ncgraham's 50 in 2009: the last three months

I've been wanting to start one of these threads for a while, and finally I've given into the temptation (as well as the urging of wisewoman and ChocolateMuse). I'm starting late in the season, I know, but it will be a nice test run before the New Year starts. And yes, I am counting from January 1, because it just makes more sense to my overly rigid mind, and also because I've been doing it that way in my Word document for a few years now.

I am hoping to make 50 books this year, although as a full-time college student who has 4 research papers due this semester, I'll be perfectly happy with 45. At the moment I'm sitting pretty on 39, if you include a couple picture books and one book I read twice in the past six months (Patricia McKillip's The Bell at Sealey Head, too delicious to sample just once). I'm not going to list them all out here, although I'm thinking about going out and creating a special tag for them in my catalog.

For a while now I'm doing double duty with The Lord of the Rings, one of my all-time favorites, as well as a very good devotional by my former pastor, Going Places with God, which I have been sadly neglecting. Also, I've gotten carried away with one of my research paper topics and am now reading Frank Capra's autobiography The Name above the title. I've been ingesting an unusual amount of nonfiction this year, but I think this may be my favorite so far—unless you count The screwtape letters, which I try not to categorize at all.

One final bit of trivia to close my introductory post: I do love writing reviews, and plan to link to them on this thread. Unfortunately I also tend to get to these slowly, and currently have a backlog of five to write!

Aha! He has succumbed! I knew it was just a matter of time :D *stars thread*

That's so true about not categorizing The Screwtape Letters. I had the same quandary when we were cataloguing the church library last week. It ended up in fiction...

I finished The Name Above the Title: An Autobiography this weekend and just wrote a review. The second half wasn't quite as interesting as the first, but I still recommend it as an excellent autobiography. More thoughts in the review:

http://www.librarything.com/work/214401/reviews/52021494

There are still a good number of reviews in my backlog, and I hope to have them finished before I come to the ending of The Lord of the Rings. So look out for thoughts on The Horse and His Boy, MacBeth, Hunger Games, and Catching Fire!

*stars* YAY! high-five, wisewoman! We have been successful! :)

Glad to see you here ncgraham. I am rubbing my hands in glee... both Amy and you with threads I can keep track of now, and read lots and lots of luscious reviews to my little heart's content!

Let’s get this straight: when one is writing four research papers in a single semester, and checking books out for all of them, one isn’t supposed to actually read any of the books all the way through.

Haha! Good stuff, Nathan. You make me want to read it, though I'm not usually one for memoirs and autobiographies.

Can't wait for your upcoming reviews! HHB is probably my favorite of the CoN, if one can choose a favorite among them.

I think you'd like it, Amy, although I'd recommend seeing some of his films first. Of course everyone's seen It's a Wonderful Life, but I also recommend Mr. Smith Goes to Washington, It Happened One Night, Mr. Deeds Goes to Town, and You Can't Take It With You. State of the Union and Arsenic and Old Lace are pretty good too, although I didn't particularly care for Meet John Doe or Lost Horizon. I'd be interested in hearing your thoughts on his theology as well. I do believe he was a Christian, and some sections of the book (such as the strange visitation I described in the review) just gave me the goosebumps, but there is a strong humanist slant to his thinking and I do believe he got involved with Scientology for a while. In any case, a complex and fascinating individual.

HHB is my favorite Chronicle as well. It's going to be hard to do it justice. I think I am going to spend a paragraph trying to defend it from accusations of racism, which should be interesting. I hate that it is so often skipped over or derided because of that!

Well, I was sick and quarantined to my room for most of this past week, but I'm ashamed to admit that I spent more time watching corny old horror movies than I did reading The Lord of the Rings, a fact which I know will earn me the wrath of two certain ladies who have frequented this thread in the past. ;)

I, did, however, finish H. G. Wells' The Invisible Man (why won't author names do the touchstone thing anymore?), which I started about a week and a half ago as a Halloween-themed read. I didn't enjoy it as much as I thought I would, although it did get better as it went along. Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde and The Phantom of the Opera are still my favorite Victorian "horror" reads.

http://www.librarything.com/work/21214/reviews/52865719

Sending much wrath your way, complete with orc-spears. >:-(

Actually, I don't mind a bit, it means we all might finish at a similar time to each other! I'm just at the seige of Minas Tirith, arriving there with Merry. When I read LoTR before, I mustn't have actually started RoTK, because none of it is the slightest bit familiar. This last book is the best yet, I'm just wallowing in the grandeur of it.

Nice review of The Invisible Man - I really must read Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde one of these days - another of those unforgivably not-yet-read books in the TBR tower that threatens to come crashing down on top of me one day.

Oh, and I'm sorry you were sick. I hope you're recovered now and not too much worse for wear.

Well, Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde is incredibly short, so it's not TOO much of an addition to tower TBR.

And yes, with the exception of a lingering cough, I'm doing quite well. Thanks for asking!

I've been wondering where you were, Nathan! Glad you are feeling a bit better. As Lorena has already dispatched the orc spears, I shan't.

I finished TTT Friday and will be starting RotK tonight on my way home from work. I think you guys will beat me, but it's been fun keeping pace and reading it together so unofficially!

I enjoyed your The Invisible Man review, btw! Never mind the touchstone; it's the wrong book.

No, you should definitely beat me. I'm still in TTT.

And drat those touchstones! They're always trying to redirect me from the full Lord of the Rings to The Return of the King. If I wanted The Return of the King, I would have typed that!

