The next book in the queue has changed. I'm reading Eragon again before plunging into Eldest.
One of my friends at work has been reading these books lately, and after our conversation yesterday about the movie and the book and all the differences between the two, she informed me that yes, I must read the book again before starting Eldest. Apparently, I forgot lots of important things that were missing from the movie version.
So... looks like fantasy escapism for a while... I remember it taking forever to finish before, so maybe I can get through quicker this time around...
The Movie: Didn't love it. Didn't hate it either. I used to have an opinion, until I was informed just how much was really missing. (that's what happens when you see the movie a couple years after reading a 600+ page book :))
Perhaps my lack of extreme despising comes from (1) the fact that the book really is a blur to me, and (2) not expecting much as I went in. It was fun escapism, though I did get the sense of something being missing for most of the time. Maybe as I read the book I can draw more proper comparisons between the two.
So, yes... Lord of the Rings it's not, but don't expect everything to be a literary masterpiece (something I'm re-learning how to do, after all the "literary" stuff I had to read in college)
I do think it's interesting that all the reviews at imdb.com say pretty much the same thing:
Movie = awful
Rachel Weisz as Saphira = awesome (she really did bring CGI Saphira to life)
Okay... on to crack open that book before bedtime. :)
12.27.2006
12.25.2006
One more thought for tonight...
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows
Because apparently it's the most important news in books of the entire year.
Borders even sent me an e-mail just to say that the title had been announced. Never mind that she's not even through writing it yet.
Hey, as long as Harry doesn't die and it's better than Half Blood Prince, I'm happy. Then again, even if I weren't happy, I'll still have to read it anyway. Too much time invested in the rest of the series, after all. :)
Because apparently it's the most important news in books of the entire year.
Borders even sent me an e-mail just to say that the title had been announced. Never mind that she's not even through writing it yet.
Hey, as long as Harry doesn't die and it's better than Half Blood Prince, I'm happy. Then again, even if I weren't happy, I'll still have to read it anyway. Too much time invested in the rest of the series, after all. :)
Feliz Navidad! :D
So... forgetting what I read in the first half, I sat down and started A Grief Observed over. Also completed it all in one shot. Go me.
I got a shiny new copy of Eldest by Christopher Paolini for Christmas... looks like I'll have a slightly larger book to tackle next. I haven't been giving much thought to this one, since I had already forgotten most of Eragon, but after seeing the movie this weekend, I figure it would be a good time to pick up on part 2. :)
Coming soon: Thoughts on A Grief Obeserved, the Eragon movie, and moving into 2007 with a 2 book headstart.
Merry Christmas!
I got a shiny new copy of Eldest by Christopher Paolini for Christmas... looks like I'll have a slightly larger book to tackle next. I haven't been giving much thought to this one, since I had already forgotten most of Eragon, but after seeing the movie this weekend, I figure it would be a good time to pick up on part 2. :)
Coming soon: Thoughts on A Grief Obeserved, the Eragon movie, and moving into 2007 with a 2 book headstart.
Merry Christmas!
12.21.2006
So many pages... not enough time...
After wandering through Barnes & Noble, making note of all kinds of titles on a Subway napkin, and then just now updating The List, I've come to terms with two facts:
1) I am way too fascinated with teen/young adult fantasy fiction. I should seriously not fall into a rut and broaden my horizons, but... don't deny what you like!
2) I will never be able to read everything that catches my eye. There's just not enough time. :)
But, it's all good... do what I can, maybe scratch some stuff from the list.
Anyway. A Grief Observed.
Halfway through... I would finish it now, but it's in the car. :P It's such a slim book, I think given a good uninterrupted couple of hours I might have worked through it in one sitting.
That said, it's a beautiful, heartbreaking little book. My readings from C. S. Lewis (Narnia, Mere Christianity, Surprised by Joy, The Space Trilogy, etc.) have always given me the impression of the logical, old Irish intellectual guy, but I would say this is the deepest, most personal work I've ever read by him. The personal journals after his wife Joy's death drop any sort of pretense to truly define the real nature of grieving. I love the honesty, how he never glosses over the reality of grief, or attempts to explain it away. Like The Great Divorce and Mere Christianity, I have a feeling that I'll return to this one in my personal library for many years to come.
