Ned Hayes's Blog, page 83
September 25, 2014
"The sound of a distant ocean covers me with surf, that tide...
"The sound of a distant ocean covers me with surf, that tide that bears me back eternally into the past, back to the place where I was born. My mother took me out in our little fishing boat, out on the open water of the sea. The thrum and hiss of surf upon the shore behind us, the breaking rhythm never ceasing. My mother waited until we were out of sight of land." — from the novel Sinful Folk
September 24, 2014
"In a way, writing is an incredible act of individualism, producing your language, and yet to use it..."
- Arundhati Roy (via writersrelief)
September 23, 2014
Celebrating Banned Books Week!
Banned Books Week is “celebrated” by the American Library Association this week of Sept 21-27. However, it’s sad that we even have to draw attention to the fact that books are still being banned today — in the 21st century! Unfortunately, it’s true — even in 2014, books are still being challenged and banned by parents, educators and even government officials.
Books open our hearts to another human being’s experience of the world. I find it inconceivable that some hearts would not be open to that growth. So to celebrate that enrichment, let me draw your attention to a few books I have loved that continue to be challenged. Here’s my top 30 list of banned and challenged books — and when I read them!
Harry Potter (series), by J.K. Rowling (READ: in my 20s, insatiably!)
The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, by Mark Twain (READ: 14 years old)
Catcher in the Rye, by J.D. Salinger (READ: finally, at 24 years old)
To Kill A Mockingbird, by Harper Lee (READ: 12 years old)
The Giver, by Lois Lowry (READ: 10 years old)
The Kite Runner, by Khaled Hosseini (READ: 36 years old, when it first appeared)
Fahrenheit 451, by Ray Bradbury (READ: 13 years old)
A Wrinkle in Time, by Madeline L’Engle (READ: 11 years old)
Gone With the Wind, Margaret Mitchell (READ: still haven’t read it!)
Moby-Dick; or The Whale, Herman Melville (READ: 22 years old)
Where the Wild Things Are, Maurice Sendak (READ: 4, 5, 6, 7, 34, 41, and ongoing…)
Where’s Waldo? by Martin Handford (READ: really? this was challenged? seriously?)
Winnie-the-Pooh by A. A. Milne (READ: 4, 5, 6, 7, 34, 41, and ongoing…)
James and the Giant Peach by Roald Dahl (READ: 9 years old)
Anne Frank: The Diary of a Young Girl by Anne Frank (READ: 16 years old)
Bridge to Terabithia by Katherine Paterson (READ: 11 years old)
Charlotte’s Web by E. B. White (READ: 10 years old)
Alice in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll (READ: 7, 15, 34, 41, and ongoing…)
Charlie and the Chocolate Factory by Roald Dahl (READ: 11 years old)
The Wonderful Wizard of Oz by L. Frank Baum (READ: 13 years old)
The Merriam-Webster Dictionary (READ: seriously people? A dictionary?)
A Light in the Attic by Shel Silverstein (READ: 7 years old)
Lord of the Flies by William Golding (READ: knocked my socks off at 12 years old)
The Grapes of Wrath by John Steinbeck (READ: 16 years old)
Little Red Riding Hood, Trina Schart Hyman (READ: 15 years old)
Twelfth Night, William Shakespeare (READ: I’ve seen this on stage 5 times, but never read it)
Animal Farm, by George Orwell (READ: 14 years old, and hated it, frankly, but it shouldn’t be banned)
The Hunger Games (The Hunger Games #1)Suzanne Collins (READ: when they came out, like last year)
The Outsiders S. E. Hinton (READ: 13 years old)
Uncle Tom’s Cabin by Harriet Beecher Stowe (READ: 32 years old)
When did you read these excellent (banned!) books?
Celebrating Banned Books Week! was originally published on NedNote
"Stars steam away as a pale sun rises, hot coal dropped in a...
"Stars steam away as a pale sun rises, hot coal dropped in a watery sky. Light seeps across the forest as the reedy shrieks of wood fowl echo in the trees. The path from our village to the King’s Highway is a crooked line of mud rutted with cart tracks, a rough trough where the dirty snow is stabbed through by the hooves of feral sheep. To the east, that faint track leads up through the forest until it reaches, finally, the open country."
September 22, 2014
waves of memory
BOOK QUOTE: “People come to me on waves of memory, but all of them are ghosts. The sound of a distant ocean covers me with surf, that tide that bears me back eternally into the past, back to the place where I was born. My mother took me out in our little fishing boat, out on the open water of the sea. The thrum and hiss of surf upon the shore behind us, the breaking rhythm never ceasing. My mother waited until we were out of sight of land. She waited to tell me the secret.”
September 21, 2014
Celebrating Banned Books Week!
Banned Books Week is “celebrated” by the American Library Association this week of Sept 21-27. However, it’s sad that we even have to draw attention to the fact that books are still being banned today — in the 21st century! Unfortunately, it’s true — even in 2014, books are still being challenged and banned by parents, educators and even government officials.
Books open our hearts to another human being’s experience of the world. I find it inconceivable that some hearts would not be open to that growth.
So to celebrate that enrichment, let me draw your attention to a few books I have loved that continue to be challenged. Here’s my top 30 list of banned and challenged books — and when I read them!
