(photo by Carl V.)
Once…..
Aren’t you so thankful that so many of the wonderful things in life do not have to be experienced just once? And at the same time we are able to experience once-in-a-lifetime moments….moments that may be quite similar to those experienced before, but not exactly the same.
Once….
(photo by Carl V.)
Are you not equally thankful that the pleasures that we experience through reading happen more than once…that they in fact happen multiple times in our lives, from childhood through adulthood. Those moments where, because of some strange alignment of the stars or concoction of brain chemicals or mixture of foods we’ve eaten or what have you, a book reaches inside us, consumes us, intoxicates us.
It is the desire to capture that magic and to ignite that spark of magic in you that motivates me to host these challenges, to come up with unique and interesting ways to open up the world of story to you, whether this type of literature is standard fare for you or something entirely new. In addition to hosting, I am also a participant. As such it is well past time that I post a list of potential reads for my quest(s). I will be reading at least 5 books during the challenge period, hopefully many, many more. Here is a good start to a list of books I would love to read and will be pulling from for the challenge:
1. The Sword-Edged Blonde by Alex Bledsoe (which is cheating a bit as I read it in early March)
2. The Good Fairies of New York by Martin Millar
3. Little (Grrl) Lost by Charles de Lint
4. Fables Issues 51-71 (I’m waaaay behind on my comics reading)
5. Peter Jackson: A Film-maker’s Journey by Brian Sibley
6. Tolkien and the Great War by John Garth
–an aside: although the LOTR films certainly feel like a fall experience to me last year’s fantasy challenge stimulated a wave on nonfiction Tolkien reading and I have no doubt this year’s will as well.
7. The Wood Wife by Terri Windling (already have it checked out of the library and ready to go!)
8. The Secret History of Moscow by Ekaterina Sedia (My local library has this on a to-purchase list and I hope that I’m first on the list and that they get it soon!)
9. The Dragons of Babel by Michael Swanwick
10. Od Magic by Patricia A. McKillip
11. The Stolen Child by Keith Donahue
That is a pretty fair list to start. No doubt I’ll pick up other books along the way and read them as I am wont to do. I also have a couple of Immense Tomes that shall not be named for fear that if I name them I will once again see a year pass without reading them.
There is one other book, a re-read for me, that I want to experience and share with you during Once Upon a Time II. It is The Book of Flying by Keith Miller. I first read this book about 2 years ago on a Saturday, sitting outside in beautiful spring weather on my back porch. I read the entire book in one sitting. As I referenced in the opening of this post, whatever combination of things were going on with my interactions with that book, it really got to me and has stuck with me for these two years. I can guess at the whys now, but at this point I want to re-read it to try and examine just what it was about the experience of reading this book that has stuck with me for so long. It certainly isn’t the greatest piece of fiction I have ever read (though I do think the author a very talented writer). Instead it just spoke to me in a profound way. As such I want to do something:
I want to have a group discussion via the comments in this blog about The Book of Flying for anyone who wants to participate. In order to not interfere with everyone’s reading plans, let us plan on this discussion occurring a month from now: say Friday April 25th to be on the safe side. I will post a mini review of the book on that day and over the course of that day, the weekend, and whenever after that we can discuss the book via comments.
This is not something I want you to feel obligated to do. However, if you are looking for something interesting to read or are planning on reading it already, I would love to have your input here.
Beyond that, keep signing up for the Once Upon a Time Challenge II. It is never too late to sign up. I hope folks continue to join us well into the challenge. Remember though, to get in on the first random drawing prize, you have to have signed up by Tuesday, March 25th at 11:59 p.m. If you choose to join us, please sign up on that post, not on this one.
I have had a wonderful weekend celebrating my wife’s journey into her 40’s with our dear friends and have spent a relaxing Easter day reading and watching BBC mysteries and other favorite films. I hope everyone else enjoyed their weekend and I look forward to seeing where the second annual Once Upon a Time Challenge takes us!
