Stream of Consciousness

Times of wonder, those Summer, days gone by. Children climbing, hiding on the bluffs. The sounds of squirrels and rabbits, fleeing from footsteps of running boys. Sweet breezes that blow through hair and into eyes, and the twilight fades and the darkness sets in. The resilience of youth is but a facade and can be seen through like Saran wrap. The chickens always come to roost, so they say and nevermore true than now. And later. Life trods on like the hull of the battleship still gliding yet deeper through the seas neverminding the torpedo that ruptured its aft. Sparrows still sing. The harvest moon yet rises. Puffy clouds still find their merry paths below azure skies. All the regrets reflected in the tears of one man's eye forgetting not the passion and devotion and hopes and teaching and some of the prayers. Where to begin, where to end, and to perservere in between, so it is and so am I.

Playwright! Playwrong?

How well-versed are Realm denizens in the field of play reading? Here's a better question, aside from William Shakespeare, Arthur Miller, and Tennessee Williams - the three playwrights covered in high school (at least for me) - how many plays written by other writers have you read?

On wikipedia, I pulled this exhaustive list of notable playwrights. While I consider myself at least an average reader, I'd say I might know maybe ten percent of this list if I'm lucky, and most of those are from their book writing rather than their plays. Here are some recognizable names that I probably could have named as playwrights:

David Mamet
W.H. Auden
George Bernard Shaw
Euripedes
Ira Levin
Oscar Wilde

but, if pressed, I'm not sure I could name more than a couple plays: Pygmalion, Salome, The Importance of Being Earnest, Deathtrap, Glengarry Glen Ross (the latter trio only because of movies I saw) that any of them wrote.

And here's a fun one I would never have guessed:

Kathie Lee Gifford (who knew???!!!)

and an even better one I never knew:

Wallace Shawn

Mmmmmkay, embarrassingly enough, maybe that 10% I noted above is really more like 2 or 3%. I should probably read a few more plays just to say I did. Chances are, though, since books are what I enjoy writing, I'll probably stick with those. Nonetheless, I think writers, in general, should probably be a little more versed than me in the reading of plays. Probably poetry as well.

Checkout the wikilist of playwrights I linked in the above second paragraph. Here's a chance to impress. Let us know about your play reading and knowledge of playwrights. Pssssst - if you 've read any plays other than Shakespeare, Williams, or Miller, you've already impressed me.

Poetic License

As my wife was presented with a rose for Mother's Day, I was reminded of my favorite poem:

A Red, Red Rose

O MY Luve 's like a red, red rose
That 's newly sprung in June:
O my Luve 's like the melodie
That's sweetly play'd in tune!

As fair art thou, my bonnie lass,
So deep in luve am I:
And I will luve thee still, my dear,
Till a' the seas gang dry:

Till a' the seas gang dry, my dear,
And the rocks melt wi' the sun;
I will luve thee still, my dear,
While the sands o' life shall run.

And fare thee weel, my only Luve,
And fare thee weel a while!
And I will come again, my Luve,
Tho' it were ten thousand mile.
-- Robert Burns, 1759-1796

Here's to the feelings that putting one right word after another can create.

Perhaps I'm the only adherent of Romanticism in the group or perhaps you have a favorite that causes you to wax rhapsodic as well.

How Well Read Are You in Kid's Fiction?

Here is a compiled list of favorite and fiction books (Recommended Books) from The Children's Literature Web Guide:

