Chris’s
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(group member since Feb 25, 2011)
Chris’s
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from the Beyond Reality group.
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Please share what you're reading this month (December 2022), and any comments you'd like to make about the book(s).All genres welcome here!
What fairy tale retellings have you enjoyed?
I think the best feasts were described in the Redwall books. They seemed to feast at any occasion, and all the food sounded lovely.
Does reading about food in books make you hungry? Any particularly memorable fictional meals stand out for you?
So well written! But most of the story is very dispiriting, dealing with loss and mean-spiritedness. Yet somehow Ged never gives up. His pridefulness from The Wizard is gone, stripped away by the lessons learned there. He has realized that he can fail -- he escaped the Tombs of Atuan only with Tenar's help. So he is not too proud to rely on the help of Arran and the dragons to accomplish a last great working. It was hard work, reading through the journey. But the ending, the ending was worth it.
Post here if you are reading or planning on reading The Farthest Shore by Ursula K. Le Guin to continue our Earthsea Cycle series read! No spoilers please.
What are your favorite movies or television series made from books?
I also read this shortly after it came out. As I live in the Houston area (and having recently taken a tour of the ship channel), I found many of the Texas descriptions full of detail that rang pretty true. This story isn't really about the characters; they're just a means to discuss the climate crisis and potential solutions. As if the climate situation isn't scary enough, the idea that someone with deep pockets could unilaterally take action that affects the entire globe (the only world we have!) is deeply disturbing. Of course, our piecemeal approach isn't necessarily getting us where we need to be, either. I think that's exactly the conversation that Stephenson is hoping for.
Do you enjoy short stories? What are some of your favorites?
Please share what you're reading this month (November 2022), and any comments you'd like to make about the book(s).All genres welcome here!
I'm not much for scary stories. But I think A Night in the Lonesome October by Roger Zelazny is a perfect read for this time of year.On the screen, I think the scariest story ever was an episode of Doctor Who, "Blink". The weeping angels are terrifying. I was watching the episode with my daughter, and we were so scared that my husband heard us screaming and ran in from the other room, and my daughter made me pause the show. Unfortunately, I paused it on a closeup of a weeping angel face, so we just kept screaming. Still makes my heart pound to this day.
Halloween is upon us! Share some of your favorite scary books.
We're empty nesters, so we have converted parts of our house to accommodate our hobbies. In the morning I like to read in my garden room (formerly dining room), and in the afternoon I have a comfy recliner in my craft room (formerly kids bedroom). Or curled up in bed at night ....
Autumn is a great time to curl up with a book. Tell us about your favorite reading spot(s)!
What a beautifully written story. Nothing extra, but nothing lacking. In her priestess role, Arha seems to be the most powerful authority -- yet she is bound by arbitrary rules. Kossil, while supposedly her subordinate, clearly has more real power to exercise. Ged's appearance causes Arha to break out of her priestly restrictions. He demands nothing of her, but his humanity appeals to her --- she chooses to save him, and gives up every bit of authority and every friend she has in order to reclaim her own name and human feeling.
But of all the story, I think the ending is the most beautiful. Ged offers her the life of a princess, but she chooses a contemplative life. That, to me, felt the truest choice of all.
I finally finished this one. It was very long, and very bleak. And atmospheric. And very well written. And it really drew me in by the end. Stefan was a great narrator. The story of his life was the story of that dying civilization, and he always managed to be in just the right place with just the right skills (or lack of them) that he could progress the story forward. I'm glad that there's a glimmer of hope at the end .. I really needed it.
I'm just finishing the third (and final?) book in Novik's Scholomance. I had no idea the name was based on a Romanian legend. The school is off in the void, so students don't see the light of day. But I think that's as far as the borrowing goes ....
In terms of enticing me in, I would have to go with The Night Circus. But in terms of shock value, I might suggest The Southern Book Club's Guide to Slaying Vampires.
