Dear Mrs Kennedy

Dear Mrs Kennedy by Jay Mulvancy & Paul De Angelis.

Hardcover: 240 pages
Publisher: St. Martin's Press(October 12, 2010)
ISBN-10: 031238615X

From Publishers Weekly

"Never have I been so filled with revulsion, anger, and sorrow as when I heard of your husband's death," wrote Winston Churchill to Jackie Kennedy on November 24, 1963. And a fourth-grade Nebraska farm boy wrote to little Caroline Kennedy, "I am sorry to hear about your Daddy. God will take good care of him." Immediately after President Kennedy's assassination, more than 1,250,000 letters arrived at the White House from the famous and ordinary citizens alike, expressing their sorrow and sympathy for the president's young widow, Although she promised that the letters would be displayed at the Kennedy Library, they remained filed in a warehouse for decades until the opening of the library building. A controversial culling reducing the collection to 368,000 letters also delayed cataloguing of the letters until 1988. Mulvaney ((Diana and Jackie) and former publishing executive De Angelis regard the collection as a "poignant time capsule," and they include an informative historical backdrop for their selections, including letters from society queen Babe Paley, Rev. Billy Graham, and publisher Bennett Cerf, among many others. For those who relive the pain of the Kennedy assassination every November 22, this volume will provide company and perhaps some consolation. 20 b&w illus.

Oh..

My..

Gosh..!

What a small and powerful book this is!

The book is filled with letters sent to Jackie Kennedy after the assassination of JFK.

Naturally most of them in the book are from famous people of one sort or another.  In between letters you find some very interesting pieces of information of the time and/ or happenings that occurred around that November when Kennedy was killed.

Some tidbits bring back a time many younger people would laugh at or think impossible for a time that isn’t really “that long ago”.  Here are a few clips from the book….

“America in the fall of 1963 was a world from another era.  There were only 3 television networks.  Nine of the top ten shows were broadcast on CBS (only Bonanza, in second place, gave NBC an inroad).  Gas was thirty cents a gallon, milk a little higher at forty-nine cents.  The choices offered at movie theaters included From Russia With Love, the latest James Bond: Alfred  Hitchock’s The Birds, and Cleopatra, the film that brought Elizabeth Taylor international fame, along with the condemnation of the Vatican for her affair with Richard Burton during filming.”

“It was a defining moment of a generation.  Like the shock of the terrorist attacks of September 11,2001, the shock of JFK’s murder in Dallas on November 22, 1963, stunned and stupefied a nation and the world. 

What were you doing when Kennedy was shot?  Ask anyone over fifty: For a moment the world seemed to stand still.  In factories, offices, coffee shops, and university lecture halls, a pall of disbelief descended.”

“Dear Mrs Kennedy,

Never have I been so filled with revulsion, anger and sorrow, as when I heard of your husbands death.

On this great and good man were set the hopes of humanity.  The grief and loss must be unspeakable for you, who have stood by him for so many years, and who were at his side when he was struck down.  Nothing can be of consolation to you at this time.  But I would like you to know that throughout the world, and in England especially, all men who prize Freedom and hope for Peace share your loss and partake of your grief.

                                                                     Winston S Churchill”

This book is one that will stay with me.  Both in my mind and heart and on my book shelf, It’s a keeper!

Great little book.. I can say no more.

Liz’s Veggies & My Patio

Just so I can post on Chris’s Saturday Farmers…  Below are some veggies my neighbor is growing in pots and then some flowers from my patio..

(if she weren’t such a nice lady I’d be stealing these tomato’s not taking pictures of them!)

She has picked several cucumbers and more just keep coming..

I think I had said this was a garlic blossom but in truth it’s an Onion blossom.

(below) my patio flowers..and my very young Crepe Myrtle beginning to bloom!

Star Trek Into Darkness

I just came home from seeing Star Trek.

I can say just one word:  damn! (in a good way!)

I will say a few more without giving away anything. 

This movie was kept well under wraps!  WELL! There are scenes that you just don’t see coming!  And I will say I may have jumped out of my seat a number of times. heh..great sound, what can I say?!

This movie is chock full of surprises!

And chock full of emotion. (for me)

Major Kudos to the following:

Kudos to J.J. Abrams.

Many kudos to our very fine crew of actors! Every one of them!!

More kudos to the writers: Robert Orci, Alex Kurtzman, and Damon Lundelof.. and in his own way: Gene Roddenberry.

I found this movie most outstanding in the script writing and of course in special effects. (although my only “complaint” would be that there is a touch too much “motion” in the “exciting scenes”, but that is only because I think I came close to motion sickness which I get easily)

For you who have not seen the movie but are fans from the originals on.. you are in for a number of surprises!

