I'm sad to say I haven't nearly reached the minimum quota of books read this year for any self-respecting book lover. ): I've read a grand total of one book since last year this time (*gasp*), and it was Evelina by Frances Burney. I think it's time to make a good, long list of books to read and make time for it during school this year...

However, the series you're describing sounds really, interesting, Ajjie...I tend to like historical fiction. By the way, you mentioned it briefly, and it made me wonder - how does it feel coming back to certain books now that you're almost done school? Do you enjoy them more or less, or is it hard to actually sit back and enjoy them instead of analyzing them?

Since I didn't officially study literature (and the literature I did do was in Classics, and so of a very different style to the stuff I read), I don't have too much of a problem with the over-analysis thing. I think living in the UK has had more of an affect on how I see things I read than my studies. Actually that's not entirely true, because there is a lot of stuff that was considered "general knowledge" by authors that I didn't know before and references I didn't get. This is especially true of Classics-related stuff. Because it used to be normal to have some kind of classical education, authors often stick references to classical myths or writers or events that would have meant nothing to me before. I thoroughly enjoyed reading E Nesbit's Phoenix and the Carpet over Christmas for that exact reason.

But more so, living in England makes reading Lewis, Tolkien and any other British authors, or stories set in the UK ,make so much more sense. Especially Lewis and Tolkien 'cause I've now lived in Oxford. But just cultural stuff like the layout and daily routines in Shire and the houses in The Magicians Nephew and that kind of thing can now be pictured so much better in my mind. And something minor, but quite interesting, is that having lived with Southern Hemisphere seasons my whole life, getting to experience the reverse also makes things make more sense. So if it mentions "August" or "April" in a book, while I always knew in theory they were reversed to what I was used to, now I can actually picture April being spring and August late summer. Not sure if I'm making sense, but those are the kind of changes to my reading. I've mentioned this elsewhere, but since so much of what I read (and watch on TV/films) is not set in SA, it's a really strange thrill to suddenly be able to read about things or see places I've actually been to and lived in.

Not sure if that answers your question, but that's my experience.

I just finished The Jungle Book (not too long ago) and Puck of Pook's Hill (both I think by Kipling)

I know what you mean, Ajnos. I live in the Northern Hemisphere, but not in Britain, so the thrill of being there and reading books set there was a new one for me when I went to grad school. It's so wonderful walking around where some legendary character such as Arthur might have spent time.

I've been rereading Agatha Christie's short stories. She's one of those rare authors whose short stories are just about as well fleshed out as her novels. (Of course Arthur Conan Doyle is another.) One interesting collection of connected tales that you might find interesting, Ajjie is The Labors of Hercules. (Labours to you!) In these twelve stories, her detective Poirot, whose first name is Hercule, takes on twelve cases that are cleverly connected to the twelve tasks of Hercules. For example, the story about the Augean stables concerns a political scandal, with the implication being that politics can be as grimy as the stables that only Hercules could clean. (He cleaned them, I believe, by diverting a river from its course so that it flowed right through the stables.) The Poirot stories are fun to read on their own, being excellent puzzlers, but they're even more impressive with the classical connections.

Caution: those TLC members who are younger, check with your parents to see if these books are okay for you. Though they were written in more innocent times, they still were written for adults, so they might have some themes that people would not want to encounter before, say, later high school years. But that's true of the Stephen Lawhead books and others, so I feel comfortable bringing them up here.

Someone just gave me a new modern translation of an old Arthurian story known as the Alliterative Morte Arthure. This is not related to the far better known Thomas Malory Morte d'Arthur. This twelfth-century work, anonymous I think, is one I read years ago for my college honors thesis on Sir Gawain. It's a marvelous story, and I'm eager to read it again. I read it (with much labor!) in the original Early Middle English when I studied it in college, but this time I'll be reading the revved-up version that should speed me through.

Ooh, that Alliterative Arthur sounds interesting. I think it was referred to in the talk we had at the CS Lewis (read "Inklings") Society on Tolkien's recently published Arthurian alliterative poem. It was only about a week since the book was released, so the speaker didn't have a lot to go on, but she presented a very interesting talk on what she thought of it so far. I don't know if I'll buy a copy (maybe when it comes out in soft cover), but I definitely want to have another look at it.

I just finished Amaranth Enchantment by Julie Berry, who did a lovely job of creating a fairy tale world that feels real and fragile and poignant and fresh all at once. Her story reminded me of Gail Levine's Ella Enchanted and was almost as well done in that I came to care about the multidimensional characters, caring about what happened next (there were several plot twists and turns!), and was really rooting for the heroine. The Beryl character reminded me a lot about Princess Godmother Irene in MacDonald's the Princess & Curdie and the Princess and the Goblin.

Other books I am concurrently reading: Mansfield Park (Jane Austen), Dealing with Fairies (George MacDonald), and Jane Eyre (Charlotte Bronte).

*Lil,
What did you think of Puck of Pook's Hill? I remember starting it years ago but never finished it. I did enjoy The Jungle Book though; it is such a fun read aloud.

*Beautiful Dreamer, How did you like Evelina? That book is new to me...
And as for school critiquing taking the joy out of reading, I was just talking about that very subject with my son. Because of over-analysis-syndrome, some classics have been ruined for him (but hopefully not forever). He still reads though, and actually picked up Moby Dick of his own free will this summer.

