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What is the last book of the Old Testament of The Bible?	Books of the Bible: Old Testament Home \| Meet The Master \| Bible Study \| Prayer Closet \| Dreams \| Daily Devotionals \| Spiritual Q&A \| Our Ministry The Books of the Bible: The Old Testament is the collection of books comprising the sacred scripture of the Hebrews and recording their history as the chosen people; the first half of the Christian Bible. After you review a short synopsis of each book, take a look at some INSIGHTS TO SCRIPTURE so you can more than "know" - you will start to "grow". Genesis "Beginnings." Takes us from creation through the establishment of the covenant with Abraham, and ends with the death of Joseph in Egypt. What's the first indication that God would provide a solution to the sin problem? Read Messiah to find out. How did Abraham negotiate for Sodom and Gomorrah? Read Abraham-Master Negotiator to find out. Is Evolution really true? Read Evolution Revolution to find out. Exodus The main story is the deliverance of Israel from the bondage of Egypt, the Ten Commandments, and the establishment of the Tabernacle. Leviticus The rules of the law relating to every day life lived out in holiness before God. A key word is "holy" which appears more than 80 times. Does the Bible recommend New Year's resolutions? See Not Your Typical New Year's Resolutions Numbers Wanderings in the wilderness: the Israelites travel from Mount Sinai to the River Jordan. Contains the famous story of the twelve spies sent into the land of Canaan. (Chapter 13) Waiting on God? Character counts! See Character Study: Moses - Humility Deuteronomy Deuteronomy is the "second reading" of the law by Moses as a reminder to the people of their special covenant with God in preparation of entering the Promised Land. Note: The first five books of the Bible are called the Pentateuch, meaning "five scrolls". Because of their unity, they are more like five sections of one book and can be viewed as a whole. Top Joshua Joshua takes over leadership of the people; they enter the land of Canaan and begin to take possession of their inheritance. Contains the fall of Jericho and the beautiful story of Rahab the prostitute who becomes part of the lineage of Christ. (Chapter 2) What you speak matters. Read more in What Did You Say? Judges The time in which Israel is ruled by Judges. There is a constant cycle of disobedience to God, oppression by an enemy, a turning back to God and then deliverance. Famous last line of the book is "In those days there was no king in Israel; everyone did what was right in his own eyes." (Note: Kind of reminds you of today doesn't it?) How does your courage compare? See in Deborah - God's Iron Lady Should we test God? Read more in Gideon - Testing God Ruth Set during the time of Judges, Ruth exemplifies loyalty and courage in contrast to the nation's constant rebellion. Only four chapters long but power packed and still a best loved book. Boaz is seen as a type of Christ in this book as the "Kinsman redeemer." Famous line: "For wherever you go, I will go: and wherever you lodge, I will lodge; your people shall be my people, and your God, my God." If you long for God's restoration read Call Me "Mara" 1 Samuel Beginning with Hannah's cry for a son and the resulting birth of Samuel, this book tells the story of the beginning of the era of kings over Israel. Saul is established as the first king but is rejected through disobedience and David begins to ascend. The story of David and Goliath is in Chapter 17. The book ends with the death of Saul. Read the story of Hannah, an ordinary woman living in extraordinary times: Great Prayers of the Bible - Hannah . What difference in character made all the difference for these two kings? Character Study: Saul & David . 2 Samuel Ascendance of David to the throne of Israel and the 40 years of his reign. David restores the Ark back to Jerusalem, subdues his enemies and Israel is established as a major power. There are many famous stories in this book, a major one being David and Bathsheba, (Chapter 11) and the birth of Solomon. 1 Kings 1 Kings begins with the death of King David and the rule of Solomon in his place. Solomon requested wisdom from God as he began his kingship and became known as the wisest man who ever lived. Even today the term, "the wisdom of Solomon" is used and understood. Other key events are the building of the Temple, the visit of the Queen of Sheba, the emergence of the prophets Elijah and Elisha. Read Solomon's full story in: Read Great Prayers of the Bible-Solomon 2 Kings Spanning about three hundred years, this book chronicles the numerous kings both faithful and unfaithful to God. By now there are two kingdoms, Judah and Israel, due to a split in the tribes after Solomon's death. In the end, both kingdoms are led away into captivity as punishment for their deep rebellion and apostasy against God. These books are heart wrenching as you watch a cycle of sin end in devastating consequences that God never intended. 1 Chronicles This book, plus 2 Chronicles is a retelling of 1 and 2 Kings but from a different viewpoint. Assumption is made that the reader knows the history of the reigns of the kings. Written after their return from captivity in Babylon, the readers are reminded of their glorious past and why God's judgment was deserved and an admonition that the people must never let this falling away happen again. Top 2 Chronicles A continuation of the history as in 1 Chronicles. A famous scripture from this book is 2 Chronicles 7:14, "If My people who are called by My name will humble themselves, and pray and seek My face, and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin and heal their land." This cry has been going up for many years in the American church and throughout prayer circles as a plea to bring much needed revival to the United States. Going through tough economic times? Read Hard Times for help not dependent on circumstances. Ezra The story of the Jew's return from exile in Babylon and the rebuilding of the Temple in Jerusalem. Ezra is a priest filled with holiness and zeal for true worship to return to the people. His name literally means, "The Lord has helped." The theme of the book is restoration. Nehemiah Nehemiah continues the story of Ezra and the restoration; in fact, in times past these two books were seen as one. Nehemiah's name means "Yahweh Comforts" which is one reason this master builder and organizer is often viewed as a type of the Holy Spirit. Because of his strong leadership abilities and inspired organization skills this is a good book to study by business people. Nehemiah, as Governor of Jerusalem, was a passionate intercessor and highly organized leader. Esther The book of Esther takes place during exile in Persia and recounts the plot to exterminate the Jewish nation. Since Esther has miraculously become Queen, she is in a unique position to foil the evil plot. Her cousin Mordecai utters this famous quote to Esther regarding her divine destiny: "Yet who knows whether you have come to the kingdom for such a time as this?" (Chapter 4:14) Top Job Righteous Job is tested by God through Satan and in the end God's confidence in him is well placed. My favorite passage is "Shall we indeed accept good from God and not accept adversity?" (Chapter 2:10) In other words, do we only like God's sovereignty when it works in our favor? I'm afraid the answer is often yes. What was so great about Job's confession? Read Great Prayers - Job's Confession Is it okay to complain about your troubles? Read When Why Becomes Whine Have you already tried every type of prayer with no results? Read Prayer of Relinquishment Psalms 150 hymns or songs to God, a great number written by David. Beautiful, emotional, heart wrenching, brutally honest, breathtaking poetry, this is the best place to go in the Bible for comfort and intimacy with the Lord. If you struggle with gripping fear, please read ALL My Fears For those trapped in a cult, read Life In A Gated-Community Proverbs A collection of pithy little nuggets of wisdom. Full of practical advice about all the major and mundane issues of life. There are 31 chapters in Proverbs making it a good book to study through in a month by taking one chapter every day. Then start over; there's no end to how much wisdom you need! Can you teach your children how to serve God? Read Spiritual DNA-How To Pass It On Are you a prophet? Learn more about HOW to deliver your message in Prophecy: Delivery with Wisdom Ecclesiastes Part of the wisdom literature of the Bible, the writer calls himself the "Preacher" on a quest for the true meaning of life. The book may initially come across as cynical since everything in life is "vanity." A passage in common usage still today is from Chapter 3:1-8 which begins; "To everything there is a season, a time for every purpose under heaven: A time to be born, and a time to die…" Need time management help? Read Time Enough Top Song of Solomon A celebration of romance, human sexuality and passionate love between a man and woman. This book is often "spiritualized" by the Church, seeing the ardor between the two lovers as representing the love of Christ for His Bride-the Church. Perhaps that is true but there is no reason to believe that was the original intent or the way it was seen by the original readers who may not have been as prudish as later generations. This is a lovely book which puts God's seal of approval on human sexuality in case there was any doubt. Isaiah Isaiah prophesied about the coming judgment and captivity while Israel was still prosperous and quite unwilling to be concerned. Still, his proclamations are full of hope about restoration and redemption and a major thrust of the book is the promise of the coming Messiah. (See Chapter 11 and particularly Chapter 53) Who is the Messiah and what did the prophets say about him? See Name of God: Messiah Jeremiah Known as the weeping prophet, Jeremiah lived to see the prophesied destruction of Jerusalem he knew would happen but took no pleasure in being right. He was reviled by his contemporaries and the people and the kings tried to put him to death. His tenacity in the face of such harsh long term persecution is remarkable and a testimony to God's great grace working in his life. Famous passage is from Chapter 29:11; "For I know the plans that I have for you, declares the Lord, plans for welfare and not for calamity to give you a future and a hope." What kind of prayer has no words? Read Travail - Liquid Prayer Lamentations Top Ezekiel Ezekiel means "God strengthens." His ministry occurred during the early years of the Babylonian exile. The book is filled with fantastic visions and divine revelations. One of the best known is the one in Chapter 37 about the valley of the dry bones. Daniel A prophet who came to have great authority and favor in the reign of Nebuchadnezzar during the Babylonian exile. His visions and prophesies mainly dealt with the future and with the End Times. Therefore, Daniel is greatly studied today for signs of fulfillment regarding the return of Christ. The famous story of Daniel in the Lion's Den (Chapter 6) and the story of Shadrach, Meshach and Abed-nego in the fiery furnace (Chapter 3) are from this book. Daniel has much to say to workers in Marketplace Witness-Integrity on the Job Who is the Supreme Court Justice of the whole universe? Call on the Ancient of Days Hosea This book proclaims the themes of God's love to His covenant people despite their unfaithfulness. God instructs Hosea to marry a woman who is unfaithful to him over and over as parable of His own relationship of faithfulness to unfaithful Israel. Joel This book of prophecy contains the phenomenal prophecy about the time coming when God's Spirit would be poured out on all flesh: "And it shall come to pass afterward that I will pour out My Spirit on all flesh; your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, your old men shall dream dreams, your young men shall see visions. And also on My menservants and on My maidservants I will pour out My Spirit in those days." (Chapter 2:28-29) This prophecy was fulfilled on the Day of Pentecost according to the Book of Acts and continues to be fulfilled during this age of grace we are still living in today until Christ returns. Top Amos Amos was a shepherd called to prophesy to Israel, the Northern Kingdom. He speaks of justice for the poor which was totally lacking at that time. Martin Luther King used this passage of scripture to depict the justice for African Americans that he was longing for: "But let justice roll down like waters and righteousness like an ever-flowing stream." (Chapter 5:24) Obadiah A prophecy against Edom. The Edomites were descendants of Esau so they were actually kin of Israel but because God's covenant with Abraham went through Jacob instead of the elder brother Esau there was jealousy and bitterness between the two peoples. Obadiah denounces Edom's pride. Herod the Great, who ruled the Jews at the birth of Christ, was a descendant of the Edomites. Jonah Small book but a whale of a big story. Actually, we don't know that it was a whale that swallowed Jonah as the Bible account says, "great fish." This is the story of God reaching out to the pagan people of Nineveh and calling them to repentance through the reluctant prophet, Jonah. Nineveh does actually repent at Jonah's preaching and this makes him mad as the Ninevites had been oppressors of the Jews. Jesus compares his own coming burial time with the time Jonah spent inside the fish. (See Matthew 12:39-41) Don't miss more detail in: Jonah-Out of the Depths . Micah Micah prophecies to Samaria and Jerusalem against the constant idolatry and the exploitation of the poor from greedy business people. It is in Micah that we find out that Bethlehem will be the birthplace of the expected Messiah. "But as for you, Bethlehem Ephrathah, too little to be among the clans of Judah, from you One will go forth for Me to be ruler in Israel." (Chapter 5:1-2) Another oft quoted passage dealing with the prophetic nature of the book is; "What does the Lord require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God." (Chapter 6:8) Top Nahum Again dealing with Nineveh, this is prophecy of God's judgment against the city and the whole Assyrian Empire. While God had used Assyria to punish adulterous Israel, now the destroyer will be destroyed. Habakkuk The prophet Habakkuk asks many of the same questions we still ask today; where is God's justice and why does evil flourish? But the great passage in the end of the book proclaims God's great faithfulness and trustworthiness. "Though the fig tree should not blossom, and there be no fruit on the vines, Though the yield of the olive should fail, and the fields produce no food, Though the flock should be cut off from the fold, and there be no cattle in the stalls, Yet I will exult in the Lord, I will rejoice in the God of my salvation. The Lord God is my strength, and He has made my feet like hinds' feet, and makes me walk on my high places." (Chapter 3:17-19) If you prayer walk, this information will help evaluate your city: Does Your City Have "Woes"? Zephaniah Zephaniah means "the Lord hides" and indicates God's power to hide and protect his worshipers in times of danger. In this prophecy, God promises to keep a remnant, "But I will leave among you a humble and lowly people, and they will take refuge in the name of the Lord." (Chapter 3:12) Top Haggai A prophet who ministered to the remnant who returned to Jerusalem after the 70 years Babylonian captivity. He entreats them to keep their priorities right and to complete the rebuilding of the Temple. This will ensure God's blessings. Zechariah Zechariah's name means "Yahweh Remembers." There are eight visions given to the prophet in this book which had meaning at the time to God's people and still have relevance today. God asks Zechariah to convey his great love and concern for his people and there is a powerful coronation scene which speaks of the coming Messiah in Chapter 6. Malachi The last book of the Old Testament, Malachi warns against indifference toward God especially through insincere sacrifice that is only lip service and not real worship. True tithing is called for and the keeping of the marriage covenant. New Testament gospel writers saw John the Baptist as fulfilling the prophecy of Malachi 4:5, "Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet before the coming of the great and dreadful day of the Lord. And he will turn the hearts of the fathers to the children, and hearts of the children to their fathers, Lest I come and strike the earth with a curse." Now, would you like to go on and review the NEW TESTAMENT books? OR would you like to get right into some BIBLE STUDY?	Malachi
Which race horse won the Cheltenham Gold Cup in 1989?	Who Wrote the Bible? - Amazing Bible Timeline with World History Amazing Bible Timeline with World History Easily See 6017 Years of Biblical and World History Together! Menu September 16, 2016 Who Wrote the Bible? The word Bible comes from a Latin form of the Greek word Biblia which means “little books.” The Bible refers to the collection of 66 books from different authors compiled to make up what we refer to today as “The Holy Bible”. Thirty-nine of the original books kept by ancient Israel in Hebrew are the ones we know today as The Old Testament. The last section of the Bible known familiarly as The New Testament is comprised of 27 books or letters written in Greek. The Greek used was not formal Greek, but the conversational Greek used at the time of the Apostles . [This article continues after a message from the authors] These Articles are Written by the Publishers of The Amazing Bible Timeline Quickly See 6000 Years of Bible and World History Together Unique Circular Format – see more in less space. Learn facts that you can’t learn just from reading the Bible Attractive design ideal for your home, office, church … Limited Time Offer! Find out more now! > Forty men shared in the writing of the Bible over a span of about 1,600 years from the time of Moses to the last book written by John. The last book of the Old Testament, Malachi, was written about 443 B.C. The first book of the New Testament, Matthew, was written about 40 A.D. leaving a 500-year gap between the Old and New Testament books. Below is a table showing when each book was written, where, by whom and the time frame covered. This is in the order of when each book was written. [The symbol “a.” means after, “b.” means before and “c.” means circa or about.] Book “In the Wilderness beginning” to 1657 B.C. Wilderness Over 140 years between 1657 and 1473 11 years of Judges’ rule Israel After 1 Chronicles 9:44, 1077-537 Jerusalem (?) You Will Be Surprised To Learn These 5 Facts From The Bible! Watch This Short Video Now! Take advantage of our Limited Time Offer Amazing Bible Timeline and Free Maps was $29.97 now $19.97 Save Even More Buy one get a second one for just $10 (Free bonuses included)! 1. Order Now! And get Interactive Maps of the Holy Land (a $15.00 value) Free! 2. Second Free Bonus - Digital Amazing Bible Timeline (also a $15.00 value)! 3. Additional Surprise bonuses over the next month. It truly is the gift that keeps on giving. 32 thoughts on “Who Wrote the Bible?” Jeffrey Folk July 26, 2013 I have heard it said that Luke wrote 27% – and Paul wrote 25% of the New Testament. It does not appear to be that way in your charts. I’m not trying to be a pessimist. I would prefer that we knew who wrote Hebrews especially. If you noticed, his greeting or signature was not the usual greeting that he used in all of his other books. August 21, 2013 I wanted to kindly follow up with a final question/thought. I am thinking and thinking, and the only logical thing for me to accept as real, is the fact that a creator made the complex human bodies that we live in. The way our heart pumps blood to the way our eyes blink to the way we feel pain, and senses, to the way we think with our brains, and reproduce with our sexual organs, to the way we have blood flowing through our veins, all these point to the fact that only God could have created us. I am not even going to talk about other creation such as fish, whales, birds, trees, the moon, stars, snakes, turtles, frogs, insects, bears,etc. So with all of this monumental proof on God’s existence and creation, why is it that atheists still believe there is no God? Shouldn’t this evidence I listed be an overwhelming push for a God in the mind of an atheist? Where do atheists believe they came from? The ‘Big Bang” theory? How could a “bang” start everything? Where did the “everything” come from? Your thoughts please. Thank you once again. Michael August 21, 2013 I agree with you but I can’t answer for atheists since I’ve never thought like that. Although it might help to keep in mind that God exists outside of time (see Isaiah 57:15 and Revelation 1:8) and no science that depends on time applies to God – for example the speed of light (so much distance in so much time.) Those laws do not apply to God. According to Einstein a being who exists outside of time is theoretically possible. October 7, 2013 Just my thought but I think they are just looking to be different. I mean come on….I can see y people might think evolution might be real but then even they would have to stop and look at how even the very first creatures got on this planet or how the sun was created or the Universe for that matter. The atheists……. September 11, 2013 Michael, I will take a stab at answering your question of why atheists may not believe that God created them. Obviously, this is just one perspective. You mention the complexity of the human body as being evidence that only God could have created such a complex creature. Consider that someone else could look at that same complexity as evidence that God did not create man. Why would God create such a complex creature that has to be down (sleep) one third of their life; that has to eat and drink several times every day to survive, a creature that easily gets sick, and a creature who stops functioning over a relatively brief period of time. Some might ask, how could man be anything else but a creature of environmental evolution? People have been brought up to accept the dogma of the church without considering other perspectives. It is said that God proved his love of man by allowing his son to be crucified to forgive man sins. Some might say that was a sign of a sick mind (would you allow your son to be crucified before you forgave someone?). Some read about some of the things done by God and Jesus that humans are incapable of doing and therefore claim that only a deity could do such things. Other people would say those things are not possible, and therefore, did not occur. It is all perspective. September 11, 2013 Those are both good and typical responses. I’m only answering this because I keep hearing that statement – what kind of sick, twisted God sends his Son to suffer? What kind of God would send his son to suffer for us? (atheist conclusion – only a sick and twisted one; Christian conclusion – one who understood the need and loved us enough to do so) Why have mortal bodies? The answer to both are related and depend on the answer to this question 1. here’s the question. Have you ever done anything to hurt another person that you can never make up for? (and vice versa) No matter how sorry you are, no matter how much good you do from now on, is there any pain you’ve caused that you can’t repair? If your answer is yes then that is the reason for Christ. Since we have all failed we must rely on Christ to bring us back to God. 2. If there is no Christ, the universe is both unjust and unmerciful. If the person forgives, there is mercy but he is left without repayment so there is no justice. On the other hand, if there is no forgiveness there is no mercy. How to have both justice and mercy? With Christ, God is able to be both just and merciful. Christ did not suffer without cause – nor was he forced to suffer. He understood the need and freely chose to do it. – he suffered that he might be wounded as we are, that he might be able to understand our griefs and pains and heal us of them. And he suffered to pay the price for our sins that we cannot. That makes him our savior. For millenia Christians have testified this is true. His healing of our wounds is complete because he both paid the price and suffered our griefs. (Isaiah 53:4) We do not forgive in a vacuum. People often overlook the justice of his act while concentrating on the mercy (I can be forgiven even though I cannot make up for it.) The justice is he heals us because he understands the depth of our own suffering – how could he understand without suffering that himself? Why a mortal body? That is the gift. Our bodies and spirits are connected so that as we suffer from our own acts and the acts of others, our bodies suffer and are damaged by our sins and the sins committed against us. Death frees us from that and as our healing is made complete we are given new, immortal bodies. But of course, then you have to accept life after death, resurrection and immortality. Also, many people have questioned the teachings with which they are raised. And have tried and tested them. The fact that they have chosen to keep them does not mean they never questioned them or have not considered other perspectives. December 6, 2013 Lord Jesus did not come to bring a new morality or a philosophy on earth. He brought a Holy Tradition (Church Tr.) through which man is -REMADE- by Gods Grace to -a new kind of a human being- never known or seen on earth or heaven before… a new creation! [Colossians 3 10] “And have put on the new man, which is renewed in knowledge after the image of him that created him”: MAN HAS A DIVINE INHERITANCE AND A DIVINE DESTINATION A Saint is a -New Creation- on Earth The coming of Lord Jesus introduced into man kind a -New Creation- (a new kind of human being) for Lord Jesus himself was the first one, He was conceived by the -Holy Sprit- and -Mary- His mother while remaining a virgin. Lord Jesus is a New Creation (God and man) consisting of 2 natures. The divine nature God Logos (Truth Spoken Words) and the human one, a man .God Logos, who is the second Person in the Holy Triad, became a -Godman by nature- in this way. The purpose of the creation of His Church by the Apostles where He was to preside eternally as Height Priest [Hebrews 5:5], was to serve man as to also becoming a godmen but -by the Grace of God- a supernatural condition that testifies to union with God known as Sainthood, Salvation or Holiness. (Peter 1, 16) “Be Holy because I am Holy”. Before the coming of Lord Jesus and in the absence of the Church it was impossible for man to know God personally, to see God and live. In [Exodus 33:20] we are informed why. “And he said, Thou canst not see my face: for there shall no man see me, and live”. (Note: The Holy Light that we see in Jerusalem Saturday Orthodox Easter each year is a creation of God, just like the fire on the burning bush was a creation of God and not God Himself.) The philanthropist God, delivered His only begotten Son (God Logos) not to only teach, but to die on the Cross, defeat death as a man, become -the first born- of a New Creation of man (Godman) in order to then become the -head of His Body the Church- where man could receive -the Therapy needed- to exceed their human nature, to become Holy, a condition also known as Eternal Life. [Colossians 1:18] “And he is the head of the body, the church: who is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead; that in all things he might have the preeminence “. So in simple words, God (God Logos) became man in order for man to become –god- (Saint) but with the Grace of God. This is how Paul describes His personal experience, as being a new creation. [Gal 2:20] “So that it is no longer I who live, but it is Christ who lives in me” Paul admits that God (Christ) lives in him, making him this way a god-man by His Grace, a way of being never seen on heaven or earth before. [Galatians 6:15] “For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision availeth anything, nor uncircumcision, but a new creature”. So the heavenly Kingdom is NOT a “place” it is “a way of being” a UNION of man with God Creator Himself, begotten and experienced from this here life. [Luke 17:21] No one will say, “Look here it is”! Or, “There it is!” because the Kingdom of God is within you”. This is how the Apostles and the Saints did/do their miracles…it is not man that does them it is the God (Holy Spirit) within! The most important words in verse [John 17:3] that go un noticed are the words “knowing you” Most people today think they know Lord Jesus because they study the Holy Bible however if you think about it they only know Him philosophically this way. However there are those in the Church who have exceeded in prayer and fasting while following the Therapy (Holy Tradition) of the Church who were -enabled- throu the 2000 year life of the Church to know Him PERSONALLY, they see Him and speak to Him personally, and stay in His Divine Light (Presence) for hours or even days. To know Him personally (to one day live in His Presence in the Holy city), means first Union with Him, it is a -Part Take- with the Holy Spirit that can only take place in the heart. [2 Corinthians: 4:6]. “God makes His Light shine in our hearts, to bring us the knowledge of God’s glory shining in the face of Christ. So the Therapy of the Church is consettraded on the part that leaves the body after death the centre of mans psychosomatic self the ill begotten heart (soul). [Matthew 15-19] “For out of the heart proceed evil thoughts, murders, adulteries, fornications, thefts, false witness, blasphemies”: Furthermore Vainglory, selfishness, jealousy, hatred, murder, lustfulness, gastritis, stinginess, are all PASSIONS “adopted” by he heart that FORCE man (the mind) in a un natural acts that are known as SIN. The Orthodox Christians consecrate not upwards but inwards towards their heart when praying, hoping they were cleansed from sin through the redeeming life of the Church enabling their selves this way to becoming worthy to witness His Glory (Light) and get from God Revelation. (Luke 17:21) No one will say, “Look here it is”! Or, “There it is!” because the Kingdom of God is within you”. So -Holy Tradition- in essence is everything delivered by the Apposes unchanged, begotten the day of Pentecost by the Holy Spirit for the Salvation (theosis) of man. Sainthood-Holiness (In the Orthodox Tradition the term Sainthood is not a moral or an ethical term, it is an ontological transformation verifiable on the Remains of Saints after death and after exhuming the body). Holy Remains 1) It is an Orthodox Monastic Tradition worldwide, to exhume the monks’ bodies 5 years after their death. Their remains are then placed in special charnel houses and at the same time the Monastery monks are given the chance to establish first hand if their brother monk brings signs of Holiness on his remain. In reality what they are looking to ascertain is: 2) Whether the remain (the bones) have acquired a honey- gold color, 3) Ascertain if a distinct beautiful scent (aroma) ascends from the monk’s relic. 4) In some cases (that are not rare) like in the case of Saint Demetrios the “fragrant” who lived the 3rd century, His Holy Remains gush out a semi liquid aromatic unction that looks like honey. Every year the 3rd of November, the delegation of His Temple in Thessalonica Greece, opens His reliquary (that is permanently located in the Church), in order to gather from the Holy Remain His unction on cotton balls, so that the faithful ones can keep them as a special blessing. 5) It is well known among Christians of the Orthodox Church, that the Holy Remains (and the unction) are known to cure even the most incurable diseases and illnesses. The Holy Fathers of the Orthodox Church explain that the Gold and Aromatic Remains of a monk are signs of holiness, that are begotten as a result of an actual physical transformation or a metamorphosis that is ontological that takes place during the monk’s natural life. The Holy Fathers explain that this metamorphosis constitutes the needed proof that during the monk’s natural life he managed to become a “vessel” of the Holy Spirit. The Holy Fathers resemble the transformed Holy Remains of the monk with an iron that has become incandescent (transformed) after being put to the fire. Even thought the iron returns to what it seems to be its natural form and shape after being placed in the fire, a close examination reveals a change of colon and the presence of a powder like residue. This is the reason why the term Saint is not a moral (ethical) term in Orthodoxy, but an ontological (physical) one that is verifiable. The glory found on holy remains is a prefiguration of this new glorified way of being (holiness) of the body. The Grace of God that sanctifies the holy remains with aroma is mentioned in the Holy Bible in (2 Corinthians 2: 14, 15). 14. “We owe thanks to God, because while he wins and while being triumphant, he always carries us all about in his triumph as deacons of his victory that takes place for Christ and his gospel”. 15. “Because we the apostles and the preachers of the gospel are indeed the scent of Christ that is pleasing to God˙ a scent amongst those who are saved and also amongst those who are sentenced to eternal loss”. The same –Grace- is known to be transmitted through various objects (f.i. clothing and other objects) that come into contact with the bodies of Saints resulting to miracle making. (Matthew 20, 22), 20. “And, behold, a woman, which was diseased with an issue of blood twelve years, came behind [him], and touched the hem of his garment”: 21. “For she said within herself, If I may but touch his garment, I shall be whole”. 22 “But Jesus turned him about, and when he saw her, he said, Daughter, be of good comfort; thy faith hath made thee whole. And the woman was made whole from that hour”. Oil was also used to removed demons and cure men and women by anointing them with it. (Mark 6:13) “And they cast out many devils, and anointed with oil many that were sick, and healed them.” They also cured the ill by using handkerchiefs or aprons. (Acts 19:12) “So that from his body were brought unto the sick handkerchiefs or aprons, and the diseases departed from them, and the evil spirits went out of them.” In order for God to protect the monk from arrogance or protect him (or her) from other people that might want to harm him because of jealousy, allows the rest of us to see this metamorphosis (the signs of Sainthood) after death and after we exhume the body. The most significant event that is EVER going to take after His Second Coming and after Resurrection will be the ASCENSION of our Lord Jesus with His Saints to the Heavenly Jerusalem prepared by God before creation for those who became worthy. (Revelation 21:10) “And he carried me away in the spirit to a great and high mountain, and shewed me that great city, the holy Jerusalem, descending out of heaven from God”. In the Holy city of Jerusalem, there is going to be no need for the presence of a sun and there is going to be no need for a Church for Lord Jesus (God Logos) will be eternally present as Height Priest and King in the order of Melxisedec. Divine Liturgy (and Divine Thanks) as delivered by the Apostles will be a part of the lives of the Saints just like it has been a part of their lives always. The Saints who became “gods by the Grace of God” with live along with Lord Jesus who is God by nature in a relationship that is best described as one of a royal FAMILY. (Luke 22:30) “That ye may eat and drink at my table in my kingdom, and sit on thrones judging the twelve tribes of Israel”. A Word About Church History (Ephesians 4, 5) “One Church One Faith One Baptism” Scholars estimate there are over 2600 groups today who lay claim to being the Church, or at least the direct descendants of the Church described in the New Testament. Repeat: 2600! But for the first thousand years of her history the Church was essentially one. Five historic Patriarchal centers–Jerusalem; Antioch, Rome, Alexandria, and Constantinople– formed a cohesive whole and were in full communion with each other. There were occasional heretical or schismatic groups going their own way, to be sure; but the Church was unified until the 11th century. Then, in events culminating in A.D.1054, the Roman Patriarch pulled away from the other four, pursuing his long-developing claim of universal headship of the Church. Today, nearly a thousand years later, the other four Patriarchates remain intact, in full communion, maintaining that Orthodox apostolic faith of the inspired New Testament record and (Ephesians 4, 5) “One Church, One Faith and One Baptism”. The Orthodox Church and her history is described herein, from Pentecost to the present day. What is the Orthodox Church? (a short and fun video to tell the story) December 27, 2013 Faith is the purposeful suspension of critical thinking. Try to step outside of your religious faith and what you believe to be true for just a moment to use logical thought. What you learn might surprise you. If you study human psychology, geology, anthropology, etc. you can come to the very logical conclusion that religion is illogical. If your faith is absolute truth, then you shouldn’t fear thinking differently in the search for absolute truth. I have studied both Christianity and various fields of science extensively in a collegiate setting and have formed my own personal beliefs. All I ask is you open your mind and do the same. Everything has a reason and explanation other than “God can do anything.” December 27, 2013 Actually you are incorrect in a number of ways. Faith is the power by which unseen things are brought into reality similar to the process by which a building goes from an idea to an actual building. Faith in God and faith in prayer is the power by which we become more like our father. At my age and with a degree in math, as a person who has done much study and work in the sciences I can affirm that God in reality does exist, using the same methods I use to test science. God invites us to use the method of science to discover him “prove me herewith” (Malachi) or again “If any man will do his will, he shall know of the doctrine, whether it be of God, or whether I speak of myself (John 7:17) Once a person has done that, he or she no longer is living by faith but by the certainty of God and the power of His word. December 29, 2013 To state that “everything has a reason and explanation” is somehow daring. What we have learned for the past 2000 years is that we don’t really know much… For example, we can see there is gravity, and we can measure it, but can’t explain it. We “discovered” everything started from nothing (the big bang) but can’t explain it. The list could be long. But everything we have learned or discovered can actually be found in the Bible (creation from nothing, evolution, mankind above the animal kingdom, etc.). If interested, look at http://www.seder-olam.info/seder-olam-g00-creation.html . But of course, nobody could “prove” the existence of God. It is a matter of Faith. Yet, everything that is around us is could have possibly happened out of “chance” because this would require an infinite succession of improbable events. Chance on one impossible event may indeed happen, but chance on so many impossible events is really… (mathematically) impossible. December 31, 2013 why should it matter of time, the beging of gensis alone states god created the heavens and the earth +the stars and everything you see on a daily aspect without a god and teaching of living a better life there would be no purpose of life(this is where faith comes in). i agree it should be dated…(and is being proved more and more) but time in meaning- Time is a dimension in which events can be ordered from the past through the present into future. It is proven in our day in time history has lied to us through the books that are studied by our kids .The bible argues the point that their is a force of good vs evil(fact their is) for ex. god speaks his son coming to earth to, for what a crucifiction? not only this was he sent to earth to be crucifide but he was sent by himself to prove to man he does exsist? how can u believe in something you cant see? easy faith. god said if we had faith the size of a mustard seed we could move moutains only through him that is. if u cant believe in teachings of good then youll be easily fooled by evil the world is hypnotized by evil forces to distract us from the truth! He is the only truth in out history! Take a look around you, what has god gave man? the knowledge that surrounds u in every aspect! nothing would be possible if not for god! things can be broken down in ur daily entertainment of television, fact there is a non believing society in america known as illumant(free mason) their beliefs are for a one world government! meaning they stand for1 religion(their own worshiping D(evil) 1 nation(embacy already there) 1 currency(a computerchip or beast) this country was founded on that. Why does the preident have a little black book of secrets that has been passed down in most of the generations living today. wasnt this country founded on free belief? everyones freedoms are slowly being stripped awaythe only way to stop this evil is through gods love! for he loved you so much he gave his only son to die for u and i, and majority people deny him or question him like he is some kind of president! no hes the creator of all for he should be worshiped like he is the a mazing god he is. Society is doomed unless god decideth to put a leader for him, but godhas promised us eternal life only through true salvation by him no man can giveth salvation, but only man point in direction of salvation. Fellow christians our time is near the D(evil) is living today who it is shouldnt matter what matter is that gods love be spread to stop the power of evil. Man cometh short of the glory but many does the glory live in! i hope fear doesnt scare you for god is the rightousness that remove thy fears! fear not but live in gods namee for he is the one with knowledge of all things! heaven vs hell(go)od vs D(evil) notice u cant spell good without god n evil is within the devil. January 11, 2014 We can talk all day giving different ideas. We can think about when the Bible was written. We can talk about any part of religion you want, but in the end, it won’t be books or scholars or scientists who think they have found ways to explain everything without reference to God; it will be the faith that lives in your heart alone. We need to follow God and Jesus with blind faith! You either believe and trust the Lord and go to heaven and live for eternity in that beautiful place and actually live with our Lord. Or, you can not believe. You can decide that everything happens has a logical reason and when you die, you can spend eternity in a hellish existence in Hell, tortured for eternity. Eternity is a very very long time!!! No ending ever. If we are going to decide which way we are going to go, I think I’ll take the high road! There are too many instances in the world that really can’t be explained. Miracles do happen. Stop and take a look at your life. Has there ever been something so wonderful happen to you that you can’t believe it is real. It’s not a coincidence. There are no coincidences. The Lord likes doing nice things for us. There have been too many of my needs met when I knew no way to meet them. There have been too many wonderful happy things happen in my life that have no reason they should have happened. I know who did these things for me. I trusted in God, and he hasn’t let me down yet. Anyway, if we are going to pick, Heaven or Hell without any basis on faith, I’ll take Heaven and God. It will be the safest way to go. And it certainly can’t hurt! April 23, 2014 Why does comforts of money and greed are the things people see? It’s baffling why can’t they look for the meaning of life and see the SHOCKING sense of how we can be so LUCKY/BLESSED to be here? How being alive on this one planet that sustains life among so many non life supporting objects in the Universe? How many jigsaw puzzle pieces that had to come together so perfectly just for us to take a breath? Do you know how many sperm there are? So that one could win the race to life? Do you recognize the perfect curves and functions of the body to allow us to live WITHOUT ONE question of ONE body part that makes no sense? How can you live in your skin with ignoring the almighty question of – HOW DID THIS HAPPEN? Life is SO precious, right down to the ant! Why waste it away looking at what’s cool, what’s in fashion, what jewelry you wear? Those things are the dead things that tie you down to ignorance. Seeking wisdom is what finds you, with God that comes into the picture. Your questions are the ONLY things you ultimately have……your questions can make ALL the difference!!! And your soul is what you find in the end. Your soul is greater than any money or gold. As life is but a test, to see if you really know what to do with your eyes!!!	i don't know
‘Well, nobody’s perfect’ is the last line of which 1959 film?	Some Like It Hot (1959) - Quotes - IMDb Some Like It Hot (1959) Showing all 69 items [last lines] Jerry : Oh no you don't! Osgood, I'm gonna level with you. We can't get married at all. Jerry : I smoke! I smoke all the time! Osgood : I don't care. Jerry : Well, I have a terrible past. For three years now, I've been living with a saxophone player. Osgood : I forgive you. Jerry : [tragically] I can never have children! Osgood : We can adopt some. Jerry : But you don't understand, Osgood! Ohh... [Jerry finally gives up and pulls off his wig] Jerry : [normal voice] I'm a man! Osgood : [shrugs] Well, nobody's perfect! [Jerry looks on with disbelief as Osgood continues smiling with indifference. Fade out] Junior : Syncopators. Does that mean you play that very fast music... jazz? Sugar : Yeah. Real Hot. Osgood : I am Osgood Fielding the third. Daphne : I'm Cinderella the second. [at the booking office, trying to be hired] Joe : What kind of a band is this, anyway? Sig Poliakoff : You gotta be under twenty-five. Jerry : We could pass for that. Sig Poliakoff : You gotta be blonde. Jerry : We could dye our hair. Sig Poliakoff : And you gotta be girls. Joe : [trying to get Jerry to face reality regarding his engagement to Osgood] Jerry, Jerry, will you take my advice? Forget about the whole thing, will ya? Just keep telling yourself: you're a boy, you're a boy. Jerry : I'm a boy. Joe : That's the boy. Jerry : [coming around] I'm a boy. I'm a boy. I wish I were dead. I'm a boy. Boy, oh boy, am I a boy. Now, what am I gonna do about my engagement present? Joe : What engagement present? Jerry : Osgood gave me a bracelet. Joe : [takes it and inspects the stones with Beinstock's glasses] Hey, these are real diamonds! Jerry : Of course they're real! What do you think? My fiance is a bum?	Some Like It Hot
Bocconi University is in which European city?	Some Like It Hot (Film) - TV Tropes Some Like It Hot You need to login to do this. Get Known if you don't have an account Share Film / Some Like It Hot × "Well, nobody's perfect." — Osgood Fielding III A classic 1959 comedy film directed by Billy Wilder , who also wrote the screenplay along with frequent collaborator I. A. L. Diamond. Chicago , 1929 : Joe ( Tony Curtis ) and Jerry ( Jack Lemmon ) are down-on-their-luck jazz musicians who become accidental witnesses to the Valentine's Day Massacre. Unfortunately, being known to be a witness to a massacre is something the mob will kill people over , and Joe and Jerry have been spotted, so they need to get out of Chicago fast. It so happens that an all-girl band which is leaving town by train has openings for a bass player and a tenor saxophonist. This does mean that Joe and Jerry will have to pretend to be women , but they consider this better than dying. Donning makeup, wigs and dresses, they introduce themselves as Josephine and Daphne (Jerry prefers that to Geraldine). The lead singer of the band is called Sugar, and she is beautiful ( Marilyn Monroe !). She has a weakness for tenor saxophonists, which is why her current band is girls only (she thinks). She is attractive to the men, and they both have to remember that they're supposed to be girls. The train ends up in Miami , where the band has a gig in a hotel. Sugar expresses the desire to be romanced by a millionaire, and Joe decides to take up another ID as a (male) millionaire to court her. Meanwhile, real millionaire Osgood Fielding III (Joe E. Brown) is courting "Daphne", and Jerry is starting to like it for more than the presents... which is unfortunate, since he's still a guy biologically. The coup de grâce comes when Joe and Jerry learn that the hotel is booked for a friends of Italian opera convention... attended by "Spats" Colombo (George Raft) and his gang, the very mobsters they fled Chicago to escape. Adapted as a stage musical , Sugar, in 1972. This was revived 20 years later as Some Like It Hot: The Musical, with Tony Curtis (this time playing Osgood) headlining the cast. Character tropes go on to the Characters Sheet . This film provides examples of:	i don't know
What is the system of sending messages by holding the arms, or two flags, in certain positions according to an alphabetic code?	semaphore - definition of semaphore in English \| Oxford Dictionaries Definition of semaphore in English: semaphore noun 1[mass noun] A system of sending messages by holding the arms or two flags or poles in certain positions according to an alphabetic code: ‘if you learn semaphore or the Morse code, you'll have a fun way to send messages’ More example sentences ‘It blinked in binary and semaphore, and clattered in Morse code.’ ‘They rely on team-mates at the other end to direct them, using highly untechnical language plus a kind of bowling semaphore for the hard-of-hearing.’ ‘Use of semaphore flags was limited to within range of telescopes in earlier days and binoculars today.’ ‘Devices like this were not some kind of semaphore code, but simple, effective images that we could easily respond to.’ ‘Rochlitz doesn't know what to do with the chorus, who strut in formation and communicate in semaphore, though he is insightful when it comes to the principals.’ ‘Theft of the enemy's semaphore codebooks became an important part of the business of war.’ ‘You can operate an optical telegraph as used in the Napoleonic wars, crank up second world war field telephones and learn to read Morse and semaphore.’ ‘This was thanks largely to what the East Germans called ‘stepped steering’, which appeared to communicate direction to the wheels by some sort of vague semaphore system.’ ‘Mobile phone users had no greater incidence of cancer of the brain than did people who communicated by only using semaphore flags or pushing notes in forked sticks carried by native runners.’ ‘She can calculate the location of a missing ice cream man from hints in photographs, she can build an action figure replica of her father from scratch, and she can use semaphore to pass messages between two feuding brothers.’ ‘The development of spin off technologies, such as the telegraph and semaphore flags, linked Civil War commanders on the first information net.’ ‘Possession of these books allowed British ships or personnel placed ashore to read the signals being relayed by the semaphore stations, which frequently included operational tasking to French fleet units.’ ‘I have stood on the shed and waved my arms about the place making ham-fisted attempts at semaphore.’ ‘Chappe moved to a secure semaphore system (the Chappe code assigns numbers to flag positions; the meaning of these numbers is known only to those in charge).’ ‘They will also be resurrecting the old semaphore in the grounds of Fort Selwyn in a daily demonstration to honour the Chappe brothers, who caused a sensation with the first commercial semaphore system near Paris.’ ‘Throwing the balls out to the players, they hold their hands in the air like a secret sporting semaphore.’ ‘The varied orientations of tiny fold patterns in the smallest grid boxes recall semaphore flags or suggest LED elements in a Times Square news zipper - except never in a hue as garish as red.’ ‘Mr Emergency finally arrives after frantic hand signals from me from afar whilst still talking to him on the mobile. Good job he didn't understand semaphore.’ ‘Getting changed after swimming (it's got easier again, but I still must look like someone doing semaphore underwater), and a dad comes in with his two children - who are both girls.’ ‘The signalling system is being upgraded from the mechanical semaphore system to a modern computerised one.’ 1.1[count noun] An apparatus for sending messages by semaphore, consisting of an upright with movable parts: ‘the room was long enough to need a semaphore to signal from one end to the other’ More example sentences ‘As they both maintain a tenacious grip on the receiver and attempt to get it away from the other, their arms swing from side to side like a signaling semaphore.’ ‘Pebble hides the details of interrupts from higher-level components and uses only semaphores for synchronization.’ ‘Like semaphores signaling an ambiguous statement, the chairs face away from the figures in the penultimate picture and virtually disappear in the varnished penumbra that concludes the final work of the cycle.’ ‘She fans her movements outward toward the sides of the body like a semaphore of swooping and crumpling limbs.’ ‘The protocol stack has to be ported to the OS; the Bluetooth solution generally takes five days or less and requires the following OS resources: 2 semaphores, 1 timer, and 1 event flag.’ 1.2[count noun] A signal sent by semaphore: figurative ‘I saw Edward jumping up and down, performing an elaborate semaphore with his hat’ More example sentences ‘Sometimes I think of people as solitary automatons, sending out messages like semaphores that read: help.’ ‘Only three operations may be performed on a semaphore, all of which are atomic: initialize, decrement, and increment.’ verb Which of the following is correct? The climactic game is well edited The climatic game is well edited Which of the following is correct? The ending's climatic and heart-breaking The ending's climactic and heart-breaking Which of the following is correct? Birds are challenged by climatic variability Birds are challenged by climactic variability Which of the following is correct? She escaped in the climatic final scene She escaped in the climactic final scene Which of the following is correct? The world has 14 climactic zones The world has 14 climatic zones Which of the following is correct? The movie has a couple of climatic shocks The movie has a couple of climactic shocks Which of the following is correct? This is a periodic climatic phenomenon This is a periodic climactic phenomenon Which of the following is correct? This is the story's climatic moment This is the story's climactic moment Which of the following is correct? The music reached a climatic crescendo The music reached a climactic crescendo Which of the following is correct? They reunite in the movie's climactic finale They reunite in the movie's climatic finale You scored /10 practise again? Retry	Flag semaphore
Who are the rival gangs in the 1961 film ‘West Side Story’?	American Flyer Semaphore Block Signal 588 Instructions \| TrainDR Select Page American Flyer Semaphore Block Signal 588 Instructions These are the installation instructions furnished by the A. C. Gilbert Co. to customers to aid them in the installation and operation of American Flyer equipment. Specifically, this bulletin is for the American Flyer Semaphore Block Signal 588 Installation instructions. A semaphore was used to signal train engineers with key information regarding the use of rail lines. A semaphore is a system of sending messages by holding the arms or two flags or poles in certain positions according to an alphabetic code. Unlike the American Flyer Accessory 758 and 758A, the 588 was a manual semaphore. The top of the mast, flag and lamp along with the ladder are re-used parts from the 588 semaphore that was cataloged pre-war and again post-war. The instructions below provide for both a single train and track as well as for operating two trains. Instructions for Setting Up and Operating No. 588 Semaphore Block Signal – Page 1 Instructions for Setting Up and Operating No. 588 Semaphore Block Signal – Page 2 Recommended Books	i don't know
The Korac Cup was played for in which sport?	Yahoo Sports \| Sports News, Scores, Fantasy Games Chicago Cubs President Theo Epstein shares his 20% rule for getting ahead in your career Theo Epstein, president of baseball operations for the Chicago Cubs, became one of the most important people in Major League Baseball by following a rule that fast-tracked his career. It set him up to achieve what many thought was impossible, a resurrection of the Chicago Cubs. After 108 years, the team won the World Series again in 2016. "Whoever your boss is, or your bosses are, they have 20 percent of their job that they just don't like," Epstein tells David Axelrod on his podcast, "The Axe Files." "So if you can ask them or figure out what that 20 percent is, and figure out a way to do it for them, you'll make them really happy, improve their quality of life and their work experience." In Sports College basketball Power Rankings, Jan. 19: North Carolina into the top 5 Saturday’s top 10 clash between North Carolina and Florida State told us a lot about both teams, and almost all of it was positive. As Creighton coach Greg McDermott said at a Wednesday press conference that was both reflective and upbeat, nobody died. The fact that McDermott had to give that reminder	Basketball