My only wish is that J.J. Abrams does not take long to make another movie!  I am old and do not have “all the time in the world” and I do so want to see this crew again!

I wish I could say more but to be honest.. I knew little of the story when I went in, and less about what was was going to happen..and that just added to the enjoyment!  I hope you all enjoy it as much as I did!

Exiles in Hollywood

 Exiles in Hollywood by David Wallace.

Paperback: 266 pages
Publisher: Limelight Editions (July 1, 2006)
ISBN-10: 0879103299

  

Book Description

Release date: July 1, 2006

(Limelight). Fleeing Nazi persecution, half of Europe's creative talents, including screen legend Greta Garbo and composer Igor Stravinsky, were, in Arnold Schoenberg's words, "driven into paradise," settling in Los Angeles. It was the greatest flight of European cultural and intellectual talent in history, and for a time made Los Angeles a cultural capital. Their presence, enabling the evolution of film noir, also changed American movies forever. In Exiles in Hollywood, David Wallace, author of the national bestseller Lost Hollywood and whom columnist Liz Smith has called "the maestro of entertainment history," tells their dramatic stories. His profiles of refugees include filmmaker Billy Wilder, Alfred Hitchcock, Nobel Prize-winning writer Thomas Mann, the screenwriter Salka Viertel and her controversial relationship with Greta Garbo, the deeply conflicted actor Charles Laughton, and many more. The result is a rich, page-turning look at an era, its triumphs and tragedies, its gossip and hidden facts, and its colorful personalities.

This was a very interesting book.  Names I knew and Names I didn’t know but the short chapters of each, and being very direct with information made this book one that I read every word to the bitter end.

It’s strange how one books leads to another and another. (I have found this to be true far too many times!) Well, this one did the same thing for me.  One small sentence in the chapter of Charles Laughton and his wife Elsa Lanchester made me immediately go to Amazon and search for Elsa’s biography and send for it!  

Everyone who knows Elsa knows her best for her scream and looks of The Bride of Frankenstein.  When in truth Else had a good career in the movies..she truly wasn’t “just” The Bride of Frankenstein!

I knew she was married to Charles Laughton (man of many fabulous movies) .  And like many others “had heard the gossip” that Charles Laughton was gay.  But I never really thought any more of it.  It’s not like it’s shocking news to find out an actor is gay. (duh) And since it doesn’t bother me one bit I never gave a second thought to Elsa.  Hmmm. The sentence in the book mentions she was married to him for over 30 years and yet he had told her he was gay only a year after they were married.  So I instantly became curious to what her life was then like! Did she stay in love with him?  Did they just lead separate lives?  Why didn’t they divorce??  I guess I will find out when I read  her biography!

Other’s in the book  were writers, directors, symphony conductors etc.. all having exited their countries (mostly Germany) when Hitler was coming into power.  There were some names I hadn’t heard of, but when you read about their connections to movies / music and Hollywood you do recognize those!

I found this book very interesting indeed.  Parts of Hollywood History that were unknown to me, and I probably never would have thought of,  if it were not for this little book. Exiles in Hollywood is definitely a book that will only interest those who want to know more about Hollywood and the creative people in it during it’s early days. But this book is focused only on a handful of Exiles.

This was an excellent read..

..and now I think I will stay with “reality” a bit more and pick up another “little book” titled Dear Mrs. Kennedy, which basically is letters written to Jackie Kennedy during the time of grieving for JFK’s assassination .  I’ll be back when I finish the book!

Straken

(11th book for Once Upon a Time)

Straken by Terry Brooks

Mass Market Paperback: 432 pages
Publisher: Del Rey; (August 28, 2007)
ISBN-10: 0345499409

From Booklist

Brooks concludes the High Druid of Shannara trilogy, which begins with Jarka Ruus (2003) and continues with Tanequil (2004), in an equally rich and riveting high-fantasy style. Young Pen Ohmsford, now armed with the darkwand he obtained from the ancient sentient tree Tanequil, is taken to Parador by Druids who have been pursuing him, is imprisoned, and is deprived of the darkwand, his only means of crossing over into the Forbidding to rescue his aunt Grianne, held captive by a demon. Can Khyber Edessedil, wielder of the Elf Stones, rescue him? The demon that passed through to the Four Lands when Grianne was taken is still working to destroy the barrier between the two worlds. Shadea, the false leader of the Druids, and Federation prime minister Sen Dunsidan continue their machinations aimed at destroying the elf and dwarf populations and expanding their sovereignty. All characters remain true to their already established identities, and Brooks unerringly weaves the many threads of his complex saga into an intricate and colorful tapestry that, taken with the previous books, casts the expected magical spell over the reader

As with any well written adventure trilogy, by the time you get to book 3 you can’t put it down for any length of time!