Alcott, Louise May: Little Women
Alexander, Lloyd: Chronicles of Prydain
Alexander, Lloyd: The Jedera Adventure
Andersen, Hans Christian: The Snow Queen
Andrews, Julie: The Last of the Really Great Whangdoodles
Babbitt, Natalie: Tuck Everlasting
Banks, Lynne: The Indian In The Cupboard (and others)
Baum, L. Frank: The Wizard of Oz (and sequels)
Barth, Edna: I'm Nobody; Who are You?
Benary-Isbert, Margot Wicked Enchantment
Brand, Christianna Brand: Nurse Matilda
Brand, Christianna Brand: Nurse Matilda Goes to Town
Burnett, Frances Hodgson: A Little Princess
Burnett, Frances Hodgson: The Secret Garden
Burnett, Frances Hodgson: Rackety Packety House
Cameron, Eleanor: Court of the Stone Children
Carroll, Lewis: Alice's Adventures in Wonderland
Carroll, Lewis: Through the Looking Glass
Charles, N. N.: What Am I?, 1994 (Ages 2-5)
Christopher, John: The City of Gold & Lead
Christopher, John: The Pool of Fire
Christopher, John: The White Mountains
Cooper, Susan: The Dark is Rising
Dahl, Roald: Charlie and the Chocolate Factory
Dahl, Roald: James and the Giant Peach
Dahl, Roald: The BFG
Danziger, Paula: Amber Brown is Not a Crayon, 1994 (Ages 6-10)
de Sainte-Exupery, Antoine: The Little Prince
Dickinson, Peter: Time and the Clockmice Etcetera, 1994 (Ages 7-10)
Dr. Seuss: Yertle the Turtle
Dr. Seuss: And to Think That I Saw It On Mullberry Street
duBois, William Pene: The Twenty-One Balloons
Eager, Edward: Half Magic and several sequels
Ende, Michael: Momo
Ende, Michael: The Never Ending Story
Enright, Elizabeth: Tatsinda
Enright, Elizabeth: The Four Story Mistake
Enright, Elizabeth: The Saturdays
Enright, Elizabeth: Spiderweb for Two
Farmer, Nancy: The Ear, The Eye and the Arm, 1994 (Ages 14-up)
Fitzhugh, Louise: Harriet the Spy
George, Jean Craighead: My Side of the Mountain
Glassman, Peter: My Working Mom, 1994 (Ages 3-7)
Goldman, William: The Princess Bride
Goudge, Elizabeth: Valley of Song
Goudge, Elizabeth: The Little White Horse
Graham, Kenneth: Wind in the Willows
Harris, Rosemary The Moon in the Cloud (and sequels)
Hoban, Russell: How Tom Beat Captain Najork and His Hired Sportsmen
Isaacs, Anne: Swamp Angel, 1994 (Ages 3-7)
Jansson, Tove: Finn Family Moomintroll
Jansson, Tove: Moominland Midwinter
Jones, Terry: Erik the Viking
Jones, Terry: Fairy Tales
Jones, Terry: Nicobobinus
Juster, Norton: The Phantom Tollbooth
Keats, Ezra Jack: Peter's Chair
Kingsley, Charles: The Water Babies
Kipling, Rudyard: Captains Courageous
Kipling, Rudyard: Jungle Book
Kipling, Rudyard: Just So Stories
Kipling, Rudyard: Kim
Konigsburg, E.L: From the Mixed-up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler
Lawson, Robert: Rabbit Hill
Le Guin, Ursula K.: A Wizard of Earthsea
Lester, Julius: John Henry by Julius Lester, 1994 (Ages 4-9)
Lewis, C.S: The Lion, The Witch And The Wardrobe (and sequels)
Lewis, Patrick J.: The Frog Princess, 1994 (Ages 4-9)
Linklater, Eric: The Wind on the Moon
Lofting, Hugh: The Dr. Dolittle series
Martin, Ann M.: Sea City Here We Come!
Martin, Bill Jr.: The Maestro Plays, 1994 (Ages 2-7)
Mayer, Marianna: Baba Yaga and Vasilisa the Brave, 1994 (Ages 4-up)
Masefield, John: The Midnight Folk
Masefield, John: The Box of Delights
McCaffrey, Anne: Dragon Song
McGuire, Richard: Night Becomes Day, 1994 (Ages 2-8)
McKinley, Robin: Beauty
Milne, A.A.: The House at Pooh Corner
Milne, A.A.: Winnie the Pooh
Montgomery, L.M.: Anne of Green Gables (and sequels)
Montgomery, L.M.: Emily of New Moon
Montgomery, L.M.: Jane of Lantern Hill
Montgomery, L.M.: The Story Girl
Norton, Mary: Are All The Giants Dead?
Nelson, Theresa: Earthshine, 1994 (Ages 10-14)
Nesbit, E.: Harding's Luck
O'Brien, Richard: Mrs. Frisby & Rats of NIMH
Ormondroyd, Edward: David and the Phoenix
Paterson, Katherine: Bridge to Terabithia
Paterson, Katherine: Great GillyHopkins
Paterson, Katherine: Jacob Have I Loved
Paterson, Katherine: Lyddie
Paterson, Katherine: The Master Puppeteer
Pinkwater, Daniel: Snarkout Boys & Baconburg Horror
Pinkwater, Daniel: Snarkout Boys & The Avocado of Death
Pinkwater, Daniel: Alan Mendohlsson, the Boy From Mars
Polacco, Patricia: Pink and Say, 1994 (Ages 4-9)
Pope, Elizabeth: Perilous Gard
Raskin, Ellen: The Mysterious Disappearance of Leon (I mean Noel)
Raskin, Ellen: The Westing Game
Ransome, Arthur: Swallows and Amazons series
Rathmann, Peggy: Good Night, Gorilla, 1994 (Ages 3-7)
Richler, Mordechi: Jacob Two-Two meets the Hooded Fang
Sendak, Maurice: Where The Wild Things Are
Salinger, J.D: Catcher In the Rye
Say, Allan: The Ink-Keeper's Apprentice
Scieszka, Jon: The Stinky Cheese Man
Sharp, Margery: Rescuers
Silverstein, Shel: The Giving Tree
Sis, Peter: The Three Golden Keys, 1994 (Ages 4-9)
Smith, Dodie: The Hundred and One Dalmatians
Smith, Dodie: I Capture the Castle
Smith, Lane: Glasses, Who Needs 'em
Snyder, Zilpha Keatley: The Egypt Game
Spence, Eleanor: The Summer in Between
Steig, William: Sylvester And The Magic Pebble
Stolz, Mary: Cezanne Pinto, A Memoir, 1994 (Ages 9-up)
Streatfeild, Noel: White Boots
Streatfeild, Noel: Apple Bough
Streatfeild, Noel: Ballet Shoes
Sutcliff, Rosemary: Warrior Scarlet
Teague, Mark: Pigsty, 1994 (Ages 3-7)
Taylor, Theodore: The Cay
Thurber, James: The Great Quillow
Thurber, James: Many Moons
Thurber, James: The Thirteen Clocks
Thurber, James: The White Deer
Thurber, James: The Wonderful O
Tolkien, J.R.R: Lord Of The Rings
Tolkien, J.R.R: The Hobbit
Van Allsburh, Chris: Jumanji
Van Allsburh, Chris: The Polar Express
Watterson, Bill: The Essential Calvin and Hobbes
Waugh, Sylvia: The Mennyms, 1994 (Ages 9-up)
Wilder, Laura Ingalls: Little House Books
Willians, Feoffrey: How to be Topp
White, E.B.: Charlotte's Web
White, E.B.: The Trumpet of the Swan
White, T.H.: Mistress Masham's Repose
Young, Ella: Unicorn with Silver Shoes
Yolen, Jane: Owl Moon
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Folk tales

