snowynight

Recently Finished:

Under Plum Lake by Lionel Davidson

Summary: "A young boy Barry is ushered into a subterranean world where he encounters a civilization and kingdom unlike anything above ground."

This reminds me of a sci-fi retelling of a fairy abduction story. The plot is simple: Barry meets an alien boy Did, and explores an advanced underwater alien civilization Egon. The description of Egon is fun and gorgeous but also unsettling and dangerous. Barry nears dies when Dido shows him around carelessly. I like how dark and compelling Dido's dynamic with Barry is. At first he thinks of Barry like a dog and taking him to increasingly dangerous activities, and Barry is aware of that. But his feeling changes when Barry nearly dies. The ending is full of yearning as Barry has to return to his own world (and still messed up about that.) I really enjoy it.

This is the story of what a Woman’s patience can endure, and what a Man’s resolution can achieve.

From The Woman in White by Wilkie Collins

Currently Reading:

Masculinity, Class and Same-Sex Desire in Industrial England, 1895-1957 by Helen Smith

My reading buddy chose this for me for the

thestoryinside June challenge. I have just read the introduction, and it's fascinating. It's the first detailed academic study of non-metropolitan men who desired other men in England during the period 1895-1957, showing us that how class and society shape people's perception of gender and sexuality, and there isn't an uniform queer experience. During that period, the strong working class culture was anti-authority, resisted interference with personal privacy and stressed male bonding. This allowed those men to have more sexual freedom than their London counterpart.

"Tarot for Change: Using the Cards for Self-Care, Acceptance, and Growth" by Jessica Dore

Book to Be Read

TBR list

There were four of us—George, and William Samuel Harris, and myself, and Montmorency. We were sitting in my room, smoking, and talking about how bad we were — bad from a medical point of view I mean, of course

From "Three Men in a Boat (To Say Nothing of the Dog)" by Jerome K. Jerome

Recently Finished:

Three Tales of My Father's Dragon (including "My Father's Dragon", "Elmer and the Dragon" and "The Dragons of Blueland") by Ruth Stiles Gannett.

An adventurous young boy helps a feral cat, who tells him about a poor enslaved baby dragon. Therefore he sets out on a journey to save the dragon, and fly in the sky. It's a charming and gentle read. The canary island in "Elmer and the Dragon" is fun to read too. The last book needs more dragon adventure. I can see why "My Father's Dragon" becomes popular.

Currently Reading:

"Tarot for Change: Using the Cards for Self-Care, Acceptance, and Growth" by Jessica Dore

I have slowed down after finishing the major arcana, because I think it's better read bite-size at a time. Otherwise it feels repetitive.

Book to Be Read

TBR list

Every time I removed a book from my to read pile, I add two others. I hope limiting the number of choice will make it more manageable.

Pick a book from your TBR pile, and write a post about it

My Father's Dragon by Ruth Stiles Gannett

Published Date: 1948

Genres: Children's fiction

Source: Gutenberg

Summary: Elmer Elevator (narrator's father as a boy) runs away with an old alley cat to rescue a flying baby dragon being exploited on a faraway island. With the help of two dozen pink lollipops, rubber bands, chewing gum, and a fine-toothed comb, Elmer disarms the fiercest of beasts on Wild Island.

I'm trying to get out of my reading funk by reading children's books. I didn't read many popular children's books as a kid, because I was a snotty reader who just wanted to go to the adult's library. It seems a great time to remedy the past. My Father's Dragon has an adorable cover and is in public domain, so I thought, "Why not?"

RULES:

*Grab a book, any book
*Turn to page 56 or 56% in your e-reader
*Find a snippet, but no spoilers!

This extract from ‘Lamia’ shows how close to dramatic blank verse it becomes, the enjambments almost disguising the rhymes.

Pale grew her immortality, for woe
Of all these lovers, and she grieved so
I took compassion on her, bade her steep
Her hair in weïrd syrops that would keep
Her loveliness invisible, yet free
To wander as she loves, in liberty.

from: The Ode Less Travelled: Unlocking the Poet Within by Stephen Fry

Inside Flap/Back of Book Summaries: Too Much Info or Not Enough?

Generally, I love more information as long as it doesn't give away the big plot twist. I also dislike misleading summaries.

New Book: What Format Do You Want It In – Audio Book, E-Book, Paperback, or Hardcover?

