I'm Not The Same After...

"In my life there are so many questions and answers that somehow seem wrong. In my life, there are times when I catch in the silence the sigh of a faraway song."
-Les Miserables

On Facebook, I was challenged by several people (I always forget whom) to post a list of ten books that have changed me in some fashion. Generally, I leave such tags alone because who really wants to hear the list? But after being tagged at least twice, perhaps three times, it was beginning to look like Ignoring. So I bent to the will of the people and formulated my list. Unfortunately, ten is much too brief an amount to allow for all the books I might have added. Thus, this list is not exhaustive. Also, it might be a point of interest for some of you to realize that some of these books are not necessarily ultimate favorites, but have made it into the top ten for reasons of how much they have affected me. The books that do count as favorite, must-read titles are highlighted in blue.

1.) A Severe Mercy by Sheldon Vanauken
2.) The Silver Chair by C.S. Lewis
3.) The Wind in The Willows by Kenneth Grahame
4.) Winnie-the-Pooh by A.A. Milne
5.) Orthodoxy by G.K. Chesterton
6.) Unbroken by Laura Hillenbrand
7.) The Help by Kathryn Stockett
8.) Steal Like an Artist by Austin Kleon
9.) Anne of Green Gables by L.M. Montgomery
10.) Henry V by William Shakespeare

A Severe Mercy: I first read this book at the prompting of my mother, who had long told me bits and pieces of trivia about this book. Together, my parents read the book in their first year of marriage, and I think it was a good choice. You will never read about a couple more sincere or a love more true. This book, perhaps more than any other, has caught and changed my concept of the bond between two souls.
  The Silver Chair: I think Lewis' reputation stands for itself, but on the outside chance that you're a stranger to the tales of Narnia, I think that you will like this book. I like it because it is more than half fairy-tale and more than half true...if you know what I mean. Also, you don't have to have terribly much prior acquaintance with the characters to enjoy the book, though a good friendship would enhance the experience for you. I think I like it best because of how it makes me ache with hearing "that sigh of a faraway song".
The Wind in The Willows: As I've mentioned before, I am a late-comer to this party. For some odd reason, I boycotted it until the age of twenty-one when I read the book and it caught me across the throat with its beauty. I don't know what it is...the charm of the prose, the idea of mucking about in boats, or the feeling of home-yness about it, but it is pure verbal comfort. Read it.
Winnie-the-Pooh: I don't have to tell you about this one. You know how much I love it and what my mission in life (regarding it) has been.
Orthodoxy: Feeling things keenly but not being the best at common-sensical arguments, I adore books that argue my case with finesse and humor. Chesterton is king at this. There is barely a page on which I didn't underline a quote that struck me. Fine stuff here.
Unbroken: You will never in your life read another book that makes you feel this brave and inspired. The true account of an Olympian-turned-WWII-soldier will erase every concept of what you thought determination and grit were. I am so excited to see the film directed by Angelina Jolie (???) which is set to release on Christmas Day. It'll be hard to watch, but it will be worth it. Louis Zamperini was a hero of heroes.
The Help: A One-liner Description: You will never feel proud of your debut novel again. Honestly, I don't know how Kathryn Stockett did it. This book is gold. I would not be able to believe that it was her debut novel except for the fact that Harper Lee had done it before with her To Kill a Mockingbird. The plot stuck with me because it is similar in setting to stories I have heard from my mother about their help, Laura Bullock, and how she took care of my mother and her siblings while my grandmother worked during the day. Excellent story, execution, and writing.
Steal Like An Artist: I think I'll always remember this little book as the one I cram-read in half an hour while hoping my brother (who owned the book) wouldn't say he needed to leave before I'd finished. If you're looking to be inspired in your art, challenged, and uplifted, this is the book for you. It's like an IV of espresso to the sagging inspiration.
Anne of Green Gables: It's weird to think what sort of person I would be today if I had never read this book. I am being perfectly honest when I tell you that I was greatly affected by the character of Anne Shirley. Avonlea comprised much of my childhood, from setting the stones for my great love (and somewhat expertise of) the Victorian era, to cementing my long-held woe that I was not born a ginger, to the fact that I deeply appreciate the beauty of nature, to introducing me to some grand poetry and much literature. It and I are inextricably combined.
Henry V: Another book for when I want to be brave, all I have to do is read Henry's speech at Agincourt, his St. Crispin's Day admonishment, or the proposal scene and I'm suddenly a lioness. Shakespeare is (TRUISMS) a genius.

What are your favorite books? And yes, I'm smiling evilly because I know you guys can't resist. I do so love starting fads.

Steal Like an Artist

I don't often make a sweeping blanket statement (or did I just make one?) but today I will. Every creative person, be they author, singer, songwriter, artist, performer, or simply a stay-at-home mother with a handful of fresh veggies in a kitchen and a wish for an exotic meal should read this book:

I had never heard of it until two days ago. I had never known about it till 12:30 or 1:00 this morning when I was hanging with my older brother in the kitchen and reading the introduction. Daniel had been listening to a podcast by one of his favorite bands and the lead singer raised this book to the camera and said, "Read it."

Daniel, standing in our kitchen in the dead of night while I scavenged around the leftover yellow cake with chocolate icing, said something similar. "You should read it. I'm here till tomorrow afternoon." And you know what? There's something imminent and approachable about a book like this that makes you want to obey that ubiquitous command. Daniel didn't buy Steal Like an Artist because Mike Donahey said to, but because he knew he needed it. In the same way, I didn't go to bed at 1 a.m. and wake up at 7:30 when I could have slept in because Daniel told me to, but because I knew I wanted and needed to read this book.