By the way, I forgot to mention that I went through and tagged the books I've read so far this year as "'09", so anyone who wants to can take a look, especially considering that I haven't posted a list. I think The Invisible Man was my 41st, with The Bell at Sealey Head counting twice - because, errmmm, I read it twice. Then again, LibraryThing says I have 43 books under that tag. I shall have to go investigate.

I so wish I had more time for reading than I do! Yesterday I was at the school library checking out books for my upcoming research papers (the Capra autobiography and study again, as well as some short stories by Edgar Allen Poe) and I could barely stop myself from getting Daphne du Maurier's Don't Look Now. If I finish The Lord of the Rings in the foreseeable future, I may yet. Then today, our chapel speaker talked extensively about the caste system in India, and I was reminded of and wanted to reread Lloyd Alexander's The Arkadians. Too many books, too little time!

I know. It's hard to believe, but if it wasn't for LT, I would probably be looking around right now going, "what good stuff is there to read? The world is all Dan Brown and Di Morrissey!".

And instead, I'm trying to work out how to pursue a study of the Brontes to enhance my last reread of Jane Eyre and my desired forthcoming reread of Villette; and to also read about the French Revolution and the lead-up to the Napoleonic War in preparation for my read of Les Mis - plus read A Tale of Two Cities for the same reason; also to finish LoTR; also to finish Dorian Gray before my bookclub meeting next Tuesday; plus finish Unseen Academicals before it's due back at the library... and be ready to drop everything for Les Mis in December...

*head explosion*

oh yeah, and there's Real Life too...

Just saying, I feel your pain, ncgraham. I hope you don't mind a sympathetic head explosion happening all over your nice thread.

Sympathetic head explosions welcomed and accepted! Actually, I was feeling bad earlier about this thread just seeming to be me rambling on and on, with occasional input from you and wisewoman, but none from anybody else. But then I thought, Well, it is MY thread, is it not? So while I'm okay with things now, any and all input is appreciated.

Oh, and the book I was reminded of and wanted to reread was The Iron Ring, not The Arkadians. So hard to keep those Lloyd Alexander novels straight!

That's just what I like about this thread - it's cosy. :)

Still, if it's any comfort (probably not) it took me about a year and a half before I got regular contributions from lots of others on my thread. I started becoming better known by posting around on other people's threads more, and then more people started dropping in.

But personally, I rather like your thread as it is. We make a nice team, us three :)

(Do not let that discourage others from posting here! Like ncgraham says, all input appreciated!)

Well, heck, I'm here! I've seen your posts around and have been meaning to ask you about Denton. I'm originally from Plano (long, long ago) and my folks attended what was then NTSU. Are you a student there? I'll star your thread. My thread lies undisturbed somewhere in the bottom of the 50-challenge list. I must return to it some day.

My best,

Teresa

No, I don't go to NTSU (or, as it is now known, UNT—The University of North Texas). My mom, dad, and basically all of my dad's family graduated with some degree from there, though, so it was quite something for me not to go there. I'm happy with my decision. I do miss Denton, though, very much.

re: message 7--Have you read Dracula? I read Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, but have yet to tackle Phantom. "Hyde" was so much more than I expected and I loved Dracula.

No, but it's fairly high on my reading list. I'm very excited to read it!

A word of warning if you undertake Phantom: don't expect it to be one of the most well-written books ever. I've known people who expected it to be like Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde or Frankenstein and came away disappointed. Leroux was a journalist (along with many other things; the story of his life and escapades would make for a fascinating novel too!), and it's written in very simple, straightforward prose, which sometimes clashes with the highly dramatic situations and characterizations. Some people think it's awful and classify it as a "penny dreadful," but I disagree. I love Leroux for his storytelling qualities and his ability to take his own experiences and put them into the fictional world he creates. His prose isn't bad, though I don't think translation does him any favors. And the book as a whole blows any of its more popular adaptations out of the water—make sure you have tissues for the last chapter!

Speaking of Phantom translations: which would you recommend?

Frankenstein still sits in my TBR pile. I was thinking about it for a Thanksgiving/Christmas time read, but think I may have to finally approach Lord of the Rings, something I was never interested in until I saw wisewomen's thoughts on it (are you out there wisewoman? see what an influence you've had!)

I like cosy threads too! :) Especially as we are just starting to get into cold weather here in NE Ohio. This is our first autumn in the new house and we are SO enjoying our fireplace. When we were watching the 1983 adaptation of Jane Eyre, we had a fire going and it was incredibly cosy. I'm sure it helped make that one my favorite adaptation, ha.

I realize I've just completely rabbit-trailed. But Chocolate's over there exploding her head, and I think that is more distracting than going off-topic :P

I may have to finally approach Lord of the Rings, something I was never interested in until I saw wisewomen's thoughts on it (are you out there wisewoman? see what an influence you've had!)

I'm out there all right! *cheers heartily* Chocolate, that's your cue to cheer with me. Teresa, I will be in an apoplexy of literary delight if you end up enjoying it! And all because of my rambly rambles... how humbling!

I'm a Dracula fan too! Good stuff. Have you read The Historian by Elizabeth Kostova? I really enjoyed that one, so lush and well written. Since we are in his thread I should mention that I think it is on Nathan's to-read list, somewhere after Dracula :)

Yes, I'm hoping to get to Dracula and then The Historian sometime this winter break/early next semester.

