Prisoners of the Sun - Herge

This is the Hundred-and-twenty-eighth in my one-book-at-a-time bookshelf.

The Seven Crystal Balls ended with Captain Haddock and Tintin flying to Peru in search of the unfortunate Professor Calculus. I particularly loved this book as a child, perhaps because of the stunning Peruvian drawings and the sense of being drawn into an ancient culture but also the classic solar eclipse theme, all handled beautifully.

The Seven Crystal Balls - Herge

This is the Hundred-and-twenty-seventh in my one-book-at-a-time bookshelf.

Herge draws on a popular theme, misfortune to the grave robbers, combines it with a South American theme and the usual cast of characters including the newly gentrified Captain Haddock (remember the monocle?). A simple story that leads us, and Tintin, across the world.

Red Rackham's Treasure - Herge

This is the Hundred-and-twenty-sixth in my one-book-at-a-time bookshelf.

This story picks up where The Secret of the Unicorn finishes and the hunt for lost treasure is (literally) full steam ahead. As well as the detectives and Sir Francis Haddock's descendant Tintin is joined by the persistent and irrepressible Cuthbert Calculus, whose mad (or slightly eccentric) scientist provides humour but also the critical tools that enable Tintin to succeed. The surprising and upbeat conclusion rounds out the story but also provides the underpinning of the remainder of the Tintin catalogue.

The Secret of the Unicorn - Herge

This is the Hundred-and-twenty-fifth in my one-book-at-a-time bookshelf.

For me the Tintin adventure really gets going with this book and its companion, Red Rackham's Treasure. The Haddock character gets a depth beyond expectation and beyond what had been glimpsed in the two previous books in which he featured. His engaging and colourful back story provides the grist for a mysterious mystery that Tintin pursues with typical tenacity, aided in the usual manner by the bumbling detectives. I'm not surprised that Spielberg chose this story line for his (in my opinion) successful translation of Tintin to the big screen. It is a ripper.

Cigars of the Pharaoh - Herge

This is the Hundred-and-twenty-fourth in my one-book-at-a-time bookshelf.

There are misunderstanding with the detectives from Scotland Yard, clues and red herrings and a trail of drug running, a mysterious eastern Fakir and a Prince. All ingredients for another adventure.

Tintin in America - Herge

This is the Hundred-and-twenty-third in my one-book-at-a-time bookshelf.

Without doubt my least favourite book in the canon. The caricatures are too over-played and the plot is repetitive and lacks engagement. However it does have the elements that define Tintin, just not so well constructed.

The Blue Lotus - Herge

This is the Hundred-and-twenty-second in my one-book-at-a-time bookshelf.

Early Tintin, not as well rounded as later book and with a tendency for the plot to be a little thin.However we are introduced to Chang, a young friend who plays a pivotal role in a much loved book later in the sequence.

The Shooting Star - Herge

This is the Hundred-and-twenty-first in my one-book-at-a-time bookshelf.

This has always been one of my favourite books. Tintin reunites with Captain Haddock, whose character is still developing, and Herge for the first time dabbles in science fiction. There is a lunatic predicting the end of the world and a giant spider! And very large toadstools. Excellent.

The Crab with the Golden Claws - Herge

This is the Hundred-and-twentieth in my one-book-at-a-time bookshelf.

We see some familiar themes in this book, the scourge of opiates and the lure of alcohol. Tintin finds and 'saves' Captain Haddock who is to become the foil for Tintin's faultless character, a companion who's vices threaten to sink him but whose courage and faithfulness comes through in the end. There are also some great dream sequences in this book, another defining feature of Herge's work.

King Ottokar's Sceptre - Herge

This is the Hundred-and-nineteenth in my one-book-at-a-time bookshelf.

I realised as I reflected on this adventure that Tintin is the accidental detective. He is a deliberate tourist and calculated taker of risks but he is a detective driven by other's needs and his own insatiable curiosity. His drive and success is underscored by the comic antics of the real detectives Thomson and Thompson.

