Dana Swier Huff's Blog, page 94

Grendel

[image error]John Gardner's novel Grendel has been on my reading list for years. I have picked it up and read the first chapter or two several times. This time, the confluence of the R.I.P. Challenge and the fact that I am teaching Beowulf provided me with two excellent reasons to finish.

Beowulf is, of course, our earliest epic in English. It tells the story of a mighty Geatish warrior named Beowulf who comes to King Hrothgar's meadhall in Denmark to help Hrothgar and the Danes with their monster...

BBAW Meme

Stefanie shared her responses to this meme for Book Blogger Appreciation Week. Consider yourself tagged if you want to play along.

Do you snack while you read?  If so, favorite reading snack? Sometimes, but the snack varies according to what I'm craving. I do find it difficult to eat a full meal while reading, but note I said "difficult" and not "impossible." I always read when I'm eating out alone.

Do you tend to mark your books as you read, or does the idea of writing in books horrify you?

Birthday Books

My parents gave an Amazon gift card for my birthday (thanks, Mom and Dad). I decided on the following books:

The Seance by John Harwood (I really liked his book The Ghost Writer ) My Cousin Rachel by Daphne Du Maurier We Have Always Lived in the Castle by Shirley Jackson The Haunting of Hill House by Shirley Jackson The Glass of Time by Michael Cox The Meaning of Night: A Confession by Michael Cox Katherine by Anya Seton The Forgotten Garden by Kate Morton The Adventure of English: The Biography of a...

Hey Lady

I had the opportunity to get to know fellow book blogger Trish of Hey Lady! Whatcha Readin'? I love that she preserves the apostrophe for the dropped g and still includes the proper punctuation—a question mark—after the apostrophe.

Can you tell us a little about yourself?
Hmm…such a broad question! I'm 30 years old, married, and have two dogs and a cat. I spend way too much time on the computer and hardly ever watch TV. I like to eat cookie dough and don't like my food to touch. I prefer the r...

September 11

Thinking of Eric Lehrfeld's family today. Shabbat Shalom, and may you find comfort in the blessings of his memory.

Post © Dana Huff

September 11

Coraline

[image error]Coraline Jones is bored. Her parents are too busy to play, and the weather isn't cooperating, so she explores. Behind a locked door, she finds the entrance to a completely different world. Neil Gaiman's novel Coraline is compared to Alice in Wonderland or The Chronicles of Narnia on the book jacket, and while the comparison is fair, Coraline's world beyond the locked door is different: it's far creepier and in some ways more believable than Carroll or Lewis's worlds are. Every child knows...

Confessions of a Jane Austen Addict

Laurie Viera Rigler's novel Confessions of a Jane Austen Addict begins with an interesting premise for any Jane Austen fan: what if you woke up one morning and found yourself in the middle of the Regency, with folks who act and look like characters right out a Jane Austen novel? Courtney Stone, Rigler's protagonist, is a huge Jane Austen fan. Her love life is unfulfilled. She has recently broken up with her fiancé Frank after catching him with another woman, and she has severed ties with her ...

The Decatur Book Festival

We all had a good time today at the Decatur Book Festival. I had to grab a nap when we got home so I could recover. I am a little sad—one of my main reasons for going, seeing Diana Gabaldon and possibly getting a book signed, didn't turn out to be feasible when I saw the line. If I had been alone or with like-minded friends, I would have waited, but I was with family, none of whom shared my interest in seeing Ms. Gabaldon, so I filed that away for another time. I have seen her once before...

Decatur Book Festival and R.I.P. Update

Tomorrow, the Huffs are heading to the annual Decatur Book Festival for the first time. I'll be sure to share all the fun here.

Meanwhile, I think I've finalized the selections I will read for the R.I.P. Challenge. I have decided on Peril the First, which means I plan to read four books: Dracula by Bram Stoker, Coraline by Neil Gaiman, Grendel by John Gardner, and 20th Century Ghosts by Joe Hill. I am hoping that by picking books of a manageable size that I can actually finish the challenge...

Roundup: Reading News

Twitter and Facebook are great places to obtain news, depending on who you follow/friend. In the last couple of days, I have learned all the following:

Laura Ingalls Wilder and her daughter Rose collaborated on the Little House books; the true story behind the making of these books is nearly as interesting as the books.Those rumors about the demise of reading may have been great exaggerated.Some schools are moving toward choice with regards to reading. I have mixed feelings about this because I t