Pen takes the darkwand and finds his way into the Forbidding. Meanwhile, treachery abounds in Parador as Shadea’s minions begin to fall.

Pen’s parents escape Parador and go find the companions that helped Pen only to find out that they have to return to Parador so that they can help Pen and Grianne when they find their way back from the Forbidding.

And for something you couldn’t see coming… the last chapter holds a surprise!

It is a really good 3rd book.  It pulls all the strings together, lets you know what happens to the, oh so many, great characters before coming to it’s conclusion.

I can’t say enough good things about this trilogy… many people say that when an author writes a really good trilogy (Sword of Shanarra) that the following books never really measure up to the “originals”.  I have to say that I think this comes in a close second!  There aren’t many “sequels” that I care for but this one is a good one for sure!

If anyone is interested in knowing the books of Terry Brooks they are as follows:

The Original Shannara Novels
•The Sword of Shannara
- In the Shadow of the Warlock Lord – first 1/3 of The Sword of Shannara
- The Druids’ Keep – middle 1/3 of The Sword of Shannara
- The Secret of the Sword – last 1/3 of The Sword of Shannara
•The Elfstones of Shannara
•The Wishsong of Shannara

A Shannara Novella
•Indomitable – An epilogue to The Wishsong of Shannara
A Shannara Graphic Novel
•Dark Wraith of Shannara

The Heritage of Shannara
•The Scions of Shannara
•The Druid of Shannara
•The Elf Queen of Shannara
•The Talismans of Shannara

A Shannara Prequel
•First King of Shannara
The Word & Void Novels
•Running with the Demon
•A Knight of the Word
•Angel Fire East

The Voyage of the Jerle Shannara
•Ilse Witch
•Antrax
•Morgawr

High Druid of Shannara
•Jarka Ruus
•Tanequil
•Straken

Genesis of Shannara
•Armageddon’s Children
•The Elves of Cintra
•The Gypsy Morph

Legends of Shannara
•Bearers of the Black Staff (in stores)
•The Measure of the Magic

The Dark Legacy of Shannara
•Wards of Faerie (forthcoming August 21, 2012)
•The Bloodfire Quest (forthcoming March 19, 2013)
•Witch Wraith (forthcoming August 2013)

Tanequil

(10th book for Once Upon a Time)

Tanequil by Terry Brooks.

Mass Market Paperback: 416 pages
Publisher: Del Rey (August 28, 2007)
ISBN-10: 0345499115

From Publishers Weekly

Make a wish on an Elfstone and anything can happen, including a fresh second installment (after 2003's Jarka Russ) in Brooks's bestselling High Druid fantasy trilogy, part of the long-running Shannara series whose magic has been showing signs of wear. As the Free-born Federation war continues in the Four Lands, life is packed with peril for the Ohmsford family. While High Druid Grianne Ohmsford languishes in the Forbidding, a demon tracks her gifted nephew, Pen, with orders to kill him from the Druid responsible for her banishment, the evil Shadea a'Ru. Young Pen and his followers—perky Elven Elfstone carrier Khyber, grumpy dwarf Tagwen, blind Rover girl Cinnaminson and helpful Rock Trolls—seek the tanequil, a mysterious tree from which a "darkwand" must be formed that will aid Pen in rescuing his aunt from the Forbidding. Pen's parents, Bek and Rue, are also ensnared by Shadea, an uneasy ally of Sen Dunsidan, the Federation's prime minister.

In book 2 the companions continue on their quest, but not without evil things happening to deter their progress.

Although Pen is young he makes a good protagonist, and along with those that he finds willing to help him with his quest Terry  Brooks continues to write a very enjoyable story.  As in many other books: good against evil.  It’s always interesting to see how he gets his little troop into and out of circumstances, always adding twists and turns that you don’t know will happen until they do.

This trilogy is my second favorite of his next to the original Sword of Shannara Trilogy.  I find myself flying thru these books and I haven’t done that in some time!

This middle book has Pen trying to get to a tree called the Tanequil to procure a small branch from the tree that will help him save his Aunt from the Forbidding.  With no real plan in mind Pen surrounds himself with others that want to help him to help his Aunt, and by doing so, it helps his chances of success.   What he wasn’t told was how to find the tree and how to communicate what he wants from the tree.  Nor is he told what the tree might want in exchange!

A good surprise ending to book one makes you want to quickly pick up book three to see what happens next! 

So off I go to begin the last installment of this very enjoyable trilogy!

Mother’s Day

Missing my mom… always. 

(Mom in High School: 1930’s)

Happy Mother’s Day to all you mom’s out there!!

Neighbor’s Garden

Since Chris loves his gardens I thought just once I would show some of my neighbors (since I am not growing veggies)  These are all grown in pots!

 

Egg plant blossoms are pretty!

