So behind...

[icepixie]

Whoa. I have apparently been completely out of touch with the publishing industry. LMB released the sequel to The Curse of Chalion in September, and I just found out about it a week ago. (Of course, I wouldn't have been able to read it until I got home and could get it from the library, 'cause I don't buy hardbacks unless I absolutely have to read the book RIGHT NOW, but still. And yes, I did request it last week. ;))

Since the last time I noticed, Katharine Kerr has released not one, but two more books in her Deverry series. And apparently instead of ending with Book 12 (the newest), she's going on to book 14. Egads. Someone's starting to head off into Robert Jordan territory here. (For those who haven't read these books, they're sort of like Middle Earth with girls and lots of politics. And dragons. And much, much more magic. And flashbacks. And reincarnation, which means she can kill off main characters with impunity 'cause the current storyline becomes one of the past storylines she flashes back to. Okay, it's only like LOTR in that there's a whole bunch of characters, a seriously intricate world, a kind of language element, elves, and suitably dwarf and orc-like characters, IIRC. No equivalent to hobbits, though, I don't think.)

Um, yeah. Enough of my babble. Enough to say that I need to hie myself to a bookstore.

Comments

[chiroho.livejournal.com]

Along with a whooole lotta British children's literature

I probably read a good part of that too - mostly by Enid Blyton. The Magic Faraway Tree stories, then Famous Five - I was never really into Secret Seven. I never read any of the similar American stuff like The Hardy Boys.

*writes down*

At one point Magician by Raymone E Feist was considered one of the epic fantasy novels. Certainly it, along with Silverthorn and A Prince of the Blood, are an epic trilogy. While he has written other books, none of them quite are up to the level of those three.

[icepixie]

I probably read a good part of that too - mostly by Enid Blyton. The Magic Faraway Tree stories, then Famous Five - I was never really into Secret Seven.

I don't even remember what all I read...Alice in Wonderland, Peter Pan, and the Sword in the Stone definitely made appearances (yeah, I actually read the books, as opposed to just settling for the movies ;)), as did Julie Andrews' two or three books. I know there were more, though.

I never read any of the similar American stuff like The Hardy Boys.

Oh, I loved Nancy Drew. Not the modernized ones, but the old ones from 1950 or whenever they were. Not so much Hardy Boys, although I remember reading the ones where they teamed up with Nancy. I always shipped for the older Hardy boy and ND. ;) I went through all the Boxcar Children books, too, and then made my way over to Agatha Christie when I was nine or ten. I think I'm gonna end up as Miss Marple.

At one point Magician by Raymone E Feist was considered one of the epic fantasy novels. Certainly it, along with Silverthorn and A Prince of the Blood, are an epic trilogy. While he has written other books, none of them quite are up to the level of those three.

Ooooh. Actually, I think my mom has Magician. Must read when I finish these library books...

[chiroho.livejournal.com]

When you were reading Nancy Drew, I guess I was reading Sir Arthur Conan Doyle and Sherlock Holmes. Loved those books, and got 13 episodes of the Granada Television series from the early 80s on DVD for Christmas. They're the ones were Jeremy Brett plays Sherlock Holmes. That man was a genius in the role, and nobody else could ever compare to his characterisation.

I have read a lot of Agatha Christie, mostly Poroit and Miss Marple stuff, although a few others. I think my father has a lot of her books somewhere or other. I always liked Joan Hicks portrayal of Miss Marple. She was in a totally different ballpark to those horrendous ones with Angela Lansbury. While she may have been good in Murder She Wrote, I didn't watch it, she was horrifying as Miss Marple. IMNSHO anyway. ;)

And yes, you definitely must read Magician. It's a bit slow to get moving, but is definitely worth every page.

[icepixie]

I read The Hound of the Baskervilles for English in 9th grade. It was great.

I always loved Miss Marple, although Poirot was pretty good, too. All I remember of them anymore is that arsenic and cyanide were generally main factors in the mystery. I don't remember seeing any of the Miss Marple TV things, but I liked the ones they made of the Poirot mysteries (don't remember who played him).

[chiroho.livejournal.com]

I think the actor most famous for playing Poirot is David Suchet, who seems to be in the current ones that air on PBS and elsewhere. Other people have played the role, including Peter Ustinov who was in Death on the Nile and Murder on the Orient Express. I think David Suchet does a better job though.

If you ever do get the chance to see Joan Hickson in the role of Miss Marple, you will understand why she epitomises it. You can see a picture of her here (http://www.celebrity8x10s.com/Merchant2/merchant.mv?Screen=CTGY&Store_Code=SCP&Category_Code=hickson).

[icepixie]

David Suchet sounds familiar. I think he's the actor I remember. And I think the few Miss Marple ones I saw had Joan Hickson--she also looks familiar. Of course, most of these I saw when I was 7-10 and would watch whatever my dad was watching at night, so I have very vague memories of them all. ;)