Corantolavolta

Around the World in 80 Days

2011-08-29T11:25:00.000-05:00

And here I continue my reviews of Verne's novels with the classic Around the World in 80 Days.
It starts detailing the character and nature of one Phileas Fogg, an eminently respectable gentleman of the most exact and regular habits. He is wealthy, although no one knows where he gained his fortune, and he has no living family. He usually spends his day at the Reform Club, a society composed of other wealthy and respectable gentlemen like himself, although none are quite as machine-like. He spends his time at the Reform Club reading the daily papers, and playing whist, at which he is very proficient. He has just hired a French servant, to replace his old one(the other servant being discharged for preparing his shaving water several degrees Fahrenheit off). The new servant, named Passepartout, is very pleased with his new master, because he has always wanted to settle down quietly. That is, until Mr. Fogg returns home earlier than usual, bearing the news that he and his servant are going to travel around the world in 80 days, on a wager. They bring little luggage, Mr. Fogg bringing only a carpetbag full of bank notes, as they will buy what they need on the way.
So they travel to India. They ride an elephant and rescue a young Indian girl who speaks English. She travels with them. It turns out she had relatives in China, and since they are headed in that direction already anyways, she goes with them.
In China, Passepartout is separated from Fogg and the girl, so he manages to work for food until he bumps into them again. The Indian girl continues with them, as her relative apparently moved, and is no longer in China.
Throughout all this, they are pursued by a London detective, who is absolutely convinced that Phileas Fogg is the bank robber he was hired to catch.
They sail to America, where they get into a street fight. After that, their train is waylaid by Indians, but they manage to escape.
But all this had delayed them somewhat, and by the time they in England again, it remains to be seen if they'll make it in time or not.
And then the detective manages to procure a warrant, and Fogg is put in jail until he can be tried.
But it turns out that the real bank robber was captured weeks before, and that Fogg had been detained for naught.
Despite their best efforts, it seems that they are late. Fogg does not bother going back to the Reform Club that evening as it would be useless. The next morning, he proposes to the girl, and they resolve to be wed at once. But Passepartout, on going to procure a preacher, discovers that by some freak incident of time, They were actually one day early, but they have mere minutes to reach the Reform Club before they really do run out of time.
Meanwhile, back at the Club, Fogg's friends are watching the clock slowly tick towards the time when the money is theirs. Just as the last seconds roll past, Fogg bursts in. And so he has, indeed, been around the world in eighty days.

The War of the Worlds

2011-08-28T20:19:00.000-05:00

H.G. Wells classic, The War of the Worlds, starts out promising great adventure and excitement, but the real danger is to the reader rather than the character. Losing a grip on reality is not what I had in mind for a good read. If you are easily depressed, then this book is not for you. I, happily, can sit hear and say "It was really depressing," without feeling anything of the sort, but it really is a rather gritty story. Besides, the story(told from first-person) usually gives things away, by alluding to things that haven't happened yet. If this is the best job that one of the Fathers of Science-Fiction can do, I am very disappointed. But I digress.
So a couple of men see a bright light flashing across the sky, some sort of comet or meteor, which lands on earth.
The next day, people from around that part of England gather around the pit where the projectile has landed. The missile is smooth and metallic, very large, and not at all like previously documented meteors. Then, the lid on the the meteorite begins to turn slowly. When opens, horrible creatures from Mars emerge. They are at first very sluggish and slow, due to Earth's greater gravity and air pressure. The crowd runs, screaming, in all directions away from the pit.
The narrator, the main character, stays hiding in the brush nearby, transfixed by fear.
And the Martians are unleashed!
They come out in horrible walking machines! And burn everything in sight! The English countryside is in ruins! They unleash a choking black smoke! Sickly red weeds grow everywhere, threatening to choke out every last bit of plant life!
Oh look, they're all dead. Well, that was easy.
Because apparently, Martian immune systems are underdeveloped, considering that they are, after all, merely brains. So they are all dead.
But, an odd mark has now appeared on Venus. Like a crater. Oops. So much for the Venusians.
So, yeah. The Martians invade, the destroy, they die. Then attack Venus.
I wouldn't really recommend reading it. I don't know about any of H.G.Wells' other books, because I haven't read any yet. But I hope to eventually.
Maybe those will be better.

Dyke Darrel the Railroad Detective

2011-08-28T20:07:00.000-05:00

"DIED FOR DUTY. BOLD AND BLOODY CRIME AT NIGHT ON THE CENTRAL RAILROAD"
This is the heading of the newspaper column describing the railroad robbery. This is what immerses Dyke Darrel, the amazing and successful detective, into a great mystery.
When it turns out that the person murdered during the robbery was Dyke's friend, nothing can stop him from plunging headlong into the clues, unearthing every bit of evidence until the villains are brought to justice.
It is almost like Sherlock Holmes, only infinitely more amusing. Sherlock Holmes rarely goes through such perilous adventures as Dyke. Holmes never needed to rescue his kidnapped sister. Indeed, despite the villains being obvious from the start, the ending still manages to surprise.
Even when things are at their blackest, the intrepid detective manages to pull through. He escapes innumerable perils, all in his quest to hunt down every last one of the railroad robbers.
It is definitely worth the read. I can barely say anything about the book at all, for fear of ruining it, so all I can say is this: Agatha Christie's Hercule Poirot might be the brightest Belgian egghead who ever adorned a mystery novel's pages, and Conan Doyle's Sherlock Holmes may be a pop culture icon, but they don't have anything on Dyke Darrel, Railroad Detective.

Punctured Poems

2011-08-19T21:17:00.001-05:00

This book, Punctured Poems, by Richard Armour is a short little book full of "famous first lines and infamous second lines". Two-lined poems accompanied by a picture and some "footnotes" make up the contents. The first line of each poem is the first line of some poem written by another poet. The second line was added by the author of this book. I laughed so hard.
My favorite was this:
John Milton, "On His Blindness"
When I consider how my light is spent,
I'm glad utilities come with the rent.

Several of the poems are rather rude, but most are in good fun. So I was glad to spend four dollars on it at the used bookstore.

The Longing

2011-08-14T20:43:00.000-05:00

The Longing came early this year
thick heavy and sharp.

No relief is in sight
until I am old.

I want to be old quickly, quickly!
Give me patience with my passion.