Easy to grow cucumbers in a pot but the vines crawl all over!

Garlic Blossom (below)

Lettuce greens and a pepper plant.

Again?!!!

I really have to slap my face!   I’ve GOT to learn that just because a book is only ONE DOLLAR, doesn’t mean that I have to buy it or that I will actually get around to reading it! 

When Will I Learn?????

I actually went to a book store to bring some used paperbacks to them.  I only get about 1.00 a book but it’s the only place that does it.. and paperbacks only. (and we all know I read mostly hardbacks!)

Anyway…….

The bookstore actually has two buildings.  One is the main bookstore, the other is a children's bookstore downstairs and used books upstairs.  I walk into the store to find things a mess!  They are moving the main store downstairs where children's store is and children's store upstairs. (they will incorporated the used books with the “main store” part.

So they want to get rid of the “bargain books”.  *sigh* it’s all I can afford at that store but I do go there pretty regular. 

Anyway….

The bargain books are on sale for ONE DOLLAR each no matter what the price!

So.. I brought THEM 6 paperbacks and I came home with 2 hardbacks and one huge paperback (Elizabeth, the Queen).

Geez.. will I ever read these?? I have no idea!  I think I can count on “Dear Mrs. Kennedy” because it’s a small book with letters written to Mrs. Kennedy while she was in the Whitehouse.

… and then in the mail came the one book I had ordered some time ago.  Yet, another book on the Hollywood Blacklist.  This will make about 4 books in all that I’ve read on the subject.  The different people who are in each book have different ways they survived the blacklist and so it makes it compelling to keep reading about it. I think I find reading them interesting because I have the faintest memory of seeing McCarthy harassing some of the celebrities on the television!

This one talks about some celebrities such as: Billy Wilder, Alfred Hitchcock, Otto Preminger, Charles Laughton and Elsa Lanchester… the book is only 230 pages so I am guessing it’s not really detailed. But I got it anyway.

I Have Been

Stealing the Meme from my baby boy, Chris again.

I Have Been…

Writing: well that’s one of the lesser things I’ve done lately! I don’t even write good reviews for books, I let Amazon do it! Pathetic, I know.

I often think of part 4 of the story I wrote and what I wanted to do for it and it seems all my creative juices have been driven so far down there’s no hope whatsoever. However, even being the pessimist I am I will “never say never”….

Reading: I just finished book one of a Terry Brooks Trilogy concerning is old series of Shannara. He dragged me right into his world with good characters and a good story. So next up is to begin book two of the series. I think when I finish this series that I might jump into a biography or two.

Listening: Well, I don’t listen to the radio so the only listening I do is when I see a neighbor and they decide to talk a bit. Being a nice neighbor I listen.. but generally I try not to be pulled into any complaints. (I have enough of my own!)

Watching: Oh boy.. well one of my favs has been on television: Dancing With the Stars, and I have to say the last group of dancers are really very good! My favorites are dancing with Derek Hough and Val (not even going to try to spell his last name) And on Mondays once dancing is over it’s Castle for me! Besides loving Nathan Fillion I think the writers of that show deserve an Emmy because they are excellent! After being on the air for 6 yrs I finally got hooked on The Big Band Theory which I watch in reruns on one of the higher cable channels .

Looking: Well, I am always looking out the window for Birds or flowers or sunsets to take pictures of…. And wishing someone around here, who has a decent car, would decide to go to the zoo in Melbourne so I could tag along and get some “new” photo’s.

Learning: Not a whole lot lately. Admittedly it gets harder to learn new things the older we get.. but if I had a way to get to the community college around here I’d be taking me some classes! Not to get a degree or anything.. for enjoyment! I’d take a computer class.. and an art class… a creative writing class.. and I’d love another voice over class but I don’t think the local college does one of those lol.

Feeling: I am always stressed and filled with Anxiety. My depression is always around too..nothing much changes with those things. Yesterday was a good day though..cool-ish and low LOW humidity with a little breeze! Whoa it was great!! I could take 365 of those days a year! Lol… I even took a walk on the trail close by where I live. Plants were coming alive… the “Punks” were all tall and nice.. even wild Elephant Ears! I am tempted to go try to get one of those but they are in Mucky water and there are more snakes than I care for around here so maybe I’ll just skip that idea!

Anticipating: Ohhh this one is easy! My friend went to an autograph show and I asked her to get me a photo with Karl Urbans autograph and she told me she’d be mailing it out today or tomorrow!! Woo Hooo! My second favorite Dr McCoy!

Wishing: a lot of my wishing remains the same: re: a trip to England :o) I also wish the new Star Trek folks would do a few conventions here in the states. Oh yeah, and I wish I could afford a new car! (well not “New”..but one that is only a few years old) And like many people wishing that my health doesn’t every get tooooo bad.