*Ajji, I've had Lawhead's books recommended to me before, but I never got around to them. Because of your rec I have just loaded Taliesin on my Nook.

I feel like I have Reader ADD right now. I did some more re-reads and then I started reading the Lord of the Rings again as well. When I got back from school I did get another installment in Chuck Black's Knights of Arrethtrae series. I love this series along with his Kingdom Series. The Knights series is his spin off series from the Kingdom. It goes in more depth into the knights who work in the Kingdom of Arrethrae that are spoken about in the Kingdom series. The Knights Series though focuses more on Biblical lessons and our Christian walk then in Biblical Allegories. Kingdom was a series built on allegories from Adam and Eve to Revelations. Right now I am reading Sir Kendrick and the Castle of Bel Lione. It is great read and is based around the principle of Pride/Humility and Foolishness/Wisdom.

Hi Aslie,
Sounds interesting. So are these knights on a quest together, or is it more like a set of short stories featuring different characters? Is this series similar to the allegorical Tower of Geburah novels?

I just finished reading Woodsong by Gary Paulsen. It is a collection of memoirs woven together to tell a story, or set stories about the sled dogs he worked with and the wilderness that he once lived in. I'd say that it was a very nice novel, an easy read, but definitely not for the faint of heart. I honestly liked it because of of some of the sweet stories about his dogs. (And if anyone wonders, Paulsen was also the one who wrote the novel The Hatchet.)

So are these knights on a quest together, or is it more like a set of short stories featuring different characters?

They're on different quests. They overlap a bit, though. Especially 3 & 4. My fave of the Knights series is Lady Carliss and the Waters of Moorue.

I'm reading book 1 in The Berefeill Prophecies series by Wayne Thomas Batson. It's really cool. 😉

Hi Aslie,
Sounds interesting. So are these knights on a quest together, or is it more like a set of short stories featuring different characters? Is this series similar to the allegorical Tower of Geburah novels?

The books themselves have about 20 to 24 chapters and it is usually about two knights working together. Sir Kendrick is accompanied by Sir Duncan working together to complete a mission. The book was awesome as always. These books are all about two knights working together to complete missions while sharing the story of Jesus (The Prince in the stories) to all the people they come in contact with while they work through problems like Pride, Selfishness, Foolishness, doubt, and other things that we struggle with. This series presents problems like Doubt, (Sir Dalton and Lord Drox book deals with Doubt) or Pride (Sir Kendrick and Bel Lione dealt with this) as Strong Holds in the land where powerful Shadow Warriors disguised as lords are in control over a part of the Kingdom. The knights are sent on missions by the Counsel of Knights to learn what is going on in that part of the Kingdom and to see what it will take to defeat that Castle. These Knights of the Prince have to deal with Vincero Knights which are knights that are doing the bidding and work of Lucius and his shadow warriors.I don't think it is like Geburah. Most of these characters carry over to the next books as either minor charters or even major ones. The books are very well written, the plots aren't boring or dry or old. They are awesome. Even though they are technically for teens/preteen age they still are compelling and are great for any age.

Paulsen's a very interesting writer, very spare but eloquent, kind of like a modern Jack London in that he writes survival stories generally set in some sort of wilderness. He also wrote two amazing historical novels about the Civil War era, Nightjohn and Sarny. Nightjohn tells about an escaped slave who returns regularly to teach slaves to read. Sarny takes place after emancipation. As with his other novels, they're intense (I agree with the description "not for the faint of heart"), but are of superior quality.

I highly recommend Puck of Pook's Hill and also its sequel, Rewards and Fairies. These two marvelous books of chapters that are each a self-contained story, are part fantasy and part history. They are Kipling's paean to England, as Kim and other books are his love song to India. Kipling was so evocative that Rosemary Sutcliff cited the segment set along Hadrian's Wall in Roman times as an early inspiration for her to study and write about that era in her wonderful novels. I think Steward joins me in enjoying the Puck books; I seem to remember his quoting one of the poems that introduce the chapters here on the Forum.

So are these knights on a quest together, or is it more like a set of short stories featuring different characters?

They're on different quests. They overlap a bit, though. Especially 3 & 4. My fave of the Knights series is Lady Carliss and the Waters of Moorue.

I'm reading book 1 in The Berefeill Prophecies series by Wayne Thomas Batson. It's really cool. 😉

I just finished Lady Carliss for the second time. I love that one but I really like Sir Dalton as well.

Currently, I've just finished reading The Hunger Games because all of my friends have been pestering me about it for so long, and I'm sure I drive them crazy talking about Narnia and LotR and The Hobbit, so I finally gave in. I read all three of the books within three days, so that says something about the suspense and drive. There were some things that I definitely liked, and some other parts that were totally weird or creepy. The result of me reading them = my opinion that Narnia, LotR and the Hobbit are better were confirmed, and my sister now makes lame bread jokes about Peeta. Her favorite: Gale: Katniss, I want you! Peeta: I knead you!

I am also nearly through The Hobbit for the second or third time.

All of my other reading time is filled up with Narnia fanfictions or school books.