The colouful, iconic cultural wallpaper of the 'mythical' Syldavia is one of the trademarks of Herge and it wasn't until I was an adult and had travelled a little that I realised Herge didn't stray far from what he saw in his own travels. 

This is one of my early favourites and is Herge at his best.

The Black Island - Herge

This is the Hundred-and-eighteenth in my one-book-at-a-time bookshelf.

I first discovered The Adventures of Tintin at my local library at an early age. I don't exactly know when but I suspect it was before my teenage years. I notice that this story can be traced back to the 1930's but this 1960's English edition is my canonical version. 

Firstly let me admire the artwork. I could happily look just at the pictures, especially when Herge got to work on a larger canvas such as the cover art.

Secondly let me admire the characters that leap off the page.

Thirdly I should comment on the humour, all pervasive but counter balanced by the serious and compelling story line and the earnestness of our hero. 

Lastly the dialogue, which I can only assume works as well in the original French, but I suspect some credit must go to the translators Leslie Lonsdale-Cooper and Michael Turner for capturing the humour, characters and that indefinable something that is just the Tintin magic.

I've chosen to start with this story, rather than go chronologically, partly because there isn't a strict reading order and I'm sure everyone discovers Tintin in a unique way but also because I think this is the first Tintin I read. There is a scene involving Tintin, a train, Snowy, a cooked chicken and Loch Lomond whisky and I am taken back many, many years when I reread it. As I have just done. Happy.

The eloquence of story with pictures

As I return to blogging my essential books there is a series that caught my eye, The Adventures of Tintin.

I can't imagine not having these books on my bookshelf. My better half and I bought them at a time when we couldn't really afford the expense, but these are just paperbacks and really they are a necessity rather than an indulgence and we got a discount on many of them from the very nice people at Westbooks because we were librarians. I notice that they are looking a little shabby in the spine and perhaps one day a new set might be required. In the meantime it will give me great pleasure to work through them and add them to my bookshelf.

The Ogre Downstairs - Diana Wynne Jones

This is the Hundred-and-seventeenth in my one-book-at-a-time bookshelf.

This is a just a story about a blended family coming to grips with their lot - and a little bit of magic thrown in for good measure. Diana Wynne Jones really is a delight. I never know what to expect when I open one of books, except that I am never disappointed.

Gormenghast - Mervyn Peake

This is the Hundred-and-sixteenth in my one-book-at-a-time bookshelf.

I was undecided about including this book in my bookshelf posts as it is a trilogy of which I have only read the first book [confession]. However recent conversation about The Silmarillion being read or unread, but still residing on people's shelves inspired me to include it anyway.

I read the first book, Titus Groan, many years ago and was blown away by the rich visual imagery and the incarnation of characters. I can't for the life of me recall the plot but I can recall the impact of the vivid language. This is unusual for me as I nearly always read a book for the story and the fate of the characters. I think I was overwhelmed by the richness, like a blue cheese, and have not felt strong enough for another taste. However Mervyn Peake was a genius and I fully intend to go back and read all of this trilogy. Bucket list. Until then it stays on my bookshelf.

The Silmarillion - J.R.R. Tolkien

This is the Hundred-and-fifteenth in my one-book-at-a-time bookshelf.

The Silmarillion is a jewel of a book (a pun for those in the know), prepared for publication after Tolkien's death by his son Christopher it is a collection of works, of which the title work is the most important providing as it does the dense kernel from which the more popular and accessible Third Age works derive. And it is dense and difficult going. This is not for fans of Lord of the Rings but for fans of Tolkien's Middle Earth in all of its rich landscape and history and language.

I bought this copy when it was published and I have treasured it and struggled with it over the years. When my kids ask me questions about Gandalf (was he always old? where did he come from? is he human?) or Elrond (is he an elf? where are they going over the sea?) or Dwarfs (what is their history?) I  refer them to The Silmarillion (or the appendices) where answers to such questions can be found. And there are answers to these questions and more, a solid and rich foundation on which Tolkien built his other stories.