More thoughts on A Grief Observed once I finish it...
1) I am way too fascinated with teen/young adult fantasy fiction. I should seriously not fall into a rut and broaden my horizons, but... don't deny what you like!
2) I will never be able to read everything that catches my eye. There's just not enough time. :)
But, it's all good... do what I can, maybe scratch some stuff from the list.
Anyway. A Grief Observed.
Halfway through... I would finish it now, but it's in the car. :P It's such a slim book, I think given a good uninterrupted couple of hours I might have worked through it in one sitting.
That said, it's a beautiful, heartbreaking little book. My readings from C. S. Lewis (Narnia, Mere Christianity, Surprised by Joy, The Space Trilogy, etc.) have always given me the impression of the logical, old Irish intellectual guy, but I would say this is the deepest, most personal work I've ever read by him. The personal journals after his wife Joy's death drop any sort of pretense to truly define the real nature of grieving. I love the honesty, how he never glosses over the reality of grief, or attempts to explain it away. Like The Great Divorce and Mere Christianity, I have a feeling that I'll return to this one in my personal library for many years to come.
More thoughts on A Grief Observed once I finish it...
12.17.2006
One down...
"As they came right together it became utterly black in the white mage-radiance... In silence, man and shadow met face to face, and stopped."
Finished A Wizard of Earthsea today! That's one down... forty-nine to go. :D Closing thoughts on the book...
***
A Wizard of Earthsea is a genre novel to the core, which can be a good thing or a bad thing, I suppose. For fans of high fantasy, it's another good addition to the reader's list, with an impetuous young man's coming-of-age, a richly detailed world, a hero's journey... oh yeah, and dragons. Dragons are important.
The bad thing: if I were looking for the negative, I would say it has to be a simplistic plot and somewhat one-dimensional characters. No surprises here, but I am a fan of the genre, and I was ready for something straightforward. :)
Ms. Le Guin's elegant storytelling makes up for it, anyway. Her prose style has the whole epic feeling, without going overly detailed. Dialogue is sparse, but to the point... it reads like a fable or an old legend; I can somehow picture a bard of Earthsea telling the tale of Ged and the Shadow to a wide-eyed circle of people by firelight. (overactive imagination I have... ha. :))
Earthsea is a world that is fantastic, yet somehow believable. It also has its share of powerful and memorable moments (particularly the "loosing of the shadow" and the climax) that remind me why I like to get lost in a good fantasy in the first place.
I've added the remainder of The Earthsea Cycle to my reading list; though I don't plan on tracking them down immediately, I will make a point to get to them in time.
***
Now, on to other things... I pulled A Grief Observed out of my C. S. Lewis boxset for the next in line. It's very short, and I've recently read good things about it in an online reader's community I've been lurking at. Besides, it's been a while since I picked up one of Jack's books (perhaps my favorite author ever).
Though I also discovered that Shivering World is sitting there with an envelope marking where I left off back in August... and I have an itch to re-read The Last Unicorn... but... one thing at a time, so I don't get overwhelmed! :)
Finished A Wizard of Earthsea today! That's one down... forty-nine to go. :D Closing thoughts on the book...
***
A Wizard of Earthsea is a genre novel to the core, which can be a good thing or a bad thing, I suppose. For fans of high fantasy, it's another good addition to the reader's list, with an impetuous young man's coming-of-age, a richly detailed world, a hero's journey... oh yeah, and dragons. Dragons are important.