I would not blame you in the least if you pass up Frankenstein for LotR, theaelizabet. Frankenstein is a good book, especially interesting for its adoption of Romantic ideals regarding nature, but The Lord of the Rings is a masterpiece. Of course, I read Shelley as part of a Christian curriculum that required students to compare its worldview with that of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde—the idea being that DJ&MH reflects the biblical viewof man as a mixture of good and evil, divided against himself, whereas Frankenstein blames God for man's suffering. It's an interesting interpretation, but it falls apart a little when you consider that Stevenson was just as much an atheist as Shelley was. Now I really think I should go back and try to enjoy Frankenstein on my own.

To be honest, I've never paid much attention to Phantom translations, and am not even sure if I read one or two. Anyway, I don't recall them being any more than serviceable. Oh, look! I just found an interesting article on this very subject at http://www.phantomoftheopera.com/modules/article/view.article.php/c8/25. Uh oh, I don't remember the full-length version of the passage analyzed there at all. Is it possible I've been reading the de Mattos for the past few years? I'll have to check my copy when I go home for Thanksgiving. If it is, I shall certainly throw it out and replace it with either the Wolf or the Bair.

Normally I try not to post so much all together, but I received a message from another reading/cataloging website yesterday offering me a chance to review a pre-release book, and found the summary for the novel so funny that I couldn't help but post it here. What worries me is that they thought I'd be interested based on my collection of books.

Proof by Seduction by Courtney Milan
She was his last chance for a future of happiness...A gifted fortune-teller from a humble background, Jenny can make even the most sophisticated skeptic believe her predictions simply by batting her smoky eyelashes. Until she meets her match in Gareth Carhart, the Marquess of Blakely, a sworn bachelor and scientist. He just didn't know it yet.

Broodingly handsome, Gareth is scandalized to discover his cousin has fallen under the spell of "Madame Esmerelda," and vows to prove Jenny a fraud. But his unexpected attraction to the fiery enchantress defies logic. Jenny disrupts every facet of Gareth's calculated plan--until he can't decide whether to seduce her or ruin her. Now, as they engage in a passionate battle of wills, two lonely souls must choose between everything they “know”...and the boundless possibilities of love.

*cheers heartily on cue*

And Amy, here's our first major disagreement: I was on the whole unimpressed by The Historian. I read it last year and reviewed it on post 48 here http://www.librarything.com/talktopic.php?topic=25377

I should probably go through and make all those 2008 reviews proper LT ones now that we've got the 'read but unowned' collection. One of these days...

Teresa, drop everything else and read LoTR! Is my humble advice. ;)

I saw that summary on your Facebook page, Nathan, and it gave me a good chuckle. How PERFECT for you. That closing line is really the clincher: "the boundless possibilities of love." Hmm, don't they mean "lust"?

Oh no! Oh me! Oh my! Chocolate and I have disagreed. Everyone pay close attention, because this doesn't happen often :-P. I can see the points you make (and I agree the ending is contrived! somewhat of a letdown after the exciting buildup), but they didn't bother me overmuch as I was reading. I was just so pulled into that world, and I did find Kostova's writing lovely. And as you say, the descriptions of the places they travel are so rich and lush and atmospheric; I love it. I wonder how The Historian will hold up for a reread, eventually.

Edit: Chocolate, I just figured this out last week —there is a way to link to specific posts. Just right-click on the "Message XX" right next to the username and select the "copy shortcut" option. That should link you right to that specific post when you paste the link somewhere. It's helpful when referencing posts in challenge threads :)

Nathan (I hope it's alright that I call you that:)) thanks for the link re: Phantom translations. Very helpful! I've seen the book. Quite thick, as I recall. A good one for a long winter's read, perhaps?

I have to agree with ChocolateMuse on The Historian. I read about 100 pages and just couldn't get it to work for me. I've held onto the book, however, because so many people whose opinions I tend to agree with have loved it (wisewoman being a case-in-point) I may give it one more try some day.

Nathan, I noticed earlier that you said you will soon be reviewing The Hunger Games and Catching Fire. My daughter has read them and says I should, too. Oh, and you've also read Mac..., uh, er, that Scottish Play, which is one of my favorite of Shakespeare's, when it comes to performance. I look forward to reading your thoughts on it.

Teresa

*sigh* I suppose we could use our given names, Teresa. But it is rather tiresome and old-fashioned of you. ;)

Ah yes, some day I shall get to my backlog of reviews. I did enjoy The Hunger Games and Catching Fire (especially the first) but might I suggest that you brush aside your daughter's urgings until the third book comes out? Collins seems to have a penchant for cliffhangers and it makes the wait fairly maddening. So unresolved are her endings that I read both books in one weekend and did little else—and my scholastic performance certainly suffered for it. So from my perspective it was probably good that number three has yet to be released. But if I had to do it all over again I'd wait to start until I knew that I could finish when I wanted.

Actually, I don't find Phantom terribly long, although I now worry that I've only read the drastically abridged de Mattos. Whatever I read would qualify more as a long winter day's read, perhaps two, though the story is so gripping that I believe I've made my way through it in a single evening before. It's one of my ultimate pleasure reads, although there are some bone-chilling scenes. (As well as some heart-wrenching ones!)

