What are you reading the week of Sunday, December 21, 2014 (Winter Solstice)?

[TexasProgresive]

Continuing the Chronicles of the Denyri Vol II Denyri Checkmate by Katherine Kurtz. I'm about 1/3 of the way through and have the 3rd in the series waiting, High Denyri. These have been lots of fun and are fairly fast reads. I would agree with Booksellers comment on the back of Vol II that these "books have the promise of Tolkien or Eddison" - well maybe Eddison as I don't know his work. As he was a contemporary of Tolkein and Lewis sometimes sitting in with the Inklings he might be worth a try.

If anyone is familiar with E.R. Eddison's books give a review please.

[scarletwoman]

1. Wow, E.R. Eddison - that's a name I haven't come across in years!

And the title of the one book of his I remember reading leapt to mind immediately: The Worm Ouroboros. I can't give a review, though, it was at least 45 years ago or more that I read it, and I remember nothing about it except the cover art of the little pocket-sized paperback copy I had back then. (And may still have, packed away in one my innumerable dusty boxes of old books...)

I'm sure I liked it quite well at the time - but it's not the type of book I would get into today.

[TexasProgresive]

2. I guess Eddison did not get a cult following like Tolkein

I read the wiki article on him. I think The Worm Ouroboros was one of his early works. The cover art probably dipicted a serpent eating its tail since that's ouroboros. A circle has no beginning or end.

[scarletwoman]

3. Oh, I can show you the exact cover, it's right there on the Fantastic Fiction page for this book:

Last edited Sun Dec 21, 2014, 04:43 PM - Edit history (3)

http://www.fantasticfiction.co.uk/e/e-r-eddison/worm-ouroboros.htm It's the little reddish one on the far right, the cover for the 1967 paperback edition, which is the edition I had (have?).


I read a lot of fantasy back in those days, many by some of the early 20th century authors like James Branch Cabell, H. Rider Haggard, C. S. Lewis, Lovecraft, George MacDonald - certainly others whose names I can't recall at the moment.

However, being a contrarian, I absolutely refused to read Tolkien, since Tolkien was all the rage in those days (mid/late 60s). I have still not read him, and may very well never do so. Just because.

(edited to delete a couple authors who didn't belong in that grouping, add one who does, and correct a spelling error.)

[LWolf]

4. Briar Rose

by Jane Yolen

[WCIL]

5. Still reading I am Pilgrim

by Terry Hayes. I don't read thrillers very often, but this one is holding my interest.

I took a detour this week and read Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone for the first time. My daughter was really into Harry Potter when she was young, and I don't know why I waited so long to get on board. I enjoyed it very much.

[Enthusiast]

7. My school teacher cousin encouraged me to read

the Harry Potter books years ago. I have never read the first one. Maybe I'm missing out. To me, the measure of a book is, "Did we enjoy it? Were we entertained?" It's as simple as that.

[Enthusiast]

6. Hi, everyone! Thank you for the thread, TexasProgresive.

I finished Revival by Stephen King. I don't consider this to be one of his better efforts. It was not without redeeming qualities, but still.

Right now I am reading The Color of Lightening by Paulette Jiles.

Mrs. Enthusiast finished The Color of Lightening by Paulette Jiles. She really liked this one for the refreshing perspective. Now she is reading Arctic Chill by Arnaldur Indridason. She must like this one considering the pace she is reading it.

[japple]

8. Still reading Alice Hoffman's The Museum of Extraordinary Things. I must say she has

really done her research on this one.

[pscot]

9. Typhoon by Joseph Conrad

Black Skies by Arnoldur Indridasson is next. I'm also reading Death in the Haymarket by James Green about the violent birth of Labor movement in Chicago during the 1880's.

[SheilaT]

10. Several at the moment.

Night Film by Marisha Pessel, which I think I first heard about here. It's taking me a bit longer than it should as I had to go out of town last week and forgot to bring it with me. So far, and I'm not quite halfway through, it's very intriguing.

Yesterday I finished Paw and Order by Spencer Quinn, the latest in the series about PI Bernie Little and his dog Chet. Chet narrates, and it's a delight because Chet is exactly as enthusiastic and somewhat lacking in attention as all dogs seem to be.

I'm also working on Archetype by M.D. Waters, which I own, because my library bought the second book, Prototype when I put in the request, and I need to read it and return it so the next person in line can read it.

I do get most of my books from the local library, and I love it that I can manage my renewals and holds via the internet.

[YankeyMCC]

11. Illusions: The Adventures of a Reluctant Messiah by t Richard Bach