The bad thing: if I were looking for the negative, I would say it has to be a simplistic plot and somewhat one-dimensional characters. No surprises here, but I am a fan of the genre, and I was ready for something straightforward. :)
Ms. Le Guin's elegant storytelling makes up for it, anyway. Her prose style has the whole epic feeling, without going overly detailed. Dialogue is sparse, but to the point... it reads like a fable or an old legend; I can somehow picture a bard of Earthsea telling the tale of Ged and the Shadow to a wide-eyed circle of people by firelight. (overactive imagination I have... ha. :))
Earthsea is a world that is fantastic, yet somehow believable. It also has its share of powerful and memorable moments (particularly the "loosing of the shadow" and the climax) that remind me why I like to get lost in a good fantasy in the first place.
I've added the remainder of The Earthsea Cycle to my reading list; though I don't plan on tracking them down immediately, I will make a point to get to them in time.
***
Now, on to other things... I pulled A Grief Observed out of my C. S. Lewis boxset for the next in line. It's very short, and I've recently read good things about it in an online reader's community I've been lurking at. Besides, it's been a while since I picked up one of Jack's books (perhaps my favorite author ever).
Though I also discovered that Shivering World is sitting there with an envelope marking where I left off back in August... and I have an itch to re-read The Last Unicorn... but... one thing at a time, so I don't get overwhelmed! :)
12.11.2006
More wandering through Earthsea...
Okay, so I didn't finish Earthsea yesterday. Or today, because in the midst of graduation and being wired on Chick-fil-A coffee (the breakfast of champions! Ha!), who can settle down and read?
But it's all good because it's not 2007 yet, right? Right!
Right. And now, to make a cup of tea and settle down for some reading. ;)
But it's all good because it's not 2007 yet, right? Right!
Right. And now, to make a cup of tea and settle down for some reading. ;)
12.09.2006
Jump Start
And so, after handing my final paper of my final lit class for the final semester, I've decided to get a jump on this 50 books in 2007 challenge I've put myself up to. I figure if I can clear a couple before the month is out, that'll give me a little bit of a buffer to work with. (Hey, it's my challenge, so I'm not cheating! :))
That said, I'm starting with A Wizard of Earthsea by Ursula K. LeGuin. I think I started around the end of last spring semester, but had to quit because of summer classes... starting over now.
Doing rather well, actually... the chapters are quite long, but I breezed through about 3 today.
That said, I was drawn to this after watching bits and pieces of the mini-series Earthsea when it ran on the Sci-Fi Channel a while back. My only experience so far with LeGuin has been Catwings when I was younger, and The Left Hand of Darkness for my Science Fiction Literature class over the summer.
Must say, I am enjoying this much more than Left Hand for some reason. But maybe it's because I'm such a sucker for detailed high fantasy worlds I can get lost in for a couple hours... alas, I'll always be a sf/fantasy genre person, I'm afraid. :)
Might try to knock the rest out by tomorrow, and then do some sort of review.
That said, I'm starting with A Wizard of Earthsea by Ursula K. LeGuin. I think I started around the end of last spring semester, but had to quit because of summer classes... starting over now.
Doing rather well, actually... the chapters are quite long, but I breezed through about 3 today.
That said, I was drawn to this after watching bits and pieces of the mini-series Earthsea when it ran on the Sci-Fi Channel a while back. My only experience so far with LeGuin has been Catwings when I was younger, and The Left Hand of Darkness for my Science Fiction Literature class over the summer.
Must say, I am enjoying this much more than Left Hand for some reason. But maybe it's because I'm such a sucker for detailed high fantasy worlds I can get lost in for a couple hours... alas, I'll always be a sf/fantasy genre person, I'm afraid. :)
Might try to knock the rest out by tomorrow, and then do some sort of review.
12.06.2006
Status Report (or: How's My Reading?)
Updated status report as I go...
