Q&A with Josh Lanyon discussion
ARCHIVE (General Topics)
>
The Shrine Shelf - Which books are on yours?
Johanna wrote: "I'll have to get back to you with my list later on. You guys have made some excellent choices already! And I DON'T have anything against small tropical islands — and captains looking like Ralph! S..."Welcome back Johanna. I look forward to reading yours. The captain isn't necessarily Ralph. Apparently viewed from certain angles he looks like Jack Harkness although since we seem also to be playing fantasy sea captains you may want to choose someone else? Personally I'm all for Royal Naval expertise not to mention muscle but my choice is probably not allowed since he's not a fictional character.
Calathea wrote: @Caroline: I want to make sure about the setup of our stay on the islands. Will we be stranded forever or is there hope that we get back home sometime in the future? :)"I think we have to plan for the worst since we're a long way from any shipping routes and that tropical storm which drove the ship aground onto the coral reef also took out all the satellite communications gear.
Still it's not all doom and gloom. I believe we have Josh about to join us and we do have paperbark trees and squid ink.
Caroline wrote: "The captain isn't necessarily Ralph. Apparently viewed from certain angles he looks like Jack Harkness although since we seem also to be playing fantasy sea captains you may want to choose someone else? "Ooooh, well, in that case he certainly looks like Jack Aubrey from a third angle.
Still it's not all doom and gloom. I believe we have Josh about to join us and we do have paperbark trees and squid ink.
Thank you for not squishing all my hope, but still... The reason I was asking is if I have to plan for rescuing the written culture I grew up with or just for passing time in an enjoyable way.
If it's the first I'll have to re-think.
With the paper-bark and squid-ink we'll be a colony of solitary writers who pass on their stories orally by shouting them over the noise of the waves to the next island...
Anne wrote: I have thought long and hard which books to put here, there are so many to choose from ..."Thank you for reminding me of Heinrich Böll. It's a long, long time since I've read anything by him. His
Irisches TagebuchIrish Journal is a delightful read. I wonder where my copy has gone. Poems and Tove Janson sounds a perfect combination.
Calathea wrote: Ooooh, well, in that case he certainly looks like Jack Aubrey from a third angle. ..."
More British naval expertise - nice choice. At this rate we might be able to start planning an escape party although I wonder which one of them will want to lead it.
My next trip is to Grapevine, Texas, and then to Chicago, IL. Nothing so exotic. I'll have to take a picture in front of the Chicago Tribune building though. Or Wrigley Field. On my birthday. <:)
Mod
When will you be in Chicago? I'll be there for a weekend (tango) April 19-21.
Mod
I probably do, but it changes with the years and even with my mood. Plus putting it together would require a degree of focus I don't have for anything but writing right now. :-D
I'm not kidding about that, by the way. It's almost shocking how even a few months into my "regular" schedule everything has had to slip back into what so often feels like "crisis" mode.
When you figure last year -- even without writing more than a couple of short stories -- kept me busy fulltime...adding writing back into the mix is just (feels like, anyway) sheer chaos.
Calathea wrote: "My list till now:The Dragonbone Chair by Tad Williams (and before you're even ask, yes, all three volumes^^)
and
The Three Musketeers by Alexandre Dumas
I'd like to add:
The Last of the Mohican..."
Oh, did you read Shadowmarch and Otherland by Tad Williams, too? I liked those even better than the Dragonbone Chair! Especially Shadowmarch was really great!
Katharina wrote: "Calathea wrote: "My list till now:The Dragonbone Chair by Tad Williams (and before you're even ask, yes, all three volumes^^)
and
The Three Musketeers by Alexandre Dumas
I'd like to add:
The La..."
I read Otherland which is great and #1 of Shadowmarch. I bought #2 but never got around to read it. Of all his books I love Dragonbonechair most. It's one wonderful great metapher of growing up that I read at just the right age to have it make the biggest impact. :D
Calathea wrote: "Katharina wrote: "Calathea wrote: "My list till now:The Dragonbone Chair by Tad Williams (and before you're even ask, yes, all three volumes^^)
and
The Three Musketeers by Alexandre Dumas
I'd li..."
