I came across these links on the web page of my Old & Middle Enlglish Lit. professor and felt compelled to share the mirth.
Chaucer’s Blog
Beowulf Meets Godzilla
Grendel’s Dog: from BeoCAT
and finally
the Historic Tale Construction Kit
Enjoy!
Archive for August, 2008
28
Aug
Short Stories – Musings
I’ve been reading quite a few short stories lately and I have to say that they are enjoyable. Short stories are something that I think the general populace undervalues. Sure, we’ve all read them in high school or junior high. We’ve slogged through The Tell-Tale Heart, A Rose for Emily, Barn Burning, and others for class. We’ve even written papers or given presentations over them. Desperate for a grade, we’ve pleaded with our brains to find out what exactly it means.
Then, when class ends; when we’ve passed the test or chucked the paper onto the teacher’s desk, we wipe it from our minds with a certain amount of relief.
So when was the last time you read a short story for fun?
If the answer is never, I understand completely. However, now that I’ve been doing it for class I find that there are some quite enjoyable short stories out there. If you like to read, then you realize that sometimes you just don’t seem to have the time for a whole book even if you desperately want to read something that suits the way you feel that day, or that will pick you up a bit. On that premise, I offer a suggestion: find a book of short stories. Personally, I like Edgar Allen Poe, but to be fair most of his poems and short stories are melancholy. So have a look around at the book store, or online. It turns out that many authors compose short stories. It’s just sort of difficult to find them if you don’t know where to look.
Check out the bookstore, and if you’re really gung-ho about it, you can check out the local college bookstore for it. After all, that’s where I’m getting most of my short story reading material.
I don’t plan on selling that book back, either. I’m having way too much fun.
This book was a wonderful change of pace for me. It’s a first by Rosemary Harris, but it looks like this book is the forerunner of a series and I’m quite looking forward to the next publication.
The story begins with the main character, Paula, finding the mummified corpse of a baby while digging at Halycon – a local landmark garden. Needless to say, the police get involved shortly thereafter, but things start to spiral out of control as it becomes clear that finding the baby has brought up several other local secrets and mysteries. In the small suburb to New York, people hold their secrets quite dear, and Paula faces the challenge of uncovering who is trying to stop her dead in her tracks. Literally. Read the rest of this entry »
20
Aug
Mort, by Terry Pratchett
Mort is a boy.
A gangly, clumsy, well-intentioned and yet somehow disastrous boy that seems to be made mostly of knees. With all the love that can be mustered, Mort is sent out to learn to be an apprentice to…someone. Someone whose job is fairly eternal and who has suddenly felt the desire for an assistant – and likes cats. Read the rest of this entry »
Archive Re-publish:If you’re thinking you’ve seen this before then you’re right. I’ve decided that The Dresden Files need more attention from readers – not that the series is hurting for fans. I have loved every book published in this series and I plan to go back and re-read them soon. I also enjoyed the short-lived television series. I still wish for my Season Two.
And with that note, read on…
This is one of those books that keep you going without mercy. There aren’t any lulls, so if you like that sort of fast-paced action in your literary diet, you’ll enjoy this book. My only complaint would be that Butcher sort of throws you into the story with a sink-or-swim mentality. If I’d picked one of these up in the store, it would’ve been a tough sell.
I did, however, enjoy this book immensely. Jim Butcher has an excellent vocabulary – which I must say is high praise coming from me – and he uses imagery to the best effect. There were parts of this book that I wanted to read aloud, just the hear the way the words flowed because the writing was very poetic at times. I also liked that this was written as a narrative from the main character – Harry Blackstone Copperfield Dresden – rather than being narrated by some unknown omniscient entity from on high. Read the rest of this entry »
“Vampire, Interrupted” is the long-anticipated story of Marguerite Argeneau.
Marguerite is the head of the Argeneau clan, and as the mother of several sons and one daughter she has been very attentive to the needs of her brood – to the point of “helping” them find their significant others so that they may enjoy the fulfilling lives that can only be experienced by those who have found their lifemate. Read the rest of this entry »
16
Aug
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Twilight the Movie will be out November 21, 2008.
After seeing the trailers and the media up on the site, I have to admit, I’m pretty excited. Having read the books, I’m not sure how well they will translate to the big screen, but I have high hopes.
I will definitely be in the theaters for this one.
“Acheron” has been widely anticipated by fans of Keyon’s Dark-Hunter series.
Acheron himself has been somewhat of a mystery. In the succession of books we are given hints and small insight into the man, but that only serves to deepen the mystery surrounding him. Where did he come from? Why does he possess some of those little idiosyncrasies? What, exactly, are his powers? Does he have hopes? Dreams? Each fact we gain served to make us ask more questions.
Finally, in this book, we are allowed a few answers. Read the rest of this entry »
Everyone on the Discworld knows that all wizards are male, and real magic is for wizards only. Oh, there are witches out there – women who practice headology, herbology, and fly around on broomsticks. They even instill a certain respect in the locals, but they are certainly not wizards.
Except for one…slight…miscalculation. Read the rest of this entry »