like it ... it seemed too weird and confused to me, although I acknowledged the beauty of the prose (and was intrigued enough to go on to the awesome Riddle-Master trilogy). I've been thinking for some time I need to revisit it - your "review" definitely confirms that impression.

Wow, sweetlilgurlie, you don't like Ever much, do you? I don't either, but I don't think it's quite as bad as you do. Yes, it's strange, but so are all those ancient myths ... and Ever as a book owes much to the world of myth, especially Greek myth. You have to like that sort of thing to have any appreciation of it. The romance was completely ridiculous, but as a whole the story posits an interesting question: would we abandon our faith if we found the universe wasn't quite as we believed it to be? Granted, Lewis considered the question more deeply (and more biblically!) in The Silver Chair and The Last Battle, and really, none of Levine's later output rises to the level of Ella Enchanted, but at least I remember bits of Ever ... which is more than I can say for Fairest.

I love the fact that so many people are reading and enjoying The Bell at Sealey Head (almost wrote Hed ... wrong book, there!). It really is one of the most fantasies I've had the pleasure of reading, and so beautifully written, too. I will have to dig out Mel's and my conversation/debate for the next time I post ... but for right now it's late and I'm going to finish this post!

Finally, here's a short summary of some of the reading I've been doing over the past few months. Linked titles go to reviews on LibraryThing ... some of the other books I will write reviews for eventually; many I'll just leave alone.

# Emma, Mansfield Park, Sense & Sensibility, and Pride & Prejudice by Jane Austen - these were rereads for my Austen class, and I enjoyed all four mightily, probably even more than I did the first time around! That was certainly the case with MP and Emma, neither of which I liked much when first I read them. Now I love them both, especially MP. And there's nothing quite like P&P - I let out a massive sigh of pleasure when I set it down.

# The Castle in the Attic by Elizabeth Winthrop - GREAT young adult/children's fantasy. Winthrop really knows how to create realistic characters and make you believe in them, whether they are inhabiting "our" world or a medieval fantasy realm. The protagonist of this book is freakishly like me.

# Cold Comfort Farm by Stella Gibbons - I'm really glad I took that Austen class, not only because I was able to revisit her books in an academic setting, but also because I was introduced to this wonderful novel. CCF is a satire of the "rural Gothic" novels of the time, most of which were in the spirit of Thomas Hardy. This book had me roaring with laughter. It has some adult subject matter, but aside from that, I recommend it highly.

# The Last Battle by C. S. Lewis - it was wonderful to finally come to the end of my sister's and my journey through the Chronicles, and a little sad as well. I'm surprised I didn't tear up, as I had in various passages of The Magician's Nephew and The Silver Chair, but for me I've come to the point where the conclusion to this book wrests more joy than sadness from me.

# The Jane Austen Book Club by Karen Joy Fowler - as it turned out, there were a few downsides to my Jane Austen class, and this book was one of them. Though it wasn't as fluffy as I expected, the content was quite gratuitous. And I just can't take any book seriously that suggests Jane Austen reading groups have some sort of magical power about them that enables their members to start Rich and Fulfilling Relationships with People of the Opposite Gender. Just ... no.

# Song for the Basilisk by Patricia McKillip - beautifully written, of course. Some great characters, especially Luna Pellior and her sister Damiet (who could easily have become a caricature in a lesser writer's hand). The short trip into Faerieland is a jewel.

# Bridget Jones’ Diary by Helen Fielding - the second downside to my Jane Austen class. This one was rather fluffy, but I liked the writing style and some of the humor. What I didn't like, once again, was the content. My question is, why read this, when you could read P&P?

# Twelfth Night by William Shakespeare - probably my least favorite of the Shakespeare plays I've read. There's some clever wordplay in here, but I couldn't like any of the characters.

# Inkheart by Cornelia Funke - I've posted enough on this thread as to why I found Inkheart disappointing. Briefly, here are the things I did like: the opening chapters, the characters of Elinor and Dustfinger, and a magnificent audiobook reading by the late, great Lynn Redgrave.

# The Battle for the Castle by Elizabeth Winthrop - not quite as good as its predecessor, but still a riveting read, with realistic and well-formed characters. Again, William is so like me that it is quite scary. His relationship with Jason in this book mirrors many of the friendships I had during my preteen years.

# Drinkwater by Otto Scamfer - possibly the worst book I've read in years. This was a self-published offered up as a Member Giveaway on LibraryThing, and I was foolish enough to request it. Although the author appears to be a Christian and I agree with many of his views, he expresses them so terribly that I have trouble aligning myself with them. He treats his character's central problem - alcoholism - in a terribly preachy manner, the plot and characters are utterly cliche, and the prose is unspeakable. The only good thing that came of reading it was the opportunity to write a Very Snarky Review.

# Rapunzel retold and illustrated by Alix Berenzy - a pleasant picture book, but inferior to Paul Zelinsky's retelling.

# The Princess Bride by William Goldman - like most people, I've been watching the movie for years, and I wonder what my reaction to the book would have been if I hadn't. Overall I enjoyed the book for its core story (and the fact that it clears up some of the movie's ambiguities), but it will never stack up to its film adaptation in my opinion. Oh, and if you read it, skip all of the introductory and concluding material - it's superfluous and quite objectionable from a content perspective.

# Fool’s Run by Patricia McKillip - yes, a McKillip science fiction novel! And quite a good one at that. As with almost everything this author writes, there are whole passages suffused with an almost supernatural beauty, and unlike most of the other writers whose books I've been reading recently, there was nothing I could find error with in her prose. Also, until the ending, this is one of McKillip's more straightforward novels, so I would definitely recommend it to fans of either the author or the genre.

# And Then There Were None by Agatha Christie - my second Christie, and a ripping good mystery. Maybe not the coziest or most lovable pieces of fiction out there, but that's not what it's trying to be; on the other hand, it is a splendid mind-game with lots of suspense thrown in there. I do think Christie's a little too fond of her ellipses, and I'm not sure what the reread value would be (again, a little charm goes a long way in terms of reread value ... ), but as one-timer, I would definitely recommend it.

# Ginger Pye by Eleanor Estes - This was one of my childhood favorites, and I am always a little aghast whenever I meet anyone who actively dislikes it (and I've met a few in my time). Some people think the constant flashbacks and back-stories kills the pacing; I think they are a bit much in one or two places, but overall, they make the Pyes seem even more real ... I mean, we are so much more than what we are at any given moment, aren't we? (Hope that made sense!) For a sunny retrospective on family and childhood, it doesn't get much better than Ginger Pye.

*dies*

Wow. Lysander, nice work mate. Were you re-reading The Last Battle or reading it for the first time?

Anyone read the book, lovely bones?

I was rereading it. I'd read most of the books individually since my dad first read them aloud to me all those years ago, but this was the first time I've been through them all since them ... I read them aloud to my little sister, and she very much enjoyed them. (We also read Ginger Pye together recently, and are now on to The Princess and the Goblin. ) LB was one of the ones I hadn't read in a really long time.