The Emporer's New Clothes
Peter And The Wolf
Seven Chinese Brothers
Stone Soup
------------------------------------------------------------------------Recommended Series/Collections

Baum, L. Frank: The Oz books
Brooks, Walter R.: The Freddy the Pig series
Burman, Ben Lucien: The Catfish Bend books
Cameron, Eleanor: Mushroom Planet books
Enright, Elizabeth: The Melendy books
Harris, Rosemary: The Moon in the X book
Farley, Walter: The Black Stallion books
Herge: The Tintin books
Hoban, Russell: The Francis books
Jansson, Tove: The Moomim books
Kelly, Walt: The Pogo series
Konigsburg, E.L.: other books
Le Guin, Ursula: The Earthsea tetralogy
Henry, Marguerite: Misty of Chincoteague and sequels
Lewis, C.S: Narnia books
Lovelace, Maud: Betsy/Tacy
Montgomery, L.M.: Anne Books
Nesbit, E.: The Psammead trilogy
Taylor, Sydney: All of a Kind family series
******************************************************
Which of these stories, folktales, and series have you read? And what greats are missing? Right off the bat, I didn't see a couple of Mark Twain classics, and then there are some contemporary books I'd add. I'll list those that I've read in the comments. You do the same.

Know Your Shakespeare #3

'Tis once again time to get your Shakespeare on.

Name the Shakespearian play which this scene comes from.

Bonus points will also be added to your Realm account for correctly identifying the name of the character at the front of the line.

