Book Meme: Day 05 – A book that makes me happy. August 31, 2011

Daddy-Long-Legs by Jean Webster, popped into my head when I read this. The only other books that came to mind were books by Georgette Heyer and, since I’m reading L M Montgomery right now, her too. But yes. Daddy-Long-Legs has been a favourite read to relax with. I haven’t read it as many times as I would have liked to, but I have read it enough times to know that I could read it from cover to cover many more times and never ever get bored with it. It’s a light-hearted, fun, epistolary novel that brings to light four years in an orphan girl’s life. From drudgery, a kind trusty discovers potential talent in her, and educates her. But she hasn’t a clue who he is. All she knows is that he has very long legs as seen as a shadow on the wall. The shadow-legs, having reminded her of the spider, prompts her to nickname him Daddy-long-legs. She keeps him updated on all the new things she learns at college, the friends she makes, and the hearts she breaks. She is simply hilarious, and there are some fun little doodles that make the letters more ‘real’ in a way. Whenever I pick this book up to read, I finish it with a warm, happy feeling. 

If you haven’t read it, I would suggest you do. You can’t help but be cheered by such an orphan as Jerusha Abbot.

Short Stories on Wednesdays #8 August 31, 2011

Short Stories on Wednesdays is a weekly event hosted here, at Bread Crumb Reads. The purpose of this event is to encourage people to read at least one short story a week. There are no limits, of course! If you have made a post on the short stories you’ve read this week, please do leave a link in the comments section. If you haven’t made a post, it does not matter. I’d still love to know what you’ve been reading. Just put the titles down in the comments section.

I want to apologise for the lateness of this post today. Only half an hour ago we got home from a lovely beach trip with the whole family. It’s been years since we’ve done something like this and it was a whole lot of fun! Plus, this was my little boy’s first time in the sea…and he loved it so much he couldn’t stop shivering with excitement and squeaking with absolute glee. So, yes. Been out all day, and have only just switched my laptop. I’m afraid I haven’t done much reading this last week, short stories or otherwise.

However, I’m looking forward to seeing what short stories you folk have been reading the last few days.

Top Reads for the Next Few Months August 30, 2011

Today Top Ten Tuesday, hosted at The Broke and Bookish, is for our top reads this fall. We don’t have fall where I am, just summer and monsoons. So, considering I’m not sure when exactly fall falls, I’ll keep the above title.:) The books I’m about to list I hope I get to read. I might change my list a bit during the process of reading.

In no particular order:

1. The Scarlet Pimpernel by Baroness Orczy (for a book discussion in September)
2. The Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne (for a book discussion in September)
3. Anne of Avonlea by L M Montgomery
4. Roots by Alex Hailey
5. Tiger Hills by Sarita Mandana
6. An Equal Music by Vikram Seth
7. The Hollow Hills by Mary Stewart
8. The Book Thief by Markus Zusak
9. North and South by Elizabeth Gaskell (for a book discussion in October)
10. The Wind in the Willows by Kenneth Grahame

Anything special you have lined up?…

A Brief Note on “The First Dragoneer”. August 29, 2011

So, I was looking for something really light to read on my husband’s iphone, and spent some time browsing through the fantasy section. (It’s been ages since I’ve read something on elves and dragons and I’m missing it.) I came across a free novella by M R Mathias called The First Dragoneer (click on link to Goodreads’ blurb and free ebook). It sounded promising and the reviews were good. I ‘pick it up’ and read through it quickly.

It’s a well-written story about a couple of youth on the threshold of manhood, who go hunting. They come across a huge cave outside the safety of their kingdom’s borders and an adventure they sure couldn’t forget for the rest of their lives.

However, after this adventure, things moved to quickly, without pause. The story seemed to go out of control, rushed, as though the writer decided that he had given his readers enough of a prequel and it was time to get to the real thing. I found it disappointing in away, especially after the detailed description of these boys on a final hunt and the exploration of the cave. Also, at the end, I was reminded so suddenly and strongly of Christopher Paolini’s Eragorn. A dragon, dragon rider, and the connection between the minds of two completely different beings.

This novella is the prequel to the actual Dragoneers Saga, and consists of the first two chapters of The Royal Dragoneers. I did not read those two chapters as I wasn’t sure I would be able to read this series, and I preferred not to be tempted too much. I would recommend this, though. M R Mathias has a great deal of writing potential, and premise of the story sounds interesting.