A ‘Destrier’ was the name of what, used by a medieval knight in battle?	Korac cup 2016 scores, Basketball Serbia - FlashScore Show more matches results SA÷3¬~ZA÷SERBIA: Korac cup¬ZEE÷fqfusgXM¬ZB÷167¬ZY÷Serbia¬ZC÷rJOC7WeU¬ZD÷p¬ZE÷lKeR7E8k¬ZF÷0¬ZO÷0¬ZG÷2¬ZH÷167_fqfusgXM¬ZJ÷2¬ZL÷/basketball/serbia/korac-cup/¬ZX÷02Serbia 006Serbia0020000000153000Korac cup 009ac cup000¬ZCC÷0¬~AA÷jNYDZtG6¬AD÷1456084800¬AB÷3¬CR÷3¬AC÷3¬CX÷Mega Leks¬ER÷Final¬AX÷0¬BX÷-1¬WM÷MEG¬AE÷Mega Leks¬WU÷kk-mega-leks¬AS÷1¬AZ÷1¬BY÷2¬AG÷85¬BA÷24¬BC÷22¬BE÷20¬BG÷19¬WN÷PAR¬AF÷Partizan¬WV÷partizan¬AH÷80¬BB÷23¬BD÷25¬BF÷16¬BH÷16¬AN÷n¬~AA÷pYonfpMG¬AD÷1455998400¬AB÷3¬CR÷3¬AC÷3¬CX÷Crvena zvezda mts¬ER÷Semi-finals¬AX÷0¬BX÷-1¬WM÷CRV¬AE÷Crvena zvezda mts¬WU÷crvena-zvezda-mts¬AG÷60¬BA÷13¬BC÷12¬BE÷14¬BG÷21¬WN÷PAR¬AF÷Partizan¬WV÷partizan¬AS÷2¬AZ÷2¬BZ÷1¬AH÷68¬BB÷17¬BD÷16¬BF÷19¬BH÷16¬AN÷n¬~AA÷KEAQmTtf¬AD÷1455984000¬AB÷3¬CR÷3¬AC÷3¬CX÷Mega Leks¬ER÷Semi-finals¬AX÷0¬BX÷-1¬WM÷MEG¬AE÷Mega Leks¬WU÷kk-mega-leks¬AS÷1¬AZ÷1¬BY÷1¬AG÷97¬BA÷22¬BC÷25¬BE÷34¬BG÷16¬WN÷MET¬AF÷KK Metalac¬WV÷kk-metalac¬AH÷86¬BB÷20¬BD÷16¬BF÷24¬BH÷26¬AN÷n¬~AA÷OABbnSrH¬AD÷1455912000¬AB÷3¬CR÷3¬AC÷3¬CX÷Crvena zvezda mts¬ER÷Quarter-finals¬AX÷0¬BX÷-1¬WN÷SME¬AF÷Smederevo¬WV÷smederevo¬AH÷44¬BB÷12¬BD÷12¬BF÷11¬BH÷9¬WM÷CRV¬AE÷Crvena zvezda mts¬WU÷crvena-zvezda-mts¬AS÷1¬AZ÷1¬BY÷1¬AG÷89¬BA÷30¬BC÷17¬BE÷14¬BG÷28¬AN÷n¬~AA÷A77fm8TA¬AD÷1455901200¬AB÷3¬CR÷3¬AC÷10¬CX÷KK Metalac¬ER÷Quarter-finals¬AX÷0¬BX÷-1¬WM÷MET¬AE÷KK Metalac¬WU÷kk-metalac¬AS÷1¬AZ÷0¬BY÷1¬AG÷96¬AT÷84¬BI÷12¬BA÷19¬BC÷21¬BE÷22¬BG÷22¬WN÷BOR¬AF÷Borac¬WV÷borac¬AZ÷0¬AH÷86¬AU÷84¬BJ÷2¬BB÷26¬BD÷14¬BF÷28¬BH÷16¬AN÷n¬~AA÷6Z03onbN¬AD÷1455825600¬AB÷3¬CR÷3¬AC÷3¬CX÷Partizan¬ER÷Quarter-finals¬AX÷0¬BX÷-1¬WM÷PAR¬AE÷Partizan¬WU÷partizan¬AS÷1¬AZ÷1¬BY÷1¬AG÷85¬BA÷24¬BC÷25¬BE÷18¬BG÷18¬WN÷BEO¬AF÷FMP Beograd¬WV÷fmp-beograd¬AH÷83¬BB÷21¬BD÷19¬BF÷17¬BH÷26¬AN÷n¬~AA÷Gp8jllE4¬AD÷1455811200¬AB÷3¬CR÷3¬AC÷3¬CX÷Konstantin¬ER÷Quarter-finals¬AX÷0¬BX÷-1¬WN÷MEG¬AF÷Mega Leks¬WV÷kk-mega-leks¬AS÷2¬AZ÷2¬BZ÷1¬AH÷78¬BB÷13¬BD÷22¬BF÷24¬BH÷19¬WM÷KON¬AE÷Konstantin¬WU÷kk-konstantin¬AG÷61¬BA÷17¬BC÷15¬BE÷20¬BG÷9¬AN÷n¬~ 3	i don't know
In poetry, a tercet is a stanza in a poem made up of how many lines?	Stanzas - Couplet, Tercet And Quatrain, Poetic Techniques by Tynea Lewis more by Tynea Lewis Published on February 2014 Just like other forms of writing, poetry needs to be organized. Stanzas provide a structure for that organization. Each stanza is made up of a varying number of lines, just like paragraphs are made up of sentences. Each line can be a phrase or complete sentence, depending on the format of the poem. When put together in a stanza, these lines convey a larger idea. Many poets use one of these common formats to create stanzas. Certain types of poems also use a combination of them. Couplet A couplet is a set of two lines that usually rhyme. One More © Maranda G. Brice When the sunny skies turn from blue to gray, I can't help but wonder just what you would say? I wonder if you know how many lives you have touched, Do you know that people here love you so much? Can you even know how many dreams you made come true, Or if you can hear the voices saying I love you? Do you know how many lives you have changed, And how many lives you completely rearranged? I wish I could have just one more year, Because I can't picture the rest of my life without you here. Just another chance to spend the night, and share a laugh, Another day of school with you is what I'd like to have. Do you know you'll be greatly missed by us all? Just one more time I want to hear you're voice when I call. Just one more laugh, one more time to see you walk through the door Another smile, another story, another hug, another day...Just one more. Examples of poems with couplets: You Were Inside Me If Only I Knew Inside Out Lost In The Past Make It Green Childhood Why Play At Being Real? All Good Things Come To An End Brothers Tercet A tercet is a set of three lines that may or may not rhyme. A Minute © Patricia A. Gordon Every one young or old Needs someone to listen As their stories are told The difference is yours to make A minute from your busy day Is all it would take Take a minute and lend an ear Listen intently To what you hear Take a minute and you will see Just how powerful Listening can be Take a minute to offer a smile and a touch You sincerity Means so much Take a minute and simply be kind A friend for life May be what you find. Examples of poems with tercets: Remember In Time Quatrain A quatrain is a set of four lines that may or may not rhyme. The Butterfly © Andres Diaz With a symphony of colors Spread on her wings, She strolls in the garden With a light footprint. She smile to the flowers, She flew by the pond, And freshen her breath By kissing the rose. Examples of poems with quatrains: Never Stop Being You I Wish I Wasn't Alone Life Without You How Can I Forget? Love's Frist Words Mask	3
William Pitt the Elder and William Pitt the Younger were British Prime Ministers during the reign of which monarch?	Poetry Types Poetry Types by Cella Bella Let me start off by saying I think all poetry is beautiful, no matter how simple or complex. I wanted to post this to share the many types of poetry and to give some insight on some of the many types of poetry you may see on P&Q. I must say, free verse is always wonderful but, you might be surprised how challenging and unique formed poetry can be. Happy writing. Types: 1. Villanelle The villanelle, in my opinion, is one of the more difficult styles of poetry. A villanelle consists of 19 lines, including five tercets and a quatrain at the end. Each tercet is made up of three lines. The rhyme scheme for each tercet is aba. (the first and last have the same end rhyme, which just means the last word in each line rhymes) The concluding quatrain consists of four lines. The rhyme scheme is abab. Now, this is where it gets tricky. Two lines are repeated throughout the entire poem. -The first line of the last stanza is repeated as the last line in the second and fourth stanzas and also as the second-to-last line of the ending quatrain. -The third line of the first stanza is repeated as the last line of the third and fifth stanza and as the last line in the ending quatrain. 2.Diamante A diamante is a seven line poem, shaped like a diamond. Line 1 consists of one word, a noun. Line 2 consists of two words, both adjectives, describing the first word. Line 3 consists of three words, all action verbs. (words ending with "ing") Line 4 consists of four words, nouns, first two words relate to line 1 and the last two words relate to line 7. Line 5 consists of three words, action verbs. (words ending with "ing") Line 6 consists of two words, adjectives, describing the last word. Line 7 consists of one word, a noun, which is a synonym or antonym to line 1. 3.Acrostic An acrostic poem uses the letters in a word to begin each line of the poem. [usually the title] All lines of the poem relate to or describe the main topic word or title. Acrostic poems do not need to rhyme but, they can if you want it to. Ex: "Poem" M 4.Sestina A sestina poem consists of six, six-line stanzas and a three-line envoy. The six words that end each of the lines of the first stanza are repeated in a different order at the end of lines in each of the subsequent five stanzas. This kind of recurrent pattern is called lexical repetition. 1 2 3 4 5 6 - end words of lines in first sestet. 6 1 5 2 4 3 - end words of lines in second sestet. 3 6 4 1 2 5 - end words of lines in third sestet. 5 3 2 6 1 4 - end words of lines in fourth sestet. 4 5 1 3 6 2 - end words of lines in fifth sestet. 2 4 6 5 3 1 - end words of lines in sixth sestet. 6,2-1,4-5,3 - middle and end words of lines in tercet This type of poetry is also rather difficult. 5.Sonnet A sonnet is a 14 lined poem in iambic pentameter. A sonnet usually is a poem about love or religion. Iambic Pentameter Iambic pentameter is a meter in poetry. It has an unrhymed line with 5 iambs or feet. Iambic means the stress is on the second syllable. Pentameter shows us that a line has five feet or clusters of two syllables adding up to ten syllables in each line. Ex. pillow/pillow/pillow/pillow/pillow When iambic pentameter is read aloud i would follow a beat like, Da-dum Da-dum. This may still be confusing, so if anyone knows of a better way to explain it, please comment. The two types of sonnets, I know of, are: The Italian Sonnet An Italian sonnet is divided into two sections. First, an octave, whith a rhyme scheme of abab,abab followed by a sestet, with a rhyme scheme of cde,cde which is an Italian sestet or a rhyme scheme of cdc,dcd, a Sicilian sestet . Octave An octave is a verse form consisting of eight lines of iambic pentameter. The most common rhyme scheme for an octave is abba,abba. Sestet A sestet is the name given to the second part of a sonnet, which must consist of an octave, of eight lines, followed by a sestet, of six lines. With a rhyme scheme of abc,cba The English Sonnet or Shakespearian has three quatrains with a concluding couplet. Couplets are two lines that work together, either as a single stanza or as part of one larger stanza. Couplets usaully have a rhyme scheme of a,a. Although there are many variations and they do not have to. 6.Triquatrain A triquatrain is a poem consisting of three quatrains. *A quatrain is a stanza of four lines, rhymed or metered. There are many variation of the quatrain, just like the couplet. -Alternating Quatrain Four lines with a rhyme scheme of abab -Envelope Stanza A Quatrain with the rhyme scheme, abba. Lines two and three would be enclosed (eveloped) within the rhyme of lines one and four. -Recondilla A spanish form written in terameter with any of the following rhyme schemes. abba,abab or aabb There are many others as well, you can look them up if you'd like. 7.Pantoum The pantoum is made with any number of alternating quatrains with lines of any length and meter. Lines two and four of each stanza become lines one and three of the following stanza. They are to be repeated in their entirety. Each stanza becomes interlocked with the stanza above and below it by rhyme and line, giving the poem a unique feel a lot like that of a Villanelle. The pantoum's last stanza takes lines one and three of the first stanza and uses them as either lines one and two, or two and four, but in reversed order. 8. Haiku and Senryu A haiku is a three lined verse, unrhymed, and is about nature. A senryu is very similar to a haiku, a three lined verse, unrhymed. The difference is, it is about human nature usually, rather than nature itself. 9.Rictameter A rictameter consists of 9 lines. The first and last lines are the same. line 1: two syllables	i don't know
Who was the first Children’s Laureate?	About the Children's Laureate \| Children's Laureate About the Children's Laureate Who is the current Waterstones Children's Laureate? Chris Riddell is the current Children's Laureate. What is the Waterstones Children's Laureate? The role of Children's Laureate is awarded once every two years to an eminent writer or illustrator of children's books to celebrate outstanding achievement in their field. The Children's Laureate receives a bursary of £15,000 and a specially designed and inscribed silver medal . Where did the idea come from? The idea for the Children's Laureate originated from a conversation between (the then) Poet Laureate Ted Hughes and children's writer Michael Morpurgo. They considered it an appropriate and timely way to combine the celebration of excellence in writing and illustration for children with honouring individuals who have made a significant and lasting contribution to the world of children’s books. Quentin Blake was the first Children's Laureate (1999-2001), followed by Anne Fine (2001-2003), Michael Morpurgo (2003-2005), Jacqueline Wilson (2005-2007), Michael Rosen (2007-2009), Anthony Browne (2009-2011), Julia Donaldson (2011-2013), Malorie Blackman (2013-2015) and Chris Riddell (2015-2017). Each Children’s Laureate has taken the opportunity to promote particular aspects of children’s books. These have included visual literacy, readers with disabilities, poetry, storytelling, illustration, drama, writing for young adults and more. What area does the Laureate cover? The role of Children's Laureate covers the UK: England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland. Wales also has its own Young People’s Laureate and Bardd Plant Cymru (Welsh Children’s Poet Laureate) For information about the Irish Children's Laureate, visit the Laureate na nÓg website . Who selects the Waterstones Children's Laureate? The selection panel consider nominations from a range of organisations representing librarians, critics, writers, literature development workers and booksellers, including the International Board on Books for Young People (IBBY). They also look at suggestions from children, who are able to put forward their ideas for who should be the next Children's Laureate through this website. The selection panel for 2015-2017 were the Children’s Laureate Steering Group, joined by Melissa Cox – head of books, Waterstones Matthew Burton – assistant head, Thornhill Community Academy What are the criteria for selecting the Children's Laureate? The selection process takes into account the following criteria: exceptional talent in writing or illustration contribution to creating the next generation of readers, writers and illustrators excellence developed through an eagerness to explore and experiment with ideas, genres and the possibilities of their craft substantial publishing record significant profile in the industry and amongst their peers interest in raising the profile of books for children, and for their writers and illustrators Who runs the Waterstones Children's Laureate? The Children's Laureate is managed by BookTrust, who support the Laureate, organise the four official Children's Laureate events per year, raise funds and run the official website. BookTrust work with Riot Communications on the Children's Laureate's press and PR. Book Trust work closely with the Children's Laureate steering committee, made up of representatives of the children's book world, who provide a range of expertise and guidance with which to support the Children's Laureate's work. The current steering committee comprises: How can I invite the Children's Laureate to visit my school, library or festival? If you would like to invite Chris Riddell to visit you for an event at a school, library or other venue during his time as Laureate, please contact Catherine Alport at [email protected] Please note that the Children's Laureate receives a huge volume of invitations, and only a limited number of events will be available. How can I get in touch with the Children's Laureate office? For any general Children's Laureate enquiries, please contact [email protected]. For press enquiries, contact [email protected]. How can I find out more about what the Children’s Laureate is doing? You can follow Chris Riddell on Twitter , Tumblr or Instagram to see his Laureate log, documenting what he is doing during his time as Children’s Laureate.	Quentin Blake
A polliwog (or pollywog) is an old English word for which creature?	Children's laureate Chris Riddell spells out joy of doodling - BBC News BBC News Children's laureate Chris Riddell spells out joy of doodling 9 June 2015 Image copyright PA/Chris Riddell Image caption Chris Riddell's books include the Goth Girl series Illustrator and author Chris Riddell wants to encourage "drawing every day" as part of his new role as children's laureate. The ninth laureate, Riddell, creator of the Goth Girl series, has taken over from Malorie Blackman. "I'm interested in illustration in all its forms," he said. "Not only in books for children but in posters, prints and performance, as a way of drawing people into books and stories." Riddell, 53, who is also a political cartoonist, was officially appointed on Tuesday at a ceremony at the British Academy of Film and Television Arts (Bafta) in London. He said he planned to put "visual literacy" at the heart of his term of office, which runs until 2017. Media captionNew Children's Laureate Chris Riddell says he wants children to draw every day He intends to keep an online visual diary of his time in the role, the Laureate's Log, and encourages families to keep their own visual diaries. Speaking to the BBC, Riddell said: "There comes a point where children decide that they can't draw. I want to say, 'don't stop drawing - carry on, and do a sketch a day.' "I think stories can grow out of the visual. It can be an engine for literacy." Riddell praised the UK's "brilliant heritage" of children's books such as Alice in Wonderland - now in its 150th anniversary year. "It is the first truly modern children's book - the illustrations are extraordinary and have entered the public imagination." Image copyright Chris Riddell Chris Riddell author and illustrator of the Goth Girl novels, the first of which won the 2013 Costa Children's Book Award two-time winner of the prestigious Kate Greenaway Medal for illustration in children's books (Pirate Diary, 2002, and Jonathan Swift's Gulliver, 2004) illustrated Neil Gaiman's The Graveyard Book, The Sleeper and the Spindle, and Fortunately the Milk work with long-time collaborator Paul Stewart includes Muddle Earth, Edge Chronicles and Wyrmeweald series political cartoonist for the Observer lives in Brighton He also highlighted the importance of school libraries. "There's a danger we can become complacent and we don't need to worry about them. "School librarians play such an enormous role in bringing children to books they are going to enjoy. It's a magic alchemy when that works." Image copyright Bloomsbury Image caption Riddell's work includes several books by Neil Gaiman The laureate role, which has bookseller Waterstones as its lead sponsor and comes with a bursary of £15,000, is awarded every two years to an eminent writer or illustrator of children's books. Previous laureates include Quentin Blake, Anne Fine, Michael Morpurgo and Jacqueline Wilson. In his inaugural speech on Tuesday, Riddell said: "I am humbled to take on this role after the giants that have come before me. "I want to put the joy of creativity, of drawing every day, of having a go and being surprised at what one can achieve with just a pencil and an idea at the heart of my term as laureate. I want to make sure people have fun whilst addressing fundamental issues I care about passionately." Riddell ended his speech by donning a Zorro-style mask and dubbing himself The Doodler - the "masked champion of artistic ambition". Abigail Campbell, who chairs the Children's Laureate steering group, said: "Chris is a creative powerhouse and clearly excited at his new position's potential. He will be listened to not just by the young people he meets, but by opinion-formers and policy-makers at the highest level. "He will inspire children and families in the work he does over the next two years. The panel cannot wait to see children's books' new superhero in action." Jasper Sutcliffe, head of buying at Foyles, said Riddell was "a fantastic choice" as the new laureate. "With his experience of publishing and illustrating over a number of different genres and age ranges, Riddell is perfectly placed to continue the brilliant work that Malorie Blackman has done in developing the readers and book buyers of the future." Previous Children's Laureates are:	i don't know
In Greek mythology, what is the name of the many-headed monster slain by Heracles?	The Twelve Labors of Hercules Arts and Entertainment > Mythology The Twelve Labors of Hercules Hercules performed twelve labors given to him by King Eurystheus of Tiryns. For twelve years, he traveled all over to complete these incredible tasks. NOTE: Because different ancient poets gave their own accounts of Hercules's labors, some details may vary. One: Kill the Nemean Lion This monster of a lion had a hide was so tough that no arrow could pierce it. Hercules stunned the beast with his olive-wood club and then strangled it with his bare hands. It is said that he skinned the lion, using the lion's sharp claws, and ever after wore its hide. Two: Kill the Lernean Hydra The evil, snakelike Hydra had nine heads. If one got hurt, two would grow in its place. But Hercules quickly sliced off the heads, while his charioteer, Iolaus, sealed the wounds with a torch. Hercules made his arrows poisonous by dipping them in the Hydra's blood. Three: Capture the Cerynian Hind The goddess Artemis loved and protected this stubborn little deer, which had gold horns. Hercules found it a challenge to capture the delicate hind without hurting it (and making Artemis angry). After following the hind for an entire year, he safely carried it away. Four: Capture the Erymanthian Boar The people of Mount Erymanthus lived in fear of this deadly animal. Hercules chased the wild boar up the mountain and into a snowdrift. He then took it in a net and brought it to King Eurystheus, who was so frightened of the beast that he hid in a huge bronze jar. Five: Clean the Augean Stables Thousands of cows lived in these stables belonging to King Augeas . They had not been cleaned in 30 years, but Hercules was told to clean them completely in a single day. To do so he made two rivers bend so that they flowed into the stables, sweeping out the filth. Six: Kill the Stymphalian Birds These murderous birds lived around Lake Stymphalos. Their claws and beaks were sharp as metal and their feathers flew like darts. Hercules scared them out of their nests with a rattle and then killed them with the poison arrows he had made from the Hydra 's blood. Seven: Capture the Cretan Bull This savage bull, kept by King Minos of Crete, was said to be insane and breathe fire. Hercules wrestled the mad beast to the ground and brought it back to King Eurystheus. Unfortunately, the king set it free, and it roamed Greece, causing terror wherever it went. Eight: Capture the Horses of Diomedes King Diomedes , leader of the Bistones, fed his bloodthirsty horses on human flesh. Hercules and his men fought and killed King Diomedes and fed the king to his horses. This made the horses tame, so that Hercules was able to lead them to King Eurystheus. Nine: Take the Girdle of the Amazon Queen Hippolyte Hercules went to the land of the Amazons , where the queen welcomed him and agreed to give him her girdle for Eurystheus's daughter. But Hera spread the rumor that Hercules came as an enemy. In the end he had to conquer the Amazons and steal the golden belt. Ten: Capture the Cattle of Geryon Geryon , a winged monster with three human bodies, had a herd of beautiful red cattle. He guarded his prized herd with the help of a giant and a vicious two-headed dog. Hercules killed Geryon, the giant, and the dog and brought the cattle to King Eurystheus. Eleven: Take the Golden Apples of the Hesperides The Hesperides were nymphs. In their garden grew golden apples protected by Ladon , a dragon with a hundred heads. Hercules struck a bargain with Atlas , who held up the earth. Hercules shouldered the earth while Atlas, the nymphs' father, fetched the apples. Twelve: Capture Cerberus Hercules was ordered to capture Cerberus , the three-headed guard dog of the underworld, without using weapons. Hercules wrestled down the dog's wild heads, and it agreed to go with him to King Eurystheus. Cerberus was soon returned unharmed to the underworld.	Hydra
A shepherd’s pie is traditionally made with which meat?	A Dictionary of Greek and Roman biography and mythology, Heracles or HERCULES A Dictionary of Greek and Roman biography and mythology William Smith, Ed. Hide browse bar Your current position in the text is marked in blue. Click anywhere in the line to jump to another position: alphabetic letter: A B C D E F G H I/J L M N O P Q R S T U/V X Z entry group: Habinnas - HAMILCAR HAMILCAR - Hanno Harma'tius - Hecame'de Hecataeus - Hegesi'stratus Hege'tor - Helioga'balus He'lios - Heracleides Heracleides - Heraclia'nus Hera'clius - Hermarchus Hermas - Hermo'genes Hermo'genes - Heron Heron - Hidrieus Hiempsal - Hila'rius or Hila'rius Arelatensis Hila'rius Diaconus or Hila'rius Diaconus - Hi'ppia Hi'ppias - Hippo'lochus Hippo'lochus - Hispallus Hispo Romanus - Ho'sius Hosi'dius Geta - Hypa'tius Hypatodo'rus - Hystaspes entry: Current location in this text. Enter a Perseus citation to go to another section or work. Full search options are on the right side and top of the page. Heracles or HERCULES （ Ἡρακλῆς ), and in Latin Hercules (Alcides), the most celebrated of all the heroes of antiquity. The traditions about him are not only the richest in substance, but also the most widely spread; for we find them not only in all the countries round the Mediterranean, but his wondrous deeds were known in the most distant countries of the ancient world. The difficulty of presenting a complete view of these traditions was felt even by the ancients ( Diod. 4.8 ); and in order to give a general survey, we must divide the subject, mentioning first the Greek legends and their gradual development, next the Roman legends, and lastly those of the East (Egypt, Phoenicia). The traditions about Heracles appear in their national purity down to the time of Herodotus; for although there may be some foreign ingredients, yet the whole character of the hero, his armour, his exploits, and the scenes of his action, are all essentially Greek. But the poets of the time of Herodotus and of the subsequent periods introduced considerable alterations, which were probably derived from the east or Egypt, for every nation of antiquity as well as of modern times had or has some traditions of heroes of superhuman strength and power. Now while in the earliest Greek legends Heracles is a purely human hero, as the conqueror of men and cities, he afterwards appears as the subduer of monstrous animals, and is connected in a variety of ways with astronomical phaenomena. According to Homer ( Hom. Il. 18.118 ), Heracles was the son of Zeus by Alcmene of Thebes in Boeotia, and the favourite of his father. ( Il. 14.250 , 323 , 19.98 , Od. 11.266, 620, 21.25, 36.) His stepfather was Amphitryon. ( Il. 5.392 , Od. 11.269 ; Hes. Scut. Herc. 165.) Amphitryon was the son of Alcaeus, the son of Perseus, and Alcmene was a grand-daughter of Perseus. Hence Heracles belonged to the family of Perseus. The story of his birth runs thus. Amphitryon, after having slain Electryon, was expelled from Argos, and went with his wife Alcmene to Thebes, where he was received and purified by his uncle Creon. Alcmene was yet a maiden, in accordance with a vow which Amphitryon had been obliged to make to Electryon, and Alcmene continued to refuse him the rights of a husband, until he should have avenged the death of her brothers on the Taphians. While Amphitryon was absent from Thebes, Zeus one night, to which he gave the duration of three other nights, visited Alcmene, and assuming the appearance of Amphitryon, and relating to her how her brothers had been avenged, he begot by her the hero Heracles, the great bulwark of gods and men. (Respecting the various modifications of this story see Apollod. 2.4.7 , &c.; Hyg. Fab. 29; Hes. Scut. 3.5, &c.; Pind. I. 7.5 , &c., Nem. 10.19, &c.; Schol. ad Hom. Od. 11.266.) The day on which Heracles was to be born, Zeus boasted of his becoming the father of a man who was to rule over the heroic race of Perseus. Hera prevailed upon him to confirm by an oath that the descendant of Perseus born that day should be the ruler. When this was done she hastened to Argos, and there caused the wife of Sthenelus to give birth to Eurystheus, whereas, by keeping away the Eileithyiae, she delayed the confinement of Alcmene, and thus robbed Heracles of the empire which Zeus had intended for him. Zeus was enraged at the imposition practised upon him, but could not violate his oath. Alcmene brought into the world two boys, Heracles, the son of Zeus, and Iphicles, the son of Amphitryon, who was one night younger than Heracles. ( Hom. Il. 19.95 , &c.; Hes. Scut. 1-56, 80, &c.; Apollod. 2.4.5 , &c.) Zeus, in his desire not to leave Heracles the victim of Hera's jealousy, made her promise, that if Heracles executed twelve great works in the service of Eurystheus, he should become immortal. ( Diod. 4.9 .) Respecting the place of his birth traditions did not agree; for although the majority of poets and mythographers relate that he was born at Thebes, Diodorus ( 4.10 ) says that Amphitryon was not expelled from Tiryns till after the birth of Heracles, and Euripides ( Eur. Her. 18 ) describes Argos as the native country of the hero. Nearly all the stories about the childhood and youth of Heracles, down to the time when he entered the service of Eurystheus, seem to be inventions of a later age: at least in the Homeric poems and in Hesiod we only find the general remarks that he grew strong in body and mind, that in the confidence in his own power he defied even the immortal gods, and wounded Hera and Ares, and that under the protection of Zeus and Athena he escaped the dangers which Hera prepared for him. But according to Pindar ( Pind. N. 1.49 , &c.), and other subsequent writers, Heracles was only a few months old when Hera sent two serpents into the apartment where Heracles and his brother Iphicles were sleeping,, but the former killed the serpents with his own hands. (Comp. Theocrit. 24.1, &c.; Apollod. 2.4.8 .) Heracles was brought up at Thebes, but the detail of his infant life is again related with various modifications in the different traditions. It is said that Alcmcne, from fear of Hera, exposed her son in a field near Thebes, hence called the field of Heracles; here he was found by Hera and Athena, and the former was prevailed upon by the latter to put him to her breast, and she then carried him back to his mother. ( Diod. 4.9 ; Paus. 9.25.2 .) Others said that Hermes carried the newly-born child to Olympus, and put him to the breast of Hera while she was asleep, but as she awoke, she pushed him away, and the milk thus spilled produced the Milky Way. (Eratosth. Catast. 44; Hygin. Poet. Astr. ii. in fin.) As the hero grew up, he was instructed by Amphitryon in riding in a chariot, by Autolycus in wrestling, by Eurytus in archery, by Castor in fighting with heavy armour, and by Linus in singing and playing the lyre. (See the different statements in Theocrit. 24.114, 103, 108; Schol. ad Theocrit. 13.9, 56; Tzetz. ad Lycoph. 49.) Linus was killed by his pupil with the lyre, because he had censured him. ( Apollod. 2.4.9 ; Diod. 3.66 ; Aelian, Ael. VH 3.32 .) Being charged with murder, IIeracles exculpated himself by saying that the deed was done in self-defence; and Amphitryon, in order to prevent similar occurrences, sent him to attend to his cattle. In this manner he spent his life till his eighteenth year. His height was four cubits, fire beamed from his eyes, and he never wearied in practising shooting and hurling his javelin. To this period of his life belongs the beautiful fable about Heracles before two roads, invented by the sophist Prodicus, which may be read in Xenoph. Mem. 2.1, and Cic de Off. 1.32. Pindar ( Pind. I. 4.53 ) calls him small of stature, but of indomitable courage. His first great adventure, which happened while he was still watching the oxen of his father, is his fight against and victory over the lion of Cythaeron. This animal made great havoc among the flocks of Amphitryon and Thespius (or Thestius), king of Thespiae, and Heracles promised to deliver the country of the monster. Thespius, who had fifty daughters, rewarded Heracles by making him his guest so long as the chase lasted, and gave up his daughters to him, each for one night. ( Apollod. 2.4.10 ; comp. Hyg. Fab. 162; Diod. 4.29 ; Athen. 13.556 .) Heracles slew the lion, and henceforth wore its skin as his ordinary garment, and its mouth and head as his helmet; others related that the lion's skin of Heracles was taken from the Nemean lion. On his return to Thebes, he met the envoys of king Erginus of Orchomenos, who were going to fetch the annual tribute of one hundred oxen, which they had compelled the Thebans to pay. Heracles, in his patriotic indignation, cut off the noses and ears of the envoys, and thus sent them back to Erginus. The latter thereupon marched against Thebes; but Heracles, who received a suit of armour from Athena, defeated and killed the enemy, and compelled the Orchomenians to pay double the tribute which they had formerly received from the Thebans. In this battle against Erginus Heracles lost his father Amphitryon, though the tragedians make him survive the campaign. ( Apollod. 2.4.11 ; Diod. 4.10 , &c.; Paus. 9.37. 2 ; Theocrit. 16.105; Eur. Her. 41 .) According to some accounts, Erginus did not fall in the tattle, but coneluded peace with Heracles. But the gorious manner in which Heracles had delivered his country procured him immortal fame among the Thebans, and Creon rewarded him with the hand of his eldest daughter, Megara, by whom he became the father of several children, the number and names of whom are stated differently by the different writers. ( Apollod. 2.4.11 . 7.8; Hyg. Fab. 32; Eur. Her. 995 ; Tzetz. ad Lycoph. 38; Schol. ad Pind. Isthm. 3.104.) The gods, on the other hand, made him presents of arms : Hermes gave him a sword, Apollo a bow and arrows, Hephaestus a golden coat of mail, and Athena a peplus, and he cut for himself a club in the neighbourhood of Nemea, while, according to others, the club was of brass, and the gift of Hephaestus. ( Apollon. 1.1196 ; Diod. 4.14 .) After the battle with the Minyans, Hera visited Heracles with madness, in which he killed his own children by Megara and two of Iphicles. In his grief he sentenced himself to exile, and went to Thestius, who purified him. ( Apollod. 2.4.12 .) Other traditions place this madness at a later time, and relate the circumstances differently. ( Eur. Her. 1000 , &c.; Paus. 9.11.1 ; Hyg. Fab. 32; Schol. ad Pind. Isthm. 3.104.) He then consulted the oracle of Delphi as to where he should settle. The Pythia first called him by the name of Heracles--for hitherto his name had been Alcides or Alcaeus,--and ordered him to live at Tiryns, to serve Eurystheus for the space of twelve years, after which he should become immortal. Heracles accordingly went to Tiryns, and did as he was bid by Eurystheus. The accounts of the twelve labours of Heracles are found only in the later writers, for Homer and Hesiod do not mention them. Homer only knows that Heracles during his life on earth was exposed to infinite dangers and sufferings through the hatred of Hera, that he was subject to Eurystheus, who imposed upon him many and difficult tasks, but Homer mentions only one, viz. that he was ordered to bring Cerberus from the lower world. ( Il. 8.363 , &100.15.639, &c., Od. 11.617 , &c.) The Iliad further alludes to his fight with a seamonster, and his expedition to Troy, to fetch the horses which Laomedon had refused him. (5.638, &c., 20.145, &c.) On his return from Troy, he was cast, through the influence of Hera, on the coast of Cos, but Zeus punished Hera, and carried Heracles safely to Argos. (14.249, &c., xv 18, &c.) Afterwards Heracles made war against the Pylians, and destroyed the whole family of their king Neleus, with the exception of Nestor. He destroyed many towns, and carried off Astyoche from Ephyra, by whom he became the father of Tlepolemus. (5.395, &c., 2.657, &c.; comp. Od 21.14, &c.; Soph. Trach. 239 , &c.) Hesiod mentions several of the feats of Heracles distinctly, but knows nothing of their number twelve. The selection of these twelve from the great number of feats ascribed to Heracles is probably the work of the Alexandrines. They are enumerated in Euripides (Here. Fur.), Apollodorus, Diodorus Siculus, and the Greek Anthology ( 2.651 ), though none of them can be considered to have arranged them in any thing like a chronological order. 1. The fight with the Nemean lion. The mountain valley of Nemea, between Cleonae and Phlius, was inhabited by a lion, the offspring of Typhon (or Orthrus) and Echidna. (Hes. Theog. 327; Apollod. 2.5.1 ; comp. Aelian, Ael. NA 12.7 , Serv. ad Aen. 8.295.) Eurystheus ordered Heracles to bring him the skin of this monster. When Heracles arrived at Cleonac, he was hospitably received by a poor man called Molorchus. This man was on the point of offering up a sacrifice, but Heracles persuaded him to delay it for thirty days until he should return from his fight with the lion, in order that then they might together offer sacrifices to Zeus Soter; but Heracles added, that if he himself should not return, the man should offer a sacrifice to him as a hero. The thirty days passed away, and as Heracles did not return, Molorchus made preparations for the heroic sacrifice; but at that moment Heracles arrived in triumph over the monster, which was slain, and both sacrificed to Zeus Soter. Heracles, after having in vain used his club and arrows against the lion, had blocked up one of the entrances to the den, and entering by the other, he strangled the animal with his own hands. According to Theocritus ( 25.251 , &c.), the contest did not take place in the den, but in the open air, and Heracles is said to have lost a finger in the struggle. (Ptolem. Heph. 2.) He returned to Eurystheus carrying the dead lion on his shoulders; and Eurystheus, frightened at the gigantic strength of the hero, took to flight, and ordered him in future to deliver the account of his exploits outside the gates of the town. ( Diod. 4.11 ; Apollod., Theocrit. ll. cc.; comp. MOLORCHUS.） 2. Fights against the Lernean hydra. This monster, like the lion, was the offspring of Typhon and Echidna, and was brought up by Hera. It ravaged the country of Lernae near Argos, and dwelt in a swamp near the well of Amymone: it was formidable by its nine heads, the middle of which was immortal. Heracles, with burning arrows, hunted up the monster, and with his club or a sickle he cut off its heads; but in the place of the head he cut off, two new ones grew forth each time, and a gigantic crab came to the assistance of the hydra, and wounded Heracles. However, with the assistance of his faithful servant Iolaus, he burned away the heads of the hydra, and buried the ninth or immortal one under a huge rock. Having thus conquered the monster, he poisoned his arrows with its bile, whence the wounds inflicted by them became incurable. Eurystheus declared the victory unlawful, as Heracles had won it with the aid of Iolaus. ( Hes. Th. 313 , &c.; Apollod. 2.5.2 ; Diod. 4.11 ; Eurip. Herc. Fur. 419, 1188, Ion, 192; Ov. Met. 9.70; Verg. A. 8.300 ; Paus. 2.36.6 , 37.4 , 5.5.5 ; Hyg. Fab. 30.) 3. The stag of Ceryneia in Arcadia. This animal hand golden antlers and brazen feet. It had been dedicated to Artemis by the nymph Taygete, because the goddess had saved her from the pursuit of Zeus. Heracles was ordered to bring the animal alive to Mycenae. He pursued it in vain for a whole year: at length it fled from Oenoe to mount Artemisium in Argolis, and thence to the river Ladon in Arcadia. Heracles wounded it with an arrow, caught it, and carried it away on his shoulders. While yet in Arcadia, he was met by Apollo and Artemis, who were angry with him for having outraged the animal sacred to Artemis; but Heracles succeeded in soothing their anger, and carried his prey to Mycenae. According to some statements, he killed the stag. ( Apollod. 2.5.3 ; Diod 4.13; Callim. Hymn. in Dian. 100, &c.; Ov. Met. 9.188 ; Verg. A. 6.803 ; Pind. O. 3.24 , 53 ; Eur. Her. 378 .) 4. The Erymanthian boar. This animal, which Heracles was ordered to bring alive, had descended from mount Erymanthus (according to others, from mount Lampe,) into Psophis. IIeracles chased him through the deep snow, and having thus worn him out, he caught him in a net, and carried him to Mycenae. ( Apollod. 2.5.4 ; Diod. 4.12 .) Other traditions place the hunt of the Erymanthian boar in Thessaly, and some even in Phrygia. ( Eur. Her. 368 ; Hyg. Fab. 30.) It must be observed that this and subsequent labours of Heracles are connected with other subordinate ones, called Πάρεργα , and the first of these parerga is the fight of Heracles with the Centaurs ; for it is said that in his pursuit of the boar he came to the centaur Pholus, who had received from Dionysus a cask of excellent wine. Heracles opened it, contrary to the wish of his host, and the delicious fragrance attracted the other centaurs, who besieged the grotto of Pholus. Heracles drove them away: they fled to the house of Cheiron, and Heracles, eager in his pursuit, wounded Cheiron, his old friend. Heracles was deeply grieved, and tried to save Cheiron; but in vain, for the wound was fatal. As, however, Cheiron was immortal, and could not die, he prayed to Zeus to take away his immortality, and give it to Prometheus. Thus Cheiron was delivered of his burning pain, and died. Pholus, too, was wounded by one of the arrows, which by accident fell on his foot and killed him. This fight with the centaurs gave rise to the establishment of mysteries, by which Demeter intended to purify the hero from the blood he had shed against his own will. ( Apollod. 2.5.4 ; Diod. 4.14 ; Eur. Her. 364 , &c.; Theocrit. 7.150; Apollon. 1.127 ; Paus. 8.24.2 ; Ov. Met. 9.192 .) 5. The stables of Augeas. Eurystheus imposed upon Heracles the task of cleaning the stables of Augeas in one day. Augeas was king of Elis, and extremely rich in cattle. Heracles, without mentioning the command of Eurystheus, went to Augeas, offering in one day to clean his stables, if he would give him the tenth part of the cattle for his trouble, or, according to Pausanias (v. 1.7) a part of his territory. Augeas, believing that Heracles could not possibly accomplish what he promised, agreed, and Heracles took Phyleus, the son of Augeas, as his witness, and then led the rivers Alpheius and Peneius through the stables, which were thus cleaned in the time fixed upon. But Augeas, who learned that Heracles had undertaken the work by the command of Eurystheus, refused the reward, denied his promise, and declared that he would have the matter decided by a judicial verdict. Phyleus then bore witness against his father, who exiled him from Elis. Eurystheus declared the work thus performed to be unlawful, because Heracles had stipulated with Augeas a payment for it. ( Apollod. 2.5.5 ; Theocrit. 25.88, &c.; Ptolem. Heph. 5; Athen. 10.412 ; Schol. ad Pind. Ol. 11.42.) At a subsequent time Hferacles, to revenge the faithlessness of Augeas, marched with an army of Argives and Tirynthians against Augeas, but in a narrow defile in Elis he was taken by surprise by Cteatus and Eurytus, and lost a great number of his warriors. But afterwards Heracles slew Cteatus and Eurytus, invaded Elis, and killed Augeas and his sons. After this victory, Heracles marked out the sacred ground on which the Olympian games were to be celebrated, built altars, and instituted the Olympian festival and games. ( Apollod. 2.7.2 ; Paus. 5.1.7 . 3.1, &c., 4.1; 8.15.2; Pind. O. 11.25 , &c., comp. 5.5, 3.13, &c.) 6. The Stymphalian birds. They were an innumerable swarm of voracious birds, the daughters of Stymphalus and Ornis. They had brazen claws, wings, and beaks, used their feathers as arrows, and ate human flesh. They had been brought up by Ares, and were so numerous, that with their secretions and feathers they killed men and beasts, and covered whole fields and meadows. From fear of the wolves, these birds had taken refuge in a lake near Stymphalus, from which Heracles was ordered by Eurvstheus to expel them. When Heracles undertook the task, Athena provided him with a brazen rattle, by the noise of which he startled the birds, and, as they attempted to fly away, he killed them with his arrows. According to some accounts, he did not kill the birds, but only drove them away, and afterwards they appeared again in the island of Aretias, whither they had fled, and where they were found by the Argonauts. ( Apollod. 2.5.6 ; Hyg. Fab. 30; Paus. 8.22.4 , &c.; Serv. ad Aen. 8.300; Apollon. 2.1037 , with the Schol.) 7. The Cretan bull. According to Acusilaus, this bull was the same as the one which had carried Europa across the sea; according to others, he had been sent out of the sea by Poseidon, that Minos might sacrifice him to the god of the sea. But Minos was so charmed with the beauty of the animal, that he kept it, and sacrificed another in its stead. Poseidon punished Minos, by making the fine bull mad, and causing it to make great havoc in the island. Heracles was ordered by Eurystheus to catch the bull, and Minos, of course, willingly allowed him to do so. Heracles accomplished the task, and brought the bull home on his shoulders, but he then set the animal free again. The bull now roamed about through Greece, and at last came to Marathon, where we meet it again in the stories of Theseus. ( Apollod. 2.5.7 ; Paus. 1.27.9 , 5.10.2 ; Hyg. Fab. 30; Diod. 4.13 , &c.; Serv. ad Aen. 8.294.) 8. The mares of the Thracian Diomedes. This Diomedes, king of the Bistones in Thrace, fed his horses with human flesh, and Eurystheus now ordered Heracles to fetch those animals to Mycenae. For this purpose, the hero took with him some companions. He made an unexpected attack on those who guarded the horses in their stables, took the animals, and conducted them to the sea coast. But here he was overtaken by the Bistones, and during the ensuing fight he entrusted the mares to his friend Abderus, a son of Hermes of Opus, who was eaten up by them; but Heracles defeated the Bistones, killed Diomedes, whose body he threw before the mares, built the town of Abdera, in honour of his unfortunate friend, and then returned to Mycenae, with the horses which had become tame after eating the flesh of their master. The horses were afterwards set free, and destroyed on Mount Olympus by wild beasts. ( Apollod. 2.5.8 ; Diod. 4.15 ; Hyg. Fab. 30; Eur. Alc. 483 , 493 , Herc. Fur. 380, &c.; Gel. 3.9 ; Ptolem. Heph. 5.) 9. The girdle of the queen of the Amazons. Hippolyte, the queen of the Anmilzons, (Diodorus calls the queen Melanippe, and her sister Hippolyte), possessed a girdle, which she had received from Ares, and Admete, the daughter of Eurystheus, wished to have it. Heracles was therefore sent to fetch it, and, accompanied by a number of volunteers, he sailed out in one vessel. He first landed in Paros, where he became involved in a quarrel with the sons of Minos. Having killed two of them, he sailed to Mysia, where his aid was solicited by Lycus, king of the Mariandynians, against the Bebryces. Heracles assisted Lycus, took a district of land from the enemy, which was given to Lycus, who called it Heracleia. When Heracles at length arrived in the port of Themiscyra (Thermodon), after having given to the sea he had crossed the name of Euxeinus, he was at first kindly received by Hippolyte, who promised him her girdle. But Hera, in the disguise of an Amazon, spread the report that the queen of the Amazons was robbed by a stranger. They immediately rose to her assistance, and Heracles, believing that the queen had plotted against him, killed her, took her girdle, and carried it with him. This expedition, which led the hero into distant countries, afforded a favourable opportunity to poets and mythographers for introducing various embellishments and minor adventures, such as the murder of the Boreades, Calais and Zetes, and his amour with Echidna, in the country of the Hyperboreans, by whom he became the father of three sons. On his return he landed in Troas, where he rescued Hesione from the monster sent against her by Poseidon, in return for which her father Laomedon promised him the horses he had received from Zeus as a compensation for Ganymedes. But, as Laomedon did not keep his word, Heracles on leaving threatened to make war against Troy. He therefore landed in Thrace, where he slew Sarpedon, and at length he returned through Macedonia to Peloponnesus. ( Apollod. 2.5.9 ; Diod. 4.16 ; Hdt. 4.9 , 10 , 82 ; Eurip. Herc. Fur. 413, Ion. 1143; Plut. Thes. 26 ; Hom. Il. 5.649 , &c.) 10. The oxen of Geryones in Erytheia. The fetching of these oxen was a subject which, like the preceding one, was capable of great poetical embellishments, owing to the distant regions into which it carried the hero. The adventure is mentioned by Hesiod, but it is further developed in the later writers, and more especially by the Roman poets, who took a more direct interest in it, as it led the hero to the western parts of the world. The story runs as follows:--Geryones, the monster with three bodies, lived in the fabulous island of Erytheia (the reddish), so called because it lay under the rays of the setting sun in the west. It was originally conceived to be situated off the coast of Epeirus, but afterwards it was identified either with Gades or the Balearian islands, and was at all times believed to be in the distant west. Gervones kept a herd of red oxen, which fed together with those of Hades, and were guarded by the giant Eurytion and the two-headed dog Orthrus. Heracles was commanded by Eurystheus to fetch those oxen of Geryones. He traversed Europe, and, having passed through the countries of several savage nations, he at length arrived in Libya. Diodorus makes Heracles collect a large fleet in Crete, to sail against Chrysaor, the wealthy king of Iberia, and his three sons. On his way he is further said to have killed Antaeus and Busiris, and to have founded Hecatompolis. On the frontiers of Libya and Europe he erected two pillars (Calpe and Abyla) on the two sides of the straits of Gibraltar, which were hence called the pillars of Heracles. As on his journey Heracles was annoyed by the heat of the sun, he shot at Helios, who so much admired his boldness, that he presented him with a golden cup or boat, in which he sailed across the ocean to Ervtheia. He there slew Eurytion, his dog, and Geryones, and sailed with his booty to Tartessus, where he returned the golden cup (boat) to Helios. On his way home he passed the Pyrenees and the Alps, founded Alesia and Nemausus in Gaul, became the father of the Celts, and then proceeded to the Ligurians, whose princes, Alebion and Dercynus, attempted to carry off his oxen, but were slain by him. In his contest with them, he was assisted by Zeus with a shower of stones, as he had not enough missiles; hence the campus lapideus between Massilia and the river Rhodanus. From thence he proceeded through the country of the Tyrrhenians. In the neighbourhood of Rhegium one of his oxen jumped into the sea, and swam to Sicily, where Eryx, the son of Poseidon, caught and put him among his own cattle. Heracles himself followed, in search of the ox, and found him, but recovered him only after a fight with Eryx, in which the latter fell. According to Diodorus, who is very minute in this part of his narrative, Heracles returned home by land, through Italy and Illyricum; but, according to others, he sailed across the Ionian and Adriatic seas. After reaching Thrace, Hera made his oxen mad and furious. When, in their pursuit, he came to the river Strymon, he made himself a road through it, by means of huge blocks of stone. On reaching the Hellespont, he had gradually recovered his oxen, and took them to Eurystheus, who sacrificed then to Hera. ( Hes. Th. 287 , &c.; Apollod. 2.5.10 ; Diod. 4.17 , &c., 5.17, 25; Hdt. 4.8 ; Serv. ad Acn. 7.662; Strab. iii. pp. 221, 258, &c.; Dionys. A. R. 1.34; Pind. N. 3.21 .) These ten labours were performed by Heracles in the space of eight years and one month; but as Eurystheus declared two of them to have been performed unlawfully, he commanded him to accomplish two more, viz. to fetch 11. The golden apples of the Hesperides. This was particularly difficult, since Heracles did not know where to find them. They were the apples which Hera had received at her wedding from Ge, and which she had entrusted to the keeping of the Hesperides and the dragon Ladon, on Mount Atlas, in the country of the Hyperboreans. ( Apollod. 2.5.11 .) In other accounts the apples are described as sacred to Aphrodite, Dionysus, or Helios; but the abode of the Hesperides is placed by Hesiod, Apollodorus, and others, in the west, while later writers specify more particularly certain places in Libya, or in the Atlantic Ocean. The mention of the Hyperboreans in this connection renders the matter very difficult, but it is possible that the ancients may have conceived the extreme north (the usual seat of the Hyperboreans), and the extreme west to be contiguous. Heracles, in order to find the gardens of the Hesperides, went to the river Echedorus. in Macedonia, after having killed Termerus in Thessaly. In Macedonia he killed Cycnus, the son of Ares and Pyrene, who had challenged him. He thence passed through Illyria, and arrived on the banks of the river Eridanus, and was informed, by the nymphs in what manner he might compel the prophetic Nereus to instruct him as to what road he should take. On the advice of Nereus he proceeded to Libya. Apollodorus assigns the fight with Antaeus, and the murder of Busiris, to this expedition; both Apollodorus and Diodorus now make IIeracles travel further south and east: thus we find him in Ethiopia, where he kills Emathion, in Arabia, and in Asia he advances as far as Mount Caucasus, where he killed the vulture which consumed the liver of Prometheus, and thus saved the Titan. At length Heracles arrived at Mount Atlas, among the Hyperboreans. Prometheus had advised him not to fetch the apples himself, but to send Atlas, and in the meantime to carry the weight of heaven for him. Atlas accordingly fetched the apples, but on his return he refused to take the burden of heaven on his shoulders again, and declared that he himself would carry the apples to Eurystheus. Heracles, however, contrived by a stratagem to get the apples and hastened away. On his return Eurystheus made him a present of the apples, but Heracles dedicated them to Athena, who, however, did not keep them, but restored them to their former place. Some traditions add to this account that Heracles killed the dragon Ladon. ( Apollod. 2.5.11 ; Diod. 4.26 , &c.; Hes. Th. 215 , &c.; Plin. Nat. 6.31 , 36 ; Plut. Thes. 11 ; Apollon. 4.1396 , &c.; Hyg. Fab. 31, Poet. Astr. 2.6; Eratosth. Catast. 3.) 12. Cerberus. To fetch this monster from the lower world is the crown of the twelve labours of Heracles, and is therefore usually reckoned as the twelfth or last in the series. It is the only one that is expressly mentioned in the Homeric poems. ( Od. 11.623 , &c.) Later writers have added to the simple story several particulars, such, e. g. that Heracles, previous to setting out on his expedition, was initiated by Eumolpus in the Eleusinian mysteries, in order to purify him from the murder of the Centaurs. Accompanied by Hermes and Athena, Heracles descended into Hades, near Cape Taenarum, in Laconia. On his arrival most of the shades fled before him, and he found only Meleager and Medusa, with whom he intended to fight; but, on the command of Hermes, he left them in peace. Near the gates of Hades he met Theseus and Peirithous, who stretched their arms imploringly towards him. He delivered Theseus, but, when he attempted to do the same for Peirithous, the earth began to tremble. After having rolled the stone from Ascalaphus, he killed one of the oxen of Hades, in order to give the shades the blood to drink, and fought with Menoetius, the herdsman. Upon this, he asked Pluto permission to take Cerberus, and the request was granted, on condition of its being done without force of arms. This was accomplished, for Heracles found Cerberus on the Acheron, and, notwithstanding the bites of the dragon, he took the monster, and in the neighbourhood of Troezene he brought it to the upper world. The place where he appeared with Cerberus is not the same in all traditions, for some say that it was at Taenarum, others at Hermione, or Coroneia, and others again at Heracleia. When Cerberus appeared in the upper world, it is said that, unable to bear the light, he spit, and thus called forth the poisonous plant called aconitun. After having shown the monster to Eurystheus, Heracles took it back to the lower world. Some traditions connect the descent of Heracles into the lower world with a contest with Hades, as we see even in the Iliad ( 5.397 ), and more particularly in the Alcestis of Euripides (24, 846, &c. See Apollod. 2.5.12 ; Diod. 4.25 , &c.; Plut. Thes. 30 ; Paus. 2.31.2 , 9.34.4 , 3.25.4 , 2.35.7 ; Ov. Met. 7.415 , Serv. ad Virg. Georg. 2.152, Aen. 6.617). After the Labors Such is the account of the twelve labours of Heracles. According to Apollodorus, Eurystheus originally required only ten, and commanded him to perform two more, because he was dissatisfied with two of them; but Diodorus represents twelve as the original number required. Along with these labours ( ἆθλοι ), the ancients relate a considerable number of other feats ( πάρεργα ) which he performed without being commanded by Eurystheus; some of them are interwoven with the twelve Α῏θλοι , and others belong to a later period. Those of the former kind have already been noticed above; and we now proceed to mention the principal πάρεργα of the second class. After the accomplishment of the twelve labours, and being released from the servitude of Eurystheus, he returned to Thebes. He there gave Megara in marriage to Iolaus; for, as he had lost the children whom he had by her, he looked upon his connection with her as displeasing to the gods ( Paus. 10.29 ), and went to Oechalia. According to some traditions, Heracles, after his return from Hades, was seized with madness, in which he killed both Megara and her children. This madness was a calamity sent to him by Hera, because he had slain Lycus, king of Thebes, who, in the belief that Heracles would not return from Hades, had attempted to murder Megara and her children. （Hyg. Fab. 32; Tzetz. ad Lycoph. 38.) Eurytus, king of Oechalia, an excellent archer, and the teacher of Heracles in his art, had promised his daughter Iole to the man who should excel him and his sons in using the bow. Heracles engaged in the contest with them, and succeeded, but Eurytus refused abiding by his promise, saying, that he would not give his daughter to a man who had murdered Ills own children. Iphitus, the son of Eurytus, endeavoured to persuade his father, but in vain. Soon after this the oxen of Eurytus were carried off, and it was suspected that Heracles was the offender. Iphitus again defended Heracles, went to him and requested his assistance in searching after the oxen. Heracles agreed; but when the two had arrived at Tiryns, Heracles, in a fit of madness, threw his friend down from the wall, and killed him. Deiphobus of Amyclae, indeed, purified Heracles from this murder, but he was, nevertheless, attacked by a severe illness. Heracles then repaired to Delphi to obtain a remedy, but the Pythia refused to answer his questions. A struggle between Heracles and Apollo ensued, and the combatants were not separated till Zeus sent a flash of lightning between them. Heracles now obtained the oracle that he should be restored to health, if he would sell himself, would serve three years for wages, and surrender his wages to Eurytus, as an atonement for the murder of Iphitus. ( Apollod. 2.6.1 , 2 ; Diod. 4.31 , &c.; Hom. Il. 2.730 , Od. 21.22 , &c.; Soph. Trach. 