I won't pretend that The Silmarillion is a book for everyone, or that it doesn't lie unread on many shelves, but I treasure the insight it gives into Tolkien's world and I can't imagine not having it on my bookshelf.

Return of the King - J.R.R. Tolkien

This is the Hundred-and-fourteenth in my one-book-at-a-time bookshelf.

There is a great tragedy and an unexpected victory, a home coming and a home leaving. And when you have read the story you can wander through the appendices and linger over some of the detail and glean snippets that round out the story. A bit like looking through the fridge on the day after a dinner party.

One of my biggest disappointments with Peter Jackson's film version is that he didn't include the Scouring of the Shire. This has always been one of my great delights in reading the book, a second climax to the greater story, an unexpected, closer to home battle to be fought. In many ways more meaningful, certainly for the folk of Hobbiton, than the matter of the Ring.

The Two Towers - J.R.R. Tolkien

This is the Hundred-and-thirteenth in my one-book-at-a-time bookshelf.

This middle volume of the three book set is neatly divided into the story of two journeys (with some further separate journeys in the first that come together at the end). I've always particularly anticipated the first journey that ends up at the foot of Orthanc and dragged my heels at the thought of starting the dreary journey across the marshlands. Yet I always find when I read that second story that the dreary section isn't as long or as dire as memory would have it. Perhaps that says something about the impact of the writing that memory accords more size to something that actually isn't that over whelming in the story. If you asked me how I felt about the book as a whole, at the time I've just read it, I would say - excellent.

If none of that makes sense to you then perhaps you need another (or first) read of Tolkien's work.

The Fellowship of the Ring - J.R.R. Tolkien

This is the Hundred-and-twelfth in my one-book-at-a-time bookshelf.

It has taken me over a hundred books to get to one of the jewels in my collection. This is not because I suddenly discovered it or had forgotten it. In my must-have collection this will be one of the very first.

Part of my dilemma and part of my delay was that I suspect many, many people will include this book (and its fellows) in their own essential reading list and it seemed a bit obvious and a little trite to have led with this.

I had read The Hobbit at an earlyish age, too young at the time for access to the adult section of my public library, yet I braved the raised eye brow of the stern library staff and found the 1970's hardcover edition of The Lord of the Rings and was enthralled. The large pull out maps, the yellowish paper and the quality of the publication - better than anything I've since owned - all combined into one of those defining moments in time.

And what I loved, and still do, isn't the extensive back story and the elvish and other languages or the detailed appendixes (though I love them all) but what enthralled me was the story. And it is the story that keeps bringing me back to The Lord of the Rings.

This first book is a journey from the comfortable and comic into the dark and the deep. It provides the linkage from the 'written for children' to the 'written for adults'. It starts a journey that took Tolkien a long time to complete and which sets the stage for one of the great tales of modern times. Enough said.

How much Tolkien is too much?

On my bookshelf there is one author who is not only well represented but over represented.

I refer of course to Tolkien and in particular to the Lord of the Rings.

I have the three book, boxed, paperback set that I purchased in 1978 (along with the first edition of The Silmarillion and a biography by Humphrey Carpenter) and which I like but which has faded and in which the binding is failing. Read too often I am afraid.

My better half brought to our relationship a single volume paperback (far too cumbersome for my tastes) and a boxed, Alan Lee illustrated, hardcover set (too nice for actual reading).

In recent times I found a boxed, paperback set of all the actual 'books' with Tolkien's titles (such as 'The Ring Goes South') and these are my preferred version for reading. I find the volumes easier to handle and the text is a nice size (meaning it is suitably large).

I don't have a Kindle version but I think that is inevitable.

And I have on the shelf the already mentioned The Hobbit, Farmer Giles of Ham, and Tree and Leaf.