Book Meme: Day 04 – Favourite book of my favourite series. August 29, 2011

Having mentioned in my previous book meme post that Song of Albion is my favourite series, I have to say now that my favourite book from the trilogy is The Silver Hand (Book 2 of Song of Albion). The entire series is written in the first person. Books 1 and 3 are narrated by the whiny university student I mentioned, in the previous post, was the hero (Lewis/Llew). Book 2, however, is narrated by the hero’s bard, Tegid. Of the three I find this book to be most lyrical and full of stories within stories. Tegid is blind (in this book), and whatever is narrated is what Tegid sees through the eyes of Llew. Later, he is blessed with inner vision, and what is narrated is somehow more ‘clear’. This is also the book that sees Llew grow the most, where he begins to show the qualities, courage, and decision-making capabilities of a king.

Book Meme: Day 03 – My favourite series. August 27, 2011

The Song of Albion is my favourite trilogy. It falls under the genre of fantasy, but really has a historical base in Celtic lore and legend. It is also the only set of books of its kind written by Stephen R Lawhead, one of my favourite writers. The story is based on the concept that the Otherworld is a parallel and perfect form of what our world is. But, it is not a faery world. It is the world of the Celts, old Britain once called Albion. The two worlds are intertwined by the Endless Knot, that, at the time the story begins, is showing signs of unraveling. Two Oxfort history students go out to explore all the strange things that have been happening around England, and one of then, Simon, disappears through a portal into the Otherworld. Lewis, Simon’s friend, and the hero of the trilogy, is egged on to follow Simon and get him back before the latter can corrupt the Otherworld, thereby destroying our world. 

Lewis is a whiny, annoying character, whom we see growing into a noble warrior of Celtic legend through the pages of the three books. We witness the destruction of beautiful Avalon and its bards, and the survival of the tribes and clans under Lewis’ leadership. 

Lawhead’s writing has a literary, lilting quality to it, in spite of its modernity. I love the little stories he has within his stories, and the plot is rather complex, it is very gripping.

Book Meme: Day 02 – A book I’ve read more than three times. August 26, 2011

I’ve read so many books more than three times, I’m not sure which one to mention! I’ve just been scrolling through my goodreads lists to see if there’s a book in there I haven’t mentioned before, but it seems I’ve mentioned most of them more than half-a-dozen times on this blog. A quick glance through my shelves also confirms that I’ve mentioned everything in there. Most of my re-reads have been the classics. But keeping in mind someone’s soulful request that I mention something more close to our times or belonging to our times, I’m going to go completely non-classical and mention a favourite fantasy series of mine – Dragonlance: Chronicles.

This is an original series by Margaret Weiss and Tracy Hickman. These two authors are responsible for inventing the world of Krynn where there be dragons and elves and dwarves, and a little, heretofore unheard of people, the kender. This particular series revolves around a war that is to take place as the Dark Queen, Tarkhisis, tries to take over all of Krynn. There is so much that happens, once noble knights who have forgotten their code of honour, powerful dragon lords who serve the dark queen, thousands of draconians (dragon/lizard men) who make up the majority of the dark army (and their breed is a puzzle until the story of the good dragons is revealed), two powerful elven kingdoms pitted against each other due to extreme pride, and in the midst of all this, a band of unlikely companions (a half-elf, an elf, a dwarf, a kender, a knight, a warrior, a mage and a barmaid) who are firm friends, set out to move the pieces on this chessboard of pure, unadulterated fantasy.

While there is nothing extraordinary about the writing in this series, there is a lot of humour and I love the way the stories and plots run. They keep you at the edge of your seat, never at any point, stalling or dragging their feet. Two of my favourite fantasy characters also come from here – Tasslehoff Burrfoot, a help-full child-like creature that belongs to the kleptomaniac race called the kender, and Raistlin, the sullen, dangerous mage with white hair and hour-glass eyes. 

If you love fantasy, I think this series is a fun and appreciative read.Yes, I’ve read it at least three times, and each time it has been for a fun, relaxing, adventurous ride.

The three books are:

Dragons of Autumn Twilight

Dragons of Winter Night

Dragons of Spring Dawning