Journey to the Center of the Earth

2011-03-09T12:43:00.000-05:00

I must admit that I was originally drawn to this book by its most peculiar and fascinating title. A world at the center of the celestial sphere, reached only through some secret way, piqued my imagination. Also, I consider Jules Verne to be an excellent author, and I have been trying to read every book I could find by him, so it was a natural choice.
So!
The book is presented in a first-person narrative form, from the perspective of a young man named Henry. He begins his tale by describing his uncle, who is very eccentric and has the queerest habits. He is extremely impatient and can come across as gruff at times, although he is, in reality, very kind and devoted to his nephew. This uncle is a great scientist and professor, and he loves old books.
The Uncle has just found a scrap of paper, engraved with Icelandic runes. The uncle immediately attempts to translate it. He enlists the help of his nephew in this task, who, after several hours spent on this task, finally cracks it. They find the name Arne Saknussemm on it, as well as these words: "Descend into the crater of Yocul of Sneffels, which the shade of Scartaris caresses, before the kalends of July, audacious traveler, and you will reach the center of the earth. I did it."
Because of his uncle's personality, Henry is at first afraid to show these words to his uncle, lest he decide to attempt such a voyage himself. Eventually, however, he does show them to him, and his fears are realized.
They start at once, leaving for Iceland the very next day. They spend several weeks traveling, and as these weeks are almost completely uneventful, I will skip ahead to when they reach Mt. Sneffels.
They have since hired a guide, to lead them to Mt. Sneffels, and this guide descends into the crater with them. His name is Hans, and the only peculiar or interesting thing about him is that he is extremely unemotional.
These three climb down the inner face of the crater, finally reaching the bottom. There they find several tunnels. The uncle chooses the tunnel he thinks best, but want of water drives them to choose another one. The break open an underground stream, which supplies their needs for some time.
Even just thinking about reading the chapters detailing their underground trip wearies me, as it was rather dry.
Finally they have reached a vast underground ocean, where they build a raft of semi- petrified wood, and begin a long sea voyage. They witness a fight between two vast sea monsters, and are caught in a gigantic storm which sends them back to where they started. Harry and his uncle are greatly discouraged at this, until they find the fossils and skeletons of many creatures, including, to their great surprise, the remains of a human.
The uncle finds the way by which Arne Saknussemm reached the center of the earth, but it is now blocked by a great boulder. They attempt to blow it up using the supply of gun-cotton that was brought with them, but the blast accidentally initiates an earthquake. The vast underwater sea is drained out through a hole caused by the earthquake, and they go down with it. Eventually, all three people(and their raft) are blown up a volcanic shaft on the island of Stromboli, where they return to civilization.
The professor and Henry are hailed as scientific heroes after they tell their fantastic story. Henry gets happily married. Hans goes home to Iceland. Everybody's happy.
I personally was slightly disappointed with the outcome of everything, especially the implausibility of being blown up a volcano and surviving, but it is faster paced than some of Verne's other books, and I would highly recommend it. It might not be up to the level of 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea, but it is definitely a classic.

Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea

2011-02-24T13:19:00.001-05:00

Of Jules Verne's many classics, Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea is one of his best known. In it, Verne makes several of his famous predictions, like, for example, predicting that subs would be able to reach the South Pole by going under the ice. In 1958, two U.S. nuclear submarines crossed the Northwest Passage, a band of ice between the Atlantic and Pacific oceans, by going under the ice. One of these subs was named the Nautilus, after Verne's famous vessel. It was also the world's first nuclear-powered submarine. But I am getting ahead of myself.
So!
It starts out from the perspective of a Frenchman named Pierre Arronax, a well-known and respected professor of marine biology. Numerous ships have been wrecked or lost at sea, and many of these accidents were attributed to a monster of great size and power. Naturally, as a marine biologist, this interests M. Arronax considerably. When pressed to give his expert opinion on the matter, he says:
"After examining one by one the different hypotheses, rejecting all other suggestions, it becomes necessary to admit the existence of a marine animal of enormous power."
This statement, written by a distinguished professor, excites great controversy and excitement.
M. Aronnax is invited to a voyage on board the battleship Abraham Lincoln by her owner, Captain Farragut. Their goal is to track down this immense creature and kill it. M. Arronax accepts with great pleasure.
They spend several weeks in this way, searching in vain for a giant narwhal. When Captain Farragut finally orders his men to head back to shore, that evening they come upon the monster. They find, to their surprise that it seems to be fluorescent, glowing in the dark like phosphorus. They attack the monster, pursuing it around and around, but it seems capable of great speed without any apparent effort. It then strikes, smashing their rudder and screw-propeller, rendering the Abraham Lincoln incapable of any motion. In the great shock of the impact, M. Arronax is cast overboard. His servant, Conseil, is extraordinarily loyal and jumps overboard with him.
Arronax is rescued by Ned Land, a famous Canadian harpooner, one of the(former) passengers aboard the ship. They find shelter on the back of the "monster", finding, to their surprise, that it is made of steel plates, riveted together. A hatch below them opens, and they are dragged inside my six masked men.
They are locked up inside a room, where they remain for some hours. At last, they are visited by two men, the first of little importance, the second evidently very important. The prisoners tell their story in every language they know, but the two strangers remain silent, until they leave. Although the prisoners are very comfortable, for the room they are in is not a jail cell, and they are well fed, all of them are in an agony of suspense as to what is going to happen to them.
The important person visits them again, introducing himself as Captain Nemo(Nobody). He informs them that although they can never leave his vessel and rejoin the rest of humanity, they are guests aboard the Nautilus. Their alternative is death.
So that is their situation! Read the book yourself to find out what happens to them! I would highly recommend it. Although it leaves you hanging, in some ways, and you need to read the next book, The Mysterious Island, to find out who Captain Nemo truly is, I believe that you will enjoy it. It is the sort of book that needs slow, thoughtful digestion. Some parts you will inevitably find boring, and if you are not mechanically inclined, then there are even more dull sections. But the suspenseful moments make up for it. You will be alternately enchanted and lulled to sleep, drawn into the excitement and tempted to skip over parts.
Take it slowly.

The Red House Mystery

2010-02-27T17:37:00.004-05:00

Although A. A. Milne's name is well known as a result of his Winnie the Pooh stories, this series comprised only a portion of his written works. Among his other writings are several plays and short stories, and a mystery tale entitled, The Red House Mystery.

The Red House Mystery opens up in a boarding house, known as the Red House, in a pretty English countryside. A parlor maid and her aunt are gossiping about what took place at the breakfast table earlier that morning. According to the maid, the owner of Red House, one Mark Ablett, seems troubled by the appearance of a letter. The letter is from his brother Robert who has long been noted as a good-for-nothing, and resides in Australia, only bothering to contact his brother if he wishes to extract a loan from him. This time, his letter forewarns his brother of a coming visit to Red House, that very afternoon.

After an introduction to the other residents of the Red House, we meet a Mr. Anthony Gillingham, who has just arrived at a nearby train station. He is on a vacation, which means he is seeking out some odd thing to do for a change, such as running a countryside hotel. His friend, Bill, whom we meet among the residents of the Red House, has written to him about the place, and Anthony decides to proceed to the Red House and see what may come.

He has only just arrived, when he sees a man beating on the door of the boarding house, demanding entrance. Upon questioning him, Anthony learns that the man heard a gunshot coming from inside, and the door has been locked, preventing them from seeing what occurred.
They gain admittance through a window, and discover that, in the room where Mark and Robert were in conference, Robert lies dead upon the floor, and the owner of Red House is nowhere to be found.

With this unexpected turn of events, Anthony is very pleased to take up the occupation of a detective for a short time. He recruits Bill into helping him, and together they take on the search for Mark Ablett and the murderer.

I will give only this as a hint: the murderer is unexpected; the murdered even more so.

The Tragedy of the Pastry Pie

2010-02-27T17:16:00.002-05:00

Once there was a pastry pie. It sat on a windowshelf. The window was open and a happy breeze blew in over the pastry pie, cooling it gently, for it was still hot from the oven. The breeze mingled the scents of the summer grass outside with the savory scent of the pie to create a pleasant odor in the warm sunny kitchen.

A bird hopped in and stood on the windowshelf. He was a brown bird, small and round, and curious.

The pastry pie sat next to him, spreading out its warm smell. The bird cocked his head and hopped a little closer to the pastry pie. And then he fell in love.

He bobbed his head and fluffed his feathers. He hopped around the windowshelf excitedly.

The pastry pie responded in kind, letting out fresh steam from a crack in its golden flaky crust.

The bird drank in the pie's pleasant breath. Then he began his dance once again. He bobbed and jumped and hopped and fluffed.

And then the cook came and took away the pastry pie.