In a mad dash partially occasioned by the fact that Amy and Rena are so far ahead of me (no, I'm not competitive at all—why would you even suggest such a thing?), I finished the Two Towers section of Tolkien this evening. Ugh! I'm annoyed all over again with what they did to Faramir in the movie. In the book, he's one of the most honorable characters around, exceedingly wise and just in his judgments. He even says that he would not take the Ring if he saw it lying by the wayside! And in the movie he just seems like a younger, less macho and more doubting version of Boromir. On the contrary, there is the slight suggestion made in the books that if Faramir had been sent to the council in Rivendell instead of Boromir, all might have turned out differently—that while Boromir was braver and doughtier and stronger of frame, Faramir was better in counsel and in dealing with the hearts of men. It reminds me a little of how Peter and Edmund are described at the end of The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, actually, although obviously Peter is not portrayed in such a negative light: the older brother as strong warrior, the younger as wise counselor. Faramir's quote about loving the sword and the arrow for what they defend rather than for themselves also reminded me of a bit near the ending of Gail Carson Levine's The Two Princesses of Bamarre, where Addie says that the difference between she and her sister Meryl is that she loves war only for the peace that comes afterward, whereas Meryl loves the adventure of it. I wonder if that was true of Boromir as well? Anyway, you've all gotten a glimpse into my psyche now, and probably want out.

To wrap up then, I must say that your thoughts on Sam and Gollum as being similar proved really insightful, Amy, and cause me to notice things I never had before, namely Sam's "stinker-and-slinker-esque" dual monologue in the ultimate chapter. How brave he is near the end there! And how terrifying was Shelob! And how beautiful were Tolkien's descriptions of Ithilien in the spring! There, I'm done now.

I really should have been working on school instead, but that backlog was beginning to eat at me, so I whipped out a couple of reviews:

The Hunger Games
http://www.librarything.com/review/51100410

Catching Fire
http://www.librarything.com/review/51117037

Note that the latter contains spoilers for the first book. It's so hard to discuss a sequel without doing that. The first review, however, is completely spoiler-free.

Huh — that's an interesting parallel to draw, Boromir-Faramir / Peter-Edmund. Of course this isn't to denigrate Peter, but there does seem to be a pattern there.

I am just at the part where Faramir has been brought in and they all think he is dead. I'm just bowled over once more at Tolkien's skill with his characters' relationships. Denethor is just... wow.

There was something last night as I was listening that reminded me of Lewis... Hmm. What was it? Oh yes! The way that Beregond is describing the action on the Pelennor was like the Hermit describing the battle to Bree, Aravis, and Hwin. In both instances the author chooses to show us a battle by hearsay rather than placing us in it with the characters. It isn't really a profound insight, just something I noticed.

Nice reviews on Collins' books, Nathan. I stopped reading where you noted I should in the second review — though that doesn't stop me from giving you a thumbs-up! :)

You can read the last two paragraphs as well too. Maybe I should edit to indicate where the spoilers begin and end.

It is fun to catch Lewis/Tolkien similarities. I've done it before - especially this summer while I was reading the one to my sister and the other by myself.

Great reviews Nathan!

I'm whipping through LoTR now, and am up to the point where Frodo and Sam are forced to join the marching orc patrol/army, believed to be orcs themselves. This seems like it might turn out to be a little too convenient - but then, I think it almost has to be, considering how impossible the task ahead of them actually is.

Speaking of Lewis, doesn't a similar thing happen in The Horse and His Boy? I can't remember details, it's just ringing a bell. Ah! It's come back to me - Shasta being mistaken for the prince in the city crowds. Quite different really, I guess.

I am making the most of not knowing what happens next in LoTR - that'll never happen again!

I'm whipping through LoTR now, and am up to the point where Frodo and Sam are forced to join the marching orc patrol/army, believed to be orcs themselves.

I just listened to that bit last night!

I am making the most of not knowing what happens next in LoTR - that'll never happen again!

Wow, I envy you that! I'll be sure not to spoiler anything for you. ENJOY :)

Now I am truly ashamed. I have yet to even start Book IV, although I've wanted to for a while. I am just too overwhelmed with school and research papers to have much time for reading right now. At this point I doubt I will be able to do any more than finish LotR before the semester is over, if even that. And I have so many books here on my shelf I want to read, not only shorter ones such as The Maltese Falcon, Scenes of Clerical Life, Murder on the Orient Express and Bel Canto, but also a couple of larger tomes—Quo Vadis and Wives and Daughters. I've also been wanting to reread Les Misérables and Middlemarch; I recently watched the film adaptation of the former for the umpteenth time and was re-struck with the beauty of the story, while a friend found himself in a situation rather analogous to Will Ladislaw's last week, when Dorothea finds him with ... well, I'll stop for the sake of spoilers. Anyway, I have told him that this is yet further proof that reading George Eliot novels can save one from making certain mistakes. ;)

Which film version of Middlemarch is that? Once I actually get that book read, I want to watch it. Are there many adapatations out there? Which is the best one? (It will be a looong time before I get to it, so there's no rush!)

I very much like the look of your TBR pile, Nathan. Hurry up and get that research paper written! I want more reviews from you...

*Teresa, LoTR spoilers follow so don't read on!*

I read that breathtaking scene at Mount Doom the other night. Wow. Just... wow. I actually gasped out loud at one point. Absolutely riveting! Only two quibbles: one, that the Gollum thing was pretty predictable (but I guess the only really satisfying thing that could have happened), and two, that it was all over so fast! After so much build-up, there it was over in three minutes! The eagels carry them off and I'm left thinking, 'what? you mean... it's finished? Just like that? All over?'