Loving: easy peasy: lovin’ my BooBoo kitty.

 

Jarka Ruus

(9th book for Once Upon a Time)

Jarka Ruus by Terry Brooks.

Paperback: 416 pages
Publisher: Del Rey (July 26, 2005)
ISBN-10: 0345483898

Amazon.com Review

With Jarka Ruus Terry Brooks embarks on yet another journey with the legendary Ohmsford family. Beginning 20 years after the conclusion of the The Voyage of the Jerle Shannara, the High Druid of Paranor Grianne Ohmsford finds herself struggling to unite the druids amid political morass risen from her prior history as the dreaded Ilse Witch. Her enemies' schemes come to fruition quickly and she is banished behind the wall of the Forbidding, the anti-demon security feature that collapsed so spectacularly in the magnificent Elfstones of Shannara. Her fate falls in the lap of the youngest Ohmsford, Penderrin, who unlike his Aunt Grianne and his parents is without the gift of magic. Pen along with Khyber and her uncle, the Elven Prince Ahren Elessedil, learn they must jump through the usual Brooks' hoops to unlock the door of the Forbidding and free Grianne.

Brooks is right at home in this formulaic addition to the Shannara franchise. All the furniture is here: the Druid Keep of Paranor, dark creatures in pursuit of reluctant young heroes and, of course, the Elfstones. The good news is that Brooks remains a master of description and the book hums along with comfortable ease. Devout Shannara fans will find their favorite magical realm exactly as they left it and no doubt anticipate this cliffhanger's sequel

This is a series of books that I’ve gone back to time and again.

The first 4 Shannara books being my all time favorites of the series.  After the original 4 came a second series of 4 called the Heritage of Shannara and then a trilogy called The Voyage of the Jerle Shannara.  But as many books as there are one can stop after the first 4 and not read more. (if they so choose)  This trilogy took me exceptionally long to get to and now that I’ve read the first book I am sorry I waited so long!

The first 80 pages or so I thought maybe I had “outgrown” the Shannara series.. and then low and behold, about page 100 the story grabbed me and I swear I could hear Terry Brooks evil laugh as once again I was back in his land with yet another Ohmsford  relative!

Terry Brooks has a formula for the Shannara series and though at times I wondered if he wandered off he is back in form once again!  

He begins with some background information and then once you meet the younger Pen Ohmsford things begin happening at lightening speed.   First up to join the “company” is Tagwen, a dwarf both faithful and true.  From there they recruit Ahren and his niece Khyber.   No sooner does this small group of comrades decide to help Pen than the evil Dwarf from Paranor is descending on them.   And from there the race is on!

Pen does not believe he will have the knowhow to help his aunt return from the Forbidding, yet at time passes his determination to safe her builds.

Even if the only books from Shannara that you may have read are the Sword of Shannara series this would be a good series to once again return into Terry Brooks imagination.

I totally enjoyed this book and am going to leave this post to begin book II, The Tanequil.

New & Old Books

More books came into the apartment. .. sigh.  I think I have to stop hanging around so many people who read all the time!   Crickey, (sp?) I used to be a “hippy” for gawds sake!  And now I’m a geek??!!  How the heck did this happen???? 

Oh well.. anyway.. two “new” books, thanks to Michelle again :o), A Place of Secrets and Cemetery Girl, and a used book on Eleanor Roosevelt, Eleanor: The Years Alone (after Franklin died).  Not sure I would have gotten this book but it’s written by Joseph P Lash who was a close friend, so I thought it would be a good prospective.

 

I have one more book on the way called “Exiles in Hollywood”.  Yet another book on some of the people Black Listed.  I have found you could read many books on this subject and since many are written by someone who was on that list you get many points of view on how they survived it.

Ah well.. so there you have it.. another 4 books.. I either need a storage unit soon or my bed will be out on the grass, while the books are taking over my apartment!  There definitely times that I wish I was a fast reader!

I guess I could take a moment and list my books read in April.  For a change I did better than normal these days. It also helped that none were very big… I didn’t plan it that way it just happened.  Five books and one short story were for Once Upon a Time.  Images of America and Notes from a Small Island were tossed in for a change of pace.

13. Natural History of Dragons.......M. Brennan     (334 pgs)..Apr
14. Watership Down...................Adams/Dotrice  (audio)....Apr
15. Images of America................Joan Gonczlik  (128 pgs)..Apr
16. A Spell for Chameleon............Piers Anthony  (352 pgs)..Apr
17. His Majesties Dragon.............Naomi Novik    (253 pgs)..Apr
18. Throne of Jade...................Naomi Novik    (258 pgs)..Apr
19. Notes from a Small Island........Bill Bryson    (324 pgs)..Apr
20. Runner of Pern...................Anne McCaffrey (60  pgs)..Apr

The Apothecary

(8th book (9th reading. counting short story Pern) for Once Upon a Time)

The Apothecary by Maile Meloy.