273 , &c.) Heracles was sold to Omphale, queen of Lydia, and widow of Tmolus. Late writers, especially the Roman poets, describe Heracles, during his stay with Omphale, as indulging at times in an effeminate life: he span wool, it is said, and sometimes he put on the garments of a woman, while Omphale wore his lion's skin; but, according to Apollodorus and Diodorus, he nevertheless performed several great feats. ( Ov. Fast. 2.305 , Heroid. 9.53; Senec. Hippol. 317, Herc. Fur. 464; Lucian, Dial. Deor. 13.2; Apollod. 2.6.3 ; Diod. 4.31 , &c.) Among these, we mention his chaining the Cercopes [CERCOPES], his killing Syleus and his daughter in Aulis, his defeat of the plundering Idones, his killing a serpent on the river Sygaris, and his throwing the blood-thirsty Lytierses into the Maeander. (Comp. Hygin. Poet. Astr. 2.14; Schol. ad Theocrit. 10.41; Athen. 10.415 .) He further gave to the island of Doliche the name of Icaria, as he buried in it the body of Icarus, which had been washed on shore by the waves. He also undertook an expedition to Colchis, which brought him in connection with the Argonauts ( Apollod. 1.9.16 ; Hdt. 7.193 ; Schol. ad Apollon. Rhod. 1.1289; Ant. Lib. 26); he took part in the Calydonian hunt, and met Theseus on his landing from Troezene on the Corinthian isthmus. An expedition to India, which was mentioned in some traditions, may likewise be inserted in this place. (Philostr. Vit. Apoll. 3.4, 6; Arrian, Ind. 8, 9 .) When the period of his servitude and his illness had passed away, he undertook an expedition against Troy, with 18 ships and a band of heroes. On his landing, he entrusted the fleet to Oicles, and with his other companions made an attack upon the city. Laomedon in the mean time made an attack upon the ships, and slew Oicles, but was compelled to retreat into the city, where he was besieged. Telamon was the first who forced his way into the city, which roused the jealousy of Heracles to such a degree that lie determined to kill him; but Telamon quickly collected a heap of stones, and pretended that he was building an altar to Heracles καλλίνικος or ἀλεξίκακος . This soothed the anger of the hero; and after the sons of Laomedon had fallen, Heracles gave to Telamon Hesione, as a reward for his bravery. ( Hom. Il. 5.641 , &c., 14.251, 20.145, &c.; Apollod. 2.6.4 ; Diod. 4.32 , 49 ; Eur. Tro. 802 , &c.) On his return from Troy, Hera sent a storm to impede his voyage, which compelled him to land in the island of Cos. The Meropes, the inhabitants of the island, took him for a pirate, and received him with a shower of stones; but during the night he took possession of the island, and killed the king, Eurypylus. Heracles himself was wounded by Chalcodon, but was saved by Zeus. After he had ravaged Cos, he went, by the command of Athena, to Phlegra, and fought against the Gigantes. ( Apollod. 2.7.1 ; Hom. Il. 14.250 , &c.; Pind. N. 4.40 .) Respecting his fight against the giants, who were, according to an oracle, to be conquered by a mortal, see especially Eur. Her. 177 , &c., 852, 1190, &c., 1272. Among the giants defeated by him we find mention of Alcyoneus, a name borne by two among them. ( Pind. N. 4.43 , Isthm. 6.47.) Soon after his return to Argos, Heracles marched against Augeas to chastise him for his breach of promise (see above), and then proceeded to Pylos, which he took, and killed Periclymenus, a son of Neleus. He then advanced against Lacedaemon, to punish the sons of Hippocoon, for having assisted Neleus and slain Oeonus, the son of Licymnius. ( Paus. 3.15.2 , 2.18.6 ; Apollod. 2.7.3 ; Diod. 4.33 .) Heracles took Lacedaemon, and assigned the government of it to Tyndarens. On his return to Tegea, he became, by Auge, the father of Telephus [AUGE], and then proceeded to Calydon, where he demanded Deianeira, the daughter of Oeneus, for his wife. [DEIANEIRA; ACHELOUS.] The adventures which now follow are of minor importance, such as the expedition against the Dryopians, and the assistance he gave to Aegimius, king of the Dorians, against the Lapithae; but as these events led to his catastrophe, it is necessary to subjoin a sketch of them. Heracles had been married to Deianeira for nearly three years, when, at a repast in the house of Oeneus, he killed, by an accident, the boy Eunomus, the son of Architeles. The father of the boy pardoned the murder, as it had not been committed intentionally; but Heracles, in accordance with the law, went into exile with his wife Deianeira. On their road they came to the river Euenus, across which the centaur Nessus used to carry travellers for a small sum of money. Heracles himself forded the river, and gave Deianeira to Nessus to carry her across. Nessus attempted to outrage her: Heracles heard her screaming, and as the centaur brought her to the other side, Heracles shot an arrow into his heart. The dying centaur called out to Deianeira to take his blood with her, as it was a sure means for preserving the love of her husband. ( Apollod. 2.7.6 ; Diod. 4.36 ; Soph. Trach. 555 , &c.; Ov. Met. 9.201 , &c.; Senec. Herc. Oct. 496, &c.; Paus. 10.38.1 .) From the river Euenus, Heracles now proceeded through the country of the Dryopes, where he showed himself worthy of the epithet "the voracious," which is so often given to him, especially bv late writers, for in his hunger he took one of the oxen of Theiodamas, and consumed it all. At last he arrived in Trachis, where he was kindly received by Ceyx, and conquered the Dryopes. He then assisted Aegimius, king of the Dorians, against the Lapithae, and without accepting a portion of the country which was offered to him as a reward. Laogoras, the king of the Dryopes, and his children, were slain. As Heracles proceeded to Iton, in Thessaly, he was challenged to single combat by Cycnus, a son of Ares and Pelopia (Hesiod. Scut. Her. 58, &c.); but Cycnus was slain. King Amyntor of Ormenion refused to allow Heracles to pass through his dominions, but had to pay for his presumption with his life. ( Apollod. 2.7.7 ; Diod. 4.36 , &c.) Heracles now returned to Trachis, and there collected an army to take vengeance on Eurytus of Oechalia. Apollodorus and Diodorus agree in making Heracles spend the last years of his life at Trachis, but Sophocles represents the matter in a very different light, for, according to him, Heracles was absent from Trachis upwards of fifteen months without Deianeira knowing where he was. During that period he was staying with Omphale in Lydia; and without returning home, he proceeded from Lydia at once to Oechalia, to gain possession of Iole, whom he loved. (Soph. Trach. 44, &c.; 248, &c., 351, &c.) With the assistance of his allies, Heracles took the town of Oechalia, and slew Eurytus and his sons, but carried his daughter Iole with him as a prisoner. On his return home he landed at Cenaeum, a promontory of Euboea, and erected an altar to Zeus Cenaeus, and sent his companion, Lichas, to Trachis to fetch him a white garment, which he intended to use during the sacrifice. Deiancira, who heard from Lichas respecting Iole, began to fear lost she should supplant her in the affection of her husband, to prevent which she steeped the white garment he had demanded in the preparation she had made from the blood of Nessus. Scarcely had the garment become warm on the body of Heracles, when the poison which was contained in the ointment, and had come into it from the poisoned arrow with which Heracles had killed Nessus, penetrated into all parts of his body, and caused him the most fearful pains. Heracles seized Lichas by his feet, and threw him into the sea. He wrenched off his garment, but it stuck to his flesh, and with it he tore whole pieces from his body. In this state he was conveyed to Trachis. Deianeira, on seeing what she had unwittingly done, hung herself; and Heracles commanded Hyllus, his eldest son, by Deianeira, to marry Iole as soon as he should arrive at the age of manhood. He then ascended Mount Oeta, raised a pile of wood, ascended, and ordered it to be set on fire. No one ventured to obey him, until at length Poeas the shepherd, who passed by, was prevailed upon to comply with the desire of the suffering hero. When the pile was burning, a cloud came down from heaven, and amid peals of thunder carried him into Olympus, where he was honoured with immortality, became reconciled with Hera, and married her daughter Hebe, by whom he became the father of Alexiares and Anicetus. ( Hom. Od. 11.600 , &c.; Hes. Th. 949 , &c.; Soph. Trach. l.c., Philoct. 802; Apollod. 2.7 . §. 7; Diod. 4.38 ; Ov. Met. 9.155 , &c.; Hdt. 7.198 ; Conon, Narrat. 17; Paus. 3.18.7 ; Pind. Nem. i. in fin., 10.31, &c., Isthm. 4.55, &c.; Virg. Aen. 8.300, and many other writers.) The wives and children of Heracles are enumerated by Apollodorus ( 2.7.8 ), but we must refer the reader to the separate articles. We may, however, observe that among the very great number of his children, there are no daughters, and that Euripides is the only writer who mentions Macaria as a daughter of Heracles by Deianeira. We must also pass over the long series of his surnames, and proceed to give an account of his worship in Greece. Immediately after the apotheosis of Heracles, his friends who were present at the termination of his earthly career offered sacrifices to him as a hero; and Menoetius established at Opus the worship of Heracles as a hero. This example was followed by the Thebans, until at length Heracles was worshipped throughout Greece as a divinity ( Diod. 4.39 ; Eur. Her. 1331 ); but he, Dionysus and Pan, were regarded as the youngest gods, and his worship was practised in two ways, for he was worshipped both as a god and as a hero. ( Hdt. 2.44 , 145 .) One of the most ancient temples of Heracles in Greece was that at Bura, in Achaia, where he had a peculiar oracle. ( Paus. 7.25.6 ; Plut. de Malign. Herod. 31.) In the neighbourhood of Thermopylae, where Athena, to please him, had called forth the hot spring, there was an altar of Heracles, surnamed μελάμπυγος (Schol. ad Aristoph. Nub. 1047; Hdt. 7.176 ); and it should be observed that hot springs in general were sacred to Heracles. ( Diod. 5.3 ; Schol. ad Pind. Ol. 12.25; Liv. 22.1 ; Strab. pp. 60, 172, 425, 428.) In Phocis he had a temple under the name of μισολύνης ; and as at Rome, women were not allowed to take part in his worship, probably on account of his having been poisoned by Deianeira. (Plut. Quaest. Rom. 57, de Pyth. Orac. 20; Macr. 1.12.) But temples and sanctuaries of Heracles existed in all parts of Greece, especially in those inhabited by the Dorians. The sacrifices offered to him consisted principally of bulls, boars, rams and lambs. ( Diod. 4.39 ; Paus. 2.10.1 .) Respecting the festivals celebrated in his honour, see Dict. of Ant. s. v. Ἠράκλεια . The worship of Hercules at Rome and in Italy requires a separate consideration. His worship there is connected by late, especially Roman writers, with the hero's expedition to fetch the oxen of Geryones; and the principal points are, that Hercules in the West abolished human sacrifices among the Sabines, established the worship of fire, and slew Cacus, a robber, who had stolen eight of his oxen. (Dionys. A. R. 1.14; CACUS.) The aborigines, and especially Evander, honoured the hero with divine worship. (Serv. ad Aen. 8.51, 269.) Hercules, in return, feasted the people, and presented the king with lands, requesting that sacrifices should be offered to him every year, according to Greek rites. Two distinguished families, the Potitii and Pinarii, were instructed in these Greek rites, and appointed hereditary managers of the festival. But Hercules made a distinction between these two families, which continued to exist for a long time after; for, as Pinarius arrived too late at the repast, the god punished him by declaring that lie and his descendants should be excluded for ever from the sacrificial feast. Thus the custom arose for the Pinarii to act the part of servants at the feast. ( Diod. 4.21 ; Dionys. A. R. 1.39, &c.; Liv. 1.40 , 5.34 ; Nepos, Hann. 3; Plut. Quaest. Rom. 18; Ov. Fast. 1.581 .) The Fabia gens traced its origin to Hercules, and Fauna and Acca Laurentia are called mistresses of Hercules. In this manner the Romans connected their earliest legends with Hercules. (Macr. 1.10; August. de Civ. Dei, 6.7.) It should be observed that in the Italian traditions the hero bore the name of Recaranus, and this Recaranus was afterwards identified with the Greek Heracles. He had two temples at Rome, one was a small round temple of Hercules Victor, or Hercules Triumphalis, between the river and the Circus Maximus, in the forum boarium, and contained a statue, which was dressed in the triumphal robes whenever a general celebrated a triumph. In front of this statue was the ara maxima, on which, after a triumph, the tenth of the booty was deposited for distribution among the citizens. ( Liv. 10.23 ; Plin. H. N. 34.7, 16 ; Macr. 3.6; Tac. Ann. 12.24 ; Serv. ad Aen. 12.24; Ath. 5.65 ; comp. Dionys. A. R. 1.40.) The second temple stood near the porta trigemina, and contained a bronze statue and the altar on which Hercules himself was believed to have once offered a sacrifice. (Dionys. A. R. 1.39, 40; Plut. Quaest. Rom. 60; Plin. Nat. 33.12 , 45 .) Here the city praetor offered every year a young cow, which was consumed by the people within the sanctuary. The Roman Hercules was regarded as the giver of health (Lydus, de Mens. p. 92), and his priests were called by a Sabine name Cupenci. (Serv. ad Aen. 12.539.) At Rome he was further connected with the Muses, whence he is called Musagetes, and was represented with a lyre, of which there is no trace in Greece. The identity of the Italian with the Greek Heracles is attested not only by the resenmblalce in the traditions and the mode of worship, but by the distinct belief of the Romans themselves. The Greek colonies had introduced his worship into Italy, and it was thence carried to Rome, into Gaul, Spain, arid even Germany. (Tac. Germ. 2.) But it is, nevertheless, in the highest degree probable that the Greek mythus was engrafted upon, or supplied the place of that about the Italian Recaranus or Garanus. [GARANUS.] The works of art in which Heracles was represented were extremely numerous, and of the greatest variety, for he was represented at all the various stages of his life, from the cradle to his death; but whether he appears as a child, a youth, a struggling hero, or as the immortal inhabitant of Olympus, his character is always that of heroic strength and energy. Specimens of every kind are still extant. In the works of the archaic style he appeared as a man with heavy armour ( Paus. 3.15.7 ), but he is usually represented armed with a club, a Scythian bow, and a lion's skin. His head and eyes are small in proportion to the other parts of his body; his hair is short, bristly, and curly, his neck short, fat, and resembling that of a bull; the lower part of his forehead projects, and his expression is grave and serious; his shoulders, arms, breast, and legs display the highest physical strength, and the strong muscles suggest the unceasing and extraordinary exertions by which his life is characterised. The representations of Heracles by Myron and Parrhasius approached nearest to the ideal which was at length produced by Lysippus. The socalled Farnesian Heracles, of which the torso still exists, is the work of Glycon, in imitation of one by Lysippus. It is the finest representation of the hero that has come down to us: he is resting, leaning on his right arm, while the left one is reclining on his head, and the whole figure is a most exquisite combination of peculiar softness with the greatest strength. (Müller, Handb. der Archäol. p. (p. 640, &100.2d edit.; E. A. Hagen, de Herculis Laboribus Comment. Arch., Regiomont. 1827.) The mythus of Heracles, as it has come down to us, has unquestionably been developed on Grecian soil; his name is Greek, and the substance of the fables also is of genuine Greek growth: the foreign additions which at a later age may have been incorporated with the Greek mythus can easily be recognised and separated from it. It is further clear that real historical elements are interwoven with the fables. The best treatises on the mythus of Heracles are those of Buttmann (Mythologus, vol. i. p. 246, &c.), and C. O. Müller (Dorians, ii. cc. 11 and 12), both of whom regard the hero as a purely Greek character, though the former considers him as entirely a poetical creation, and the latter believes that the whole mythus arose from the proud consciousness of power which is innate in every man, by means of which he is able to raise himself to an equality with the immortal gods, notwithstanding all the obstacles that may be placed in his way. Before we conclude, we must add a few remarks respecting the Heracles of the East, and of the Celtic and Germanic nations. The ancients themselves expressly mention several heroes of the name of Heracles, who occur among the principal nations of the ancient world. Diodorus, e.g. (3.73, comp. 1.24, 5.64, 76) speaks of three, the most ancient of whom was the Egyptsian, a son f Zeus, the second a Cretan, and one of the Idacan Dactyls, and the third or youngest was Heracles the son of Zeus by Alcmena, who lived shortly before the Trojan war, and to whom the feats of the earlier ones were ascribed. Cicero (de Nat. Deor. 3.16) counts six heroes of this name, and he likewise makes the last and youngest the son of Zeus and Alcmena. Varro (apud Serv. ad Aen. 8.564) is said to have reckoned up forty-four heroes of this name, while Servius (l.c.) assumes only four, viz. the Tirynthian, the Argive, the Theban, and the Libyan Heracles. Herodotus ( 2.42 , &c.) tells us that he made inquiries respecting Heracles: the Egyptian he found to be decidedly older than the Greek one; but the Egyptians referred him to Phoenicia as the original source of the traditions. The Egyptian Heracles, who is mentioned by many other writers besides Herodotus and Diodorus, is said to have been called by his Egyptian name Som or Dsom, or, according to others, Chon (Etym. M. s. v. Χῶν ), and, according to Pausanias ( 10.17.2 ), Maceris. According to Diodorus ( 1.24 ), Som was a son of Amon (Zeus); but Cicero calls him a son of Nilus, while, according to Ptolemaeus Hephaestion, Heracles himself was originally called Nilus. This Egyptian Heracles was placed by the Egyptians in the second of the series of the evolutions of their gods. (Diod. l.c.; Hdt. 2.43 , 145 , 3.73 ; Tac. Ann. 2.6 .) The Thebans placed him 17,000 years before king Amasis, and, according to Diodorus, 10 ,000 years before the Trojan war; whereas Macrobius (Macr. 1.20) states that he had no beginning at all. The Greek Heracles, according to Diodorus, became the heir of all the feats and exploits of his elder Egyptian namesake. The 'Egyptian Heracles, however, is also mentioned in the second classof the kings; so that the original divinity, by a process of anthropomorphism, appears as a man, and in this capacity he bears great resemblance to the Greek hero. ( Diod. 1.17 , 24 , 3.73 .) This may, indeed, be a mere reflex of the Greek traditions, but the statement that Osiris, previous to his great expedition, entrusted Heracles with the government of Egypt, seems to be a genuine Egyptian legend. The other stories related about the Egyptian Heracles are of a mysterious nature, and unintelligible, but the great veneration in which he was held is attested by several authorities. ( Hdt. 2.113 ; Diod. 5.76 ; Tac. Ann. 2.60 ; Macr. 1.20.) Further traces of the worship of Heracles appear in Thasus, where Herodotus ( 2.44 ) found a temple, said to have been built by the Phoenicians sent out in search of Europa, five generations previous to the time of the Greek Heracles. He was worshipped there principally in the character of a saviour ( σωτήρ , Paus. 5.25.7 , 6.11.2 ). The Cretan Heracles, one of the Idacan Dactyls, was believed to have founded the temple of Zeus at Olympia ( Paus. 5.13.5 ), but to have originally come from Egypt. ( Diod. 4.18 .) The traditions about him resemble those of the Greek Heracles ( Diod. 5.76 ; Paus. 9.27.5 ); but it is said that he lived at a much earlier period than the Greek hero, and that the latter only imitated him. Eusebius states that his name was Diodas, and Hieronymus makes it Desanaus. He was worshipped with funeral sacrifices, and was regarded as a magician, like other ancient daemones of Crete. (Cic. de Nat. Deor. 3.16; Diod. 5.64 .) In India, also, we find a Heracles, who was called by the unintelligible name Διρσάνηρ . ( Plin. Nat. 6.16 , 22 ; Hesych. s.v. Δορσάνηρ .) The later Greeks believed that he was their own hero, who had visited India, and related that in India he became the father of many sons and daughters by Pandaea, and the ancestral hero of the Indian kings. (Arrian, Ind. 8, 9 ; Diod. 2.39 , 17.85 , 96 ; Philostr. Vit. Apoll. 3.46.) The Phoenician Heracles, whom the Egyptians considered to be more ancient than their own, was probably identical with the Egyptian or Libyan Heracles. See the learned disquisition in Movers (Die Phoenicier, p. 415, &c.) He was worshipped in all the Phoenician colonies, such as Carthage and Gades, down to the time of Constantine, and it is said that children were sacrificed to him. ( Plin. Nat. 36.5 .) The Celtic and Germanic Heracles has already been noticed above, as the founder of Alesia, Nemausus, and the author of the Celtic race. We become acquainted with him in the accounts of the expedition of the Greek Heracles to Geryones. ( Hdt. 1.7 , 2.45 , 91 , 113 , 4.82 ; Pind. O. 3.11 , &c.; Tacit. Germ. 3, 9.) We must either suppose that the Greek Heracles was identified with native heroes of those northern countries, or that the notions about Heracles had been introduced there from the East.	i don't know
French playwright Jean-Baptiste Poquelin was better known by what name?	Super Reviewer ½ [font=Century Gothic]"Moliere" starts in 1658 with playwright and actor Moliere(Romain Duris) leading his acting troupe to a triumphant return to Paris after perfomring throughout rural France for years but he aims to do more serious plays than his usual farces.(So, I guess you could say he was a 17th century Woody Allen, minus the space aliens.) 13 years earlier, he was not so fortunate as he was arrested for debts unpaid but is rescued by Jourdain(Fabrice Luchini), a wealthy merchant, who assumes his debts in exchange for his theatrical coaching to win the hand of Marquise Celimene(Ludivine Sagnier). At the first opportunity, Moliere makes a break for it but is simultaneously deterred by a very large dog and enchanted by Jourdain's wife(Laura Morante)...[/font] [font=Century Gothic][/font] [font=Century Gothic]"Moliere" is a misguided and awkward attempt to explore the creative process. Well, at least it looks great. Maybe, it would have helped if I knew more about the life and works of Moliere. What I can sense is that he was some kind of comic genius. Ironically, the film is at its weakest when it tries to be funny while the serious parts are not half bad, as long as they are allowed to maintain some kind of momentum. Under such conditions, a good cast can do little to help. Ludivine Sagnier comes closest to succeeding but even Laura Morante cannot shine with material like this. And it is especially strange considering Fabrice Luchini was on similar ground several years back in "Beaumarchais the Scoundrel."[/font] Walter M. Super Reviewer Entertaining period comedy with beautiful sets and engaging acting. It tells the story of French playwright Molière's early days, as if they were indeed as farcical as his plays. C'est très drole! Ross Collins Super Reviewer [size=3]"Moliere," starring French dreamboat [b]Romain Duris[/b] as the legendary 17th-century playwright himself, is wonderfully funny and intelligent from first moment to last, all with a light joie de vivre that seems to be part of the French DNA.[/size] [size=3][img]http://www.canoe.com/divertissement/cinema/entrevues/2007/04/09/molposter.jpg[/img][/size] [size=3]I have heard grumblings from some critics who say that the film is simply a recapitulation of one of Moliere's plays. I can't comment on that, as I haven't read any of his work. What I do know is that this film is gorgeous, heart-felt, superbly acted and directed, surprising, witty and overflowing with life. I recommend it to anyone, except [/size][size=3]maybe to Moliere scholars, who presumably have seen it all before.[/size] [size=3][img]http://www.sep7.ca/local/cache-vignettes/L520xH347/moliere2-e948d.jpg[/img][/size] [size=3]The plot surrounds Moliere being rescued from debtors' prison by an extravagantly wealthy merchant named Monsieur Jourdain, who is striving to win the heart of a young, beautiful, well-educated Comtesse. Since he is married, this Comtesse would be his mistress. (The tradition of the mistress in France is like nothing we have in America. In France it is almost presumed that a married man would have a mistress -- or more recently, a boyfriend. Vive la France!)[/size] [size=3]Jourdain, who is hilariously played by [b]Fabrice Luchini[/b], [/size][size=3]is hoping to captivate the ravishing Comtesse by writing a play that will impress her. [/size][size=3]Moliere is to move into Jourdain's immense chateau and tutor Jourdain without his family knowing. Moliere is to masquerade as a priest come to protect the soul of Jourdain's youngest daughter. [/size][size=3]Watching the ribald, devilish Moliere attempt to lead prayers was priceless.[/size] [size=3]Complexities emerge when Moliere falls in love with Madame Jourdain and the erotic adventures of Jourdain's older daughter come to light. The local aristocrat also brings his own intrigues. Woven through all of it is the struggle within Moliere himself to trust his talent in all its oddness. When he tells the artistically minded Madame Jourdain that there is no such thing as comedy with philosophical depth, her response is simply and powerfully, "Then invent it." Would that all young artists had a Mme. Jourdain to inspire them.[/size] [size=3]He does come to believe in himself, and nearly 400 years later we're still talking about him. That's pretty damn good.[/size] [size=3]I'm sure anyone who sees this film will enjoy him or herself immensely. But I can't say it's a superior artistic accomplishment. Formally speaking, it's run of the mill. It stays completely within the established conventions of modern mainstream cinema. It doesn't show even the slightest bit of interest in charting new territory, formally or even thematically. It's a delight, but no one would call it artistically audacious. Thus I cannot rank it higher than an 8.[/size] William Dunmyer	Molière
The ceibo is the national flower and tree of which South American country?	Jean-Baptiste Poquelin « The Freelance History Writer May 21, 2013 By Susan Abernethy in 17th & 18th Century French Artists , 17th Century , French History Tags: Duke of Orleans , Jean-Baptiste Poquelin , King Louis XIV , Louvre , Molière , Paris , Père Lachaise Cemetery , The Misanthrope 5 Comments Jean-Baptiste Poquelin, better known as Moliere In 17th and 18th Century France, there were an extraordinary number of men and women artists that emerged, making a name for themselves. They were poets, fabulists, painters, playwrights, actors, composers and writers. Some of the writers became the foundation for the L’Académie Française, which was established in 1635 by Cardinal Richelieu, the chief minister to King Louis XIII. The Académie is the most distinguished learned body on matters pertaining to the French language. The Freelance History Writer would like to take a look at some of these remarkable artists. Jean-Baptiste Poquelin, known by his stage name Molière, is considered one of the greatest comedic masters of Western literature. His most well-known works are ‘The Misanthrope’, ‘The School for Wives’, ‘Tartuffe or the Imposter’, ‘The Imaginary Invalid’ and ‘The Bourgeois Gentleman’. He spent thirteen years as a travelling actor which allowed him to refine his comic skills as he began writing. He combined commedia dell’arte elements with the more refined French comedy. Molière was baptized on January 15, 1622. He was born in Paris into a prosperous family and studied at the Collège de Clermont. When he was twenty-one, he decided to abandon his social class and pursue a career on the stage, founding the Illustre Théâtre. His theater went bankrupt by 1645 and he spent twenty-four hours in prison. It is unknown who paid his debts but once he left prison, he changed his name and went back to the acting circuit. This was to last for twelve years and during this time he was able to gain the patronage of several aristocrats including Philippe I, Duke of Orleans, the brother of King Louis XIV. By 1658, he had made his reputation in Paris and performed in front of King Louis XIV at the Louvre which was then for rent as a theater. He was named head of the actor’s troupe for the Duke of Orleans. Molière preferred tragedy but became famous for his farces which were presented in one act and were performed after the tragedy. Later in life he focused on writing musical comedies where the drama was interrupted by songs and/or dances. Jean-Baptiste de Lully wrote some of the music for these. Some of his plays made fun of society at the time and produced controversy but Molière was always careful not to attack the institution of the monarchy itself. He was to earn a position as one of King Louis’ favorites and enjoyed the king’s protection from attacks on his work. Eventually, the king became the official sponsor of Molière’s troupe. In his fourteen years in Paris, Molière wrote thirty-one out of the eighty-five plays his troupe performed. By 1672, he was ill and was writing less and less. He was suffering from pulmonary tuberculosis which he may have contracted when he was in prison. While performing ‘The Imaginary Invalid’ on stage on February 17, 1673 he collapsed with a fit of coughing and hemorrhaging. He insisted on finishing the performance. When the play was over he collapsed again with more hemorrhaging and was taken home where he died a few hours later. Under French law, actors were not allowed to be buried in the sacred ground of the cemetery. Molière’s wife pleaded with the King to have a “normal” funeral at night and the King agreed. Molière was buried in a cemetery in a section reserved for unbaptized infants. In 1792, his remains were brought to the museum of French monuments and in 1817, they were transferred to Père Lachaise Cemetery in Paris, close to those of Jean de La Fontaine . In one of the great omissions of history, Molière was never admitted to the Académie Française. Share this:	i don't know
The 1963 film ‘The Birds’ is based on a story by which novelist?	The Birds The Birds There are no active dates for this event. Not Available Thursday Jan 21, 2016 7:30 PM - Saturday Feb 20, 2016 7:30 PM \| $18.00 - $36.00 Get Tickets The Birds a play by Conor McPherson After weeks of aerial attacks, four strangers find sanctuary from an environmental catastrophe in an isolated and abandoned lakeside cabin. But that sanctuary is disturbed by questions of what constitutes civilized behavior in the absence of civilization. Adapted for a post-9/11 world by Conor McPherson, "The Birds" based on the short story by Daphne du Maurier that inspired Alfred Hitchcock's 1963 film. "A powerful piece of theatre and a reminder of just how important that story has become... truly frightening... a night in the theatre that should not be missed." Tippi Hedren "The Birds" features Sarah Harlett, Sean Nelson, Shawn Belyea, and Meme Garcia-Cosgrove, and opens January 21 at 12th Ave Arts. The play is directed by Greg Carter and stage managed by Gabrielle Strong, with designs by Reed Nakayama, Tommer Peterson, Brendan Patrick Hogan, and Jenny Ampersand. More information at strawshop.org SPECIAL PRICES ON MONDAY PERFORMANCES Discussion	Daphne du Maurier
In card games, a prial is a set of how many cards of the same value?	The Birds (1963) - IMDb IMDb There was an error trying to load your rating for this title. Some parts of this page won't work property. Please reload or try later. X Beta I'm Watching This! Keep track of everything you watch; tell your friends. Error A wealthy San Francisco socialite pursues a potential boyfriend to a small Northern California town that slowly takes a turn for the bizarre when birds of all kinds suddenly begin to attack people. Director: Daphne Du Maurier (from the story by), Evan Hunter (screenplay) Stars: From $2.99 (SD) on Amazon Video ON DISC a list of 25 titles created 14 Aug 2011 a list of 21 titles created 09 Oct 2013 a list of 28 titles created 8 months ago a list of 30 titles created 5 months ago a list of 40 titles created 2 weeks ago Search for " The Birds " on Amazon.com Connect with IMDb Want to share IMDb's rating on your own site? Use the HTML below. You must be a registered user to use the IMDb rating plugin. Nominated for 1 Oscar. Another 3 wins & 5 nominations. See more awards » Videos A San Francisco detective suffering from acrophobia investigates the strange activities of an old friend's wife, all the while becoming dangerously obsessed with her. Director: Alfred Hitchcock Two young men strangle their "inferior" classmate, hide his body in their apartment, and invite his friends and family to a dinner party as a means to challenge the "perfection" of their crime. Director: Alfred Hitchcock A Phoenix secretary embezzles $40,000 from her employer's client, goes on the run, and checks into a remote motel run by a young man under the domination of his mother. Director: Alfred Hitchcock A wheelchair-bound photographer spies on his neighbours from his apartment window and becomes convinced one of them has committed murder. Director: Alfred Hitchcock A family vacationing in Morocco accidentally stumble on to an assassination plot and the conspirators are determined to prevent them from interfering. Director: Alfred Hitchcock A hapless New York advertising executive is mistaken for a government agent by a group of foreign spies, and is pursued across the country while he looks for a way to survive. Director: Alfred Hitchcock An ex-tennis pro carries out a plot to murder his wife. When things go wrong, he improvises a brilliant plan B. Director: Alfred Hitchcock Mark marries Marnie although she is a habitual thief and has serious psychological problems, and tries to help her confront and resolve them. Director: Alfred Hitchcock A serial murderer is strangling women with a necktie. The London police have a suspect, but he is the wrong man. Director: Alfred Hitchcock A psychotic socialite confronts a pro tennis star with a theory on how two complete strangers can get away with murder - a theory that he plans to implement. Director: Alfred Hitchcock When a reformed jewel thief is suspected of returning to his former occupation, he must ferret out the real thief in order to prove his innocence. Director: Alfred Hitchcock A young woman discovers her visiting uncle may not be the man he seems to be. Director: Alfred Hitchcock Edit Storyline Melanie Daniels is the modern rich socialite, part of the jet-set who always gets what she wants. When lawyer Mitch Brenner sees her in a pet shop, he plays something of a practical joke on her, and she decides to return the favor. She drives about an hour north of San Francisco to Bodega Bay, where Mitch spends the weekends with his mother Lydia and younger sister Cathy. Soon after her arrival, however, the birds in the area begin to act strangely. A seagull attacks Melanie as she is crossing the bay in a small boat, and then, Lydia finds her neighbor dead, obviously the victim of a bird attack. Soon, birds in the hundreds and thousands are attacking anyone they find out of doors. There is no explanation as to why this might be happening, and as the birds continue their vicious attacks, survival becomes the priority. Written by garykmcd ...And remember, the next scream you hear could be your own! See more » Genres: 29 March 1963 (USA) See more » Also Known As: Alfred Hitchcock's The Birds See more » Filming Locations: Did You Know? Trivia Tippi Hedren was actually cut in the face by a bird in one of the shots. See more » Goofs When Melanie is in the boat and attacked by the gull, she is wearing a gold necklace. When she's looking out the window in the diner, the necklace is gone. The necklace is also not visible in the phone booth. I would have to watch the movie again to see if she arrives to the diner with her mink jacket and scarf or maybe she left both of them in the car before entering the diner. See more » Quotes Mrs. MacGruder, pet store clerk : Oh, hello, Miss Daniels. Melanie Daniels : Have you ever seen so many gulls? What do you suppose it is? Mrs. MacGruder, pet store clerk : Well, there must be a storm at sea, that can drive them inland, you know. I was hoping you'd be a little late because he hadn't arrived yet. Melanie Daniels : Oh, but you'd said three o'clock... Mrs. MacGruder, pet store clerk : Oh I know, I know. I've been calling all morning. Oh, Miss Daniels you have no idea. They are so difficult to get, really they are. We have to get them from India, when they're just baby chicks,... [...] During the credits are at the beginning, sound effects from the film are shown. See more » Connections Arabesque no. 1 in E (1888) (uncredited) – See all my reviews Imagine Hitchcock trying to sell this idea to the film studios: the lives of a mundane country family are shattered when vicious rooks attack. Why? No particular reason. And what then? They fly away. and then? They come back again and attack. And then go and then . .. It seems like an impossible plot to pull off, but Hitchcock does it, slowly building up the tension which spasmodically swells and subsides. Younger viewers may get irritated with the slow stealth of the opening scenes and may want to thrash the T.V. when the film comes to its beautifully droll conclusion, but form once those birds start attacking, every viewer is riveted. It was fine Hitchcockian innovation that took this very slim, cock-a-mamy story and turned in to a tense thriller. But the greatest innovation is the film score - there isn't any. No director is more closely identified with the music of their films, but in Birds, Hitchcock created a horror that is uniquely quiet. The great man appreciated something that so few others do - the atmospheric potency of silence, and how, in different settings, silences can differ in character. Yet so many who watch the film seem to forget that the music isn't there. That's the film's greatest attribute. 169 of 277 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes	i don't know
What is the name of the punctuation mark that is represented by a comma under a dot?	BBC - Culture - The mysterious origins of punctuation Books The mysterious origins of punctuation Commas, semicolons and question marks are so commonplace it seems as if they were always there – but that’s not the case. Keith Houston explains their history. By Keith Houston 2 September 2015 As readers and writers, we’re intimately familiar with the dots, strokes and dashes that punctuate the written word. The comma, colon, semicolon and their siblings are integral parts of writing, pointing out grammatical structures and helping us transform letters into spoken words or mental images. We would be lost without them (or, at the very least, extremely confused), and yet the earliest readers and writers managed without it for thousands of years. What changed their minds? In the 3rd Century BCE, in the Hellenic Egyptian city of Alexandria, a librarian named Aristophanes had had enough. He was chief of staff at the city’s famous library, home to hundreds of thousands of scrolls, which were all frustratingly time-consuming to read. For as long as anyone could remember, the Greeks had written their texts so that their letters ran together withnospacesorpunctuation and without any distinction between lowercase and capitals. It was up to the reader to pick their way through this unforgiving mass of letters to discover where each word or sentence ended and the next began. In early Greece and Rome, persuasive speech was more important than written language Yet the lack of punctuation and word spaces was not seen as a problem. In early democracies such as Greece and Rome, where elected officials debated to promote their points of view, eloquent and persuasive speech was considered more important than written language and readers fully expected that they would have to pore over a scroll before reciting it in public. To be able to understand a text on a first reading was unheard of: when asked to read aloud from an unfamiliar document, a 2nd Century writer named Aulus Gellius protested that he would mangle its meaning and emphasise its words incorrectly. (When a bystander stepped in to read the document instead, he did just that.) View image of In early Greece and Rome, understanding a text on a first reading was unheard of (Credit: Credit: Getty Images) Joining the dots Aristophanes’ breakthrough was to suggest that readers could annotate their documents, relieving the unbroken stream of text with dots of ink aligned with the middle (·), bottom (.) or top (·) of each line. His ‘subordinate’, ‘intermediate’ and ‘full’ points corresponded to the pauses of increasing length that a practised reader would habitually insert between formal units of speech called the comma, colon and periodos. This was not quite punctuation as we know it – Aristophanes saw his marks as representing simple pauses rather than grammatical boundaries – but the seed had been planted. View image of The Romans eventually abandoned Aristophanes’ system of dots without a second thought (Credit: Credit: Classic Image / Alamy) Unfortunately, not everyone was convinced of the value of this new invention. When the Romans overtook the Greeks as the preeminent empire-builders of the ancient world, they abandoned Aristophanes’ system of dots without a second thought. Cicero, for example, one of Rome’s most famous public speakers, told his rapt audiences that the end of a sentence “ought to be determined not by the speaker’s pausing for breath, or by a stroke interposed by a copyist, but by the constraint of the rhythm”. Books became an integral part of the Christian identity And though the Romans had experimented for a while with separating·words·with·dots, by the second century CE they had abandoned that too. The cult of public speaking was a strong one, to the extent that all reading was done aloud: most scholars agree that the Greeks and Romans got round their lack of punctuation by murmuring aloud as they read through texts of all kinds. Writing comes of age It was the rise of a quite different kind of cult that resuscitated Aristophanes’ foray into punctuation. As the Roman Empire crumbled in the 4th and 5th Centuries, Rome’s pagans found themselves fighting a losing battle against a new religion called Christianity. Whereas pagans had always passed along their traditions and culture by word of mouth, Christians preferred to write down their psalms and gospels to better spread the word of God. Books became an integral part of the Christian identity, acquiring decorative letters and paragraph marks (Γ, ¢, 7, ¶ and others), and many were lavishly illustrated with gold leaf and intricate paintings. As it spread across Europe, Christianity embraced writing and rejuvenated punctuation. In the 6th Century, Christian writers began to punctuate their own works long before readers got their hands on them in order to protect their original meaning. Later, in the 7th Century, Isidore of Seville (first an archbishop and later beatified to become a saint, though sadly not for his services to punctuation) described an updated version of Aristophanes’ system in which he rearranged the dots in order of height to indicate short (.), medium (·) and long (·) pauses respectively. View image of Books became an integral part of the Christian identity (Credit: Credit: Alamy) Moreover, Isidore explicitly connected punctuation with meaning for the first time: the re-christened subdistinctio, or low point (.), no longer marked a simple pause but was rather the signpost of a grammatical comma, while the high point, or distinctio finalis (·), stood for the end of a sentence. Spaces between words appeared soon after this, an invention of Irish and Scottish monks tired of prying apart unfamiliar Latin words. And towards the end of the 8th Century, in the nascent country of Germany, the famed king Charlemagne ordered a monk named Alcuin to devise a unified alphabet of letters that could be read by all his far-flung subjects, thus creating what we now know as lowercase letters. Writing had come of age, and punctuation was an indispensable part of it. Cutting a dash With Aristophanes’ little dots now commonplace, writers began to expand on them. Some borrowed from musical notation, inspired by Gregorian chants to create new marks like the punctus versus (a medieval ringer for the semicolon used to terminate a sentence) and the punctus elevatus (an upside-down ‘;’ that evolved into the modern colon) that suggested changes in tone as well as grammatical meaning. Another new mark, an ancestor of the question mark called the punctus interrogativus, was used to punctuate questions and to convey a rising inflection at the same time (The related exclamation mark came later, during the 15th Century.) The three dots that had spawned punctuation in the first place inevitably suffered as a result. As other, more specific symbols were created, the distinction between low, medium and high points grew indistinct until all that was left was a simple point that could be placed anywhere on the line to indicate a pause of indeterminate length – a muddied mixture of the comma, colon and full stop. The humble dot was put under pressure on another front, too, when a 12th Century Italian writer named Boncompagno da Signa proposed an entirely new system of punctuation comprising only two marks: a slash (/) represented a pause while a dash (—) terminated sentences. The fate of da Signa’s dash is murky – it may or may not be the ancestor of the parenthetical dash, like those that surround these words – but the slash, or virgula suspensiva, was an unequivocal success. It was compact and visually distinctive, and it soon began to edge out the last holdouts of Aristophanes’s system as a general-purpose comma or pause. View image of The emoji: a new form of punctuation? (Credit: Emoji) This, then, was the state of punctuation at the height of the Renaissance: a mixture of ancient Greek dots; colons, question marks, and other marks descended from medieval symbols; and a few latecomers such as the slash and dash. By now writers were pretty comfortable with the way things stood, which was fortunate, really, because when printing arrived in the mid-1450s, with the publication of Johannes Gutenberg’s 42-line Bible, punctuation found itself unexpectedly frozen in time. Within 50 years, the majority of the symbols we use today were cast firmly in lead, never to change again: Boncompagno da Signa’s slash dropped to the baseline and gained a slight curve to become the modern comma, inheriting its old Greek name as it did so; the semicolon and the exclamation mark joined the colon and the question mark; and Aristophanes’s dot got one last hurrah as the full stop. After that the evolution of punctuation marks stopped dead, stymied by the standardisation imposed by the printing press. It is only now, with computers more widespread than printing presses ever were, that punctuation is again showing signs of life. The average 15th Century writer would have little difficulty in identifying the marks of punctuation that grace the computer keyboard, but they might be a little more surprised by the emoticons and emoji that have joined them on our screens. Punctuation, it turns out, is not dead; it was just waiting for the next technological bandwagon on which to leap. Now we’ve found it, it’s up to us readers and writers once more to decide how we’re going to punctuate our words for the next 2,000 years. Keith Houston is the author of Shady Characters, The Secret Life of Punctuation, Symbols & Other Typographical Marks. More of his work can be found here . If you would like to comment on this story or anything else you have seen on BBC Culture, head over to our Facebook page or message us on Twitter .	Semicolon
A silver medal is traditionally awarded for which place in a race or competition?	Butterflies that Punctuate: The Eastern Comma and the Question Mark \| TrekOhio Hiking the Parks & Preserves of Ohio Butterflies that Punctuate: The Eastern Comma and the Question Mark Butterflies that Punctuate: The Eastern Comma and the Question Mark Standard by Deb Platt Updated on Apr. 19, 2016 9 Comments A short while ago I did a post on the Mourning Cloak butterfly . One of the odd things about this butterfly is that it looks like it only has four feet, but it actually has six feet like most insects. It’s just that the front two are tiny, little things that the butterfly holds near its body. Someone thought the fuzzy, front feet looked like brushes, so that’s how an entire family of butterfly species became known as the Brushfoot family. Today I’m going to look at two other species that are members of this same family: the Eastern Comma and the Question Mark. Yes, they are both named after punctuation. We’ll soon see why. Soon you’ll know whether this is an Eastern Comma Butterfly or Question Mark Butterfly. Both species are a beautiful orange with dark markings. The outside edge of their wings also have a lovely curvature. Varying in size from 2.5 to 3.0 inches, the Question Mark is slightly larger than the Eastern Comma (2.0 to 2.5 inches). However I find it easier to distinguish between the two by looking at their markings. When viewed from the top, the Eastern Comma Butterfly has three dark spots in a row on each of its front wings. The Eastern Comma Butterfly (Polygonia comma); it has a row of three dots on its forewings. Below is a photo of a Question Mark Butterfly that Dendroica cerulea published under a Creative Commons License. Although it looks lighter than the Eastern Comma above, that’s mostly a question of lighting. The real difference is in the number of spots on the front wing. The Question Mark butterfly has four spots in a row. As a mnemonic to remember which has the most dots, I tell myself that the Question Mark butterfly needs an extra dot because a question mark has a dot on its bottom. At this point you can look at this article’s topmost photo and try to figure out which species it is. The Question Mark Butterfly (Polygonia interrogationis); it has a row of four dots on its forewings. You may be wondering why these butterflies are named after punctuation. It turns out that there are markings on the underside of the hindwings that do kind of look like punctuation. The Question Mark butterfly has a mark that looks like a question mark turned on its side, while the Eastern Comma has a sideways comma. The underside of the Question Mark Butterfly’s hindwing has a question mark on it. The underside of the Eastern Comma Butterfly’s hindwing has a comma on it. Beyond the punctuation marks, the underside of both butterflies has a dark, mottled appearance. When the butterfly is at rest with its wings up, its wings look a lot like leaf litter or bark. You might have also noticed in the photo above that it looks like the butterfly has two legs on each side of its body. By a stroke of luck, I believe that I have photographed one of the tiny, front legs after which the whole family is named. This tiny, little front foot reminds me of Tyrannosaurus Rex. 😀 During the summer there is an “umbrosa” form of both butterflies in which the hindwing takes on a dark brown color like the one below. Umbrosa form of the Question Mark butterfly. The reason that I’m seeing these butterflies already is that like the Mourning Cloak butterfly, both species hibernate as adult butterflies over the winter by hiding in nooks and crannies. This makes both species long-lived for a butterfly; they top off at about eight months. The host plants for the larva include elms, hackberry and nettles. The Eastern Comma also has a fondness for hops. Adults of both species get nourishment from mud puddles and animal scat. The Question Mark, like the Mourning Cloak, also likes rotten fruit and tree sap. Once in a while either of these adults may eat a little flower nectar. Additional Reading	i don't know
Who captained the England football team at the 1958 World Cup Finals?	England in the World Cup Final Tournament - Captains Captains Captains at World Cup Final Tournaments 1950 - 2014 by Tournament 19500 4 matches against Hungary, Argentina, Bulgaria & Brazil 1966 6 matches against Uruguay, Mexico, France, Argentina, Portugal & West Germany 1970 4 matches against Romania, Brazil, Czechoslovakia & West Germany 1982 5 matches against France, Czechoslovakia, Kuwait, West Germany & Spain 1986 2 matches against Portugal & Morocco Peter Shilton 3 matches against Poland, Paraguay & Argentina 1990 2 matches against Republic of Ireland & Netherlands Peter Shilton 2 matches against Egypt & Italy Terry Butcher 3 matches against Belgium, Cameroon & West Germany 1998 4 matches against Tunisia, Romania, Colombia & Argentina 2002 5 matches against Sweden, Argentina, Nigeria, Denmark & Brazil 2006 5 matches against Paraguay, Trinidad & Tobago, Sweden, Ecuador & Portugal 2010 4 matches against USA, Algeria, Slovenia & Germany 2014 2 matches against Italy and Uruguay Frank Lampard one match against Costa Rica 2018 Captains at World Cup Final Tournaments 1950 - 2014 by Name David Beckham 2002: Sweden, Argentina, Nigeria, Denmark & Brazil 2006: Paraguay, Trinidad & Tobago, Sweden, Ecuador & Portugal Terry Butcher 2010: USA, Algeria, Slovenia & Germany 2014: Italy & Uruguay France, Czechoslovakia, Kuwait, West Germany & Spain Bobby Moore 1966: Uruguay, Mexico, France, Argentina, Portugal & West Germany 1970: Romania, Brazil, Czechoslovakia & West Germany Bryan Robson 1990: Republic of Ireland & Netherlands Alan Shearer 1950 (3), 1954 (3), 1958 (4) 1950: Chile, USA & Spain 1958: USSR (2), Brazil & Austria Captains at World Cup Final Tournaments 1950 - 2014 by Number Captain 1 Notes Only eleven men have led England in World Cup final tournament play. Five of these--Mick Mills, Peter Shilton, Terry Butcher, Steven Gerrard and Frank Lampard--were standby captains serving in the absence of the preferred captain. Injuries, the fortuities of time and qualification failures have prevented some of England's most illustrious captains from wearing the armband at the World Cup finals or at least limited their appearances as captain on the great stage. Throughout the six tournaments following their belated first entry into World Cup competition, England were led by their first-choice captains--Billy Wright in 1950, 1954 and 1958, Johnny Haynes in 1962 and Bobby Moore in 1966 and 1970. But the story since then has been very different. England failed to qualify for the next two tournaments, in 1974 and 1978. Manager Alf Ramsey would have stayed on and might well have continued his faith in Moore had England qualified for World Cup 1974, although he had given the armband to Martin Peters on occasion in Moore's absence. Either Kevin Keegan or Emlyn Hughes probably would have led England at World Cup 1978 had qualification been secured. Neither ever led an England team at the World Cup. Keegan was manager Ron Greenwood's preferred captain and would have led England at World Cup 1982 in Spain had he been fit, but injury kept him out for all but a late substitute appearance in England's last match at that tournament. Defender Mick Mills filled in as captain, and Keegan's international career ended on a rather sad note. Because of England's disastrous qualification record during the 1970's, he had only 26 minutes of playing time in World Cup finals. Although Bryan Robson captained England 63 times--second only to Billy Wright and Bobby Moore's 90--he led the side at the World Cup finals in only four matches. He was manager Bobby Robson's preference for the captaincy at World Cups 1986 and 1990, but injury forced his exit at the early stages of both tournaments. In Mexico in 1986, a long-standing shoulder injury, aggravated in a warm-up match against Mexico in Los Angeles, forced him from the pitch during the first half of the second group match against Morocco, and he did not play in the tournament again although he remained with the squad. His Manchester United teammate, Ray Wilkins, took over the captain's armband in the Morocco match, but shortly drew a red card for a second cautionable offence and had to yield it to Peter Shilton, who became the third England player to wear the armband in the match. Wilkins, suspended for the next two matches, did not return for the rest of the tournament, and it was Shilton who went on to captain England in their remarkable recovery against Poland and Paraguay and their loss to Argentina in one of the most controversial matches in World Cup history. Injury again forced Robson's withdrawal in the second group match at World Cup 1990 in Italy. After lasting the full 90 minutes in the first match against the Republic of Ireland, Robson, already playing with a pain-killing injection for an injured toe, strained his Achilles tendon and had to be taken off after 65 minutes of the second match against Holland. He had to sit out the third match against Egypt, and, despite the efforts of a faith healer he had flown out to treat him, he then flew home for surgery. Peter Shilton and Terry Butcher both filled in as captain. Shilton was captain for two matches in which Butcher did not play, the third group match against Egypt and the third-place match against Italy at the end of the tournament. Butcher took over the captaincy in the big matches against Belgium, Cameroon and Germany. Gary Lineker's international career had already reached its last two years when he became manager Graham Taylor's first-choice captain in the early 1990's as Robson's England career waned, and he never led the team at the World Cup finals. Failure to qualify for the 1994 tournament prevented Lineker's successor, David Platt, from captaining a World Cup side. By the next World Cup finals in 1998, Platt's international career had ended. At World Cup 1998 in France, however, England were led throughout the tournament by manager Glenn Hoddle's preferred captain, Alan Shearer. David Beckham, coach Sven-Göran Eriksson's choice as team leader, managed to captain the side in England's five matches at World Cup 2002 although a broken foot had put his fitness for the tournament in doubt until the last minute and it was quite apparent throughout the tournament that he had not fully recovered. He was taken off in the 63rd minute of the opening match against Sweden, his first game in more than two months, with Michael Owen, who had captained England in warm-up matches during Beckham's absence, taking over the armband. But he lasted the duration in England's four remaining matches. Beckham continued with the armband for another five Final's matches at the 2006 tournament. Allowing him to captain as many as ten matches, ranking him alongside Bobby Moore and Billy Wright. Fabio Capello's only attempt at the World stage ended disastrously. In 2010, he took his captain Rio Ferdinand with him to South Africa, only for Ferdinand to be injured in a freak training ground accident. The vice-Captain Steven Gerrard took over the armband responsibilities for the four matches England played. Roy Hodgson stuck with Steven Gerrard for the 2014 tournament, but after England were eliminated after only two matches, Hodgson granted his vice-captain his swansong as Frank Lampard led out the team one last time. ____________________	Billy Wright