#1: Ursula K. LeGuin - A Wizard of Earthsea
Begin: December 6 * End: December 17
#2: C. S. Lewis - A Grief Observed
Begin: December 17 * End: December 24
#3: Christopher Paolini - Eragon
Begin: December 27 * End: January 17
#4: Christopher Paolini - Eldest
Begin: January 17 (Resumed. Stopped again. Totally gave up for this year. :))
#5: John M. Frame - Salvation Belongs to the Lord: An Introduction to Systematic Theology
Begin: January 23 * End: November 29
#6: Madeleine L'Engle - A Wrinkle in Time
Begin: February 3 * End: February 9
#7: Donald Miller & John MacMurray - To Own a Dragon: Reflections on Growing Up Without a Father
Begin: February 12 * End: February 17
#8: Rob Sheffield - Love is a Mix Tape: Life and Loss, One Song at a Time
Begin: February 18 * End: February 24
#9: J.K. Rowling - Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone
Begin: March 12 * End: April 5
#10: Saint Augustine - Handbook on Faith, Hope, & Love
Begin: March 16 * End: March 31
#11: Anne Lamott - Traveling Mercies: Some Thoughts on Faith
Begin: April 1 * End: April 10
#12: C. S. Lewis - The Great Divorce
Begin: April 10 * End: April 15
#13: Madeleine L'Engle - A Wind in the Door
Begin: April 16 * End: April 28
#14: Anne Rice - Christ the Lord: Out of Egypt
Begin: April 28 * End: May 13
#15: J.K. Rowling - Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets
Begin: May 13 * End: May 19
#16: Thomas a Kempis - The Imitation of Christ
Begin: May 14 * End: June 2
#17: J.K. Rowling - Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban
Begin: May 20 * End: May 27
#18: Orson Scott Card - Ender's Game
Begin: May 28 * End: June 7
#19: Tara Leigh Cobble - Here's to Hindsight: Letters to My Former Self
Begin: June 8 * End: June 9
#20: Rob Bell - Velvet Elvis: Repainting the Christian Faith
Begin: June 10 * End: June 16
#21: J.K. Rowling - Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire
Begin: June 16 * End: July 7
#22: Lynne Truss - Eats, Shoots and Leaves
Begin: June 23 * End: July 1
#23: Anne Lamott - Bird by Bird: Some Instructions on Writing and Life
Begin: July 1 * End: August 20
#24: J.K. Rowling - Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix
Begin: July 8 * End: July 29
#25: J.K. Rowling - Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince
Begin: July 29 * End: August 6
#26: J.K. Rowling - Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows
Begin: August 6 * End: August 11
#27: Emily Bronte - Wuthering Heights
Begin: August 19 * End: September 6
#28: William Goldman - The Princess Bride
Begin: September 7 * End: September 17
#29: Madeleine L'Engle - Walking on Water: Reflections on Faith and Art
Begin: September 16 * End: October 5
#30: Peter S. Beagle - The Last Unicorn
Begin: September 23 * End: September 30
#31: Ray Bradbury - Fahrenheit 451
Begin: October 6 * End: October 7
#32: C. S. Lewis - The Magician's Nephew
Begin: October 7 * End: October 10
#33: C. S. Lewis - The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe
Begin: October 10 * End: October 15
#34: C. S. Lewis - Prince Caspian
Begin: October 15 * End: October 24
#35: John Wesley - A Plain Account of Christian Perfection
Begin: October 15
#36: C. S. Lewis - The Voyage of the Dawn Treader
Begin: October 25 * End: November 3
#37: Lisa Ann Sandell - The Weight of the Sky
Begin: November 3 * End: November 4
#38: Ursula K. LeGuin - Gifts
Begin: November 4 * End: November 15
#39: C. S. Lewis - The Silver Chair
Begin: November 17 * End: November 18
#40: C. S. Lewis - The Horse and His Boy
Begin: November 19 * End: November 24
#41: C. S. Lewis - The Last Battle
Begin: November 25 * End: November 28
#42: David Crowder - Everybody Wants to Go to Heaven, but Nobody Wants to Die
Begin: November 29 * End: ...I forgot. :P
#43: C. S. Lewis - 'Till We Have Faces
Begin: (forgot) * End: December 12
#44: Donald Miller - Blue Like Jazz
Begin: December 15 * End: December 18
#45: William P. Young - The Shack
Begin: December 18 * End: December 20
#46: G. K. Chesterton - Orthodoxy
Begin: December 21 * End: Ummm....
