eleneariel (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
eleneariel) wrote2003-06-19 04:55 pm
eleneariel) wrote2003-06-19 04:55 pm
Surveys and book reviews
Two random surveys:
Misc. survey
+ 001. name : Marie
+ 002. nicknames : Mari is the most used, followed by Mer and Merrie and Marieowyn...and Elenëariel. Can't forget that one.
+ 003. sex : a lady. Heehee.
+ 004. birthday : July 18 (Hint hint. It's getting veddy close! And I looove chocolate! And books!)
+ 005. age : almost 19.
+ 006. star sign : I'm a STAR! Lol. As in, for a horoscope? I don't do that stuff.
+ 007. place of birth : Brownwood, Texas
+ 008. current residence : Here...where ever here is.
+ 009. hair color : I think I've given up catagorizing it. Brown. With bits of gold and red. And other stuff.
+ 010. eye color : I've also given up catagorizing this. They're blue. Sort of dark but with grey and ...stuff.
+ 011. height : 5'3". Or so.
+ 012. writing hand : Right
BODY iLLS + SKiLLS
+ 013. do you bite your nails : I used to until I was about 13. Then I stopped and grew Really Long fingernails and drove my mother crazy.
+ 014. can you roll your tongue : sure can. It's a family trait.
+ 016. can you raise one eyebrow at a time : left a little, but not that well.
+ 017. can you blow smoke rings : No, nor smoke ships. Especially seeing as I don't have a pipe and am not as Istari.
+ 018. can you blow spit bubbles : "can" is far different then "will".
+ 019. can you cross your eyes : yes, but it hurts!
+ 020. colored hair: no. don't think I'll ever want to. Hightlights, maybe.
+ 021. tattoos and where : none, and I know I won't ever do that.
+ 022. piercings and where : none yet--someday I may pierce my ears.
+ 023. do you make your bed daily : *most* days.
+ 024. what goes on first bra or underwear : The bottom garment.
+ 025. which shoe goes on first : right.
+ 036. speaking of shoes, have you thrown one at someone : good question. I don't know!
+ 037. how much money is usually in your wallet : Too much. I think my mom's afraid someone with X-ray vision is going to see it and mug me. I usually carry upwards of $100, and for no good reason then I don't like it leave cash laying around at home when I'm gone. I just don't get to the bank often enough. ; )
+ 038. what jewelry do you wear 24/7 : my two silver rings. Usually I have some sort of a necklace on, but that varies day to day.
+039. whats sexiest on a guy : Depends on the guy. Sometimes it honestly *is* their personality. ; )
+040. whats sexiest on a gurl: Don't ask me. I don't have insights into the male brain. =D And for heavens sake, spell GIRL right!!
+041. would you rather be on time and look ok or late and look great : It depends on the event. I'd be a little late for a party in order to look great, but I wouldn't be late for....I dunno, a visit with Gwenyth or savetheolives.
+ 042. do you twirl your spagetti or cut it : Depends who cooks it. =) If mom does, you have to cut because she doesn't leave them long enough to twirl. Personally, I like them loooong.
+ 043. how many cereals are in your cabinet: Four? Five?
+ 044. what utensils do you use eating pizza : fork and hands.
+ 045. do you cook : daily. I love it.
____GROOMiNG
+ 046. how often do you brush your teeth : At least once a day, and twice when I remember.
+ 047. how often do you shower/bathe : once a day usually. I hate feeling dirty.
+ 048. how long do these showers last : Too long. =P 15-20 minutes, usually.
+ 049. hair drying method : I don't unless I really have to.
+ 050. do you paint your nails : Nope. It would come off to easily with the work I do with my hands.
+ 051. do you swear: No. Though a few ultra-conservative might say that "cavolo" is as good as swearing. It means cabbage, honest!!
+ 052. do you mumble to yourself : Often.
+ 053. do you spit in public : I haven't ever since I knew better.
+ 054. do you pee in the shower : There are certain questions no one really needs to know the answer to. This is one.
+ 055. in the cd player : Romanza, Andrea Bocelli.