Paperback: 384 pages

Publisher: Puffin;  (February 12, 2013)

ISBN-10: 0142422061

Book Description

A dose of magic could save the world...Fourteen-year-old Janie Scott is new to London and she's finding it dull, dreary and cold - until she meets Benjamin Burrows who dreams of becoming a spy. When Benjamin's father, the mysterious apothecary, is kidnapped he entrusts Janie and Benjamin with his sacred book, full of ancient spells and magical potions. Now the two new friends must uncover the book's secrets in order to find him, all while keeping it out of the hands of their enemies - Russian spies in possession of nuclear weapons. Beautifully written and expertly paced, this stunning and poignant novel will have readers on the edge of their seats.

This is a YA book filled with illustrations!

I needed something easy to read but yet compelling…. this little book fit the bill !

It has a bit of magic!

It has a bit of adventure!

It has a tiny bit of young love!

And it even had “Pip” from Great Expectations! (well, not really but he was an orphaned young boy who could pick locks!.. close enough!)

This was a very enjoyable, quick read, and perfectly written in very short chapters to keep me reading “just one more” before putting it down. But of course “one more” generally turned into two or three more!

The book held very good descriptions of characters and surroundings and also held a bit of history here and there about WWII and the Atomic Bomb. 

I quite enjoyed reading this book and those who like YA books that hold adventure would most likely enjoy it also.  The *magic* parts were quite exciting and made you thing for a moment what it would be like if things like that were possible. (we’d all get into trouble if they were! )

I think the Amazon review gives away enough of the book to create interest, if indeed there would be any, so I am off to begin a new book!  I hope everyone is having some great reading for Once Upon a Time!

Legends

From the book Legends: edited by Robert Silverberg.

Paperback: 715 pages

Publisher: Tor Fantasy; (August 1, 2001)

ISBN-10: 0765300354

 The Runner of Pern: Anne McCaffrey: 60 pgs.

(sketch by Michael Whelan)

From Publishers Weekly (entire book)

Microcosmic glimpses of broadly imagined worlds and their larger-than-life characters distinguish this hefty volume of heavyweight fantasy. Silverberg collects 11 previously unpublished short "novels" by genre celebrities, each a window on a sprawling saga that has shaped the way modern fantasy fiction is written and read. Stephen King weighs in with "The Little Sisters of Eluria," set early in the Dark Tower saga and deftly weaving threads of horror, quest fantasy and the western into a dangerous snare for his indefatigable gunslinger, Roland of Gilead. Ursula K. Le Guin contributes "Dragonfly," a tale about a young woman who would be a wizard that offers a savvy dissection of the sexual politics that govern Le Guin's Earthsea empire. Neo-Arthurian fantasy gets its due in George R.R. Martin's "The Hedge Knight," a prequel to the Song of Ice and Fire series. Only a sliver of fantasy insinuates Silverberg's own "The Seventh Shrine," a Majipoor murder mystery that becomes a fascinating exploration of clashing cultures. Although most of the selections are sober sidebars to serious literary fantasy cycles, Terry Pratchett's "The Sea and Little Fishes" is a giddy Discworld romp that pits cantankerous witch Granny Weatherwax against her crone cronies, and Orson Scott Card's "Grinning Man" is corn-fed tall talk in which Alvin Maker outwits a crooked miller in the alternate America of Hatrick River. Some entries, among them Raymond E. Feist's Riftwar tale "The Wood Boy" and Anne McCaffrey's "Runner of Pern," shine only as light glosses on their authors' earlier achievements. Still, there's enough color, vitality and bravura displays of mythmaking in this rich sampler, which also includes tales by Terry Goodkind, Tad Williams and Robert Jordan, to sate faithful fans and nurture new readers on the stuff of legends still being created.

The Runner of Pern is a short story by Anne McCaffrey..

Anyone who knows me knows I love the Pern books!  So long ago when The Legends books came out and each one had a short story by Anne… well.. even though I am not a short story lover, those books became part of my “library”!

(Prior to the return of threads falling and Dragons flying in the sky searing the threads)…The Runner of Pern is about a young girl named Tenna who is born to a family of runners.  Although Drums could send messages faster runners were still used to transfer many types of messages that weren’t “emergencies”.

Runners would be the equivalent to mailmen..but (of course) they run instead of drive to deliver the mail .

The story revolves around Tenna and her becoming a runner and then letting her run to deliver mail farther and farther away, so that she might earn her way to being a Journeyman.