#47: F. Scott Fitzgerald - The Great Gatsby
Begin: I forget. ._. * End: December 30
#48: Margaret Becker - With New Eyes
Begin: December 30 * End: December 31
#49: Aimee Major Steinberger - Japan Ai
Begin: December 31 * End: December 31
#50: Brenan Manning - The Ragamuffin Gospel
Begin: December 31
#1: Ursula K. LeGuin - A Wizard of Earthsea
Begin: December 6 * End: December 17
#2: C. S. Lewis - A Grief Observed
Begin: December 17 * End: December 24
#3: Christopher Paolini - Eragon
Begin: December 27 * End: January 17
#4: Christopher Paolini - Eldest
Begin: January 17 (Resumed. Stopped again. Totally gave up for this year. :))
#5: John M. Frame - Salvation Belongs to the Lord: An Introduction to Systematic Theology
Begin: January 23 * End: November 29
#6: Madeleine L'Engle - A Wrinkle in Time
Begin: February 3 * End: February 9
#7: Donald Miller & John MacMurray - To Own a Dragon: Reflections on Growing Up Without a Father
Begin: February 12 * End: February 17
#8: Rob Sheffield - Love is a Mix Tape: Life and Loss, One Song at a Time
Begin: February 18 * End: February 24
#9: J.K. Rowling - Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone
Begin: March 12 * End: April 5
#10: Saint Augustine - Handbook on Faith, Hope, & Love
Begin: March 16 * End: March 31
#11: Anne Lamott - Traveling Mercies: Some Thoughts on Faith
Begin: April 1 * End: April 10
#12: C. S. Lewis - The Great Divorce
Begin: April 10 * End: April 15
#13: Madeleine L'Engle - A Wind in the Door
Begin: April 16 * End: April 28
#14: Anne Rice - Christ the Lord: Out of Egypt
Begin: April 28 * End: May 13
#15: J.K. Rowling - Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets
Begin: May 13 * End: May 19
#16: Thomas a Kempis - The Imitation of Christ
Begin: May 14 * End: June 2
#17: J.K. Rowling - Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban
Begin: May 20 * End: May 27
#18: Orson Scott Card - Ender's Game
Begin: May 28 * End: June 7
#19: Tara Leigh Cobble - Here's to Hindsight: Letters to My Former Self
Begin: June 8 * End: June 9
#20: Rob Bell - Velvet Elvis: Repainting the Christian Faith
Begin: June 10 * End: June 16
#21: J.K. Rowling - Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire
Begin: June 16 * End: July 7
#22: Lynne Truss - Eats, Shoots and Leaves
Begin: June 23 * End: July 1
#23: Anne Lamott - Bird by Bird: Some Instructions on Writing and Life
Begin: July 1 * End: August 20
#24: J.K. Rowling - Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix
Begin: July 8 * End: July 29
#25: J.K. Rowling - Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince
Begin: July 29 * End: August 6
#26: J.K. Rowling - Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows
Begin: August 6 * End: August 11
#27: Emily Bronte - Wuthering Heights
Begin: August 19 * End: September 6
#28: William Goldman - The Princess Bride
Begin: September 7 * End: September 17
#29: Madeleine L'Engle - Walking on Water: Reflections on Faith and Art
Begin: September 16 * End: October 5
#30: Peter S. Beagle - The Last Unicorn
Begin: September 23 * End: September 30
#31: Ray Bradbury - Fahrenheit 451
Begin: October 6 * End: October 7
#32: C. S. Lewis - The Magician's Nephew
Begin: October 7 * End: October 10
#33: C. S. Lewis - The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe
Begin: October 10 * End: October 15
#34: C. S. Lewis - Prince Caspian
Begin: October 15 * End: October 24
#35: John Wesley - A Plain Account of Christian Perfection
Begin: October 15
#36: C. S. Lewis - The Voyage of the Dawn Treader
Begin: October 25 * End: November 3
#37: Lisa Ann Sandell - The Weight of the Sky
Begin: November 3 * End: November 4
#38: Ursula K. LeGuin - Gifts
Begin: November 4 * End: November 15
#39: C. S. Lewis - The Silver Chair
Begin: November 17 * End: November 18
#40: C. S. Lewis - The Horse and His Boy
Begin: November 19 * End: November 24
#41: C. S. Lewis - The Last Battle
Begin: November 25 * End: November 28
#42: David Crowder - Everybody Wants to Go to Heaven, but Nobody Wants to Die
Begin: November 29 * End: ...I forgot. :P
#43: C. S. Lewis - 'Till We Have Faces
Begin: (forgot) * End: December 12
#44: Donald Miller - Blue Like Jazz
Begin: December 15 * End: December 18
#45: William P. Young - The Shack
Begin: December 18 * End: December 20
#46: G. K. Chesterton - Orthodoxy
Begin: December 21 * End: Ummm....