Answers on Tuesday. And, as always, please no wagering.

Shakespeare

Happy Birthday, Theo!

Before I forget, I did want to mention that March 2 is/was Theodor Seuss Geisel's birthday. A while back I posted a Top Ten list of his books that you can recall if you'd like. Dr. Seuss would be 102 today were he still amongst the living. And though he is not, his tales remain for our and our children's benefit. I'm not sure there's an author whose works are more universally known than the good doctor's, and I highly doubt there's an author whose works are more universally beloved than the good doctor's.

Tonight my son was reading Green Eggs and Ham to my wife while I was lying around with my daughter and other son. How joyous it is just to hear him read something so fun. I remember when my niece was first learning to read about a year or two back. She'd carry about a dozen Dr. Seuss books with her wherever she'd go and just enjoy the process of learning to put words and sentences together. Dick and Jane books are great for kids, but they're nothing like the fun of reading stories about Sneetches and Whos and Loraxes and Grinches and Cats in Hats.

And more, when all the rest of the family are asleep some nights, one of the multitude of benefits of having children is that I can sneak into their rooms and pull out a couple of Seuss books for myself and relearn about Oobleck, all the stuff on Mulberry Street, and oh the places I can go.

Here's to Dr. Seuss - a jolly good fellow, and nobody can deny!

Dr. Seuss

Second Question - Literary

Although sometimes this would be situational, but taken in general, if someone asked you for the three books (excluding the Bible or other main religious text - i.e. Koran, etc.) you'd recommend highest to them - fiction or non-fiction - what would those three books be? And plays count... like a Shakespeare play, for instance.

In other words, what are your very favorite three books? [And you can't pick a "complete works of," anthology, whole series, or chronicles or anything like that... just three books/plays.]

Favorite Books

Know Your Shakespeare #2

Calling all lovers of Will from Avon. Name the Shakespearian play which this scene comes from.

Bonus points for identifying either of the well-known actors shown performing above.
Hint: In the past, one has played a boy and the other a hood.

Answers on Friday. And, as always, please no wagering.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Congratulations to Doug for correctly identifying "As You Like It". And two bonus points for recognizing Richard "John Boy" Thomas as Touchstone.

However, the other actor is Brian Bedford, who among other movie and TV roles was the voice of Robin Hood in the animated Disney classic by the same name.

I guess his voice might have been a little difficult to pick up in the photo, but hey, it was a bonus.

As You Like It

Know Your Shakespeare

In order to test the cultural veracity of the citizens of the Realm, I'll periodically ask you, "What Shakespearian play is this scene taken from?"

The correct answer is "Taming of the Shrew". Congratulations, Rich!!

Taming of the Shrew

A Top Ten List? No One Gives a Who!

Yet another Top Ten installment for our blog. This fine list encompasses my favorite literary works of that fine author Theodor Seuss Geisel. In other words, here's my Top Ten list of the best Dr. Seuss books (or Theo LeSieg -- which, of course, is "Geisel" spelled backward -- or even once Rosetta Stone). So hello Seussville, we're talking you today! And Dr. Seuss, we miss you!

Per usual, I have numerous also-rans and close calls, and in my most humble opinion (for I have many opinions and most of them don't touch on humble whatsoever), this Top Ten list is the one where the general public's answers might vary more than any I've done to this point. The first close-but-no-cigar entry is one of my children's favorite, penned under the name Theo LeSieg, Wacky Wednesday. Though I'm not definite, my first thought is that the LeSieg books were one's where Geisel wrote the story and let someone else create the art. Wacky Wednesday as a book does a lot what the similar sounding (in title) song Manic Monday, does for me as a song. "Christopher," better known as Prince, or " " (sorry I don't have the symbol on my keyboard), or even The Artist Formerly Known as Prince, wrote the tune, but The Bangles performed the art. And I liked it a lot. And I could still listen to it over and over. It just was never one of my favorites. I think everyone gets the point. How about the McGrew and the McGurk boys? Either of those guys make the list? Uuuuh, no. Neither If I Ran the Zoo nor If I Ran the Circus ran their way onto the list. One Horton made the list, but all apologies to Horton Hatches the Egg, an early childhood favorite of mine, which just missed out -- and I mean just. A couple three others just nosed out we're a trio of early reader fare: Hop on Pop, One Fish Two Fish Red Fish Blue Fish, and Fox in Socks. I really could list a ton because so many are so good. Lastly, I'll mention There's a Wocket in My Pocket, because I really thought about that one, too.