So now here I am having just had the big feast, and dear Sam has heard his story told at last. I hope to finish the rest off tonight.

I think, like Amy, I will be re-reading LoTR every year from now on, and it's been extra fun reading it along with both of you for my first time! Thanks! :)

Ooops, meant "the former" rather than "the latter"—I was referring to the 1998 Liam Neeson Les Mis, which is one of my favorite movies EVER, in spite of some changes and streamlining done to the story (particularly in the latter half). There is a Middlemarch miniseries, though, made by the BBC and featuring one of Andrew Davies' earliest teleplays. It's pretty good in general, although I feel it doesn't quite capture the essence of the book, especially the feeling the latter conveys of going to Middlemarch and living, suffering, and loving alongside its inhabitants. Additionally, the Dorothea-Will conversations are cut unmercifully, leaving too much time for Lydgate and Rosamund, who are rather miscast. Other than that, it's a solid, unassuming adaptation, with near-perfect casting in all but a couple of roles.

Interestingly, Davies is again adapting the story for a big-screen version that's supposed to be released sometime next year. I'm excited, but prepared for disappointment. My friend recently gave me a T-shirt that reads, "MOVIES: Ruining the book since 1920," and I've sort of adopted it as a personal motto. :P

Unfortunately, it is not one but four research papers that are currently plaguing my existence. Mount TBR and that review backlog may have to wait 'til Christmas break.

#37--Thanks so much! I've been reading these threads very, very carefully! Still looking at a go at LoTR either around Christmas or in the new year. Am having a go with Keats right now and am loathe to leave him. May have to move on to another Romantic, just to shake myself loose.

Nathan, love the MOVIES quote. May have to adopt that one myself. :) Good luck with those research papers. I shiver just remembering that experience.

Thankfully most of the papers revolve around pretty fun topics. The Masterpieces of Film one, which I'm turning in tomorrow, is about Frank Capra (I'm using quite a bit of information from his autobiography that I posted a review of, along with another study, some articles, and a couple of his films). The others are about the differences between Latino and "American" cultures, an analysis of Poe's "Morella," and a contrast between Geoffrey of Monmouth and Malory's portrayals of King Arthur. Actually, I still need to get the latter approved by my Medieval Lit prof.

I am tired of all these excerpts and short stories, though. Next semester, on the other hand, I get to take a class where we read all six of Jane Austen's major novels! Super excited!

As long as you have a good professor, that will probably be the Best Class Ever! :) Can't wait to hear what you dig up. We watched the Paltrow Emma last night and I think it's spurring me to reread. I gobbled all of Austen's novels one after the other when I discovered her a few years ago, and I've been slowly rereading since then. I've reread P&P and S&S several times, and I've also reread Northanger Abbey after reading The Mysteries of Udolpho. And I've reread Mansfield Park. That leaves Emma and Persuasion to reread, and I'll want to do Lady Susan again too.

I see I will have to reread Middlemarch in preparation for the new miniseries. Yay!

Love the T-shirt slogan.

Movie, not miniseries. I don't know when it's going to be released—the cast hasn't even been announced yet, though there are rumors—but it's supposed to be a full-blown theatrical film.

I've heard really good things about this professor, so I'm really looking forward to the class, and I think we shall actually be reading Udolpho alongside NA. It's quite a large amount of reading, but with material like this I won't mind.

I'd been wondering what your research papers were on Nathan, and whether they were of literary bent. Glad to hear they are! Sounds so much fun... I really miss my lit studies classes from when I went to uni. I had a wonderful British lecturer with a dry wit and a way of really making us think. I only had her for four semesters - I would have been happy for it to have gone on forever!

Speaking of the Paltrow Emma, I very much dislike that that one. If I ever watch it again I'm going to count how many times a minute she says "Oh". I've come to the conclusion that Emma doesn't really work on film, while Sense and Sensibility can actually be better on film than in the book (particularly the newest one).

Hubby and I tried to watch the Paltrow Emma several nights ago. We gave up halfway through. I had watched it once before and thought that perhaps I'd been too hard on it the first time through, so I gave it another shot. I guess it's Beckinsale for us (at least they get the characters down to my liking in that one--if only it had been longer, I'd be happy). As you know, Nathan, I didn't make it through much more than the first episode of the new miniseries.

I'll probably watch the Middlemarch miniseries soon. I have the whole George Eliot collection coming to me from Amazon. (Twenty-five bucks for the DVD set of Middlemarch, Daniel Deronda, Silas Marner, Adam Bede, and the Mill on the Floss. 993 Eliot-tastic minutes! I couldn't resist. Of course, since I only watch adaptations after I've read the books, I have a lot of reading to do! :)

I picked up Wives and Daughters a couple of nights ago, thinking I might read it. But I'm not getting along well with it so far, so I think I'll put it aside until I'm in the mood for it. I'm sure I'll love it once I get into it, but it doesn't seem to be the book for me right now.

Good luck with the papers! And I envy you your Austen course.

It's funny how people's tastes differ. We saw the Beckinsale version a couple years ago and thought it very lackluster and not really very funny. No doubt we are due to try it again! But we really love the lighthearted humor and playfulness of the Paltrow version. I think the dialogue is pretty faithful to the book, though I'd have to reread to be sure on that point. And it's just plain fun. Rachel Portman's score is lovely too.

Yes, I think I am going to reread very soon here. I want to argue the point that Mr. Knightley is not a creepy cradle-robber grooming his future bride from childhood.