E-Book. I don't have space for physical books anymore, and I can read e-books anywhere on my phone. I love audio books in theory, but it's hard for me to focus.

Ever Read Ahead? Or Have You Ever Read the Last Page Way Before You Got There?

When I'm not sure the book is worth continuing. It saves time when I discover that I don't want to read it anymore.

Recently Finished:

How and Why Stories Book by Martha Hamilton, Mitch Weiss

It's a collection of folklores around the world that explains why an animal, plant, or natural object looks or acts the way it does. The scope is impressive - there's even one that explains why dogs chase taxis. Every story comes with a short scientific explanation and tip for telling the story to kids, which I appreciate.

The Curious Nature Guide: Explore the Natural Wonders All Around You by Clare Walker Leslie

A pretty book with prompts, sketches and photos that inspire readers to study the nature. I wish that there were more practical advice, but the pictures were inspiring.

Earthways: Simple Environmental Activities for Young Children by Carol Petrash

It's more written for a classroom environment, but should be easy to do at home. The book organize the activities ( mostly crafts made with natural materials) with a seasonal rhythm . The instructions are clear and the crafts are simple to make. I like how it begins with instruction for setting up an Earth-friendly classroom/home and reducing waste.

Currently Reading:

Tarot for Change: Using the Cards for Self-Care, Acceptance, and Growth by Jessica Dore

It's a reflection of tarots with a psychological and mythological lens. I like her friendly writing style, and . The book is illustrated with Pamela Colman Smith's art in the Rider-Smith-Waite Tarot. They are lovely and inspiring. I really like the line in the Chariot chapter: "Willpower can carry you to many places, but no mistakes, stuckness is one of them".

Book to Be Read

I'm procrastinating/researching for an idea of a character A lovingly manipulating the traumatized B "for B's goodness". I want A to use convincing therapy/spirituality talk, so I'm going to read books about healing self help, New Age spirituality and alternative therapies. I may read "The Spiritual Revolution: Why Religion is Giving Way to Spirituality". However, nothing is set in stone.

Recently Finished:

The Anatomy of Story: 22 Steps to Becoming a Master by John Truby:

I read it to try to fix my wip. It has useful advice and let me see the problem of my characters (a lack of believable motivation).

Party of One: The Loners ' Manifesto by Anneli Rufus

I like its premise. She has also done a lot of research. I'm impressed by the chapter about how the media manufactured the narrative of "serial killer are loners".

I thinks she is too over passionate and defensive about the loner lifestyle in some space, but it's an interesting read.

A Natural Approach to Mental Wellness: Japanese Psychology and the Skills We Need for Psychological and Spiritual Health by Gregg Krech

This book is written with respect to principles of Naikan therapy and Morita therapy. It recommends acceptance, attention, co-existing with Unpleasant Feelings, and self-reflection.

It's fine as a self help book, but I'm disappointed about the lack of practical exercises.

Recently Read:

"Upstart" by Lu Ban (Translation available on Clarkesworld) In this future society, people can exchange their life span (35 years at a minimum) for money to reduce the population crisis. They're called "upstarts". The protagonist K agrees to the deal. Then he finds someone he wants to fight for. The pacing is tense. I really feel for K and the ending is very surprising.

"Hummingbird, Resting on Honeysuckles" by Yan Wanqing (Translation available on Clarkesworld) : The title comes from the poem, "the Gift" by Czesław Miłosz.
It's a story about grief, death, mother/daughter relationship and consciousness. I really like the use of the second person narrator because It feels intimate when the narrator addresses her dead daughter, who she only begins to understand. The discussion of the AI art industry feels very relevant.

Lu & Yang are both Chinese sci-fi writers who won sci-fi awards in China. Both stories were removed from the 2023 Hugo ballots and robbed of their deserved chance for wider recognition. I feel bad for Chinese sci-fi writers and fans who anticipated the Chengdu Worldcon.

The list of topics

Knowledge Replication: I can replicate the knowledge in how to/instruction books/encyclopedias. No more struggle to learn them.
Omnilingualism: I can read all books without the language barriers.
Omnilegence (have encyclopedic knowledge of all recorded material in existence (even ideas for plays, novels or manuscripts, etc.)
Literary Mastery: be a master of literature, either innately or through training, so I can write things without struggling how to put in words.
Lexiconicy: to transform a written word into the actual object/thing. I can now know what Turkish delights in Narnia taste like.
Book Summoning: I will always have access to books I want to read.
Book restoration: For the old and damaged books.
Fictional Mimicry: It will be cool to be able to pick and choose power and skills from fictional characters.
Story Manipulation: No more bitter disappointment about plot development and endings.
Story Creation: Finally, the plot bunnies in my mind will write themselves.