If you ever have time, try to read the other three books of the Shadowmarch series, they're awesome!! The Dragonbone Chair was the first Tad William's book I've read - and although I liked it, it seemed to drag on a bit at times. Might have just been the wrong time to read it, though (I was a bit impatient back then ;D)! I was still fascinated enough to go on and read Otherland right after, though :)
Mod
I don't know about a Josh book. That's a hard choice. I'm fine with Shakespeare. Is there a way we can act them out from one island to the next as a way not to get bored?
Oh, I would probably also take The Last Herald Mage by Mercedes Lackey and Wraeththu by Storm Constantine. Both were very good and are long, so there's a lot to read.
Ok, so that's three books. I'll have to think on the others.
Jordan wrote: "I'm fine with Shakespeare. Is there a way we can act them out from one island to the next as a way not to get bored?.."
Now THAT would almost make it all worthwhile. Stuck on deserted islands where we could all see and hear each other, and we entertain ourselves by acting out the plays--or even our books. As long as food, shelter, and clothing are taken care of, that could be fun. :-)
Welcome aboard Jordan and yes each little island is close enough to the others for us to be able to share the books by reading aloud as Marge has reminded us. Some people also came ashore with their choice of Captain including Ralph from The Charioteer, Jack Harkness from Torchwood, also Jack Aubrey. I was hoping to have Thomas Horn, OBE as mine but only so I could ask him all about whenhis ship the Sydney Star nearly sank on the way to Malta. However that's not allowed since he's not a fictional character and in any case he'd probably refuse to leave the sinking ship. So instead I give you Captain Gwen Cooper of Torchwood fame. My favourite moment of the entire series was when an American female villain says to her
Yeah? What are you going to do about it?. If you're the best England has to offer, God help you....
'I'm Welsh' Gwen replies felling her with a single punch.
This is not easy. In order1. Jane Eyre/Charlotte Bronte
2. Gone With The Wind/Margaret Mitchell
3. Anne Of Green Gables/L.M. Montgomery
4. Romeo And Juliet/William Shakespeares
5. Twenty Thousand Leagues Under The Sea/ Jules Verne
6. Doctor Zhivago/Boris Pasternak
7. No Body's Boy/Hector Melot
8. The Girl Who Chased The Moon/Sarah Addison Allen
9. Girl With A Pearl Earing/Tracy Chevalier
10. My Sister's Keeper/Jodi Picoult
11. Only 1 pick from Josh??? Well I go with Fair Game
12. Music: anything from Sarah Brightman. But one song that I love is Field Of Gold/Eva Cassidy, not Sting.
I want to read Dr Zhivago. I loved the movie, but I bet the book is amazing.
Susinok wrote: "I want to read Dr Zhivago. I loved the movie, but I bet the book is amazing."You would love the book.
Mod
Special Forces- Aleksandr Voinov
The Last herald Mage- Mercedes Lackey
Wraeththu- Storm Constantine
Mossflower- Brian Jacques
One Door Away From Heaven- Dean Koontz
Angel's Ink- Jocelyn Drake
Wicked Gentlemen -Ginn Hale
Slave Boy- Evangeline Anderson
Irregulars- Josh and others
The Persian Boy - Mary Renault
Really, there are too many books to choose from! I'd also like to add
GhosTV - JCP
Angel 1089- CC Bridges
So, the New York Times Magazine has stolen our Desert Island Books idea... It's been been going on for months; I didn't catch it until this week's Sarah Waters instalment. (I'm afraid I didn't adjust well to the "T Magazine transition last summer, so I miss things that turn up there now.)http://www.nytimes.com/column/my-book...
John wrote: "So, the New York Times Magazine has stolen our Desert Island Books idea... It's been been going on for months; I didn't catch it until this week's Sarah Waters instalment. (I'm afraid I didn't adju..."Look at that! Seems like Caroline's idea took wing and spread over the world. :-)
Mod
Well, well. :-) The latest list (Oct 16th, Sarah Waters) has Mary Renault's The Persian Boy in it. That's great!