I finished it in an hour.

It became a favorite in ten minutes.

And so I'm telling you, you need to read it. The thing that impressed me most about Austin Kleon's book was not the fact that it is for creative people or even the fact that it is full of cool little diagrams and witty humor. What endeared this book to me from the first chapter is the way he takes the small things in life seriously. Decisions are important. Little things upon little things do make up the big things.

"Just as your familial genealogy, you have a genealogy of ideas. You don't get to pick your family, but you can pick your teachers and you can pick your friends and you can pick the music you listen to and you can pick the books you read and the you can pick the movies you see. You are, in fact, a mashup of what you choose to let into your life."
-Austin Kleon Steal Like an Artist

This book is like common sense bottled into a volume the size of a c.d. Time and time again I'd read a phrase and smile. It's not that Kleon has come up with anything out of the ordinary. But he has created one of those books that takes the grand realm of my vague thoughts and impressions and gives form to it. That's what we creatives are here for, you know: to gather the floaty bits and give 'em shape. Everyone has floaty bits. It's only the real artists who can collect and tame them for presentation to another person.

Kleon busts myths like "Write what you know", corrects wrong opinions like "imitation is flattery", and leaves you at the last page feeling like a combination of superhuman, Kinfolk magazine, and fair-trade coffee. And then, with a smirk you can hear across the miles and through the pages, he recommends not paying four bucks for a latte when you could be saving money. Like, "Oh, not only have I written a manifesto of creativity, but your coffee houses where you feel so validated as an artist are totally stealing your pocket money. Starving artist--ever heard of it? Yeah. Starbucks started the trend."

Okay, so maybe he wasn't that blunt, but I loved it. In this little powerhouse of paper, Austin Kleon addresses the need for a day job, the value of living a really, well, boring life so you can actually get work done, and the necessity of stepping away from the computer and working analog:

"Just watch someone at their computer. They're so still, so immobile. You don't need a scientific study (of which there are a few) to tell you that sitting in front of a computer all day is killing you, killing your work ...You need to find a way to bring your body into your work. Our nerves aren't a one-way street--our bodies can tell our brains as much as our bodies. You know that phrase, 'going through the motions;? That's what's so great about creative works: If we just start going through the motions, if we strum a guitar, or shuffle sticky notes around a conference table, or start kneading clay, the motion kickstarts our brains into thinking."
-Austin Kleon Steal Like an Artist

I'm going to say it once more: "Read it." Let's see how long you can resist.

Books like Chocolate Cake

Pleasure reading.
How many times do we let ourselves read books that really have no bearing on what we are researching, or what we are assigned or what we think we ought to read. How many times do we let ourselves dwell in the literary version of a piece of chocolate cake: a thing in which we partake because it is familiar and good and conjures up the best memories? Well I think we ought to indulge more frequently in the good old favorites. Oscar Wilde said it first:

"If one cannot enjoy reading a book over and over again, there is no use in reading it at all."

 So today I'm featuring a list of my favorite comfortable, chocolate-cake-y books. I wonder what your lists look like, and if we share some of the same favorites?

The James Herriot series is one that I always forget about until I slip back into the gentle cadence of the stories and feel how soft and worn they are, like a favorite pair of jeans. I always wonder how I ever left the world of the Yorkshire Dales and the real-life experiences of this beloved veterinarian.

An Old-Fashioned Girl is one of those books cursed with an unfortunately boring name. This book quickly became one of my favorites ever with its witty, improbably romances and gentle but clever heroine. The story is now so well-known to me that I have favorite chapters, and I have found a friend on the road before me in Polly Milton. Don't let the prudish name scare you: this story is probably my favorite book by Louisa May Alcott...though Eight Cousins follows close behind.

I have talked about The Railway Children before, but I don't know that anyone believes me when I say that it's one of the best kids' books ever. I just love E. Nesbit's way of spinning a story of three children in a grown ups' world. Hilarious, poignant, and never grows old. Read it.

Anything Wodehouse makes this list. Again, if you will only take my word for it, there will never be a need for ibuprofen when you have a headache again. Just crack the spine of one of these awesome stories and your cares will soon be gone the way of Aunt Agatha. Hilarious, light-hearted and always worth it, Wodehouse is the panacea for the world's woes.

Similar to the James Herriot books, Jan Karon's Mitford series is also a homely, precious set of books that don't require much brain-power. I don't mean to suggest that you can't relax with a book that does require brain-power. I'm only stating the facts. I like some of the novels better than others, but through the whole series you will find an awesome cast of hilarious, touching, fabulous characters. I think by the end of the series, Jan Karon had invented over seven-hundred characters. Ay yup, Jenny, she's giving you a run for your money!

You know those books that you read so many times as a kid that you can still remember the topography of the pages and where you were while reading them, and even now can still point to definite things inside you that were affected by that book? Anne of Green Gables is this for me. I don't care if it sounds typical. I really don't. I know you'd expect this title to show up on a list of favorite books. But maybe we're just chronological snobs. There is nothing wrong with Anne of Green Gables that should make me exclude it. Maybe it's on so many lists because it is just that good and deserves to be a classic. I love this story and its people and I plan to love it forever an' ever, amen.

This is a book that a friend told me I would enjoy. I was a little skeptical because it didn't sound that interesting and I don't usually like books about orphans. But when I was at the homeschool conference, I found a copy and decided I would try my luck. By the end of the first reading, it had thoroughly endeared itself to me. I don't know what it is about this book that is so wonderful and comfortable...it just is. I don't know what else Jean Webster has written, but she gave the cozy world a gift with Daddy Long-Legs. 