Which actor was singer Madonna’s first husband?	England in the World Cup Final Tournament - Captains Captains Captains at World Cup Final Tournaments 1950 - 2014 by Tournament 19500 4 matches against Hungary, Argentina, Bulgaria & Brazil 1966 6 matches against Uruguay, Mexico, France, Argentina, Portugal & West Germany 1970 4 matches against Romania, Brazil, Czechoslovakia & West Germany 1982 5 matches against France, Czechoslovakia, Kuwait, West Germany & Spain 1986 2 matches against Portugal & Morocco Peter Shilton 3 matches against Poland, Paraguay & Argentina 1990 2 matches against Republic of Ireland & Netherlands Peter Shilton 2 matches against Egypt & Italy Terry Butcher 3 matches against Belgium, Cameroon & West Germany 1998 4 matches against Tunisia, Romania, Colombia & Argentina 2002 5 matches against Sweden, Argentina, Nigeria, Denmark & Brazil 2006 5 matches against Paraguay, Trinidad & Tobago, Sweden, Ecuador & Portugal 2010 4 matches against USA, Algeria, Slovenia & Germany 2014 2 matches against Italy and Uruguay Frank Lampard one match against Costa Rica 2018 Captains at World Cup Final Tournaments 1950 - 2014 by Name David Beckham 2002: Sweden, Argentina, Nigeria, Denmark & Brazil 2006: Paraguay, Trinidad & Tobago, Sweden, Ecuador & Portugal Terry Butcher 2010: USA, Algeria, Slovenia & Germany 2014: Italy & Uruguay France, Czechoslovakia, Kuwait, West Germany & Spain Bobby Moore 1966: Uruguay, Mexico, France, Argentina, Portugal & West Germany 1970: Romania, Brazil, Czechoslovakia & West Germany Bryan Robson 1990: Republic of Ireland & Netherlands Alan Shearer 1950 (3), 1954 (3), 1958 (4) 1950: Chile, USA & Spain 1958: USSR (2), Brazil & Austria Captains at World Cup Final Tournaments 1950 - 2014 by Number Captain 1 Notes Only eleven men have led England in World Cup final tournament play. Five of these--Mick Mills, Peter Shilton, Terry Butcher, Steven Gerrard and Frank Lampard--were standby captains serving in the absence of the preferred captain. Injuries, the fortuities of time and qualification failures have prevented some of England's most illustrious captains from wearing the armband at the World Cup finals or at least limited their appearances as captain on the great stage. Throughout the six tournaments following their belated first entry into World Cup competition, England were led by their first-choice captains--Billy Wright in 1950, 1954 and 1958, Johnny Haynes in 1962 and Bobby Moore in 1966 and 1970. But the story since then has been very different. England failed to qualify for the next two tournaments, in 1974 and 1978. Manager Alf Ramsey would have stayed on and might well have continued his faith in Moore had England qualified for World Cup 1974, although he had given the armband to Martin Peters on occasion in Moore's absence. Either Kevin Keegan or Emlyn Hughes probably would have led England at World Cup 1978 had qualification been secured. Neither ever led an England team at the World Cup. Keegan was manager Ron Greenwood's preferred captain and would have led England at World Cup 1982 in Spain had he been fit, but injury kept him out for all but a late substitute appearance in England's last match at that tournament. Defender Mick Mills filled in as captain, and Keegan's international career ended on a rather sad note. Because of England's disastrous qualification record during the 1970's, he had only 26 minutes of playing time in World Cup finals. Although Bryan Robson captained England 63 times--second only to Billy Wright and Bobby Moore's 90--he led the side at the World Cup finals in only four matches. He was manager Bobby Robson's preference for the captaincy at World Cups 1986 and 1990, but injury forced his exit at the early stages of both tournaments. In Mexico in 1986, a long-standing shoulder injury, aggravated in a warm-up match against Mexico in Los Angeles, forced him from the pitch during the first half of the second group match against Morocco, and he did not play in the tournament again although he remained with the squad. His Manchester United teammate, Ray Wilkins, took over the captain's armband in the Morocco match, but shortly drew a red card for a second cautionable offence and had to yield it to Peter Shilton, who became the third England player to wear the armband in the match. Wilkins, suspended for the next two matches, did not return for the rest of the tournament, and it was Shilton who went on to captain England in their remarkable recovery against Poland and Paraguay and their loss to Argentina in one of the most controversial matches in World Cup history. Injury again forced Robson's withdrawal in the second group match at World Cup 1990 in Italy. After lasting the full 90 minutes in the first match against the Republic of Ireland, Robson, already playing with a pain-killing injection for an injured toe, strained his Achilles tendon and had to be taken off after 65 minutes of the second match against Holland. He had to sit out the third match against Egypt, and, despite the efforts of a faith healer he had flown out to treat him, he then flew home for surgery. Peter Shilton and Terry Butcher both filled in as captain. Shilton was captain for two matches in which Butcher did not play, the third group match against Egypt and the third-place match against Italy at the end of the tournament. Butcher took over the captaincy in the big matches against Belgium, Cameroon and Germany. Gary Lineker's international career had already reached its last two years when he became manager Graham Taylor's first-choice captain in the early 1990's as Robson's England career waned, and he never led the team at the World Cup finals. Failure to qualify for the 1994 tournament prevented Lineker's successor, David Platt, from captaining a World Cup side. By the next World Cup finals in 1998, Platt's international career had ended. At World Cup 1998 in France, however, England were led throughout the tournament by manager Glenn Hoddle's preferred captain, Alan Shearer. David Beckham, coach Sven-Göran Eriksson's choice as team leader, managed to captain the side in England's five matches at World Cup 2002 although a broken foot had put his fitness for the tournament in doubt until the last minute and it was quite apparent throughout the tournament that he had not fully recovered. He was taken off in the 63rd minute of the opening match against Sweden, his first game in more than two months, with Michael Owen, who had captained England in warm-up matches during Beckham's absence, taking over the armband. But he lasted the duration in England's four remaining matches. Beckham continued with the armband for another five Final's matches at the 2006 tournament. Allowing him to captain as many as ten matches, ranking him alongside Bobby Moore and Billy Wright. Fabio Capello's only attempt at the World stage ended disastrously. In 2010, he took his captain Rio Ferdinand with him to South Africa, only for Ferdinand to be injured in a freak training ground accident. The vice-Captain Steven Gerrard took over the armband responsibilities for the four matches England played. Roy Hodgson stuck with Steven Gerrard for the 2014 tournament, but after England were eliminated after only two matches, Hodgson granted his vice-captain his swansong as Frank Lampard led out the team one last time. ____________________	i don't know
The medical condition priapism is a persistent and usually painful what?	Priaprism \| definition of Priaprism by Medical dictionary Priaprism \| definition of Priaprism by Medical dictionary http://medical-dictionary.thefreedictionary.com/Priaprism Priapism is a rare condition that causes a persistent, and often painful, penile erection. Description Priapism is drug induced, injury related, or caused by disease, not sexual desire. As in a normal erection, the penis fills with blood and becomes erect. However, unlike a normal erection that dissipates after sexual activity ends, the persistent erection caused by priapism is maintained because the blood in the penile shaft does not drain. The shaft remains hard, while the tip of the penis is soft. If it is not relieved promptly, priapism can lead to permanent scarring of the penis and inability to have a normal erection. Causes and symptoms Priapism is caused by leukemia, sickle cell disease , or spinal cord injury . It has also been associated as a rare side effect to trazodone (Desyrel), a drug prescribed to treat depression. An overdose of self-injected chemicals to counteract impotence has also been responsible for priapism. The chemicals are directly injected into the penis, and at least a quarter of all men who have used this method of treatment for over three months develop priapism. Diagnosis A physical examination is needed to diagnose priapism. Further testing, including nuclear scanning or Doppler ultrasound, will diagnose the underlying cause of the condition. Treatment There are three methods of treatment. The most effective is the injection of medicines into the penis that allow the blood to escape. Cold packs may also be applied to alleviate the condition, but this method becomes ineffective after about eight hours. For the most serious cases and those that do not respond to the first two treatments, a needle can be used to remove the blood. The tissues may need to be flushed with saline or diluted medications by the same needle method. That failing, there are more extensive surgical procedures available. One of them shuts off much of the blood supply to the penis so that it can relax. If the problem is due to a sickle cell crisis, treatment of the crisis with oxygen or transfusion may suffice. Prognosis If priapism is relieved within the first 12-24 hours, there is usually no residual damage. After that, permanent impotence may result, since the high pressure in the penis compromises blood flow and leads to tissue death (infarction). Prevention An antineoplastic drug (hydroxyurea) may prevent future episodes of priapism for patients with sickle cell disease. Resources Wertheimer, Neil. Total Health for Men. Emmaus, PA: Rodale Press, 1995. Periodicals Werthman, P., and J. Rajfer. "MUSE Therapy: Preliminary Clinical Observations." Urology 50 (November 1997): 809-811. Key terms Antineoplastic — A drug used to inhibit the growth and spread of cancerous cells. Doppler ultrasound — An imaging technique using ultrasound that can detect moving liquids. Infarction — Death of tissue due to inadequate blood supply. Nuclear scanning — Use of injected radioactive elements to analyze blood flow. Sickle cell anemia — A hereditary abnormality of blood cells in which some are deformed and may plug up small blood vessels. priapism [pri´ah-pizm] persistent abnormal erection of the penis, accompanied by pain and tenderness. It is seen in diseases and injuries of the spinal cord, and may be caused by vesical calculus and certain injuries to the penis. pri·a·pism (prī'ă-pizm), Persistent erection of the penis, accompanied by pain and tenderness, resulting from a pathologic condition rather than sexual desire; a term loosely used as a synonym for satyriasis. [see priapus] /pri·a·pism/ (pri´ah-pizm) persistent abnormal erection of penis, accompanied by pain and tenderness. priapism (prī′ə-pĭz′əm) n. Persistent, usually painful erection of the penis, especially as a consequence of disease and not related to sexual arousal. priapism [prī′əpiz′əm] Etymology: Gk, priapos, phallus an abnormal condition of prolonged or constant penile erection, often painful and seldom associated with sexual arousal. It may result from localized infection, a lesion in the penis or the central nervous system, or the use of medications or recreational drugs such as cocaine. It sometimes occurs in men who have acute leukemia or sickle cell anemia. Priapism priapism A rare urologic emergency characterised by painful erection without sexual excitement or desire, in which the penis does not return to its flaccid state—despite the absence of both physical and psychological stimulation—within four hours; 60% are idiopathic, the rest are due to various disorders, such as leukaemia, pelvic infection, pelvic cancer, sickle cell anaemia, abuse substances (alcohol, cocaine, marijuana, methaqualone), drugs (anticoagulants, antihypertensives, corticosteroids, neuroleptics, tolbutamide, papaverine), scorpion bites and penile or spinal cord trauma. Clinical findings Painful, prolonged erection with a tense, congested corpora cavernosa. Accumulation of high-viscosity hypoxic blood in corpora cavernosa secondary to obstruction of venous blood. Prognosis Without decompression, interstitial oedema and fibrosis of the spongiosa of the penile shaft ensue, causing permanent impotence. priapism Urology A urologic emergency characterized by painful erection without sexual excitement or desire; 60% are idiopathic, the rest are due to various disorders–eg, leukemia, pelvic infection, pelvic CA, sickle cell anemia, abuse substances–alcohol, cocaine, marijuana, methaqualone, drugs–anticoagulants, antihypertensives, corticosteroids, neuroleptics, tolbutamide, papaverine, scorpion bites, penile or spinal cord trauma Clinical Painful, prolonged erection with a tense, congested corpora cavernosa Prognosis Without decompression, interstitial edema and fibrosis of penile shaft ensue, causing impotence. See Bobbittize, Penile prosthesis , Peyronie's disease . pri·a·pism (prī'ă-pizm) Persistent erection of the penis, accompanied by pain and tenderness, resulting from a pathologic condition rather than sexual desire. priapism Persistent, usually painful erection of the corpora cavernosa of the penis without sexual interest. Priapism results from the failure of blood to drain from the penis and may lead to permanent damage from blood clotting. Urgent treatment is needed to withdraw the blood through a wide-bore needle or to obtain detumescence by other means. From the Greek Priapos , the god of procreation. priapism persistent abnormal erection of the penis, accompanied by pain and tenderness. It is seen in diseases and injuries of the spinal cord, and may be caused by vesical calculus and certain injuries to the penis.	Erection
Which footballer claimed that his hand-ball goal against England in 1986 was ‘The hand of God’?	Priapism Treatments, Causes, Types, and Symptoms A Erections can’t happen without proper blood flow. Normally when a man gets aroused, the arteries in his pelvis and penis relax and expand, bringing more blood to spongy tissues in the penis . At the same time, the valves in the veins close, trapping blood in the area and causing an erection. After the excitement ends, the vein valves open, the blood flows out, and the penis returns to its usual state. Blood flow that’s not normal can cause priapism , an erection that lasts for more than 4 hours, is usually painful, and may happen without sexual arousal. Recommended Related to Erectile Dysfunction It can happen to males of all ages, including newborns. There are two main types: Low-flow or ischemic priapism : This type happens when blood gets trapped in the erection chambers. Most of the time, there’s no clear cause, but it may affect men with sickle-cell disease, leukemia ( cancer of the blood), or malaria . If you don’t get treatment right away, it can lead to scarring and permanent erectile dysfunction (ED). High-flow or non-ischemic priapism: This type is more rare than low-flow and is usually less painful. It often happens when an injury to the penis or the area between the scrotum and anus , called the perineum, ruptures an artery, which prevents blood in the penis from moving normally. What Causes Priapism? Sickle cell anemia: Scientists think about 42% of men with sickle cell disease will get priapism at some point. Medications : Many men get the condition when they use or misuse some types of medicine. Drugs that may cause priapism include the depression treatment trazodone HCL ( Desyrel ), or chlorpromazine (Thorazine), which treats some mental illnesses. The pills or shots that treat ED may also cause priapism. Other causes include: Carbon monoxide poisoning Using street drugs like marijuana and cocaine It’s rare, but priapism can happen because of cancers that affect the penis and prevent blood from flowing out of the area. Getting a Diagnosis If you think you might have priapism, you need to get medical care right away. Tell your doctor: How long you’ve had the erection How long your erections usually last Any drugs, legal or illegal, that you’ve used If the problem happened after an injury Your doctor will review your medical history and do a thorough physical exam to figure out what’s causing your problem. He’ll check your rectum and belly for any signs of cancer . You may also need to see a urologist for more screening tests, including: Blood tests An imaging test called a color Doppler ultrasound , which shows how blood is flowing in your penis An X-ray called an arteriogram that detects a dye your doctor injects into an artery	i don't know
Juliette Norton married which British television chef in 2000?	Celebrity chef who married Juliette Norton in 2000 - crossword puzzle clues & answers - Dan Word «Let me solve it for you» Celebrity chef who married Juliette Norton in 2000 Today's crossword puzzle clue is a general knowledge one: Celebrity chef who married Juliette Norton in 2000. We will try to find the right answer to this particular crossword clue. Here are the possible solutions for "Celebrity chef who married Juliette Norton in 2000" clue. It was last seen in British general knowledge crossword. We have 1 possible answer in our database. Possible answer:	Jamie Oliver
Rozencrantz and Gildenstern are characters in which Shakespeare play?	stumbleupon More StatsView More About Jamie Oliver English chef, restaurateur and media personality, Jamie Oliver, has a net worth of $400 million according to the Sunday Times Rich List. Being good at cooking is just the beginning of Jamie Oliver’s talents. Not content with giving the nation delusions of culinary grandeur thanks to his distinctly try-at-home television cookery style and attractive recipe books, Oliver has undertaken a number of crusades. His Fifteen restaurants train disadvantaged young people to be chefs; he has taken on Turkey Twizzlers, campaigning for freshly prepared meals in place of the freezer-to-fryer fare served up in British schools, and he taught those as yet untouched by the Jamie effect how to cook proper dinners in the Ministry of Food. He has even tried to trim the fat from American obesity in Food Revolution. He also built an educational establishment Jamie’s Dream School, where Professor Robert Winston and David Starkey serve as teaching staffs. He was working at London’s River Café when he was spotted by a TV producer. After that, the Naked Chef TV show was aired. His restaurant chain, Jamie’s Italian made a total profit of £1.66m from its £19.4m sales. According to the city analysts, by its name and growth, his restaurant chain would worth £100m. Meanwhile, according to the Sunday Times Rich List, his 70% stake is worth £50m before his expansion from 17 to 27 restaurants has materialized. For his Sainsbury advertising, he earned around £2m in a year while his Jamie Oliver Holdings is estimated to be worth £50m which made a profit of £5.7m from its £18.2m sales. He received around £9m in dividends and salaries from 2004-2009. His other assets include an expanded home at the Primrose hill which he shares with his wife former model Juliette Norton and their four children. Earnings & Financial Data The below financial data is gathered and compiled by TheRichest analysts team to give you a better understanding of Jamie Oliver's net worth by breaking down the most relevant financial events such as yearly salaries, contracts, earn outs, endorsements, stock ownership and much more. ?	i don't know
In the human body, toxaemia is more commonly known by what name?	Toxaemia - definition of toxaemia by The Free Dictionary Toxaemia - definition of toxaemia by The Free Dictionary http://www.thefreedictionary.com/toxaemia 1. (Pathology) a condition characterized by the presence of bacterial toxins in the blood 2. (Pathology) the condition in pregnancy of pre-eclampsia or eclampsia [C19: from tox- + -aemia] 1. a condition of illness due to the presence in the bloodstream of toxins. 2. blood poisoning. — toxemic, toxaemic, adj. Noun 1. illness , sickness , unwellness , malady - impairment of normal physiological function affecting part or all of an organism eclampsia - a toxic condition characterized by convulsions and possibly coma during or immediately after pregnancy preeclampsia , pre-eclampsia - abnormal state of pregnancy characterized by hypertension and fluid retention and albuminuria; can lead to eclampsia if untreated 2. blood poisoning , septicaemia , septicemia - invasion of the bloodstream by virulent microorganisms from a focus of infection Translations toxemia (US) [tɒkˈsiːmɪə] N → toximia f toxaemia n → Blutvergiftung f, → Sepsis f (spec) toxaemia toxemia (Am) [tɒkˈsiːmɪə] n → tossiemia Want to thank TFD for its existence? Tell a friend about us , add a link to this page, or visit the webmaster's page for free fun content . Link to this page: unwellness References in periodicals archive ? My mother had contracted toxaemia and my father was told it was unlikely that we would both survive. Copyright © 2003-2017 Farlex, Inc Disclaimer All content on this website, including dictionary, thesaurus, literature, geography, and other reference data is for informational purposes only. This information should not be considered complete, up to date, and is not intended to be used in place of a visit, consultation, or advice of a legal, medical, or any other professional.	Sepsis
Which British politician introduced the expression ‘Terminological inexactitude’, a euphemism for a lie or untruth?	Toxaemia - definition of toxaemia by The Free Dictionary Toxaemia - definition of toxaemia by The Free Dictionary http://www.thefreedictionary.com/toxaemia 1. (Pathology) a condition characterized by the presence of bacterial toxins in the blood 2. (Pathology) the condition in pregnancy of pre-eclampsia or eclampsia [C19: from tox- + -aemia] 1. a condition of illness due to the presence in the bloodstream of toxins. 2. blood poisoning. — toxemic, toxaemic, adj. Noun 1. illness , sickness , unwellness , malady - impairment of normal physiological function affecting part or all of an organism eclampsia - a toxic condition characterized by convulsions and possibly coma during or immediately after pregnancy preeclampsia , pre-eclampsia - abnormal state of pregnancy characterized by hypertension and fluid retention and albuminuria; can lead to eclampsia if untreated 2. blood poisoning , septicaemia , septicemia - invasion of the bloodstream by virulent microorganisms from a focus of infection Translations toxemia (US) [tɒkˈsiːmɪə] N → toximia f toxaemia n → Blutvergiftung f, → Sepsis f (spec) toxaemia toxemia (Am) [tɒkˈsiːmɪə] n → tossiemia Want to thank TFD for its existence? Tell a friend about us , add a link to this page, or visit the webmaster's page for free fun content . Link to this page: unwellness References in periodicals archive ? My mother had contracted toxaemia and my father was told it was unlikely that we would both survive. Copyright © 2003-2017 Farlex, Inc Disclaimer All content on this website, including dictionary, thesaurus, literature, geography, and other reference data is for informational purposes only. This information should not be considered complete, up to date, and is not intended to be used in place of a visit, consultation, or advice of a legal, medical, or any other professional.	i don't know
Who is the host of British television panel show ‘Eight Out of Ten Cats’?	8 Out of 10 Cats (TV Series 2005– ) - IMDb IMDb There was an error trying to load your rating for this title. Some parts of this page won't work property. Please reload or try later. X Beta I'm Watching This! Keep track of everything you watch; tell your friends. Error 8 Out of 10 Cats 24min A topical news panel show with Jimmy Carr as host, and team captains Sean Lock and Jon Richardson. Stars: a list of 28 titles created 07 Jun 2011 a list of 30 titles created 05 Oct 2013 a list of 25 titles created 16 Mar 2014 a list of 47 titles created 15 Apr 2014 a list of 24 titles created 4 months ago Title: 8 Out of 10 Cats (2005– ) 7.9/10 Want to share IMDb's rating on your own site? Use the HTML below. You must be a registered user to use the IMDb rating plugin. An edition of Countdown (1982) with the stars of 8 Out of 10 Cats (2005). Stars: Jimmy Carr, Rachel Riley, Susie Dent Mock the Week (TV Series 2005) Comedy \| Game-Show A comedic look at current events. Stars: Dara O'Briain, Hugh Dennis, Andy Parsons Two teams, lead by their team leader (either Lee Mack or David Mitchell), have to try and make the other team believe their crazy stories. Stars: David Mitchell, Lee Mack, Rob Brydon A comedy panel game in which being Quite Interesting is more important than being right. Stephen Fry is joined each week by four comedians to share anecdotes and trivia, and maybe answer some questions as well. Stars: Alan Davies, Stephen Fry, Bill Bailey Hilarious, totally-irreverent, near-slanderous political quiz show, based mainly on news stories from the last week or so, that leaves no party, personality or action unscathed in pursuit ... See full summary » Stars: Ian Hislop, Paul Merton, Angus Deayton British comedian Russell Howard shares his views on the topical news of the previous week. Stars: Russell Howard, Colin Hoult, Sadie Hasler An edition of Deal or No Deal? (2005) with the stars of 8 Out of 10 Cats (2005). Director: Ollie Bartlett Edit Storyline A topical news panel show with Jimmy Carr as host, and team captains Sean Lock and Jon Richardson. 3 June 2005 (UK) See more » Also Known As: 8 из 10 кошек See more » Filming Locations: Did You Know? Trivia The name 8 out of 10 cats come from the old Whiskas advert '8 out of 10 cats prefer Whiskas to any other cat food' See more » Connections Fantastic bit of British game-show comedy! 11 August 2005 \| by Reilly_4 (United Kingdom) – See all my reviews 8 out of 10 cats is a game show in which two teams answer questions linked to opinion polls answered for by the general British public. Hosted by the terrific Jimmy Carr, it features Sean Lock and Dave Spikey (both also brilliant) as the team captains, and a host of famous faces to be the other team members. The comedy comes thick and fast, especially from Lock and Spikey, with regular quips from the guests, most of which are surprisingly funny! With a host like Carr, and team captains who know what they're doing, this programme is an absolute treat and should not be missed. This programme has become one of my favourite comedy game shows, up there with Have I Got News For You, Shooting Stars, and Never Mind the Buzzcocks. Don't Miss! 26 of 34 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes	Jimmy Carr
Lipshen is the name of the cat in which Roald Dahl book?	8 Out of 10 Cats - UKGameshows 8 Out of 10 Cats Contents bbc.co.uk webcast, 5 to 6 March 2011 ( 24 Hour Panel People ) Synopsis It's not often you'll see the phrases "involves Jimmy Carr" and "actually quite entertaining" used about the same show, so the following sentence may shock and amaze you. Even though "8 Out of 10 Cats" involves Jimmy Carr, it's actually quite entertaining. Comparisons to Have I Got News for You are somewhat inevitable given that it's a comedy panel game and the first round is simply an excuse for jokes about the biggest news stories of the week. So yes, it's a bit like Have I Got News For You. The show does have some good ideas of its own, though. The whole thing is based on opinion polls and there are various different games played with them. The first round is normally "What Are You Talking About", based on a poll of what British people have been talking about over the last week. There's a distinctly HIGNFY-esque "fill-in-the-blanks" round, an entertaining game in which six disparate personalities are ranked in order on various questions (who would you rather have perform heart surgery on you - Chewbacca or the Pope?), guess-the-poll-from-the-top-answers, and inevitably guess-the-top-answers-from-the-poll. Making a virtue of necessity, the first show after the London bombings dispensed with the "What Are You Talking About?" round, and actually worked all the better for it. The show's most obvious similarity to HIGNFY returned after a couple of weeks, though we still think that dropping the round altogether from any future series might not be a bad idea. Jimmy Carr with team captains Sean Lock and Jason Manford Jimmy Carr is remarkably bearable as a host. Until now, his main TV exposure has been on nostalgic clip shows where he has tended to be snide and hugely unfunny. (Oh yes, and Distraction , which is better not dwelt upon.) Fortunately he's much better here, where he can bounce off other people. There were hints of this in some of Carr's other appearances, on QI and in Dictionary Corner , when for a few seconds at a time he let his aloof comedy persona slip, revealing a knowledgeable, intelligent and even likeable human being underneath. 8 Out Of 10 Cats allows his natural personality to come out a bit more, and it's a welcome development. Just the fact that he laughs at the other comedians on the show helps. Much of this laughter is prompted by Sean Lock who rapidly emerged as the real star of the show. His name has been bandied about by the cognoscenti for some years, and his disgracefully-scheduled sitcom 15 Storeys High is a classic-in-waiting. None of which guarantees a good performance on an unscripted panel game, but luckily he shines in this environment too. Dave Spikey was less to our taste, wheeling out Victoria Wood-school product naming comedy ("What is Cillit Bang?"), but he did have his moments as well. Spikey's replacement as team captain Jason Manford meanwhile, has more than filled the shoes of his predecessor. One grating aspect is the woeful set, which doesn't really serve any purpose whatsoever other than make it extremely difficult to read the names of the round titles, being projected on huge screens along the length of the studio. The grunge guitar theme music is needlessly depressing and anonymous, and the whole thing's been edited together with a welding torch instead of an Avid. Arguably it's more comedy than quiz (though not to the extent of, say, Bognor or Bust ) but it's a pleasant enough diversion despite its faults. It's hard for any comedy panel game to avoid living in the shadow of the mighty HIGNFY, and 8 Out Of 10 Cats is probably doomed to death by a thousand comparisons. But until then, it's a welcome addition to the genre. Theme music Mat Osman Trivia Somewhat inevitably, the first advert during the break in the first show was for Whiskas (even though they don't use the famous tagline anymore). Comedian Frankie Boyle has been a guest on the show, even though he's one of the "Programme Consultants" (read: gag merchants). Surely he knew all the answers anyway! The script editor is Charlie Skelton, actor "Charlie" from the other infamous Zeppetron show, Space Cadets . On 2 January 2012, as part of celebrations to mark Channel 4's thirtieth year of broadcasting, there was an evening of special programmes. In The Channel 4 Mash-Up, the presenters of different Channel 4 series took over each other's shows. 8 Out of 10 Cats Does Countdown saw the 8 Out of 10 Cats regulars pop up in the Countdown studio. Presenter Jimmy Carr took over hosting duties, and captains Sean Lock and Jon Richardson played against each other. This special proved popular, and the programme has since become a series in its own right. Web links	i don't know
Which famous race horse was stolen from the Ballymany Stud in Ireland in February 1983?	The truth about Shergar racehorse kidnapping - Telegraph The truth about Shergar racehorse kidnapping Image 1 of 3 Jim Fitzgerald, Shergar's former groom with a photograph of the prize bay stallion: 'He was a grand horse' Image 1 of 3 Kevin Mallon, a convicted killer and senior IRA leader who has been identified as the man behind the plot The Aga Khan owned six of the 40 shares in Shergar By Andrew Alderson, Chief Reporter 12:01AM GMT 27 Jan 2008 It is 25 years since a world-famous racehorse was kidnapped by the IRA, never to be seen again. Now, chief reporter Andrew Alderson has solved the mystery of Shergar's final hours, why his remains have never been found and uncovered the truth about the bungled ransom attempt that led to his demise Swirling mist and driving rain threaten to obscure the view from a ridge up in the Iron Mountains, high above County Leitrim. However, it is still possible to see, hundreds of feet below and stretching to the horizon, the most sparsely populated terrain in all of Ireland. Brough Scott: Extraordinary racing machine's callous end Until a decade ago this was "bandit country", the remote hills and marshlands from where the IRA and its supporters smuggled arms over the border and planned their raids on the security forces in Northern Ireland. Once targets had been attacked, active service units would then slip back to the "safe houses" of the south to prepare for their next mission. Related Articles Extraodrinary racing machine's callous end 27 Jan 2008 Co Leitrim, which even now has a population of just 26,000, has kept many secrets during the 30 years of the Troubles. But perhaps its greatest mystery is what happened to Shergar, the racehorse once regarded as the nearest real-life equivalent to Pegasus, the winged horse from Greek mythology. Now, however, an investigation by The Sunday Telegraph to mark the 25th anniversary of the horse's kidnapping finally solves the puzzle of Shergar's final hours, why his remains have never been found and how the Garda, the Irish police, bungled their investigation. The precise circumstances of Shergar's grisly death are also revealed for the first time. Shergar was five years old and preparing for his second season as a breeding stallion when he was snatched from the Ballymany Stud in Co Kildare - just a stone's throw from The Curragh racetrack - on a foggy winter's evening. On the racecourse, as a two- and three-year-old, Shergar had been nothing short of sensational, winning the 1981 Derby by 10 lengths, a record distance that century for Britain's biggest flat race. With a distinctive white blaze on his face, four white "socks" and his unusual racing style - he ran with his tongue lolling out of one side of his mouth - Shergar quickly captured the imagination of the British and Irish public. The bay colt was owned by the Aga Khan, the billionaire spiritual leader to 15 million Ismaili Muslims, was trained by Sir Michael Stoute at Newmarket and was ridden by the "choirboy", an angelic looking 19-year-old jockey called Walter Swinburn, who now trains in Britain. There was widespread relief when at the end of his career, instead of being shipped to one of the large American studs as expected, Shergar was returned to his birthplace of Ireland. There, he was syndicated for £10 million (40 shares worth £250,000 each, six of which were kept by the Aga Khan) to stand at stud. During his first season he "covered" 35 mares, with owners paying up to £80,000 a time for the privilege of having a colt or filly by Shergar. As his second season approached, Shergar was expected to cover at least 55 mares throughout 1983. He was thought to have a long and distinguished stud career ahead of him. A quarter of a century ago, the Ballymany Stud was shielded from the outside world by a five-bar wooden gate with a latch. Unlike today, there were no electronic security gates, CCTV cameras or an intercom to gain access - even though the horses inside were sometimes worth millions of pounds each. Shortly after 8.30pm on February 8, 1983, Jim Fitzgerald, then 53, the head groom who lived at the stud, heard a knock on his door. As his son, Bernard, answered it, three masked and armed men barged their way in and started ordering the family around. "We have come for Shergar. We want £2 million [ransom] for him," one said. At gunpoint, Mr Fitzgerald, a quietly spoken father of six, was forced to lead the gang to Shergar's stable and load the horse into a stolen horsebox that they had brought with them. By now there were up to eight gunmen on the scene. Two stayed behind to "guard" the groom's family and Mr Fitzgerald was forced into a car. In a rare and exclusive interview last week, Mr Fitzgerald, now 78, frail and with a full head of white hair, quietly recalled the most terrifying moment of his life, as he was driven away from the stud by three armed men. "I can still remember that night in that car with them lads. All sorts of thoughts were racing through my head about what they might do to me. One of them, with the revolver, was very aggressive," said Mr Fitzgerald, at his end-of-terrace home in Newbridge, just three miles from the stud. After a few miles, Mr Fitzgerald was ordered to get out of the car, to keep walking, not to turn around and not to call the police. "I can tell you, I didn't look around once - I was happy to be on the ground," he said in a broad Co Kildare accent. Eventually, he walked to the next village and rang his brother. Once back home, Mr Fitzgerald found his family unharmed. He rang the stud manager, Ghislain Drion, who then phoned Shergar's vet, Stan Cosgrove, who had also bought a share in the horse. Mr Cosgrove, in turn, rang his friend, former Army officer Captain Sean Berry. Alan Dukes, the local MP and Irish finance minister, was then woken by a phone call from Mr Berry telling him of Shergar's kidnapping. But he had his first budget to deliver the next day, so he "passed the buck" to the justice minister. It was not until about 4am that the Garda was alerted - and one of the biggest security operations in the Republic's history swung into action. The kidnappers had chosen the day before Ireland's major Goff's racehorse sale - when horse boxes were being driven the length and breadth of the country - to abduct Shergar, thereby making it more difficult for the stallion to be found. Using a coded phrase - King Neptune - that had been given to Mr Fitzgerald during the kidnap, those holding the horse soon began secret negotiations with a representative of the Aga Khan. Already, however, there were problems: the kidnappers mistakenly believed that Shergar belonged solely to the Aga Khan when, in fact, the horse was owned by 34 members of the syndicate, who had to agree tactics. Even then, the consensus was that if a ransom were paid, every racehorse in the country would become a potential target. The kidnappers had also failed to anticipate the reaction of the people of Ireland - a horse-loving nation - to Shergar's abduction. The IRA's operations were heavily disrupted as every known Republican stronghold and safe house was raided in the hunt for the horse which, in turn, led to the seizure of several arms caches. As scores of British journalists descended on Co Kildare, the hunt for Shergar turned into a media circus. Chief Supt James "Spud" Murphy became the darling of the media for his bizarre pronouncements and his determination to use psychics and mediums to try to solve the case. "A clue? That is something we haven't got," he once said. Capt Berry, now 78, who at the time was the chairman of the Irish Thoroughbred Breeders' Association, revealed last week that he had been working with senior police officers from Dublin on the case - and those officers felt themselves to be in direct competition with the local police in Co Kildare. This meant there were two parallel inquiries, with the two forces refusing to share information. Capt Berry's work and home phone lines were tapped, with his knowledge, by the Dublin police after his association put up a £100,000 reward for information leading to Shergar's safe return. "The police from Dublin told me not to tell Murphy anything," Capt Berry said. Conspiracy theories soon abounded over who had kidnapped the horse. Some said it was the Mafia in retaliation for a horse deal with the Aga Khan that had gone wrong. Others said he had been seized for Colonel Gaddafi of Libya in return for arms to the IRA. Years later, there were still whispers that Shergar was alive and secretly producing foals whose breeding lines could never be divulged. Most investigators accepted from early on, however, that the IRA was to blame. A decade ago Sean O'Callaghan, an IRA double killer turned police double agent, used his book, The Informer, to name seven former Provos he claimed had planned and carried out the horse's kidnap. The book identified Kevin Mallon, a senior IRA leader, as the man who had devised the plot. Mallon, a convicted killer originally from Co Tyrone, eventually became part of IRA folklore after shooting his way out of one prison and being lifted by helicopter from another. O'Callaghan suggested the horse had thrown itself into a frenzy, injured a leg and that it was put out of its misery and "was killed within days … even though the IRA kept up the pretence that he was alive". However, according to one impeccable source - a former IRA member who spoke through an intermediary - not even O'Callaghan had been told the full truth of Shergar's final hours, because the gang was so embarrassed by what happened. The source, who was a close friend of one of the kidnappers, said that the Army Council, the Provos' ruling body, had sanctioned the kidnap. Furthermore, by contacting leading IRA men in Co Leitrim the leadership had guaranteed the horse "safe passage" to a remote farm close to the border. According to the former IRA member, the kidnappers' problems became acute early on because the vet who had agreed to look after Shergar pulled out on the night of the horse's abduction. "His wife had found out what he was up to and warned him that if he walked out of the door [to look after Shergar] he would never walk in again," said the source. The Sunday Telegraph has been told that four days after Shergar was seized, and following extensive stalling by the Aga Khan's representative, the Army Council realised their equine "property" was worthless and told the gang to release the horse. However, by then Mallon was under surveillance, the Garda were crawling all over Ireland and he felt it was impossible to move Shergar or free the horse close to where it was being held. Instead, Mallon ordered that the horse be shot. What happened next is not for the fainthearted. Those who looked after and rode Shergar agree that he was one of the kindest, gentlest racehorses ever to grace the racetrack. By the evening of the fourth day, although distressed by his new surroundings, he was not badly injured, as O'Callaghan had thought. The source said that the two handlers, one clutching a machine gun, went into the remote stable where the horse was being held and opened fire. "Shergar was machine gunned to death. There was blood everywhere and the horse even slipped on his own blood. There was lots of cussin' and swearin' because the horse wouldn't die. It was a very bloody death." It was several minutes before the horse, which was in agony, slowly bled to death. And so, the greatest racehorse of the century was butchered in the same way that the IRA killed many of its human enemies. The source did not know exactly where Shergar's body was buried, but the fact that his carcass was riddled with bullets meant the gang did everything to ensure Shergar's remains were never found. Many in the Republic, including broad Republican sympathisers, would never have forgiven the IRA and its political wing, Sinn Fein, for machine gunning the equine pride of the nation in cold blood. This vivid image of how Shergar died confirmed the worst fears of one of the most senior figures in Irish racing. He said he had long suspected that the horse, in the hands of non-experts, had met a lingering death "crazed with pain". The man, who asked not to be identified, said only an expert should kill a horse - there is a spot the size of a thumb nail on the animal's head which the bullet, or humane killer, has to hit to prevent suffering. The failure to find Shergar's body meant that only members of the syndicate who had insured the horse for theft - as well as death or an accident - were compensated by their insurance companies. Stan Cosgrove, now 81, who spent more than £80,000 trying to get the horse back and, later, in trying to prove that Shergar was dead, has never received a penny. The IRA has privately tried to blame renegade members for the kidnap, but Kevin O'Connor, a historian and journalist with top Republican contacts, dismisses this idea. "An operation of this intensity requiring this amount of manpower would have to have been authorised at a high level," he said. Our inquiries led photographer Julian Andrews and me to Ballinamore, a town in Co Leitrim once known as "the Falls Road of the South" because of its support for the Provos. Even though the Troubles ended a decade ago we were advised "not to spend more than an hour there if you are asking awkward questions". It is still the sort of town where locals turn their heads when two British journalists walk into a pub. Predictably, the residents claimed to know nothing about Shergar's whereabouts before or after he was killed. There was a lot of shrugging and shaking of heads, while Martin Kenny, a Sinn Fein councillor for the town, said: "I have never heard anyone say they knew where Shergar was buried or what happened to him." But Ballinamore has form. Don Tidey, an Irish businessman, was found alive in woods near the town after being kidnapped by the IRA at the end of 1983, months after Shergar's disappearance. Furthermore, a prominent Provo-supporting family used to live in the village of Aughnasheelan, three miles from Ballinamore, which is surrounded by deep bogs where a horse's body could easily be hidden. Gerry Reynolds, a businessman and politician who was born and brought up in Ballinamore, said: "There were always a lot of rumours that the individuals involved in the kidnapping of Don Tidey were also involved in the kidnapping of Shergar." Mr Reynolds, 46, who was Fine Gael MP for Sligo/Leitrim for 20 years, until last year, said: "According to folklore, Shergar lies buried in an outlying farm near Ballinamore. "I would love to see this mystery resolved so that we all knew what happened to the horse's remains. But I honestly don't think Shergar's grave will ever be found." The Sunday Telegraph also tracked down Kevin Mallon to his seafront home in Howth, eight miles from Dublin city centre. Someone has daubed "PIRA [Provisional IRA]" in purple crayon on his white garden wall. Mallon is described by those who know him, including former paramilitaries, as a "head case". When contacted by The Sunday Telegraph, he refused to discuss the case. However, Nicky Kehoe, who was also named by O'Callaghan in his book as a member of the IRA kidnap gang, denied any involvement. Mr Kehoe, a former Sinn Fein councillor, said he had not sued O'Callaghan because nobody believed him: "He was working for both sides - that's as much as you need to know about what he has to say." Shergar's former jockey Walter Swinburn was distressed by the paper's findings. "No horse deserves an ending like that - let alone one as special as Shergar. "I have never gone along with the theory that he was too hard to control because he was the quietest, gentlest horse, with a bombproof temperament." At his home, Jim Fitzgerald was dismayed when I broke the news about exactly how the horse he had cared for had died. The proud former groom still has framed photographs of Shergar in his hall and living room. "That's not a very nice thing to do," he said slowly, with typical Irish understatement, as he wiped a tear from the corner of his eye. "Shergar was a grand horse and he deserved better." • Additional reporting by Nicola Byrne	Shergar
Mount Huascaran is in which South American country?	IRISH RACE HORSE HELD FOR RANSOM - NYTimes.com IRISH RACE HORSE HELD FOR RANSOM By JON NORDHEIMER, Special to the New York Times Published: February 10, 1983 DUBLIN, Feb. 9— Gunmen forced their way into the Aga Khan's stud farm in Newbridge, Ireland, during the night Tuesday and kidnapped Shergar, one of the world's top thoroughbred racing horses. They demanded a ransom of $2.7 million. Racing experts said it was the first recorded kidnapping of a stallion at stud. Shergar, a 5-year-old dark bay with white socks and a white blaze, was the winner in 1981 of the Irish Sweeps Derby and the English Derby. That year he was voted European race horse of the year. Shergar was syndicated for $13.5 million, a European record at the time. The Aga Khan, who bred the horse in Ireland, holds six of the 40 shares in the syndicate that owns Shergar. The horse was put out to stud on the Aga Khan's Ballymany farm near the Curragh racecourse, about 40 miles from Dublin, where the Irish Sweeps Derby is held every year. Groom Left on Roadway It was at the farm, according to the police, that two armed men forced their way into the home of a groom, locked his family in a room and made the groom lead them to Shergar's stable. The horse was loaded into a trailer and the groom was transferred to a car that left him two hours later on a rural road. The stallion had established an impressive fertility rate, getting 42 of his first 44 mares in foal. His first foal was born last Wednesday. After the raid the police began a manhunt for the kidnappers and set up roadblocks. Racing experts pointed out, however, that it would be easy to hide Shergar in a countryside with so many horses by simply putting him out to pasture. The groom told the Irish police that the abductors were demanding a $2.7 million ransom for the safe return of the horse. A deadline set for noon today passed without any word from the abductors, the police said. ''The whole thing seems like a fiction,'' said Prince Sadruddin, uncle of the Aga Khan, in London. ''I am appalled that people should resort to such a dastardly act on an innocent animal.'' The Aga Khan, told of the kidnapping at his Paris headquarters, was reported to be stunned. Shergar's former trainer, Michael Stoute, said, ''Shergar was the best horse I ever trained and I only hope to God nothing happened to him.'' Thoroughbred racing is one of Ireland's largest industries and there was speculation among racing experts that the ransom would not be paid so as not to encourage similar abductions. Raced Only Eight Times ''This is a devastating blow to Irish prestige to have a horse like that kidnapped,'' said one breeding expert. Shergar, who raced only eight times, recorded five victories from six starts in 1981. In that year, as well as winning the English Derby and Irish Sweeps Derby, he also triumphed in the King George VI and Queen Elizabeth Diamond Stakes. He won the English Derby by 10 lengths, a record for this century. He earned a total of $809,447. The mating season starts in February and ends in June, and it is possible that Shergar could miss all or part of a season. Gestation lasts about 11 months, and timing is important in mating. The object is to have the mare drop its foal early in the following year, not in the same year in which she is bred. That is because for racing purposes, all horses are considered to have their birthdays on Jan. 1. A horse born, say, on Dec. 31 would become a year older the next day, and throughout his racing career would be conceding eight to ten months of conditioning and physical development to his rivals. Shergar's stud fee is about $100,000. The horse was expected to be paired with 42 mares in the next four months, returning one third of the syndicate's original investment. 'Really Feeling His Oats' ''He'll be very tough to handle even though he normally is a docile animal,'' said one trainer. ''He's been on special feed for weeks to build him up for breeding and he's really feeling his oats, so to speak. You just can't lock him in a barn when he's like that. He must get a lot of exercise or else he'll be a devil to handle.'' Other thoroughbreds have been abducted in the past but it is believed that no ransom of significance has ever been paid for a stolen horse. In the United States, in one of the most daring such abductions, Fanfreluche, a champion mare in foal to Secretariat, the 1973 Triple Crown winner, was stolen from Claiborne Farm near Paris, Ky., on June 25, 1977, when she was 10 years old. Fanfreluche, who was owned by Jean-Louis Levesque,a Canadian, was recovered in December 1977, still in foal, on a small farm in Tompkinsville, Ky. Illustrations: photo of Shergar, ridden by Lester Piggott	i don't know