A Damsel in Distress

2009-10-08T13:32:00.003-05:00

A Damsel in Distress by P. G. Wodehouse was recommended as summer reading on the GirlTalk blog. So, since it is no longer summer and I have tons of work to do, I thought "what better time to start reading it?" It was especially useful in avoiding writing that Wall Street Journal summary and later my Materials Science lab report. But besides being useful for procrastination, it was well worth the read.

A happy English family is introduced to us in the first chapter. Oh wait, no, they are not really very happy. Well, Lady Caroline might be...
But not for long.
Her step-son Reggie Byng has not proposed to her brother's daughter after all like she had been hoping.
Lady Caroline is the chatelaine of Belpher Castle and sister to Lord Marshmoreton with whom she stays along with her step-son Reggie. Lord Marshmoreton is a widower with a son, Percy Marsh, Lord Belpher, and a daughter, Lady Patricia Maud Marsh (but she goes throughout the book as Maud). Lord Marshmoreton's chief delight is to garden roses. Lady Caroline's chief delight is to make everyone do as she thinks they ought to be dignified and live up to their social and historical position. She has Lord Marshmoreton working on a book about his ancestors. She is also urging her step-son Reggie to marry Maud, despite Maud having fallen in love with a penniless man in Wales. Reggie personally is in love with Lord Marshmoreton's secretary Alice.

And thus we are introduced to everyone all at once and get all their desires and the obstacles to them as well.

Now on to George.
George was usually a happy man, but one day he woke up feeling lousy. But that could have been owing to the fact that he had gone to better very late that night(or early...in the morning) because there had been a party for the opening of the new play in London for which he had composed the music. But whatever the case, he was feeling lousy. And some friends of his said his problem was that he needed to get married. So he started to run some errands feeling very down and lonely and depressed.

And then suddenly a girl hopped into his cab as it was paused in traffic and asked him to hide her.

And the adventure begins at last.
And what fun it is indeed!
Maud, for it was she who hopped into the cab, was out on the sly to meet with her man from Wales whom she heard was back from a cruise with his employer. But she saw her brother, Percy, and hopped into the strange cab. George promptly falls in love.

The story continues with much hilarious misunderstanding as everybody mixes everybody else up and confuses Lord Marshmoreton for a gardener and etc...

And of course it must all come out right in the end, or else I wouldn't be so happy about it. So now you must all go read it right away too. You can find it on Project Gutenburg as A Damsel in Distress.

Surprised By Joy

2009-03-16T15:00:00.000-05:00

Introduction

Surprised By Joy is a book by C. S. Lewis. It discusses his early life and childhood, and the evolution of his faith. But it's primary focus is:

The "stab of Joy"
It was beauty that inspired Joy. It was this Joy that Lewis sought.

The lack of beauty, and therefore Joy, as he grew up in a Christian home, made him think that Christianity wasn't enough. Because of this thinking, encouraged by several of his teachers in various boarding schools he attended, he slowly abandoned the Christian faith. He sought after the poetry and writings of ancient Greece and Rome, and the songs of Wagner and others that revealed to him a "stab of Joy".
In C. S. Lewis's own words, the stab of Joy

"....[I]s an unsatisfied desire which is itself more desirable than any other satisfaction. I call it Joy, which is here a technical term and must be sharply distinguished both from Happiness and from Pleasure" (Surprised By Joy, p. 17-18).

The book weaves in and out of Lewis's outer life and inner one, a sort of "dual plot." In the very end, Lewis comes to realise that the Joy he was seeking all the time was merely a sign, pointing to something better all along: to Jesus Christ Himself.

Literature
It is fun to note certain areas in which Lewis's experiences later led to characters in The Chronicles of Narnia. I have pointed out a few below:

The "New House" he moved into at age 7, he describes as large and full of all sorts of alcoves and rooms. Books of all kinds were scattered here and there, on bookshelves and in tall piles in the attic. The "New House clearly helped along the construction of: the Professor's house in the country (in the Lion the Witch and the Wardrobe).

Lewis describes driving to his first boarding school: "Now I am choking and sweating, itching too, in thick dark stuff, throttled by an Eton collar, my feet already aching with unaccustomed boots (Surprised By Joy, p. 22)." Where else was that collar? "In those days, if you were a boy you had to wear a stiff Eton collar every day, and schools were usually nastier than now" (in The Magician's Nephew, p. 1).

Perhaps the most obvious allusion made is with Professor Kirk. Professor Kirk was one of Lewis's old and best loved tutors. He was very much into logic. Of course this can only be one man: "'Logic!' said the Professor half to himself. 'Why don't they teach logic in these schools?' " (The Lion the Witch and the Wardrobe, p. 45). We later learn that this character is named "Digory Kirk," or just "Professor Kirk."

Recommendation
I highly suggest reading this book for yourself. I enjoyed the humorous stories told about Lewis's absent-minded father, and the thorough explanations of English boarding schools (seeing that I am not English, I was very grateful for being introduced to English culture). It was also encouraging to have someone relate to my thoughts and feelings (or, rather, I relating to Lewis's) in a way more closely than I have found in other books.

I can guarantee that you will not regret the time spent in reading this book, or the amount of "intellectual stimulus" it will provide.

The cookies

2009-02-02T17:21:00.003-05:00

I whip out the recipe
my grin betraying glee
I have a huge smile
that stretches a mile
That those far away can see.

I opened the flour bag,
and watched that flour sag,
while a powder went floating
Like snow that is gloating
Oh! And I opened that flour bag.

I poured out a cup of milk,
That looked like watery silk,
It splashed impressively,
splattering, sadly
on the counter; wasted milk.

I pulled out an egg that was fat,
and promptly it fell with a splat;
Oh, egg you are gone!
This recipe was so long!
But at last I got through all that.

I grasped the vanilla tightly,
And adjusted the lid slightly;
The vanilla was poured,
And relieved I toured
The pantry, nicely and kindly.

I mixed with a spoon,
And hummed a tune,
The cookies were coming out fine,
I shaped them with a cutter of mine,
They would be done soon.

I held in my hands a tray,
With the cookies all looking my way,
And I opened the door
and saw the interior
Of the oven, and - O, I say!

The oven was hot,
and I was not,
And I stood contemplating heat,
With those cookies I wanted to eat,
Unsure of what I sought.

The cookies were finally baking,
And oh, so long they were taking!
At last they were finished,
And not diminished,
As I took them out, hands shaking.

But, alas, for my fate
(and how that word I do hate),
Was to trip on a ball,
And to promptly fall,
Dropping the cookies on plate.

(I know, I know, Kirk! The meter isn't right! :P )

After the Odyssey 2

2009-01-09T19:28:00.002-05:00

The previous post introduced a blog which claimed to have serious articles posted on it. This is not actually so. They are posts of an unusual nature masquerading as serious. Everyone knows Miss Ell can't keep the normal serious type of blog. It just doesn't work. But anybody who hops by this should indeed go read it nonetheless.

After the Odyssey

2009-01-08T20:52:00.003-05:00

Since this blog is in one of the remotest corners of the blogsphere, I feel more comfortable about introducing my new blog, SpaceyHead. It is the typically dry blog with serious articles on it, written for school purposes. And there you have it!