+ 056. person you talk most on the phone with : savetheolives
+ 057. what color is your bedroom : cream, dark green, some dark red.
+ 058. do you use an alarm clock : I HATE it. I only use it when I have to. That annoying metalic buzz makes a very BAD start to my day.
+ 059. name four things or people you're obsessed with?: Currently: Lord of the Rings, Revelation, maps, and Terry Pratchett.
+ 060. have you ever skinny dipped with the opposite sex : I don't believe I've ever even skinny dipped, even alone. yay for me.
+ 061. ever sunbathed in the nude : I have enough risk of sun cancer without subjecting my entire body to dangerous rays!
+ 062. window seat or aisle : window. I think. =)
+ 063. whats your sleeping position : on my right side, and curled around several cozy pillows.
+ 064. what kind of bed do you like : Big ones. I *adored* the week I slept in a Bigger-Then-King-Sized. Mine is a double, though, and it's big enough for me.
+ 065. in hot weather do you use a blanket : Just a sheet or nothing.
+ 066. do you snore : not that I know of.
+ 067. do you sleepwalk : Don't know if I have recently...I used to, though.
+ 068. do you talk in your sleep : Certain people have said I do. =)
+ 070. how about the light on : If it's a very soft light.
+ 071. do you fall asleep with the tv or radio on : The radio almost has to be on for me to sleep.
____WHEN WAS THE LAST TiME YOU
+ 072. had sex : I haven't, and won't until marriage. Thank you. Like I need *that* kind of emotional baggage to lug around.
+ 073. were kissed or kissed someone : other then family members? Hehheh, that would be Shane back when I was about eight. =D It scared him so bad he left me alone for years afterwards! Which was my intention, btw. ; ) I thought he was a horrid smelly boy.
+ 074. watched bambi : I don't think I ever have.
+ 075. cried : I almost cried today.
+ 076. talked on the phone : yesterday
+ 077. read a book : this morning.
+ 078. punched someone : For real? I don't know. A while. =)
+ 079. where do you see yourself ten years from now : I *don't* see myself in ten years. I have to take each year as it comes to get used to it!
+ 080. who are you gonna be married to and where: Tony, and in Italy. Just kidding. I don't know yet. ; )
+ 081. how many kids do you want to have : However many God wants me to have, although I don't really want more then, say, six. If that many. ; )
+ 082. your profession : Tea-maker, filer, computer-sorter-outer, bagger-of-nasty-dusty-things, and sort of anything else people hire me to do.
+ 083. future school : Life. "Life is my college", as the writer said. =) Which writer? Um, I sorta forgot. But she said it.
_____MUSiC
+ 090. is music important to you : Very much so.
+ 091. do you sing? : Yeeeah. Gonna record soon! Yippie!
+ 092. what instruments do you play? : Piano, voice (IS AN INSTRUMENT!), a little guitar
+ 094. what do you think of Eminem : He's a jerk and ought to shut up. We'd be well rid of him.
+ 095. in your opinion, what band is the best of all time? : Not the Dixie Chicks, that's for sure.
___DO YOU LIKE
+ 096. pop music : sometimes
+ 097. rock music : not much
+ 098. punk music : No
+ 099. rap music : No WAY.
+ 100. hip-Hop/RB : No.
+ 101. country : most of it, except for the new kind that's really, really awful.
+ 102. jazz : only a little.
+ 103. classical : yes
+ 104. new age: some
+ 105. hardcore: Hardcore *what*? I don't think so.
+ 106. indie rock: no.
+ 107. emo: Guess not, since I haven't heard of it.
The Ultimate Literary Questionnaire
The Ultimate Literary Questionnaire
1. Which book(s) are you currently reading? A Bullet in the Ballet (because it said it was a "screwball English murder mystery), Home For the Holidays (exreamely forgettable), Children and Books, and A Double Life: Newly Discovered Thrillers of Lousia May Alcott
2. What book(s) did you read last? Harry Potter books two and three, Mariel of Redwall, and Maskerade.
3.What book(s) are you planning on reading next? Uhh...The Spy Wore Silk (by Aline, countess of Romanones; these are recountings of her spy days during and after WWII), and..I'm not sure yet.