One nite while running someone on a “runner beasts” runs past her knocking her into a *sticklebush* which leaves mean needles under your skin and could get nasty if not gotten out.  Tenna winds up staying at the Hold to be doctored and while there she gets to go to her first Gather.  There she meets the young man that nearly ran her over with his beast and a friendship is made.

Anne could have written so many small stories that happened on Pern during the time she wrote her books.  Every little thing just makes Pern  more and more “real” to one who loves her stories.

It was a good short story.. it won’t turn me into a short story lover but memories of what is happening at the Weyrs while Tenna is becoming a runner churns in my mind while I read this story.

If you are not a lover of Pern, more than likely this story wouldn’t mean a thing to you.  It’s a small part of a very big story of Pern.

Gifts Galore!

Like, Wow!  What a mail day!

My girlfriend, Michelle, had given me an Amazon gift card and I finally used it… (thank you again Michelle!)

I got some great stuff!!!

Three books: The Hiding Place, Chekov’s Enterprise, and The Apothecary.

And I got the collection of the 6 Original Star Trek Movies! (yes I have them already but only in VHS and I don’t have a VHS machine hooked up.)

One day there will be a Trek Marathon that’s for sure!!!!!

My favorite book of the three is Chekov’s Enterprise!

This is an old version of the book,  and the one I owned long ago (I still have it although it is very water-warped).  I loved this book and have wanted to replace it forever, but the old “you have one (warped though it is)” kept me from buying another copy.

When I opened the package it came in (it arrived all alone as it’s a used copy).. I grinned from ear to ear  because I already know how fantastic this book is and how much i laughed reading it and loved discovering Walter’s great sense of humor!  If you like the Originals this is a really “feel good” book because of enjoying Walter’s sense of humor over things. 

I realize it’s about the making of ST 1.. and many people don’t like the first movie.. but I have found good things about all the movies, not just the “even numbers” as many claim.  But the truth is this book is “behind the scenes” and things only Walter did or saw or heard, which mean it consists of only times that he was on the set. (and we all know the “crew” was not in every scene of any movie.

Anyway… Walter is really an enjoyable author to read so if you think “maybe”.. go ahead and read it, you won’t be sorry!

Well this perked me up!  Maybe now my reading will get better too!!

Notes from a Small Island

 

Notes from a Small Island by Bill Bryson.

Publisher: Avon Books/Bard; Later Printing edition (1998)

ASIN: B0047Z0NB0

"Suddenly, in the space of a moment, I realized what it was that I loved about Britain-which is to say, all of it."

After nearly two decades spent on British soil, Bill Bryson-best selling author of The Mother Tongue and Made in America-decided to return to the United States. ("I had recently read," Bryson writes, "that 3.7 million Americans believed that they had been abducted by aliens at one time or another,so it was clear that my people needed me.") But before departing, he set out ona grand farewell tour of the green and kindly island that had so long been his home.

Veering from the ludicrous to the endearing and back again, Notes from a Small Island is a delightfully irreverent jaunt around the unparalleled floating nation that has produced zebra crossings, Shakespeare, Twiggie Winkie's Farm, and places with names like Farleigh Wallop and Titsey. The result is an uproarious social commentary that conveys the true glory of Britain, from the satiric pen of an unapologetic Anglophile.

For some reason (and I have no idea what it is) I seem to be reading like molasses flows in winter….. and, AND.. it’s not a joyous as it normally is.  The fact is.. I almost don’t feel like reading!  Wow.. can’t remember the last time this has happened!

Anyway.. I broke from Fantasy Fiction to Read Notes from a Small Island.  I adore Bill Bryson’s writings about his “walk abouts”.  But I will admit, I began with the BEST of Bryson when I read A Walk in the Woods.   And so each book since then is difficult measuring up.

In Notes from a Small Island Bryson either walks or takes a train or bus to all parts of his beloved England and of course he “wise cracks” through the whole thing!

It’s not like I didn’t chuckle.. I did.

And it’s not like I didn’t Laugh Outloud… I did.

But as with the last Fantasy book I read (which I also enjoyed) I wasn’t grabbing at the book the instant my fat butt hit the chair.  I never thought I’d say that about a Bryson book.  And in all fairness I would tell others who would consider reading this.. to do so!   For surely I am in a reading slump and nothing is reaching in and grabbing me out of it. (kinda scary when Bill Bryson can’t pull me out!)

Notes from a Small Country should be read by anyone who is considering a trip to England and by anyone who enjoys Bryson’s sense of humor, which is outstanding!

I am so desperate to get out of this slump I am going to read a “short story”! (anyone who knows me knows I am not fond of short stories, though not long ago I read 2 that I think highly of)… so one might ask.. what short story will you read in hopes that it takes you from this slump?

Go ahead… ask!

Well, it would be a short story by my favorite author Anne McCaffrey! (surprised? I thought not!).. Its in a book of short stories called Legends edited by Robert Silverberg and the story is called Runner of Pern.