The Odyssey

2008-11-14T13:19:00.002-05:00

This years schoolwork assigned me the reading of the book the Odyssey, by Homer. Here is my review of it:

The background information: Ulysses leaves his wife Penelope and their infant son, Telemachus, in Ithaca, and journeys to Troy. His men are lost after a series of misfortunes and he alone remains. The goddess Minerva has made him her pet, and she has managed to preserve him. Ulysses is being held captive by a beautiful goddess, who wishes to make him immortal. Minerva has just convinced her father, Jove, to let him be released, and has managed to get him started on the way home.
He has been gone for twenty years when the story opens. Here we see their son a young man, and Penelope, the grieved wife, convinced of her widowhood. Ulysses estate is being squandered by a group of young men. These young men are in the "prime of life," sons of prominent people in the city. They are trying to convince Penelope to marry one of them, and are plotting to kill Telemachus and divide the estate amongst themselves.
Penelope has succeeded in fooling them for several years, but will not say whether she will marry one of them or not. In the meantime, the men are eating the best cattle, drinking up all the wine, and making a general havoc of the estate.
Minerva comes to Telemachus, and convinces him that he must go and search for news of his father. So Telemachus leaves the scene for a short time.
Through many trials and things, Ulysses arrives home again, but he is disguised (by Minerva) to appear as a poor old beggar. He is received by his faithful swineherd who rambles on about the sad misfortunes that befell him after his dear master, Ulysses, left. In the middle of their conversation, in which Ulysses declares he shall tell the truth of his history and proceeds with a dreadful lie, Telemachus enters, just returned from his journey. He has learned enough to expect that Ulysses is alive, but in captivity.
When the swineherd leaves the room, Ulysses reveals who he is to his son, and the two plot about their revenge on Penelope's suitors.
The long and short of it is, Ulysses and his son gather a few faithful servants, and sneak into the house where all the suitors are feasting. They kill all of the suitors, and succeed in convincing Penelope that Ulysses is, in fact, Ulysses.
The problem now, however, is that the suitor's parents are all mad that their sons were suddenly wiped out of existence. They wage war against Ulysses. Minerva and Jove make plans to have the war go on for a few hours, so that some, but not all of the suitor's parents are killed. The war ends with Ulysses making peace with them, and thus the book ends.

This book was hard to read in that the noble characters were not so noble. Ulysses is hard and bitter of heart towards the suitors, and sleeps with any number of women. You are left wondering if he is really great and strong, or if Minerva is the strong one who keeps helping him out because he is too weak. When in disguise, he tells people he is going to tell them the truth, and rambles on in a fearsome lie, in which, he has always met Ulysses and finds him to be the greatest man on earth.
Penelope is sly and deceitful, yet in, comparison to her husband, is a nicer character.
The gods and goddesses are stupid and confusing, always changing shape, and acting very immorally. Minerva is convinced Ulysses heart needs to be hardened considerably more against the suitors, until you are quite annoyed with her.
Telemachus and two of his friends, I think, are in all the best of all the people, in that, they merely followed Ulysses around and helped him with his scheme. They were not exactly plotters themselves.

The hopeless attitude of the story makes one weary and at last, when the story is done, you feel quite like throwing the book out the window; the gruesome descriptions of the hacking off of noses and thrusting through with spears of the battle against the suitors, and the seemingly total normality of seeing and smelling blood that Ulysses has is ugly.
I would advise avoiding the reading of this book unless you have to.

Christmas! Whoa, that came fast!

2008-10-23T17:18:00.002-05:00

I sit in the living room and hear,
A joyous shout and yell....
I sigh, it's that time of year,
When store begin to sell:

Millions of plastic, glass and wood,
Cardboard, paper, scissors rocks;
Anything worthless they could:
A host of printed, colorful socks.

My sister decided to come to me,
Jumping around; They've got a bed,
A doll-bed! White! Look, see!
In this catalog," she said.

I take the catalog with a sigh,
We go through this every year,
And now I'm wondering, "why?"
The answer falls on my inner ear:

If all is in vain, like the Preacher said,
Yet, he urges us to toil with joy,
We can rejoice in doll beds,
And take delight in many a toy;

Yet let us not lose sight this year,
Of why we can have delight;
'tis because Christ was here,
He who was the true Light.

An Introduction post

2008-10-16T16:22:00.003-05:00

I looked at the note in my inbox yet again. Was I seeing things? Or had someone actually invited me to join management of this blog? I smirked mischievously, and grinned wickedly; what things I could now post on here! But the feeling of exhilaration disappeared as soon as it came, as the weight of greater responsibility settled on my shoulders.
I knew that when one is invited to these things, they ought to try to leave it better then before they came. I immediatly began planning a bright pink and purple background with blue-striped titling. Yes, that would definetly add to it, but I think that with a blog, one wants to encourage readers with their content firstly and formostly. Appealing backgrounds come in due time....
So this is me... (who cares if it's from 1892?)
As the other contributors read this, their hands begin to sweat, and they scan hastily for a "delete this contributor" button. So why did the original authors choose me, after seeing the things I post on my own blog?

A Fall Reading Snack

2008-10-16T12:57:00.001-05:00

This is a reading snack update for the fall:

Pretzel sticks
Raisins
Peanuts
Candy Corn

I tell you, candy corn with raisins is amazingly tasty!

The Request

2008-10-02T08:29:00.003-05:00

The man stood undecided.
What was asked of him
had indeed divided
his thoughts.
It was no whim
but a true request.
He must sink or swim
at once.
"Very well, at your bequest
I'll renounce my all,
my riches, my horse, my best,
all I own."
The man now stood tall.
"I'll take up the pannier
and follow you with all
I am."

Written using three words pulled randomly from a dictionary: request, horse, and pannier.
Copyright 2008, Kirsten T.

A short story about a mushroom

2008-06-26T08:11:00.005-05:00

Once upon a time, there was a mushroom. A red mushroom. And it sat on top a small green hill. There were lots of blades of grass on the hill. And also some worms. And some stones.
But no other mushrooms.

One day, a bird flew over head. It was a Shwifee bird. He was large – at least two feet long – and had sixteen claws, eight on each foot. He waved his purple plumes in the air and called out with a loud “shwi shwi!”
The mushroom slunk up together in an effort to go unseen. He distrusted this loud green bird with the purple plumes. If he could have, he would have uprooted himself and rolled away down the hill. But he couldn’t. So he stayed.
The bird flew over and then over again. Clearly, he was looking for something. The mushroom hoped it wasn’t himself. The bird paused in the sky…and dived.

A clump of daisies stood together under an oak tree. They sang softly to themselves as they watched the sun travel the sky. Suddenly, a shadow fell over them, blocking the sun from their sight. A chill breeze blew up. The daisies closed their eyes tight. When they opened them again, the shadow had gone, and so had a friendly turnip which had been growing nearby them.
The daisies shivered and sang sad songs for the poor turnip who had disappeared so swiftly.

The mushroom perked up again after a bit. He wasn’t squashed of crunched or flying through the air. Therefore, the strange bird must have left him alone, he reasoned. He surveyed the skies but saw nothing of the bird. He decided the bird had gone.

A week later, the mushroom still sat on top of the small green hill. A mole had joined the worms and the stones and the blades of grass. The mole dug holes into the hill. But there were still no other mushrooms.

A loud noise sent the mole scurrying into a recently dug tunnel. The mushroom looked around.
“Shwi shwi!” the loud noise came again. The green bird was back again. He looked larger than before and greener than ever.
The mushroom would have covered his ears and cowered to the ground if he had ears to cover or could cower. Instead, he got as small as he could and hoped his red color had faded somewhat.

The tomatoes scarcely even saw it happen. They were busy growing as large and as red as they could. There were five of them together. Then a breeze sped through them and there were only four tomatoes left.
The four remaining tomatoes stared at the empty place on the vine where the fifth had just recently resided. They forgot to grow for a whole hour because of the shock.