I’m curious about Sword-Edged Blond, was it any good?
Yes, I liked it very much. I’ll be doing a review later in the week.
Love the cover of The Book of Flying!
Carl,
Your intro reminded me of one of my favorite stories and of one of my favorite quotes from it:
Jacob Marley: Why do you doubt your senses?
Scrooge: Because a little thing can effect them. A slight disorder of the stomach can make them cheat. You may be a bit of undigested beef, a blob of mustard, a crumb of cheese. Yes. There’s more gravy than of grave about you!
Glad you had a good Easter. Belated happy returns to your wife.
That first picture is fabulous! Love it!
Why is it that I have this sinking feeling that much of that list will soon end up on my wish list? 🙂
I am hoping Little (Grrl) Lost will come out in paperback soon so I can get a copy. I need to catch up on Fables as well as read The Wood Wife. I have The Good Fairies of New York somewhere I think as well.
well that’s a mighty list ! Of course I will be interested in the Peter Jackson book , and the Woodwife sounds interesting..but I’m sure ALL your reviews will be interesting !
An fyi on the book of flying.. seems if you don’t have it you can’t get it, except “used”… just an fyi
I do this silly “Monday Meandering” thing on my blog. And it brought me to you. I’ve added you to my Google reader…looks like I will enjoy reading your blog regularly.
Di: Thanks so much, I’m glad to have you!
Deslily: Yes, I realize that about Book. I loaned my copy to Jeff to read for the challenge and got online yesterday and ordered a copy from my library for me to reread during this next month. So I would suggest the library first to folks before ordering it used.
Rhinoa: MIght be a while before the de Lint makes it to paperback as it only came out in hardback last Sept.
Debi: sorry! 😉
Tanabata: Thanks. Both are from a series of pictures I took for my wife and had blown up and framed for Mary for her birthday. She works in a university library and wanted some book pics to hang on her office walls.
Stuart: and that quote always reminds me of the Muppet Christmas Carol…I hear Statler, Waldorf, and Michael Cane repeating those lines.
JenClair: I think you’d enjoy the book.
I added The Wood Wife to my list as well. I have a feeling that this challenge is going to increase my reading list exponentially!!
Glad you had a good weekend. My husband’s birthday is today, so tonight we will be celebrating!!
Happy Birthday to your hubbie, Stephanie!!!
I read The Stolen Child early this year. It’s a nice concept but I didn’t like the ending. I look forward to hearing what you think of the book.
I ordered The Book of Flying from my library and hope to get it within a few days. I hope to be able to participate in the discussion, but I can’t promise – between the books I read for my neighborhood book club, your challenge and with my Mom in the hospital, I’ve got a full plate! It sounds like an interesting story though, so I’m going to try.
Oh, I’ve always wanted to try The Book of Flying. I wonder if the library can oblige me with a copy? (Can’t afford to buy new, sadly…)
good news…maybe.
Bookcloseouts.com has 200 copies of the book of flying at 4.99 each..hardback copies.
(I hate when I hit send before I’m done!)
I’m sure these books will have remainder marks on them and you will have shipping also..
I hope you enjoy The Wood Wife; I read it several years ago and the experience has really stayed with me. Probably time for a reread….
Doh! I wanted to add The Stolen Child and Fables to my list as well, but I forgot…and there’s just no more room :p And I know what you mean about those chunksters. I had a few of them that I was really tempted to put on the list, but I decided against it….I’d really like to catch up with the Martin series though and reread all of LOTR during the challenge. But that would be all the reading that I got done IF I could even get that done!
I loved “The Book of Flying”. There was a quiet lightness to it.
I hope you enjoy The Good Fairies of New York and The Secret History of Moscow as much as I did! I have The Wood Wife on my list for the Mythopoeic challenge and I’m really look forward to reading it.
I’m going to have to see if I can get my hands on The Book of Flying…a group discussion sounds like so much fun!