4. Do you own most of the books you read, or do you borrow them from a
library? Sort of half and half. I own a ton of books I haven't had time to read yet, so I'm trying to read them and still get books from the library.
5. Who was your favourite author(s) when you were a child? Heh heh--Laura Ingalls Wilder and Carolyn Keene.
6. What were some of your favourite books when you were a child? All the Little House books, all the Nancy Drew books...Mary Poppins, The Lion's Paw, and probably Pippi Longstocking.
7. Which male literary character would you like to take out on a date and why? First off, I would expect *him* to ask me, not the other way around. I would enjoy dinner with any of the following: Mr. Rochester (Jane Eyre), Percy (The Scarlet Pimpernil) Morgan (Sons of an Ancient Glory),and...others whom I will not mention due to the fact I don't want to freak anyone out.
8. Which author would you most like to have a `one-to-one' with?
Tolkien. Hands down.
9. Which fictional character would you most like to have a 'one-to-one' with? Eowyn. Yes.
10. Which literary character would you least like to be stranded on a desert island with and why? Ioreth (from Return of the King) or Mrs. Rachel Lind (from Anne of Green Gables) because they would talk ALL the time and drive me crazy.
11. Which character would you most like to be stranded with? Any strong male who could do manly things like built a hut and catch wild animals and protect me from all harm, etc. Not that I'm a clinging, helpless female or anything, but it's just nice to have a man around to do those sorts of thing. Or, alternately, any of the people from Discworld novels, such as Nanny Ogg, Rincewind the Wizzard, etc., because they would keep me in a constant state of hilarity.
12. In which literary/fictional location would you most like to live? Rohan or Gondor or the Shire (Lord of the Rings), or Avonlea (Anne of Green Gables). Or Oxford, which is practically literary in that so many great writers have lived there.
13. Which is the best TV/film adaptation of a book you have seen? why? Hm. Oh, duh! The Fellowship of the Ring and The Two Towers (yes, even dispite the butchering of poor Faramir.) Because it caught most of the *spirit*.
14. Which is worst TV/film adaption of a book you have seen? why? The third Anne movie, without a doubt. Because it misrepresented everything about *everyone*.
15. What film adaption do you actually like more than the book? I have a feeling I may like the Masterpiece Theater version of The Way We Live Now better then the book, but I haven't read the book yet. ; )
16. What book do you like better than the film adaption? Most of them, by however slight a margin. I will always love Jane Eyre more then any movie they make of it.
17. What are your top 5 favourite books? 1.Lord of the Rings 2. Jane Eyre 3. Le Morte d'Arthur 4. The Silmarillion 5. Rebecca
Those are only a general idea of my favorites. I sort of picked five off the top of my head. With the exceptions of LotR, they aren't nessisarily my top five of all time. I just like them all a LOT.
18. Who is your favourite author? Tolkien. That one was easy.
19. What is the most memorable line delivered in a film? What is this doing in a literary survey? Does it mean from a film made out of a book, or any film? Well--both of the lines I thought of first came from movies-made-from-books, so here they are: "Inconcievable!" (The Princess Bride) and "Frankly, my dear..." (Gone With The Wind)
20. What is your least favourite book and why? The one Left Behind book I read, because it's horribly written, has terrible characterization (ie, flat people), is waaaay over commercialized....and I don't agree theologically. ; ) enough reasons for you?
21. If your life was a book, which author would you choose to write it? Tolkien, because his descriptions, even of pain and suffering, are beautiful. Or Terry Pratchett, because it would be hilariously off the wall. Or maybe Lucy Maud Montgomery, because it would be both beautiful and funny.
What I thought of Redwall
I finally read one of these Redwall books which I have heard so much about. (Mostly from random comments by amea) I guess it was the article in WORLD that finally prompted me to move it to the front of my library list. The one I read was Mariel of Redwall, which I believe is one of the earler ones in the series.
