"Twilight was gathering, and Orpheus still wasn't here. Farid's heart beat faster, ans it always did when day left him alone with the darkness. Curse that Cheeseface! Where could he be? The birds were falling silent in the trees, as if the approach of night had stifled their voices, and the nearby mountains were turning black. You might have thought the setting sun had singed them. Soon the whole world would be black as pitch, even the grass beneath Farid's bare feet, and the ghosts would begin to whisper. Farid knew only one place where he felt safe from them: right behind Dustfinger, so close that he could feel his warmth. Dustfinger wasn't afraid of the night. He liked it."
I read Inkspell's prequel, Inkheart during the SRTC. It took up residence on the bookshelf in my heart, and will probably remain there until my future grandchildren are grown and reading it to their young ones. I am sure Inkspell will be just as amazing, and so, it tops my list!
"The first useful concept is the idea of short assignments. Often, when you sit down to write, what you have in mind is an autobiographical novel about your childhood, or a play about the immigrant experience, or a history of---oh, say---say women. But this is like trying to scale a glacier. It's hard to get your footing, and your fingertips get all red and frozen and torn up. Then your mental illnesses arrive at the desk like your sickest, most secretive relatives. And they pull up chairs in a semicircle around the computer, and they try to be quiet but you know they are there with their weird coppery breath, leering at you behind your back."
I am already part-way into this book, and I am loving it. The practical tips Ms. Lamott shares are fundamental, and at the same time, very empowering. I look forward to finishing this book, and then referring to it again and again as I write my story.
"In great deeds, something abides. On great fields, something stays. Forms change and pass, bodies disappear but spirits linger to consecrate ground for the vision place of the soul. And reverent men and wome from afar and generations that know us not and that we know not of, shall come here to ponder and to dream and the power of the vision shall pass into their souls. --Joshua Lawrence Chamberlain, 1828-1914"
Published by Nelson Books, and recommended by John Maxwell and Barbara Johnson, this book may just have a profound affect on the way I fulfill my dream.
The first paragraph on page 48 of Writing Down the Bones reads:
"Writers live twice. They go along with their regular life, are as fast as anyone in the grocery store, crossing the street, getting dressed for work in the morning. But there's another part of them that they have been training. The one that lives everything a second time. That sits down and sees their life again and goes over it. Looks at the texture and the details."
The first paragraph in chapter one of Wild Mind: Living the Writer's Life begins:
"For fifteen years now, at the beginning of every writing workshop, I have repeated the rules for writing practice. So, I will repeat them again here. And I want to say why I repeat them: Because they are the bottom line, the beginning of all writing, the foundation of learning to trust your own mind. Trusting your own mind is essential for writing. Words come out of the mind."
Both books come highly recommended, and I've been stealing peeks at the first one for several days, now. It looks to be another practical and useful reference book for my desk. I'm sure the second one will be just as valuable.
"In the city of Ember, the sky was always dark. The only light came from the great flood lamps mounted on the buildings and at the tops of poles in the middle of the larger squares. When the lights were on,they cast a yellowish glow over the streets; people walking by threw long shadows that shortened and then stretched out again. When the lights were off, as they were between nine at night and six in the morning, the city was so dark that people might as well have been wearing blindfolds."
The City of Ember is a young adult book that will hopefully be a great escape into fiction. I can't wait to open the cover and lose myself in the pages.
"I don't talk much about those days. Never did. I don't know why---I worked on circuses for nearly seven years, and if that isn't fodder for conversation, I don't know what is. Actually, I do know why: I never trusted myself. I was afraid I'd let it slip. I knew how important it was to keep her secret, and keep it I did---for the rest of her life, and then beyond. In seventy years, I've never told a blessed soul."
Set in the Depression, this novel hints at an enchanting tale about life and love in the 1930s. This one's gonna be good!
"On the morning of T'urin's birthday, H'urin gave his son a gift, an Elf-wrought knife, and the hilt and the sheath were silver and black; and he said: 'Heir of the House of Hador, here is a gift for the day. But have a care! It is a bitter blade, and steel serves only those that can weild it. It will cut your hand as willingly as aught else." And setting T'urin on a table, he kissed his son, and said: 'You overtop me already, son of Morwen' soon you will be as high on your own feet. In that day many may fear your blade.' "
I was thrilled to find that Tolkien's son edited this one, and can't wait to visit Middle Earth, once again.