So.. there you have it.  ..and back to Pern I go!

Throne of Jade

 

(Book 7 of Once Upon a Time)

Throne of Jade by Naomi Novik.

Paperback 398 pgs
Publisher: Del Rey; (2006)
ISBN-10: 0345481291

 

 

(298 pgs in trade paperback size)

Review:

When Britain intercepted a French ship and its precious cargo–an unhatched dragon’s egg–Capt. Will Laurence of HMS Reliant unexpectedly became master and commander of the noble dragon he named Temeraire. As new recruits in Britain’s Aerial Corps, man and dragon soon proved their mettle in daring combat against Bonaparte’s invading forces.
Now China has discovered that its rare gift, intended for Napoleon, has fallen into British hands–and an angry Chinese delegation vows to reclaim the remarkable beast. But Laurence refuses to cooperate. Facing the gallows for his defiance, Laurence has no choice but to accompany Temeraire back to the Far East–a long voyage fraught with peril, intrigue, and the untold terrors of the deep. Yet once the pair reaches the court of the Chinese emperor, even more shocking discoveries and darker dangers await

So.. I ventured out once again with Temeraire and Laurence while the Chinese discover one of their precious Dragons is in the hands of a “nobody” and using him for “war” instead of treating him in the high regard that the Chinese hold them..  So they go to England to claim Temeraire as their own and to take him back to China.  They didn’t figure on the bond between Laurence and Temeraire. 

That bond is what kept me reading book two.  Although surprising things  happen along the way to China, it is the building of the bond between Laurence and Temeraire that is the best part of both of the books that I have read.  I needed to know that even the Prince from China could not alter that bond.  But did that happen? Tsk, tsk.. I”m not telling!

Both of the Tereraire books I have enjoyed.  I love the dragons. Much different from any others I’ve read about and well characterized in Naomi’s writings.

As much as I’ve liked both books I am breaking away from reading book 3 and letting myself read something away from books such as these.  Generally I have to read to the end which is only one more book, but I feel the need for a break.  So I may well read something that isn’t even Fantasy. (*gasp!) Have no fear, I am ahead of the game.. I signed up to read one book and I’ve read 6 plus added one audio (7 total). I will most likely be back to another Fantasy book before OUaT is over!

His Majesty’s Dragon

Book 6 for Once Upon a Time…

His Majesty’s Dragon by Naomi Novik.

 

Mass Market Paperback: 384 pages
Publisher: Del Rey; Reissue edition (March 28, 2006)
ISBN-10: 0345481283

 

(right side is the book I have containing 3 books in one)

 

From Publishers Weekly

In this delightful first novel, the opening salvo of a trilogy, Novik seamlessly blends fantasy into the history of the Napoleonic wars. Here be dragons, beasts that can speak and reason, bred for strength and speed and used for aerial support in battle. Each nation has its own breeds, but none are so jealously guarded as the mysterious dragons of China. Veteran Capt. Will Laurence of the British Navy is therefore taken aback after his crew captures an egg from a French ship and it hatches a Chinese dragon, which Laurence names Temeraire. When Temeraire bonds with the captain, the two leave the navy to sign on with His Majesty's sadly understaffed Aerial Corps, which takes on the French in sprawling, detailed battles that Novik renders with admirable attention to 19th-century military tactics. Though the dragons they encounter are often more fully fleshed-out than the stereotypical human characters, the author's palpable love for her subject and a story rich with international, interpersonal and internal struggles more than compensate.

I wasn’t certain what to expect nor if I would even like the story.  Of course I love dragons and Naomi Novik’s dragon’s are very likeable and very good characters!  However, I can’t say I have the least bit of historical interest in Napoleon! And so, although the dragons and Will Laurence, who becomes the rider of Temeraire, are all excellent characters I found myself wondering when the “war” would be of no interest to me whatsoever.

I will admit, that I loved the beginning and middle of this book but as it neared the end of book one, I wasn’t as taken with the story as I hoped I would be. 

Also the dragons are very different from any I’ve read of, being large enough to have several men on each one for reasons of warfare.  I had some difficulty “seeing” what all was going on and then other scenes when Laurence and Temeraire are alone my assumption of the dragon becomes that he is “smaller” more the size of the dragon in the Pern books.

Anyway.. I did like the book very much..Temeraire is certainly a dragon worth reading about…. but I have to admit I am not certain I will read book 2 as “the war” just isn’t  grabbing the  history part of me to hold my interest.. I will check into book 2 a bit more before I decide if I will go on or read something totally different.

Treated Myself to Some Plants..

 

Begonias…

…Tiny Daisies around my Crape Myrtle

below: my new Crape Myrtle Bush…