I think it is time I added a little more Tolkien to my one-book-at-a-time bookshelf.

Footnote: You may notice a boxed set of the special extended edition of the Peter Jackson films and I am happy to have them on the shelf - though the books would get preference any day - and they have been watched with pleasure on more than occasion. The extended version is quite a bit longer than the cinema release and good value. I recently saw the second film in The Hobbit set, twice, and if there is eventually an extended version then it will find me a willing buyer.

Five Go Off In A Caravan - Enid Blyton

This is the Hundred-and-eleventh in my one-book-at-a-time bookshelf.

The premise is far fetched. Parents allowing children to go off on a holiday in two horse drawn caravans. Sending postcards each day to say all is well. Nothing to keep them safe except moral decency and a very loyal Timmy. Engrossing!

Five Go To Smuggler's Top - Enid Blyton

This is the Hundred-and-tenth in my one-book-at-a-time bookshelf.

One of the curiosities of memory is that I recognise the cover of this particular edition from my childhood. It has a familiarity that invokes a sense of the book and the long ago time when I first read it. Checking the publication date confirms my memory. Paperbacks were such a great invention!

While secret passages are to be expected this book takes them to a new, inspirational level! There is also a darker side to the villains in this book that moves it a notch beyond the previous books in the series.

Five Run Away Together - Enid Blyton

This is the Hundred-and-ninth in my one-book-at-a-time bookshelf.

I like the way the characters have developed over the first three books, not dramatically but they are not static or one dimensional either. Which is just as well as all is not smooth sailing in the household and drastic action is required.

Five Go Adventuring Again - Enid Blyton

This is the Hundred-and-eighth in my one-book-at-a-time bookshelf.

All good children's books involve a school and this adventure starts at a school, but soon the story returns to the Cornish home of Georgina George and involves secret ways and spies and I can't really give away any more of the story. Needless to say there is adventuring and heroics by one particular member of the famous five, a hairy hero!

Five on a Treasure Island - Enid Blyton

This is the Hundred-and-seventh in my one-book-at-a-time bookshelf.

I've started reading the Famous Five again and the first thing that struck me was how easily Enid Blyton creates characters, builds tension and draws the reader along - even for an adult reader such as myself. I do have a remnant memory of the story, as this series was one of my favourites as a child but I hadn't expected the story to work so well for me as an adult.

I am also struck by some of the underlying cultural themes that are really strong but oblivious to me when I read them many years ago. For instance the prickly character of Georgina and her desire to do boy things.  I wonder how she resonated with head strong girls at the time of writing? The role her mother plays in the family dominated by the scientist husband. Their attitude towards the domestic staff. Interesting.

And of course the descriptions of the Cornish coast and countryside, intrinsic to the story and which informed my view of England. When I visited Cornwall a couple of years ago I was not disappointed.

There are so many elements that go into what appears on the surface to be just another book about children having adventures. I can't imaging not having this and the rest of the series on my bookshelf.

Long shelf life - by popular acclaim

There are over 50 books on my bookshelf by a single author - Enid Blyton.

What surprises me about this vast collection is that none of them are remnants from my own childhood or from my latter collection of children's books - though I read them all in the day. They are all the product of my own children, voracious and early readers, discovering them and being addicted to them and wanting to have them on the shelf ready for another read. Many are accessible from a young age while some still appeal to the older reader. However they all have something in common, they are gripping and reward multiple readings.

I know Enid Blyton is sometimes out of favour with critics and educators, but she had a gift for writing and the evidence is on my shelf. Her books persist in publication because they are popular and that popularity hasn't waned, at least in my house.

The Ring of Solomon - Jonathan Stroud

This is the Hundred-and-sixth in my one-book-at-a-time bookshelf.

As with all good characters the author gets attached and can't let go. In this case a late addition to the Bartimaeus 'trilogy' is a prequel. Worthy effort and finds a place on the shelf.