Wives and Daughters really is a brilliant book, Medellia. And the miniseries starring Justine Waddell is amazing. I was watching it for the first time one lazy Sunday afternoon, before Todd was fully converted to miniseries along with me, and he came in about an hour to the end, got hooked, and wanted me to start it over. No way bud! So I finished it that day and then we watched it over the next two evenings. I watched it twice in three days and enjoyed every minute. It's just so well done.

No doubt you have been warned, but just in case... Gaskell died before she could finish the book, and though the story is definitely winding down and it's fairly clear where it's going, still it's a nasty shock to come to that abrupt end. I like how the miniseries ends it.

Sometimes I wish I could take the Beckinsale and Paltrow Emmas and squish them together. They each miss out on certain aspects of the book, both in terms of theme and content; overall I prefer the Beckinsale, but still.... Do you really think the recent S&S is best, Rena? I haven't brought myself to watch that one yet, as I'm far too in love with the Thompson version for my own good.

I've seen the Daniel Deronda and Silas Marner in that set too, Medellia. The Daniel Deronda is excellent, so much so that I almost prefer it to the book. Possibly my favorite miniseries of all time. And the Marner is a pretty good adaptation, although it's too short and the cinematography hurts my eyes. Oh, and very few of the actors fit my idea of the characters.

I think both versions are good, Nathan, but I do actually prefer the recent one. The only annoying thing about it is that it blatantly copies the Thompson version of Margaret, making her almost exactly the same character (which isn't really in the book). It's got a hilarious Anne (you know, Lucy's sister, can't think of the last name), and Willoughby and Colonel Brandon are both given much better character development. There's also a fantastic sense of place and setting - the cottage is by the sea, and it's used very atmospherically. I recommend it!

I want to read every Eliot book, partly so I can watch the adaptations (like Medellia, I will NEVER watch it before I've read it). That George Eliot DVD collection is like AU$72.20 or something! Gak, I think I'll have to persuade my library to buy them...

I'm far too in love with the Thompson version for my own good.

Ditto that!

I saw the first episode of the most recent S&S and was turned off by how bold and self-possessed they made Edward. He walks up to Elinor while she is beating rugs or something and smiles in a masterly, charming way, just exuding confidence. I suppose I should have given it more of a chance, but that just annoyed me and I wasn't seeing anything else in that first part to really make up for it. But on your recommendation, Rena, I'll give it another try one of these days :)

Yes, Edward is more masterful in this one than in the Thompson, I concede that (and I do prefer his shy stutter in the Thompson version) - but on the other hand Colonel Brandon is also less of a wimp in this one, and given much better character development. Do give it a chance!

I liked both of the S&S adaptations--but the book is not one of my favorite Austen works. I think that's why I'm so affronted with the Paltrow Emma and still have some mixed feelings about the Beckinsale--the more I like a book, the pickier I get about these films. Nathan and Amy, you have me jazzed up about Daniel Deronda and Wives and Daughters! Next year, next year.

Edit: I did not enjoy the hysterical Marianne Dashwood weeping/laughing moment in either adaptation. If you're going to copy Emma Thompson's Marianne, well, ok, she was great... but please leave that part out. :)

>50 Medellia:, Meddy, not sure if you're referring to my comment about the recent version copying Margaret's character - just clarifying it was Margaret, the youngest sister I was talking about, not Marianne.

I felt that the hysteria scenes made sense - 'sensibility' equalled hysteria in those over-corsetted days of repression... but I don't enjoy watching that bit nevertheless.

Elinor. I meant Elinor. *swoon* This swine flu still has me giddy. :)

To make it clearer, I thought that the Elinor actress (though she at least had a different look from Emma Thompson--I thought their Marianne looked virtually identical to Kate Winslet) played the character in about the same way, including copying the hysteria. I'd have to go back and reread the section in the book, but the Elinor I seem to remember would not have gone so far as that!

Edit, satisfying my own curiosity: according to Jane Austen, Elinor exited the room before bursting into tears of joy; Edward saw her hurry away, and might have seen or heard her emotion.

Oh okay, I was talking about the got-the-letter-from -Willoughby bit. Yes, I would prefer the Elinor crying/laughing bit to be taken out too.

I've always justified them in my head from it being all about Elinor learning to have some sensibility, just like Marianne learns to have some sense.

Yes, New Edward was one of the things I didn't like about the clips from the new S&S I saw. He seems much more like a Willoughby! I can see how Thompson's bit of hysteria at the ending might be seen as a departure from Austen, but I have to agree with my book for Masterpieces of Film: it is perhaps the most beautiful moment in the entire picture. Like Rena hinted, it is about Elinor finally showing her feelings, after masking them for so long. I did watch this scene from the new version and didn't find it nearly as effecting, but it could be argued that it's closer to Austen's vision, as she does try to leave the room but he chases her into the kitchen. (Stupid New Edward.)

I'm not sure liking of the book always equals dislike of the movie versions, Medellia, although I do think this may have been the case with Middlemarch and Daniel Deronda (the former is by far a better example of Eliot's craft). For example, Persuasion may be my very favorite of Austen's books, and along with the Emma Thompson S&S, the Amanda Root/Ciaran Hinds Persuasion is one of my very favorite adaptations of her books.

