Member: Cynara

I am honoured that you have chosen to include me in your list of interesting libraries.

posted by SamuelJohnsonLibrary at 9:47 am (EST) on Jul 4, 2009

The Tithe series by Holly Black

posted by -AlyssaE- at 2:09 am (EST) on Jul 1, 2009

Right on thanks for the recommendation! I'm reading tithe right now though. So i want to make it through this series. I think its a good book so far. A friend of mine said the other ones weren't that great though.

posted by -AlyssaE- at 11:21 pm (EST) on Jun 29, 2009

So you couldn't get through Eragon? I have been thinking about readind that but I can never bring myself to pick it up. I like fantasy too. If you can't make it though that book im not sure that i could.

posted by -AlyssaE- at 11:05 am (EST) on Jun 27, 2009

Hi Cynara! Thanks for the comment about my review of Rebecca. You and ncgraham are probably right about why they changed that one crucial point in the Hitchcock film. I think they did a good job keeping the feeling of impending doom though. I will try to edit my review to note why that change was made — thanks for the info!

Despite my friend's remonstrances, I think I'm going to see the more recent iTV version as well, just to see how they handle the story. I do think it might be a mistake to have used an actress for Rebecca instead of letting her take shape in our imaginations... we'll see.

posted by wisewoman at 3:33 pm (EST) on May 26, 2009

You asked for some recommendations for ancient Mesopotamia which are both readable and scholarly. The following books are not scholarly if you mean break new ground by that term, but they are highly informative for students or informed lay-persons, and are written by recognized authorities in the field.

For a general historical background--"A History of the Ancient Near East, 2nd Ed." - van de Mieroop. Used in some college courses--I bought it at a local college. Well laid out, many maps, charts and kinglists, endnotes and good bibiliography. I think it an excellent introduction.

For a more cultural approach--"Daily Life in Ancient Mesopotamia" - Nemet-Nejat. Again, many citations and pretty good bibliography.

Also, "Life in Ancient Mesopotamia" - Snell. Extremely lucid and well documented--about 35% of the book consists of end notes, and a massive bibliography if you care to delve further into any particular topic. Actual text, otherwise, is about 160 highly informative pages.

I hope this is what you're looking for. Curly bearded men indeed!

John

posted by oldfolkgc at 7:26 pm (EST) on May 8, 2009

It's a common misconception that Narnia is an allegory. Strictly speaking, allegory is Pilgrim's Progress: everything in the original is faithfully reproduced with basically just a name change in the allegorical retelling. This isn't really the case with the Narnia books, though certain elements are definitely closely parallel to Christian doctrines. Lewis himself stated that the Chronicles are not allegorical (as did Tolkien with The Lord of the Rings, interestingly). He didn't set out to write a Christian allegory for children. LWW started with images: a Faun in a forest carrying parcels, a snowy wood, a lamppost. The story took on a bent of its own as he wrote it.

I think for Lewis, fiction was a way of exploring theological and philosophical themes in a different way. If you read much of his nonfiction, you'll find that a lot of the ideas in his stories are spelled out more directly than in his fictional works. He always returns to certain ideas, and I find it fascinating to see how concepts are dressed differently depending on the context. I confess that the Christian elements of the Chronicles definitely make them dearer to me than they would be otherwise, wonderful fantasy though they are. It's all wrapped up in emotions too. I felt tears coming when I listened to LB on audiobook recently...

Oh, and speaking of his fiction, Till We Have Faces is probably my favorite of his "adult" stories. That book really shook me. In some ways it reminded me of Patricia McKillip's Alphabet of Thorn, but it's so much richer in layers and questions. I read it in one night and walked away reeling a bit. I want to reread at a more leisurely pace eventually.

Sorry to load you down with so many books to add to the to-read queue! But what else is LT for? And anyhow, you started it! :P

posted by wisewoman at 4:53 pm (EST) on May 8, 2009

Lewis' Space Trilogy is definitely not another Narnia! They're written with an older audience in mind and are, in order, Out of the Silent Planet, Perelandra, and That Hideous Strength. There is a lot of "action," but there are also long digressions into philosophy, which I find fascinating. He has such a way with words and ideas. Lewis of course was a Christian, and as a Christian myself I agree with a lot of his musings (though not all!). I don't know if his underlying belief system would turn you off or appeal to you, but I think the books can be enjoyed by people of any religious or non-religious background. In short: recommended :)

I found two quotes about the quality of children's stories on Goodreads. Unfortunately it doesn't say what books they are from :(

"A children's story that can only be enjoyed by children is not a good children's story in the slightest."

