I really liked most of the Edward Eager books (except for the two about the kids and the well, those were boring). Because they think they know all about magic, but they don't. As for Nesbit, I liked The Magic City, but I'm getting rather bored with The Enchanted Castle. The only really good part so far is

Oh, and I started The Iron Ring last night. Hashkat is so funny!

Currently I'm still reading the Winston Churchill WWI book, and still enjoying it, of course. It's not as indepth as his WWII series, however I think this is because it is the condensed version and not the six volume WWI set he wrote. I would dearly like to get my hands on that series, though... twould be very very good reading, of that I'm sure.

This. I liked the ending itself, but not as an ending to the story told in the rest of the book. If that makes sense. I like your list. I think I shall have to read something by Churchill. Every time you mention what you're reading by or about him it's like, "Oh! Interesting!"

I know what you mean!

If you ever do read any books by/on Churchill, do let me know! So far the ones I've read have been most enjoyable.

I'll be interested to hear your thoughts on that. Just be aware before starting that most scholars view it as fairly inaccurate, and a huge part of the public perception of Jane as some dowdy, innocent old lady. There is supposed to be some interesting family lore in there, though.

And I thought that it was the accurate one. Ah well. I'll probably still read it, and I'll be sure to share when I've finished it. Thanks for the heads up on that... there is a more accurate Jane Austen biography out there, is there not?

By the way, I've been meaning to ask, what was it exactly that bothered you about Dombey and Son?

I didn't like some of the subjects that Dickens chose to satirize and, in essence, scorn, in this particular novel. There was some of his ways of thinking with which I disagreed, and also some times when he appeared to only mock & point out the flaws of the Victorian Upper Classes, and the Victorian traditions & society, and never mentioned the good that the Victorian Upper Classes and society was doing. I felt that that was a rather unbalanced view of things. That's pretty much what I didn't like about it- other than that I enjoyed it quite a bit. I think it is one of my favourite Dickens, along with Little Dorrit, despite what I didn't exactly like about it.

There are plenty other books I'm reading, but I don't want to list each one. I think I got burnt-out on this thread before, trying to respond to each post and give every detail of my current reads. I don't want to disappear like that again, so I'm not going to give myself extra stress keeping up here. We'll see how it goes!

Of course we don't want you to get burnt out again! Just pop by when you can.

Little Dorrit was also excellent (unreservedly so). I loved the characters (Even the minor ones! Dickens gives each of them a little quirk to make them their own person and I love it!) and the way the story kept referring to prisons, whether it was the Marshalsea, or Mrs. Clennam, or other little obscure references, was a really neat detail. I might not have noticed it had my copy not had the little blurb on the back calling it a masterful look at the psychology and such of imprisonment, but it was cool all the same. What other Dickens (or books in general) should I put on my list to read?

*is happy that Maddy liked Little Dorrit* What Dickens have you read? I would suggest Our Mutual Friend as one, if you haven't read it yet.

Not having read this book, I'm not sure what kind of "Darcy Potential" this book is thinking of, but it better not involve a lot of his early-book dealings, full of insults, miscommunications, bad assumptions, and overall bad socializations. I mean, here I thought part of the book's theme was changing oneself to become better people...

Ah, too true, too true. I looked at the book a while ago, but I never bought it... Obviously I don't want to pass judgment on it without reading it either, but I'm somewhat glad I didn't spend my money on it. True, to some extent Mr. Darcy was misunderstood, but he too had real faults- many of the actions that you mentioned above stemmed from pride, not just being introverted or quiet.

The Dragon's Son by Sarah Thompson ...this has the best retelling of Owain's romance EVER in it.

Is this the guy who had to go find a cauldron, or is this the guy who married Enid and then dragged her around the country and wouldn't speak to her even though she saved his life x times? *marks the title down*

Do you think Beggar Queen is weak in terms of story and development, or just a lone violin when it should be a crashing crescendo?

*is afraid she doesn't remember the answer to LL's Ombria in Shadow question either*

the children struck me as being astoundingly well-read.

They did have slightly less to choose from, and the differentiation between 'big kids/little kids books' didn't really take hold until about mid-century. [citation needed ] So I wouldn't write it off as being wholly impossible. I actually had more patience with the classics when I was 9-12 than I do now...

I think some people complained about the similarities to The Thief when they read CoK as part of a re-read, and they had the other two volumes as a buffer. So, no, I wouldn't read TT and then CoK until you've read CoK for the first time. (I didn't do any re-reads at all, actually...)