Two days later, a great downpour of rain fell. The mushroom sat on the hill and let the water run over his sides. He enjoyed the sound the great drops of water made when they fell on him.
A tiny mouse ran by. Then the mouse returned. He shivered in the rain and asked humbly for shelter from the mushroom.
The mushroom agreed with the condition that the mouse did not nibble at him. mouse looked shocked. He declared he would never nibble at the mushroom. Did not the mushroom know he was poisonous to little creatures?
The mushroom was surprised. He had not known this. He wondered why he had not known this. But only for a short while.
The rain stopped and the mouse, thanking the mushroom, ran off. The mushroom sat deep in thought.

Three days later, the mushroom was larger and redder than he had ever been before. He still sat amongst the blades of grass and the small stones. The mole had chased the worms, but the worms were cleverer. There were more of them than there had been five days ago. But there were still no other mushrooms.

“Shwi Shwi!” The horrible bird soared over head once again. The mushroom crouched down between the blades of grass. The mole paused in his worm chase. The worms paid no heed.

Fifteen heads of corn were bobbing in the sun. Their yellow tassels shone gold, proclaiming their ripeness. They felt proud of their full kernels which were becoming larger with each passing day.
The sun paled and twelve heads bobbed golden tassels in astonishment. Then indignation overtook them at the desecration of their pleasant field. Three full heads had disappeared.

How long shall this continue? The mushroom thought to himself. This can’t go on, he continued, echoing the cry of many a beast and vegetable.
The mushroom had made friends with the tiny mouse. He felt slightly less lonely now, though there were still no other mushrooms to grace the little green hill. They discussed the inroads made by the great dreadful green and purple bird frequently.

Three days later, the mushroom sat by himself on the hill. The mole had gone to visit some friends and the worms had gone to sleep. The mushroom was contemplating many things.
A cry interrupted his thoughts. “Shwi Shwi!” the bird was back.
The mushroom thought for one second. Then he stood up at his tallest and best. He spread out his sides as far as they could go and let his pleasant aroma fill the air around him.

The hill sat empty. The worms were asleep and the mole was still away. Only the blades of grass and the small stones mourned the passing of the mushroom.

A week later, the tiny mouse came back to visit his friend the mushroom. He had exciting things to tell him. The terrible green bird with purple plumes and large claws would trouble them no longer. He had been found lying on his back with his claws in the air by a little brook. The bird was dead.
The mouse ran up the small green hill. The mushroom, his friend was gone.

But there sat four little round red mushrooms in his place.

Copyright 2008 by Kirsten T.

The Puppet Crown

2008-05-15T19:20:00.003-05:00

The Puppet Crown. It is a lovely book and a sad one. But though now I am so sad after reading it yet also I am happy for the character died a good death.

The Puppet Crown introduces the puppet king, his beautiful young daughter, and his friend an Englishman and lord. The king came to his throne by way of many complicated politics, but he himself does not particularly wish for the crown. He prefers philosophy and poetry. But he tries to rule his country well.

Next to this small kingdom is a small duchy governed by a duke who ought to have been king because he was the brother of the previous king. But like I said, there was a bunch of political maneuvers and the little kingdom itself could not very well be said to be independent any longer. Austria had taken charge and ordered things about in the manner that they begin in the story. Of course, the duke is not pleased about the arrangements and set in motion a vast encompassing intrigue to take back the kingdom.

The Englishman friend of the king perceives that the king is unaware that his undoing is highly likely. To prevent, or at least delay the fall, the Englishman buys certain loan consols the king made. They will fall due ten years hence and the kingdom shall either be bankrupted if they are collected or saved for a while longer if renewed. The Englishman plans to keep the consols from the kings enemies.

Ten years later, the Englishman is dead, but his son has come to renew the consols. The king is a paralytic now. His daughter is twenty. The duke is also dead, but his daughter, the new duchess shares his ambitions.

The young Englishman enters the small kingdom in disguise. His footsteps have been dogged by spies and he is watched carefully everywhere he goes. His cover is blown, however, when an American friend of his recognizes him and calls his name out loud in public.

Alas, but the enemies had overheard. The American and the Englishman were together captured and taken to the duchy. A battle of wits, cunning, and love ensues. The result: the Englishman has fallen hopelessly in love with the duchess and the American is sent back to the small kingdom to retrieve the consols left there by the Englishman in his hotel room.

The American returns to the kingdom but cannot find the consols. He fights a splendid duel with a traitorous man, picks up a rose dropped by the beautiful princess, and does several other brave and dangerous things.

He returns to the duchy but is accused of turning the consols over to the archbishop (loyal to the king). The duchess has him held a prisoner.

The American escapes and after more daring and brave efforts, returns to the kingdom to warn the archbishop, who is mostly in charge since a recent stroke left the king speechless, of an army coming down from the duchy.

An army is mustered but betrayed by it own men and no fight takes place. The American rides back to the capital of the kingdom to warn the princess. He fights his final duel with the traitorous man and kills the man. But the American is terribly wounded. He makes it to the city nearly dead.

The story finishes with a number of plot twists. But the ending is sad. The American lost too much blood and in those days they did not have blood transfusions.

The entire story is exciting and frustrating and then exciting again. I cannot say whether or not it was well written or if the character development was good or if the plot was strong. I think the plot was good though, or at least decent. The story itself still has too much of its grip on me to analyze it clearly. So I shan't try. But someday I think it would make a splendid movie, and I think I shall even venture to say that I will read it again. But of course not yet.

A good reading snack

2008-02-29T10:33:00.003-05:00

Because I'm just a poor student trying to make ends meet, I am always hungry. Well, that is not exactly true...
But I do get hungry in the afternoons or evenings.
And I was tired of eating crackers all the time. Generic crackers with their amusing titles are okay to eat for just so long. So I thought for a long while. Like maybe fifteen minutes.

And the result was:

Pretzel sticks
Raisins
Chocolate chips

I couldn't add nuts because I have a roommate who is allergic to those.
But this is a tasty snack which I munch on while reading or doing homework.
Plus, it makes you feel that you are eating healthier even thought you're probably not.

Reading List

2008-01-14T16:38:00.001-05:00

This is the list of all the books I read over this past year from Dec. 18, 2006 to Dec. 31, 2007.