Oh, and then there was David Letterman's Top Ten Least Popular Dr. Seuss books spoof, which is sort of dated but still might be funny to some.

But this isn't a list of the least popular - it's a Top Ten list of the best of Dr. Seuss, so that being said... on with our countdown.

10) Bartholomew and the Oobleck - No, this wasn't the first time little Bartholomew Cubbins and King Derwin of Didd graced the pages of a Seuss book. The two first appeared in The 500 Hats of Bartholomew Cubbins, not a bad choice in its own right although falling a little short on my list. The 500 Hats was written in 1938 before WW II, while Oobleck was penned eleven years afterward, four years after the war. The image of King Derwin has been influenced by war events to some extent, and this time the headstrong king isn't happy with what the world has to offer (from the sky) so he wants something uniquely his own. The importance of owning up to one's mistakes and learning to say the two words, "I'm sorry," are the moral lesson here, one's we all could use from time to time. Oobleck brings to mind the story of King Midas as well, as those lucky or powerful enough to get a wish might need to be careful what they wish for. Indispensable lessons all around, but written in Dr. Seuss' clever way where the morals are so subtlety weaved in, you nearly miss them for the excellent story.

9) The Sneetches (and other stories) - You gotcher star-bellied Sneetches and your plain-bellied Sneetches, and obviously, we'd all like to be star-bellied, right? This time, the lesson's on prejudice, and covetousness as well. Sylvester McMonkey McBean is the swindler who teaches the lesson, and he takes every penny the Sneetches have - but in the end, the cost was just enough, because the Sneetches finally got it. Oh that we all get that lesson. This story is enhanced on the list due to two other companions along with it. The Zax, a story on the pitfalls of stubbornness, and "What Was I Scared Of?" really add to the Sneetch story, rocketing this past other pretenders right into the Top Ten.

8) Oh the Places You Will Go - This story, close if not the longest of the Seuss stories on this list, has become many a parent's graduation present to their sons and daughters. However, Oh the Places You Will Go is a perfect send-off story for anyone making a change in life, especially kids. The book touches on the dreams we have but balances all the things we may do with times things don't quite go our way... but we keep going. We persevere. And things get better all over again. But not everything. And on and on. But it's a wonderful story and easily worthy of Dr. Seuss' ten best.

7) Yertle the Turtle (and other stories) - Like The Sneetches, Yertle's another tale benefited by a couple of tag-along stories. While Gertrude McFuzz and The Big Brag don't measure up to the extras on The Sneetches, the Yertle story more than measures up and accounts for the difference as well. Again, Seuss writes this story much affected by World War II, and it serves as a warning against dictators. King Yertle wants to ascend higher and higher at the expense and pain, and literally on the backs, of all his turtle subjects. Other morals found are those against uncompromising ambition and pride, and when I read about Yertle seeing the moon and sun being higher than he and wanting to rule those as well, it reminds me of Lucifer's fall. But Seuss' genius is that even when he hits you hard over the head with a moral or two, somehow you still don't feel it. You just think, "Wow, Yertle the Turtle's a great story!" And it is.

6) And to Think That I Saw It on Mulberry Street - Kids love imagination. Adults love hyperbole. Adding that little (or lot in the case of Mulberry) makes the story more exciting for the listener and for the teller. Of course, we shouldn't lie or even stretch the truth (although exceptions can be made I suppose {cough, cough, Rahab, cough, cough}), but at the same time, I hate it when anyone stifles imagination, whether it's their own or someone else (i.e. their children's). Mulberry Street is a tribute to the imaginative. That's probably why it rings so well with me. Probably, a lot of folks wouldn't include this little gem on their own Top Ten list, but there's no way I could keep it off -- or even leave it at the bottom. Number Six seems about right, because I don't think it's as good as...