I like that quote! (And the Hark! A Vagrant comics. I bet you're surprised. )

Apparently, July is 'Read Christian fiction month' and there will be voting in August for the Clive Staples Award. You have to have read at least two of the nominees to vote. I really liked R. J. Anderson's book, so I'm going to nab one or two of the others so I can vote for her. (So planneth I!)

Honestly, Mel, it's been so long since I read The Beggar Queen that I don't really know why I didn't like it as much as the other two. It wasn't "weak" really, just not my favorite.

The Owain I'm speaking of may have appeared in the cauldron story too. He shows up throughout Welsh legend, having been based on a real historical figure, Owain the son of Urien. Like most historical figures of the time, he eventually became tacked on to the Arthurian legend as a cousin of Gawain and a son (true, step-, or adopted - it all depends on the telling) of Morgana le Fay. This particular story is the one where he romances the widow of a man he had killed, then leaves her to engage in Knightly Questing, only to remember that he has left her pining for him, and returns to beg her forgiveness. In The Dragon's Son the story is told from the point of view of the widow's maid, Luned. (The knight who drags his wife around the countryside is Erec or Geraint - again, depnding on the the telling).

Oh, so this is the one that's retold in The Knight and the Lion ( ) and The Lioness and Her Knight...

Geraint, yes. I can never remember his name, and wasn't sure if it could have been Owain in an alternate spelling or not.

WOW I haven’t posted since page 57 back in March!!!!!!!!!!!
I was on a role with my reading. I was reading one chapter a night and then I suddenly got so busy that I hadn’t been able to read for the past three months!!!!!
I had only five chapters of the Iliad back in March and I finally finished it two days ago!!!!!!!
I liked the Iliad, it’s funny because as I was reading the ending I was so confused because I thought

Two days ago I bought three books.

1. Temeraire: Tongues of Serpents: I LOVE TEMERAIRE , I think it’s safe for me to say that it is easily my third favorite book series after The Chronicles of Narnia, and The Lord of the Rings, I LOVE IT!
I have been waiting two years for Tongues of Serpents which is Book six of what is rumored to be a nine book series! I’m going to start reading it as soon as possible!

2. The Aeniad: After finding out that

3. Metamorphosis: I’ve been wanting to read the original source of all my favorite Greek Myths! I think it will be fun to actually get to read from the actual source.

Hopefully my reading will not be interrupted for another three months this time!

I'm rereading The Lord of the Rings, and have just finished the Fords of Bruinen. Best ever, after Narnia. Also reading The Iron Ring, and liking it a lot. And rereading Lewis' The Four Loves, which I highly recommend. And of course, still rereading Till We Have Faces for the reading group.

I feel like every post is a catch up post these days. I should do what my mother calls "keeping short accounts."

Thank you to Lady Haleth, Lys, and others for all the feedback on Prydain. I won't be taking the subsequent books off the list, but they won't really be a priority.

Ly: I've been exploring praying scripture recently, is that Beth Moore book worth looking into?

Also, about Cold Comfort Farm, I must credit you with a marvelous recommendation. I loved it. It's a very odd little book, somewhat anachronistic and full of elements that you don't usually see together. Gibbons is a master at nonchalantly saying surprising things. I had to reread several times the introduction of Mary's collection. Flora is a lovely character. Gibbons' prose is also marvelous, though at times I did wonder if she was trying a bit too hard with all the synesthesia. I'm not sure I really "got" everything in the book, but I still really really liked it.

Fanny: I see you purchased a Richard Peck title. I loved A Long Way from Chicago and its sequel. Have you read the new one yet? I'd like to know how it is.

~LL~: What great books you've been reading! I loved Ella (probably read it 5 times) and Beauty and liked The Perilous Gard, though perhaps not as much as others here. I'd like to read Cotillion this summer. I'm a bit confused by Heyer. She writes historical fiction in the vein of Austen? When was she writing?

I'm about halfway done with The Once and Future King. I finished The Sword in the Stone and I'm almost done with the second part. I really loved SitS. I thought it was darling, charming, and such a fun telling of Arthur's childhood. There were lots of anachronisms, of course, and the whole "Norman lord" thing is very historically incorrect--but I think that's a fault of the myth rather than this particular retelling. The meeting of the Wart and Robin Hood is, of course, rather self-indulgent. The idea of England's two most famous and legendary heroes together at once is rather tempting, I guess. It was also a tad bit preachy in parts (from Merlyn and the animals), but nothing too distasteful. There were parts that were laugh-out-loud funny, like Pellinore's reprimand of Robin "Wood":

stop leaning on your bow with that look of negligent woodcraft!