• Penelope’s English Experiences by Kate Douglas Wiggin
• The Romance of a Christmas Card by Kate Douglas Wiggin
• Bluebeard: A Musical Fantasy by Kate Douglas Wiggin
• A Cathedral Courtship by Kate Douglas Wiggin
• Polly Oliver’s Problem by Kate Douglas Wiggin
• The Well in the Desert by Emily Sarah Holt
• The Maidens’ Lodge by Emily Sarah Holt
• Anna of the Five Towns by Arnold Bennet
• Pippi Longstocking
• Jeff Benson by R. M. Ballantyne
• Emil and the Detectives by Kastner
• The Baron’s Gloves or Amy’s Romance by Louisa May Alcott
• Stepping Heavenward by Elizabeth Prentiss
• The Trial by Charlotte M. Yonge
• The Lances of Lynwood by Charlotte M. Yonge
• The Secret Adversary by Agatha Christie
• Murder on Orient Express by Agatha Christie
• Passenger to Frankfurt by Agatha Christie
• The Harlequin Teaset and Other Stories By Agatha Christie
• King Lear by William Shakespeare
• The Hidden Hand by E. D. E. N. Southworth
• The Missing Bride by E. D. E. N. Southworth
• Miss Marple (it was a large book with two of her stories in it) by Agatha Christie
• The Lost Lady of Lone E. D. E. N. Southworth
• What Every Woman Knows by James M. Barrie
• Dear Brutus by James M. Barrie
• The Tapestry Room by Mrs. Molesworth
• That Stick by Charlotte M. Yonge
• For Woman’s Love by E. D. E. N. Southworth
• The Red House Mystery by A. A. Milne
• Etheldreda the Ready by Mrs. George de Horne Vaizey
• A College Girl by Mrs. George de Horne Vaizey
• Independence of Claire by Mrs. George de Horne Vaizey
• Betty Trevor by Mrs. George de Horne Vaizey
• First Plays by A. A. Milne
• Big Game by Mrs. George do Horne Vaizey
• Second Plays by A. A. Milne
• The Rover of the Andes by R. M. Ballantyne
• The Kitchen Cat and Other Stories by Amy Walton
• Mariel of Redwall by Brian Jacques
• Charlie and the Great Glass Elevator by Roald Dahl
• The Original Adventures of Hank the Cowdog by John R. Erickson
• Penelope’s Scottish Experiences by Kate Douglas Wiggin
• Timothy’s Quest by Kate Douglas Smith Wiggin
• The True Confessions of Charlotte Doyle by Avi
• Castaways of the Flying Dutchman by Brian Jacques
• Murder at the Vicarage by Agatha Christie
• Ozma of Oz by L. Frank Baum
• The Angel’s Command by Brian Jacques
• The Lady of Blossholme by H. Rider Haggard
• Jess by H. Rider Haggard
• The Carbonels by Charlotte M. Yonge
• Queen Sheba’s Ring by H. Rider Haggard
• Dorothy Dale: a girl of today by Margaret Penrose
• Dyke Darrel the Railroad Detective by A. Frank Pinkerton (pseudo.)
• Five Thousand Dollars Reward by A. Frank Pinkerton (pseudo.)
• Happy Pollyooly by Edgar Jepson
• Stolen Treasure by Howard Pyle
• The Slim Princess by George Ade
• The Ice-Maiden: and Other Tales by Hans Christian Andersen
• The Little Colonel: Maid of Honor by Annie Fellows Johnston
• The Little Colonel’s Chum: Mary Ware by Annie Fellows Johnston
• Mary Ware in Texas by Annie Fellows Johnston
• Mary Ware’s Promised Land by Annie Fellows Johnston
• The Little Colonel’s House Party by Annie Fellows Johnston
• The Little Colonel’s Holidays by Annie Fellows Johnston
• The Little Colonel’s Hero by Annie Fellows Johnston
• The Little Colonel at Boarding School by Annie Fellows Johnston
• The Little Colonel’s Knight Comes Riding by Annie Fellows Johnston
• The Golden Slipper: and other problems for Violet Strange by Anna Katharine Green
• The Purple Heights by Marie Conway Oemler
• T. Tembarom by Frances Hodgson Burnett
• The Bronze Hand by Anna Katharine Green
• A Difficult Problem by Anna Katharine Green
• The Circular Study by Anna Katharine Green
• The Mill Mystery by Anna Katharine Green
• Initials Only by Anna Katharine Green
• The ‘Mind the Paint’ Girl by Arthur Wing Pinero
• The Boy Scout Camera Club, or, the Confession of a Photograph by G. Harvey Ralphson
• A Semester in the Life of a Garbage Bag by Gordon Korman
• The Contest (Everest series) by Gordon Korman
• The Climb (Everest series) by Gordon Korman
• The Summit (Everest series) by Gordon Korman

The Little Colonel's House Party

2007-12-19T21:29:00.001-05:00

The Little Colonel's House Party is written by Annie Fellows Johnston. It is the fourth book in the Little Colonel series.

This story is about the house party of Lloyd Sherman, nicknamed the Little Colonel (see the first book in the series: The Little Colonel) and takes place in Kentucky. Three girls, Betty, Joyce, and Eugenia, came to spend the summer with her and her mother, Mrs. Sherman. Mr. Sherman and the Old Colonel, Lloyd's grandfather, had business in Virginia over the summer, so Mrs. Sherman and Lloyd would be home alone for a bit. As a treat, her mother let her have the house party.

The first to arrive was Elizabeth Lloyd Lewis, or Betty. Betty was a sweet little girl, much loved by everyone who knew her, who entertains writing ambitions. She came from the country where she had been staying with her aunt and uncle, being an orphan. Her mother had been a great friend of Mrs. Sherman's. Mrs. Sherman was Betty's godmother.

Betty came in a bonnet and carried very few clothes, but Lloyd and Mrs. Sherman took care of her embarrassment quickly. She lost some of her country manners but not her sweetness before the other guests arrived.

The second guest to arrive was Joyce Ware. (She has a story all her own in The Giant Scissors.) Her mother was also a great friend of Mrs. Sherman's, but Mrs. Ware was a poor widow living out west for her health. Joyce loved drawing and painting and planning all sorts of fun. She quickly made friends with Betty and Lloyd.

The third and last girl to come was Eugenia Forbes from New York City. She was Lloyd's cousin and they hated each other when they were little, but her mother had died and Mrs. Sherman insisted on inviting her so she would not be lonely during the summer. Eugenia was a spoiled only child who got pretty much whatever she wanted from her father.

The four girls learned much that summer together. When three out of the four caught measles from going to a gypsy camp against orders, Betty and Mrs. Sherman plan many good things to cheer them up. Later Betty fell ill from helping her friends, though she herself did not go to the gypsy camp. The sickness threatened her eyes and caused great dismay amongst the other girls, particularly Eugenia because it had been mostly her fault that they went to the camp at all. The girls learned the story of the Road of the Loving Heart and the danger to Betty's eyes was averted.

The girls promise to try their best to follow the story of the Road of the Loving Heart and they each get a gold ring with a love knot and the word "Tusitala" engraved on the inside to remind them always.

I enjoyed the story, though it is written for younger children. I have read a number of these stories, but I chiefly like the smaller stories told inside of them such as "The Road of the Loving Heart" in this one. It is these which make the books worthwhile to read.

The Slim Princess

2007-12-19T21:29:00.000-05:00

The Slim Princess is an amusing story by George Ade about a young girl named Kalora who lived in a country called Morovenia. In this particular country (fictional, I believe), fat women were considered beautiful. The fatter they were, the more beautiful they were.

As you can imagine from the title of the book, this caused some problems when a girl was thin. Kalora was thin. Her father, the Count Selim Malagaski, also Governor-General of Morovenia, was in distress, for the customs of the land forbade him from marrying off his younger daughter until his elder daughter was married. But no one came to bring suit to her, for the rumor of her thinness had spread abroad (though no one had seen her, it being improper for women to be seen by those outside the home). His younger daughter was beautifully fat and duly sought after by many young men. But she could not marry any until her sister was gone. And her sister would not get fat.

The reason for her thinness was her fondness for exercise, instilled in her at any early age by her tutor, a professor named Popova. At some point prior to the beginning of this story, the Count Malagaski had dreadfully insulted him. So, he took revenge by teaching his eldest daughter new sports and exercises until she like them so much, she would not stop.

In desperation, her father had British consul and his wife for a small garden party, and (claiming it was in regard for foreign customs) had his daughters out in the hopes that at least one young man among the party might fall for Kalora. She comes greatly swathed in clothes so as to appear heavy, but a dreadful trick played upon her by some young men reveals how light she truly is.

She, greatly upset, accuses them of mocking her in front of her father's guests and throws off some of her quilted clothes. Now it was quite clear to everyone how thin she was and therefore how ugly she was. Her father quickly takes everyone off to look at his stables, while Kalora stays in the garden quite furious at everyone.