Winnie-The-Pooh. Oh come on. You knew it was going to happen. I think every swinging one of you knows exactly how I feel about A.A. Milne. Just...read this. Please. Think how much money some people spend on Prozac and counselors when what they could be doing is reading about Pooh-Bear and Tigger and Christopher Robin and finding themselves so much less stressed.

Well. These are the first books I thought of. I know there are other old favorites that would also fit this list, but these are the ones that stepped forward and volunteered as tribute. Also, you may have noticed that the majority of these titles are kids books. OH WELL. I happen to like well-written children's literature just as much as I like regular literature so LET us not quibble. Here's to one more day of my North Carolina "vacation". The sun finally came out and heralded spring, and life here is pretty much beautiful. Also, I randomly (not so randomly, actually) bought a hard-cover volume of the letters of P.G. Wodehouse. I am so excited! Book splurge. I never do it.

"You and rabbits--extraordinary!"

I was watching Miss Potter again last night. We've spoken of it before: of the fact that every time I watch this film, I come away inspired, invigorated, and ever so slightly depressed that I don't own an estate in the Lake District. I don't exactly know why I love the movie so much unless it is just the fact that it is...me. This is probably the reason; every friend that has watched it has asked/messaged/texted me and said, "Hey, Rachel, have you seen Miss Potter? It reminds me so much of you."

I grew up on Beatrix Potter's little books and now that I'm quite grown, I have purchased a huge, beautiful hard-bound copy of the complete set. My sister owns a book full of the letters Beatrix sent to children all around the world which inspired me to start drawing picture-letters for the little folk in my own life. I intend to name one of my daughters Beatrix, if my husband is amicable to the idea.... (Ha. ha. ha. ha.) All told, the stories, film, and letters of and about Beatrix Potter fill me with a nostalgic, lovely contentment that makes me want to take out my watercolors and start again with the lovely old rhythm of art, words, and story.

I was talking once with one of my friends, Wyatt Fairlead, about the film. (He was one who told me I must see this film if I hadn't already)

"It always makes me want to paint amazing pictures and publish a book," I said.
"It always makes me want to own land in the Lake District," he followed.

That was a jolly plan and it has grown since to a plot that he will somehow fall into an inheritance (or win a lottery) and buy at least one farm up there. Matthew (my cousin) and Amy (Wyatt's sister and Matthew's girl) and I will then come visit and I will have all the joy of a Lake District farm without any of the expense.

It is a very good plan.

Among many of the other joys of the film, (LIKE THE SCENERY? OH LOR') the soundtrack is paramount. It is the essential "writing music" for me....just turn that soundtrack up on Spotify and dig my mental claws into my story and there we go. I need to employ the music in the background while writing Anon, Sir, Anon -- just the right feel for the story. When watching the movie last night, I was excited (and a bit astonished) to realize that my Lair is quite a lot like Beatrix's room...and I have always envied/loved/adored/wanted her painting room. That was quite a lovely lovely realization and now I love my messy wall more than ever.

There is one scene toward the start of Beatrix's career when she has just published The Tale of Peter Rabbit and is sitting with Norman Warne (her publisher) over tea. She is saddened that their relationship must needs come to an end because the business of publication is through and they have succeeded...then Norman leans across the table saying:

"Your book has made my life so full...I was hoping there would be more stories...?"
Beatrix looks a bit taken aback. "Y..yes."
Norman: "Then I look forward to doing it again and again..."
Beatrix: "And again!"

And that is exactly how this whole publication of Fly Away Home feels. I just want to keep writing, keep making stories, keep dreaming about that farm in the Lake District I will never ever might someday own...and keep chasing after dreams like Beatrix Potter. I never hope to be able to walk into my bank and ask them if I could perhaps afford a small country house of my own and be told I'm quite a wealthy woman and have enough for several estates, but it is a pleasant thought all the same.

Oh dear. I independently published. No charming, humorous, lovable publishing men for me....

Guess I'll settle for a thick, roguish Willie Heelis when I go off to visit Wyatt Fairlead's farm. :)

From the Rest of You

Just as while reading you'll come across a part of a book that inspires you, in reading the blogs of my writing friends, I have come across posts that give me that ache-y break-y feeling of: I have to write because of things like this. You know the sort--they are unmistakable when you actually come across them. Because I know that it's an encouragement to hear that those countless posts you labor over actually effect someone, I've compiled a list of the particular posts over the years that are my favorites. They might be posts of snippets. They might be how-tos. They might just be a beautiful, breaking piece of prose. But each of these links are worth reading, and if one of your posts is on here, know that this is a thank-you for real. Not flattery.




From astonishing Jenny: A Strange Power in Those Riddling Words
Also from Jenny: The Fierceness of Defending Life
From Jenny as well, to me, which makes it twice as nice: Janus

From Anna: Only Dull People Are Clever At Breakfast

From my dear Katie: Contentment: a One-Butt Kitchen is Better Than no Kitchen at All
Also from Katie: "The Terror, the Suspense, the Thrill!"
And last but not least from Katie: Chainsaw Therapy

From The Anne-Girl: The Story of My Beginning (because I like hearing about starts)
Also from my Bertie: Christmas With the Sage

From Abigail: Burning the Straw Men
Also from this Valiant Girl: The Stereotyped Woman
And: The Creative Mind

There are, I am sure, many more posts from these authors and others that I find close to my heart. Most of the posts I read have had some effect on me, just as most of the books I read rub off in some way. But these pieces in particular I tip my hat to, and say "Pass the crumpets, we're out of tea."