Recently Finished

"Write Your Novel From The Middle: A New Approach for Plotters, Pantsers and Everyone in Between" by James Scott Bell

I'm a pantser. I wished that I could plan my writing better, but outlining would trick my brain into thinking that I have already finished it and lost interest. It's fine when I write something short, but right now I'm stuck with wip.

Write Your Novel From The Middle is short (90 pages) and practical. It advises writers to intentionally find out the "moment of truth" of their novels and develop from there. I find it very helpful to rethink what my wip is about and get unstuck.

Recently Finished

The Boxcar Children by Gertrude Chandler Warner

The Alden children's father has just died of alcoholism. They don't want to live with their grandfather, because he is said to be a hard man disapproved of their parent's marriage. Not wanting to be separated, they builds a home in an abandoned boxcar.

It's very charming read. I really love the details of the children looking up cups and dishes, Henry using the hammer as pillow and building fireplace. I would love it more if I read it as a kid.

Currently Reading:

Colloquial French: The Complete Course for Beginners by Valérie Demouy, Alan Moys

Recently I have picked up Duolingo to learn French again. I'm an absolute beginner, so I picked up this book to complement my learning.

Despite the title, I think it's for people at least with some French vocabulary knowledge. It teaches French through reading and listening to conversation. There are also grammar notes.

Unit I covers topic about a tourist's first contact in France, which is useful if one day I go to France. I haven't gone far yet, but hopefully I can keep going.

Recently finished:

"What If?: Serious Scientific Answers to Absurd Hypothetical Questions" by Randall Munroe

It's a quick read, which Randall Munroe uses science to answer weird questions (eg: how many unique tweets are possible and how long would it take for the world population to read them out.). The science is explained in a clear and easy manner.

Currently Reading

"The Complete Stories of Leonora Carrington" by Leonora Carrington

Leonora Carrington was a surrealist painter and writer. She had an interesting life, and her artistic style is fascinating. Her stories are sharp, dreamlike, absurd, mixed with humour and horror.

From high society to surrealism: in praise of Leonora Carrington – 100 years on

Leonora's selected paintings

124 was spiteful. Full of a baby's venom

~ Beloved by Toni Morrison

If it had not rained on a certain May morning Valancy Stirling’s whole life would have been entirely different.

- The Blue Castle: a novel by L. M. Montgomery

Sometimes I find fun take of literature in Google Scholar.

1. Beatrice and Benedict are ex-lovers and Beatrice has a miscarriage before the opening of Much Ado about Nothing, but they still have feeling about each other.

2. In Shakespeare’s The Winter’s Tale, King Leontes, the King of Sicilia blindly believes his wife, Hermione and his friend, Polixenes have committed adultery because of his suppressed feeling for Polixenes.

3. In A Rose for Emily by William Faulkner, the "invisible watch ticking at the end of the gold chain" Emily wears is a phallic symbol.

Source:

Dobranski, Stephen B. “Children of the Mind: Miscarried Narratives in Much Ado about Nothing.” Studies in English Literature, 1500-1900, vol. 38, no. 2, 1998, pp. 233–50. JSTOR, https://doi.org/10.2307/451035. Accessed 17 Apr. 2023.

Cho, Kyung. "“I cannot name the disease”: Male Hysteria and Converted Homoeroticism in The Winter’s Tale." Shakespeare Review56.3 (2020): 461-491. https://doi.org/10.1080/00144940.2017.1346564

Kirchdorfer, Ulf. “Weak Men in William Faulkner's a Rose for Emily.” The Explicator, vol. 75, no. 3, 2017, pp. 145–147., https://doi.org/10.1080/00144940.2017.1346564.

Miss Brooke had that kind of beauty which seems to be thrown into relief by poor dress.

- Middlemarch by George Eliot

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Entries tagged with meme: books

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Shelf Control: My Father's Dragon by Ruth Stiles Gannett

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Top Ten Tuesday: Bookish Superpowers I Wish I Had

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Top 3 Memorable Academic theories about Shakespeare and William Faulkner's Works

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