5) The Lorax - Ah, my pal the Lorax. An environmental story. The evil ecological strip-mining entrepreneur, Once-ler, now repentant, tells of how he cut down every Truffula tree, biggering his Thneed business while smogging the place up, polluting the water, and endangering the habitat for all creatures. Unsuccesfully, the Lorax spoke for the creatures, trees, and fishies, trying to get Once-ler to back off. A serious charge is leveled here at unbridled capitalism, when it loses sight of everything but the almighty dollar. But it's one to which we should pay attention. What looks worse than strip-mined mountains? In Florida, we've about lost the Everglades. I went to San Diego not long ago, and the place was beautiful, save a layer of smog that hovers over the city. And we've found out many times what happens when our waters are polluted. While I'm a capitalist at heart and believe in the free market, there are certainly environmental limits that should be imposed. The Lorax spoke for those but he didn't have the teeth. God commissioned man with taking care of the earth. Hopefully, we can do the job where the Lorax failed. We've certainly done the other (the Once-ler). Good, thought-provoking story.

4) Horton Hears a Who! - This is the first of two Who-books that make the list, and we're already to the Top 4. Apparently, a movie is coming in 2008 on this book. We'll have to see about that. Meanwhile, what a great tale of perseverance Horton is, withstanding all kinds of derision for something he believes in. Please let that be a lesson to all of us. The tension build-up in this story is excellent, and by the end when Horton is about to be done in for his cause, we all want to shout along with the Whos to make as much noise as we can so they can be heard. Horton may well be the most persevering character in kid's literature, what with his sitting in for a bird mother in Horton Hatches the Egg and then with this one. There aren't many Dr. Seuss books more beloved than this one. But there are three.

3) The Cat in the Hat - Recently, I wrote a post that probably passed everyone by on best first lines in a book. How's this for a starter: "The sun did not shine. It was too wet to play. So we sat in the house on that cold, cold wet day." Almost everyone knows it. What a story. What a character! The Cat in the Hat is the logo for everything Seussian. We got Up, Up With the (know-it-all) Fish. We got Thing 1 and Thing 2. We got Sally and I. We got Mom coming home to the world's biggest mess. And we got the Cat. How many books can you say are just total fun to read all the way through? Well, here's one. Really, it's amazing that Dr. Seuss could better this classic. Seriously amazing. He did, though.

2) How the Grinch Stole Christmas - How can you beat the Grinch? I mean, the fella already tops another of my Top Ten lists, right here. The Whos are back in action, this time with a face - the precious Cindy Lou Who, the most darling Who of them all. And let's not forget Max. But the star of our book is the Grinch himself. While the Cat in the Hat is Dr. Seuss' books logo, "Grinch" has pervaded into the American vocabulary, having the same meaning as "Scrooge." The 1966 classic cartoon special does nothing to harm the book, whereas the more recent The Cat in the Hat movie isn't as fan-friendly. Maybe it's the Christmas theme or the repentant heart of the Grinch that moves it to Number 2, but really, I just think it's the better book. In fact, there's only one Dr. Seuss book I think is better - and isn't it crazy to think one could be? Nonetheless...

1) Green Eggs and Ham - The most beloved of all the Dr. Seuss books by children of all ages, from 0 to 119. That Sam-I-Am. There aren't enough superlatives with which to laud the book. Delightful. Timeless. Awesome. And amazingly, it's all based on a "try it you'll like it" theme. The simplicity is remarkable, but the story is fascinating, so much so that you'll find yourself quoting it at odd times in your life -- oops, sorry, maybe that's just me. However, if you took all the kids stories in the last 100 years and could count up which one's been read the most (both by more people and by the same person over and over), my bet would be on Green Eggs and Ham. It's that good. And to say it's the best Dr. Seuss book is praise enough in itself. Pick it up, read it again. And always have it in your home. It's the best.
-- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- --

Now, then. All of you guys who are disappointed that McElligot's Pool and Happy Birthday To You and Marvin K. Mooney Will You Please Go Now! can start writing in. I've been called out before on these lists, so you're free to do it again. If you give a "Who."
Dr. Seuss

It Was the Best of Times, It Was the Worst of Times

What are some of your favorite first lines of books? Since I mainly read kid's fiction/YA, the one's I'll list will be from there. Here's a few I think are GRRRRRRR-EAT!!!

