Books and other lovely things

[selenay]

My recent lack of blogging can largely be summed up as "where the hell did November go and why is it December 6th already?". Sorry about that. ETA: As it is actually December 7th, it's even worse than I thought!

I'd try to catch you all up with everything, but November and early December has disappeared with me only really aware of two events:


- My birthday was awesome and I had a lovely day. I spent the evening with my knitters and, despite my only contact with family being a video chat with the parents, I felt much less alone than I did last year. It seems that I'm developing the kinds of friendships that feel like a family rather than just being people I see sometimes and I'm so grateful for that. My friend's baby being born on my birthday was the best present I could have had - little Isla is gorgeous.

- I hosted the knitting Christmas party. It's the first time this house has hosted anything that large, the first time I've really had people over here that aren't family and the first time the cats have had to deal with lots of strangers. We did surprisingly well and had a fabulous night. I feel much more confident about hosting people now that I've done it and am already trying to think up some things I can do in the new year.


So, yes, six weeks went by with only two really outstanding events (apart from new Doctor Who, obviously).

I'm not quite sure why my ability to write, blog or really think went so badly AWOL over the last few weeks. I'm blaming books, though.

I've been on a bit of a murder mystery kick for the last two months. As entertaining as it's been, mystery fiction doesn't really get my thinky side going. It tends more to get me being lazy about thinkiness. I had a brief break while I read the source for my Yuletide fic, then I was back to mysteries with "The Killings at Badgers' Drift". I enjoyed that hugely (it confirmed that Midsomer really is a set of villages inserted into and/or based on the area I grew up in) and finished it on Saturday morning. I'm going to England in less than two weeks (!!) and I can't borrow anything new from the library because I may not have time to return it before I leave. So I wandered down to the office/library to look for something new to read.

Why haven't I re-read The Dark Is Rising sequence since I was a teenager? I remember loving it and yet I've not picked it up since. I accidentally brought my Dad's copies to Canada with me and it appealed as a nice break from crime fiction so I grabbed the first one on Saturday.

I finished Over Sea, Under Stone yesterday. The only reason that I haven't finished The Dark Is Rising is because I had to work today. They're really very compelling. And they're making me think and imagine again, although I'm not sure that I can put much of it into words.

Reading The Dark Is Rising is reminding me a lot of the feeling I get when watching The Box of Delights. I think it's the mixture of Christmas setting, older wise mentor (I'm sorry, Merriman Lyon looks rather like Cole Hawlings in my head), magical snow storms and a young boy coming of age and having adventures filled with magic and time travel. They're very different stories, really, but the surface elements are there.

It's rather a good time of year to be reading that kind of thing.

Going back to the non-blogging thing, I'm hoping that I won't be taking this kind of break again any time soon. I need to remember that, as good as a good crime novel is, it doesn't stimulate my imagination or my mind in quite the same way that a good dose of fantasy or children's literature does. I miss my imagination when it's not working properly.

Comments

[davidbrider.livejournal.com]

As a bit of a Box of Delights fan, you've got me curious about The Dark is Rising...

[sugoll.livejournal.com]

I adore The Dark Is Rising (though Over Sea, Under Stone has dated somewhat badly in terms of the social interactions). It's Will that really gets to me, though. I love that he's part of a large, well-functioning family, with intelligent parents, etc. Pretty rare for British children's fiction.

[boulder-girl.livejournal.com]

Andy is currently reading "Over Sea, Under Stone" to 168. On the nights when he isn't as tired and needs a longer story we have been very slowly making our way through it. I have never read it but it is one of Andy's favourites.

[elenopa.livejournal.com]

Perhaps I made the mistake of reading it as an adult, but I just wasn't enamoured of 'The Dark is Rising' set of books.

I think I was disappointed that the children are not very proactive in the story. They are there almost as observers as the events happen around them and to them, but not because of them. Whenever there is danger near, Merriman or someone else turns up and says "Boo!" to the bad guys and they go away.

The set I bought, I donated to the school library, so they are being read there.

[selenay]

You should check it out. I've heard dire things about the movie adaptation, but the books are awesome.

[selenay]

Over Sea, Under Stone doesn't feel too bad to me in terms of dating, but then I read girls boarding school fiction so that is quite modern compared to some of the social attitudes! It's a fun book, but it feels like The Dark Is Rising is the one where things really kick off properly.

I'm loving Will and remembering why I love him as well. Having a normal, close-knit family with loving, smart parents is a lovely departure from the usual run of British kid's fiction!

[selenay]

The entire series is really great, I think you're going to enjoy them. Over Sea, Under Stone has a different tone to the others (or at least from The Dark Is Rising - I'm very fuzzy on the rest), a bit lighter, and I'm enjoying the contrast.

[selenay]

I think possibly I'm enjoying them because I read them first when I was younger. But I also thoroughly enjoy Box of Delights, where Kay is often more of an observer with someone else taking action when danger is around, so perhaps there's something about the scenario that works well for me.

I'm quite happy at the thought of children reading your copies, though :-D