Shiitake is what type of foodstuff?	Mushrooms, shiitake The World's Healthiest Foords are health-promoting foods that can change your life. Watch for the launch of our new WHFoods 7-Day Meal Plan on January 23rd! The George Mateljan Foundation is a not-for-profit foundation with no commercial interests or advertising. Our mission is to help you eat and cook the healthiest way for optimal health. Mushrooms, shiitake Long a symbol of longevity in Asia because of their health-promoting properties, shiitake mushrooms have been used medicinally by the Chinese for more than 6,000 years. More recently, their rich, smoky flavor has endeared them to American taste buds. These exotic hearty mushrooms can now be found in supermarket shelves across the U.S. throughout the year. Like other mushrooms, these specialty mushrooms are as mysteriously unique as they are delicious. While often thought of as a vegetable and prepared like one, mushrooms are actually a fungus, a special type of living organism that has no roots, leaves, flowers or seeds. What's New and Beneficial about Shiitake Mushrooms Although immune system support has often received much of the spotlight in shiitake mushroom research, recent study results involving support of the cardiovascular system have caught the attention of many researchers. In particular, recent studies have shown the ability of shiitake mushrooms to help protect us against cardiovascular diseases (including atherosclerosis) by preventing too much immune cell binding to the lining of our blood vessels. In order for immune cells and other materials to bind onto our blood vessel linings, certain protein molecules—called adhesion molecules—must be produced and sent into action. By helping to block the adhesion molecule production process, substances in shiitake mushrooms can help protect our blood vessels. (The adhesion molecule production that is partially blocked by shiitake mushroom components includes the adhesion molecules ICAM-1, VCAM-1, and E-selectin.) Shiitake mushrooms have long been recognized as a very good, non-animal food source of iron. But a recent preliminary study has determined that the bioavailability of iron from shiitake mushrooms may be even better than we thought. Although conducted on laboratory animals (female rats) rather than humans, this study found the iron in dried shiitake mushroom to be equally as bioavailable as supplemental iron in the form of ferrous gluconate. (Ferrous gluconate is a very commonly used low-dose iron supplement.) While we don't usually spotlight research on laboratory animals, we found this result to be especially promising for individuals who consume little or no animal products and are often looking for foods that can supply valuable amounts of bioavailable iron. Shiitake mushrooms can be one of the most sustainable foods in your diet! While the majority of shiitake mushrooms produced worldwide have been grown on sawdust block in a non-natural setting, it is fully possible for shiitake mushrooms to be produced on natural hardwood logs in a forest setting. This approach to shiitake mushroom production is called "forest farming" and it has become an especially popular way of growing shiitake mushrooms in the U.S, where there are now more than 200 shiitake mushroom growers. Unfortunately, forest farming is not a requirement for organic certification of shiitake mushrooms. However, all of the plant crop standards in the National Organics Program regulations apply to shiitake mushroom production, and so the combination of these two features—certified organic shiitake mushrooms that have also been forest farmed—can make a great food choice in terms of sustainable agriculture. Just look for the USDA's organic logo on your shiitake mushrooms to determine if they are certified organic. Then check for information about forest farming on the packaging. If no information is provided, there is a good chance that your shiitake mushrooms were not forest farmed. For this reason, we encourage you to ask your store staff or contact the product manufacturer to determine if your shiitake mushrooms were grown on hardwood logs in a natural forest environment. WHFoods Recommendations People do not usually consider including mushrooms as part of their meals for their nutritional content. However, shiitake mushrooms are rich in B vitamins—they are an excellent of pantothenic acid, a very good source of vitamin B2, and a good source of vitamin B6, niacin, choline, and folate. Additionally, they are concentrated in minerals, being an excellent source of selenium and copper, a very good source of zinc, and a good source of manganese. They are also a good source of vitamin D (in the D2 form) and dietary fiber. They also provide a wide variety of unique phytonutrients. To maximize their flavor and the retention of their nutrients it is important to not to overcook them. That's why we recommend Healthy Sauteeing shiitake mushrooms for just 7 minutes to bring out their best flavor while maximizing their nutrient retention. For more on our Nutrient-Rich Way of Cooking shiitake mushrooms see the How to Enjoy section below. Mushrooms, Shiitake, cooked folate 4% This chart graphically details the %DV that a serving of Mushrooms, shiitake provides for each of the nutrients of which it is a good, very good, or excellent source according to our Food Rating System. Additional information about the amount of these nutrients provided by Mushrooms, shiitake can be found in the Food Rating System Chart . A link that takes you to the In-Depth Nutritional Profile for Mushrooms, shiitake, featuring information over 80 nutrients, can be found under the Food Rating System Chart. References Health Benefits Shiitake, maitake, and reishi mushrooms are widely referred to as "medicinal mushrooms" due to their long history of medical use, particularly in oriental medicine traditions. It's important to distinguish, however, between extracts and medicinal preparations made from these mushrooms and their appearance as whole foods in an everyday diet. Most of the medicinal research on shiitake mushrooms has been conducted on laboratory animals or on individual cells studied in a laboratory setting. There are hundreds of lab and animal studies that clearly document the medicinal properties of shiitake mushroom extracts. As important as these studies are in a medical context, they are still very different from studies that examine shiitake mushroom as a common and beloved food. In contrast to the wealth of medicinal research on shiitake mushrooms, there are very few studies on shiitake mushrooms in the human diet. Among the human dietary studies that do exist, however, there is a clear message about shiitake mushrooms: they can provide us with some fantastic health benefits. Below are areas of health support that make the top of our list for shiitake mushrooms when enjoyed as a whole food. Shiitake Mushrooms' Immune Support No health benefit is better documented for shiitake mushroom than immune support. In fact, the immune support track record for this mushroom is fascinating. On the one hand, numerous studies have shown the ability of whole shiitake mushrooms to help prevent excessive immune system activity. On the other hand, an equal number of studies have shown the ability of shiitake mushrooms to help stimulate immune system responses under certain circumstances. In other words, from a dietary perspective, shiitake mushrooms appear able to enhance immune function in both directions, giving it a boost when needed, and cutting back on its activity when needed. It's important to note that dietary shiitake mushroom intake—unlike intake of medicinal shiitake extracts—has not been shown to be strongly suppressive of the immune system or strongly activating. From our perspective, this finding makes sense. We wouldn't want our everyday foods to strongly suppress or strongly activate any body system. What we would want from our foods is support of body systems under a variety of circumstances—and that is exactly what we get from shiitake mushrooms with respect to our immune system. One especially interesting area of immune system support involves the impact of shiitake mushrooms on immune cells called macrophages. Among their many important activities, macrophage cells are responsible for identifying and clearing potentially cancerous cells from the body. In order to carry out this task, they need to be "activated" in a particular way. (In more scientific terms, their activated phenotype needs to reflect a higher level of interleukin 1-beta and tumor necrosis factor alpha, and a lower level of interleukin 10.) Shiitake mushrooms are able to help macrophage cells achieve this activated profile so that they can do a better job clearing potentially cancerous cells. Researchers refer to this result as an "anti-cancer immunity" that is enhanced by shiitake mushroom intake. The most famous immune-supportive components in shiitake mushrooms are its polysaccharides. (Polysaccharides are large-sized carbohydrate molecules composed of many different sugars arranged in chains and branches.) Although many fungi are well-known for their polysaccharides, no single fungus has been more carefully studied than the shiitake mushroom. We know that this fungus is unique in its variety of polysaccharides, and especially its polysaccharide glucans. (Glucans are polysaccharides in which all of the sugar components involve the simple sugar glucose.) Among the glucans contained in shiitake mushroom are alpha-1,6 glucan, alpha-1,4 glucan, beta-1,3 glucan, beta-1,6 glucan, 1,4-D-glucans, 1,6-D-glucans, glucan phosphate, laminarin, and lentinan. Shiitake mushrooms also contain some important non-glucan polysaccharides, including fucoidans and galactomannins. The immune-related effects of polysaccharides in shiitake mushrooms have been studied on laboratory animals under a wide variety of circumstances, including exercise stress, exposure to inflammation-producing toxins, radiation exposure, and immunodeficiency. Under all of these circumstances, the polysaccharides in shiitake mushrooms have been shown to lessen problems. There is also some evidence that shiitake mushrooms' polysaccharides can help lower total cholesterol levels. Cardiovascular Benefits of Shiitake Mushrooms The cardiovascular benefits of shiitake mushrooms have been documented in three basic areas of research. The first of these areas is cholesterol reduction. d-Eritadenine (also called lentinacin, or lentsine, and sometimes abbreviated as DEA) is one of the most unusual naturally occurring nutrients in shiitake mushrooms that has repeatedly been shown to help lower total blood cholesterol. This nutrient is actually derived from adenine—one of the building blocks (nucleotides) in the mushroom's genetic material (DNA). The beta-glucans in shiitake mushrooms are also very likely to contribute to its cholesterol-lowering impact. Another basic area of cardiovascular support involves the interaction between our cardiovascular system and our immune system. Recent studies have shown that shiitake mushrooms can help protect us against cardiovascular diseases (including atherosclerosis) by preventing too much immune cell binding to the lining of our blood vessels. In order for immune cells and other materials to bind onto our blood vessel linings, certain protein molecules—called adhesion molecules—must be produced and sent into action. By helping to block the adhesion molecule production process, substances in shiitake mushrooms can help protect our blood vessels. (The adhesion molecule production which is partially blocked by shiitake mushroom components includes the adhesion molecules ICAM-1, VCAM-1, and E-selectin.) A final basic area of cardiovascular benefits involves antioxidant support. Chronic oxidative stress in our cardiovascular system (ongoing, oxygen-based damage to our blood vessel linings) is a critical factor in the development of clogged arteries (atherosclerosis) and other blood vessel problems. One of the best ways for us to reduce our risk of chronic oxidative stress is consumption of a diet rich in antioxidant nutrients. Shiitake mushrooms are a very good source of three key antioxidant minerals: manganese, selenium, and zinc. They also contain some unusual phytonutrient antioxidants. One of the best studied is ergothioneine (ET). This unique antioxidant is derived from the amino acid histidine, although it's unusual since it contains a sulfur group of molecules that are not present in histidine itself. In studies on ET and our cells' oxidative stress levels, one fascinating finding has been the special benefits of ET for cell components called mitochondria. Mitochondria use oxygen to produce energy for the cell. Heart cells have greater concentrations of mitochondria than most any other cell type in the body. For this reason, researchers believe that ET may be one of the key nutrients from shiitake mushrooms that provide us with cardiovascular support. Anti-Cancer Benefits of Shiitake Mushrooms Most of the research on shiitake mushrooms and cancer has been conducted on laboratory animals or on individual cells in a laboratory setting and has involved mushroom extracts rather than whole mushrooms in food form. For this reason, our understanding of the anti-cancer benefits of shiitake mushrooms as a whole, natural food is still preliminary. But based on research to date, we believe that adding shiitake mushrooms to your diet is likely to offer you anti-cancer benefits, especially with respect to prevention of prostate cancer, breast cancer, and colon cancer. Medicinal extracts from shiitake mushrooms have been studied much more extensively than the whole food itself. In cell and laboratory animal experiments, numerous components of shiitake mushrooms have been show to help block tumor growth, sometimes by triggering programmed cell death (apoptosis) in the cancer cells. These components have been collectively referred to as "anti-tumor mycochemicals" provided by shiitake mushrooms. Researchers have speculated that more than 100 different types of compounds in shiitake mushrooms may work together to accomplish these anti-tumor results. While the unique polysaccharides in shiitake mushrooms were first thought to be its primary anti-cancer compounds, scientists are now convinced that shiitake provides many non-polysaccharide substances that have anti-tumor effects. Other Benefits of Shiitake Mushrooms The special combination of antioxidants found in shiitake mushrooms together with their highly flexible support for immune system function make them a natural candidate for providing us with protection from a variety of problems involving oxidative stress and immune function. This includes rheumatoid arthritis (RA), an area that has begun to interest shiitake mushroom researchers. Although research in this area is preliminary, we expect to see large-scale human studies confirming the benefits of shiitake mushrooms for prevention of RA. Medicinal extracts from shiitake mushrooms have well-documented effects on a variety of micro-organisms, including bacteria, fungi, and viruses (including human immunodeficiency virus-1, or HIV-1). While we have yet to see large-scale human studies on whole food intake of shiitake mushrooms and decreased susceptibility to colds, flu or other problems related to unwanted activity of micro-organisms, this is a very likely area for future food research and discovery of health benefits. Description Shiitake mushrooms have brown, slightly convex caps that range in diameter from about two to four inches in diameter. They belong to the basidiomycete family of fungi. Until the early 1990's, they were widely known by their scientific genus-species name of Lentinus edodes. However, during the late 1980's and early 1990's this genus-species name for shiitake mushrooms was largely phased out and replaced by a new genus-species name, Lentinula edodes. The common name for this mushroom, "shiitake," comes from the Japanese language. "Shii" in Japanese refers to wood belonging to the Pasania species of tree on which shiitake mushrooms naturally grow. "Take" simply translates as "mushroom." You may sometimes also hear shiitake mushroom being referred to as the "Black Forest mushroom," and they do indeed grow naturally in that German mountain range. Other mushrooms with Asian roots that are also becoming more popular are reishi (Ganoderma lucidum) and maitake (Grifola frondosa). Reishi mushrooms usually have an antler or rounded, fan shape; the most popular type of reishi is red in color, although that is just one of the six colors in which they grow. Maitake mushrooms grow in a formation of clustered brownish fronds of fan-shaped petals and are commonly known as "Hen of the Woods." These types of mushrooms are available in food markets specializing in Asian foods. History Shiitake (as well as reishi and maitake) mushrooms have grown wild since prehistoric times. Their therapeutic value has been prized in Asian countries, where they originated, for thousands of years. They play a critical role in Asian medicinal traditions and were noted in some of the first books on herbal medicine written thousands of years ago. In the past few decades, these mushrooms have become more popular in the United States as a result of an expanding body of scientific research supporting their numerous health benefits. The U.S. is currently home to approximately 200 commercial growers of shiitake mushrooms, and nearly half of those growers use forest farming to produce shiitake mushrooms in a natural forest setting using downed hardwood trees as the cultivation medium. Although Japan was at one time the world's largest producer of shiitake mushrooms, that distinction now goes to China, which produces over 80% of all commercially sold shiitake mushrooms. Japan, Korea and Taiwan also produce shiitake mushrooms, as does the United States. One quickly growing market for shiitake mushrooms is Brazil, which currently produces more shiitake mushrooms than any other South American country. How to Select and Store Shiitake mushrooms are available in many grocery stores throughout the country. If your local store does not carry fresh reishi or maitake mushrooms, investigate the Asian food stores in your area as they oftentimes carry these specialty mushrooms. Look for mushrooms that are firm, plump and clean. Those that are wrinkled or have wet slimy spots should be avoided. At WHFoods, we encourage the purchase of certified organically grown foods, and shiitake mushrooms are no exception. Repeated research studies on organic foods as a group show that your likelihood of exposure to contaminants such as pesticides and heavy metals can be greatly reduced through the purchased of certified organic foods, including shiitake mushrooms. In many cases, you may be able to find a local organic grower who sells shiitake mushroom but has not applied for formal organic certification either through the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) or through a state agency. (Examples of states offering state-certified organic foods include California, New York, Oregon, Vermont, and Washington.) However, if you are shopping in a large supermarket, your most reliable source of organically grown shiitake mushrooms is very likely to be shiitake mushrooms that display the USDA organic logo. The best way to store loose shiitake mushrooms (as well as maitake or reishi mushrooms) is to keep them in the refrigerator in a loosely closed paper bag. They will keep fresh for about one week. Dried mushrooms should be stored in a tightly sealed container in either the refrigerator or freezer where they will stay fresh for six months to one year. Here is some background on why we recommend refrigerating shiitake mushrooms. Whenever food is stored, four basic factors affect its nutrient composition: exposure to air, exposure to light, exposure to heat, and length of time in storage. Vitamin C, vitamin B6, and carotenoids are good examples of nutrients highly susceptible to heat, and for this reason, their loss from food is very likely to be slowed down through refrigeration. Tips for Preparing and Cooking Tips for Preparing Shiitake Mushrooms Mushrooms are very porous, so if they are exposed to too much water they will quickly absorb it and become soggy. Therefore, the best way to clean mushrooms without sacrificing their texture and taste is to clean them using minimal, if any, water. To do this, simply wipe them with a slightly damp paper towel or kitchen cloth. You could also use a mushroom brush, available at most kitchenware stores. If the fresh mushrooms become dried out because of being stored for too long, soak them in water for thirty minutes. The Nutrient-Rich Way of Cooking Shiitake Mushrooms We recommend Healthy Sautéeing shiitake mushrooms. We feel that this method also gives shiitake mushrooms maximum flavor. Healthy Sauté—similar to Quick Boiling and Quick Steaming, our other recommended cooking methods—follows three basic cooking guidelines that are generally associated in food science research with improved nutrient retention. These three guidelines are: (1) minimal necessary heat exposure; (2) minimal necessary cooking duration; (3) minimal necessary food surface contact with cooking liquid. Heat 3 TBS of broth over medium heat in a stainless steel skilled. When broth begins to steam add sliced mushrooms and Healthy Sauté for 7 minutes. It is best to stir constantly for the last 4 minutes of cooking. Toss with our Mediterranean Dressing and your favorite optional ingredients. For details see, Healthy Sautéed Shiitake Mushrooms . How to Enjoy A Few Quick Serving Ideas Shiitake mushrooms are traditionally added to miso soup. Healthy saute mushrooms with onions and garlic. Serve as a side dish or as a topping for chicken, beef, lamb or venison. To give your vegetable stock an extra depth, add dried shiitake mushrooms. For a quick and easy Asian pasta dish, healthy saute shiitake mushrooms with snap peas and tofu. Season to taste and serve over buckwheat soba noodles (or your favorite type of pasta). WHFoods Recipes That Feature Shiitake Mushrooms	Mushroom
Romansh is an official language of which European country?	Sautéed Shiitake Mushrooms recipe \| Epicurious.com Very tasty! I added asparagus to mine and left out the water. fionacastleb from Sacramento, CA / Flag if Inappropriate I believe no water is needed here as the mushroom itself will produce water when cooked. Just saying from experience. sweetzlyn from Singapore / Flag if Inappropriate Wanted to know if you can use dried shiitake mushrooms for this recipe. Also how long do I soak the dried shiitake mushrooms? A Cook from Hawaii / Flag if Inappropriate Can I use dried shiitake mushrooms to make this recipe? I know if need to soak them first, but for how long and should I save the soaking water to use for the water I will be adding? Grandmafay1 from Antioch, Ca / Flag if Inappropriate I believe you left the 2 tablespoons of water out of the ingredient list... I like to line everything up before I start and I realize most everyone has water, however, it makes me feel that this small error is happening a lot more recently, just saying... where is the water in ingredient list? travler from Florida /	i don't know
Who was the first British footballer to play 100 Champions League matches?	David Beckham: A Footballer's Story (Soccer Documentary) - YouTube David Beckham: A Footballer's Story (Soccer Documentary) Want to watch this again later? Sign in to add this video to a playlist. Need to report the video? Sign in to report inappropriate content. The interactive transcript could not be loaded. Loading... Rating is available when the video has been rented. This feature is not available right now. Please try again later. Published on Feb 13, 2014 Documentary on soccer player David Beckham: A Footballer's Story. David Robert Joseph Beckham, OBE (born 2 May 1975) is an English footballer who currently plays for French Ligue 1 club Paris Saint-Germain. He has played for Manchester United, Preston North End, Real Madrid, Milan, Los Angeles Galaxy, and the England national team for which he holds the appearance record for an outfield player. Beckham's professional career began with Manchester United, making his first-team debut in 1992 aged 17. With United, Beckham won the Premier League title six times, the FA Cup twice, and the UEFA Champions League in 1999. He then played four seasons with Real Madrid, winning the La Liga championship in his final season with the club. In July 2007 Beckham signed a five-year contract with Major League Soccer club Los Angeles Galaxy. While a Galaxy player, he spent two loan spells in Italy with AC Milan in 2009 and 2010. In international football, Beckham made his England debut on 1 September 1996, at the age of 21. He was captain for six years during which he played 58 times. He has 115 career appearances to date. Beckham has twice been runner-up for FIFA World Player of the Year and in 2004 was the world's highest-paid footballer when taking into account salary and advertising deals. Beckham was the first British footballer to play 100 Champions League matches. When joining the MLS in 2007 he was given the highest player salary in the league's history of US$6.5m per year. Category	David Beckham
The Bossa Nova dance originated in which country?	David Beckham: A Footballer's Story (Soccer Documentary) - YouTube David Beckham: A Footballer's Story (Soccer Documentary) Want to watch this again later? Sign in to add this video to a playlist. Need to report the video? Sign in to report inappropriate content. The interactive transcript could not be loaded. Loading... Rating is available when the video has been rented. This feature is not available right now. Please try again later. Published on Feb 13, 2014 Documentary on soccer player David Beckham: A Footballer's Story. David Robert Joseph Beckham, OBE (born 2 May 1975) is an English footballer who currently plays for French Ligue 1 club Paris Saint-Germain. He has played for Manchester United, Preston North End, Real Madrid, Milan, Los Angeles Galaxy, and the England national team for which he holds the appearance record for an outfield player. Beckham's professional career began with Manchester United, making his first-team debut in 1992 aged 17. With United, Beckham won the Premier League title six times, the FA Cup twice, and the UEFA Champions League in 1999. He then played four seasons with Real Madrid, winning the La Liga championship in his final season with the club. In July 2007 Beckham signed a five-year contract with Major League Soccer club Los Angeles Galaxy. While a Galaxy player, he spent two loan spells in Italy with AC Milan in 2009 and 2010. In international football, Beckham made his England debut on 1 September 1996, at the age of 21. He was captain for six years during which he played 58 times. He has 115 career appearances to date. Beckham has twice been runner-up for FIFA World Player of the Year and in 2004 was the world's highest-paid footballer when taking into account salary and advertising deals. Beckham was the first British footballer to play 100 Champions League matches. When joining the MLS in 2007 he was given the highest player salary in the league's history of US$6.5m per year. Category	i don't know
David Evans is the real name of which Irish musician?	U2 — Free listening, videos, concerts, stats and photos at Last.fm 80s U2 is rock band from Ireland which formed in 1976 in Dublin, Ireland. Since the band’s formation, they have consisted of Bono (real name Paul Hewson) (vocals, guitar, harmonica), The Edge (real name David Evans) (guitar, keyboards, backing vocals), Adam Clayton (bass) and Larry Mullen, Jr. (drums, percussion). The band is the biggest selling alternative rock act of all time, having sold 150 million albums worldwide as of 2008. They have won 22 Grammys and were inducted into the… read more	The Edge
What is the name of the Japanese form of therapy that uses simple hands-on, no touch, and visualisation techniques, with the goal of improving the flow of life energy in a person?	Bono: Biography from @U2 Instrument: Vocals, guitar LIFE As the lead singer of U2, one of the most popular and influential rock bands of the last 30 years, Bono is a figure adored and admired both within and outside of the music industry. As a rock star, his music with U2 has earned him legions of devoted fans across the world, whilst as a humanitarian and crusader for the world's poor, co-founder of organisations such as DATA and the ONE Campaign, he has gained deep respect from politicians and global statesmen as well as music fans. His rare ability to effectively straddle the spheres of both entertainment and politics remains rivaled by few in the realm of popular culture, and his determination to change the world for the better continues to inspire millions on both sides of the political divide. It's perhaps unsurprising that Bono's unusual adult existence was preceded by a less-than-ordinary upbringing. Born in the north Dublin suburb of Ballymun, Paul Hewson was the second child of Catholic father Brendan Robert Hewson (always called Bobby), and Protestant mother Iris Elizabeth Rankin – a highly unusual arrangement in then deeply sectarian Ireland. As a child Paul Hewson was a precocious, outspoken and thoughtful boy whose early experiences did much to shape his later life as one of the most important figures in Irish history. As a child, his education started at The Inkwell, a small Protestant Church of Ireland junior school, before eventually continuing on to St. Patrick's Cathedral Choir School. But his time there was unsuccessful; as Bono put it, "I spent a year at St. Patrick's, not being happy, and basically they asked me to leave." This was largely a result of the young Paul throwing dog feces at his Spanish teacher, which subsequently led to his enrollment in 1972 at Mount Temple Comprehensive School, a controversial establishment that was Ireland's first co-educational, non-denominational high school. Paul settled in very quickly and soon became well-adjusted and happy in his new environment. But at the age of 14, he suffered a tragic and devastating loss when his mother died of a brain hemorrhage whilst attending the funeral of her own father. From this point onwards, Paul's home life became considerably traumatic. Despite his father's attempts to hold the family together, Bono claims that he and Bob Hewson "didn't get on very well." As a result, father and son never enjoyed a particularly close relationship. In fact, Bono would later claim that the inarticulate Bob Hewson's unspoken message to his children was "to dream is to be disappointed." The singer has often cited this as a key reason for his forming such big ambitions and becoming even more determined to follow his dreams. It was not long after his mother's death that Paul also got his new name. Originally 'Steinhegvanhuysenolegbangbangbang,' it evolved to 'Bonavox of O'Connell Street' after a hearing aid store in the centre of Dublin, before eventually being shortened to 'Bonavox,' 'Bono Vox' – cockeyed Latin for 'good voice' – and finally 'Bono.' Credit for this goes to his mate Guggi (real name Derek Rowan), a childhood friend, who along with Bono was a member of the group Lypton Village. This was a gang of disaffected-but-creative youths that included Gavin Friday (real name Fionan Hanvey), the man who would eventually go on to form the avant-garde rock band the Virgin Prunes. Bono has often cited Lypton Village as a key source of inspiration and support both before and during his time with U2. At Mount Temple, Bono describes himself as being "a bit wide-awake, a bit bright, a bit experimental." Although he was far from exceptional as a student, he had a flair for history and art, and became a keen and expert chess player. However, he was perhaps the most adept at navigating the field of romance, entertaining many girlfriends. In 1976, he started dating Alison Stewart (b. March 23, 1961), commonly known as Ali, with the two eventually marrying on August 21, 1982. They went on to have four children: Jordan (b. May 10, 1989), Memphis Eve (b. July 7, 1991), Elijah Bob Patricius Guggi Q (b. August 17, 1999), and John Abraham (b. May 20, 2001). To this day, the family continues to make their home in Dublin. Despite his initial ambition to be an actor, it was arguably Bono's tendency to be, in his own words, "promiscuous with my ambitions, flirting with all kinds of things" which led him to respond to a notice posted on the Mount Temple bulletin board appealing for musicians. Those interested were told to assemble at 60 Rosemount Avenue, Artane, the house of 14-year-old drummer Larry Mullen Jnr. As well as Bono, the other boys who made it to that first session were 15-year-old guitarist David Evans (later nicknamed The Edge), 16-year-old Adam Clayton, who couldn't actually play bass guitar but certainly knew how to talk as though he did, Larry's friend Peter Martin, Ivan McCormick, and David Evans' brother Dick. Ivan and Peter were, to quote Adam, "weeded out" early on, whilst Dick eventually left the band to study engineering at Trinity College Dublin. The four remaining boys were initially named Feedback (supposedly after the ear-splitting wailing that always seemed to emanate from the guitar amps), before becoming the Hype, and then eventually U2. Shortly after the band's formation, Bono, Edge and Larry became involved in the Dublin-based Christian group Shalom. From an early age, the controversy caused by the marriage between his Protestant mother and Catholic father had made Bono extremely suspicious of organised religion, with him later describing it as having "cut my people in two." Therefore, the non-denominational nature of the Shalom group provided Bono and the two other believing members of U2 with solace, harmony and strength. However, Bono, Edge and Larry's involvement with Shalom later caused friction within U2, as the non-believing Adam felt that the latter three's more devout friends were trying to make them prioritise their faith over the band. The three believers did eventually leave Shalom, as they felt that the group was trying to force upon them the false assertion that a commitment to rock n' roll and a commitment to God were mutually excludable principles. Since then, Bono's Christian faith has played a big role in his life, but in a way that has largely been free from the influence of the mainstream church. PERFORMER Right from the beginning of his time with U2, Bono cultivated a reputation for being able to connect physically and emotionally with fans to an astonishing degree during the band's performances. He honed his technique initially during U2's earliest gigs in small pubs and clubs across America and Europe, where as he put it, he would "walk out on tables, kissing people's girlfriends and drinking their wine." Later on, in the 1983 War tour, the singer would regularly climb the stage tresses in order to prevent the crowds' attention from wandering. However, perhaps the most well-known example of Bono's on-stage theatrics was during Live Aid in 1985, when mid-way through "Bad" he leapt off the stage and over a security barricade to the floor of the stadium, pulling a girl from the crowd to dance with her. Since then, he has brought girls (and occasionally boys) up on stage to be sprayed with champagne and filmed with handicams (Zoo TV), danced with (PopMart), to play songs (Elevation) and even just to be hugged (Vertigo). Over the years, these exploits have sealed Bono's reputation as one of the all-time great performers, as well as U2's reputation as a band with a heartfelt and profound love for its audience. But his on-stage antics were not always received positively. At the end of the '80s, Bono had become something akin to a Messiah figure, with his often politically-charged, on-stage sermonizing causing U2 to suffer a considerable amount of ridicule from detractors, who accused them of earnestness, pomposity and egotism. Their decision to relocate to Berlin in order to re-tool their sound and image produced some startling changes in Bono's public persona. The first of these, appearing on the Zoo TV tour in 1992, was The Fly, a character described by Bono as a man making "a phone call from hell, but liking it there." Others emerged, including the infamous MacPhisto. The latter was an incarnation meant for the European crowds during the 1993 Zooropa tour, apparently intended as a depiction of the Devil as a tired, old pop star who's been reduced to playing the Las Vegas circuit. These fun and frivolous experiments with various alter-egos did not last the decade, though. On the 2001 and 2005 Elevation and Vertigo tours, Bono became a more low-key version of his late-'80s onstage self, seeking to educate audiences politically and spiritually as well as to entertain. ACTIVIST Bono has long been involved in a variety of causes outside of U2. His work as an activist, due largely to his Christian beliefs, began in earnest when, inspired by Live Aid, he traveled to Ethiopia to work in a feeding camp with his wife Ali and the charity World Vision. Bono also went to Central America in 1985 to see the damage wrought by US-backed operations in Nicaragua and El Salvador, after which he and U2 toured as part of the Amnesty International benefit tour, A Conspiracy of Hope. In the 1990s, he campaigned with Greenpeace against the nuclear power plant Sellafield in the north of England, and drew attention to the conflict raging in Bosnia by collaborating with the US journalist Bill Carter during the Zoo TV tour to create the award-winning documentary, Miss Sarajevo. Since the millennium, he has rallied numerous actors, artists and campaigners to the cause of ending Third World debt in his role as spokesman for the Jubilee 2000 project, as well as trying to end AIDS and extreme poverty in Africa by co-founding the lobbying organisation DATA (Debt, Aid, Trade, Africa) in 2002, the ONE Campaign to Make Poverty History (USA) in 2004, and the Make Poverty History movement (UK) in 2005. The latter two are coalitions of NGOs, faith groups and individuals working to end extreme poverty. Bono was equally key in performing in and helping to organise (along with friend Bob Geldof) the Live 8 concerts in 2005, a series of events across the globe designed to pressure world leaders to increase aid, cancel Third World debt and improve the terms of trade with the world's poorest countries. Also in 2005, Bono and Ali, along with fashion designer Rogan Gregory, created the socially conscious clothing line EDUN. This range of clothes for men and women seeks to promote fair trade and sustainable growth by basing their means of production in poor communities, without the use of sweatshop-like conditions, encouraging them to use their skills in an environmentally friendly way to create garments that can be sold at a fair price. In 2006, Bobby Shriver and Bono co-founded the Product (RED) campaign. This initiative seeks to persuade large companies with global brands to sell specific lines of products from which a portion of the profits will be donated to the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, TB and malaria. As well as illustrating Bono's staggering amount of energy and commitment, these initiatives have earned Bono numerous honours and awards. He was presented with the Free Your Mind Award at the MTV Europe Awards in Dublin, in acknowledgement of his work on behalf of the Jubilee 2000 project; he received a knighthood in Britain, the Légion d'honneur in France, and at least two nominations on separate occasions for the Nobel Peace Prize. He has also had various degrees bestowed on him from some of the world's top universities, and has sat as the editor for the publications Vanity Fair (USA) and the Independent newspaper (UK). EXTRA-CURRICULAR Beyond politics, Bono's activities outside of U2 have included dabbling in the film industry. In 1999 he composed and performed the music for the Wim Wenders film The Million Dollar Hotel, which he co-wrote with screenwriter Nicholas Klein. Bono also made a brief appearance in the movie, his second film role after having previously appeared as himself in Entropy, an indie flick made by Rattle and Hum director Phil Joanou. He also appeared in Julie Taymor's 2007 film Across the Universe, playing Dr. Robert, a psychedelic guru from the Beatles song of the same name. In addition, he starred alongside his band mates in U2 3D, a movie of the band's Vertigo tour concerts in South America filmed in a ground-breaking 3D format, and Daniel Lanois's musical exploration Here Is What Is. On top of this, Bono has dipped his toe into the literary world, writing the intros for American economist Jeffrey Sachs's 2005 book The End of Poverty, Irish Christian author Adam Harbinson's 2002 critique of the established church They've Hijacked God, and an edition of the Psalms for the 1998 Pocket Canons series. He has also had a book published, 2007's On the Move, in which he lays out his vision, in a single speech, for the changes that could be brought about in the Third World by minor increases in aid provision on the part of the West. Yet despite all his influence among the wealthy and famous, Bono's greatest impact arguably lies with the millions of ordinary individuals whose lives he has touched and transformed, many of whom have been inspired by him to try and make the world a better place. His capacity for action, his unwavering belief in the potential for individuals to change the world, and his extraordinary powers of persuasion when faced with those hostile to his cause remain unrivalled both within and outside of the music industry. His life has been, and still is, a remarkable example of the triumph of optimism in the face of cynicism and indifference, not to mention how to resist the rock n' roll cliches. Related stories:	i don't know
Lynn Reid Banks debut novel was entitled ‘The…’what’-Shaped Room’?	Uncategorized \| i love english literature \| Page 2 i love english literature October 3, 2011 Leave a comment Orphan Pip’s rise through society thanks to his mysterious benefactor wins poll by comfortable margin Jean Simmons, Martita Hunt and Anthony Wager in David Lean’s 1946 film of Great Expectations. Photograph: Sportsphoto Ltd/Allstar The author himself might have preferred David Copperfield, but Guardian readers have voted for Great Expectations as their favourite Charles Dickens novel. Pip’s adventures won 24.9% of the reader poll , well ahead of the second-placed Bleak House with 16.9%. David Copperfield, which Dickens called his “favourite child”, was third with 9.2% of the vote. From its famous opening in the graveyard, when the orphan Pip first encounters the shackled convict Magwitch, “a fearful man, all in coarse gray, with a great iron on his leg”, through his meetings with the bitter Miss Havisham and the cold Estella, and his rise through society thanks to a mysterious benefactor, Great Expectations is, said voter gavinscottw, “not only – as others have observed – formally the most ingenious of the novels – but perhaps Dickens’s most morally angry work”. Others were less impressed by the novel, and put its popularity down to the fact that “people are made to read it in school, so it’s the only one they’ve read”, said VaneWimsey, an Our Mutual Friend supporter. “It’s sooo thin and long-drawn-out. And Estella is just plain nasty. Don’t know what Pip sees in her. First crush, maybe … great love of anyone’s life, no way.” Great Expectations’ place on school reading lists can’t be the only reason for its triumph, however, with the school perennial Oliver Twist only picking up 4.6% of the readers’ votes. Pip’s place in readers’ affections was also attributed to the wealth of film and television adaptations which have been made of the novel over the years. A new version from BBC One starring David Suchet as Jaggers, Ray Winstone as Magwitch and Gillian Anderson as Miss Havisham is out for Christmas, and a new film adapted by One Day novelist David Nicholls starring Helena Bonham Carter as Miss Havisham and Ralph Fiennes as Magwitch is due to start shooting shortly. “I suspect that’s one reason why Great Expectations is such a popular novel. Readers grow up with it,” wrote Robert Douglas-Fairhurst in the Guardian . “It’s probably also why so many of them sympathise with Pip, whose narrative voice involves the perspective of a wide-eyed child coming up against that of his wiser, sadder adult self. Anyone who first reads the story as a child and returns to it in later years is likely to feel a similar mixture of nostalgia and relief. But it isn’t only individual readers who have grown up with Great Expectations. Our culture has too. Dickens once claimed that David Copperfield was his ‘favourite child’ and that Great Expectations was a close second. It’s no coincidence that both novels are about how easily children can be warped or damaged, but of the two it is the shorter, sharper Great Expectations that has aged better.” Despite a glowing user review from Jane Smiley , which saw the Pulitzer prize-winning author call it “one of my two or three favourite novels of all time”, praising its “magical” prose and “perfect blending of story and style”, Our Mutual Friend only picked up 6.5% of readers’ votes. “Where’s the love for Our Mutual Friend?” asked voter VaneWimsey, describing the author’s final complete novel as “the great masterwork of Dickens’s maturity”. The least popular Dickens novel was, unsurprisingly, his unfinished final work The Mystery of Edwin Drood, with 0.8% of the vote, narrowly behind Martin Chuzzlewit (1%), The Old Curiosity Shop (1.2%) and Nicholas Nickleby (1.8%). Your favourite Dickens novels: the result in full A Christmas Carol 7.4% A Tale of Two Cities 8.7% Barnaby Rudge 4.6% The Mystery of Edwin Drood 0.8% The Old Curiosity Shop 1.2% September 25, 2011 Leave a comment Charles Dickens, in contemplative pose. Which is your favourite Dickens? Photograph: Hulton Archive We’re on the hunt for our readers’ favourite Dickens novel. We’ve asked a line-up of distinguished Dickens enthusiasts for their opinons. See which ones William Boyd , Simon Callow , Kathryn Hughes , John Mullan , Michel Faber , DJ Taylor , Robert Douglas-Fairhurst and Philip Hensher like best. Or listen to our books podcast to hear from Colin Thubron, Andrew O’Hagan and Malorie Blackman, among others. Now it’s over to you – vote in our poll and have your say in the comments. 7.4% A Tale of Two Cities 0.8% The Mystery of Edwin Drood 1.3% Great Expectations Robert Douglas-Fairhurst Jean Simmons, Martita Hunt and Anthony Wager in David Lean’s 1946 Great Expectations. Photograph: Allstar Great Expectations (weekly serial, December 1860-August 1861) According to George Orwell, the biggest problem with Dickens is that he simply doesn’t know when to stop. Every sentence seems to be on the point of curling into a joke; characters are forever spawning a host of eccentric offspring. “His imagination overwhelms everything,” Orwell sniffed, “like a kind of weed.” That’s hardly an accusation that could be levelled against Great Expectations. If some of Dickens’s novels sprawl luxuriously across the page, this one is as trim as a whippet. Touch any part of it and the whole structure quivers into life. In Chapter 1, for example, Pip recalls watching Magwitch pick his way through the graveyard brambles, “as if he were eluding the hands of the dead people, stretching up cautiously out of their graves, to get a twist upon his ankle and pull him in”. Not until the final chapters do we realise why Pip is so haunted by the convict’s apparent reluctance to stay above ground, but already the novel’s key narrative method has been established. To open Great Expectations is to enter a world in which events are often caught only out of the corner of the narrator’s eye. It is a world of hints and glimpses, of bodies disappearing behind corners and leaving only their shadows behind. Whichever of Dickens’s two endings is chosen, it’s hard to finish the last page without thinking of how much remains to be said. Of course, none of this occurred to me when I first read Great Expectations as a child. In the 1980s this story of class mobility and get-rich-quick ambition resonated with all the force of a modern parable. The revelation that there was another story behind the one I was enjoying was as much a shock to me as it is to Pip, but that only increased my admiration for a novelist who treats his plot rather as Jaggers treats Miss Havisham in her wheelchair, using one hand to push her ahead while putting “the other in his trousers-pocket as if the pocket were full of secrets”. I suspect that’s one reason why Great Expectations is such a popular novel. Readers grow up with it. It’s probably also why so many of them sympathise with Pip, whose narrative voice involves the perspective of a wide-eyed child coming up against that of his wiser, sadder adult self. Anyone who first reads the story as a child and returns to it in later years is likely to feel a similar mixture of nostalgia and relief. But it isn’t only individual readers who have grown up with Great Expectations. Our culture has too. Dickens once claimed that David Copperfield was his “favourite child” and that Great Expectations was a close second. It’s no coincidence that both novels are about how easily children can be warped or damaged, but of the two it is the shorter, sharper Great Expectations that has aged better. Few works of fiction have enjoyed such a lively creative aftermath. Peter Carey has rewritten it in Jack Maggs . Television shows from The Twilight Zone to South Park have echoed it in ways that range from loving homage to finger-poking parody. Even the title has settled in the public consciousness, with shops such as “Grape Expectations” (wine) and “Baked Expectations” (cakes). It’s hard not to be fond of a novel that so perfectly reflects its author’s restless, rummaging imagination. Caricature of Charles Dickens, 1868. Photograph: Leonard De Selva/CORBIS Sketches by Boz (1833-1836) Originally written as newspaper journalism, collected in two volumes published by John Macrone in February and November 1836, with illustrations by George Cruikshank, and nearly titled “Bubbles from the Brain of Boz and the Graver of Cruikshank”, Sketches by Boz is the public record of Dickens’s apprenticeship. The early pieces, as he later pointed out, “comprise my first attempts at authorship”. By the time of “Vauxhall Gardens by Day”, written in October 1836, The Pickwick Papers had reached its eighth number and a meteoric career had taken flight. Read in the order they were written, the Sketches consequently give off the terrific air of a newly minted talent discovering what it can do. While the opening tranche of “tales” derive from the work of forgotten contemporary humorists, the pieces of London reportage that he began to contribute to the Morning Chronicle in autumn 1834 (“Gin Shops”, “Shabby-Genteel People”, “The Pawnbroker’s Shop”) are like nothing else in pre-Victorian journalism: bantering and hard-headed by turns, hectic and profuse, falling over themselves to convey every last detail of the metropolitan front-line from which Dickens sent back his dispatches. As he itemises the contents of the pawnbroker’s shop (“a few old China cups; some modern vases, adorned with paltry paintings of three Spanish cavaliers playing three Spanish guitars; or a party of boors carousing: each boor with one leg painfully elevated in the air by way of expressing his perfect freedom and gaiety …”) you sense that Dickens barely knows how to stop. It is the same with Miss Amelia Martin in “The Milliner’s Mishap”, eyeing up her friend’s wedding breakfast (“pewter-pots at the corners; pepper, mustard and vinegar in the centre; vegetables on the floor”) – a world so vivid and variegated to the person writing about it that there is almost too much to set down. By the time of the final sketches (“Our Next Door Neighbours”, “The Tuggses at Ramsgate”) Dickens had begun to stake out the lower-middle-class interiors that critics were already marking down as his special subject. Meanwhile an admiring gang of early Victorian novelists stood ready to take their cue. Reading “Shabby-Genteel People”, for example, one can almost see Thackeray (who shortly afterwards was to write his own shabby genteel story) making notes in the background. Steven Mackintosh in BBC TV’s Our Mutual Friend Our Mutual Friend (monthly serial, May 1864-November 1865) Dickens’s last completed novel is a marvel of play-acting and posturing, of taking on roles through delusion, calculation and ambition. I’ve come to think of it as a sort of late-period masque, where the roles and disguises that John Harmon and Boffin consciously assume exaggerate the more ordinary play-acting and pretence that we all engage in. The Veneerings’ awful dinner parties, or the love affairs where both participants wonder whether they are quite up to the mark, or the Lammles’ getting married in the misguided belief that the other has money – these are all wonderful, extreme examples of what the sociologist Erving Goffman was later to call “the presentation of self in everyday life”. It’s a novel commonly described as flawed, but I guess it’s the Dickens novel I love best, and come back to most frequently. It’s said to be highly artificial – Henry James remarked, on its first publication, that he had never read a novel “so intensely written, so little seen, known, or felt”. The details of the plot, it’s true, are elaborately implausible. But the individual characters are shockingly recognisable – the scenes between Mrs Wilfer striking postures and her debunking daughters, for instance. There are a hundred Podsnaps who will explain climate change over London dinner tables tonight, with a sweeping gesture of the arm. Dickens’s genius for human observation at its quickest reaches a kind of pinnacle with the young man who tries to exercise his French and says “Esker” at a Veneering dinner, says nothing more and never reappears. But he will live forever, and we all know someone just like him. It’s so full of the river, and the sense of the city, and a huge stretch of London society, and so grand in its vision that perhaps we forget how gloriously funny it is – the Boffins deciding to go in for history, and buying a big book (“His name is Decline-And-Fall-Off-The-Rooshan-Empire”) or the captivating Lady Tippins (“You wretch!”), or Mrs Wilfer, after placing Bella in the magnificent coach of the Boffins, continuing to “air herself … in a kind of splendidly serene trance on the top step” for the benefit of the neighbours. I love the bold sentiment, the pathos and the drama; I even love the kid who dies whispering “A kiss for the boofer lady”, because you might as well swallow this magnificent novel whole. And best of all is the exuberant, light-hearted moral conviction of the last page, as Twemlow at the very end shows his steel. Wagner said that the whole spirit of the English people was contained in the first rocketing eight notes of “Rule Britannia”. But then he probably hadn’t read Our Mutual Friend. Bleak House By Kathryn Hughes ‘Dickens never wrote better’ … Gillian Anderson (left) as Lady Dedlock and Anna Maxwell Martin as Esther in the BBC serial of Bleak House, 2005. Photograph: BBC/Mike Hogan Monthly serial, March 1852-September 1853 Dickens wrote his ninth novel at that perfect hinge in his career when he was finally able to channel his creative exuberance into a sustained and sophisticated piece of narrative art. All the usual fun is here, but it’s in the service of a sustained moral inquiry into the evil that manmade systems do to the people they’re supposed to help. I think it’s Dickens’s best book and, given that it’s all about Chancery, I’d like to call expert witnesses. So here they are, the very unalike GK Chesterton and Vladimir Nabokov, both of whom agree that Dickens never wrote better. There’s that extraordinary opening, describing a murky November day in London where there is “as much mud in the streets as if the waters had but newly retired from the face of the earth, and it would not be so wonderful to meet a Megalosaurus, forty feet or so, waddling like an elephantine lizard up Holborn Hill”. It’s an extraordinary image, stretching and collapsing time in the outrageous notion of a prehistoric monster let loose in legal London. Anyone who thinks that the high Victorian novel is a synonym for plodding realism really ought to read this top-hatted version of Jurassic Park. They should read Bleak House too if they’re convinced that omniscient narrators are the only kind you find in novels of the 1850s. To be sure, Dickens has one of these, an all-seeing, weighty cove who can hover over roofs and barge through walls and show us all the characters from Jo the crossing sweeper, to Miss Flite in her birdcage lodgings, to Mr Bucket, the inscrutable detective. But there’s another narrator too: Esther Summerson, as slippery and blind as any postmodern trickster. The two narratives wind round each other like a double helix, generating new kinds of mysteries between them. Anyone too who likes to trot out that old line about Dickens not being able to do psychology, or women, or both, should try Bleak House. In Esther Summerson, the little busybody with the jangling keys and the plain face, he created an uncannily accurate portrait of how sanctimoniously awful someone with low self-esteem can be. Once you realise it’s OK to want to slap Esther around a bit, she becomes a wonder of psychological observation. Brilliant too is Caddy Jellyby, the neglected daughter of the “telescopic philanthropist” Mrs Jellyby, who is more interested in helping the African tribe of Borrioboola-Gha than attending to her adolescent daughter. Caddy’s fierce sulkiness, her miserable habit of hating the ones she loves the most, and her sweet redemption through love to an equally scarred child, Prince Turveydrop, strike me as absolutely real. Of course there’s nothing new about Dickens being able to create wonderful characters. The difference here is that, while Harold Skimpole, Mr Tulkinghorn, Krook et al fizz with bright particularity, their job is to service the story – in Dickens’s earlier novels the endless cameos tend to derail the narrative. Bleak House represents the author at a perfectly poised late-middle moment in his extraordinary art. Timothy West and Patrick Allen in ITV’s Hard Times. Photograph: ITV / Rex Features Hard Times (weekly serial, April 1854-August 1854) Facts and figures. In 1978, when I was 17 and in my first year at university, I read approximately 3,500 pages of Dickens. I’ve not revisited any of his novels in the 34 years since, except A Christmas Carol and Hard Times . A Christmas Carol because I wrote a foreword for it, and Hard Times because there was something unDickensian about it that intrigued me. Set in a northern mill-town rather than Dickens’s usual London, Hard Times tackles politics in an uncharacteristically rigorous fashion, bringing it closer to Disraeli’s Sybilthan Pickwick Papers. Dickens seizes on utilitarianism – a philosophy most of us recognise as benign and socially progressive – and vilifies it as a great evil that poisons the human spirit. He expresses his loathing for trade unions, too. It’s all rather problematic, but Dickens just about pulls it off through sheer force of will, creating those unforgettable (and weirdly Kafkaesque) schoolroom scenes in which zombie-like pupils spout verbiage like “Quadruped. Graminivorous. Forty teeth, namely twenty-four grinders, four eye-teeth, and twelve incisive.” My affinity, as a novelist, with Dickens has been overstated. I relish the way everything in his prose pulsates with life force, and I’m in debt to him every time I invest inanimate objects with uncanny animism. But his female characters annoy me. Not the grotesque ones – Miss Havisham, Mrs Micawber and other delicious monsters. It’s the nubile, noble heroines I find irksome. Their vapidity and sexlessness is often attributed, by pundits whose acquaintance with Victorian literature is scant, to the moral climate of the era. Yet other Victorian authors managed to sneak eroticism into their work, and if Dickens had put his titanic talents to the challenge of sublimated sex prose, he could easily have out-porned Bram Stoker. He just didn’t want to. Which brings me to another reason for recommending Hard Times: it contains the closest thing to a real, complex woman in Dickens’ s fiction. Louisa Gradgrind may be as neutered as the rest of his heroines, but she’s aware of her passionlessness, and blames it on the repressed upbringing she’s been subjected to. In Great Expectations, Dickens created a femme fatale, but Estella is icily secure in her fataleness. Louisa remains achingly vulnerable, a cold fish who longs to be a warm mammal. The Life and Adventures of Martin Chuzzlewit By William Boyd ‘I think that Chuzzlewit is in a hundred points immeasurably the best of my stories’ … a drawing of Dickens with his wife and sister-in-law by D Maclise, 1843. Photograph: Lebrecht Authors/Lebrecht Music & Arts/Corbis Monthly serial, January 1843–July 1844 Martin Chuzzlewit was Dickens’s sixth novel, serially published in 1843-44, and, compared to its great predecessors was something of a flop, much to Dickens’s surprise and chagrin. He was mightily pleased with the book – “I think that Chuzzlewit is in a hundred points immeasurably the best of my stories” – and couldn’t understand its comparative failure (at its height it sold 20,000 copies a month whereas The Pickwick Papers and Nicholas Nickleby sold 40-50,000, for example). In fact the novel is somewhat strange and uneven. Martin himself, the eponymous hero, only appears in about a fifth of the book, there’s a whole section that takes place in America that is the most heavy-handed satire, the lapses into romantic sentimentality are toe-curlingly coy and was there ever such a bland pair of lovers as Martin and Mary? However, Chuzzlewit is, I believe the most sheerly funny of all Dickens’s novels and the comic characters and scenes are written with a vigour and brio which is the equal of anything else in his oeuvre. I would go so far as to claim that, in Chuzzlewit, you find the most sustained passage of comic writing in English literature, namely chapters eight and nine when the Pecksniff family go to London. These 40 pages are written with a textured brilliance of detail and are also replete with the richest comedy – a coming together of style and humour that is unmatched in all his other novels. You will laugh out loud at Martin Chuzzlewit – the comedy travels effortlessly across the 170 years since it was written – and for that reason alone it deserves to be ranked among the greats. The Life and Adventures of Nicholas Nickleby By Simon Callow ‘Nicholas is very close to a portrait of the artist as a young man’ … Jamie Bell in the 2002 film, Nicholas Nickleby. Photograph: Sportsphoto Ltd/Allstar/Cloud Nine Monthly serial, April 1838-October 1839 Dickens started writing Nicholas Nickleby only a year after Pickwick, as part of that astonishing trio of novels (of which the middle one was Oliver Twist) that he knocked off in a breathless 18 months, and it partakes of the same ebullient energy and free-wheeling inventiveness as the earlier book. I was initially attracted to the book for obvious reasons: I was an actor, and the glorious celebration of the theatre, not just in the episodes concerning Vincent Crummles and his troupe of down-at-heel showpeople but in the