"Evelyn Bucknow is living with her single mother, Tina, in a small apartment outside Kerrville, Kansas. Though Tina is warm and loving, she is still young and immature herelf, prone to making hotheaded decisions that help create a precarious financial situation for her increasingly anxious daughter. When Tina's failed romance with her married boss leaves her jobless and desperate, Evelyn turns to her grandmother in an effort to distance herself from what she perceives as her mother's irresponsibility, immorality, and plain bad luck. But even the firmest convictions can crumble over time. As Evelyn winces her way through the trials of adolescence, she comes to realize that fortune, like people, can't always be categorized as good or bad. A curious student and a careful observer of her teachers, she learns the hardest lessons when confronted by the unexpected; a birth, a death, and the sting of unrequited love help Evelyn discover that luck is a tricky business, and a humbled compassion for others may be the greatest blessing of all."
This one sounds like a real coming-of-age story. I think it will round out my fall afternoons, quite nicely.
So, if you're a book-lover, and you're looking for a great way to while away Autumn's short stay, head on over to Katrina's place, and join the Fall Into Reading Challenge 2007!
See you there!
Yes, my friends, the time has come. Autumn is here, and in celebration I plan to Fall Into Reading! A huge thank you goes out to Katrina over at Callapidder Days, for giving me the push I needed to tame my TBR pile once again. I Sprang into Spring with the Spring Reading Thing Challenge, and had so much fun, I can't tell you.So, once again, in the interest of reducing the many piles of unread books that live in my home, I have spent a great deal of time and thought choosing which books I'll share these glorious autumn days with. They are a different bunch from my spring set. Fewer fiction, more reality. But, that's a good thing. They all come highly recommended, and I can't wait to dive in, and then share the best ones with you, here!"Twilight was gathering, and Orpheus still wasn't here. Farid's heart beat faster, ans it always did when day left him alone with the darkness. Curse that Cheeseface! Where could he be? The birds were falling silent in the trees, as if the approach of night had stifled their voices, and the nearby mountains were turning black. You might have thought the setting sun had singed them. Soon the whole world would be black as pitch, even the grass beneath Farid's bare feet, and the ghosts would begin to whisper. Farid knew only one place where he felt safe from them: right behind Dustfinger, so close that he could feel his warmth. Dustfinger wasn't afraid of the night. He liked it."I read Inkspell's prequel, Inkheart during the SRTC. It took up residence on the bookshelf in my heart, and will probably remain there until my future grandchildren are grown and reading it to their young ones. I am sure Inkspell will be just as amazing, and so, it tops my list!
Second on my shelf is Bird by Bird: Some Instructions on Writing and Life, by Anne Lamott. The first paragraph of chapter two says:"The first useful concept is the idea of short assignments. Often, when you sit down to write, what you have in mind is an autobiographical novel about your childhood, or a play about the immigrant experience, or a history of---oh, say---say women. But this is like trying to scale a glacier. It's hard to get your footing, and your fingertips get all red and frozen and torn up. Then your mental illnesses arrive at the desk like your sickest, most secretive relatives. And they pull up chairs in a semicircle around the computer, and they try to be quiet but you know they are there with their weird coppery breath, leering at you behind your back."I am already part-way into this book, and I am loving it. The practical tips Ms. Lamott shares are fundamental, and at the same time, very empowering. I look forward to finishing this book, and then referring to it again and again as I write my story.
The next book on my shelf is The Traveler's Gift: Seven Decisions that Determine Personal Success, by Andy Andrews. Just before chapter one, the author opens with a very powerful quote:"In great deeds, something abides. On great fields, something stays. Forms change and pass, bodies disappear but spirits linger to consecrate ground for the vision place of the soul. And reverent men and wome from afar and generations that know us not and that we know not of, shall come here to ponder and to dream and the power of the vision shall pass into their souls. --Joshua Lawrence Chamberlain, 1828-1914"Published by Nelson Books, and recommended by John Maxwell and Barbara Johnson, this book may just have a profound affect on the way I fulfill my dream.
Fourth and fifth on my shelf are Writing Down the Bones: Freeing theWriter Within, and Wild Mind: Living the Writer's Life, by Natalie Goldberg. The first paragraph on page 48 of Writing Down the Bones reads:"Writers live twice. They go along with their regular life, are as fast as anyone in the grocery store, crossing the street, getting dressed for work in the morning. But there's another part of them that they have been training. The one that lives everything a second time. That sits down and sees their life again and goes over it. Looks at the texture and the details."The first paragraph in chapter one of Wild Mind: Living the Writer's Life begins:"For fifteen years now, at the beginning of every writing workshop, I have repeated the rules for writing practice. So, I will repeat them again here. And I want to say why I repeat them: Because they are the bottom line, the beginning of all writing, the foundation of learning to trust your own mind. Trusting your own mind is essential for writing. Words come out of the mind."Both books come highly recommended, and I've been stealing peeks at the first one for several days, now. It looks to be another practical and useful reference book for my desk. I'm sure the second one will be just as valuable.