And so cool when one of these older topics pop up every once in a while. Thank you for digging this one back to the surface, John! :-)
Trying to make a short list of fav books is almost impossible. As soon as I post it, I will want to add to it. 1. Les Miserables;
2. To Kill a Mockingbird by Lee Harper;
3. Acheron by Sherrilyn Kenyon;
4. I want to put the first of the Soldiers by Aleksandr Voinov but feel guilty because I know he has distanced himself from the whole series;
5. The Locker Room by Amy Lane
6. Einstein: His Life and Universe by Walter Isaacson;
7: Red Heart Dirt series by NR Walker;
8: To pick one of Josh's books is near impossible - maybe Lovers and Other Strangers but love them all;
9: Invisible Man by Ralph Ellison; and
10: Now I have to decide between so many - such as The Sleepwalkers by Paul Grossman, or The Black Count by Tom Reiss, or Tell Me It's Real by TJ Klune, or Maurice by EM Forster, or Jane Eyre, but I will have to pick Always by Kindle Alexander.
Mod
Mod
1. Les Miserables;
2. To Kill a Mockingbird by Lee Harper;
3. Acheron by Sherrilyn Ke..."
Nice list, Deanna. :-) And I agree — making a list like this is super difficult.
Johanna wrote: "Deanna Against Censorship wrote: "Trying to make a short list of fav books is almost impossible. As soon as I post it, I will want to add to it. 1. Les Miserables;
2. To Kill a Mockingbird by Lee ..."
Like picking a favorite child, impossible!
Jordan wrote: "That's so awesome that she included The Persian Boy!"Loved that book.
Mod
I know! :-) I remember making a list similar to this on FB at some point, but I don't think I never even tried to make one here. :-D
I have answered when f friends have asked me to make recommendations and that is hard. Easier in person because of receiving feedback.
This is interesting, I should embrace the concept of reducing my books, at least so they would fit into the existing book shelves... I am all for the Shakespeare, but instead of the Bibel I would take The Spiritual Exercises by Ignatius of Loyola, because I think I would go batshit crazy on a deserted island and this is a good way to keep my sanity intact - well, maybe.
To create the list is a daunting prospect, but I would go with books that have been important to me at various times of my life, a kind of recapitulation list:
1. Krabat by Otfried Preußler;
2. Persuasion by Jane Austen;
3. The Turning Point by Klaus Mann;
4. The Bell Jar by Sylvia Plath;
5. The Short Stories by F. Scott Fitzgerald;
6. Venetia by Georgette Heyer;
7. The Serapion Brethren Volume I and volume II by E. T. A. Hoffmann;
8. Dangerous Liaisons by Choderlos de Laclos;
9. Prosperity by Alexis Hall;
10. Neverwhere by Neil Gaiman;
11. The Man Without Qualities by Robert Musil;
12. Cheating a bit :-): The Collected Poems, 1956-1998 by Zbigniew Herbert; Poems Before and After: Collected English Translations by Miroslav Holub; The Complete Poems of Anna Akhmatova
Now, the Josh book, that's tricky, but I think I would go for my comfort read and take Icecapade.
Music - hm, Wagner's operas? There would be time to listen undisturbed, but undoubtedly they'll make me commit suicide by second week. So, Bach's cello suites to sort my thoughts and Rufus Wainwright for emotion and weirdly, comfort.
Mod
My original list included Irregulars. Thinking back now, would I want a different Josh book? I don't know. I think I'd want the big giant print collection of everything, if I could! Lol.
Mod
Mod
It's hard though.
Certain books are a given.
The Charioteer by Mary Renault
Probably the single most influential book of my entire life
But...what does that really mean? Because there is also cumulative effect. I think this is why I continue to waffle about what should be on my shrine shelf.
Ten books are far too few :). I would need to go all the way back to childhood ( a looong time ago) until now. We talk more than fifty years of books...
Mod
Yes! Maybe we should do a Childhood Shrine Shelf. A College Years Shrine Shelf. And so on. :-D
Josh wrote: "Anne wrote: "Ten books are far too few :). I would need to go all the way back to childhood ( a looong time ago) until now. We talk more than fifty years of books..."Yes! Maybe we should do a Chi..."
Yes! From nursery rhymes and Pippi Longstocking, via Norwegian, European and American classics, through feminist literature and transgressive and experimental scifi and contemporary, hurling towards fantasy and mysteries, to romance of all kinds, including, but not limited to m/m. Interspersed with poetry and short stories. Maybe a shelf per decade?
Mod
Yes! Maybe we sh..."
Now this is starting to get REALLY interesting! ;-)
Johanna wrote: "Anne wrote: "Josh wrote: "Anne wrote: "Ten books are far too few :). I would need to go all the way back to childhood ( a looong time ago) until now. We talk more than fifty years of books..."Yes..."