"No book is really worth reading at the age of ten which is not equally – and often far more – worth reading at the age of fifty and beyond."

The second one is the one I've heard before. He is SO right-on!

No, I think the Herriot books hold up fantastically for uninitiated readers. He writes extraordinarily well, and his ability to laugh at himself is really compelling. I always groaned in sympathy during his stories of eating and drinking too much with that other vet (Granville? I forget his name... must be time to reread!).

I know what you mean about having an emotional attachment to books you read at a young age. I think certain ages are very impressionable, and the books we encounter at those times are so important because they are there at the right moment to press themselves into the wet clay and leave a lasting shape. I'm so glad it was mostly truly GOOD literature that had that chance with me. It was all quite accidental, too... I just raided the library bookshelves at will, and oddly enough my parents didn't vet my reading material too much. I would say it's Providence that had me found by certain books at certain ages — and kept me away from others till I was ready. I can't wait to help Providence out when it comes to my own children :)

posted by wisewoman at 4:11 pm (EST) on May 8, 2009

Hi, Cynara!

Yes, The Last Olympian is as good as the rest of the series, I'm relieved to report! I'm about to write a short review of it, which I'll try to cross-post to Library Thing.

Alison

posted by thefirstalicat at 10:13 am (EST) on May 8, 2009

:) Glad you liked the Borrowers reviews. That series is one of the few that I am constantly wanting to reread, even right after I close the last book. There are a few small continuity issues (the series was written several years apart, with about fifteen years between the last two), but the writing is top-notch and the characters so real. Pod always reminds me so strongly of my own dad. I love it. I just finished rereading them a few weeks ago as an unofficial group read on another forum.

And I know what quote you mean from Lewis! He's another of my favorite authors. I've loved Narnia all my reading life, and I recently listened to the Focus on the Family Radio Theatre dramatizations, which are absolutely fabulous. Just like seeing a movie in your mind! (And far, far better than the recent films of LWW and PC from Walden/Disney...) Have you read his Space Trilogy?

I see you have the Herriot books. Aren't they great? I used to read them in college as an antidote to all the pretentious depressing stuff I had to wade through (Richard Wright, I'm looking at you).

And yay for The Moonstone, and Jane Austen, and Wodehouse, and Watership Down! We seem to have tons in common. I shall have to look through your library sometime soon and get some ideas :)

posted by wisewoman at 8:20 am (EST) on May 8, 2009

Did you like My Name is Red? It's my Book & Beer Club selection (I may have already said that . . .) and I don't know anything about it but it looks like quality stuff

posted by Garp83 at 9:42 pm (EST) on May 7, 2009

Books I loved that much were very rare in my college coursework. I'll look for Fifth Business, and be sure to let you know when I read it!

And this is why being on LT is fatal to my chances of ever getting through my to-read pile...

Thanks for the friend invite :)

posted by wisewoman at 12:27 pm (EST) on May 7, 2009

Hi Cynara, nice to meet you! LOL, I'm already promised to try Friday's Child next, but I'll put These Old Shades right after if I can find it anywhere. I love knowing that Heyer wrote so many — all the more to look forward to.

I see you have Robertson Davies as one of your favorite authors. I picked up his Salterton trilogy at Goodwill on the strength of the back cover maybe a year ago. I don't know anything really about his books. Can you think of any reasons why I should bump it up on my to-read list? :)

posted by wisewoman at 11:48 am (EST) on May 7, 2009

Not me - I'm going nuts. Paid off my mortgage in December so the $100/mo budget I'd been keeping myself to is over!

I expect to buy at least 30 books at Kalamazoo in a couple of weeks. I'll be shocked if that doesn't top a thousand $$$. Of course that'll be enough reading for a year so if I'm smart I'll put things on hold for at least a little while after that.

posted by cemanuel at 5:36 pm (EST) on Apr 24, 2009

Yeah - back when I read a lot of fiction I'd just buy off the shelf based on the covers and summary. If it sucked - oh well, there goes $5.95. Now that I'm spending $20-$50 a pop I'm much more particular about checking things out before I buy.

I am impressed on the number of books you have on how to make a pig a good husband. ;)

That's an old joke I used to hear in college - my 2-yr degree's in Animal Husbandry.

posted by cemanuel at 8:12 am (EST) on Apr 24, 2009