1) All children, except one, grow up. -- Peter Pan, J.M. Barrie

2) There once was a boy named Eustace Clarence Scrubb and he almost deserved it. -- The Voyage of the Dawn Treader, C.S. Lewis

3) We went to the moon to have fun, but the moon turned out to completely suck. -- Feed, M.T. Anderson

4) 'Twas the night before Christmas and all through the house, not a creature was stirring, not even a mouse. -- A Visit from Saint Nicholas, C. Clement Moore

5) It was a pleasure to burn. -- Fahrenheit 451, Ray Bradbury

6) Call me Ishmael. -- Moby Dick, Herman Melville

7) "Where's Pa going with that axe?" -- Charlotte's Web, E.B. White

If more come, I'll add them. What are some of your favorites?

Writing

A Tolkien Post

One of my favorite bloggers in the whole blogosphere, Bill Roberts, Thinkling extraordinaire, posted on J.R.R. Tolkien's 114th birthday and how this author's works contributed to his life. You can find this at Out of the Bloo, Bill's own cool website where he writes:

I'll never forget diving into it for the first time; I was immediately struck by its more mature, darker tone and the rich depth of its histories. It was like a feast!

It swept me away, gave me visions of heroism and epic grandeur, and filled my mind with the values of goodness, simplicity, simple courage, loyalty, hardship, and love. And it is no stretch to say that it spurred me on in my search for God.

Words won't express how much... a statement like this moves me. As an aspiring author and a lover of great fantasy, I hold out hope, however foolish or realistic, that God can take what Pearce & Story write and move people in such ways.

Like Bill, Tolkien is one of my all-time favorites, and when I first read the Lord of the Rings at about age twelve, the story captivated me. However, I had already been hooked by the fantasy bug a little earlier.

One of my life's defining moments happened in fifth grade at an Audubon Elementary School Arrow Book Fair. I drifted in with a couple of dollars my parents had given me to purchase How to Eat Fried Worms or a Boxcar Children book, and I wandered thru the Judy Blumes and Beverly Clearys to a featured table.

There, five books set out in a row grabbed my attention. Especially the first, which pictured a kid not much older than me dressed in a tunic, holding a long dagger, and staring at a huge black horse. A plate-armored villian with a skull for a head, antlers protruding out each ear, and a wicked, skeletal grin on his face sat atop the steed. The book was Lloyd Alexander's The Book of Three from the the famed Chronicles of Prydain, and I had to have it.

It cost a little more than my parents had given me, so I begged a buck off my friend. Best money I've ever borrowed or will ever borrow. After The Book of Three, I devoured the other four Prydain Chronicles. The Newberry Award winner, The High King, remains not only my favorite book as a child but probably my favorite book ever. It's certainly the book I've read the most over my lifetime.

After those, and then Narnia, if there was any fight left in me to return from the realm of fantasy to real life, Tolkien's LOTR knocked it out of me. Only in great fantasy do you get those qualities Bill mentioned: visions of heroism and epic grandeur... values of goodness, simplicity, simple courage, loyalty, hardship, and love. Other genres might boast some of those, but nothing else fits the bill (no pun intended) like a fantasy epic.

In fact, after reading LOTR, and spurred on by the Prydain books, I started writing with dreams of becoming an author, probably at age twelve or thirteen. And besides drawing comic books or playing some sport outside, writing fantasy is what I did. Although I look upon them affectionately, my writings back then had plot holes the size of black holes and almost never carried through to an ending. However, my beginnings in characterization, settings, and dialogue stemmed from those attempts and have grown ever since.

Pearce & Story's first novel, Crown of the Summerhavens, is a fantasy we hope will one day become the first part of a published epic. We have since written a kid's general fiction novel, some short stories, and now have begun an action/adventure. But, and I think I can speak for both of us, our favorite to write thus far has been the fantasy. We're epic guys.

And so was J.R.R. Tolkien. It's amazing that I can owe as much as I do to a couple of men -- that never knew me and hailed from a country across the sea -- like Tolkien and Lewis. Thankfully, I don't have to repay them, or I'd be indebted for the rest of my life.

However, I would like to take some of what the masters have taught and spread a little of that magic wherever and however I can. Hopefully, Pearce & Story will persevere as a writing team and get our fantasies out there. But whether we do or not, I'm so thankful Tolkien did.

Happy birthday, Prof. Tolkien. You're one of a kind.

J.R.R.Tolkien