Well, quite honestly, I expected to like it more. Maybe I expected too much from it. They're great, no doubt about it. Mr. Jacques is a fine story teller, with inventive ways for writing in the dialects of the various animal types, and good descriptions. The characters (on the good side) are interesting and a little better then the average writer's attempt and personalizing animals. And I don't really mind the very Good verses Evil plots, and the stark Good is Good and Evil is Evil mindset (you'd never meet a sympathetic villain here.)
Nevertheless. I wanted very much to become a Redwall fanatic, but I don't see it happening. They just don't particularly strike my fancy, apparently. Part of it is that at this point I REALLY don't have time to spend reading something that is not either 1)for the betterment of my mind or 2) something I really like. Maybe when I have more time I'll spend some of it on Redwell. Until then, I guess I'll stick to other books. Sorry, Redwall fans. =\ I tried!
Why I ended up liking Bel Canto
Bel Canto--yes. I don't even remember where I heard the title, why I put it on my reading list. Maybe someone recommended it...more likely I just read a review of it somewhere. Or saw the title and was curious, because it's Spanish and about music.
For whatever the reason, I finally have read it. It's by Ann Patchet, and when I saw sought it out at the library I was apprehensive when I realized it was a modern book by a modern author. I decided to get it anyway, but expected it to incorporate foul language and sex and who knows what else into every page.
By the time I read the first fourth, I was loving it. By the time I had read half of it, I was ready to recommend it highly: bad language was pleasantly minimal and there was not one single sexual encounter! Then I ran into two or three scenes of the previous sort, and was highly disappointed. Then I finished the book and loved it anyway.
It's a strange book. You're not sure if the ending is happy or not. You feel the characters are somehow known intimately to you, yet the language and descriptions are spare and almost emotionless. The plot is almost fantastic, yet you never feel it is impossible. It is poignant and beautiful and terribly sad, but filled with light and joy. And mixed in and around and through everything is the power of music, the power of the voice of Roxanne Coss, the sweetness and tenderness of love, and ...I am saying way too much about this.
In short....if you like strange types of books where it ends far from normally, and understand the pull and power of opera, and are sufficiently able to skip several pages of not-very-graphic-but-still-unnecessary sex scenes, then you might wish to try this.
Misc. survey
+ 001. name : Marie
+ 002. nicknames : Mari is the most used, followed by Mer and Merrie and Marieowyn...and Elenëariel. Can't forget that one.
+ 003. sex : a lady. Heehee.
+ 004. birthday : July 18 (Hint hint. It's getting veddy close! And I looove chocolate! And books!)
+ 005. age : almost 19.
+ 006. star sign : I'm a STAR! Lol. As in, for a horoscope? I don't do that stuff.
+ 007. place of birth : Brownwood, Texas
+ 008. current residence : Here...where ever here is.
+ 009. hair color : I think I've given up catagorizing it. Brown. With bits of gold and red. And other stuff.
+ 010. eye color : I've also given up catagorizing this. They're blue. Sort of dark but with grey and ...stuff.
+ 011. height : 5'3". Or so.
+ 012. writing hand : Right
BODY iLLS + SKiLLS
+ 013. do you bite your nails : I used to until I was about 13. Then I stopped and grew Really Long fingernails and drove my mother crazy.
+ 014. can you roll your tongue : sure can. It's a family trait.
+ 016. can you raise one eyebrow at a time : left a little, but not that well.
+ 017. can you blow smoke rings : No, nor smoke ships. Especially seeing as I don't have a pipe and am not as Istari.
+ 018. can you blow spit bubbles : "can" is far different then "will".
+ 019. can you cross your eyes : yes, but it hurts!
+ 020. colored hair: no. don't think I'll ever want to. Hightlights, maybe.
+ 021. tattoos and where : none, and I know I won't ever do that.
+ 022. piercings and where : none yet--someday I may pierce my ears.
+ 023. do you make your bed daily : *most* days.
+ 024. what goes on first bra or underwear : The bottom garment.
+ 025. which shoe goes on first : right.
+ 036. speaking of shoes, have you thrown one at someone : good question. I don't know!