The Motley Array

As an avid reader, I've "fallen in love" with many characters over the years. But there are just some that stick with you so that they become literally a part of you. Characters that wormed their way into your heart so well you know they'll never come out. Sometimes they are annoying. Sometimes they are endearing. Sometimes they're just plain stubborn and stick there because you can't forget them, not by any great doings on their part. Abigail wrote a post recently on Straw-Men, then followed it up with a post full of examples of perfectly flawed characters we love. Because like we've discussed here before, you can't endure perfection in a mortal. Anyone who has read the Elsie Dinsmore books will concur. We were all in awe of that plaster of Paris child, but she wasn't relate-able, and hence unlovable. At least by me. But this is all hogwash without examples. It's a fantastic exercise in formulating your own characters, this digging up the ink-people who have stuck to you through the years and figuring out where they went right. Here are some of my tops, and why I love them so.

Puddleglum

I am not certain what C.S. Lewis meant for us to do with this Marshwiggle creature, but I reacted to him by getting a deep, "groaner" fondness for him. I can't take him seriously, but he's stuck in my heart forever. Perhaps what I liked best about him was the fact that, for all his grumblings and pessimism, there was a warm heart under the muck. And at the end of The Silver Chair when even Jill and Eustace are beginning to doubt Aslan, it is Puddleglum who gives the Lady of the Green Kirtle a run through the wringer with his blind faith. That, my friends, is the unforgettable moment of an unforgettable character.

Ralph Touchett

This rather obscure character from The Portrait of a Lady somehow wormed his way into my heart too. He is an invalid and a bit foolish, but faithful as a Labrador. He loves Isabelle Archer to the point of ridiculousness, yet never pushes himself at her. He knows she doesn't love him, but if he can't be her love, at least he'll be her friend. When he *SPOILER* dies at the end of the book *END OF SPOILER* I cried. I really did. It was so sad to see him go. And yet what did he do? Nothing much. Just a stupidly stubborn man with a soft heart and death in sight.

Sydney Carton

Abigail did cover him, and yet a character that makes me cry and entirely redeems a book I was so-so about till the end, must have his corner of fame. Until the last third of A Tale of Two Cities, there was no real reason to love him. He was mysterious, yes, and inadvertently did some good. But there was nothing riveting about him...until his marriage proposal was rejected and then, then, he did not go off to sulk as pretty much everyone AHEM (Mr. Cox?) AHEM does, but instead became the man it had always been in him to be if he'd only taken a bit of trouble. And the trouble he took? That was what made me cry. A selfless act that turned A Tale of Two Cities into one of my favorite books of all time.

Chet Morton

Okay. The Hardy Boys hardly counts as literature, and yet I absolutely cannot forget about Chet Morton. (Perks to Abigail Taylor for reminding me that he counts. ;) My reading career and my first foray into mysteries began simultaneously with The Bobbsey Twins, quickly moved to The Hardy Boys, and finished with Nancy Drew before I realized what literature really was. But all that to say, I love Chet. No reason. He's just Chet. Along the same vein, I love Gus-Gus in Cinderella. They are conjoined in my mind. Truly. I think of one, I think of the other.

Gavroche

You knew I'd mention him, didn't you? Dear little Gavroche. In Les Miserables, he's the chap who stole my heart. Marius? Posh. Enjolras? Aw, poor guy died. Gavroche? Brave to the bitter bitter end, and all the braver because he was under ten years old.

Samwise Gamgee

He almost doesn't make this list because I do consider him a hero. But somehow in the mainstream, Frodo takes top-notch spot and I disagree. So Sam? Have your party here because I love you. Samwise is just one of those characters whose friendship you feel extends past the pages of the book and to you, personally. I never felt he was just Frodo's friend. I felt he was my friend. And if you think that's sappy, just you try to resist the urge to slap someone when Sam gets blamed for everything. ARGH!

Nicholas Higgins

In North and South, Higgins is pretty much my favorite character. Excluding Mr. Thornton, of course who, while being very flawed indeed, is still definitely "hero" material. Too much so for this list. Higgins is pugnacious. He's agnostic. He's stubborn and rough and "a terrific firebrand". And yet he is one person I can never get out of my head when I think of North and South. Perhaps it was because he was so essentially man, hewn, as he was, out of the stone of the upcountry. Higgins, while being mostly flaws, also has the distinct virtue of being a family man. He loved his daughters. He didn't turn away when Boucher dies and leaves all his kids alone in the world.

Phil & Mr. George

This pair from Bleak House are just so tenacious. Mr. George is a fighter. He's the black sheep of the family through his own fault. He ran away from home and he's too proud to come back. But no one can match the two of them for decency and loyalty.

Rachel Lynde

Okayyyyy. I know you'll probably not agree, but I had to throw her in here. I mean, if Anne Shirley hadn't had a nemesis (because to be honest we all loved Gilbert and couldn't see him as the antagonist, right?) then there would have been very little pizazz to her story at all. (and there's not much of it now, much as I love the books) Rachel Lynde is one of those people who sticks to me like a burr. Possibly because if I was an old lady living in a sleepy country town and I didn't write or read or broaden my horizons in any way but gossip, I might be an awful lot like her. Plus our names are similar. Scarily so.

Bohun

I will be brief about him, because really, he's a villain. Yep. I said it. And he's from With Fire and Sword which I doubt anyone else has read. (looks for a show of hands) I don't know why I liked him. The whole book is definitely melodramatic (Bohun even more than the others), but somehow I had a soft spot for him. Poor dude. I respected him for not taking advantage of Helen even though he had ample opportunity to do so. And his reckless passions were not liable to resisting temptation. So when he did resist you had to give him a nod. In that case, I must also mention Zagloba and Pan Podbipyenta who I also loved. Oh! and what's-his-name...this little fierce one. Michal. Yes. Him. That book was full of such characters. I mean honestly--at 1200+ pages, you had plenty of time to get attached.

