TRYING TO CATCH UP

Well, Rob's "cruise" is over, and a fine time was had by all.  I had to put myself in intensive care over the weekend (figuratively speaking) to recover from our whirlwind of activity, but I think I'm okay now.  If you have any interest in reading about our week, click on the sidebar link to my other journal.

There's a heap of books in the sidebar that I've read and not talked about, isn't there?  Got to get busy and do something about that, though currently I am doing work with the Sussex County for Kerry group that is taking up a lot of time.  I'm still reading, of course, just not having as much time to post about it.  I do want to mention a couple of recent books:  Stardust, by Neil Gaiman, to start with.  I would call this a fairy tale for adults, though I think teenage readers would also enjoy it.  It's a beautiful little fantasy, about expanding horizons, seeing the beauty in differences, adventure, and romance.  I've now read everything I can find in our county library system by Gaiman, and have to start looking in bookstores for other stuff.  He's written some books with other writers, and of course there's the Sandman series of graphic novels.  Neverwhere was a lot darker than Stardust, though not quite as dark as American Gods.  Gaiman seems fascinated by the idea of alternate worlds that exist alongside the one we see daily.  In Stardust the other world was that of Faery, a land of witches, fairies, fallen stars, enchantment of all sorts.  In Neverwhere, the alternate reality took place in the London underground, literally.  Yes, the Underground of the tube, but not the one commuters see; rather a complicated world of shifting realities and locations, where enchantment also reigned - but there was a good deal of nastiness.  I love these books, and want him to do nothing but write.  Neil - stop paying attention to your family, taking vacations, or, for that matter, showers or baths.  Chain yourself to your word processor and write, write, write, 24/7!!

 "Resonance" by John William Waterhouse

The other books are also fantasies, two little books for young people (ages 11 - 14, I'd say)  by Alice Hoffman, Indigo and Aquamarine.  These are extremely attractive books, small in size, with exquisite designs.  They both are posited on the existence of mermaids, and are charming tales of friendship and adventure. What is it that makes mermaids such an enduring figure in art, myth, and literature?  It's not only children who are fascinated by them, they have been an object of fascination down through history, appearing in Babylonian art and myth, continuing into Walt Disney's adaptation of Hans Christian Anderson's story.  Are we, somehow, related?  Do you believe in mer-people?  Even just a little?

At the moment I'm reading a collection of Anna Quindlen's essays from the NYT and NewsWeek, called Loud and Clear.  I'm not really a reader of nonfiction, but I like Quindlen's take on things and am enjoying this.  The pieces are very short, really sometimes too short, but very quotable and I'll probably be quoting them soon.