1. Harry Potter (series), by J.K. Rowling (READ: in my 20s, insatiably!)
2. The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, by Mark Twain (READ: 14 years old)
3. Catcher in the Rye, by J.D. Salinger (READ: finally, at 24 years old)
4. To Kill A Mockingbird, by Harper Lee (READ: 12 years old)
5. The Giver, by Lois Lowry (READ: 10 years old)
6. The Kite Runner, by Khaled Hosseini (READ: 36 years old, when it first appeared)
7. Fahrenheit 451, by Ray Bradbury (READ: 13 years old)
8. A Wrinkle in Time, by Madeline L’Engle (READ: 11 years old)
9. Gone With the Wind, Margaret Mitchell (READ: still haven’t read it!)
10. Moby-Dick; or The Whale, Herman Melville (READ: 22 years old)
11. Where the Wild Things Are, Maurice Sendak (READ: 4, 5, 6, 7, 34, 41, and ongoing…)
12. Where’s Waldo? by Martin Handford (READ: really? this was challenged? seriously?)
13. Winnie-the-Pooh by A. A. Milne (READ: 4, 5, 6, 7, 34, 41, and ongoing…)
14. James and the Giant Peach by Roald Dahl (READ: 9 years old)
15. Anne Frank: The Diary of a Young Girl by Anne Frank (READ: 16 years old)
16. Bridge to Terabithia by Katherine Paterson (READ: 11 years old)
17. Charlotte’s Web by E. B. White (READ: 10 years old)
18. Alice in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll (READ: 7, 15, 34, 41, and ongoing…)
19. Charlie and the Chocolate Factory by Roald Dahl (READ: 11 years old)
20. The Wonderful Wizard of Oz by L. Frank Baum (READ: 13 years old)
21. The Merriam-Webster Dictionary (READ: seriously people? A dictionary?)
22. A Light in the Attic by Shel Silverstein (READ: 7 years old)
23. Lord of the Flies by William Golding (READ: knocked my socks off at 12 years old)
24. The Grapes of Wrath by John Steinbeck (READ: 16 years old)
25. Little Red Riding Hood, Trina Schart Hyman (READ: 15 years old)
26. Twelfth Night, William Shakespeare (READ: I’ve seen this on stage 5 times, but never read it)
27. Animal Farm, by George Orwell (READ: 14 years old, and hated it, frankly, but it shouldn’t be banned)
28. The Hunger Games (The Hunger Games #1)Suzanne Collins (READ: when they came out, like last year)
29. The Outsiders S. E. Hinton (READ: 13 years old)
30. Uncle Tom’s Cabin by Harriet Beecher Stowe (READ: 32 years old)
When did you read these excellent (banned!) books?
Celebrating Banned Books Week! was originally published on NedNote
Unabridged Chick - Sinful Folk by Ned Hayes
Title: Sinful Folk
Author: Ned Hayes
Genre: Fiction (Historical / Medieval / 14th Century / UK / Rural Life / Murder Mystery / Pilgrimage / Secret Identities)
Publisher/Publication Date: Campanile Books (1/22/2014)
Source: TLC Book Tours
Rating: Liked very much.
Did I finish?: I did!
One-sentence summary: After five boys are murdered, a band of villagers take their bodies to court to seek out justice, but face violent trials and tribulations along the way.
Reading Challenges: E-book, Historical Fiction
Do I like the cover?: I adore it — love the woodcut style illustration and the feel, which perfectly captures the novel’s story.
First line: In the end, I listen to my fear.
Buy, Borrow, or Avoid?: Borrow or buy.
Why did I get this book?: The setting and melancholy premise fascinated me.
Review: Set in 1377, Sinful Folk follows a band of starving villagers who are pilgrimaging to court to plead for justice following the suspicious deaths of their sons. Five boys burned to death in a house, intentionally locked in by an unusual knot. The village, already facing a hard winter and impending famine, immediately suspects Jews as the culprits. The boys’ bereaved fathers gather the bodies of their sons and decide to keep them unburied to let the King witness their cruel deaths.
Each villager, however, carries a dark secret with them, and on the road, beset by bloodthirsty knights and bands of murderous rogues, one twisted truth after another emerges.
The deceptively simple premise belies a more complicated novel that hit every note right for me: wonderful evocation of setting & era, fascinating characters, dramatic plot, and surprising historic details. The grimy, wintry feel of the landscape is a character, too: with just a hint of air conditioning, I was shivering along with our travelers, my skin crawling at the everyday reality of life for a medieval peasant.
The story is carried by Mear, mute parent to a murdered son, who has lived nearly two decades as a man in this small village after fleeing the convent where she thought her lover — her son’s father — would come for them. As our narrator, Mear is curious, clever, and observant, her voice inviting us to experience the sadness and horror she does. (I suspect this would make a smashing audiobook for that reason!)
Despite the dark premise, the novel reads quickly, with many exciting interludes, and I found myself racing through the story. Nikki McClure, the illustrator who did the cover design, provides small illustrated elements that open every few chapters, and they’re striking and interesting.
My only complaint is that the historical note was really a brief piece about Edward the Black Prince rather than a larger essay touching on the other events that occurred in the novel. While the details about Edward were interesting, I am intensely curious to learn if some of the things that befell our travelers were historically true or wholly fictional.
Recommended for fans of medieval fic as well as those who like stories of commoners (seriously, between the cold and the grime, I was esp grateful for my shower!). A great end-of-summer read, or one to save when facing a snowy weekend!
Unabridged Chick – Sinful Folk by Ned Hayes was originally published on NedNote
"Cold tears as salty as ocean spray wet my face. I remember the...
"Cold tears as salty as ocean spray wet my face. I remember the day before she died, my mother took me out in our little fishing boat, out on the open water of the sea—the thrum and hiss of surf upon the shore behind us, the rhythm never ceasing. And she taught me something: strange and secret words in a foreign tongue, a lilting singsong cadence to it."
September 20, 2014
“Spring grew into summer, and the rhythm of my life now included...
“Spring grew into summer, and the rhythm of my life now included Nell. I learned that her secret lavender and mint beds were deep in the woods, out by the chuckling stream that disappeared underground. She gathered plants she needed every day, and she was as a child who gathers flowers in May.”