+ 037. how much money is usually in your wallet : Too much. I think my mom's afraid someone with X-ray vision is going to see it and mug me. I usually carry upwards of $100, and for no good reason then I don't like it leave cash laying around at home when I'm gone. I just don't get to the bank often enough. ; )
+ 038. what jewelry do you wear 24/7 : my two silver rings. Usually I have some sort of a necklace on, but that varies day to day.
+039. whats sexiest on a guy : Depends on the guy. Sometimes it honestly *is* their personality. ; )
+040. whats sexiest on a gurl: Don't ask me. I don't have insights into the male brain. =D And for heavens sake, spell GIRL right!!
+041. would you rather be on time and look ok or late and look great : It depends on the event. I'd be a little late for a party in order to look great, but I wouldn't be late for....I dunno, a visit with Gwenyth or savetheolives.
+ 042. do you twirl your spagetti or cut it : Depends who cooks it. =) If mom does, you have to cut because she doesn't leave them long enough to twirl. Personally, I like them loooong.
+ 043. how many cereals are in your cabinet: Four? Five?
+ 044. what utensils do you use eating pizza : fork and hands.
+ 045. do you cook : daily. I love it.
____GROOMiNG
+ 046. how often do you brush your teeth : At least once a day, and twice when I remember.
+ 047. how often do you shower/bathe : once a day usually. I hate feeling dirty.
+ 048. how long do these showers last : Too long. =P 15-20 minutes, usually.
+ 049. hair drying method : I don't unless I really have to.
+ 050. do you paint your nails : Nope. It would come off to easily with the work I do with my hands.
+ 051. do you swear: No. Though a few ultra-conservative might say that "cavolo" is as good as swearing. It means cabbage, honest!!
+ 052. do you mumble to yourself : Often.
+ 053. do you spit in public : I haven't ever since I knew better.
+ 054. do you pee in the shower : There are certain questions no one really needs to know the answer to. This is one.
+ 055. in the cd player : Romanza, Andrea Bocelli.
+ 056. person you talk most on the phone with : savetheolives
+ 057. what color is your bedroom : cream, dark green, some dark red.
+ 058. do you use an alarm clock : I HATE it. I only use it when I have to. That annoying metalic buzz makes a very BAD start to my day.
+ 059. name four things or people you're obsessed with?: Currently: Lord of the Rings, Revelation, maps, and Terry Pratchett.
+ 060. have you ever skinny dipped with the opposite sex : I don't believe I've ever even skinny dipped, even alone. yay for me.
+ 061. ever sunbathed in the nude : I have enough risk of sun cancer without subjecting my entire body to dangerous rays!
+ 062. window seat or aisle : window. I think. =)
+ 063. whats your sleeping position : on my right side, and curled around several cozy pillows.
+ 064. what kind of bed do you like : Big ones. I *adored* the week I slept in a Bigger-Then-King-Sized. Mine is a double, though, and it's big enough for me.
+ 065. in hot weather do you use a blanket : Just a sheet or nothing.
+ 066. do you snore : not that I know of.
+ 067. do you sleepwalk : Don't know if I have recently...I used to, though.
+ 068. do you talk in your sleep : Certain people have said I do. =)
+ 070. how about the light on : If it's a very soft light.
+ 071. do you fall asleep with the tv or radio on : The radio almost has to be on for me to sleep.
____WHEN WAS THE LAST TiME YOU
+ 072. had sex : I haven't, and won't until marriage. Thank you. Like I need *that* kind of emotional baggage to lug around.
+ 073. were kissed or kissed someone : other then family members? Hehheh, that would be Shane back when I was about eight. =D It scared him so bad he left me alone for years afterwards! Which was my intention, btw. ; ) I thought he was a horrid smelly boy.
+ 074. watched bambi : I don't think I ever have.
+ 075. cried : I almost cried today.
+ 076. talked on the phone : yesterday
+ 077. read a book : this morning.
+ 078. punched someone : For real? I don't know. A while. =)
+ 079. where do you see yourself ten years from now : I *don't* see myself in ten years. I have to take each year as it comes to get used to it!