whole form and structure of the book, exhilarated me, and it still does. Despite the bleak and terrible realities Dickens describes – the savagery of the regime at Dotheboys Hall, the depravities of Sir Mulberry Hawk and the implacable destructiveness of Ralph Nickleby – it has the sweep and gusto of a great melodrama. The stage management of events is pretty shameless, but it’s as enjoyable as a 1930s Hollywood movie. Dickens’s irresistible compulsion to create whole parades of unforgettable grotesques and his magnificent crusading rage against injustice all keep the pages turning. The central character has often been criticised as being merely functional, but it seems to me that Nicholas is very close to a portrait of the artist as a young man: his passion, impulsiveness, somewhat exaggerated notions of gallantry, occasional priggishness and big embracing spirit are so much shared with his author (who at this stage of his life frequently had to take to horseback in order to work off his undischarged surplus of élan vital) that reading the book puts us in very close proximity to the young Dickens. And in Mrs Nickleby, he has created a savage and wildly funny portrait of his own mother. Dickens’s feelings about her were dark and complex: she tried to overrule John Dickens when he withdrew his son from the blacking warehouse in which the 11-year-old Charles languished, and he never forgave her for that. The young women, in the book, alas, are both inspid and lachrymose. There is in fact a pressing and permanent tension between Nicholas Nickleby‘s carnival spirit and its morbid sentimentality, a tension highly characteristic of the nascent Victorian era in which it was written, and one that was central to Dickens himself; he never quite resolved it to the end. But for the most part the book is a kind of corybantic frieze of all-too-human mankind, its characters parading unforgettably past us, insinuating themselves permanently into our imaginations, populating our mental landscapes. Its spirit seems to hark back, past Shakespeare, to Chaucer, enabling Dickens to embody something quintessentially and irrepressibly English. Simon Callow’s Charles Dickens and the Great Theatre of the World will be published by Harper Press in February 2012. Dombey and Son He is in among his characters, cajoling and admonishing … Dickens giving a reading. Photograph: Alamy Monthly serial, October 1846-April 1848 “What was a girl to Dombey and Son!” Despite its intransigently masculine title, Dombey and Son is the one Dickens novel apart fromBleak House with a heroine, Florence Dombey. And Florence, made courageous by the death of her mother and the neglect of her proud, rich father, is an altogether sprightlier protagonist than dutiful, grateful Esther Summerson. Mr Dombey, her father, is one of Dickens’s emotionally cauterised men of wealth and power, rich in worldly appurtenances and poor in any concession to humanity. He thinks that he sits on top of society, but in fact he understands little about the commercial forces that have made him and will destroy him. The great power in Dombey and Son is that of the railways. An early chapter gives an unforgettable description of the building of the railway – a kind of “earthquake” that has hit Camden Town. Later chapters reveal a nation transformed by and utterly enamoured of this new power. “There were railway hotels, office-houses, lodging-houses, boarding-houses; railway plans, maps, views … There was even railway time observed in clocks, as if the sun itself had given in.” Trains are crucial to the elaborate plot. Like all great Dickens novels it has really satisfying baddies. Major “Joe” Bagstock, one of those who predates on the loftily oblivious Mr Dombey, is a sinister, blue-faced old soldier with the disconcerting habit of talking of himself in the third person to an invisible confidante. “He’s hard-hearted, Sir, is Joe – he’s tough, Sir, tough, and de-vilish sly!” Devilishly, he arranges the marriage of Dombey to his rival in hard-grained pride, Edith Granger. It is a marriage made in hell, and the description of the wedding, like the decription of Paul Dombey’s christening earlier, is one of those unforgettably terrible and comic Dickensian set-pieces. The novel’s big villain is Dombey’s “manager” (and rarely has so much nastiness been coaxed from that word), the “dainty” Mr Carker. Carker, Dombey’s “Grand Vizier”, has wonderfully white teeth and a smile that never extends beyond his mouth. He is the loyal apparatchik who would love to destroy and replace his master. “His manner towards Mr Dombey was deeply conceived and perfectly expressed. He was familiar with him, in the very extremity of his sense of the distance between them.” Those on the lookout for sentimentality will be able to find it, but in fact the novel is remarkable for its attention to failures of feeling. “What do we live for but sympathy!” exclaims the monstrous Mrs Skewton, who pimps her daughter to rich men looking for a trophy wife. Dombey is half-glimpsed in grief after his son’s death in childhood, but must dignify his feelings by hating those of others. Anyone else displaying grief becomes “a bidder against him”. Dombey treads proudly towards his doom with the author’s unheard warnings ringing in his ears. Dickens is in among his characters, cajoling and admonishing. As ever, he energetically escapes the confines of literary decorum. Dombey and Son has all the satirical indignation of his early fiction – but new shades of darkness and a new narrative complexity. Halfway through his career, it was his first great novel. David Copperfield came next. September 22, 2011 Leave a comment Author of The Rector’s Wife plans modern-day ‘conversation’ with Sense and Sensibility ‘She is a great: I am a good’ … Joanna Trollope and Jane Austen. Photograph: Rex/Hulton Getty From Elizabeth Bennet and Mr Darcy to Emma Woodhouse and Mr Knightley, Jane Austen created some of the most enduring romances in literary history. Now, publisher HarperCollins is hoping it has dreamed up another marriage made in heaven, commissioning Joanna Trollope to write a contemporary reworking of Austen’s novel, Sense and Sensibility . The pairing is the first in a what the publisher has dubbed a “major” new series, in which it will team modern authors with Austen’s six novels, asking them to reimagine the books in a contemporary setting. The project is the latest addition to the current vogue for Austen remixes, which have ranged over recent years from the unexpected success of Seth Grahame-Smith’s zombie mash-up Pride and Prejudice and Zombies to erotic fiction author Mitzi Szereto’s X-rated Pride and Prejudice: Hidden Lusts . Trollope, whose novels of everyday relationships and emotions have garnered her comparisons to Austen in the past, will publish her take on Sense and Sensibility in autumn 2013. She said the novel would be “not an emulation, but a tribute”. “This is a great honour and an even bigger challenge,” said the author of The Choir , A Village Affair and The Rector’s Wife . “It’s a hugely exciting proposal to attempt the reworking of one of the best novels written by one of our greatest novelists. This is a project which will require consummate respect above all else.” HarperFiction publishing director Louisa Joyner said the two novelists “share an extraordinary ability to combine heart-rending plots with a social acuity which has powerful resonances for contemporary audiences”. She came up with the idea for the series after reading a comparison between Trollope and Austen – Trollope herself has said that “comparisons with Jane Austen make me twitch. She is a Great: I am a Good – on a good day” . “TV adaptations of Austen all focus on one reading of her: they are all about the romance. But actually she was such an acute social commenter – and economics were such an important part of it,” said Joyner. “I couldn’t help thinking about all the contemporary resonances, [and I realised that] taking the bare bones of the story, and seeing where a contemporary novelist would get to would be fascinating – like refracting the novels through a prism.” Joyner describes the new series as a “conversation” between Austen and today’s novelists. “I am imagining all sorts of reactions, everything from amazed to unhappy and everything in between,” she said. “What is very exciting is that people have that strength of feeling about a novelist. This is no attempt to better her. It’s a respectful conversation, and if it ends up with people talking more about Austen and Trollope, then that’s a good thing. It’s not a competition. It is a literary celebration, and all debate is good.” Meanwhile, John Mullan, Professor of English at University College London, said the project was part of “a time-honoured literary genre”. “in the 18th century they used to call it imitation,” he said. “It’s an old tradition – Pope did Horace, Dr Johnson did Juvenal, now Trollope is doing Austen … I think it’s fine. It always works best if the people who enjoy it most know the original – that’s the test.” HarperCollins is currently in talks with other “authors of global literary significance” about the remaining five Austen novels. Joyner would not comment on suggestions that Stephen King might produce an interesting take on Northanger Abbey, or that an Ian Rankin crime twist to Emma could prove fun. September 15, 2011 Leave a comment IN a coffee shop not long ago, I saw a mug with an inscription from Henry David Thoreau: “Go confidently in the direction of your dreams! Live the life you’ve imagined.” At least it said the words were Thoreau’s. But the attribution seemed a bit suspect. Thoreau, after all, was not known for his liberal use of exclamation points. When I got home, I looked up the passage (it’s from “Walden”): “I learned this, at least, by my experiment: that if one advances confidently in the direction of his dreams, and endeavors to live the life which he has imagined, he will meet with a success unexpected in common hours.” Now Thoreau isn’t quite saying that each of us can actually live the life we’ve imagined. He’s saying that if we try, we’ll come closer to it than we might ordinarily think possible. I suppose that the people responsible for the coffee mug would say that they’d merely tweaked the wording of the original a little. But in the tweaking, not only was the syntax lost, but the subtlety as well. Gandhi’s words have been tweaked a little too in recent years. Perhaps you’ve noticed a bumper sticker that purports to quote him: “Be the change you wish to see in the world.” When you first come across it, this does sound like something Gandhi would have said. But when you think about it a little, it starts to sound more like … a bumper sticker. Displayed brightly on the back of a Prius, it suggests that your responsibilities begin and end with your own behavior. It’s apolitical, and a little smug. Sure enough, it turns out there is no reliable documentary evidence for the quotation. The closest verifiable remark we have from Gandhi is this: “If we could change ourselves, the tendencies in the world would also change. As a man changes his own nature, so does the attitude of the world change towards him. … We need not wait to see what others do.” Here, Gandhi is telling us that personal and social transformation go hand in hand, but there is no suggestion in his words that personal transformation is enough. In fact, for Gandhi, the struggle to bring about a better world involved not only stringent self-denial and rigorous adherence to the philosophy of nonviolence; it also involved a steady awareness that one person, alone, can’t change anything, an awareness that unjust authority can be overturned only by great numbers of people working together with discipline and persistence. When you start to become aware of these bogus quotations, you can’t stop finding them. Henry James, George Eliot, Picasso — all of them are being kept alive in popular culture through pithy, cheery sayings they never actually said. My favorite example of the fanciful quotation is a passage that’s been floating around the Internet for years. It’s frequently attributed to Nelson Mandela, the former South African president, and said to be an excerpt from his 1994 inaugural address. “Our deepest fear,” the passage goes, “is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light, not our darkness that most frightens us. We ask ourselves, Who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented, fabulous? Actually, who are you not to be? You are a child of God. Your playing small does not serve the world. … As we are liberated from our own fear, our presence automatically liberates others.” Picture it: Mr. Mandela, newly free after 27 years in prison, using his inaugural platform to inform us that we all have the right to be gorgeous, talented and fabulous, and that thinking so will liberate others. It’s hard to imagine it without laughing. Of course, it turns out it’s not actually an excerpt from this or any other known address of Mr. Mandela’s. In fact, the words aren’t even his; they belong to a self-help guru, Marianne Williamson. Thoreau, Gandhi, Mandela — it’s easy to see why their words and ideas have been massaged into gauzy slogans. They were inspirational figures, dreamers of beautiful dreams. But what goes missing in the slogans is that they were also sober, steely men. Each of them knew that thoroughgoing change, whether personal or social, involves humility and sacrifice, and that the effort to change oneself or the world always exacts a price. But ours is an era in which it’s believed that we can reinvent ourselves whenever we choose. So we recast the wisdom of the great thinkers in the shape of our illusions. Shorn of their complexities, their politics, their grasp of the sheer arduousness of change, they stand before us now. They are shiny from their makeovers, they are fabulous and gorgeous, and they want us to know that we can have it all. Brian Morton, the director of the graduate program in fiction at Sarah Lawrence College, is the author of the novels “Starting Out in the Evening” and “Breakable You.” By BRIAN MORTON – Published: August 29, 2011 September 15, 2011 Leave a comment David Nicholls’s acclaimed novel, tracking the 20-year friendship of Dexter and Emma, has sold more than a million copies and the film version is previewing in American cinemas. Two Telegraph writers reveal their passionate – and polarised – views on whether the book lives up to the hype. Bryony Gordon, left, wanted to burn ‘One Day’. Iain Hollingshead, right, found it heartbreaking – and very, very amusing Photo: CLARA MOLDEN ‘The greatest literary love of my life,’ says Iain Hollingshead When I finished One Day, red-eyed in the early hours of a spring morning, I don’t think I read another novel for a couple of months. To have done so would have felt like a betrayal of the greatest literary love of my life. Extreme? Yes. But David Nicholls’s third novel arouses polarising emotions. Despite remaining in the bestseller charts for more than 18 months, its 856 reviews on Amazon include 102 one-star refuseniks. The characters are unlikeable, they say, the plot clichéd, the ending a blessed relief. They’re entitled to their misguided opinions, of course. But anyone with half a soul – sorry, Bryony – knows that One Day is the best British novel of the past 20 years. One Day tops bestseller list again Structurally, it is perfect, the device of each chapter tackling the same day a year later encapsulating the ideal solution to the novelist’s greatest challenge of knowing what to leave out. It is no coincidence how many other writers have turned green. “The jealousy nearly made me puke,” said Marian Keyes. “I wish I’d written this book.” Of course, a million people haven’t bought One Day for its clever structure. But it does allow Nicholls to romp through 20 years of the characters’ lives, from their last day at university to their early forties, the ever more curious reader trying to work out what went wrong and right in the intervening 364 days. The detail of twentysomething life is pitch perfect, the post-university listlessness, the random travelling, the bad dates, the awful jobs, the misguided, scatter-gun ambition. And just as you’re happily gorging on this nostalgia fest, the reality of genuine grown-up life begins to bite: weddings, children, breakdown, divorce. It is, as Tony Parsons aptly puts it, “a brilliant book about the heartbreaking gap between the way we were and the way we are”. One Day is undoubtedly heartbreaking. But it is also very, very amusing. Nicholls is one of the few writers billed as laugh-out-loud funny whom you’ll have difficulty reading in a public place. He is a master of irony, the genius of the set piece, a writer equally appealing to men as to women. And yet this comedy never detracts from the two characters at the heart of the story. Dexter Mayhew, the public-school layabout turned minor television star, the embodiment of Nineties’ excess. Emma Morley, frustrated writer, Mexican restaurant waitress and teacher. Some critics have found them by turns arrogant, whiny and in urgent need of a kick up the backside, but Nicholls achieves the impressive feat of making them both everymen without resorting to stereotype. It’s a very middle-class tale, of course. But what is wrong, after all, with having such a bright mirror held up to our own lives for once, instead of those of, I don’t know, vampires or the Nazis? We all know an Emma. Some of us know rather too many Dexters, a man who “had always expected Emma to be there, a resource he can call upon at any time like the emergency services”. It is this will-they-won’t-they friendship that has turned the book from a hit into the super-league. It’s been done before, of course, most notably in When Harry Met Sally. But there is a whole new generation (I’m right in the middle of One Day’s 20‑year demographic) for whom the lines between friendship and relationships are blurred. Shared university corridors become shared flats. Friends become lovers and, sometimes, friends again. The luckiest ones end up marrying their friends. One Day is hilarious, moving and relevant. It is also culturally astute, referencing everyone from Nina Simone to John Smith. On first entering Emma’s university bedroom, Dexter knows “with absolute confidence that somewhere in amongst the art postcards and photocopied posters for angry plays there would be a photograph of Nelson Mandela, like some dreamy ideal boyfriend”. But perhaps more than all this – and without giving away the ending – it’s a warning, a rallying cry against atrophy, against procrastination, of putting life off in the hope that, one day, it happens to you. Nicholls opens his book with a extract from Dickens’s Great Expectations. “Imagine one selected day struck out of it [life] and think how different its course would have been. Pause, you who read this, and think for a long moment of the long chain of iron or gold, of thorns or flowers, that would never have bound you, but for the formation of the first link on that memorable day.” Go on, Bryony. Carpe that diem, and give it another read. ‘I almost threw it in the pool,’ says Bryony Gordon I have never before wanted to burn a book, and I was once forced to read Coleen Rooney’s Welcome to my World for work. But One Day left me in such a state of profound irritation that I almost threw it in a pool. The only reason I carried on until the bitter end was because I was on holiday and had exhausted all other reading options. “Why have you got a perma-snarl on your face?” my companion asked me, as I lay there grimacing at the latest chapter of Dexter and Emma’s tedious adventures. I read obsessively but am not a literary snob; I’ll happily devour a Jackie Collins or Jilly Cooper. So my dislike of One Day is nothing to do with its lightness. Nor was it because it had been hyped to the hilt by the time I read it. I picked One Day up at Gatwick airport early in 2010, drawn in by its bright orange cover which said: “I am a perfect, brainless beach read – buy me!” So I did, a decision that would teach me once and for all never to judge a book by its cover. It makes little sense to me that any sentient being would read One Dayand do anything other than gag; it is the literary equivalent of a box of doughnuts followed by a bag of Haribo, finished off with Cadbury’s Celebrations. That a man as intelligent as my colleague Iain – a man with a first in history from Cambridge (or so he tells me) – could be reduced to tears by this schmaltz-fest leaves me deeply concerned for his fiancée. How he will help her through childbirth or even the simple task of assembling shelves, I have no idea. And if I am resorting to stereotypes then I do apologise: it is hard not to when talking about One Day. Dexter and Emma are a couple so clichéd they seem to have been created in a chemistry lab with bromide. Dexter is supposedly charismatic and attractive to all, while Emma is the slightly frumpy, but clever girl who wants to save the world, preferably while falling in love with Dexter, who is busy turning into a TV presenter and cavorting with hot girls. Dexter loves Emma, yet only as a friend. But – and there is a spoiler alert here – eventually he falls for her, though only once she has undergone a butterfly-style metamorphosis, and he has crashed and burned as a washed-out divorcé. Perhaps this is why so many men enjoy One Day – it gives them hope. You can act like a pig, because one day you can fall back on that clever bird from university. I could find nothing likeable about Dexter or Emma – Emma, in particular, was only ever a page away from exploding in smugness. The whole thing seemed to be cobbled together from Nineties’ dramas such as This Life and Cold Feet, and it is no surprise to learn that David Nicholls used to write for the latter. Perhaps I am a cold-hearted hag. Or maybe I’m professionally jealous. By Iain Hollingshead and Bryony Gordon- 06 Aug 2011 September 11, 2011 Leave a comment The Brontës are often dismissed as up-market Mills & Boon. But with the release of two films this autumn, Jane Eyre and Wuthering Heights, they look set to rival even Jane Austen in the public’s affections. View from the Parsonage, Haworth. Photograph: Denis Thorpe Ours is supposed to be the age of instantaneity, where books can be downloaded in a few seconds and reputations created overnight. But the Victorians could be speedy, too, and there’s no more striking example of instant celebrity than Jane Eyre . Charlotte Brontë posted the manuscript to Messrs Smith and Elder on 24 August 1847, two weeks after the publisher had expressed an interest in seeing her new novel while turning down her first. Within a fortnight, a deal had been struck (Charlotte was paid £100) and proofs were being worked on. In the 21st century a first novel can wait two years between acceptance and publication. Jane Eyre was out in eight weeks, on 17 October, with Thackeray and Leigh Hunt among its early admirers. By early December, with the first edition shortly to sell out, Charlotte was preparing a preface for the second. By February a stage play based on the book had opened at the Victoria Theatre in London. It was the story that gripped people – Lowood school, Jane’s governessing, Mr Rochester, the mad woman in the attic, destitution, rescue and happy redemption (“Reader, I married him”). But the word-of-mouth success was also hastened by Charlotte’s use of a pseudonym: Currer Bell. Speculation about the mysterious author’s identity and gender began at once, and reached fever pitch in December with the publication of works by Ellis and Acton Bell – Wuthering Heights and Agnes Grey respectively, novels accepted by a different publisher a year earlier but which had been gathering dust until the success of Jane Eyre spurred him into action. With all three books out, Charlotte broke the news of her authorship to her clergyman-father, Patrick. Elizabeth Gaskell ‘s biography records the following conversation: “Papa, I’ve been writing a book.” “Have you, my dear?” “Yes, and I want you to read it.” “I’m afraid it will try my eyes too much.” “But it is not in manuscript: it is printed.” “My dear! You’ve never thought of the expense…!” As suspicion grew that Currer, Ellis and Acton were really one man writing under different names, Charlotte decided to come clean to her London publisher and, with Anne accompanying her, walked through a rainstorm to Keighley to catch a night train (with a change at Leeds) to London, where she made her dramatic revelation next morning: “We are three sisters.” Emily, who had stayed at home, was outraged: she had wanted to remain invisible and felt betrayed by Charlotte. Meanwhile, their brother Branwell was drinking himself to death after the collapse of his love affair with an older woman called (a gift of a name) Mrs Robinson. He died in September 1848. Emily followed three months later and Anne five months after that. Charlotte liked to pretend that nothing much happened to her and her family, speaking of “the torpid retirement where we live like dormice”. And it’s true that not every year was as eventful as that which followed the publication of Jane Eyre. But there was nothing torpid about the Brontës’ approach to writing (night after night, once their father had wound the clock and retired to bed, they scribbled away at the dining table) or about their determination to succeed. They worked hard, read widely, taught, travelled, looked after their savings (investing some of it in the railways), and were independent-minded in their ideas about society and politics, not least about the place of women. “Literature cannot be the business of a woman’s life,” the poet laureate Robert Southey told Charlotte when she sent him her poems, but she and her sisters efficiently made it their business. The morbid caricature that developed in the wake of Gaskell’s biography – with Haworth depicted as a remote and sinister spot, and the Parsonage as a gloomy hideout for a trio of unworldly spinsters – is largely nonsense. The Brontë letters (most of the surviving ones Charlotte’s) are sharp and sometimes funny. Their novels, caricatured as romances set on rugged moors, are full of insights into the social conditions of the day. And their lives, though short and touched with tragedy, were fascinating. The public were enthralled from the start. Curious visitors began turning up in Haworth once the truth about Jane Eyre’s authorship got out, and the numbers grew with the publication of Gaskell’s biography two years after Charlotte’s death in 1855. Some came from as far as America. Local shops cashed in, selling photos of the family. Patrick took to cutting up Charlotte’s letters into snippets, to meet the many requests for samples of her handwriting. Charlotte was the sister everyone wanted a piece of; the reputations of Anne and Emily took longer to develop. But the books kept selling and groupies kept coming to gawp. By 1893 a Brontë Society had been formed, and a small museum opened two years later. To Henry James , trying to make sense of the continuing popularity of the Brontës 50 years after Charlotte’s death, this “beguiled infatuation” with their lives was an unfortunate distraction. The story of their “dreary” existence (“their tragic history, their loneliness and poverty of life”) had, he said, supplanted the achievement of Jane Eyre and Wuthering Heights. The flames of Brontëphilia, set alight by Gaskell and fanned by adoring admirers, had destroyed critical appreciation of the books themselves. FR Leavis seemed to prove James’s point, when he excluded the Brontës from his Great Tradition , on the grounds that Charlotte’s was only “a permanent interest of a minor kind” and thatWuthering Heights, though “astonishing”, was “a kind of sport”. To a certain kind of male critic, the Brontës’ fiction was little more than upmarket Mills & Boon. James might be surprised to find that Jane Eyre and Wuthering Heightsare both widely read and critically esteemed today. There’s been no let-up, either, in attempts to translate them into different media: the Enthusiast’s Guide to Jane Eyre Adaptations website lists 25 since the 1980s. New film versions of both novels are appearing this autumn: Cary Fukunaga’s Jane Eyre (with a screenplay by Moira Buffini) was released on Friday, and Andrea Arnold’s version of Wuthering Heights will follow in November. Still, the issue James raised back in 1905 remains pertinent. Is our infatuation with the Brontës more to do with their lives than with their work? How to explain their enduring popularity? The fact there were three of them may be part of it. It’s not just that the phenomenon of three siblings who all published poetry and fiction seems extraordinary (which other family can boast as much: the Sitwells?), but the number itself has a mythic or folkloric appeal: the three Fates, the three Furies, the three witches in Macbeth, the three daughters of Lear, the three bears. For some, the idea of these “three weird sisters” (as Ted Hughes called them, borrowing from Shakespeare) weaving their magic together is sinister in its resonance – the stuff of Grimm fairytales. For others, their encouragement of each other is as inspiring an image of sorority as the Sister Sledge song: “We are family, I got all my sisters with me.” (Though they hadn’t, Maria and Elizabeth having died in childhood). More important is that the Brontë story remains unfinished; they may have been dead for more than a century and a half, but important new discoveries are still being made. Juliet Barker ‘s magisterial 1994 biography ran to 1,000 pages. The revised edition, recently published in paperback, adds 150 more, in order to include finds such as a letter from Charlotte describing her wedding dress (“white I had to buy and did buy to my own amazement – but I took care to get it in cheap material … If I must make a fool of myself – it shall be on an economical plan”). An authoritative edition of Charlotte’s letters has also appeared in recent years, and the extent to which she edited her sisters’ poems – censoring and rewriting them – has begun to be understood. The holy grail for Brontëites would be the discovery of the manuscript that Emily might or might not have been working on when she died. In its absence, some have suggested that Charlotte wilfully destroyed it, either from embarrassment at its sensational content or envy of its power. This looks no more plausible than the theory (first aired in the 1860s) that Branwell was the real author of Wuthering Heights. Prolonged exposure to Brontëana can cause Brontëmania, it seems. Certainly Brontë scholars have been prone to flights of fancy down the years, and Lucasta Miller, in her book The Brontë Myth , has fun with their wilder ruminations. In 1936, Virginia Moore misread the handwritten title of Emily’s poem “Love’s Farewell” as “Louis Parensell”, and developed the theory that Louis was Emily’s secret lover. For good measure, she threw in the claim that Emily was also lesbian, an idea later developed by Camille Paglia . A less whimsical hypothesis is offered by Katherine Frank, whose biography Emily Brontë : A Chainless Soulattributes Emily’s alleged mysticism to “what, in reality, was her anorexia nervosa” (“By refusing to eat she seized control of the only thing which was malleable: her own body”). Such theories are impossible to prove, but they’re part of the fun of the game. And they’re another reason for the classic status of the Brontës, as writers whose lives and work are ever open to new readings. Hardcore fans need solid bricks as well as airy postulations, and Brontë enthusiasts are fortunate in this respect: they have the Parsonage. Virginia Woolf visited it in the days when it was privately owned, noting the upright gravestones in the churchyard “like an army of silent soldiers”, and when it opened to the public in 1928, thousands clamoured to get in. An average of 70,000 visitors come each year – in 1974, after Christopher Fry’s television play The Brontës of Haworth , the figure reached 200,000. The relics and artefacts on display include the sofa on which Emily died, the cloth pouch in which Patrick kept his pistol, a lock of Anne’s hair from when she was 13, Branwell’s paintings, the collars of the two family dogs, Keeper and Flossie, and assorted items belonging to Charlotte – a black lace veil, curling tongs, hair clips, stockings and tiny boots. The temporary exhibition space is currently devoted to Patrick, and the gift shop offers the usual fare – mugs, coasters, keyrings and fridge magnets. In town Ye Old Brontë Tea-Rooms vie for custom with a café called Villette. Beyond, well signposted, is the walk to Top Withens, said to have inspired the setting of Wuthering Heights, a stiff uphill hike of three and half miles. Emily might not care for the wind turbine in the distance, and when I walked there last month there were men shooting grouse, which as a lover of birds and animals she might not have cared for either. But there are few more exhilarating literary treks. More academic-minded devotees have the journal Brontë Studies, which has been running since 1895 and has just increased its output to four issues a year “in response to the mushrooming global fascination with the Brontës’s work and all aspects of their lives”. The country most often cited as evidence of this global fascination is Japan. Jane Eyre andWuthering Heights are taught at school; the new film version of the former has a Japanese-American director, and adaptations of the latter include a 1988 Yoshishige Yoshida movie set in the Tokugawa period. After the earthquake and Fukushima nuclear disaster in March this year, the Parsonage suffered a decline in Japanese visitors but they’re now beginning to return. I’ve heard it suggested that, as a population used to small living spaces, they feel at home in the Parsonage (as they wouldn’t at Knole or Newstead Abbey), and find nothing implausible in Charlotte’s plan to set up a school with six boarders within its modest confines. Whatever the reason, of British cultural icons, only David Beckham and Shakespeare are better known in Japan. Not that there’s anything new about the Brontës’ global reach. Within a year of Charlotte’s death, Die Waise von Lowood (The Orphan of Lowood, a German version of Jane Eyre), was being staged in New York. The French have always been fascinated, too (a 1970s film Les Soeurs Brontë starred the Isabelles Adjani and Huppert). And then there’s Chekhov: according to his biographer, Donald Rayfield, Chekhov read about the Brontës in a biography by Olga Peterson (probably a Russian married to an Englishman), and almost certainly had it in mind while writing The Three Sisters a few years later. When Katie Mitchell directed the play a few years ago, she highlighted the connections, the most overt being the presence of a wayward brother (Andrei/Branwell). For a new adaptation for Northern Broadsides I’ve pushed the parallels further by setting the play in Haworth – a wacky venture, you may think, except that many of the themes of Chekhov’s play (work, education, marriage, the role of women, the rival claims of country and city) were ones that also preoccupied the Brontës. The roll-call of writers who have re-imagined their lives or their work is staggering: Aldous Huxley (who worked on the screenplay of the 1944 film of Jane Eyre, starring Orson Welles and Joan Fontaine), Daphne du Maurier, May Sinclair, Jean Rhys, Muriel Spark, Lynn Reid Banks, Fay Weldon, Emma Tennant and many more. Then there are the film directors (Buñuel and Zeffirelli) and the actors (Laurence Olivier, Merle Oberon, Raph Fiennes, Susannah York, Juliette Binoche). Monty Python came up with a semaphore version of Wuthering Heights, the novel that also gave Kate Bush her debut single. Operas and ballets have flourished, too. When Howard Goodall and I collaborated on a musical ofWuthering Heights in the 1980s, four other versions were doing the rounds; Tim Rice’s Heathcliff , starring Cliff Richard (a spectacular piece of miscasting), was the one that got staged. This ceaseless activity around Jane Eyre and Wuthering Heights shows that Henry James needn’t have worried over their neglect; on the contrary, they’ve hogged attention that might productively be given to other Brontë novels, not least Villette. His idea that the Brontës’ lives were uniformly “dreary” also seems ridiculous now that individual biographies of the family have multiplied. To Gaskell, her “dear friend” Charlotte was the heroine, with the rest of the family – eccentric Patrick, masochistic Branwell, pious Anne and violently mystical Emily – left in her shadow. But for latter-day Brontëites, the story isn’t of one genius, or even three, but five, with Aunt Branwell and the long-suffering servant Tabby in supporting roles. Branwell remains the hardest to warm to: the poems and paintings reveal no great talent, the drinking and sponging make him look like a Dylan Thomas prototype, and even in his misery he sounds theatrical. His lasting significance is as a rough model for Heathcliff, for Arthur Huntingdon (in The Tenant of Wildfell Hall ), and even perhaps for Rochester. His sisters took great pains to hide their publications from him; when in his cups Branwell had a loose tongue, and they didn’t want the secret getting out. There was a kindly motive, too, a wish to spare him upset and jealousy: as the indulged only son, the would-be poet who once sent his verses to Wordsworth, he would have been crushed to find his sisters succeeding where he had failed. But did they spare him? Letters and packages from publishers were sent to Charlotte at the Parsonage. At least one of them was already open when it reached her. Might his downward spiral have been hastened by learning what they had achieved? Time has been kinder to Patrick. If his early journey – from a two-room cabin in County Down to St John’s College Cambridge – was remarkable, so was his career in Haworth, where he campaigned fiercely for better education, health and working conditions for the poor. Sanitation was a particular obsession: with no drains or running water, disease was rife – the average life expectancy in Haworth at that time was 28.5 years. By those standards, Branwell, Emily and Anne (dying at 31, 30 and 29 respectively) did well, and Charlotte (38) even better. Patrick, whose health had been a constant worry to his children, survived them all, living on into his 80s. Anne, too, has come out of her shadow. Agnes Grey may be a slight work (albeit one with a memorable passage on the power of poetry to promote empathy), but The Tenant of Wildfell Hall is bold in its use of a twin narrative and ahead of its time in portraying a woman trapped in an unhappy marriage. It’s miraculous how Anne, single and in her 20s, could intuit so much about the burdens of wifehood (“to wait upon her husband and amuse him and minister to his comfort in every possible way”) and you wonder how much else in life she would have been wise to, given longer. Accounts of the Brontës’ deaths emphasise their stoicism, but Anne’s thoughts on the subject – written shortly before she died in Scarborough – are notable for frustration as well as acceptance: “I long to do some good in the world before I leave it. I have many schemes in my head … [and] should not like them all to come to nothing, and myself to have lived to so little purpose.” In the end, whatever Anne’s achievement, we come back to Charlotte and Emily. Choosing between them is one of those standard questions – like “Cat or dog?” or “Lennon or McCartney?” – which is supposed to be revealing of one’s personality. At present Emily is the more revered, and to say that Wuthering Heights is structurally flawed, or that Cathy’s “I am Heathcliff” sounds melodramatic compared with Jane’s claim to be Rochester’s equal, is to risk accusations of heresy. But are the differences between Emily and Charlotte as wide as they appear? True, it’s doubtful whether Emily would have said (as Charlotte did to her friend Ellen Nussey) that respecting someone before marriage is more important than loving them, and that passion “is no desirable feeling”. But Charlotte’s fiction didn’t agree with these sentiments either: Jane respects St John Rivers but because there’s no passion she won’t marry him. Equally, though the sadistic violence in Wuthering Heights is more extravagant (with Heathcliff – “a fierce, pitiless, wolfish man” – the abused child turned abuser), Jane Eyre is also full of cruelty, with Jane mistreated by her aunt and at school and then tormented by Rochester, who takes pleasure in rousing her jealousy – a trait somewhat underplayed in the new film. What’s easily forgotten is how radical both women seemed to their contemporaries. Wuthering Heights drew the more vehement reviews, prompting one critic to wonder, “How a human being could have attempted such a book without committing suicide” and another to complain: “There is not in the entire dramatis personae a single character which is not utterly hateful.” But Jane Eyre was also attacked for its “coarseness of taste”, “total ignorance of the habits of society”, “heathenish doctrine of religion” and possible links to the Chartist rebellions and revolutions in Europe. In reality, Charlotte’s politics were far from revolutionary: “Insurrections and battles are the acute diseases of nations,” she said. But she was scornful of “the standard heroes and heroines of novels” and unimpressed by Jane Austen, dismissing Pride and Prejudice as “a carefully-fenced, highly cultivated garden with neat borders and delicate flowers – but … no open country – no fresh air – no blue hill – no bonny beck”. It’s spirited stuff, like a boxer mouthing off before a big fight. But Charlotte’s purpose wasn’t to attack Austen so much as draw attention to their differences. And though there’s currently a view, prompted by movie adaptations, that Charlotte and/or Emily are about to replace Jane Austen in public affection, there’s surely room in the world for all of them. What is pleasing about the new films is that they highlight overlooked aspects of the novels. No one goes to the Brontës for humour, for example, but it’s there in the banter between Jane and Rochester, and Moira Buffini ‘s screenplay brings it out. Still, excitable talk of a Brontë revival is beside the point, because the Brontës have never gone away. Elizabeth Gaskell has a memorable image of the three of them circling the Parsonage dining table at night, reading and discussing their work. They stopped their circling a century and a half ago, but the readings and discussion will never stop. Jane Eyre is on general release in the UK. Wuthering Heights will be released on November 11. Blake Morrison’s We Are Three Sistersopened at the Viaduct Theatre, Dean Clough, Halifax, and tours throughout the autumn: details at www.northern-broadsides.co.uk Blake Morrison – guardian.co.uk , Friday 9 September 2011	L
Which band released a 2007 album entitled ‘Myths of the Near Future’?	Recommended Reading Recommended Reading Page 1 of 1 • Share • Elanor on Sat Jun 11, 2011 10:14 am Recommended Reading This topic serves as an archive of a thread from the Harry Potter Lexicon Forum as hosted on World Crossing which ceased operation on April 15, 2011. Elanor Denise P. - Nov 8, 2003 9:38 pm Edited by Kip Carter Sep 26, 2007 3:37 am Back by popular demand! This is the thread where you can recommend a book that you really like or recently read. Please keep in mind that this thread will be purged on a regular basis so write it down if you think you may want to read it. Recommended Reading thread index [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.] [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.] [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.] [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.] [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.] [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.] [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.] [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.] [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.] [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.] [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.] [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.] [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.] [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.] [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.] [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.] [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.] [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.] [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.] Last edited by Elanor on Sat Jun 11, 2011 10:58 am; edited 1 time in total Elanor Elanor on Sat Jun 11, 2011 10:22 am Denise P. - Nov 8, 2003 9:44 pm (#1 of 938) Ravenclaw Pony Actually, I am glad to see this thread again since I am always looking for a good book to read. Here are a few that I have either re-read or read recently that others may like. 1. The Harry Dresden wizard series by Jim Butcher - these books are not for kids, they contain gore, violence and adult situations. There are 5 books in the series right now and I like them. The first one is Fool Moon, I think. 2. Cirque de Freak series by Darren Shan - these are found in the Young Adult section but there is some gore in them and they may be too violent in some parts for younger readers. In the US, we are up to #5 out in paperback. In the UK, they are considerably further along. 3. All Creatures Great & Small (and the three others in the series) by James Herriot. These are almost 30 years old now and follow a young vet in the late 1930's. While they are semi-factual, the author's actual name is not James Herriot. They are very funny and I read them initially when I was about 13. - - - - - - - - - - freshwater - Nov 8, 2003 10:35 pm (#2 of 938) Connections, speculation, discussion: the best part of HP reading! Check out the on-going HP Lex Forum series re-read! Currently reading GoF... I'd like to second NoVeil4Me's recommendation of the books by/about James Herriot. I've read them all many times and enjoy them more each time. Great humor, great characters, great insights into human nature and how we deal with stresses and conflicts. They are classics in the sense that they'll never go out of style or out of date. EVERYONE should read them! Get thee to a bookshop! - - - - - - - - - - The Great Abbycadabra - Nov 9, 2003 12:14 am (#3 of 938) Crocs Rule! Oh, yay! I love this tread. rubs hands together mischieviously Ella Enchanted by Gail Levine. I just read this book and it was delightful, really. It's a version of the Cinderella tale where Ella is under a spell to always be obedient. Which makes the story make much, much more since because I always thought Cinderella was rather stupid to stay around and be bossed about by her stepfamily. I believe I mentioned these series before, but they're still really good, so I'll mention them again. The Princess Diaries by Meg Cabot. These books are so great and they're really a very quick read. It's about a 14-year-old girl who finds out that she's a princess, and that being a princess isn't all it's cracked up to be. There are currently 4 1/2 books in the series. The next one comes out in March, I believe. Also by Meg Cabot, but under the pseudonym Jenny Carroll, is The Mediator series. These are about a 16-year-old girl who essentially sees dead people. She is the one who makes lost souls move on to the other side. She frequently uses force. These are truly great and funny novels. There are five of these, but beware because the latest one is called Haunted and it was published by a different publisher and under the name Meg Cabot. So it looks completely different from the other four. The first in the series is called Shadowland and it's under Jenny Carroll. Just a heads up. The next one comes out in January 2005. Darn long waits. Ah, I'm used to it. I know I have more, I just can't think of them at the moment. I'll be back. - - - - - - - - - - Sly Girl - Nov 9, 2003 1:16 am (#4 of 938) I would wholeheartedly like to suggest three books by Jan Siegel- it's a trilogy and I'm just on book two right now but they are really good- extremely well written and very well done. They're about Atlantis- although not what you would expect. It takes a bit to get used to her lyrical writing style, but after awhile you get sucked into her world. Great characterization. Anyway, the first book is Prospero's Children, the 2nd one is The Dragon Charmer and the 3rd is the Witch Queen. - - - - - - - - - - timrew - Nov 9, 2003 3:20 am (#5 of 938) Middle-aged Harry Potter fan I remember the book, "All Creatures Great And Small" by James Herriot. An excellent book, even though it was referred to sometimes as, "All Creatures Grunt And Smell". All the books by him about life as a vet in the Yorkshire Dales are excellent. I would also recommend any book by Alan Garner, an English author who lives not far from me in a place called Alderley Edge in Cheshire. Particularly the two books that he set in the Alderley Edge area, "The Weirdstone Of Brisingamen" and, "The Moon Of Gomrath". - - - - - - - - - - Jim the Potty - Nov 9, 2003 8:51 am (#6 of 938) President of the Potties, forum member since the beginning, never online Where to start.... I too have read the James Herriot books, they are very funny. Also read 'His Dark Materials' by Philip Pullman, a fantasy trilogy ('Northern Lights', 'The Subtle Knife' and 'The Amber Spyglass'). Subtle Knife is the best of the series, I was a bit unimpressed with the ending to Amber Spyglass. *WARNING* these books, especially Amber Spyglass, are ANTI-CHRISTIAN - Pullman wrote them as a deliberate unChristian alternative to the Narnia books. Another trilogy, better than Dark Materials in my opinion but less well known, is 'The Wind on Fire' ('The Windsinger', 'Slaves of the Mastery' and 'Firesong'). Windsinger is set several years before the second two, which are set within a day of each other. The last two are better than Windsinger, but don't skip reading it, it contains very important information. Read 'Lord of the Rings' and 'The Hobbit' obviously (both by JRR Tolkein, if you've been living under a rock for the last century ;-P) Thats all I can think of for now...I love this thread, thanks Denise! Jim the Potty PS - I'm 14 and have read all of these books within the last year or two - - - - - - - - - - Madame Librarian - Nov 9, 2003 9:54 am (#7 of 938) Two excellent titles dealing with good v. evil, post-WWII, set in New York city, magic-realism, golems* young heroes: 1) Pete Hamill's Snow in August. Young Catholic boy whose dad was killed in the war, befriends a Holocaust survivor, a young, Orthodox rabbi. Together they create golem to deal with the evil bullies threatening them. 2) Michael Chabon's The Amazing Adventures of Cavalier and Clay. Two young men, one a refugee from Prague during the Nazi occupation, become the creative force behind the making of America's comic book superheroes--Superman, Spiderman, etc. In a desperate effort to rescue his family back in Europe, the refugee attempts to re-create the Golem of Prague that he smuggled out when he fled. Golem--an artificial man, bigger that life-size, created from clay and brought into being with the proper incantations that serves as a protector for those that created him. A most famous one, according to legend, was created by the Chief Rabbi of Prague. Some say that this legend from the 1500s is the basis for the story of Frankenstein. If you want to read more, click here. Ciao. Barb Weeny Owl - Nov 9, 2003 10:11 am (#8 of 938) I loved James Herriot's books and also the BBC series. Other books I've liked: 1. Anything by Madeline L'Engle. 2. Marion Zimmer Bradley's "Darkover" books. 3. Any of Ann McCaffrey's series. I keep thinking how delighted Hagrid would be on Pern... even if he couldn't be a dragonrider, he could have a fire lizard. 