These are my people. Who are yours?

"Five-and-twenty, Tattycoram."

...Or ten, rather. I have decided to join up (at least for several of the days) in The Anne-girl's Hero Week over at her blog, Scribblings of my Pen and Tappings of my Keyboard. :) Today's challenge was to list my top 10 favorite heroes in literature and tell you a bit about them. Ready? Set? Go!

1. John Jarndyce. For those of you who have read Charles Dicken's Bleak House, you will realize who I am talking about and why I love him so. He is the epitome of self-sacrifice and generosity. He's loving, gentle, but firm. Plus he never goes off his rocker like some people. *ahem ahem* (Nobody said the hero has to be the lover, right?)

2. Sir Percy Blakeney. Yes, yes, I know. Every girl loves Sir Percy, but it would be positively indecent not to include him in this list, even at risk of sounding like a common fan-girl. :P The French Revolution needs to be relived (kidding) so that we can have a real Scarlet Pimpernel. I was rather dismalized when I remembered there was no such personage in the actual history of the French Rev. Sir Percy is heroism itself--pluck, audacity, humor, compassion, and considerable fashion taste. ;)

3. Arthur Clennam. The hero of Little Dorrit, this man is one of the gentlest and sweetest heroes I've yet to come across in literature. He is humble, loyal, kind, and yet unmoving. His scruples are never moved by any of his circumstances and in the end he is rewarded for all that. :) Arthur Clennam has lived a life of contradictions: unloved, yet loving. Pushed away, yet reaching out. He's a real man. :)

4. Mr. Knightley. We all know who he is. We all know why he's on this list. We all know that words would not begin to describe the depth of his character. Thus I shall borrow his own words and appropriate them to myself: "Perhaps if I felt less I could talk about it more." ;)

5. Sydney Carton. We don't often think of this fellow from Charles Dicken's A Tale of Two Cities when we think of our top ten fictional heroes, but I had to include him. He is a wouldbegood. He has wasted his life for years, is denied the woman he loves, is about to go to ruin, and then he has a conversion. He takes that wasted life and becomes a hero. It's a beautiful picture of our own redemption through Christ.

Haven't seen any film version of this book so I hope this is Sydney. :D

6. Nathaniel Bowditch. I don't think I've read of a more determined man than this fellow. I was inspired by his sheer determination and strength in the face of so many trials. If you ever want a good, easy, rather sad book to read, read Carry on, Mr. Bowditch. :)

7. David Copperfield. Although I was cross for his perversity in marrying Dora, I loved David. His story was pathetic and yet sweet. And he rose up through all those terrible spheres of trial and temptation and came out on the right end. I love him. :)

8. This brings me to Mr. Dan'l Peggotty. (Also from David Copperfield) He is, perhaps, the true "hero" in the book. His love for his niece, Em'ly, and his quest to find her and bring her home brought me to tears several times. He is so blue and brown and sea-smelling that one can't help but love him. :)

9. Jean Valjean. This character from Les Miserables had my sympathy from the get-go. I wanted to  do something awful to Javert myself to get him off of this good man's track. I know Les Miz was written partially as an allegory and I can see why. Jean Valjean is a redeemed man, and yet his past and faith-by-works is hunting him down relentlessly. A marvelous hero.

10. Gilbert Blythe. I had to include him. Gilbert is so ordinary and yet so great. Why do I count him among my favorite heroes? My only answer is a shrug and a "why-not", but I think it has something to do with the fact that he is down to earth. I feel that I have a real chance of meeting my own Gilbert someday. He is practical, generous, funny, and impulsive and that is why he is on my list.

Have a great Monday, girls! :)

The Scarlet-Gypsy Song--a last hurrah!

As a sort of Last Hurrah for The Scarlet-Gypsy Song, I thought I would give you some of my favorite bits from the past few weeks. I've been writing like mad--Thursday I wrote over 4,000 words. Enjoy these last few pretties from my dark-haired child! :)

Darby squeezed his fists where they were tied behind his back, feeling that somehow it helped him to think clearer. A clumsy movement beside him brought round a faint hope. Peter Quickenhelm! If Darby could only get Peter to be the object of the panther’s attention for a moment, he might have a chance to slip away. After all, wasn’t it a well-known zoological fact that panthers would stop and gobble whatever you dropped behind you? At least that’s how they told it in the books—that’s why people escaping from panthers often arrived to safety wearing no shoes or hat or jacket or—sometimes—anything at all. Yes. It was an applauded tactic in the old world. Perhaps beasts were similar here.
Darby drove his heel into Peter’s side—hard.
“Ow—whatsermatter?”
Darby took this to mean “what’s the matter” and since it also meant that Peter had regained consciousness, he smiled to himself and kicked again.

-The Scarlet-Gypsy Song

“Adoniram—you simply can’t be letting Darby and Bertram go to battle—you can’t. It’s…it’s…indecent! If it was happening in London someone would call the Agency.”
The pen stopped. The head rose. The eyes glared. “My love—it is not happening in London. There has not been a battle in the streets of the Capital since the time of your grandfather. Therefore, I would greatly appreciate your silence and a cup of tea. Miss Woodruff—er, Lady Cecelia. Would you be so good as to teach my wife the proper way to do it?”
Mrs. Macefield fluffed her skirt and pursed her lips. “I am certainly capable of making a cup of tea, Adoniram.”
“Doubtless. Nevertheless, the need of tea is imminent and one or the other of you must make it, or I’m afraid the boys will be done for. You’ve no idea what a horrid business it is, writing a battle. I’ve no more idea of what happens in a battle than…than a cockroach does! There are only so many synonyms for ‘hack’ and ‘thrust’ and ‘parry,’ you know. They’ve been hacking and thrusting and parrying for several chapters now and I feel quite exhausted for them.”