+ 080. who are you gonna be married to and where: Tony, and in Italy. Just kidding. I don't know yet. ; )
+ 081. how many kids do you want to have : However many God wants me to have, although I don't really want more then, say, six. If that many. ; )
+ 082. your profession : Tea-maker, filer, computer-sorter-outer, bagger-of-nasty-dusty-things, and sort of anything else people hire me to do.
+ 083. future school : Life. "Life is my college", as the writer said. =) Which writer? Um, I sorta forgot. But she said it.
_____MUSiC
+ 090. is music important to you : Very much so.
+ 091. do you sing? : Yeeeah. Gonna record soon! Yippie!
+ 092. what instruments do you play? : Piano, voice (IS AN INSTRUMENT!), a little guitar
+ 094. what do you think of Eminem : He's a jerk and ought to shut up. We'd be well rid of him.
+ 095. in your opinion, what band is the best of all time? : Not the Dixie Chicks, that's for sure.
___DO YOU LIKE
+ 096. pop music : sometimes
+ 097. rock music : not much
+ 098. punk music : No
+ 099. rap music : No WAY.
+ 100. hip-Hop/RB : No.
+ 101. country : most of it, except for the new kind that's really, really awful.
+ 102. jazz : only a little.
+ 103. classical : yes
+ 104. new age: some
+ 105. hardcore: Hardcore *what*? I don't think so.
+ 106. indie rock: no.
+ 107. emo: Guess not, since I haven't heard of it.
The Ultimate Literary Questionnaire
The Ultimate Literary Questionnaire
1. Which book(s) are you currently reading? A Bullet in the Ballet (because it said it was a "screwball English murder mystery), Home For the Holidays (exreamely forgettable), Children and Books, and A Double Life: Newly Discovered Thrillers of Lousia May Alcott
2. What book(s) did you read last? Harry Potter books two and three, Mariel of Redwall, and Maskerade.
3.What book(s) are you planning on reading next? Uhh...The Spy Wore Silk (by Aline, countess of Romanones; these are recountings of her spy days during and after WWII), and..I'm not sure yet.
4. Do you own most of the books you read, or do you borrow them from a
library? Sort of half and half. I own a ton of books I haven't had time to read yet, so I'm trying to read them and still get books from the library.
5. Who was your favourite author(s) when you were a child? Heh heh--Laura Ingalls Wilder and Carolyn Keene.
6. What were some of your favourite books when you were a child? All the Little House books, all the Nancy Drew books...Mary Poppins, The Lion's Paw, and probably Pippi Longstocking.
7. Which male literary character would you like to take out on a date and why? First off, I would expect *him* to ask me, not the other way around. I would enjoy dinner with any of the following: Mr. Rochester (Jane Eyre), Percy (The Scarlet Pimpernil) Morgan (Sons of an Ancient Glory),and...others whom I will not mention due to the fact I don't want to freak anyone out.
8. Which author would you most like to have a `one-to-one' with?
Tolkien. Hands down.
9. Which fictional character would you most like to have a 'one-to-one' with? Eowyn. Yes.
10. Which literary character would you least like to be stranded on a desert island with and why? Ioreth (from Return of the King) or Mrs. Rachel Lind (from Anne of Green Gables) because they would talk ALL the time and drive me crazy.
11. Which character would you most like to be stranded with? Any strong male who could do manly things like built a hut and catch wild animals and protect me from all harm, etc. Not that I'm a clinging, helpless female or anything, but it's just nice to have a man around to do those sorts of thing. Or, alternately, any of the people from Discworld novels, such as Nanny Ogg, Rincewind the Wizzard, etc., because they would keep me in a constant state of hilarity.
12. In which literary/fictional location would you most like to live? Rohan or Gondor or the Shire (Lord of the Rings), or Avonlea (Anne of Green Gables). Or Oxford, which is practically literary in that so many great writers have lived there.
13. Which is the best TV/film adaptation of a book you have seen? why? Hm. Oh, duh! The Fellowship of the Ring and The Two Towers (yes, even dispite the butchering of poor Faramir.) Because it caught most of the *spirit*.