#47: F. Scott Fitzgerald - The Great Gatsby
Begin: I forget. ._. * End: December 30
#48: Margaret Becker - With New Eyes
Begin: December 30 * End: December 31
#49: Aimee Major Steinberger - Japan Ai
Begin: December 31 * End: December 31
#50: Brenan Manning - The Ragamuffin Gospel
Begin: December 31
12.05.2006
The Great List of Books to Read...
A very long, constantly updated running list of books I intend to read someday, alphebetized by author's last name. Suggestions always welcome.
Title Crossed Out = finished! :)
Begin: 12/05/06 * Last Update: 06/05/07
----------------------------------------------
Isaac Asimov
Begin: 12/05/06 * Last Update: 06/05/07
----------------------------------------------
Isaac Asimov
- I, Robot
- Pride and Prejudice
- Sense and Sensibility
- Body Piercing Saved My Life: Inside the Phenomenon of Christian Rock
- The Unusual Suspect
- A Sound of Thunder and Other Stories
- Bradbury Speaks: Too Soon from the Cave, Too Far from the Stars
- Fahrenheit 451
- Something Wicked This Way Comes
- The Mists of Avalon
- Wuthering Heights
- A Scandalous Freedom: The Radical Nature of the Gospel
Ender's Game
- Alice's Adventures in Wonderland
- 2001: A Space Odyssey
- Fire Bringer
- The Sight
Here's to Hindsight: Letters to My Former Self
- The Book of Lost Things
- Everybody Wants to Go to Heaven, But Nobody Wants to Die
- Praise Habit
- Thr3e
- The Circle Trilogy
- Black
- Red
- White
- Minority Report (short story collection)
- Great Expectations
- The Count of Monte Cristo
- A Heartbreaking Work of Staggering Genius
- The Great Gatsby
- Dune
- Les Miserables
- Brave New World
- Island
- Redwall
- Howl's Moving Castle
- Fear and Trembling
- The Time Quintet
A Wrinkle in TimeA Wind in the Door- A Swiftly Tilting Planet
- Many Waters
- An Acceptable Time
- Bird By Bird: Some Instructions on Writing and Life
Traveling Mercies: Some Thoughts on Faith- Plan B: Further Thoughts on Faith
- Grace (Eventually)
- The Earthsea Cycle
A Wizard of Earthsea- The Tombs of Atuan
- The Farthest Shore
- Tehanu
- Tales from Earthsea
- Gifts
- Voices
- Miracles
- The Problem of Pain
A Grief Observed- 'Til We Have Faces
- The Four Loves
- The Giver
- Gathering Blue
- Messenger
- Life of Pi
- Searching for God Knows What
- Through Painted Deserts: Light, God, and Beauty on the Open Road
- 1984
- Why I Write
- Eldest
- East
- Don't Waste Your Life
- His Dark Materials
- Anthem
Christ the Lord: Out of Egypt
Love is a Mix Tape: Life and Loss, One Song at a Time
- Frankenstein
- Wanting All the Right Things
- The Hobbit
- Anna Karenina
- The Kingdom of God is Within You
- Shivering World
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