I didn't meant that loving the book means you'll definitely dislike the film version. But perhaps it is telling about me that Persuasion and Emma are my two favorite Austens, and neither of them has an adaptation that I'm fully satisfied with. Root/Hinds and Beckinsale are quite good enough for me so that I will watch them fairly happily with only an occasional bit of grumbling, but I still dream of the day when they make that film that perfectly matches the perceptions of the book that are in my head. (Why, oh why, do these filmmakers insist on not consulting the inside of my brain before proceeding?)

However, I am pretty much perfectly satisfied with A Room With a View, the Merchant/Ivory film, and more and more satisfied with Maurice as time goes on. So it is possible to please me. ;)

Elinor's gasping cries in the Thompson S&S are somewhat disturbing... but I think that's the intent. Someone strong is breaking down; of course we panic. And yet Edward isn't scared by it. I love how he just keeps explaining and lets her cry a bit and get it out.

I also love the Root/Hinds Persuasion. Sophie Thompson, who plays Anne's sister Mary in that film, also plays Miss Bates (brilliantly, I think) in the Paltrow Emma.

(Why, oh why, do these filmmakers insist on not consulting the inside of my brain before proceeding?)

No idea. Hey, I'd even be happy with them consulting the outside of mine! :)

It's nice to see you back in action after your bout with the flu, Medellia. Welcome back to the land of the living.

Yes, Sophie Thompson was great in both films. A lot of people seem not to like Prunella Scales as Miss Bates (in the Beckinsale)--but I thought she was also great, although I did occasionally find it hard not to think "Sybil Fawlty." (I noticed on IMDB that Prunella Scales also apparently played Lydia Bennet in a 1952 Pride and Prejudice TV miniseries.)

Thanks for the welcome-back, Amy. It's nice to be among the living again. I went back to school the past couple of days after a week out, and it was nice to dispel that cabin fever, you know. :)

Yes, with horror legend Peter Cushing as Mr. Darcy and the wonderful Richard Johnson as Wickham. How I'd love to see that one day!

I've finished and reviewed two books this Thanksgiving break—and no, unfortunately neither of them is The Lord of the Rings.

42. The Iron Ring by Lloyd Alexander

I've been doing a ridiculous amount of rereading this year, but I truly enjoyed this return to my childhood. In the end I did, that is—though I found the first couple chapters to be a wonderful set-up, the next fifty or so pages were a little frustrating for me because they seemed a bit goofy; I worried that it would go the way of my earlier Alexander reread this year, The Marvelous Misadventures of Sebastian, which was fun and nostalgic but not much more. Fortunately, this is one of his more serious and profound novels, probably the best of his standalones. The political intrigue aspect of it is fascinating, and Ashwara particularly is a great character. More thoughts here: http://www.librarything.com/work/38686/reviews/53509826

43. The Twelve Dancing Princesses by Marianna Mayer; illustrations by Kinuko Y. Craft

It may seem like cheating to include a picture book, but I've read this one aloud to my sister several times this year, and, well, it's pretty long for a picture book. It is quickly becoming one of my favorites of its kind, with absolutely gorgeous illustrations (as is typical of Craft's work) and a romance that is surprisingly well-developed by Meyer. Complete review at http://www.librarything.com/work/438923/reviews/53561779

Nathan, what a brilliant review of The Iron Ring. It's been a long time since I read it, but I remember it being one of my favorites as well. You articulate the reasons why so well. Now I want to reread, of course, and I have no time.

Thanks! I'm sort of surprised that more don't agree with you; The Twelve Dancing Princesses seems to be getting all the attention right now. Ah well, I can never predict how these things will go.

I've never read any of the things you read Nathan, you know so much about a genre I know next to nothing about. Thanks! :)

You're welcome. I think that's part of the joy of LibraryThing and its like—we book-lovers are able to share our petty wisdom with each other.

I thumbed your Twelve Dancing Princesses when I spotted it in the hot reviews section. It's one of my favorite fairy tales. I'm putting this edition on my wishlist. I just reread the Lang version recently--I have a beautiful Folio Society Red Fairy Book.

I've thumbed The Iron Ring as well; I've never read it, but I enjoyed your review.

I'm halfway through the Middlemarch miniseries, and enjoying it a lot. I'm surprised that I haven't seen more people talking about it on LibraryThing. Thus far there's so little that I would change about it that I fear for my opinion of the upcoming film (I assume they must be going for something different this time). But I'll keep my mind open.

Bah, you and Lola and your Folio editions. I was gawking at several at my local used bookstore last Saturday, but of course they were all way outside of my price range. Most annoying thing about the experience: there was an old $4.00 price tag from another store on the copy of The Romance of Tristan and Iseult. Grr. Their copies of Lang look particularly beautiful—I've never read any more than a couple of stories from his collections, and would really like to.

Interestingly, "Dancing Princesses" was never one of my favorites; I liked McKillip's retelling of it (in A Wolf at the Door) but that was about it. Only this year did I discover the French/Lang version, the Craft picture book, and learned to love McKinley's version of the Grimm (in The Door in the Hedge).

I see I will have to give the Middlemarch miniseries another try. I really wasn't thrilled by it the first time around, although some of the actors are wonderful and will be difficult to top. Maybe my opinion of it will have changed. That said, I do think there's one thing near the end you will wish were changed.

I also thumbed your recent reviews. Well done. I'm particularly interested in the Lloyd Alexander book. My daughter and I read his Time Cat when we were still reading together and she reread it on her own later (cats and time travel--hard to go wrong!). Though she may be a bit old for it now, I'm going to suggest The Chronicles of Prydain to her. Of course, she's also a good age for LOTR, so maybe she'll join me when I read it!