Suddenly, a young American appears on the garden wall which he had just scaled. He sees Kalora and pretty nearly falls in love with her on the spot. She likewise falls in love with him after he tells her how beautiful she is. Unfortunately, some guards enter the garden and, catching sight of him, rush at him to seize him. He jumps at them and knocks them over, and then he swings back over the wall.

A search goes on through the town for him, but he escapes. Meanwhile, he has left a magazine with Kalora. Her father finds a peculiar ad in one of them for putting pounds on in America, and mistakenly thinks America is a land where you can gain a pound a day. So he decides to send Kalora there at once with Popova and a number of ladies to escort her.

On arriving in America, Kalora throws off all restraint and goes to many parties and outings, growing thinner and fitter than before. Her ladies are all convinced to put on modern clothes and join in the activities. Popova greatly enjoys the grand dinners they attend. The Count, hearing from the his consul in America how Kalora is behaving, orders her home at once. She obeys, but not before meeting the young American man who had climbed the wall once again.

Back home, her father punishes her and all the ladies and Popova for such outrageous conduct. But the young American man has followed Kalora and visits the Count. I need not tell you any more for you to guess the outcome of that visit.

This was a most amusing book, though I believe it encouraged disrespect to those in authority a bit too openly. However, the idea of the story is funny, and the end is the best.

The True Confessions of Charlotte Doyle

2007-07-17T09:05:00.000-05:00

So I read The True Confessions of Charlotte Doyle by Avi this past Saturday. Jo got it out from the library.

It is a fast-paced story told in first person by the main character Charlotte Doyle. She is a thirteen year old girl who had lived in England most of her life although she was actually American. Her father had been an agent of a company to England, but he was just called back to America. He took the rest of his family with him and left Charlotte to finish her term at the boarding school she was attending. She is to join them in America later. That is the background.

A Mr. Grummage has charge of her until he gets her to the boat she is to go on. Unfortunately, the two families she was to travel with were unable to make it, and Charlotte finds herself the sole passenger on a large dirty ship. Her cabin is small and dirty and cockroaches crawl in her bunk.

Several of the sailors warn her to leave the ship before it sails, but she does not know what to do, so she stays.

As the story progresses, we find that the captain of the ship, Captain Jaggery, seems nice but is actually pretty cruel. The sailors have plotted a mutiny, but that fails due to Charlotte's interference. Later, she realizes how cruel the captain is, and joins the side of the sailors. To convince them how sorry she is for the accidental deaths of two of their mates, she dons sailor garb and learns how to work around the ship.

In the midst of a hurricane, the first mate is murdered. The Captain Jaggery accuses Charlotte. She stands trial and is condemned to be hung in twenty-four hours.

Obviously, she isn't, or else she wouldn't be telling the story. I shall not say how it is all resolved, as that might ruin the story. But everything is resolved before the end and they reach harbor at last.

But now Charlotte's mother and father refuse to believe her story, and force her to stay in her room reading solemn books until she is cured of such "nonsense". Charlotte can take no more and runs away to sea.

I found the journey across to be aggravating and exciting at the same time. Aggravating because I, as the reader, know the captain is bad, but Charlotte refuses to believe so at first. Then the story begins to feel like A Series of Unfortunate Events in that everything that can go wrong does. But exciting because one doesn't know how it will all resolve itself.

I disliked the ending because after finally resolving the trouble on the ship, it is not at all satisfying to have no one believe Charlotte about what happened.

The author drew a contrast between the rough but friendly sailors and the polished, refined, Bible-reading captain and the respectable, orderly parents of Charlotte. The captain was hypocritical and the parents almost so. The sailors on the other hand, although they lied and swore, respected the Bible much more that the captain did.

I am not altogether sure about the overall message, as it almost seemed to imply that it was better to be free and daring than orderly and respectable, but it may instead have been the author's intent show that it is better to be kind and loyal and fair rather than to be unjust and prejudiced.

It is a good exciting book, and I recommend it, though I give a word of caution. Don't stay up all night reading it, no matter how much you want to, or else you will not be able to get up in morning.

Anna of the Five Towns

2007-06-16T13:55:00.000-05:00

Anna of the Five Towns is a book written by a man named Arnold Bennett.

Anna Tellwright is a young girl living with her tyrannical father and her little stepsister Agnes. A man called Henry Mynors is love with Anna and Anna has only just realized this when the story begins.

Her father is a shrewd businessman and a miser. He rules his house rigidly. When Anna comes of age, he hands over her inheritance to her, including an earthenware works rented by Titus Price, the superintendent of the Sunday School in the Wesleyan Methodist Society.

She enters a business partnership with Henry Mynors. Her father is well pleased with Henry because Henry has shown himself to be a good business man though he is still young.

Later, Henry's relatives (his aunt and uncle, I think) invited Anna on a trip with them and their daughter and Henry to the Isle of Man. She accepts their invitation. Henry proposes on this trip and Anna is very happy.

At home, Titus Price, already in debt, is going bankrupt and keeps putting off the paying of the rents. Anna's father threatens him often and forces Anna to push him to pay. She, however, is feeling sorry for them and in particular for Titus Price's son William. When William confesses to her that a bill of exchange his father had sent to her was forged, she risks her father's wrath and destroys the bill in the night. Her father is furious when he finds out, and even more so when he finds it had been forged all along. He calls Anna names and forbids her to tell Henry Mynors.
She complies, but now there is a wedge between her and Henry.

Henry treats Anna as though he is just humoring her fancies to help people further increasing the wedge between them.

Finally, the scandal comes out that Titus Price, who has by now hung himself out of despair, had embezzled money from a church building fund. William prepares to leave for Australia. Before he leaves, Anna gives him an envelope with some money. She realizes she has been in love with him all along and that he is in love with her. They part, and she marries Henry Mynors, and that is the end of it.

I disliked this book in part because it does not end happily. I generally dislike those sort of stories because I believe stories ought to end happily just as the great Story will one day end with Christ's return. Of course, that is not happy for those who reject salvation, but it is good nonetheless. And when I mean that a story must end happily, I even mean some stories in which a favorite character dies in the end because even if the main character dies, it can still end happily (ie. Scottish Chiefs, A Tale of Two Cities, etc.). But this story has no hope at the end, just a tiresome existence. And it seems slightly unexpected that she would suddenly find she was in love with William Price, especially after being so happy when Henry Mynors proposed to her.

Another thing I found irksome was the wordiness of this book. Although there are some wonderful word pictures in here, I believe they could have been even better without being so wordy. The author likes to tell the reader about his characters rather than show them. But perhaps this style of writing was customary of the period the author lived in.

Something else that bothered me was a revival described in this book. In Chapter 4, the Wesleyan Methodist Society holds a revival. Anna attends and is convicted. Henry gives her some fairly good advice about how not everyone experiences a sudden conversion and to just lean hard on Jesus. But it is more man-centered in her practice - she is striving to be good. And then the affects of the revival on her seem to be forgotten towards the end of the book, just as though it had never happened. Well, I suppose that is not entirely true. I think it is supposed to be implied that her experience leaves her kinder to struggling people. But it doesn't quite ring true.

And that is at last the end of this review.

Penelope's English Experiences

2007-01-04T23:48:00.000-05:00

I have just finished reading Penelope's English Experiences by Kate Douglas Wiggin, the author of Rebecca of Sunnybrook Farm. It is an amusing account of an American woman's visit to England.

Penelope's English Experiences is written in first person as thought it were a diary or a series of letters from an American artist Penelope Hamilton. She describes her time in London with two other women from America in the first half of the book. In the second half, she describes her stay in a small house in the country. She begins by summing up herself and her companions in a few short sentences thusly:

Smith's Hotel,
10 Dovermarle Street.