-Ibid.

Diccon shifted and gave a smile that was both shy and roguish. “In faith, my little sister, you showed yourself a bit of a vixen.”
Adelaide laughed and curtsied with an arch pursing of her lips.  “A fox caught in a trap is never over-careful of her manners.

-Ibid.

Darby hugged Diccon a bit tighter and shrugged. “I’m fine—I was just wondering if this daft plan would work.”
“Catching the panther in his lair, you mean?”
“Right.” Darby felt Diccon’s muscles rippling under his shirt, and it inspired him a bit of manly courage. “ ‘Course I’m not scared—I’d just think Growlbeard would be too smart for this sort of trick.”
Diccon laughed. “He is a clever beast, but a cat all the same—likes naps in the sunshine and doing his dirty deeds by night. Coming upon him like this in the full light of the morning—we’re like as not to catch him.

-Ibid.

Darkness, punctured with the honey-gold globes of lamplight, filled the banqueting hall. Echoes of that feast before the battle still seemed to whisper in the corners, discussing this new, half-somber celebration. On the dais the King sat, Lord Diccon Quarry at his left hand—Captain Sparrow’s seat at his right empty, as is the custom when a beloved man has died. The Macefield children fanned out on either hand—even the babies—and waited in silence.
For it was silent in the hall—very silent, with a warm sense of expectation that was curiously in keeping with the gold-stitched gloaming of the hall. Lad, Dear-Heart, and Agnes waited like kindly wraiths in the deeper shadows at the end of the table.

-Ibid.

“Oh, Diccon,” she whispered to herself. She had not thought he was by. She had not meant for him to hear those sorrowful words, but his rough hand closed around hers a moment later and she looked up to see him beside her. He did not look at her, and he did not speak, but his hand held hers and she knew all was right.

-Ibid.

Tears ran down Adelaide’s cheeks and blurred the sight of the king’s noble face, pooling it together with the shimmering, honey-colored globes. She tried to stop her tears but it was no use. This fierce ache was familiar somehow, and she had to weep. Why was it familiar? Adelaide could not say, but as she mused on the king’s words it came to her. He had said it was The End…this feeling was that of turning the last page of a splendid book, only magnified and heightened and altogether unbearable. Adelaide sobbed once, and it thrummed through the hush of the hall, startling her into silence again.
Diccon put his hand on her shoulder and squeezed it. He leaned over and put his mouth close to her ear. “There now, sister-mine. We are only parted by the cover of a book. When you miss me—or any of us—too too much, you have only to ask your father to read to you. I’ll be waiting there for you…there amongst the pages, and you will always be able to find me.” There was a catch in his voice, and when Adelaide wiped her own tears away she saw that Diccon’s jaw was set in a determined line and a lone tear glistened on his cheek as Jupiter or Mar glistens in a winter sky.

-Ibid.

Gone was the dusk-dim light of the banquet hall. Gone were the honey-gold globes. Gone were Diccon and Dear-Heart and all the rest, and Adelaide saw she stood on the strangely familiar marble staircase of…home.

-Ibid.

A Poem of War

Ever since I first read "Edinburgh After Flodden" in school, I have loved it. The rhythm of William E. Aytoun's poetry fascinated me and I would go about with the lines ringing through my mind all day long. It is not an overly famous poem (at least, not now) but it deserves more recognition than it has yet had. Herein I have presented my favorite bits. You can read the whole of the poem here.

NEWS of battle!—news of battle!   Hark! ’tis ringing down the street: And the archways and the pavement   Bear the clang of hurrying feet. News of battle? Who hath brought it?         5   News of triumph? Who should bring Tidings from our noble army,   Greetings from our gallant King? All last night we watched the beacons   Blazing on the hills afar,         10 Each one bearing, as it kindled,   Message of the opened war. All night long the northern streamers   Shot across the trembling sky: Fearful lights, that never beckon         15   Save when kings or heroes die

If that doesn't make you want to give your hand to king and country, you have not a single spark of patriotism.

For they see in battered harness	25
Only one hard-stricken man,
And his weary steed is wounded,
And his cheek is pale and wan.
Spearless hangs a bloody banner
In his weak and drooping hand—

 Such a sad, beautiful description.This poem is full of ringing, poingant sorrow and yet a certain flavor of triumph. Here is one last bit to send you on your way...

“No one failed him! He is keeping	105
Royal state and semblance still;
Knight and noble lie around him,
Cold on Flodden’s fatal hill.
Of the brave and gallant-hearted,
Whom ye sent with prayers away,	110
Not a single man departed
From his monarch yesterday.
Had you seen them, O my masters!
When the night began to fall,
And the English spearmen gathered	115
Round a grim and ghastly wall!

A Taste of Anne-spelled-with-an-E

Miss Dashwood is having an Anne of Green Gables week over at her blog, and as Anne and I are almost twins, I thought I'd better join in the fun! :)

                                                                

                                                               *   *   *   *   *

 

1. How many of the Anne books have you read, and how many of the films have you seen?

I've read all eight of the Anne books and both of the movies...somehow I can't find it in myself to count that third one as part of the Anne-series...they ought to have just gone ahead with all the Ingleside bunch and made movies about them. :)
 
2. If someone yanked your hair and called you carrots, what would you do to him?


Let me think about this. First off, I would probably laugh--I mean, seriously, why call a brunette "carrots"? I would laugh, but I know I'd be embarrassed that he'd humiliated me in that way in front of a lot of people...I don't think I'd break my slate over his head, but you never know. My wit would probably eventually come to my rescue and I'd say something scathing to him that would redeem the moment in my favor. ;)

3. What would you do if Josie Pye dared you to walk the ridgepole of a roof?

You know...I'd probably try. I'd not get past the first few shingles, I daresay, but I would try. I'm not particularly scared of heights, you know.