Nathan, you are being recruited into Le Salon: http://www.librarything.com/topic/69624#1626871

When called, none may refuse...

#65: There's a ton of Andrew Lang on Project Gutenberg here, if you ever have a hankering to read some more of his stories. I've been known to seek out (free) printers on campus and print Project Gutenberg stuff, so I don't have to read off a computer screen. :)

I have one episode left to go. I do wish they'd left off the two sexy Tertius/Rosamond scenes. For the love of criminy.

Well, that's Davies for you: everything is about sex.

Honestly, couldn't we have lost a little of the Tertius and Rosamund stuff (especially the two scenes you mentioned) and actually have gotten a decent picture of Will Ladislaw? As far as I can recall, he's barely in it. Just wait until you get to the, ahem, "proposal scene"—did they run out of time?

And you were so, so lucky to have free printers on campus. They don't exist here.

I have Time Cat too, Teresa, and read it a long time ago. It isn't one of my favorites of his, but it is a whole lot of fun—jumping through the various time periods reminded me a bit of "Where in Time is Carmen Sandiago?" (*is a 90s child*)

We watched the final episode last night. The "proposal scene" was about the only downside to that episode. I told my husband, "Uhhhh... there was a lot more to this scene. And it happened indoors. During a storm. Rather than outdoors. In the sun and flowers." You're right, they cut too much out of the Will/Dorothea scenes generally, including a lot of my favorite Dorothea lines.

I was also disappointed that in the final episode they cut (altered, actually) the scene in which Farebrother warns Fred away from the billiard table. That was one of my favorite scenes in the novel. But overall I thought the final episode was very fine indeed. On first watching I thought the miniseries got off to a bit of a slow start, but by the final episode, it's really excellent. And it's nice that it's so long; there certainly weren't too many cuts for me to complain about.

I do think they got Mrs Garth somewhat wrong--they made her come off as too harsh. She has some of that in her, but it's balanced by other, softer scenes. To be fair, I think some of her softer side was narrated rather than shown in action in the book. But I do wish they had balanced her personality a little better in the adaptation.

Amy left me a message recently saying how she had been thinking of me and missed my reviews. Well, I don't have anything new to add, but I thought I'd at least stop by and say hello. Yes, I'm alive. But I haven't been doing much reading—everything just seems to fade away as I near the end of the semester. Two more days of finals and then I'll be free! I plan to finish LotR this coming weekend ... and then you may all be my companions as I tackle Mountain TBR and try to make my 50 this year. In addition to all the other books I've posted about in this thread (i.e., in Message 36) I now also have two Member Giveaway fantasy novels on my plate—Drinkwater and A Land Beyond Ravens. I'm hoping that the first doesn't get too preachy and the second will work as a standalone book, since it's really part of a series.

Miss you all!

We miss you too, Nathan! I hope your finals go well.

How many books do you have to read to hit 50 on the year?

6 after LotR. I should be able to do it if I keep to short books. I might possibly get a couple McKillips from the library too, because those generally take me a couple of hours - they're so engrossing!

2009 is long over now, and I think it's high time I wrapped up this thread. I could have just let it languish as it is, but I like tidy endings, so I thought I'd post my final reads of the year were and link to my new thread (although I think everyone has already made it over there).

44. The Changeling Sea by Patricia McKillip



I enjoyed this, I have most of McKillip's work, but I don't think I'd agree with her assertion that it is "the most perfect thing I ever wrote." It is very good, of course, but I am not sure it even measures up to her better minor works. The main reason is the romance: it's a love triangle, which annoys me as usual, and this is only soured by the fate of the abandoned third party. More thoughts here: http://www.librarything.com/work/6911/reviews/54460549

45. The Phantom of the Opera by Gaston Leroux



This is a reread of an old favorite, but in a different and, most importantly, complete translation: the wonderful, elegant Wolf instead of the brutally abridge de Mattos. All of the little details that I missed out on before only serve to make the work richer, and while there are certain lines (especially in the dialogue) that I prefer in the de Mattos, overall Wolf reads much more smoothly and comes across as less melodramatic. As for the story itself, it's a winner. : ) I haven't gotten around to doing a review of this one yet, but when I do I will post the link in the new thread.

46. A Wolf at the Door edited by Ellen Datlow and Terri Windling



Even for a short story anthology, I found this to be rather weak. The only strong entries were Neil Gaiman's "Instructions," Gregory Maguire's "The Seven Stage a Comeback," and, most especially, Patricia McKillip's retelling of "The Twelve Dancing Princesses." Medellia, if you like that story so much, you should really see if your local library has a copy of this, or else find one in a bookstore and read this single entry; I wouldn't suggest buying the whole thing. Anyway, more thoughts on this reread at http://www.librarything.com/work/94483/reviews/54566238

Finally, I was able to catch up on my reviews backlog by posting some of
Macbeth: http://www.librarything.com/work/4948864/reviews/50031290
The Screwtape Letters: http://www.librarything.com/work/1182718/reviews/49410645
and The Horse and His Boy: http://www.librarything.com/work/2798265/reviews/47139878
I didn't have any deep thoughts to share on the former (sorry, Teresa), so I went for self-deprecatingly honest instead, while the two Lewis reviews may be my most divisive yet.

And, if any one has yet to find it, the new thread is at http://www.librarything.com/topic/81701