"Here we are in London again,--Francesca, Salemina, and I. Salemina is a philanthropist of the Boston philanthropists limited. I am an artist. Francesca is- It is very difficult to label Francesca. She is, at her present stage of development, just a nice girl; that is about all: the sense of humanity hasn't dawned upon her yet; she is even unaware that personal responsibility for the universe has come into vogue, and so she is happy.

"Francesca is short of twenty years old, Salemina short of forty, I short of thirty. Francesca is in love, Salemina never has been in love, I never shall be in love. Francesca is rich, Salemina is well-to-do, I am poor. There we are in a nutshell."

As the book progresses, we discover that this neat profile of Penelope and her friends changes. Penelope does fall in love and in doing so finds her aspirations of being an artist do not satisfy her as much as being a woman.

"I am not painting, these latter days. I have turned the artist side of my nature to the wall just for a bit, and the woman side is having full play. I do not know what the world will think about it, if it stops to think at all, but I feel as if I were 'right side out' for the first time in my life; and when I take up my brushes again, I shall have a new world within from which to paint,--yes, and a new world without."

The book is interspersed with descriptions of scenery in London and the country and funny incidences like the one of the three women trying to learn to gracefully eat soft-boiled eggs from the shell. Although Penelope falls in love, this is kept in the background and only appears in small segments in which she wonders whether she is in love with love or with the man who proposed to her.

I think my favorite incident was from the chapter The ball on the opposite side. In this chapter, Penelope and her companions notice a gentleman and his two daughters enter a nearby house for sale. After questioning the butler about the man, they find that the man is Lord Brighthelmston who has rented the house for a week for his three daughters and two orphan nieces to give a ball. The three find the preparations being made all week engrossing. They send invitations to some of their close friends to visit them the night of the ball for a "Private View". The evening of the ball, they watch the proceedings with as much interest as if they had prepared, cleaned, and decorated for it and were going to it themselves. The women and their friends try to guess what everyone is saying and doing, and they build romances for all the people involved. I liked this part best because it is exactly the sort of thing I would do myself.

Although I have never visited England, and I do not know if this book is an accurate portrayal of England, I recommend this book to those who wish for a bit of amusement. The descriptions are well written and well worth reading. Each chapter describes some part of London or the country in a peculiar fashion. I think I will read this story again sometime.

Book Review - Sylvie and Bruno

2007-01-04T17:15:00.000-05:00

Jo and I love reading books together. We have read between two to three books in the past couple months. The last one we read was Sylvie and Bruno by Lewis Carroll (the author of Alice in Wonderland). As it is a little known book (indeed I had never heard of it before), I thought I would review it so others may benefit from our reading.

Sylvie and Bruno is a story that amuses children but requires one to be grownup to fully enjoy it, similar to the books Alice in Wonderland and Winnie the Pooh.

It is written in first person and switches from the author's trip to the country to the author following the adventures of two fairies. Sometimes it can grow confusing until you realize the author keeps falling asleep and dreaming. At the times when he is dreaming about the fairies, conversation is light and nonsensical. When he is awake, the conversation still has elements of nonsense, but acquires a more serious tone. A rudimentary knowledge of mathematics and logic is helpful to understanding the conversation at times as in this quote:

"'For a complete logical argument,' Arthur began with admirable
solemnity, 'we need two prim Misses--'

'Of course!' she interrupted. 'I remember that word now.
And they produce--?'

'A Delusion,' said Arthur.

'Ye--es?' she said dubiously. 'I don't seem to remember that so well.
But what is the whole argument called?'

'A Sillygism?'

'Ah, yes! I remember now. But I don't need a Sillygism, you know,
to prove that mathematical axiom you mentioned.'

'Nor to prove that 'all angles are equal', I suppose?'

'Why, of course not! One takes such a simple truth as that for granted!'"
I cannot give a neat little summary of the book because it has two pieces and neither quite ends in a definite manner. Here is the best I can do:
Section one is that which contains the fairies' adventures. The two little fairies, Sylvie and Bruno, live in "Outland" of which their father is Warden. There is a plot by the Warden's brother to take over Outland and become emperor. The Warden knows it, but does not let on that he does. Then the Warden leaves and we find out later that he has become king of another land. Sylvie and Bruno join him later. That is really all of a plot for section one. Sylvie and Bruno have a couple of other adventures, but these are not as important.
Section two is that in which the author is awake. Here the author is an old man with heart problems. A young friend of his, a doctor, asks the author to stay with him in a house in the country. On the way there, the author meets a young lady. It turns out the doctor is in love with the lady. He (the doctor) has just inherited some money so he can finally ask the lady to marry him. Before he does so, he wishes to ascertain her feeling towards him. The author tries to do so for the doctor, but never gets very far. In the end, the lady marries her distant cousin who shows up, the doctor goes to South Africa, and the author leaves for business in the city.

I think the chief thing of interest in this book is the conversations. Some are thoughtful, some are witty, some are silly, some touch views of theology (not all of which I agree with), but they almost all have a piece of truth.
I think there was one section which most stood out to me most of all. It has influenced the way I read books ever since. It is as follows:

"'By no means!' replied the Earl.
'What I mean is intensity of thought--a concentrated attention.
We lose half the pleasure we might have in Life, by not really attending.
Take any instance you like: it doesn't matter how trivial the pleasure
may be--the principle is the same. Suppose A and B are reading the same
second-rate circulating-library novel. A never troubles himself to
master the relationships of the characters, on which perhaps all the
interest of the story depends: he 'skips' over all the descriptions of
scenery, and every passage that looks rather dull: he doesn't half attend
to the passages he does read: he goes on reading merely from want of
resolution to find another occupation--for hours after he ought to have
put the book aside: and reaches the 'FINIS' in a state of utter
weariness and depression! B puts his whole soul into the thing--on the
principle that 'whatever is worth doing is worth doing well':
he masters the genealogies: he calls up pictures before his 'mind's eye'
as he reads about the scenery: best of all, he resolutely shuts the
book at the end of some chapter, while his interest is yet at its
keenest, and turns to other subjects; so that, when next he allows
himself an hour at it, it is like a hungry man sitting down to dinner:
and, when the book is finished, he returns to the work of his daily
life like 'a giant refreshed'!'

'But suppose the book were really rubbish--nothing to repay attention?'

'Well, suppose it," said the Earl. "My theory meets that case,
I assure you! A never finds out that it is rubbish, but maunders on to
the end, trying to believe he's enjoying himself. B quietly shuts the
book, when he's read a dozen pages, walks off to the Library, and
changes it for a better!'"

I recommend this book for people who are needing a laugh. The Professor's plunge bath, phlizzes, the Other Professor, and the abundance of rhymes and songs are all memorable. And perhaps when you are done, you will wish for a clock that will reverse the whole sequence of events for an hour.

A new thing

2006-12-28T21:44:00.000-05:00

A new year and a new blog.

Why did we want another blog?
Well, it was chiefly because we couldn't switch
to beta blogger on our team blog at that time.

We have switched now, but that wasn't open to us at first
and we were unsure of when it would be.

Also, we were captured by the word "corantolavolta."
We found it in The Marquis of Lossie by George Macdonald.
It is a combination of two words: coranto and lavolta,
both of which have to do with waltzing and dancing.

And since we both are voracious readers,
this blog will be dedicated to the
review of obscure and unknown books.
We hope those of you who stumble across this site
will be interested in reading
some of the excellent books we have found.

May God be glorified in this as in all our ventures and works.

The Two Sisters,
Coranto and Lavolta