I’m reading The Good Fairies of New York and Peter Jackson: A Film-maker’s Journey …
The pressure’s on now for me to finish The Book of Flying now that Carl told everyone he lent me his copy. 🙂 I’m on the clock.
I like your list Carl. I most interested to hear your thoughts on Od Magic, Dragons of Babel, Good Fairies of NY and PJ: A Filmmaker’s Journey. Those all sound great to me.
Rats, your entire list looks so good and I don’t have any of them on my fantasy list for your challenge! Seems I’ve got some fantasy reading to catch up on…if I can get the Book of Flying from our library in time, I will join you for your online discussion, sounds a great idea. Happy Easter and tell your wife the 40’s are the best time for women! It really is….I’m almost half-way through and it’s great!
Susan: I had to laugh because at first I read your comment as “I’m only half way there”. I hope you can get Book of Flying as well.
Jeff: At least I’m not pressuring you to get the book back to me! Ha!
Janet: We’ll have to compare notes.
Bride and Nymeth: I started The Wood Wife tonight. Great prologue. Got me hooked right away. I saw that Millar had a new book out called Lonely Werewolf Girl that looked interesting. If I like Good Fairies I’ll definitely be picking that one up, maybe for R.I.P. III.
Duck Thief: there was, you are correct.
Chris: Read a bunch of smaller books that may or may not be great or read a few chunksters that are more likely great based on what others have said…that is always a conundrum I run into.
Deslily: Thanks so much for the links and the research. May have to get myself a hardback copy of this book!
RB: I hope you can find it. Would love to have your participation in the discussion.
Stephanie: Sorry about your mom. I took my wife’s aunt to the hospital tonight. Ultimately it is a good thing, but still rough. I hope your mom is doing better.
I just have to say that the photos are GORGEOUS. And congratulations to your wife—it’s a wonderful age to be!
Thank you so much Heather.
I have no doubt my wife will enjoy her 40’s and when I eventually reach them I will as well. 🙂
Great list, Carl!
The Secret History of Moscow has been on my must-read pile for several months, I’m eagerly awaiting your review…Tolkien and the Great War is a wonderful book – John Garth does a remarkable job of placing the reader straight into the blood-soaked trenches of WWI, providing a remarkable level of insight into the experiences that fueled Tolkien’s vision. I’ve become a big fan of pre-WWI popular histories over the past few years, and if you’re even mildly interested in this genre I would recommend Peter Hopkirk’s books on the political intrigues of century central Asia in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Peter_Hopkirk).
Thanks Ken. I certainly look forward to reading both books. I’ve been collecting Tolkien non-fiction works for the last year as so many of them sound so interesting, this one especially. Thanks for the referral to the other book, sounds very interesting. My wife and I are both fans of WWI and WWII things, most especially her, and I will mention this to her as well.
Yay, I think things work again. Thanks for getting things straightened out. It’s so frustrating wanting to leave a comment and not being able to! I love seeing everyone’s list. I always find at least one (or more) books that I want to add to my own wishlist. I’m intrigued by The Secret History of Moscow–that’s one I’ll definitely be checking out.
So glad things are working for you now Danielle (thanks Jimmy!). I had been missing you and am sorry that you were just boxed out for awhile.
I hope I’m not too late. I already started reading for this challenge and forgot to leave a comment. This challenge is making me so happy! Here’s my list:http://1330v.blogspot.com/2008/03/once-upon-time-2.html.
that secret history of moscow looks very interesting, doesn’t! i’m very curious about that one.
and, speaking of non-fiction, i discovered yesterday that there are 2 books on gene wolfe’s new sun books which really excited me, ’cause the world that wolfe builds in those is so complex and vast.
it was one of those surprising finds, i hadn’t expected there to be any writing on him at all, and i was so pleased – not least of all because i’m midway through the third book (for once upon a time) and am really enjoying it a lot!
I feel bad that I haven’t read those Wolfe books yet as they are certainly his most famous. Someday! It is really cool that there are books about him and that universe as I’m sure I’ll be interested in them once I get around to reading the books themselves.