Comments on: lost books

By: TangognaT » Lost book found

TangognaT » Lost book found — Fri, 29 Dec 2006 06:04:55 +0000

[...] One of my “lost books” was A.A. Milne’s Once On a Time. I lent it to someone many years ago and didn’t get it back, but I never got around to ordering it from one of the many online book stores that helps you track down out of print books. I found it in a used bookstore here a couple months ago! I only have the paperback version, I’d like to get a hardcover copy some day. Fortunately even though it is out of print, it seems to still be in plentiful supply at many used bookstores. Here are a few passages for you, from this “fairytale for adults”. King Merrywig of Euralia sat at breakfast on his castle walls. He lifted the gold cover from the gold dish in front of him, selected a trout, and conveyed it carefully to his gold plate. He was a man of simple tastes, but when you have an aunt with the newly aquired gift of turning anything she touches into gold, you must let her practice sometimes. In another age it might have been fretwork. [...]

By: Tanuki

Tanuki — Thu, 05 Jan 2006 21:21:30 +0000

Hi. Something about my “you’re welcome” message evoked your spam blocker (surely I haven’t been that much of a nuisance?! ). Rather than repeat in full: thank you for all the manga you have recommended, least I can do is recommend some kidlit. The Nils is online, link off the Wikipedia article on the book; apparently v. 2 (Further Adventures of …) is abridged, but with the author’s collaboration. Having just re-read the last chapter and feeling the tears prickling in my eyes (drat this cubicle environment!), I’d say the magic is still there …

By: tangognat

tangognat — Wed, 04 Jan 2006 23:08:57 +0000

Thanks for the kids lit tips! I haven’t read any of the titles you’ve mentioned. I’m working my way through the Borrible trilogy, but when I’m done with that I’m going to seek out some of these titles

By: Tanuki

Tanuki — Wed, 04 Jan 2006 19:07:53 +0000

After you’ve finished with the Diana Wynne Jones — have you ever read Carol Kendall’s The Gammage Cup? I wouldn’t want a single child to be without it, and my grown-up friends to whom I have commended this book generally react with a heart-felt “Where was this book when I needed it?!”

And after that — Selma Lagerlof’s Wonderful Adventures of Nils Holgersson (to this day, as old as I am, I find myself calling after the flying geese: Here am I, where are you?), Tove Jansson’s Moominvalley books (just don’t start with Moominvalley in November, it won’t make much impact if you don’t already know the Moomins), or Paul Stewart’s Edge Chronicles books — if there’s one thing Stewart does superbly, it’s world building, so don’t let the weak plot of v. 1 put you off. (I want a Banderbear!!!!)

Just to get you started, should you wish to continue in the kidlit vein …

By: tangognat

tangognat — Sun, 25 Dec 2005 00:55:21 +0000

I only started reading Diana Wynne Jones books for the first time this past year, so I’m glad they came back into print too!

By: cathy

cathy — Sat, 24 Dec 2005 19:33:25 +0000

One of the best side effects of the whole Harry Potter craze was that the Diana Wynne Jones books came back into print. I was always afraid the library copy of Howl’s Moving Castle would disappear and I’d never be able to read it again…

By: rose read

rose read — Sat, 24 Dec 2005 04:17:01 +0000

I’m glad to hear about the D’Aulaires’ book coming back into print. It was one of my favorite books to get from the library.