Ptolemy's Gate - Jonathan Stroud

This is the Hundred-and-fifth in my one-book-at-a-time bookshelf.

This conclusion to the trilogy (but not the end of the sequence) draws the main protagonists towards an inevitable but ultimately surprising climax. These books have a real sense of movement over the life of the series as the characters grow and develop. Nice.

The Golem's Eye - Jonathan Stroud

This is the Hundred-and-fourth in my one-book-at-a-time bookshelf.

When I started reading this book for the first time I found a point, early on, where I was losing interest. You might know that feeling - the story has promised enough to get you into it but then seems to flag and you know if you put it down somewhere you might never come back to it. I got that feeling but persisted another chapter and suddenly it took off! I think this is a good example of the decline of editorship, that expert guidance that demands an author go back and rewrite until the novel meets the exacting standard of the editor. However that takes time as well as expertise and time is money. In any case this is an excellent second novel in the sequence.

The Amulet of Samarkand - Jonathan Stroud

This is the Hundred-and-third in my one-book-at-a-time bookshelf.

It must be difficult to craft an original story using the makings of ancient literature and mythology. Often attempted and in this case with some success. One of the measures of success for such writings is the degree to which the reader finds the treatment 'fresh' despite the familiar making. Rather like cooking a stew that is notable despite being restricted to much the same ingredients as any other stew. Perhaps a new spice or a different texture or some variation in the cooking method. Familiar to the palette but not bland.

However it is achieved, this is rather good stew.

Rushing towards the cliff

I find that the year at work, like the seasons, has a certain rhythm.

At this time of the year I am looking back and looking forward. This is the time of the year when the current planning cycle is heading into its endgame, but not yet concluded, while planning for the coming year is going full steam ahead. I can be so preoccupied in looking forward that I raise my eyes from the 2014 calendar and realise with some surprise and a little relief that it is still December of 2013.

It is also a time of the year where external deadlines - financial, holiday and planning - tend to create a narrowing of the funnel, a pinch point in the garden hose of life. You know intellectually that at some point the pressure will lift as the deadlines pass. In some ways this time of the year has the sense of rushing towards a cliff over which we will all fall and we just need to be as prepared as we can before the final inevitable unavoidable exhilarating descent. A bit like life, except that we pick ourselves up at the foot of the cliff and slowly gather speed towards the next cliff and do it all again.

Gosh I look forward to the Christmas break at this time of the year.

Reflections on Canberra

I was in Canberra for a few days in late November. I was interested to see the city for the first time and visit some of the political and cultural institutions.

In a couple of days we visited the Australian War Memorial, the National Gallery, the National Portrait Gallery, The National Library of Australia's Mapping our World exhibit, Questacon, Parliament House, Museum of Australian Democracy (Old Parliament House), National Archives, National Museum and the inside of the 100 bus. Rather busy. I am not going to chronicle all of that but I do have a few reflections and photos.

The Australian War Memorial was well worth the visit and we spent a couple of hours but it needs repeated visits over many days and seasons - as do all worthwhile cultural places. The view shown above is looking out from the resonating and movingly simple Hall of Memory (resting place of the unknown soldier) across the breadth of the city to Parliament. It is a striking use of landscape in the design.

The red poppies on the Roll of Honour are visually striking; red on slate grey. We found the name of my uncle who had perished in the second world war near Singapore with the intention of placing a poppy. As it turns out the poppies are forced into a gap between the panels, not a feature of the original design! and there was no gap near his name. I took a photo and kept the poppy.

The National Gallery was excellent. I had recently watched Edmond Capon's The Art of Australia series and was well prepared to appreciate the collection. I eavesdropped (as you do) on a tour guide talking about Blue Poles and that was an added bonus. If I lived in Canberra I would visit often. However the unexpected bonus was a Skyspace construction by James Turrell called Within without, 2010. I can't even begin to describe it except to say it used walls and water and light in the most remarkable way. The photo above doesn't even begin to do it justice. This short ABC Art Nation video about it and James Turrell is worth a look. This is a must see if you are Canberra.