14. Which is worst TV/film adaption of a book you have seen? why? The third Anne movie, without a doubt. Because it misrepresented everything about *everyone*.
15. What film adaption do you actually like more than the book? I have a feeling I may like the Masterpiece Theater version of The Way We Live Now better then the book, but I haven't read the book yet. ; )
16. What book do you like better than the film adaption? Most of them, by however slight a margin. I will always love Jane Eyre more then any movie they make of it.
17. What are your top 5 favourite books? 1.Lord of the Rings 2. Jane Eyre 3. Le Morte d'Arthur 4. The Silmarillion 5. Rebecca
Those are only a general idea of my favorites. I sort of picked five off the top of my head. With the exceptions of LotR, they aren't nessisarily my top five of all time. I just like them all a LOT.
18. Who is your favourite author? Tolkien. That one was easy.
19. What is the most memorable line delivered in a film? What is this doing in a literary survey? Does it mean from a film made out of a book, or any film? Well--both of the lines I thought of first came from movies-made-from-books, so here they are: "Inconcievable!" (The Princess Bride) and "Frankly, my dear..." (Gone With The Wind)
20. What is your least favourite book and why? The one Left Behind book I read, because it's horribly written, has terrible characterization (ie, flat people), is waaaay over commercialized....and I don't agree theologically. ; ) enough reasons for you?
21. If your life was a book, which author would you choose to write it? Tolkien, because his descriptions, even of pain and suffering, are beautiful. Or Terry Pratchett, because it would be hilariously off the wall. Or maybe Lucy Maud Montgomery, because it would be both beautiful and funny.
What I thought of Redwall
I finally read one of these Redwall books which I have heard so much about. (Mostly from random comments by amea) I guess it was the article in WORLD that finally prompted me to move it to the front of my library list. The one I read was Mariel of Redwall, which I believe is one of the earler ones in the series.
Well, quite honestly, I expected to like it more. Maybe I expected too much from it. They're great, no doubt about it. Mr. Jacques is a fine story teller, with inventive ways for writing in the dialects of the various animal types, and good descriptions. The characters (on the good side) are interesting and a little better then the average writer's attempt and personalizing animals. And I don't really mind the very Good verses Evil plots, and the stark Good is Good and Evil is Evil mindset (you'd never meet a sympathetic villain here.)
Nevertheless. I wanted very much to become a Redwall fanatic, but I don't see it happening. They just don't particularly strike my fancy, apparently. Part of it is that at this point I REALLY don't have time to spend reading something that is not either 1)for the betterment of my mind or 2) something I really like. Maybe when I have more time I'll spend some of it on Redwell. Until then, I guess I'll stick to other books. Sorry, Redwall fans. =\ I tried!
Why I ended up liking Bel Canto
Bel Canto--yes. I don't even remember where I heard the title, why I put it on my reading list. Maybe someone recommended it...more likely I just read a review of it somewhere. Or saw the title and was curious, because it's Spanish and about music.
For whatever the reason, I finally have read it. It's by Ann Patchet, and when I saw sought it out at the library I was apprehensive when I realized it was a modern book by a modern author. I decided to get it anyway, but expected it to incorporate foul language and sex and who knows what else into every page.
By the time I read the first fourth, I was loving it. By the time I had read half of it, I was ready to recommend it highly: bad language was pleasantly minimal and there was not one single sexual encounter! Then I ran into two or three scenes of the previous sort, and was highly disappointed. Then I finished the book and loved it anyway.
It's a strange book. You're not sure if the ending is happy or not. You feel the characters are somehow known intimately to you, yet the language and descriptions are spare and almost emotionless. The plot is almost fantastic, yet you never feel it is impossible. It is poignant and beautiful and terribly sad, but filled with light and joy. And mixed in and around and through everything is the power of music, the power of the voice of Roxanne Coss, the sweetness and tenderness of love, and ...I am saying way too much about this.
In short....if you like strange types of books where it ends far from normally, and understand the pull and power of opera, and are sufficiently able to skip several pages of not-very-graphic-but-still-unnecessary sex scenes, then you might wish to try this.