4. C.S. Friedman's "Coldfire" trilogy. - - - - - - - - - - Ovate - Nov 9, 2003 10:35 am (#9 of 938) For those of you who enjoyed LOTR, I would recommend "Song of Fire and Ice" The plot is intricate, complex and unpredictable, yet logical and satisfying in its own way. The characters are well-drawn, vivid, unique, and within the context of the story, realistic, their dialogue is natural and convincing. The books are full of intrigue At times its quite difficult to be certain which characters are trustworthy and which are not. A real sense of danger creates a palatable tension throughout the books. Every character, the good, the bad and the ugly, is fair game. The good guys are not always victorious, but you're not always certain who you should be rooting for anyway. That said there are characters who you will take to heart. There are battles, jousts and sword-play, but they are really secondary to the story. I also agree with Jim the Potty that His Dark Materials is worth a read, but, as he says, the ending is disappointing. However, I don't agree that they are necessarily anti-Christian, although most Christians (perhaps a very large majority) may see the books that way. I saw them as anti-Church rather than anti-Christian, at least in opposition to those churches that have become rigid and dogmatic, and have lost their spiritual bearings. As far as I can recall neither Christ, nor any Christ-like figure, is mentioned in the book, though my memory sometimes fails me. I do think that the books have a kind of spiritual underpinning. For the most part, the books are just a well-written fantasy and an enjoyable read. Those who are not easily offended by anti-religious sentiment and like the Harry Potter books might very well also enjoy these books. - - - - - - - - - - A-is-for-Amy - Nov 9, 2003 10:44 am (#10 of 938) Mom of 2 boys I just read the three Artemis Fowl books and found them a clever, quick read. I was pleasantly surprised by them, because I expected just a Harry Potter rip-off, but they are nothing like the series. There is a lot of technological stuff that I'm not sure younger kids would understand, but they are fun. All of them are available in paperback. - - - - - - - - - - Denise P. - Nov 9, 2003 11:21 am (#11 of 938) Ravenclaw Pony I agree with the Artemis Fowl books, good read. I read Dark Materials and while it was ok, the ending stunk and I don't normally recommend them. Anne McCaffrey books are good. If you like Anne McCaffrey, you would probably enjoy Mercedes Lacky - Heralds of Valdemar series. I think I am the lone person who finds Lemony Snicket a very dull read. - - - - - - - - - - A-is-for-Amy - Nov 9, 2003 1:32 pm (#12 of 938) Mom of 2 boys No, you're not! I thought that the first of the Series of Unfortunate Events had turned into an unfortunate series. Period. I thought they read like a strange after-school special. I did enjoy the Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit, and I read the Dragons of Pern series when I was about 12 -13, and remember them fondly. I didn't like Midnight for Charlie Bone... too much like a Harry Potter book... done badly. Very choppy characters and predictable. - - - - - - - - - - HarrysAngel - Nov 9, 2003 2:00 pm (#13 of 938) An excellent non-fiction book I've just read is In Search of Shakespeare by Michael Wood - a spinoff from a BBC series. Sounds dry but it's not - it really brings the period to life. And amazingly, it mentions that Shakespeare used to lodge in a house on the corner of Sylver Street and ...Muggle Street! Apparently the real name was Monkwell but locals called it Muggle Street. It's shown on a map from the 1550s. - - - - - - - - - - Jim the Potty - Nov 9, 2003 3:48 pm (#14 of 938) President of the Potties, forum member since the beginning, never online Edited by Nov 9, 2003 2:49 pm Talking of non-fiction books, read anything by Bill Bryson, especially 'A Short History of Nearly Everything'. I know we have several Bryson fans who can tel you about his other books, but my favourite is definately Short History. Its a book thats not about what we know, but how we know it. Its about the truth behind the discoveries made by man over the years - interesting and amusing, totally unputtdownable! And no I don't work for him - - - - - - - - - - Madame Librarian - Nov 9, 2003 4:13 pm (#15 of 938) If you would like to laugh so hard that people around you look at you with concern, read Bysons's The Lost Continent. It's his first book. Part travelogue, part memoir. He's home to Iowa on a leave from his newspaper job in England, and decides to re-create the family car trips he went on as a child, fighting interminably with his brother in the back seat, whining for his dad to pull over to see some sleazy roadside "wonder" (World's Largest Ball of String--just 2 miles north of exit 27). Well, on this one he's on his own, and does stop at all those goofy places in addition to some famous ones (Mt. Rushmore and the like). OMG, that man is hilarious! He manages to offend almost everyone, but does it so evenly and fairly that I can't fault him for it. Second favorite of his is A Walk in the Woods about his misadventures in trying to hike to complete Appalachian Trail over the course of two summer trips. The man is a weirdo-magnet. Funny, funny guy. Ciao. Barb - - - - - - - - - - Hem Hem - Nov 9, 2003 4:39 pm (#16 of 938) Bill Bryson is my all-time favorite nonfiction author. I'm so glad to see that I'm not the only one with that sentiment! The Mother Tongue and Made in America make the English Language seem like the most fascinating topic ever (they've made me want to become a linguistics major, they're so interesting!), and I don't think it's possible to not enjoy Bryson's writing style, unless you're the type of person who doesn't have the patience to handle digressions. As for the His Dark Materials series, I really enjoyed the first book, but I couldn't stand the rest of the trilogy. Not only did Lyra's character develop in a very choppy, unrealistic manner, I was highly offended by the "battle against G-d" aspect. I'm not even Christian...they may be high-quality books, just be careful, because they are fairly controversial. Some people will seriously not enjoy them, while others may be unfazed....the first book in the series doesn't really adress any of the theological undertones of the series, though. - - - - - - - - - - Matt Allair - Nov 9, 2003 9:51 pm (#17 of 938) 'Mischief Managed.......Not! (Nox)' Funny I had just mentioned to Densie P last week, about bringing this thread back, thanks Denise! I just got through a very good book, this is similar in theme to the Harry Potter books. Clive Barker's The Thief Of Always. I really enjoyed it although it's a little dark for certain kind of ages. Slightly macabre but it ends well, nice moral message at the end. I don't think it's for anyone under 11 and with a good reading level. I'd say it's for 12-16 and up. Adults I think will like it as well as children. Some weird, yet interesting illustrations by the author as well. - - - - - - - - - - Carina - Nov 9, 2003 10:54 pm (#18 of 938) and her killer bunny rabbit I'm going to stick up for Lemony Snicket. I admit they are quite silly, but I think they are really good if you take them for what they are. - - - - - - - - - - The Great Abbycadabra - Nov 10, 2003 2:16 am (#19 of 938) Crocs Rule! The Thief of Always is incredible. I do recommend that, highly. I too will stick up for Lemony Snicket. I do find, now that we're nearing the end of the series, it's getting much more interesting as the plot seems to be thickening. Though, of course, being a Lemony Snicket book, you tend to go about in circles, but that's part of what amuses me. How else could you stretch the story to thirteen books? Also, Artemis Fowl is wonderful. I once described it to my cousin as Harry Potter meets James Bond, which, I'll admit is a rather vague and not totally realistic view of the books, but it's similar enough to get my spy-loving cousin to read them. Just a nice blend of fantasy and technology. My two favourite classics are Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte and The Time Machine by H.G. Wells. Great stories and probably pretty self-explanitory. Anything by Lois Duncan. I enjoy her supernatural thrillers, I suppose they'd be called. I think my favourite of those is The Third Eye. I also like Gallows Hill very much. Tom's Midnight Garden by Philippa Pearce and Charlotte Sometimes by Penelope Farmer are both incredible time travel-y books. Very enjoyable. Wait Till Helen Comes by Mary Downing Hall is a great ghost story. I read that one over and over when I was about 11 or 12. In fact, I may just go read that one again. Another excellent ghost story is The Ghost in the Swing by Janet Patton Smith. I'm not even sure if this is in print anymore--my copy is my mom's. But it's funny and it has a great adventurous feel to it. Heh, just wait until I get on to my recommended non-fiction books. - - - - - - - - - - Denise P. - Nov 10, 2003 8:39 am (#20 of 938) Ravenclaw Pony I just thought of another series that is similar to Harry, even though they came out years before Harry. Similar only in that it deals with a young wizard though. So, you want to be a wizard by Diane Duane is a good read. I think there are 5-6 books in the series now. I have read through #3, I just recently found out that there were more so I am going to revisit the series for Christmas I think. People know I like books but never can think of one to get me, I will just request this series. About Lemony Snicket, I know loads of people adore them. I have 5 of them myself but it is like a trip to the dentist for me to read them. One of my kids likes them though. I think any series that gets kids to read has merit. Here is a link to an audio interview with Lemony taken from my favorite syndicated morning show. Lemony Snicket Interview It is the second interview listed and about 5 minutes long. I thought it was good even though I don't like his books. - - - - - - - - - - timrew - Nov 10, 2003 3:38 pm (#21 of 938) Middle-aged Harry Potter fan Barb And Hem Hem, I totally agree with you. I think Bill Bryson is a brilliantly funny author. But his serious works (if you can call them serious!) are also excellent. I took 'A Short History of Nearly Everything' (also championed by Jim the Potty) with me to Portugal, and read it in two days. There's a fascinating fact on every page. Another author who I think is absolutely wonderful is John Steinbeck. I think a lot of people are put off him because he won The Nobel Prize for Literature; but his books are as life-affirming and as easy to read as the Harry Potter ones. This is especially true of his shorter novels. Everybody knows about, 'Of Mice And Men'; but I would also recommend, "Tortilla Flat', 'Cannery Row', and its follow-up, 'Sweet Thursday'. Once you've read them, then go on to the longer books, 'The grapes Of Wrath', and 'East Of Eden'. It's all wonderful stuff! - - - - - - - - - - Susurro Notities - Nov 10, 2003 10:39 pm (#22 of 938) Edited by Nov 10, 2003 9:45 pm I like many on this forum have little time to read what I would like to. I read a lot of children's stuff. I would however like to recommend three books. Portrait of a Killer: Jack the Ripper -- Case Closed. Patricia Cornwell. Thoughtful and balanced. The Zoom Trilogy. Not a book for adults but read it to your young family member (3 or 4 and up). Wonderful introduction to fantasy. Charming. I Capture the Castle. Dodie Smith. I was once Cassandra Mortmain - so were you. A wonderful resource for good books is The Common Reader Ask for a catalog. I bet you will spend hours circling those you would like to read. - - - - - - - - - - timrew - Nov 11, 2003 12:58 pm (#23 of 938) Middle-aged Harry Potter fan Susurro Notities, 'I Capture The Castle' was one of the other books I read while on holiday. It's hard to believe that the thoughts of Cassandra Mortmain (aged about 17 in the book), were written by Dodie Smith when she was 49! An excellent book, and I second your recommendation! - - - - - - - - - - Ladybug220 - Nov 11, 2003 6:43 pm (#24 of 938) ...moves faster than Severus Snape confronted with shampoo I have to third that recommendation - it is a great book. Now, I just need to read The Little White Horse. - - - - - - - - - - Emily - Nov 11, 2003 6:44 pm (#25 of 938) I suggest the Redwall series by Brian Jacques for anyone ages 11 to 15. I supposean adult might like them, but my mom didn't. They are about an animal world much like ours; in one of the books (can't remember it's exact title) it seems medieval. My favorite was Mossflower. I second His Dark Materials, but only if you don't get offended by battles against the church (not war, but a battle of power) or evil angels or things like that in a bok. I also re-reccomend Artemis Fowl. I've only read two of them, but am constantly on the search for a library that has the third one on hand. This could turn into one of my favorite threads. Watch out! - - - - - - - - - - Ladybug220 - Nov 11, 2003 6:50 pm (#26 of 938) ...moves faster than Severus Snape confronted with shampoo Actually, my brother and I both like the Redwall series and I am in my late 20's and he is in his early 30's. They are quite good as are the Artemis Fowl books. I have been hesitant to read the Series of Unfortunate Events books, but I think that I will try the first one and see how I like it. - - - - - - - - - - Rich - Nov 12, 2003 12:07 am (#27 of 938) Families are about love overcoming emotional torture. -Matt Groening Since there's been a lot of Sci-Fi/Fantasy books mentioned I'll start with those. First of all, Emily Rodda. She's Australian and has written a few pretty cool fantasy series. I read them when I was around 9-12 (I'm now 14 but still enjoy re-reading them). Two of her best series are Deltora Quest and Deltora Quest 2 (their is around 11 books in the series all up, and probably a few more to come). But an even better series is Rowan of Rin. Their are four books in this series, although I personally think the first (Rowan of Rin) is the best. They're probably more aimed at younger teen and you could get through one easily in a day, but are pretty good reads regardless. (I'm not sure about availability in countries outside Australia though). Another great Australian author is John Marsden. He is famous for his Tomorrow, When the War Began series. It is set in Australia and probably would appeal more to Australians, but it is worth a look anyway. (Again, I'm not sure of availability outside Australia). Secondly, and completely another genre, is anything by Tom Keneally (another great Austrlian author). He wrote Schindler's Ark (the movie is Schindler's List) and a whole heap of other great books. I'm currently reading The Tyrant's Novel, which is going well. Also, A Fine Balance, by Rohinton Mistry. I just finished it and it is a fantastic book and I highly recommend it. But be prepared for a bit of a dismal read in some places, but it is still sensational. And finally anything by George Orwell (especially 1984 and Animal Farm), H.G. Wells or any short stories/poems by Poe. rich I Am Used Vlad - Nov 18, 2003 10:28 am (#28 of 938) I Am Almighty! I just finished reading Wolves of the Calla, the fifth book in Stephen King's Dark Tower series, and was surprised to find that Harry Potter is in the book. I won't tell how Harry has been incorporated into a 20 year old series, but it is very amusing. I recommend these books, even to people who don't usually read King. The forth book, Wizard and Glass, and the new one are excellent. I also recommend Ender's Game, by Orson Scott Card, and all its sequels. Finally, I think Douglas Adams should be mandatory reading for the entire human race. - - - - - - - - - - Killian - Nov 24, 2003 5:35 pm (#29 of 938) Anything by Stephen King is pretty good, and of course the Lord of the Rings and the Hobbit are excellent. His Dark Materials is good as well. To Kill a Mockingbird, for those of you who haven't read it, is excellent. If you're into sci-fi/fantasy, Mercedes Lackey is one of my favorite authors. If you can deal with one with a lot of detail, which you probably can if you've read LotR, then The Wheel of Time isn't a bad series, either. Definitely agree with H.G. Wells, and Robert Heinlem (he's the guy who wrote Starship Troopers) is a good author, too. One series that I've been getting into lately is The Sword of Truth, which is kind of similar to The Eye of the World but is so far, in my opinion, a lot better. Probably one of my favorite series after Harry Potter, though, is actually a part of a bigger group serires of books known as Forgotten Relams--they all just take place in the same world. It's a series by R.A. Salvatore, well, actually it's more like six different trilogies, but anyway the first one is The Dark Elf Trilogy, which is a series that I absolutely love, and there's also The Icewind Dale Trilogy right after that. There's a bunch of others, though, and it would just take way too long to list them all, but definitely try it if you get the chance to. His writing is simply spectacular, and the main character is just so well-developed . . . I better stop now. I could rant about it almost as long as I could about Harry Potter. - - - - - - - - - - Susurro Notities - Nov 24, 2003 7:32 pm (#30 of 938) Edited by Nov 24, 2003 6:36 pm I have never read LOtR but all the discussion on this forum about LOtR has me intrigued. I have two sons 5 and 8 and the feeling I am getting about LOtR and the Hobbit is that these books would be a bit over their heads. Is that correct? If so I guess I will wait to read them until my sons and I can read them together. What age range would be able to understand LOtR? - - - - - - - - - - Pinky - Nov 24, 2003 8:14 pm (#31 of 938) La la narf! LOTR would be way over their heads. It can get lengthy and wordy at times. I love the books - but I think the attention span of a 5 and 8 year old would not do so well with those. The Hobbit, on the other hand, is written in a much younger style. Possibly your 8 year old would enjoy it. - - - - - - - - - - Denise P. - Nov 24, 2003 9:07 pm (#32 of 938) Ravenclaw Pony LotR is very, very dry. I tried it when I was about 12 and gave up. I was sucessful at 15. Even now, more than 20 years later, it is a long row to hoe getting through the triology. Very, very dry but it is good. - - - - - - - - - - Rich - Nov 25, 2003 1:32 am (#33 of 938) Families are about love overcoming emotional torture. -Matt Groening I just finished The Moon is Down by John Steinbeck and it was really good. Only a long short story but still very enjoyable. Just thought I'd recommend it. - - - - - - - - - - Denise P. - Nov 30, 2003 8:17 am (#34 of 938) Ravenclaw Pony I saw a brief trailer for the movie Timeline and decided to check the book out. Boy, am I glad I did. This was a great book! I started it yesterday evening and ended up staying up until 3 am finishing it since I could not put it down. It will be interesting to see how the movie stacks up. - - - - - - - - - - SarcasticGinny - Dec 1, 2003 7:08 pm (#35 of 938) David Sedaris's "Me Talk Pretty One Day", "Holidays on Ice", and "Naked" are laugh out loud funny. Not for the wee ones, but definitely a good read if you like to laugh a lot when reading. - - - - - - - - - - Psyche - Dec 2, 2003 11:53 am (#36 of 938) One of my personal favourites is Stephen King's The Stand. Mind you it's a very long read (over 1150 pages), but well worth the time. I'm reading it for the third time now, and I can't put it down. I also recommend Diana Wynne Jones's Charmed Life, about a boy and his witch sister. It is the first book in the serie The Chrestomanci Novels. A friend of mine called them pre-HP, which is a pretty accurate description (although they're not as good as HP, and have a different sort of magic). Psyche Little Ginny - Dec 3, 2003 1:09 pm (#37 of 938) My absolutely most favourite book of all times is Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen. I have read it so many times I really can't count them any more. It's absolutely no science fiction, and it's about 200 years old, but if you like a very ironic wit, a sharp look onto society, amiable protagonists and a happy ending, this book might entertain you as well. Nayone who liked Patricia Cornwell might like the Lincoln Rhyme-series form Jeffrey Deaver, of which The Bone Collector (movie with Denzel Washington and Angelica Jolie) was the first book, and the fifth part of which, The Vanished Man came out this year. And I can only support those who like The Hobbit. It's a wonderful book! - - - - - - - - - - timrew - Dec 3, 2003 5:48 pm (#38 of 938) Middle-aged Harry Potter fan A favourite author of mine is Laurie Lee. He never wrote much in his life, but what he did write is magic. Check out his books, "Cider With Rosie", and my favourite, "As I Walked Out One Midsummer Morning". Pure poetry from start to finish. And, I agree, Ginny. "The Hobbit" is a wonderful book! - - - - - - - - - - Killian - Dec 7, 2003 7:21 pm (#39 of 938) I love the Hobbit so much! Did anybody else here that they're making it into a movie as well? And for the a more open minded crowd, as well as those over 13 which I think most of you are anyway, there are these books out there that fit into a genre known as "manga." Those are Japanese comics, and don't scorn them because they're comics! They're really, really good most of the time, in particular any serious by CLAMP, Yu Watase or Mineko Ohkami. They seem weird, but the stories are excellent. - - - - - - - - - - timrew - Dec 10, 2003 1:17 pm (#40 of 938) Middle-aged Harry Potter fan You may have already seen "The Sword in the Stone" in the Disney animation; but did you know that this is just the first part of a series of books about the Arthurian legend, published in one volume as, "The Once And Future King", by T.H. White, in the 1950s. "The Sword in the Stone", then, is a rumbustiously delightful tale of Arthur's youth as an orphaned child in the home of Sir Ector and his son Kay. The other books are called "The Witch In The Wood", "The Ill-Made Knight", The Candle In The Wind" and "The Book Of Merlin". If you want magic, it is provided by Merlyn (it's spelt that way!), who turns up a Sir Ector's castle to be a tutor to The Wart (as Arthur is known), and Kay. Merlin is living his life backwards, having started in the 20th century. He magics the crockery to wash itself, he has an owl called Archimedes, he turns Arthur into various creatures as part of his lessons, he takes part in a wizard's duel (remind you of anything?). There is also the old Knight, King Pellinore, who has spent all his life in the pursuit of the Questing Beast (don't ask me what it looks like, it would take too long!). And the sequence where King Pellinore jousts in the Forest Sauvage with Sir Grummore is a lesson in what jousting was really like! Although the book does get darker further in (it's about King Arthur, after all), it's a delight from start to finish, and I heartily recommend it. - - - - - - - - - - The Great Abbycadabra - Dec 10, 2003 10:15 pm (#41 of 938) Crocs Rule! Oooh, I read the best book. It's called Acceleration by Graham McNamee. It's about this kid who works at the lost and found of the subway in Toronto. He finds the journal of a serial killer and tries to stop him before he kills anyone. Oooh, it was so good. A nice suspenseful book. A really good author is Caroline B. Cooney. She wrote The Face on the Milk Carton where a girl sees herself on a milk carton and realizes that she was kidnapped as a small child. Very good book, it's followed by several sequels that I'm going to read eventually. She also has written a series of time travel books that I've just now discovered. And I love time travel books, so yay! The first one is called Both Sides of Time and a girl named Annie suddenly finds herself in 1895 and pretty much messes with everyone's lives. And there is this murder mystery and such and it's really very intersting. I haven't read the rest of these yet (there are three following), but I'll let you know when I read them. - - - - - - - - - - Susurro Notities - Dec 10, 2003 10:33 pm (#42 of 938) timrew, "The Once And Future King" sound great for me and my boys. I have a five and eight year old, would they be old enough for this or should I hold off a bit? Sorry to ask the same question about ages but I am keen to read books with them that we all will find interesting. Reading with my boys is a wonderful connection to keep up as they grow older and more interested in boy stuff that I know little about. Abby, Those all sound wonderful to an avid mystery reader like myself. I am buying "Acceleration" this week! - - - - - - - - - - Hem Hem - Dec 10, 2003 10:45 pm (#43 of 938) Forgive me for not being Tim, but I was really happy to see him suggesting TH White's Arthur books, which I read about a month ago and really enjoyed. Anyways, "The Sword in the Stone" may work well for kids as a read-aloud, it's a pretty good story which I think is a lot like Harry Potter, really. But I strongly think that the rest of the books would not be appropriate for your kids. They are full of incest and adultery...it almost seems like the author makes a point that every major character is born out of wedlock. Putting that aside, I still enjoyed the books, but they really aren't for kids. It's kind of funny, I had learned things about King Arthur in my childhood, I was familiar with the Sword in the Stone story and the excalibur and the Round Table, etc.-- however, I could never understand why the books that read would leave out Arthur's adventures with Guenivere and Lancelot. Most books just said "Arthur had many other adventures" and left it at that. But once I actually read the book, it became clear to me why children's accounts of Arthurian legends tend to gloss over most of the story.... - - - - - - - - - - Susurro Notities - Dec 10, 2003 10:55 pm (#44 of 938) Thanks Hem Hem. Although I don't lie to my children about the realities of life I also don't go out of my way to present those realities to them, especially in our recreational reading. Guess I will stick to The Sword in the Stone - - - - - - - - - - Brandon Christopher - Dec 11, 2003 12:15 am (#45 of 938) Watch out for the killer rootbeer!!! (if you had been to the gathering you would know :-p) If anyone here likes Stephen King then you absolutely must read Robert R. McCammon! His writing style is quite similar to King's but fortunately he can actually write decent endings unlike King. He has classics such as Baal and Ushers Passing but his new book which I am about halfway through is great. It is actually a two parter because it is so long, the first part is Speaks the Nightbird but I forgot what the second is. The subjects he writes about are very similar to King also (horror and sci-fi,) but he, how should I put this? He tends to be a little more "mature" in his themes. There are definitely parts that younger children should not read. Think pg-13 mostly but some that is definitely rated R. But don't let that deter you; he has some of the best imagery I've ever read, he can paint a picture in your head so vividly. - - - - - - - - - - timrew - Dec 11, 2003 12:51 am (#46 of 938) Middle-aged Harry Potter fan Yes, to back up Hem Hem, Sussuro, I would recommend "The Sword In the Stone" for your kids; but would leave the rest of the books until they're a bit older! - - - - - - - - - - Madame Librarian - Dec 11, 2003 9:59 am (#47 of 938) I've read these ages ago so I'm not sure how I'd view them today as a more "mature" woman, but people whom I speak with at the library really seem to enjoy them (especially teen readers ready for something meatier)--Mary Stewart's Merlin Trilogy: The Crystal Cave The Hollow Hills The Last Enchantment As you might figure, the books treat Merlin as the major character with the King Arthur story as the backdrop. Again, I'd say they're a bit advanced for little 'uns. Ciao. Barb timrew - Dec 11, 2003 4:50 pm (#48 of 938) Middle-aged Harry Potter fan I read Mary Stewart's Merlin Trilogy about 20 years ago, Barb, and I remember thoroughly enjoying them. You've actually made me want to read them again! That Amazon makes a fortune out of me! Edit: (in response to Denise's post). Thanks! I'll give it a go, Denise. - - - - - - - - - - Denise P. - Dec 11, 2003 5:04 pm (#49 of 938) Ravenclaw Pony Tim, try [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.] I find great deal on books there. Of course, I think since it would be shipped to the UK, it may not be as great of a deal. - - - - - - - - - - Madame Librarian - Dec 11, 2003 5:31 pm (#50 of 938) Hey, tim, what about the library?? Ciao. Barb [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.] Elanor I Am Used Vlad - Dec 11, 2003 8:34 pm (#52 of 938) I Am Almighty! Brandon Christopher, if you like horror and science fiction than you should read books by Dan Simmons. He is a better writer, in my humble opinion, than either King or McCammon. From the horror genre, I would recommend Carrion Comfort and Children of the Night. For sci-fi, read the Hyperion series (winner of both the Hugo And Nebula awards). His most recent novel, Ilium, is also good. - - - - - - - - - - Brandon Christopher - Dec 11, 2003 10:48 pm (#53 of 938) Watch out for the killer rootbeer!!! (if you had been to the gathering you would know :-p) I'll Definitely have to check those out Nimrod, thanks for the tips. Oh and I forgot, if you like satyrical books then Carl Hiaasen is awesome, and also Dave Barry's one novel Big Trouble is one of the funniest books I've ever read. - - - - - - - - - - Joost! - Dec 19, 2003 2:26 am (#54 of 938) Second line of information The other day Madame Librarian posted this poem by Goethe on the House Elf thread (Thanks Barb!). And I thought of some recommended reading: The Sorrow of Young Werther ("Die Leiden des jungen Werthers") by Goethe. It's a bit easier to read than Faust or some of his other works. - - - - - - - - - - timrew - Dec 22, 2003 11:47 am (#55 of 938) Middle-aged Harry Potter fan A series of books which I found really amusing are the "Discworld" series by Terry Pratchett - a spoof look at the world of witches and wizards set in the city of Ankh-Morpork on the Discworld (a flat world which floats through space supported on the back of a giant turtle). As this author is prolific (to say the least), he manages about one book per year, the series is up to about 30 by now. And I think JKR even tips a nod to Mr. Pratchett - one of the books in the series is called "Wyrd Sisters". Another book I can recommend is by Terry Pratchett in conjunction with Neil Gaiman, and is called "Good Omens". This has a sort of "Omen" style plot, with a bad angel, Crawley, trying to swap the baby Anti-Christ for the baby that's just been delivered to the American Ambassador's wife. He gets it wrong, of course, and swaps the wrong babies. There's also a good angel, Aziraphale, who is trying to stop Crawley's evil plottings, and the Four Horsemen Of The Apocalypse (in the form of Hell's Angels on motorbikes). "Hey, what Chapter are you guys with?" "Revelations!" Not a book for young kids - they probably wouldn't get half the references. Nor is it a book that is pro (or anti) religion. It only tells it, not like it is, but like it should be! Hilarious. - - - - - - - - - - Caput Draconis - Dec 22, 2003 5:44 pm (#56 of 938) Look...at...me... Ah Tim, it's good to hear you plug Discworld. I haven't read any of the series, but I just got a letter from my uncle telling me not to buy any Terry Pratchett, shortly followed by a book shaped delivery in the post. Heh. Anyway, I just want to second (I think it was nimrod) who recommended King's Dark Tower series. I loved Wolves of the Calla, and it pleases me to know that 6 and 7 are written and released next year. TDT is King's epic, Roland and his world were imagined before all the other stuff he's written, thus you'll find references from his other novels in the series. Randall Flagg is a (the?) bad guy, and Father Callaghan from Salem's Lot plays a large part in WotC. Most of it remains clever without being self-serving. Although I do worry about SK writing himself into the 6th book, and will wholeheartedly agree with anyone who says he can't write endings if it turns out the whole thing has been a figment of his imagination as he sits atop the Tower. I'm re-reading The Stand and The Eyes of the Dragon, looking for RF clues, heh. And I got a kick out of the Harry reference too. Can't leave without (again) recommending The Earthsea Quartet (now a quintet, with The Other Wind and Tales of Earthsea on the side) by Ursula leGuin, it's magical, beautiful and still my all time favourite. - - - - - - - - - - I Am Used Vlad - Dec 22, 2003 10:15 pm (#57 of 938) I Am Almighty! That was me who recommended the Dark Tower series. I really enjoyed The Eyes of the Dragon too. It is a fantasy book and completely unlike most of his novels. If I remember correctly, he wrote it specifically because his daughter told him that she hated all his books. I also agree that the Discworld series is good, but not laugh out loud funny like Douglas Adams. At least the first seven or eight that I've read are not. They are extremely clever satires of ,well, pretty much everything, so they can be appreciated on more than one level. Unfortunately, all I wanted was to read books so funny that I would be overcome with uncontrollable fits of laughter every time I thought of them, causing mothers to shepherd their youngsters away from me. - - - - - - - - - - Denise P. - Dec 22, 2003 10:25 pm (#58 of 938) Ravenclaw Pony These are two classic series that are fantastic, I highly recommend them to everyone. Even my husband has read some of the first series Little House on the Praire series by Laura Ingalls Wilder Don't base what you know or think you know of them on the TV series, the books are much better and easy reads. Anne of Green Gables series by L.M. Montgomery Again, the TV series is okay but the books are better. Both of these books have 7 or 8 books in the series. The Laura Ingalls books are much more simplistic than Anne but I think both are wonderful series. I am planning on starting my almost 7 year old on Little House in the Big Woods when she has her birthday in February. I think she will be ready for Anne by the time she is 9 or 10. - - - - - - - - - - Marye Lupin - Dec 23, 2003 4:45 pm (#59 of 938) "I know the answer! The answer lies within the heart of all mankind! The answer is twelve? I think I'm in the wrong building." Peanuts My sister used to be a huge Laura Ingalls fan. We both read them when we were little but she got really into them. I also really enjoy the Bryson books. He is hilarious! Right now I'm reading the one about Australia (can't remember exactly what it's called but it's very funny) I don't know if anybody's mentioned The Princess Bride by William Goldman (I think) but that's one of my all time favorite books. I've read it about four times and I've recommended it to a number of friends all of whom loved it. (for those of you who have seen the movie-- the book's better ). I call this book my all-purpose present because if I find out somebody hasn't read it they can usually count on getting it for their birthday or Christmas. - - - - - - - - - - Celestina W. - Dec 23, 2003 8:46 pm (#60 of 938) Go Minnesota Twins! Denise, the Little House and Anne books were among the first series my parents read to me when I was little. Both great, although I actually like L.M. Montgomery's Emily (first is Emily of New Moon) series better than the Anne series. The Chronicles of Narnia is another great series to read aloud, and (this goes out to all parents), if by any chance you want to make your kids lifelong Tolkien fans, read them The Hobbit at age 9 or 10. Then move on to The Lord of the Rings and The Silmarillion. That's what my mom did and it sure worked on me! Sorry for so many italics; I just remembered how to use them and then I couldn't stop. - - - - - - - - - - Denise P. - Dec 23, 2003 8:55 pm (#61 of 938) Ravenclaw Pony I have two LM Montgomery books that I like that are stand alones. First is Jane of Latern Hill and the other is The Blue Castle I like the Emily series too. I am partial to some of Piers Anthony's early works. The first few of the Xanth series. I would not bother once it went beyond...maybe Night Mare I liked most of his Incarnations of Immortality series and I liked his Apprentice Adept series. His more recent stuff pretty well stinks. Mercedes Lackey's Arrows for the Queen and Last Herald Mage are worth a read. - - - - - - - - - - Celestina W. - Dec 23, 2003 9:19 pm (#62 of 938) Go Minnesota Twins! Another series I love is the Riddlemaster trilogy (The Riddlemaster of Hed, Heir of Sea and Fire, Harpist in the Wind) by Patricia McKillip. They're fantasy books, but hard to describe beyond that. Remind me a bit of Tolkien and of the Earthsea books (also good, BTW). I think the Riddlemaster books might be sold as young adult books, but, IMO, they're kind of dark; appropriate for maybe 11 or 12 and up, I'd say. Very good books, but not well known. Anyone else out there ever read them? - - - - - - - - - - SJ Rand - Dec 24, 2003 10:45 am (#63 of 938) . timrew : >>A series of books which I found really amusing are the "Discworld" series by Terry Pratchett - a spoof look at the world of witches and wizards set in the city of Ankh-Morpork on the Discworld (a flat world which floats through space supported on the back of a giant turtle). As this author is prolific (to say the least), he manages about one book per year, the series is up to about 30 by now. And I think JKR even tips a nod to Mr. Pratchett - one of the books in the series is called "Wyrd Sisters". Absolutely. Pratchett became one of my favorite writers from the very first book of his that I read. I often described him to other people as being what Douglas Adams would like to become when he grew up, as far as wit and humor. Although his last few Discworld novels are somewhat more serious, especially Monstrous Regiment. Well, serious for Pratchett anyway. I've also noticed a few witches that sound a lot like Granny Ogg and Mistress Weatherwax, even noticed one or two named Ogg although I've no idea how common a name that is. - - - - - - - - - - azi - Dec 27, 2003 2:39 pm (#64 of 938) Photo borrowed from Ardent Photography I got this great book for Christmas called The Amulet of Samarkand. It's written by Jonathan Stroud and although it's more of a childrens book (you find it in the childrens section of Ottakers anyway) its really really interesting. It's set in modern day London where Magicians form the British government and rule over the 'commoners' (non-magical people). Follows the humourous and rather blunt views of a demon called Bartimaeus and also focuses a boy whose real name is Nathaniel. It's so good I'm having trouble putting it down! - - - - - - - - - - Joanna S Lupin - Dec 28, 2003 12:01 pm (#65 of 938) Little Bobik What an excellent thread it is!!!!!!!!! I would like to reccomend a great series of books 'The witchman' by Andrzej Sapkowski magnificent Polish fantasy author - it is a serie of seven books - two with stories about the witchman and serie of five novels - it is something like 'the lord of the rings' though much more funny, it is rather for adult readers - - - - - - - - - - Joanna S Lupin - Dec 28, 2003 12:32 pm (#66 of 938) Little Bobik sorry for posting so quickly after my last post but I have forgotten something important to add 'The witchman' is also so fantastic because personalities of characters are extremelly complicated. There are no typical good ones and evil ones, because each of them has something dark about him or herself. - - - - - - - - - - timrew - Dec 30, 2003 8:05 am (#67 of 938) Middle-aged Harry Potter fan Okay, I'm cheating a bit here. I haven't read this book, but I've just watched an adaption of it on television, and I fully intend reading it in the near future. It's called "The Young Visiters", and it's by Daisy Ashford, who was a nine year old Victorian girl. She actually wrote it about 1909, but then it was put away for ten years. When it was finally recovered, a publisher decided to put it into print, along with all the spelling mistakes (hence the title); and it has never been out of print since. Here is the first paragraph of the book, and if you want to read the rest, you can find the book in its entirety at < > "Mr. Salteena was an elderly man of 42 and was fond of asking peaple to stay with him. He had quite a young girl staying with him of 17 named Ethel Monticue. Mr Salteena had dark short hair and mustache and wiskers which were very black and twisty. He was middle sized and he had very pale blue eyes. He had a pale brown suit but on Sundays he had a black one and he had a topper every day as he thorght it more becoming. Ethel Monticue had fair hair done on the top and blue eyes. She had a blue velvit frock which had grown rarther short in the sleeves. She had a black straw hat and kid gloves." - - - - - - - - - - The Great Abbycadabra - Feb 2, 2004 11:24 pm (#100 of 938) Crocs Rule! I was reminded recently how much of a fantastic author Bob Brier is. Bob's an Egyptologist and his books are by far the most entertaining books on ancient Egypt I have ever read. My particular favourite is The Murder of Tutankhamen. It goes through everything from the discovery to the study of the contents of the tomb and Tut's mummy itself. It's a great forensic-y mystery book. And I'm rather partial to it because I always did say that Tut was murdered, but I'm always one to go with the conspiracy theory. Another fantastic Bob book is Egyptian Mummies where he talks about royal mummies, not-so-royal mummies, modern day mummies, and movie mummies. Ooh, it's just great. I like mummies, in case you couldn't tell. [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.] Elanor nmnjr - Feb 3, 2004 5:36 pm (#102 of 938) "Good judgment comes from experience, and experience - well, that comes from poor judgment." (I am reposting from the "Thoughts about Translations" thread.) There is a translation of Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone into Latin. My sister (a first-year Latin student at college) got it for Christmas. It's pretty neat. You can look through some of the pages on amazon.com by searching for "Harrius Potter." - - - - - - - - - - I Am Used Vlad - Feb 3, 2004 9:59 pm (#103 of 938) I Am Almighty! I'll second Matt Allair's recommendation for "I Am Legend". It's one of my favorite books. And for people who criticize the HP movies, read this book and then watch "Omega Man", the bad adaptation starring Charlton Heston. We HP fans don't have it too bad. Matheson's more recent "Hunted Past Reason" is also entertaining, although many(including me) may disagree with it for religious or philosophical reasons. - - - - - - - - - - Little Ginny - Feb 7, 2004 11:51 am (#104 of 938) I have read the Latin translation "Harrius Potter et Philosophi Lapis"(being a kind of Latin fan) and, having learned Latin for five years and knowing the first book, found it rather easy to read. Some of those translations are really funny. - - - - - - - - - - virgoddess1313 - Feb 18, 2004 6:32 pm (#105 of 938) Just thought of an excellent book that I don't think has been mentioned... if it has, I apologize. Nancy and Plum by (I believe) Betty MacDonald. It's been out of print for years, but my local library had it and my mom read it to my brother and I as kids and I fell in love. It's very sweet. I wanted a copy for ages, but had trouble finding one that wouldn't cost me and arm and a leg... my boyfriend finally found a web page that sells them and got me a copy for Valentines. And I definately second Abby's Bob Briar choices... they are excellent. His Encyclopedia of Mummies is also really good (I'm a mummy nut too). - - - - - - - - - - The Great Abbycadabra - Feb 18, 2004 11:09 pm (#106 of 938) Crocs Rule! Oh, how could I forget the Encyclopedia of Mummies? That's the best one. - - - - - - - - - - Denise P. - Feb 20, 2004 11:38 am (#107 of 938) Ravenclaw Pony I read this book ages ago and recently re-read it as part of a book club. I liked it the first time around but I found it much deeper this time around (funny how 20 years later, things like that happen) A Tree Grows In Brooklyn follows a young girl in an early 1900's slum in Brooklyn. It was also made into a film in the late 40's or 50's I think, and the lead actor won an Oscar for his role as her father. - - - - - - - - - - Madame Librarian - Feb 20, 2004 1:24 pm (#108 of 938) Denise, that is the quintessential 7-hankie book/movie! Along with Old Yeller and Where the Red Fern Grows, it is my benchmark for rating how sad a book or movie is. More weepy, less, about the same. I still will sometimes warn a patron at the library that a particular book he or she is considering is--"oh, my gosh, that's as sad as A Tree Grows in Brooklyn. Wait...I think I have to add An Affair to Remember to that list. Ciao. Barb - - - - - - - - - - SHEla WOLFsbane - Feb 21, 2004 1:27 pm (#109 of 938) I have to second WHERE THE RED FERN GROWS. I cried the first time, and second time I read it, different spots though... you'll see... I think I'll have to check out A TREE GROWS IN BROOKLYN... I'd also like to recommend, DANDELION WINE by, I think, Ray Bradbury for young adults. Adult: The wheel of time series. Good if you like, "Wait, who is that again, wasn't he in book two..." (when you're reading book five) That's just an example, couldn't tell you actual books but the idea is there. Bad if you want to hurry up and know what happens... I think there are currently ten books out there... ARGH!!! what do you do when both apply??? Any suggestions? - - - - - - - - - - Dr Filibuster - Feb 23, 2004 2:59 pm (#110 of 938) Sue, from Northwich, England. I'm half way through British (adults) No.1 bestseller, "Starter For Ten" and have laughed at every page. It's a comedy about a teenage boy starting Unversity in 1985, the year when I failed my NEWTs, I mean A Levels, and didn't go to college. I keep thinking he's a cross between Harry Potter and Ben Stiller. Must get back to it, I'm on Chapter 23. - - - - - - - - - - Sly Girl - Feb 23, 2004 5:48 pm (#111 of 938) Ah yes, Where the Red Fern Grows made a major impact on me when I read it as a kid. They say the books you read between the ages of 10-12 have the most profound effect on you as an adult.. interesting, isn't it? Think of all these kids who got started out on HP. - - - - - - - - - - sarah lou - Feb 24, 2004 9:31 am (#112 of 938) Dr F, I have read rave reviews of 'Starter for Ten' and it will be the first thing I buy when I get paid this week! I posted this on another thread, but a favourite book of mine is 'Eats Shoots and Leaves' by Lynn Truss. If, like me, any of you are real sticklers for perfect grammar and spelling, and it sets your teeth on edge to see 'could of' or 'its over their', then this is the book for you. Other favourites of mine... 'About a Boy', 'The Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy' (Marvin is one of my all-time favourite creations) and 'Mother Tongue' (my degree was in linguistics and phonetics) - - - - - - - - - - Madame Librarian - Feb 24, 2004 12:59 pm (#113 of 938) sarah lou, you might be interested to know, that despite the fact that Eats Shoots and Leaves has not yet been released in the US, our acqusitions librarian here where I work has already received many inquiries about it. There's been a lot of word-of-mouth chat, and, of course, people can see it's available at Amazon-UK, so they assume we've got it, too. I check the "order placed" database at work every day so I can put a reserve on it for me ASAP. Wow. Just as I wrote this, I though I'd check again. Ta-dah!! There it was. Dang, I'm no. 2 on the list. I bet my boss is no. 1. So, folks, I'm sure the bookstores have it (libraries are slower--sigh). Ciao. Barb Dr Filibuster - Feb 24, 2004 1:50 pm (#114 of 938) Sue, from Northwich, England. Sarah Lou, have you paid a visit to the Pronunciation thread yet? I think we'll be quoting from "Mother Tongue" as much as "Goblet of Fire" soon. I think "Eats shoots and leaves" may be my next purchase. - - - - - - - - - - sarah lou - Feb 26, 2004 3:39 am (#115 of 938) I did a lot of modules at uni on accents, particularly different accents within the British Isles. I love the Pronunciation thread, it's fantastic -but makes me wish I was back at uni...grrr. PS Have been paid today, so I'm going to nip out to Waterstone's at lunchtime to buy 'Starter for Ten'!! - - - - - - - - - - Little Ginny - Feb 27, 2004 1:14 pm (#116 of 938) I can only second About a Boy, it's been great fun to read (about as much as Mother Tongue, which besides is still very informative) and I cannot wait to buy High Fidelity, which is also by Nick Hornby. Fantastic books for children are the books by Astrid Lindgren, a Swedish author who died about two years ago. I grew up reading these books, but I don't know whether they are famous in the US or in the UK as well. I don't even know their English titles, but the most famous ones (at least in Germany are about Karlsson, who lives on the roof, about Pippi, who lives together with her horse and her monkey, and about an island called Saltkrokan. But she's written much more, and they are all very wonderful, taking place in Sweden in the time about the fifties, and just describing things children have always dreamt of. If anybody knows them and can help me with the English titles, thank you!! - - - - - - - - - - Dr Filibuster - Feb 27, 2004 1:47 pm (#117 of 938) Sue, from Northwich, England. Little Ginny, I have not read those books, but Ingrid Lindgren (not Astrid) is mentioned in "Starter For Ten" "Shelves of children's books indicate that Alice was obviously something pretty big in the Puffin Club; Tove Jansson, Ingrid Lindgren, Eric Kastner, Herge, Goscinny, Uderzo, Saint-Exupery - world literature for tots" The Puffin club was a kid's book club. I was in it too. - - - - - - - - - - Little Ginny - Feb 28, 2004 10:08 am (#118 of 938) Well, her name is definitely Astrid Lindgren, perhaps this was mixed up somewhere? By the way: What is "Starter for Ten"? - - - - - - - - - - Dr Filibuster - Feb 28, 2004 1:48 pm (#119 of 938) Sue, from Northwich, England. It's a very funny book by David Nicholls. - - - - - - - - - - Mare - Feb 28, 2004 2:31 pm (#120 of 938) Astrid Lindgren, I love the Lionheart brothers! (or however you translate it..) - - - - - - - - - - Little Ginny - Feb 29, 2004 9:41 am (#121 of 938) I just found out that her (Astrid Lindgren, that is) most famous book, translated into English, is called Pippi Longstockings. - - - - - - - - - - veraco - Mar 2, 2004 10:50 am (#122 of 938) Have you read Bless me, Ultima? (Rudolfo Anaya) If not, you might find it interesting - - - - - - - - - - Julia. - Mar 4, 2004 4:14 pm (#123 of 938) 74% obsessed! Uconn Jew Crew says: is it August yet? I have to throw my 2 cents in for "Shoeless Joe" by W.P. Kinsella. It's my favorite book, I read it every year before the baseball season starts. - - - - - - - - - - Maollelujah - Mar 7, 2004 8:38 pm (#124 of 938) I thought I would add a few title to this recommended reading list. The Girl I Left Behind by Endo Shusaku. It is about, to steal the writer's words, how "It's not possible for someone to interact with a fellow human being without leaving some traces." Yoshioka Tsutomu and Morita Mitsu have an affair. For Yoshioka, who is a college student, the affair is nothing more than one night stand, but for Mitsu it is a lot more. Yoshioka graduates, gets a job, finds a girlfriend, tying to think nothing of 'the girl he left behind', but through various events, the memory of her keeps popping up... It is a very sad story, but one that I find worth rereading every year. The Idiot by Fyodor Dostoevsky. Dostoevsky's attempt to depict a purely innocent/good man. It is another book that I reread every year, even though in some parts you need an iron will to get through. Confessions of Zeno by Italo Svevo. A story of a man writing his confession's at the behest of his analyst. He is quite neurotic, and gives his own self-analysis as he wanders through life. It is really funny. I haven't read this book for a while, I loaned it too an Englishwoman and never saw it again. - - - - - - - - - - firebird - Mar 22, 2004 5:44 pm (#125 of 938) I guess I'll add some because they really deserve to be mentioned. And these books are never out of my head, really. 1. The Little Grey Men, by BB (yes, that's the name under which the author writes), this is the first piece of literature I have ever read. I had the book for years before I actually got around to reading it. Wow, the way everything is described is just so vivid and unforgettable... even if it is about gnomes - not HP garden gnomes! 2. Obasan, by Joy Kagawa, about Japanese-Canadians in World War 2, and very touching. 3. Possession, by A.S. Byatt. 4. God of Small Things, by Arundhati Roy. 5. Anything by Gabriel Garcia Marquez. The first of his I ever read was Love and Other Demons (about a priest who falls is love with a girl first supposedly bitten by a rabid dog and then supposedly possessed), and the best was Love in the Time of Cholera (where Florentino Ariza falls in love with Fermina Daza and never ever falls out even when she marries Juvenal Urbino and he doesn't speak to her for fifty-something years). - - - - - - - - - - Julia. - Mar 22, 2004 6:08 pm (#126 of 938) 74% obsessed! Uconn Jew Crew says: is it August yet? Oh firebid, I read Chronical of a Death Foretold in English last year. It was hysterical! I could almost picture the guys saying "OK, we're off to kill the girl now!" - - - - - - - - - - firebird - Mar 22, 2004 7:11 pm (#127 of 938) Heheh Julia... I didn't finish that one, I started reading it two years ago - stole it from my roommate - and then in the middle I started Goblet of Fire - also stolen from same roommate - instead, and became so engrossed I forgot about 'Chronicle'... lol (I read GoF before PoA!!! which is the worst thing that can happen to anyone - I knew Sirius was a good guy and so all the suspense in PoA was useless - I laughed when Harry got so pissed off. Thickhead, you'd think he could have just listened to what Sirius had to say???). I did finish Autumn of the Patriarch though, which is sort of sad... but it gives you a real headache since there are no paragraphs... well the whole book is one long paragraph I guess. =D edit: I forgot to say, I meant to say, I really like this thread! - - - - - - - - - - Denise P. - Mar 26, 2004 10:24 am (#128 of 938) Ravenclaw Pony Edited Mar 26, 2004 2:49 pm boop, thanks for the heads up that Cirque Du Freak #5, Trials of Death was out in paperback! I ran out and got it today and plan to start it within the next day or so (after I finish a few other books I am reading) If you have not yet checked out Cirque Du Freak by Darren Shan, it is worth looking into. If you are in the UK, you are in luck since #12 is coming out soon there. For those of us in the US, #7 is being released in May, I think. - - - - - - - - - - Chris. - Apr 3, 2004 10:03 am (#129 of 938) HBP: 16th July 2005: the most anticipated day in history I don't know if this has been mentioned but the Spiderwick Chronicles (by Holly Black and Tony DiTerlizzi) is an enjoyable read. Although a little too adventurous, SC has all the magical creatures you can expect from a fantasy book. There is several illustrations throughtout the books, the front cover usually being mystic but colourful at the same time. Spiderwick Chronicles consists of The Field Guide, The Seeing Stone, Lucinda's Secret and The Ironwood Tree. - - - - - - - - - - mollis - Apr 13, 2004 7:42 am (#130 of 938) Okay, I've got a pretty good one to recommend. Its called The Devil in the White City by Erik Larson. Its a non-fiction about the creation of the World's Fair in Chicago in 1893 and a serial killer who used the fair to lure his victims. It goes back and forth between the stories of Daniel Burnham (architect who designed the fair) and H.H. Holmes (the serial killer). Very interesting read. It's probably an adult book, nothing gruesome or racy, but still, it deals with murder. No kids here, so I'm really not a good judge of appropriate material. But it was very well written and would probably not offend the tender-hearted. - - - - - - - - - - Madame Librarian - Apr 13, 2004 1:47 pm (#131 of 938) Mollis, that book is hugely popular now. We get so many requests for it at the library. A non-fiction title that's made it with the book club set (usually they go for fiction). That's my old neighborhood, Hyde Park (Chicago version, not London), and it was great to know exactly what stuff looks like now. The Museum of Science and Industry was the Arts & Architecture building. Originally built out of that temporary stuff for the Fair, it was re-done as a permanent structure a few years later. The statue of Columbia is still there, and was recently re-gilded. She's stunning...you're driving along a nice parkway road alongside a golf course on one side and trees on the other, and --wow!--there she is, out of nowhere, this huge golden statue. Anyway the book is a nice blending of urban history, true crime, and all the gruesome stuff that some just love. Larson's other book, Isaac's Storm, is excellent. In some ways I liked it more. It's about the worst hurricane ever in the US--1900, Galveston, Texas. The build-up of tension as the storm is brewing out in the Gulf is very well done, and you learn an awful lot about weather and storms and oceans. Cool stuff. This book came out the same time as The Perfect Storm and deals with a similar topic, but I think it's better. The Perfect Storm outpaced it because they touted the movie so much (and George Clooney). Oy, I've written a book here. Sorry. Ciao. Barb mollis - Apr 13, 2004 2:15 pm (#132 of 938) Edited by Apr 13, 2004 2:15 pm You are once again, a wonderful source of information. I bet you're the best librarian ever! I didn't know it was a popular book though, a friend of mine at work recommended it a few months ago and I happened to run across it while looking for a traveling book to read on the plane. I guess I have good taste! - - - - - - - - - - Madame Librarian - Apr 13, 2004 2:30 pm (#133 of 938) Of course, you do! You read Harry Potter, after all. Ciao. Barb haymoni - Apr 15, 2004 12:29 pm (#134 of 938) Gina - I'm reading "Wicked" now - I'll have to check out your group. On another thread I mentioned a book I read when I was young that referenced a philospher's stone - "Gone Away Lake" by Elizabeth Enright. I'm reading it with my son right now. I read the "Little House" books, "A Wrinkle in Time" - I'll pick them up now - my husband thinks I'm crazy. I haven't read an "adult" book in such a long time - "Wicked" has been a bit of an eye opener!! - - - - - - - - - - Marye Lupin - Apr 15, 2004 6:12 pm (#135 of 938) "I know the answer! The answer lies within the heart of all mankind! The answer is twelve? I think I'm in the wrong building." Peanuts I just read "Confessions of an Ugly Stepsister" by the same author as "Wicked". It was pretty good though I prefer "Wicked". - - - - - - - - - - Madame Librarian - Apr 15, 2004 8:14 pm (#136 of 938) Wicked was first published in 1995. It is having a revival now, especially with the book group crowd, because the play (a musical, I think) opened this winter on Broadway. Also, I just read that Madeline L'Engle's A Wrinkle in Time has been made into a movie. Release date this summer. Ciao. Barb haymoni - Apr 16, 2004 5:58 am (#137 of 938) Wonderful - I'm off to the Internet Movie Database to check! - - - - - - - - - - Acceber - Apr 20, 2004 7:35 am (#138 of 938) Ruler of Omeletteheads A Wrinkle in Time being made into a movie? NOOOOOO!!!! The movie will totally ruin the fabulous book. sudden inspiration* I wonder how they'll do Mrs. Whatsit's transformation from the bag lady to the Beast. walks away muttering - - - - - - - - - - draco all the way - Apr 20, 2004 7:40 am (#139 of 938) I thought they already made the movie. Or maybe it was just a movie with the same name but different plot. I haven't read the book you see. - - - - - - - - - - Padfoot - Apr 20, 2004 1:33 pm (#140 of 938) I haven't read A Wrinkle in Time in a long time. I will have to reread it again to refresh my memory before the movie comes out. Gosh, I read that back in Elementary school. Such a long time ago. The Narnia Chronicals are being made into movies I've heard through the grapevine. Not sure about that. It's hard when those movie types take something so cherished and reinterpret it. They did that with one of my favorite books: The Man in the Brown Suit. I refused to see it once I heard it was "updated". - - - - - - - - - - The Great Abbycadabra - Apr 21, 2004 12:15 am (#141 of 938) Crocs Rule! I had read about the A Wrinkle in Time movie last summer. I even saw a trailer for it. I thought it was going to be on The Wonderful World of Disney or something. Here's it's IMDB page: [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.] It's airing in the US in May apparently. It premeired last April in Canada. - - - - - - - - - - draco all the way - Apr 21, 2004 2:44 am (#142 of 938) The Narnia chronicles are beautiful books. I used love reading them. In my family we call them the modern fairy tales. I think Aslan is one of the most beautiful names in the world. I have a stuffed lion called Aslan. How original is that? Edit: I'm rambling, aren't I? - - - - - - - - - - Padfoot - Apr 21, 2004 9:52 am (#143 of 938) Draco all the way, my Christmas tree theme is Narnia. Well why not? Basically it's got mostly animal ornaments on it, but every now and then I can find something that fits in totally with the books. I only choose animals who look like they can talk of course. - - - - - - - - - - timrew - Apr 21, 2004 3:09 pm (#144 of 938) Middle-aged Harry Potter fan Nice, padfoot. I love the Narnia Chronicles, too. Your Christmas tree sounds terrific! - - - - - - - - - - dobbyiscool - Apr 22, 2004 2:00 pm (#145 of 938) Whatever women do they must do twice as well as men to be thought half as good. Luckily this is not difficult. --Charlotte Whitton I love the Chronicales of Narnia! I had them all at one point in time, but my sister lost the seventh one, so that's that. I'll have to buy it to finnish the collection. I'd have to recomend any books buy Margaret Truman (yes, the former President's daughter). They are cool murder mysteries that take place in famous locations around Washington DC. For instence, there's Murder in the White House, Murder in the Supreme Court, Murder at teh Pentagon, etc. They where published in the early eighties (before I was born), and they where best sellers. - - - - - - - - - - Loopy Lupin - Apr 23, 2004 5:59 am (#146 of 938) Oh, I glanced over this thread and originally posted this in the pop culture thread. Sorry. Anyway, there is a book called "The Science of Harry Potter." Its extremely interesting; the author clearly loves the books. Here's a link: [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.] - - - - - - - - - - Little Ginny - Apr 29, 2004 10:17 am (#147 of 938) I finally got my copy of Wicked last week, and I just wanted to thank all the people who recommended it because I greatly enjoyed reading it! Thanks!! Padfoot - Apr 30, 2004 2:26 pm (#148 of 938) Edited by Apr 30, 2004 2:27 pm I just saw an article about a "Christian Harry Potter" fantasy series. I haven't read it, but wonder how it compares to the real HP books. Here is the link to that article: Yahoo link I have no clue whether it even is interesting or not. I just saw the words Harry Potter and had to mention it. Edit: the link doesn't seem to be working. It's in the book section of Yahoo news. - - - - - - - - - - nmnjr - May 16, 2004 5:03 am (#149 of 938) "Good judgment comes from experience, and experience - well, that comes from poor judgment." The Alchemist by Paulo Cohelo is a wonderful book. Plus, it has a lengthy discussion of the Philosopher's Stone and the Elixer of Life. I thought that was kind of cool too. - - - - - - - - - - azi - May 16, 2004 9:16 am (#150 of 938) Photo borrowed from Ardent Photography I just read 'The Wee Free Men' by Terry Pratchett. I don't usually like his books but having the Nac Mac Freegle was hilarious. I was paricuarly fond of the phrase 'you can't grow a witch on chalk'. Aparently they need good solid rock. [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.] Elanor draco all the way - Jun 4, 2004 9:31 am (#153 of 938) Potter references? I don't think I need anymore convincing than that! Thanks Padfoot! - - - - - - - - - - riquelme - Jun 10, 2004 12:56 am (#154 of 938) One Hundred Years of Solitude Cuoro (Heart) From the Appenines to the Andes Catcher in the Rye - - - - - - - - - - Padfoot - Jun 10, 2004 9:07 am (#155 of 938) I just finished reading The Lovely Bones by Alice Sebold last night. It's a pretty good book, although depressing and dark. - - - - - - - - - - Nellie - Jun 11, 2004 11:27 am (#156 of 938) I love this! I am a book collector and am lucky enough to have a library in my house with a big squishy sofa where I can sit and read. I am always looking for new books to fill up spare shelf space. My own recommendations would be: 1. Anything by Terry Pratchett. A comic Sci-Fi series set on The Discworld, a flat planet that flies through space on the back of four elephants which stand on a giant turtle. The world is full of wizards, magic, witches and DEATH (who always speaks in capitals and has a pet horse called Binky). There are around 22 books in the series, all of them hysterically funny. 