4. If you had the opportunity to play any AGG (I'm abbreviating from now on because I am a lazy typist) character in an AGG play, which role would you choose?

Ooh! Well, I suppose physical characteristics must be thought about and I would not fit the part of Anne, though I'd love to play her. Let's see...I think it'd be fun to play either Mrs. Lynde, or (if I could choose from some of the other Anne books) one of the girls in Patty's Place...I've always loved the notion of that sweet little four-some living in that house and going off to college. :) I might choose Phillipa Gordon, though I'm not as pretty as she.

5. If you were marooned on a desert island, which AGG character would you want to have as a companion? (Anne, Gilbert and Diana are not options.  Let's keep this thing interesting.  Not that they're not interesting.... oh, yay, now the disclaimer to this question is longer than the question itself.  Lovely lovely lovely.)

Haha! Davy Keith. He'd know what to do, and even if he didn't, he'd keep me laughing and probably invent some way to get us out of our predicament.

6. If there was going to be a new adaptation of the Anne books and you could have any part in making the movie, what would you choose to do? (screenwriting, acting, casting, costume-making are a few possibilities)

Casting and costume-making...also set-finder-person-who-travels-all-over-and-sees-gorgeous-places. :)

7. What are, in your opinion, the funniest AGG book/movie scenes? (choose one from the books and one from the movies)

Funniest book scene? Oy vay. Um...I've always loved the part when Anne is talking to Mr. Harris and finding herself contradicted at every point. Also when she and Diana are soliciting for their A.V.I.S. society and Anne gets stuck half-way through the roof of the duck-house and has to stay there. She starts scribbling down a story while waiting for help--I love it! It sounds like something I might do in a desperate moment. :D

 

In the movies? I do love her argument with Mrs. Lynde over Dolly. Also the scene where she and Diana hop onto Miss Josephine Barry in the bed, and where she and Diana are walking through the Haunted Wood and faint. :D

8. What are, in your opinion, the saddest AGG book/movie scenes? (choose one of each again) 

In the movie, the scene where Anne realizes she loves Gilbert and he is in mortal danger...the might-have-been in that scene is so sad!

In the book, I would have to say when the Ingleside bunch finds out that Walter was killed in the war...or else when Anne's baby dies. :(

9. Which AGG character would you most like to spend an afternoon with? (again, Anne and Gilbert and Diana are not options for this one--think secondary characters)

Phillipa Gordon--she and I would get along brilliantly, I think. :)

10.  What is your definition of a kindred spirit?

A kindred spirit is the person you can just look at and know they are a friend. There is something electric in their manner that captivates you. I have a blood-hound's nose for finding kindred spirits. When you meet a person you will know they are a kindred spirit by the way they laugh or talk or stand...I can't describe it, but it's there. If you doubt this definition, you have not heard the story of one of my dearest friends and I. I saw her at a mutual friend's graduation. She fascinated me but I was too shy to meet her. We never exchanged a single word. I went home and wrote about the graduation in my journal and mentioned her as a girl who I knew I would love and I said I wished I'd summoned my courage and introduced myself. Over a year later we began emailing (through a series of events) and finally officially met at the same friend's barn-dance. We have been inseparable ever since. :) It was my greatest success! ;)

The echoings of me: Favorite Things

It all began with Abigail--she may wish to deny it by now but she can't. Jenny followed it up with a favorite-things post of her own, and the clenching fist of the matter, the thing that decided I would play dominoes with the rest, was Anna's post at Insanity Comes Naturally. After these three posts I knew I would have to follow suit. It is my way.
This post, I assume, is not as needful as their posts, for I am not a reticent creature. I am not at all mysterious [which I've heard the gentlemen find alluring] and I am not aloof. [which has a charm of its own] That does not mean that I have not depth, nor does it mean that you know everything about me. It simply stands to reason that I tell you more about myself that they are inclined to do. But I digress. In short, I can only assume that you have a fairly good idea of me already. But my favorite things will come out on their own accord whether I devote a whole post to them or not. I will submit to their clamoring and give you a list. Here you are. I give you the echoings of me:

 Scottish accents--any over-there accents, really/smooth-flowing pens/liquid sunsets/baby-laughter/unexpected letters in the mail/dancing/full, swingy skirts/50's fashion/the triumph in finishing a book/kisses from Grace/Disney classics/Love/freckles/genuine red hair--the Celtic kind, not from the bottle, please/P.G. Tips/pomegranates/witty banter/moonlight/starlight/first light/ half-light/amethyst dusk/brooks/gloriously satisfying books/historical sites/musical theatre music/ the High Kings/ the Psalms/ long walks having conversations with the Lover of my Soul/travelling/the rush of panic-hilarity that comes as I push off the top of a hill when skiiing/music/singing my heart out when no one is listening/thick-enough aprons/heirloom flowers/larkspur/delphinium/Beatrix Potter/watercolor painting/fits of laughter/witty people/dear heart-friends/period-dramas/period costumes/ costume designing/ raspberry jam/Cricket, my Rum-Tum-Tugger/storms/blog comments/free samples/smooth, silky hair/new friends/social occasions/picnics/ramblings/contacts/tin-lizzies/cinnamon buns/Virginia/cute kids/laughter again.