The architecture of the National Museum was striking and the photo above shows The Garden of Australian Dreams a visual, tactile interpretation of the Australian landscape.

Parliament House was very interesting, though not surprisingly Old Parliament House is more accessible and has a stronger sense of history. The portraits of past Prime Minsters was as you might expect, except for the Clifton Pugh portrait of Gough Whitlam which was strikingly less traditional but somehow appropriate.

Unlike Old Parliament House the blood of democratic contest still runs through new Parliament House even when the house is not sitting and I captured this Christine Milne press conference happening below on the lawns. I think education funding was the main topic.

My overall impression of Canberra is one of art and culture, buses and bikes and striking public installations. Perhaps another hundred years will see a little more texture and less sense of artificial construction.

Conrad's Fate - Diana Wynne Jones

This is the Hundred-and-second in my one-book-at-a-time bookshelf.

One of the characteristics of Jones' writing is that her villains have a certain beguiling, almost attractive quality but as you dig deeper and deeper you realise that they are really rather unpleasant and despicable persons. Not super villains but normal unpleasant persons whose bad qualities are amplified by circumstance.

Jones always has some naive and gormless characters who grow on you over time and may even turn out to be heroic in the end. Will Conrad be one of those?

And as always there is magic!

Mixed Magics - Diana Wynne Jones

This is the Hundred-and-first in my one-book-at-a-time bookshelf.

Humph. Not a big fan of short stories. Will make exception here :)

The Pinhoe Egg - Diana Wynne Jones

This is the Hundredth in my one-book-at-a-time bookshelf.

What a great title for the hundredth book in my one book at a time bookshelf. Enigmatic and puzzling, giving no meaningful clue to the story, enticing cover images on which the imagination can run wild. This is Jones on top form.

The Magicians of Caprona - Diana Wynne Jones

This is the Ninety-ninth in my one-book-at-a-time bookshelf.

Foreign setting for this delightful tale of tradition, magic and ancient mischief - and the ever resourceful Christopher Chant (and friends) whose appearance is always welcome when bad has gone to worse.

One of my favourite Diana Wynne Jones books.

Witch Week - Diana Wynne Jones

This is the Ninety-eighth in my one-book-at-a-time bookshelf.

The bizarre happenings depicted on the covers of Diana Wynne Jones books are, fortunately, accurate depictions of elements of the story contained within.

There were witches at schools before Hogwarts. True fact. And flying broomsticks.

The renown Chrestomanci does appear in this book, fortunately for everyone concerned.

The Lives of Christopher Chant - Diana Wynne Jones

This is the Ninety-seventh in my one-book-at-a-time bookshelf.

The published order of Jones' Chrestomanci novels is clear but the reading order isn't so clear cut. In my opinion it doesn't matter. They are sufficiently well crafted that it doesn't really matter, especially as one doesn't know what is going on a lot of the time anyway. Read them in whatever order you like and re-read them in whatever order you wish.

This book tells the story of the early years of Christopher Chant and has delightful characters that appear many times. Enjoy.

Charmed Life - Diana Wynne Jones

This is the Ninety-sixth in my one-book-at-a-time bookshelf.

I grow weary of adult tales, full of meaning and the sorrow of life. Time to indulge in my real passion, tales for children - uncomfortable but ultimately safe (or largely safe or mostly safe).

I overlooked Diana Wynne Jones for many years and I owe my children for discovering her and growing  my bookshelf with many of her works - though I have become chief financier in recent times as I have become attached to her particular charms.

There is an inherent logic to Jones imagined worlds, including the rather cluttered worlds of the Chrestomanci, but that doesn't mean all is revealed to the reader. In many ways she is reminiscent of Cherryh in that regard though her touch is lighter and accessible to the younger reader.