And a little chaotic perhaps :)
Mod
A Little Chaotic Perhaps is our middle name here, I think. :-D There's nothing as soothing as a touch of cosy chaos. And glitter. :-)
Johanna wrote: "Anne wrote: "Johanna wrote: "Anne wrote: "Josh wrote: "Anne wrote: "Ten books are far too few :). I would need to go all the way back to childhood ( a looong time ago) until now. We talk more than ...":)
Mod
I was just gonna say, we're definitely caotic, what with all the glitter in the couch cushions and the cake I had to wash off the wall from the cake fight while Josh was away. Oops. I wasn't supposed to mention that, was I? lol.
Mod
Redwall by Brian Jacques was my favorite series of all time. Though I think I put him on my regular shrine shelf already.
Mod
Now I understand the smear of frosting on the Frederic Mizen print...
Jordan wrote: "I still have a lot of books from when I was a kid. Not so much picture books, but middle-grade books. A lot of them. :-)Redwall by Brian Jacques was my favorite series of all time. Though I think..."
One of the joys of having children and other little kinfolk, is that I'm "allowed" to reread childrens' books from my own childhood, in addition to getting to know new ones :)
For many years I took my kids to the library every Saturday and we indulged in wonderful picture books, rhymes and fairytales.
Jordan wrote: "Johanna wrote: "Anne wrote: "Johanna wrote: "Anne wrote: "Josh wrote: "Anne wrote: "Ten books are far too few :). I would need to go all the way back to childhood ( a looong time ago) until now. We..."Shhh, Jordan! (No, you weren't meant to mention that! ;) )
Anne wrote: "Ten books are far too few :). I would need to go all the way back to childhood ( a looong time ago) until now. We talk more than fifty years of books..."I agree, Anne, ten books are far too few! A shelf per decade, a shelf per genre, a shelf per year... Books are important in our lives for so many different reasons. I find it kind of impossible to narrow down my favourites to any sort of short list.
Mod
Mod
Personally, I love kids stories that revolve around horses. Somewhat recently, I read a horse mystery for kids and loved it. I guess I use my job as a tiny bit of an excuse to read books for a younger audience, but, I think I'd read them anyway, even without the job. Some days you just need that super easy, fun read. Especially if it involves your favorite subject.
Jordan wrote: "Anne, the thing I see more of these days is adults reading ya. Most of them are college kids who are very unapologetic about it, but there are a lot of older adults looking for recommendations in y..."I like reading YA. It started when I had kids in a certain age, I thought it would be interesting to read about other young people in the same age bracket and learn more about them that way. But my kids are past that now and I still like to read them. It's like you say, they are easy, fun to read and for me kind of exotic too, especially those set in American schools, which seem rather a foreign country to me. But the emotions are universal, which I also like :)
I am especially fond of the American concept of "coming of age"- books. The "coming out" ones are a subset of that, which I also enjoy.
Mod
This makes sense. According to the publishing stats, the biggest audience for Young Adult and New Adult is actually older adults.
(Older as in older-than-the-target-audience)
Q&A with Josh Lanyon
Books mentioned in this topic
The Spiritual Exercises (other topics)Persuasion (other topics)
Krabat (other topics)
The Bell Jar (other topics)
The Turning Point: Thirty-Five Years in this Century, the Autobiography of Klaus Mann (other topics)
More...
Authors mentioned in this topic
Tamora Pierce (other topics)Otfried Preußler (other topics)
Michael Ende (other topics)
Astrid Lindgren (other topics)
Erich Kästner (other topics)
More...
The Dragonbone Chair by Tad Williams (and before you're even ask, yes, all three volumes^^)
and
The Three Musketeers by Alexandre Dumas
I'd like to add:
The Last of the Mohicans by James F. Cooper
The Silver Pigs by Lindsey Davis
Dream Finder by Roger Taylor
Going Postal by Terry Pratchett
Talion: Revenant by Michael A. Stackpole
How Much for Just the Planet? by John M. Ford
And I'm not sure but I think someone already had
The Heritage of Hastur on their shelf, so I needn't add it because I can steal it, right?
I'll take the Shakespeare, but I'm still undecided about the one Josh-book I'm allowed to bring.
@Caroline: I want to make sure about the setup of our stay on the islands. Will we be stranded forever or is there hope that we get back home sometime in the future? :)