There could be more. There are more. But I am a person of many favorites--you might call me exuberant, colorful, and easy to please. Aren't these things precious gifts?

Announcing the "Heigh-Ho" Giveaway!

It is with very great excitement [and a dash of jealousy] that I announce the "Heigh-Ho for a Husband" giveaway! The lovely, writing and literature-themed Etsy.com shop: Michelle Mach has graciously condescended to sponsor this week's giveaway with something I have been swooning over for the past two weeks. You want to see? You're going to love it....

Oh yes. Genuine fountain-pen nibs made into earrings! 

Aren't they amazing?

I am entirely wishing I was able to be a participant in this giveaway right now! :D

The Fountain-Pen Earring Giveaway beings today, January 26, 2012, and runs to February 12, 2012. 

The giveaway will close at 11:59 p.m., Feb. 12.

Oh the ways you can win!

So here is how you can enter this giveaway to win these adorable earrings! (And to clarify, this giveaway is entirely different than the Writing Contest--I haven't announced the prize for that yet.)

Mandatory Entry:

Visit the MichelleMach shop and pick out your favorite things, then come back here and tell me about them in a comment.

One entry

Bonus Entries:

Follow this blog--two entries

Heart the shop on Etsy.com--two entries

Blog about this giveaway--two entries

Blog about this blog-party and writing contest--three entries

Buy something from the Michelle Mach shop--five entries

Now the most important thing to remember is this: 

All entries must be given in separate comment for each entry.  Therefore, if your bonus entry is following this blog, you must leave me two comments telling me you follow the blog. It's the easiest way for me to count correctly and enter you enough times in the giveaway! :) All entries that are lumped together in one comment will only be counted as one entry. So go ahead and start entering! I know you will love the earrings!

Some of my favorites from the Michelle Mach shop:

The "Etc." ring

Typewriter Necklace

Metal Flower Necklace

And knowing how much I adore Dickens...

Oliver Twist earrings! :)

What are your favorites? Let the entries begin!

Another Favorite Author...

I cannot believe that out of the scores of posts I've written on my dear blog, I have not done a single one about an author that has actually (now that I go back and read her again) vastly shaped my writing . Two authors, actually, but this post is only about the one. (Edith Nesbit and I have a kinship in our children characters, I do believe) This woman was the marvelous Eleanor Estes.

As a child, among the legions of books Mama read aloud to us, lurked many about the Moffats. Now and then we had one about the Pyes thrown in, and a very odd story (that I like now) called "The Hundred Dresses". It's rather sad actually, that when I look up this precious author on Wikipedia, they say very little about her. Apparently the world is very deprived of one of its best children's authors. I have to say, Eleanor Estes is brilliant. She had C.S. Lewis' knack of pinning down childrens' (sometimes) abstract thoughts. Her books, without exception, take you back to a time when life was simpler, summer stretched for what seemed like years, and one had time to think of things like The Oldest Inhabitant, what a street looked like from a certain fence, and what your mother (a seamstress') modelling bust was named. She is a master in the art of telling a simple story in a captivating way, and I love her books fiercely. :) [Not to mention they are illustrated by the wonderful Edward Ardizonne who was a genius. :]

Read them if you ever get a chance. That's all.

Among the ranks of her characters, one is my absolute favorite: "Uncle Bennie". He's only 4, but he's certainly an uncle, and his thought-process absolutely cracks me up. He wonders what "Great Relish" tastes like. After all, his older sister (Jerry and Rachel Pye's mother) is always saying people ate her dinners with "great relish." He catches crickets and names them all "Sam" because he doesn't  know which is which. When he wants them to sing all he has to do is say, "Sing, Sams." And one or another will start to chirp. He is a darling, and by the first paragraph about him, you're in love. :) Pretty nearly by the first paragraph of any of her books, you're hooked. I highly recommend Eleanor Estes as an under-appreciated but thoroughly deserving author. Please rummage up one of her books at the library ASAP. :)

"At first Uncle Bennie's mother did not want him to go. A whole summer seemed like such an awfully long time to be parted from him. But since he was looking pale, having just had the chicken-pox, she finally said, "All right."
After all, Uncle Bennie would be with Mrs. Pye, who was his own big sister, which made him the uncle of Jerry and Rachel, though he was not half as old. He was only three, and he had been born an uncle. Some people are never uncles, but he had been one from the start, ever since he was a minute old; a minute-old uncle is what he had once been.
Since his mother still looked sad at the idea of a long separation, Uncle Bennie said to her, "If the fire's too hot on that island that's on fire, I'll come back. I'll swim back. I can swim, you know," he said indignantly, though so far no one had said he couldn't. "On the bottom of the bath-tub, I swim."
                                     ~Pinky Pye by Eleanor Estes

Gold--pure gold

"All That is Gold"

J.R.R. Tolkien

All that is gold does not glitter,

Not all those who wander are lost;

The old that is strong does not wither,

Deep roots are not reached by the frost.

From the ashes a fire shall be woken,

A light from the shadows shall spring;

Renewed shall be blade that was broken,

The crownless again shall be king.

I would be woefully amiss if I did not mention that I count Tolkien among the best of my favorite poets. His poetry does something to me. Strikes chords of passion and emotion I didn't know were there, bids me go a'gypsing, and generally makes me sigh with an echo shaking my heart that says, "This is genius, this is beauty, this is gold." And in these moments I can't even think "I wish I could write like that" because in the face of such gold, there's no room for anything but quiet wonder.