This is the first of her Chrestomanci books and she writes as if you should know all about what is going on - delightful. Beware of misdirection and expect a cracking finish.

The Goblin Mirror - C.J. Cherryh

This is the Ninety-fifth in my one-book-at-a-time bookshelf.

Cherryh is a bit unusual in that she writes in science fiction and fantasy. In my own mind these are mutually exclusive genre and she treats them that way. However she has an even spread of works across both realms. This is fantasy.

In some novels the protagonist is kept in the dark about what is really going on but in typical Cherryh style we are also kept in the dark! After a few readings one might glimpse the underlying reality of the plot, or not. Cherryh never patronises the reader by spelling out the detail but it might be nice if she dropped a few breadcrumbs - hard work but overall worth while. 

The Bone Forest - Robert Holdstock

This is the Ninety-fourth in my one-book-at-a-time bookshelf.

The last in the collection of Robert Holdstock on my bookshelf. This novella and collection of short stories backgrounds the first book in the cycle.

Lavondyss - Robert Holdstock

This is the Ninety-third in my one-book-at-a-time bookshelf.

Robert Holdstock provides, not so much a sequel, but another story set in his ancient English forest. Quality fantasy writing and while not pitched at the masses will reward the discerning reader.

Mythago Wood - Robert Holdstock

This is the Ninety-second in my one-book-at-a-time bookshelf.

Robert Holdstock is the second fantasy author on my bookshelf to whom I was introduced by my better half. This novel could be awful - a pastiche of fantasy characters and themes clumsily thrown together in the hope of creating something interesting - but it isn't awful. It is beautifully written, enchanting and moving. Well worth a leisurely read.

The Darkest Road - Guy Gavriel Key

This is the Ninety-first in my one-book-at-a-time bookshelf.

The final volume in The Fionavar Tapestry draws the complex threads to a satisfactory climax.

Lots to like in these books and as I have added them to the blog I realise that, unlike many other favoured books, I don't know them inside out. That leaves me itching to read them again - soon.

The Wandering Fire - Guy Gavriel Kay

This is the Ninetieth  in my one-book-at-a-time bookshelf.

The second in the richly imagined The Fionavar Tapestry trilogy. The series is a bit dark in parts but uplifting overall, which is what I look for in a fantasy novel. If I wanted a depressing story I'd turn on the news!

The Summer Tree - Guy Gavriel Kay

This is the Eighty-ninth in my one-book-at-a-time bookshelf.

I am continuing my run of fantasy with two authors to whom I was introduced by my better half. These may not have been my purchased copies and I have come late to the party but I would certainly include them on my bookshelf.

The first author is Guy Gavriel Kay, famous for having worked with Christopher Tolkien on the preparation of his late father's manuscripts for publication into what became The Silmarillion. This was not a trivial task and Kay was deeply influenced by Tolkien. However it would be disrespectful to both Kay and the Tolkiens not to acknowledge the quality of The Fionavar Tapestry.

If you've not explored this world then I would recommend you start here.

Learning - a state of mind

Life is not a constant thing. Change is actually the normal, inevitable and unavoidable nature of the universe. Stability and predictability, while nice to have, are illusions easily shattered when life intrudes. You can fill in your own examples to illustrate my point [birth, death, illness, accident, new iPhone].

One aspect of living in a changing universe that I have been thinking about recently is on which side of the training/learning coin do I sit. Do I look at  every new thing as something to be learned or do I expect life to come with a manual and a trainer?

My own view is that I prefer to look at every new thing as something to be learned, something to pull apart, press all the buttons - a new toy to occupy my mind. Not just because I don't want to read the manual but because I learn more that way and it is more fun - though sometimes I read the manual as well! In fact reading the manual or asking someone for help is just another way of learning - it just depends on how you look at it.

I'd encourage you to consider your perspective on new things. Do you learn or want to be trained?