They are ripe!
Showing posts with label Guilty pleasures. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Guilty pleasures. Show all posts
Thursday, June 26, 2008
Tuesday, July 17, 2007
A Mighty Good Read - "Dragon's Fire"
The first Anne McCaffrey book I read was "The White Dragon". The story of Jaxom and his telepathic white dragon Ruth held my attention like no other book had since I read the Hobbit series the summer I was 14 (I spent all summer holed up in my basement bedroom to read those books) - I soon fell in love with the Planet Pern and all of it's inhabitants - (especially Masterharper Robinton - but that's a whole 'nother story -) While these books are not of the epic proportions of the Harry Potter novels - the "dragonrider culture" has a huge following.
There are over 2 dozen books in the Pern series - recently Ms. McCaffrey has collaborated with her son Todd, (I t
hink he was the original weyrling), for two novels - the latest is called Dragon's Fire - a story set in the first "interval". The world of Pern is sometimes confusing, as the story lines of the different books flip back and forth through time - but as with any series, you get to know the characters, and they become like old friends. There are also groupings of books within the series that have the same characters in them - and we're talking hundreds of years involved here, so there is a lot of lattitude for plots.
As with any good fantasy, there is good and evil - as I said, this is set early in the "life" of the planet's colonization - there are few "holds" (cities) and few "weyrs" (home of the dragons and their riders) The Craft halls have not all been established - but the story winds around so you know that the dragonriders will flourish and Pern will continue to exist.
Although Anne McCaffrey has written scores of other books - the Doona series, Pegasus, Crystal Singer and Acorna series' to name a few, oddly I have never been able to "get into" any of her other "fantasy lands" as it were. But, as I said, with over two dozen books in the Pern series, many I have read 3 or 4 times (yes, I find them that engaging and I cry and laugh just like the first time) there is plenty of entertainment to go around.
Doing some of the research for this post, I found that I have something to look forward to, Anne and Todd have another book coming out in January 2008 - Dragon Harper - just in time for my Village Books (our local independant bookstore) Book club Birthday reward - your age or -up to 39% off - any book you wish - isn't that a great deal! I can hardly wait.
Neelix says he doesn't know what all the fuss is about - "There are never any cats in any of those books." he says. "Yes, sweetie, but I've often thought that dragons and cats are a lot alike - telepathic - able to teleport between space and time- yup, you're a lot alike."
If you decide t take the plunge into the world of Pern, it is actually suggested that you read the books in the order that they were written - starting with the trillogy - The Dragonriders of Pern
I hope you enjoy it.
There are over 2 dozen books in the Pern series - recently Ms. McCaffrey has collaborated with her son Todd, (I t
hink he was the original weyrling), for two novels - the latest is called Dragon's Fire - a story set in the first "interval". The world of Pern is sometimes confusing, as the story lines of the different books flip back and forth through time - but as with any series, you get to know the characters, and they become like old friends. There are also groupings of books within the series that have the same characters in them - and we're talking hundreds of years involved here, so there is a lot of lattitude for plots.As with any good fantasy, there is good and evil - as I said, this is set early in the "life" of the planet's colonization - there are few "holds" (cities) and few "weyrs" (home of the dragons and their riders) The Craft halls have not all been established - but the story winds around so you know that the dragonriders will flourish and Pern will continue to exist.
Although Anne McCaffrey has written scores of other books - the Doona series, Pegasus, Crystal Singer and Acorna series' to name a few, oddly I have never been able to "get into" any of her other "fantasy lands" as it were. But, as I said, with over two dozen books in the Pern series, many I have read 3 or 4 times (yes, I find them that engaging and I cry and laugh just like the first time) there is plenty of entertainment to go around.
Doing some of the research for this post, I found that I have something to look forward to, Anne and Todd have another book coming out in January 2008 - Dragon Harper - just in time for my Village Books (our local independant bookstore) Book club Birthday reward - your age or -up to 39% off - any book you wish - isn't that a great deal! I can hardly wait.
Neelix says he doesn't know what all the fuss is about - "There are never any cats in any of those books." he says. "Yes, sweetie, but I've often thought that dragons and cats are a lot alike - telepathic - able to teleport between space and time- yup, you're a lot alike."
If you decide t take the plunge into the world of Pern, it is actually suggested that you read the books in the order that they were written - starting with the trillogy - The Dragonriders of Pern
I hope you enjoy it.
Wednesday, June 20, 2007
A Great Read
"Whitethorn Woods" by Maeve Binchy
I really like Maeve Binchy. Her characters are always so engaging and her vignette style of crafting her stories always leaves me wanting to know more about the people that she has intertwined in her tales.
"When a new highway threatens to bypass the town of Rossmore and cut through Whitethorn Woods, everyone has a passionate opinion about whether the town will benefit or suffer"
As the story opens, young Father Flynn is the first character that we meet. Although he is trying to stay neutral about the issue at hand, the location of a local "holy place" - St. Anne's well - is smack dab in the middle of the controversial project. It has him questioning the relevance of his church in today's secular society when people would be so quick to turn to this "holy shrine of dubious origin" asking the mother of the Virgin Mary to interceed in any variety of issues.
And people have been coming to the well from all over the world for generations - so we meet some of them - some who never get to the well and some, like sweet Neddy Nolan, who sees the well as a place that must be protected at all costs.
So, as always, Ms. Binchey provides an entertaining look at modern day Irish society - it's a great book to curl up with a cup of tea and a little plate of "biscuits" - enjoy.
(I got this book at Costco. I'm sure it is available at any bookstore or at your favorite web-bookseller.)
I really like Maeve Binchy. Her characters are always so engaging and her vignette style of crafting her stories always leaves me wanting to know more about the people that she has intertwined in her tales."When a new highway threatens to bypass the town of Rossmore and cut through Whitethorn Woods, everyone has a passionate opinion about whether the town will benefit or suffer"
As the story opens, young Father Flynn is the first character that we meet. Although he is trying to stay neutral about the issue at hand, the location of a local "holy place" - St. Anne's well - is smack dab in the middle of the controversial project. It has him questioning the relevance of his church in today's secular society when people would be so quick to turn to this "holy shrine of dubious origin" asking the mother of the Virgin Mary to interceed in any variety of issues.
And people have been coming to the well from all over the world for generations - so we meet some of them - some who never get to the well and some, like sweet Neddy Nolan, who sees the well as a place that must be protected at all costs.
So, as always, Ms. Binchey provides an entertaining look at modern day Irish society - it's a great book to curl up with a cup of tea and a little plate of "biscuits" - enjoy.
(I got this book at Costco. I'm sure it is available at any bookstore or at your favorite web-bookseller.)
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