The sixth book on my shelf is The City of Ember, by Jeanne DuPrau. The first paragraph of chapter one says:"In the city of Ember, the sky was always dark. The only light came from the great flood lamps mounted on the buildings and at the tops of poles in the middle of the larger squares. When the lights were on,they cast a yellowish glow over the streets; people walking by threw long shadows that shortened and then stretched out again. When the lights were off, as they were between nine at night and six in the morning, the city was so dark that people might as well have been wearing blindfolds."The City of Ember is a young adult book that will hopefully be a great escape into fiction. I can't wait to open the cover and lose myself in the pages.
Seventh on my shelf is Water for Elephants, by Sara Gruen. The front flap of the dust jacket begins with:"I don't talk much about those days. Never did. I don't know why---I worked on circuses for nearly seven years, and if that isn't fodder for conversation, I don't know what is. Actually, I do know why: I never trusted myself. I was afraid I'd let it slip. I knew how important it was to keep her secret, and keep it I did---for the rest of her life, and then beyond. In seventy years, I've never told a blessed soul."Set in the Depression, this novel hints at an enchanting tale about life and love in the 1930s. This one's gonna be good!
Eighth on my shelf is The Children of Hurin, by J.R.R. Tolkien. I am a Tolkien fan---one of many. Opening the book at random, I find I am intrigued by the following paragraph on page 48."On the morning of T'urin's birthday, H'urin gave his son a gift, an Elf-wrought knife, and the hilt and the sheath were silver and black; and he said: 'Heir of the House of Hador, here is a gift for the day. But have a care! It is a bitter blade, and steel serves only those that can weild it. It will cut your hand as willingly as aught else." And setting T'urin on a table, he kissed his son, and said: 'You overtop me already, son of Morwen' soon you will be as high on your own feet. In that day many may fear your blade.' "I was thrilled to find that Tolkien's son edited this one, and can't wait to visit Middle Earth, once again.
The ninth and final book on my shelf for this challenge is The Center of Everything, by Laura Moriarty. The front flap of the dust jacket reads:"Evelyn Bucknow is living with her single mother, Tina, in a small apartment outside Kerrville, Kansas. Though Tina is warm and loving, she is still young and immature herelf, prone to making hotheaded decisions that help create a precarious financial situation for her increasingly anxious daughter. When Tina's failed romance with her married boss leaves her jobless and desperate, Evelyn turns to her grandmother in an effort to distance herself from what she perceives as her mother's irresponsibility, immorality, and plain bad luck. But even the firmest convictions can crumble over time. As Evelyn winces her way through the trials of adolescence, she comes to realize that fortune, like people, can't always be categorized as good or bad. A curious student and a careful observer of her teachers, she learns the hardest lessons when confronted by the unexpected; a birth, a death, and the sting of unrequited love help Evelyn discover that luck is a tricky business, and a humbled compassion for others may be the greatest blessing of all."This one sounds like a real coming-of-age story. I think it will round out my fall afternoons, quite nicely.So, if you're a book-lover, and you're looking for a great way to while away Autumn's short stay, head on over to Katrina's place, and join the Fall Into Reading Challenge 2007!See you there!
Comments (3)
What fun! While this is not the time in my life that I can jump into a reading challenge, I will greatly enjoy reading about YOURS!! I'm so excited for you--what a great pile of books. I loved the quotes from your non-fiction books on "writing" and hope to see more, down the road. I rarely read fiction these days (knee-deep in homeschooling books and so forth) but you have a couple there with delightful opening paragraphs. I love the descriptive words in "City of Ember"...be sure to keep us posted on your reads, okay?
What kind of people read books about writing and read blogs about reading?? People like us! :) Blessings to you and yours--say HI to the hubby! (Btw, it's looking as though Vic may get a camera by Thanksgiving--hopefully!) Love, ~me
Narn i Chin Hurin, that is, The Children of Hurin, by J.R.R. Tolkien. Very, VERY good book. A little on the sad side, but very well written (what would you expect from Tolkien!), but I won't ruin it for you! I am also a big (understatement!) Tolkien fan. Have fun!
Okay, I have a terrible time remembering authors, especially when I go to the library book sale. These look like good books. I am particularly interested in City of Ember. Do you have good or favorite authors you can rely on who don't write lurid scenes and not too much cussing? I read all the James Herriot books but Tristan's expletives tended to stay with me months after the fact. I finally had to put away a Tom Clancy book. He must have written it right after his divorce. It was shallow and appeared bitter.