The Queen of Air and Darkness is a whole different matter. It lacks cohesion and purpose. (What, pray, is the purpose of Grummore and Palomides dressing up like the Questing Beast?) I'm not quite finished with it yet, but the "G" children are cute, the knights ridiculous, Merlyn & Arthur are busy learning their lessons about war, and Morgause is hardly very interesting. There hasn't been any content that has been objectional yet (besides "setting her cap), but I was under the impression that any content would be the fault of the legend and not White. (Is this where the joke, "Go roast a squirrel!" comes from?)

the children struck me as being astoundingly well-read.

I've noticed this in books. Junior highers reading Plato for fun? Adoring Shakespeare? To be honest, they are often better read than I am at this stage (halfway through my literature degree). Were children ever really like that? I sincerely doubt it. On another note, I just picked up The Penderwicks to read to my 11 year old sister. I started it, but liked it too much to read it on my own. It will be good for "bonding." Also, the Watson video is funny. Jam!

The Enchanted Castle has picked up again. I'm almost done. The only other Nesbit book I've read is The Magic City, which was pretty good.
As for The Once and Future King, I think The Sword in the Stone was the best part. I loved all those adventures.

is that Beth Moore book worth looking into?

I think so. The focus is on "breaking free from spiritual strongholds," which may sound like a far-out idea, but really isn't. Still, it may or may not be exactly what you're looking for. I suggest you read about it here.

I know what you mean about missing certain things in Cold Comfort Farm. I didn't as much with that book, since I read it in a class and had a prof to help guide me along, but I'm reading another comedy/satire from the same period right now (The Brontes go the Woolworth's) and having a hard time understanding it.

Heyer wrote from 1921-1974. In that sense, she was writing historical fiction (when she was writing her Regency romances - she also wrote contemporary mysteries), whereas Austen was writing contemporary novels. But she was a meticulous researcher and apparently had a whole library devoted to the period.

Just finished rereading The Lightning Thief this morning. I had forgotten how much I loved that book- the sarcasm is so awesome .

Ok so from now until August 15 I have no Mami Picks . (for those of you that don't know, my mom makes me read a book of her choice every three books I read, and they're called Mami picks ). So I decided I'm going to reread the Percy Jackson series, read Silas Marner, Mansfield Park, and another McKillip. I'll try to read more too if I have enough time. So, what McKillip should I read? It will be my second .

Finished The Kestrel. Its still not my favorite, but I get it better now.

As for the change in tone--Prydain did the same thing. The first was fairly funny, the second got deeper and darker, the third got more romantic, the fourth changed to dark internal conflict, and the last was lovely but very sad. Its strange how many of my favorite books have sad endings.
I'm also waiting for my sister to finish the copy of The Lightning Thief that she borrowed from my cousin. I want to read it because a lot of it sounds hilarious.

Hmmm, what have I been reading lately?

Girl with the Dragon Tatto by Stieg Larrson. We'll just say this book was really disappointing and leave it at that. It definitely was NOT what I was expecting.

The O'Malley Series by Dee Henderson. Not groundbreaking books, or particularly amazing, but I loved these books because I actually loved the characters. The plots had a few holes, but overall quite good.

A Walk to Remember by Nicholas Sparks. I've been planning to read this book for forever and never got around to it. Unfortunately I guessed the ending by the first 20 pages or so, so it didn't have quite the emotional impact.

Our Mutual Friend by Dickens. I need to stop reading this book. I've read it way too many times. But I love it. It's my favorite Dickens book ever. I still laugh my head off reading the whole argument scene with Bradley Headstone and Eugene. Classic.

The Enchanted Castle has picked up again. I'm almost done. The only other Nesbit book I've read is The Magic City, which was pretty good.
As for The Once and Future King, I think The Sword in the Stone was the best part. I loved all those adventures.

I've always loved E. Nesbit's books. They're great children's books. I've been making my little sister read them.

Romeo and Juliet sounds exciting.... . I hope all of you have good feedbacks about it.

Still reading The Iron Ring. Its great! And rereading The Lord of the Rings. I'm at the Council of Elrond right now.