2. Agatha Christie - the Harry Potter books had a "Christiesqe" murder mystery type feel to them. All of Christie's books are wonderful puzzles which twist and turn. One of her best is "Who murdered Roger Ackroyd?". When it was published she got a lot of bad press because of the ending. I won't tell you who did it, but the public felt she had conned them. I think it is one of the best endings I have ever read. 3. P.G. Wodehouse - gentle stories from the 20s and 30s about various members of the (fictional) British upper classes. Very funny 4. The Amulet of Sarakand - The Bartamaeus Trilogy. The first of a promised trilogy about how people in power only get there through the demons they trap. Very dark... 5. Garth Nix - another trilogy "Sabriel"; "Lireal" & "Abhorsen". About Necromancers who have to keep the living safe when the dead refuse to stay dead and try to take over the world. Not one for younger readers, but still excellent That's probably enough to be going on with... Enjoy! - - - - - - - - - - Padfoot - Jun 11, 2004 12:27 pm (#157 of 938) Newton, I love Agatha Christie's books! The endings are all really great. Some of my favorites are: And Then There Were None, The Mysterious Affair at Styles and The Mysterious Mr. Quin. My favorite book by her is The Man in the Brown Suit. I think I have read that one more often than any other book. - - - - - - - - - - Nellie - Jun 12, 2004 3:24 am (#158 of 938) Agatha Christe was how I got into book collecting. My boy friend bought me a first edition of "4:50 from Paddignton" for my birthday and ever since I have been collecting. My ambition it to have a first edition of all her books. The later ones are easy to find, but the early ones are very hard. The rarest is "Murder on the Links", so if you ever see a copy buy it! You'll be able to sell it to someone like me for vast sums of money! I like the books, because although they are about murder, which clearly is not a good thing, it is never senseless violence, I mean violence for the sake of it. There is always a reason: love, money, revenge. None of these thing justify the act of course. Did you know she wrote her first book as a dare from her sister? The cover art on the 1970s UK paperbacks (and I think US too) is great. It's by a guy called Tom Adams. If you look at his paintings that are on the covers, you are supposed to be able to solve the crime. What other crime writers do you like Padfoot? - - - - - - - - - - Little Ginny - Jun 12, 2004 8:37 am (#159 of 938) I'm not that much a fan of Agatha Christie, although I read quite a lot of her novels. They're really exciting, of course, and great fun to read (and I always love to watch "Murder on the Orient Express"), but sometimes I feel that they're over-constructed. Still, I enjoy reading them, but I don't collect them. That's of course just a matter of opinion and I don't want to dissuade anyone from reading them. My most favourite crime writer, however, is Dorothy L. Sayers, who is, together with Christie, one of the classical British crime-writing ladies. Her most famous books all feature Lord Peter Wimsey, a book-collecting hobby sleuth and younger brother of a duke. They are set in the 20s and 30s of the 20th century and, in my opinion, give a very faithful picture of their time. - - - - - - - - - - The Great Abbycadabra - Jun 13, 2004 12:50 am (#160 of 938) Crocs Rule! Personally, I love Simon Brett's Charles Paris novels. Just some more British murder mysteries for you. Charles is an actor who is a bit better at solving murders. It seems as though someone related to his current acting job must die everytime. Makes life interesting though, doesn't it? - - - - - - - - - - draco all the way - Jun 14, 2004 4:28 am (#161 of 938) I don't know why but I have an aversion towards Agatha Christie and detective novels in general. I really like classics even though they are a bit bland and predictable. Little Women made me cry and still does even though I've read it millions of times. Its a book I treasure. But in the end, I'll read anyting you give me. Some of the best books, I find, are obscure and low budget. Anyone read Fringle? - - - - - - - - - - Padfoot - Jun 14, 2004 10:34 am (#162 of 938) Edited by Jun 14, 2004 10:34 am Never read Fringle, Draco. I went to Louisa May Alcott Elementary school once upon a time. So I figured I had to read her books. Loved them too. Newton, I have 6 or 7 of Christie's books, none first editions. (Have read most, if not all 80 books) Lucky you! I usually don't try and collect 1st editions. The exception is Tom Clancy books. I have several 1st editions. Some I even got at Goodwill for $1!!! Mostly I just don't have the budget for that sort of collection. I do have an early (not first) edition of Jane Eyre that I treasure. As well as an early edition of the Sherlock Homes stories all in one book. Both those books are really old, so I am very careful with them. Old books are so much fun aren't they?! Back to your question regarding mystery authors. Wow, that would be a long list. I have been reading mysteries for 18 years or so. All starting with Nancy Drew books. I like P.D. James, Erle Stanley Gardner, James Patterson, Anne Perry, Elizabeth Peters, Dick Francis and Ed McBain to name a few. I saw an interview of P.D. James and the interviewer compared her to Christie. The interviewer (who obviously didn't read mysteries) asked her why people like gruesome crime novels like hers and Christie's. James looked at her and immediately told her that Christie's books are not gruesome and totally different than her books. (I don't think James's books are that gruesome either, but grittier). James went on to say how lighthearted Christie's books are. And she's right. We always know that the bad guy will be caught, or at least found out. Her books are comforting and fun to read. I also love reading spy/espionage books too. Reading Tripple by Ken Follet (love him) from my collection. Got to go buy The Bourne Supremacy before the movie comes out. That's by Robert Ludlem, also very good. Heck, I could go on and on all day about books. Guess I should stop now before this post gets too long. - - - - - - - - - - Accio Book Six - Jun 16, 2004 8:09 am (#163 of 938) I went through enriched english in highschool, and so read at least double the books the other class did. I've read books on my own, but I'd say my favourite book (and author) next to Harry Potter is 'Not Wanted on the Voyage' by Timothy Findlay. I HIGHLY reccomend Timothy Findlay. Not Wanted On the Voyage is sort of an unconventional look at the story of Noah's Ark. I would probably say that it has a little anti-religious sentiment, however it only deals with adding a story to the biblical tale of the flood, so I'd say it was more an anti-killing the world and letting one self-righteous man and his family live sentiment. READ THIS ONE, PEOPLE! It wouldn't be good for the kiddies though. Oh, and other good Timothy Findlay books include 'The Wars' and (I think this is the title) 'The Piano Man's Daughter' ps. another great war book that everyone in the world should read is 'All Quiet on the Western Front' by (insert first name)Remarque - - - - - - - - - - Little Ginny - Jun 16, 2004 10:21 am (#164 of 938) His name is Eric Maria Remarque, which is actually an alias because his real name was Kraemer (yes, he was German, and for those who are interested, the German title of the book is 'Im Westen nichts Neues'). I have not read the book, but I saw the film, and if the book is somehow like it, then yes, it is a great anti-war book, but it is really full of violence, and I don't think younger kids should read or watch it. - - - - - - - - - - Accio Book Six - Jun 17, 2004 6:39 am (#165 of 938) Thanks Little Ginny. I had originally typed Eric, but I didn't want to look dumb, so I took it out incase I was wrong. And you should read it, Little Ginny! It's so good, and it's a fairly quick read as the book isn't too long. And yes... don't read it until you or your parents feel you can deal with the thought of fairly gruesome deaths and some scary psychological situations. It really is a fabulous book though and especially with the state of the world at the moment, everyone should read it. - - - - - - - - - - Nellie - Jun 28, 2004 2:00 pm (#166 of 938) Hi Padfoot, To have read all of Christie's books takes some doing! Well done! As far as collecting first editions, never go to a book dealer, try and pick them up at jumble sales etc, you just have to know what you are looking for... Most people who give books to charity don't realize when they are giving away a first edition and thats when you can get a bargain. Having said that I am not sure that applies to Harry Potter, everyone wants one of those first editions! I also agree that Christie and PD James are completely different. Christie are really just puzzles and nothing more.... - - - - - - - - - - Padfoot - Jul 1, 2004 5:10 pm (#167 of 938) I never have gone to a book dealer per say. I will either go to a regular book store (there is a great independent book store in my town) to buy new books (usually paperback). Occasionally I will go into a Goodwill or a small book store in a little town if I happen by some place interesting. I rarely go into a Barnes and Noble because those places are so impersonal. - - - - - - - - - - draco all the way - Jul 3, 2004 8:07 am (#168 of 938) Padfoot, a while back you told me that the Da vinci code was an exciting book. (You also reeled me in, hook line and sinker, by saying HP's involved.) So, I finally got around to buying it. It was probably one of the best decisions I've made. It's a great great book! I recommend to all you Potties! And thanks Padfoot! - - - - - - - - - - Padfoot - Jul 3, 2004 9:44 am (#169 of 938) You are welcome! Glad you enjoyed it. - - - - - - - - - - Ladybug220 - Jul 3, 2004 2:04 pm (#170 of 938) ...moves faster than Severus Snape confronted with shampoo DATW - Angels and Demons by Dan Brown is excellent as well. - - - - - - - - - - Leila 2X4B - Jul 3, 2004 9:12 pm (#171 of 938) I'd be smegged off. I'd be mad as hell, man. If some git in a white coat designed me to croak just so that he could sell his new android with go-faster stripes. Hi all. I think that everyone should read the following: Euripedes- Collected plays include: Medea, Trojan Women, and Iphegenia at Aulis. Shakespeare: Titus Andronicus Grant Naylor: Red Dwarf: Infinity welcomes careful drivers Tolkien: Simillarion George RR Martin: Game of Thrones, Clash of Kings House of Sand and Fog Dante: Divine Comedy Steinbeck: Grapes of Wrath The Giver Robert Cormier: I am the Cheese Tolkien: LOTR Trilogy and Hobbit The Wall Jumper - - - - - - - - - - Chris. - Jul 3, 2004 10:38 pm (#172 of 938) HBP: 16th July 2005: the most anticipated day in history Okay, here's my short list of books to read... NOW! -The Hobbit, Lord of the Rings and The Silmarillion: J.R.R. Tolkien -Spiderwick Chronicles- Holly Black & Tony DeTerlizzi -Goodnight Mr Tom- Michelle Magorian - - - - - - - - - - Padfoot - Jul 4, 2004 9:52 am (#173 of 938) Hm, I better go check those titles out. I have only read the Hobbit and the LOTR's trilogy out of those listed. - - - - - - - - - - timrew - Jul 4, 2004 4:37 pm (#174 of 938) Middle-aged Harry Potter fan Steinbeck: Grapes of Wrath. Steinbeck I would totally agree with, Sleeping Beauty. But I would also add his shorter novels: Tortilla Flat, Cannery Row, Of Mice And Men, Sweet Thursday, The Pearl, The Red Pony and The Moon Is Down. He's one of my favourite authors (as you might have gathered!) - - - - - - - - - - Leila 2X4B - Jul 5, 2004 12:09 am (#175 of 938) I'd be smegged off. I'd be mad as hell, man. If some git in a white coat designed me to croak just so that he could sell his new android with go-faster stripes. I agree with anything Steinbeck, my favorite American author. - - - - - - - - - - Ozymandias - Jul 5, 2004 2:08 am (#176 of 938) Nothing beside remains... How have I not stumbled into this thread before now? Ah well, better late than never. My list: Anything by Christopher Moore. Everything he's written is laugh-out-loud hilarious. Island of the Sequined Love Nun is a good starting place, about an isolated Polynesian tribe that forms a religion based on the pinup girl painted on the nose of a WWII American plane that crashed there. Anything by Douglas Adams. Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy gets all the credit, which it deserves, but I think the two Dirk Gently novels are worthwhile as well. How can you talk about mystery writers without talking about Arthur Conan Doyle? I don't read much mystery, but I've been devouring the Sherlock Holmes series lately. The Callahan series by Spider Robinson. Great science fiction stories with lovable characters and horrid puns. And now I will stop my rambling before I name every book I've ever read. - - - - - - - - - - Miss Malaprop - Jul 5, 2004 3:42 am (#177 of 938) Edited by Jul 5, 2004 3:46 am Hello! I must second Newton’s recommendation of PG Wodehouse. They are fantastically funny and really take you away to the English country manor world of the 1920s and 30s. Once you start reading one you just have to keep reading more! I will also second Madame Librarian’s recommendation of Michael Chabon – I just finished Summerland, a very inventive children’s book – and Mary Stewart. I love her book A Walk in Wolf Wood and read it every year. It is about a brother and sister who walk through a wood and find themselves in 16th century Germany, dealing with dukes, amulets, werewolves, and wizards. An excellent adventure! I also loved E. Nesbit ( The Railway Children, Five Children and It ) when I was young (and I still do). Also, more recently, Michael Hoeye’s stories, Time Stops For No Mouse, and its sequel. Highly entertaining adventures about a mouse called Hermux Tantamoq. Paul Jennings is an Australian children’s writer who was extremely popular in the early 1990s. He writes quirky, moreish short stories which I still enjoy. We sent his books to a young Canadian friend who never read anything, but devoured these books. If you can get them overseas, they are great for kids of about 8 and up. I’m sure these last two books were mentioned in previous Recommended Reading threads, but I will mention them again anyway because they are so good: Out of the Silent Planet by CS Lewis (and the other two books in the trilogy). Kind of like Narnia for Grownups. Although there is nothing wrong with grownups reading the original Narnia books! Finally, The Little Prince by Antoine de Saint-Exupéry. This is one of the most beautiful books ever written, I think. Short but very beautiful. Edit: And eternal shame on me for omitting The Princess Bride by William Goldman! - - - - - - - - - - Ozymandias - Jul 5, 2004 4:18 am (#178 of 938) Nothing beside remains... A hearty second to The Princess Bride. Shame on me too! - - - - - - - - - - Marye Lupin - Jul 5, 2004 7:40 am (#179 of 938) "I know the answer! The answer lies within the heart of all mankind! The answer is twelve? I think I'm in the wrong building." Peanuts The Princess Bride is probably one of my favorite books. It's got something for everyone! - - - - - - - - - - Padfoot - Jul 5, 2004 2:50 pm (#180 of 938) And eternal shame on me for omitting The Princess Bride by William Goldman I am reading that right now. I love that book, so funny. - - - - - - - - - - timrew - Jul 5, 2004 2:52 pm (#181 of 938) Middle-aged Harry Potter fan It sadly took the recent death of the author to remind me of a series of books that I read avidly as a teenager. They are very funny and deal with the lives of two young boys at boarding school in England in the 50s. I don't know why I didn't think of them before, because The Jennings books, by Anthony Buckeridge, are a sort of precursor to Harry Potter. Although having nothing to do with magic, the books follow the hilarious adventures of Jennings and his nice (but dim) friend Derbyshire, along with their Master, Mr. Wilkins, who would like to be a Snape but ends up more like a Dumbledore. I will now have to buy all these books again (I think there were about six or seven of them). It'll give me something to read while I'm waiting for book six! - - - - - - - - - - Catherine - Jul 7, 2004 5:46 pm (#182 of 938) Canon Seeker I have lots of suggestions, but take them with a grain of salt, as I used to be an English teacher. What the heck do I know? As I am a native Virginian, I do have a love for good Southern novels. One "sleeper" that I remember well (because I attended a workshop she gave) is called Clover, a book by Dorie Sanders (of South Carolina peach growing fame) which I believe Disney bought the rights to, but never did anything with. It's a good reading out-loud kind of book, for children of all ages. She has a good publishing story that will remind you of JKR, and it's a sweet tale. Other Southern faves are Clyde Edgerton. He actually taught at the same high school I did, but way before my time, and played in a bluegrass band. I love his novels, but his first one, Rainey is close to my heart, as is Walking Across Egypt. Anything by Pat Conroy (a publishing powerhouse who does not need my recommendation or anyone elses!) or Kaye Gibbons with Charms for the Easy Life and Ellen Foster. My latest love is Big Fish, both the movie and the novel. They both overwhelm me. I really do think that everyone should read The Inferno, The Iliad, The Odyssey, and The Aenead, and The Epic of Gilgamesh. It helps put everything in perspective. I majored in medieval and renaissance lit, but I'll save those recs for a different post! - - - - - - - - - - Hollywand - Jul 11, 2004 4:39 pm (#183 of 938) Gryffindor For those who are interested in history, I highly recommend "Religion and the Decline of Magic" by Sir Keith Thomas, Oxford University Press. It's a wonderful book that examines the social function that magic provided for those seeking security and reassurance in a very uncertain world. Mostly it covers documentation on witches and "cunning men" in England in the 15th and 16th centuries. Social circumstances are identified that show how a person might be singled out in their community as a scapegoat, and declared a magical person, and evil. One of my favorite passages is that of a judge who had the courage to stand up to the mob accusing a poor woman "witch" of flying. "Why, there's no law against flying!" The judge skeptically asserts...... :-) - - - - - - - - - - timrew - Jul 23, 2004 5:12 pm (#184 of 938) Middle-aged Harry Potter fan I must tell you that I'm reading, 'The Little White Horse' by Elizabeth Goudge (as reccommended by JKR) and enjoying it immensely. It's right what she says about food. It's described with great 'gusto'! - - - - - - - - - - Dr Filibuster - Jul 24, 2004 2:22 pm (#185 of 938) Sue, from Northwich, England. I want to read Tim's pantomime. How's it going? - - - - - - - - - - timrew - Jul 24, 2004 5:11 pm (#186 of 938) Middle-aged Harry Potter fan It's nearly there, Sue. But I'll send you last year's, Jack and the Beanstalk, if you like. And anyone else that wants it. But, believe me.....it's done in a totally English panto style, and we've (yes, my son, Matthew deserves credit too) ripped off a few jokes from TV, film, etc...... - - - - - - - - - - Ozymandias - Jul 24, 2004 11:19 pm (#187 of 938) Nothing beside remains... Okay, the stupid American wants to know what a pantomime is. Or you could send one to me, Tim, and I could see firsthand. - - - - - - - - - - Loopy Lupin - Jul 25, 2004 4:30 pm (#188 of 938) Another stupid American wants to know too. - - - - - - - - - - Dr Filibuster - Jul 26, 2004 2:43 pm (#189 of 938) Sue, from Northwich, England. Hey, you're not stupid....it's a shame you never went to a panto when you were little. "Oh no it isn't" "oh yes it is" (sorry) see [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.] and look at the history. Rowling has said that Voldemort is not a pantomime baddie. "Oh yes he is" "Oh no he isn't"(sorry, sorry) I'd love to see your last script Tim. Please e-mail me. Ahem, to get back on track, I am currently reading the first No 1 Ladies Detective Agency novel. I'm enjoing it. Has anyone else read them? Have you read them all? I'm often bored when I read other books in a series because they get too formulaic. The exception being Harry's stories of course. - - - - - - - - - - Madame Librarian - Jul 26, 2004 9:08 pm (#190 of 938) I just finished the most amazing and unusual book--The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time by Mark Haddon. A 15-year old boy discovers his neighbor's dog horribly murdered in the back yard, and he decides to try to solve the crime. The thing is this kid, Christopher, is autistic. His perception of the world is incredibly strange, both off-kilter and hyper-logical at the same time. Despite the boy's severe mental problems and attendant behavioral quirks (things like barking like a dog to keep people from getting too close to him, eating only foods that are red or green, freaking out if he sees too many yellow cars in a row), there is an innocence and sweetness about him. It's a very compelling book, getting a lot of word-of-mouth buzz these days. Ciao. Barb Dr Filibuster - Jul 27, 2004 12:01 am (#191 of 938) Sue, from Northwich, England. Yes it's a wonderful and interesting read isn't it Barb. It's won loads of awards. Be warned though, it's listed as a children's book (in the UK at least), probably because it's about a 16 year old. I was going to buy it for my friends' 10 year old bookworm (he loves OoP) but I don't think they would appreciate the excessive swearing. I gave it to my friends to read instead. Did you know that it's Davd Heyman's latest project? He's the producer who "discovered" The Philosopher's Stone back in 1997 and decided to get the film rights from Rowling. I shall be watching out for his other finds. - - - - - - - - - - Leila 2X4B - Jul 27, 2004 4:57 am (#192 of 938) I'd be smegged off. I'd be mad as hell, man. If some git in a white coat designed me to croak just so that he could sell his new android with go-faster stripes. I just finished reading a We All Fall Down by Robert Cormier. Brilliant, but scary in the sense that it amazes me that people can do things like they did. Robert Cormier is noted to be one of the best writers for the Y.A genre. He was actually born and raised in my hometown of Leominster, MA. It is the setting of many of his books. Look for the town Monument(as in Monument Square, in downtown Leominster). I aslo loved I am the Cheese and The Bumblebee Flies Anyway. Plus who doesn't love The Chocolate Wars. - - - - - - - - - - Madame Librarian - Jul 27, 2004 8:45 am (#193 of 938) Dr. Filibuster, at our library, the Haddon book (post #190) is double-shelved in both adult and YA (that's the unfortunately named "young adult" section of the library). I agree that 10 may be a bit immature for the book, but it really depends on the kid and the parents. Despite the department being called YA, the typical patrons we get there are usually between 10 and 16, with the vast majority being middle school age. Ciao. Barb - - - - - - - - - - Luke E.A. Lockhart - Jul 27, 2004 2:00 pm (#194 of 938) I second the person (way down on the list) who recommended Ender's Game by Orson Scott Card, as well as its sequel, Speaker for the Dead - although I'd stop there, as the plot just gets weird and incomprehensible. I also second the recommendation of the Dark Materials trilogy - religious people should just remember that it's not anti-religious. This is confirmed by the fact that the author is friends with the Archbishop of Canterbury and has said that the story is an allegory, not to be taken literally. - - - - - - - - - - RowanRising - Jul 28, 2004 11:48 am (#195 of 938) Edited by Jul 28, 2004 11:49 am The absolute BEST Anne Rice book I've ever read is called The Witching Hour. Definately NOT for the younger crowd (under 16 I'd say) but a beautifully crafted family history/mystery/horror/love story. Right now I'm reading "God-Shaped Hole" by Tiffany DeBartolo. It's engrossed me already - - - - - - - - - - Leila 2X4B - Jul 28, 2004 12:36 pm (#196 of 938) I'd be smegged off. I'd be mad as hell, man. If some git in a white coat designed me to croak just so that he could sell his new android with go-faster stripes. Call me a prude, but I don't care for Anne Rice's ahem racy writing. Some of it borders on porn. I prefer innuendo. I do like some of the Buffy the Vampire Slayer books like Book of Fours. I mainly stick with things written before this century by European authors. Goethe's Faust is simply breathtaking. - - - - - - - - - - Padfoot - Jul 28, 2004 12:41 pm (#197 of 938) Edited by Jul 28, 2004 12:41 pm I have never read of those Anne Rice books. I have just read the vampire ones and one ghost one. I will have to read The Witching Hour as I have not read it yet. I did not know that there were Buffy the Vampire Slayer books! Really? Hm, are they as funny and clever as the show? - - - - - - - - - - Leila 2X4B - Jul 28, 2004 12:45 pm (#198 of 938) I'd be smegged off. I'd be mad as hell, man. If some git in a white coat designed me to croak just so that he could sell his new android with go-faster stripes. They do maintain the humor of the show, well the ones I've read. I still hear all of her books are bit too mature for this 22 year old. Well, I had the misfortune of trying to read one of her Sleeping Beauty books and aghast I didn't realize what it really was until too late. She tarnished my namesake. I was horrified - - - - - - - - - - Eponine - Jul 28, 2004 12:45 pm (#199 of 938) Somebody I knew had one of those Anne Rice books. I read about three pages before I got utterly disgusted. I flipped through the rest of the book to see if it got any better. Nope, it got much much worse. - - - - - - - - - - RowanRising - Jul 28, 2004 12:57 pm (#200 of 938) Edited by Jul 28, 2004 12:58 pm I will be the first to admit some of her writing is...racy to put it mildly. She has a collection of 3 books specifically designed in that um, genre. I have always loved her books for one big reason- the writing itself. She finds a way to convince me that the warm air of New Orleans is wrapping itself around me, and to envision with perfect accuracy exactly what a particular flower looks like. As for content- the chronicles are a bit hard to get if you take them at face value but are ultimately about the humanity of the characters, their fight with the enduring questions of morality, and the experiences we all have with loneliness, fear, God, death, love, etc- but can't the same be said for HP? Btw- I do read other things besides Anne Rice! LOL! [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.] Elanor Miss Malaprop - Jul 28, 2004 11:35 pm (#202 of 938) Edited by Jul 28, 2004 11:37 pm Dr Filibuster, I absolutely love the Precious Ramotswe books! It is very rare that I buy books for myself, and I almost never buy new books, but as soon as each book came out (I believe there are now five of them) I went and bought them and devoured them in a day. That’s the trouble with those books, you can’t put them down until you have finished and then…you have finished! I highly recommend them – they are funny, with engaging characters, some great common sense and moral lessons thrown in, and describe life in Botswana wonderfully (I had absolutely no interest in Africa until I read these books). I think they are going to be made into a TV series. “There are some great books that this guy called Alexander McCall Smith put out that take place in Botswana. They are really fun to read and make you feel like human beings can really have worthwhile lives. The first one is called The No 1 Ladies' Detective Agency. I highly recommend them if you like to be happy.” – Flea, from Red Hot Chili Peppers Can you tell I love these books? - - - - - - - - - - thetheatre62442 - Jul 29, 2004 8:24 pm (#203 of 938) If you all haven't heard or read them already, I highly recommend the 'Series of Unfortunate Events" series. There's 10 books so far. But they're children's books, so they're all about 150 pages, if not less. I absolutely adore them. They're actually quite depressing if you take out all the humor... The first one is called 'The Bad Beginning' and they're all by Lemony Snicket. Who wouldn't want to read them with an author who has such an awesome name as that? - - - - - - - - - - Eponine - Jul 29, 2004 8:54 pm (#204 of 938) I've only read the first one of the Unfortunate Events series, and I enjoyed it. The thing that I loved the most was the dustjacket of the biography of Lemony Snicket. It had a decoy jacket printed on the other side for a book called The Pony Party about the Happiest Children in the World, so you could flip the dustjacket around and no one would know you were reading such a dangerous book. - - - - - - - - - - Dr Filibuster - Jul 30, 2004 3:35 pm (#205 of 938) Sue, from Northwich, England. Miss Malaprop...thanks for the info. I shall watch out for Precious' tv appearance. I saw a great picture of Jim Carey in the Unfortunate Events movie a few months ago. Timothy Spall (Peter Pettigrew) is in it as well. - - - - - - - - - - Acceber - Aug 1, 2004 3:54 am (#206 of 938) Ruler of Omeletteheads -Goodnight Mr. Tom-Michelle Magorian-Prongs I loved that book! It's actually a children's book (I read it last year when I was 12) but I loved it! It's so sad in some places, yet so happy. Remind you of anything? Let's see-I read Gone With the Wind at camp which I loved. It's really long, but so descriptive and well written, that makes up for it. My dad only saw the movie, which he thought was just another corny love story, but the book wasn't like that at all. It mixed history with fiction in a way to be admired. More or less, if you're on a twelve hour plane flight with nothing else to do-read it. - - - - - - - - - - Catherine - Aug 1, 2004 7:17 am (#207 of 938) Canon Seeker I adore reading Jane Austen's novels. Pride and Prejudice is still my favorite, although Emma is a fun read. I still love to reread Madeline L'Engle's books and C.S. Lewis's books. For mysteries, I can't pass up anything by Anne Perry, Minette Walters, or Carol O'Connell. Romance novels--I like Regency-era romances. Non-fiction: I love biographies of the Tudors. Historical Fiction: Margaret George, Jean Plaidy (aka Victoria Holt), Gary Jennings, James Michener, Irving Stone. I'll read anything at all! - - - - - - - - - - Denise P. - Aug 1, 2004 10:15 am (#208 of 938) Ravenclaw Pony I just got back from a long drive out west so naturally, as we were driving there, my thoughts turned to a specific book. I highly recommend the book Centennial by James Michener. The book was made into a TV miniseries back in 1978 and is available on VHS. It follows the book pretty faithfully and I am majorally bummed it is not on DVD. Along with Centennial, another one of his books that is good is Hawaii As long as we are on area specific books, James Clavell's novels are pretty darn good. Shogun deals with Japan. My favorite one, Tai-Pan deals with Hong Kong and there are a few others that intertwine, King Rat(WWII Japanese prison camp), Noble House To sum it up: Shogun is worth reading and an excellent miniseries Tai-Pan is an excellant read, the movie was a huge mistake Noble House is an excellent read, the miniseries a mistake - - - - - - - - - - Little Ginny - Aug 1, 2004 12:28 pm (#209 of 938) I can only second Catherine in her praise of Jane Austen. Those books are really great, and Pride and Prejudice is my favourite, too, though closely followed by Persuasion and Emma. - - - - - - - - - - Prefect Marcus - Aug 1, 2004 8:21 pm (#210 of 938) "Anyone can cook" Edited by Aug 1, 2004 8:22 pm My list of Jane Austen favorites goes: Pride and Prejudice To quote Jane Bennet, "Can there be any other opinion on the subject?" Persuasion A very satisfying book. Anne Elliot is her most complex heroine. Sense and Sensibility Colonel Brandon rocks, right Gina? Northanger Abbey Her most LOL book. Emma Emma Woodhouse is an obnoxious busy-body whose neck you want to wring. I am sorry, but I saw through every single one of the "mysteries". Mansfield Park She tried, but the novel just doesn't work, IMO. - - - - - - - - - - Madame Librarian - Aug 2, 2004 6:30 pm (#211 of 938) As there are a fair number of Austen fans on the Forum (I am, too), I'll recommend The Jane Austen Book Club by Karen Jane Fowler. It's about a group of 5 women and 1 guy who meet each month to discuss a different Austen book. Of course, the novel really is about the members of the club. How they relate to the Austen novels and specific characters is revealing and a wonderful characterizatin device. Funny, sad, warm...you almost will want to join this book group...maybe. For those of you who are a bit rusty on which Austen book is which--I admit that I mix them up sometimes (not Emma, that's my favorite--Fowler has synopses at the back of the book on all the Austen books. Ciao. Barb Ozymandias - Aug 4, 2004 12:18 am (#212 of 938) Nothing beside remains... I have a question for the Austen fans. I read Pride & Prejudice in school and absolutely loved it. I want more, but I don't know where to begin. What of her other work do you reccomend? - - - - - - - - - - Miss Malaprop - Aug 4, 2004 5:08 am (#213 of 938) Edited by Aug 4, 2004 5:09 am Ozymandias - all of them! I think Prefect Marcus summed it up pretty well in post 210. Pride and Prejudice is also my favourite. I think everybody (except Mark Twain) loves it! Northanger Abbey IS laugh-out-loud funny – excessively diverting! It basically makes fun of all the over-the-top gothic novels that were so popular at the time. (Catherine Morland, the heroine, loves The Mysteries of Udolpho. I tried to read it and I gave up – it was so gushing and melodramatic! I can understand where Austen is coming from!) You would know the story of Emma if you have seen the movie Clueless. Many people love this book – personally I found the characters rather unengaging. Persuasion is often noted as “the book with Jane Austen’s oldest and most mature heroine.” I enjoy it every time I read it. My favourite Austen companion, The Friendly Jane Austen, describes it as “autumnal, poetic and slightly world-weary.” I quite like Mansfield Park, despite the insipid heroine, Fanny. I think I prefer watching Sense and Sensibility to reading it. Those are the Big Six; I haven’t read Sanditon, The Watsons or Lady Susan; all “minor” works. If you have only read P&P, I would try Persuasion or Northanger Abbey, for some contrast. Also several “sequels” have been written by other authors, but I would not wish to excite your anticipation – I was quite disappointed. There is also an excellent, comprehensive website called The Republic of Pemberley, worth a visit. There you go – hope that provides a good start! - - - - - - - - - - Ladybug220 - Aug 4, 2004 10:34 am (#214 of 938) ...moves faster than Severus Snape confronted with shampoo Edited by Aug 4, 2004 10:36 am Ozy, I second what Miss Malaprop said. I have read all of the published works of JA and I would definitely recommend Persuasion or Northanger Abbey next. Some of her short stories are good but they are just unfinished stories (Catherine, Sandition etc). I also like Mansfield Park as well and the movie is quite good but read the book first so that you aren't disappointed - the movie is excellent(and slightly different)! Also, try to rent the P&P BBC adaptation - it is very good and very true to the book. - - - - - - - - - - Madame Librarian - Aug 4, 2004 8:03 pm (#215 of 938) Just like to mention that there are Forums that get as gung-ho about Jane Austen as we do here about HP. Of course, they have no big plot mysteries to resolve, and I don't suppose they're waiting for Jane to do another book, but I believe they get just as worked up and intense as we do here. Ciao. Barb - - - - - - - - - - Hermione Weasley - Aug 4, 2004 9:43 pm (#216 of 938) I don't know if anyone has mentioned him but I love Michael Crichton. All of his books are worthy of reading. Also, the "Outlander" series by Diana Gabaldon is so completely fantastic that I rank them (although they are a different genre) up there with JKR stuff. Outlander series is about a 20th century woman, Claire, who finds herself two hundred years in the past by falling through a "time portal" in one of the megalithic standing stones dotting Scotland. In the past, she meets and discovers an all consuming love and passion for Jamie Fraser, whom she marries (although at the moment the marriage was forced), but is riddled by guilt because she is married to Frank Randall in the 20th century whose ancestor, Black Jack Randall just happens to be a sadistic homosexual who wants Jamie. It just gets more complicated from there and that just half of the first book. FANTASTIC READ!!!!!! (somebody read it just so you know how great they are!) - - - - - - - - - - Good Evans - Aug 8, 2004 10:07 am (#217 of 938) Practically perfect in every way Edited by Aug 8, 2004 10:12 am I have just today finished the "barry trotter" sequel, have to say it made me laugh - I am a bit ambivalent about it as of course it rips off the HP books - but the second book was better than the first, and if you like to poke fun at the books it is worth a read. Not reccomended to anyone that cant take the concept (you need to be able to laugh at the "what if") I love particularly the characterisation of "Halfwid" - horribly unfair, nastily rude but oh so funny! I also love Terry Pratchett, Michael Crichton, James Patterson, Stephen King and as all good mystery addicts - Agatha Christie - would reccomend anything of these authors - - - - - - - - - - djellibabe - Aug 11, 2004 12:59 am (#218 of 938) Am here after a reccomendation from Madame Librarian, so Hello!! Have flicked through the previous posts and have picked up some fantastic tips. I am a big Pratchett fan and would recommend that the younger ones among you maybe start with his 'Johnny' books and then move on to the 'Discworld' novels. I have just read his newest 'Hat Full of Sky' which is excellent as always. I could really use some help though, years ago I read a book about a bus load of kids, off with the youth club on a trip, they crash and end up staying over night in a haunted house. I know I read it over and over, It was an amazing story but now I can't remember what it was called or who it was by. Anyone got any ideas? - - - - - - - - - - virgoddess1313 - Aug 11, 2004 9:50 am (#219 of 938) I beleive I mentioned it on the Chat thread at one point, but the book Stiff by Mary Roach is excellent. Its about various things that happen to us after we die (cremation, decomposition, etc.) so avoid it if you are squemish, though, because while she puts things in a humerous manner, they can still be pretty gross at times. It was facinating, I couldn't put it down and it really gave me a whole new perspective on that sort of thing. - - - - - - - - - - Penny Lane. - Aug 11, 2004 11:07 am (#220 of 938) I recently finished "A Handmaid's Tale" by Margaret Atwood. I enjoyed it, it was similar to Brave New World and Farhenheit 451. It is an adult/high school book though. - - - - - - - - - - T Brightwater - Aug 11, 2004 1:52 pm (#221 of 938) I wouldn't be a true Brightwater if I didn't recommend Suzette Haden Elgin's Ozark Trilogy (Twelve Fair Kingdoms, The Grand Jubilee, And Then There'll Be Fireworks) Probably long out of print, but you might find it used or in the library. Anything by Dorothy L.Sayers, including her nonfiction (especially _The Mind of the Maker_ - terrific book about the creative process and the Christian Trinity) and her translation of Dante's _Divine Comedy_. Just finished _Eats, Shoots, and Leaves_. Hysterical! I'll also add another vote for Alexander McCall Smith's Precious Ramotswe series. - - - - - - - - - - Phelim Mcintyre - Aug 12, 2004 2:24 am (#222 of 938) Finally made it to this thread. Back up T Brightwater's recommendation of Sayers. I would suggest "Gaudy Night" one of her Lord Peter Wimsey novels. Set in Oxford University there are slight Potterish qualities to be spotted. Also must jump on the Pratchett band wagon. Hogwarts in nothing to the Unseen University - so try Soul Music. Or try Wyrd Sisters. This is the best retake of Macbeth available. For those who love the theatre there's Maskerade. Or Moving Pictures for you film buffs. The game is try and spot the reference to something else. My all time favourite of these books though has to be "The Thief of Time". A classic. - - - - - - - - - - Luke E.A. Lockhart - Aug 12, 2004 8:45 am (#223 of 938) Has anyone ever read Wizard/s Hall by Jane Yolen? I didn't really like the book, but it sure has some similarities to HP. A kid goes off to wizard school and has to fight a snakelike monster hidden by one of the school's founders to purge the school of something-or-other, and it's all because of a prophecy about him. - - - - - - - - - - TomProffitt - Aug 12, 2004 9:16 am (#224 of 938) Bullheaded empiricist I haven't seen many posts here with interests similar to mine, but here's my list: Robert Heinlein, science fiction written on many levels at once, the man uses so much hyperbole you can never be sure he's talking about what you think he's talking about Jack McDevitt, science fiction, deep well rounded characters, well thought out well rounded setting, writes good puzzles, my favorites are A Talent for War, and The Engines of God Dick Francis, long time favorite Terry Goodkind, epic fantasy Carl Sagan, explains science in very interesting and understandable manner, accidentally throws in a lot of philosophy, thought provoking nonfiction, try Shadows of Forgotten Ancestors if you can handle something a little heavy David Weber, Harry Turtledove if you like military science fiction. Honor Harrington is my role model. Tanya Huff, try her Summon the Keeper series if you like humorous magical tales (set in modern day Ontario) Steven Ambrose, great if you like 20th century history, particularly WWII Guy Sajer, The Forgotten Soldier, if you have any doubts about just how bad war really is for the soldier, read this one - - - - - - - - - - T Brightwater - Aug 12, 2004 9:18 am (#225 of 938) Phelim, I'll add _Jingo_ to the list of Highly Recommended Terry Pratchett, especially for those who like political satire. More of my favorites: Mysteries: Elizabeth Peters' Amelia Peabody series, Lindsay Davis (Marcus Didius Falco), Laurie R. Hill (Mary Russell and Sherlock Holmes), Josephine Tey. Fantasy: Tolkien first and foremost! Katherine Kurtz's Deryni books; _The Shadow of the Lion_ by Lackey, Frith, and Freer; Melissa Scott and Lisa Barnett; Madeleine L'Engle; John Bellairs; Charles L. Williams. Science fiction: C.J.Cherryh, especially the Chanur novels; Eric Frank Russell; Melissa Scott (again, especially the Silence Leigh trilogy); R.A.Lafferty. Tolkien's essay "On Fairy Stories" (in _Tree and Leaf_ and _The Tolkien Reader_) is a must for anyone contemplating writing fantasy. I didn't fully appreciate Tolkien's storytelling, especially his pacing, until I read LOTR out loud to my mother, who has macular degeneration. The movies don't begin to do it justice. I've been reading HP to my mother (we're about a quarter of the way through Goblet) and she absolutely loves it. I hope HBP is out by the time we've finished Phoenix! - - - - - - - - - - Luke E.A. Lockhart - Aug 12, 2004 9:23 am (#226 of 938) I've read C.J. Cherry - I don't really like the Chanur novels that much. I love the setting, but I find it hard to identify with humanoid cats. Her other books about humans in the same world are better, in my opinion. I've read Stranger in a Strange Land, by Heinlein, for a science fiction course at my high school, which finally decided to cave in to my nerd revolution and offer courses that interest nerds such as myself. WAHAHAHAHAHA! Anyway, Stranger was weird, but interesting. I also read the Heinlein short story where the guy is his own mother, father, sister, brother, uncle, aunt, et cetera, because of time travel - I can't remember what it's called. EDIT: I personally don't like Tolkein as much as modern fantasy writers. I find that his ideas have been redone and perfected by others. Don't get me wrong, his books are still good - but I don't like this idea that "because it was really popular 50 years ago, it must be a classic!" I know some people find Middle Earth captivating, but I personally don't. I thought Pullman with His Dark Materials tops Lord of the Rings easily. At least there you care about the characters, and the end actually affects you, rather than, "Oh, they go away on a ship. So sad." - - - - - - - - - - Madame Librarian - Aug 12, 2004 9:24 am (#227 of 938) Hmmmm, Luke (post #223)...that could trip someone up on "Jeopardy" in the recent fantasy literature category. Even though it's been mentioned before, now's a good time to suggest Eragon again. It's by Christopher Paolini (c2003). Wonderful saga set long ago about a boy, his magical mentors, evil Emperors, a quest, his dragon. This is only part one, and the ending leaves you wanting more. The amazing thing is that Paolini, now about 19, was just 16 years old when he wrote this 509-page epic. Honest, unless you were told this in advance, you'd never guess. A rich, twisty plot, wonderful secondary characters, a dark tone with just enough black humor. BTW, Eragon is 15, an orphan, just learning about things magical. Only in the slightest sense is he like Harry. Both boys are angry, rash and a bit clueless as to why this is all happening to them. Sorry for the repeated recommendation, but since there seems to be a fresh bunch of Forum members, I thought it's worth a mention again. Ciao. Barb - - - - - - - - - - T Brightwater - Aug 12, 2004 9:31 am (#228 of 938) Actually, Luke, I believe the hani in the Chanur books are based on lions rather than cats. Anyway, _Chanur's Legacy_ (my favorite of the bunch) is, among other things, a hilarious reversal of the old "woman tries to prove herself in a man's world" theme. Maybe guys don't find it as funny. (I think the same is true of the Ozark Trilogy.) - - - - - - - - - - virgoddess1313 - Aug 12, 2004 10:20 am (#229 of 938) T Brightwater, what is the Ozark Trilogy about? I've never heard of it before and I'm curious because I live in the Ozarks region of Missouri. Not to mention, I always need new books to read. EDIT: I looked up the Ozark Trilogy on Barnes and Noble's site and they had it new, but it didn't give any description of it. - - - - - - - - - - Luke E.A. Lockhart - Aug 12, 2004 10:33 am (#230 of 938) "Maybe guys don't find it as funny." Yeah, that's the other thing. I don't like books where either gender is weaker than the other; I've never seen gender as a factor for characters at all. I think that people should just forget about what gender people are and write characters. EDIT: But as I said, I love the setting of the Chanur books - as in, merchant ships traveling space picking up cargo. I've written stories about it, and tried to write a computer game about it (still working on that one). It's my favorite fantasy/sf setting for stories. Not Cherry's world in particular, but the freighter in space having adventures thing. - - - - - - - - - - Padfoot - Aug 12, 2004 11:15 am (#231 of 938) Tom I like Dick Francis books too. I have several of them on my bookcase. - - - - - - - - - - Scarlet Seer - Aug 12, 2004 5:52 pm (#232 of 938) For older HP fans, I'd recommend Katherine Kurtz's Deryni stories. They also feature a race of people that live alongside humans but posses great magical powers. They're really good, but considerably darker than Harry Potter; most of the books describe the persecution of the Deryni, and there are some graphic descriptions of medieval "justice." I also love Les Misérables by Victor Hugo. - - - - - - - - - - ShelterGirl - Aug 12, 2004 5:56 pm (#233 of 938) I also love the Laurie R King "Holmes/Russell" books and recommend them highly to anyone who is fond of pastiches. Speaking of which, there was a great book called On Night's Shore, by Randall Silvis. It's a mystery in which Edgar Allan Poe is researching a murder/suicide in 1840 New York City. Anyone who loves mysteries should check out Val McDermid's books. They are very well written and can be genuinely creepy at times. The first one I read was A Place of Execution, and it was fantastic. I also liked the first two Ender books by Orson Scott Card, but lost interest as the series progressed. However, one of the scariest books I ever read was one of his. It was called Lost Boys, and it actually made me holler with shock. That's it for now. I'll save the rest for later. Julie EDIT: PS..I lied. One of the BEST books ever was Boy's Life, by Robert R McCammon. I have re-read this book once a year since it was published. It's an amazing story about how a boy in Alabama in the 60's discovers what life really is about. It has mystery, and adventure, and music, and a lake monster, and a "dinosaur" on the loose. I can't say enough about this book, and it spurred the only fan letter I have ever written. - - - - - - - - - - T Brightwater - Aug 12, 2004 8:49 pm (#234 of 938) virgoddess, the Ozark Trilogy is about twelve families of Ozarkers who leave Earth and settle another planet, more or less peacefully coexisting with each other and three other sapient species, at least until there's a breakdown of both the political and the magical systems that hold things together. - - - - - - - - - - Leila 2X4B - Aug 12, 2004 9:03 pm (#235 of 938) I'd be smegged off. I'd be mad as hell, man. If some git in a white coat designed me to croak just so that he could sell his new android with go-faster stripes. Am I the only one who recommends things written before the 1600's? - - - - - - - - - - TomProffitt - Aug 12, 2004 10:21 pm (#236 of 938) Bullheaded empiricist Beauty one of my favorites is The Art of War by Sun Tzu, c. 300 BC. Principles still valid today, and applicable in things other that warfare. - - - - - - - - - - Leila 2X4B - Aug 12, 2004 10:45 pm (#237 of 938) I'd be smegged off. I'd be mad as hell, man. If some git in a white coat designed me to croak just so that he could sell his new android with go-faster stripes. Chaucer anyone? I also adore the Bhagavad Gita. That is a part of the Mahabarahta(which I know I misspelled). Indian poetry. It is beautiful, especially the ones about Shiva and Krishna. I am also fond of Milton. Goethe is a must read as is Gabriel Marquez. If you like the bizare, Jorge Louis Borges is quiet a find. Another modernest I enjoy is Samuel Beckett, "Waiting for Godot" and "Krapp's Last Tape". - - - - - - - - - - Phelim Mcintyre - Aug 13, 2004 5:54 am (#238 of 938) T Brightwater, I don't actually like the Nightwatch. But I will also add "The Truth" for a great satire on the media - Rita Skeeter is an ameatur compared to some of the guys who work as the newspaper in this story. Also, for people interested in a possible source for the name "Hogwarts". Get "The Complete Molesworth". Otherwise known as "The Curse of St Cuthberts" Molesworth is a third form pupil at an English Grammar school. The house Molesworth is in is called "Hogwarts". It is written by Geoffrey Willans and illustrated by Ronald Searle who also wrote and drew the St Trinians stories. Pah, Harry Potter is a beginner compared to these characters. - - - - - - - - - - Eponine - Aug 13, 2004 6:27 am (#239 of 938) Sleeping Beauty, did you ever read Beckett's "Happy Days"? We had to read that in my studies in drama class in college, and we all got headaches from it. - - - - - - - - - - T Brightwater - Aug 13, 2004 6:43 am (#240 of 938) Molesworth also refers to a good joke or trick as a "wizard wheeze," "wizard" being an adjective for something that is clever and highly-approved-of, at least by Molesworth. I like the City Watch (it even has a werewolf in it!) and don't care much for the Rincewind books. Chacon à son goût. (did I get the right accent?) I agree with you about _Thief of Time_! As for recommendations before 1600 - _Orlando Furioso_, Ludovico Ariosto, translated by Barbara Reynolds, published by Penguin. A true hoot. (You can skim the bits about the glorious House of Este, just think of them as literary commercials - or paid political ads.) Boccaccio's _Decameron_ (also in a Penguin edition), and the lais of Marie de France. - - - - - - - - - - Catherine - Aug 13, 2004 7:51 am (#241 of 938) Canon Seeker Heck, no, Leila! I'm right there with you. I majored in medieval/Renaissence literature. I absolutely love Chaucer, and I really enjoyed "Troilus and Cressida." Don't bother with Shakespeare's version; Chaucer's is much better. I also laugh every time I read the prologue to "The Wife of Bath's Tale." I really think that everyone should read Dante's Divine Comedy, and Milton's works. Paradise Lost is so amazing. I can never decide which Shakespeare play is my favorite. As I get older, I appreciate "Antony and Cleopatra" much more than I did in my 20s. I still like "Measure for Measure" and "The Tempest" quite a bit. And of couse, there's "Hamlet." I like John Donne's works, also. - - - - - - - - - - T Brightwater - Aug 13, 2004 10:10 am (#242 of 938) Dante, yes!!! I love the Sayers translation, as much for her notes as anything - have you others to recommend? I had an excerpt from "The Franklin's Tale" read at my wedding. It's hard for me to name a favorite, but it's probably "The Nun's Priest's Tale." - - - - - - - - - - Inappropriate Goat Charm - Aug 14, 2004 1:32 pm (#243 of 938) For older readers I would recommend they read books by Carl Hiassan, including the newly released "Skinny Dip." If you are going to read one of the Dan Brown books everyone is reading, I would say go for the Da Vinci Code, because while both books have the exact same story, Code is much better. For younger readers, I always liked Interstellar Pig, which is about some little boy all alone on vacation with his family that plays a life-or-death board game with aliens. Also, do not listen to whoever said to read Borges, because all of his stories are incredibly self-centered and make no sense. - - - - - - - - - - Celestina W. - Aug 14, 2004 8:08 pm (#244 of 938) Go Minnesota Twins! I think I've got to be the only person on the planet who didn't really like The Da Vinci Code. I was pretty offended by it on a religious level, and it seemed like other than the plot twists to keep you hooked, there really wasn't much substance to it. Not much emotional depth at all, I thought. On a more positive note, I'll second Barb's recommendation of Eragon. It was a fun read, and I'm looking forward to the sequel. I could see a few of the plot twists coming a mile away, but that didn't bother me too much. There are bits that reminded me of Tolkien, Robert Jordan, Anne McCaffrey, the Earthsea books, and the Dragonlance books, without really seeming like a rip-off of any of those. Unlike the few Dragonlance books I actually read, which seemed to me to be a disgustingly direct rip-off of Tolkien, but that's neither here nor there. Eragon was good, and I thought it was neat that some of the author's (apparent) influences were things I myself have read. Currently, I'm four chapters into The Grapes of Wrath, and I'm sorry to say I think it's pretty darn boring so far. I mean, come on, there's three pages about a turtle crossing the road! I've seen the movie, so I know the basic plot, and I'm hoping the action picks up soon, otherwise this is going to be one tough book to slog through. I could write much more about all of my favorite books, but that'll be an incredibly long post, so I think I'll save it for another time. - - - - - - - - - - Little Ginny - Aug 15, 2004 4:25 am (#245 of 938) I had about thirty posts to catch up, so I'll now comment on things posted a while back. I love to see so many Janeites here, though I really can't understand why you don't like Emma, which I like much better than Sense and Sensibility, but then, the main thing is that it's by Jane Austen, isn't it? I can only recommend Jane Austen and her time by Deidre LeFaye (sp?) which is a wonderful guide for those who don't know Austen and her work so well yet, and a great source of "background information" for the really obsessed. Also, I can only second the fans of Sayers. Gaudy Night is one of my favourites as well. And A place of Execution was one of the best mysteries I ever read. Someone said that Goethe is a must, and yes, he is, but his plays (if you read them at school) can get dull at some times. For beginners, I would recommend his poems, which are really great (at least in the original, I don't know about translations). Oh, and for me, Tolkien IS a classic, and one of my most favourite authors ever. - - - - - - - - - - Madame Librarian - Aug 15, 2004 10:48 am (#246 of 938) Little Ginny, I think Emma is the best Austen. At least it's my favorite. And Gaudy Night is my favorite Wimsey book, though Sayers's books seem to have a chronology that connects them all if you go in order, or at least do so for the ones leading up to Gaudy Night. Ciao. Barb Chris. - Aug 15, 2004 6:59 pm (#247 of 938) HBP: 16th July 2005: the most anticipated day in history I'm going to start reading some older novels. Can anyone recommend some Shakespeare for a 14-year-old, that's fairly easy to understand? - - - - - - - - - - Madame Librarian - Aug 15, 2004 8:14 pm (#248 of 938) Prongs, I wouldn't say they're the best, but many high schools have their freshman classes read either Julius Caesar and/or Romeo and Juliet. Since you might be dealing with those in the next school year anyway, why not start with them? You are probably familiar enough with the plots so you won't be confused about what just happened as you read, you'll be able to focus on the wonderful language, which is a bit different than contemporary English, but worth getting into. Ciao. Barb Ozymandias - Aug 15, 2004 8:20 pm (#249 of 938) Nothing beside remains... I would reccomend Othello. I read it in eighth grade, and fell in love with it. Also, have any of the Jane Austen fans read Evelina by Frances Burney? It was one of the novels I studied in the 18th century lit class I took last semester, and according to my professor it had a huge impact on Austen's work. Just having read Pride and Prejudice once, I could see the influence. It's not as good as P&P in my opinion, but still quite a good read, and the descriptions of social customs of the time are fantastic. - - - - - - - - - - Leila 2X4B - Aug 15, 2004 8:44 pm (#250 of 938) I'd be smegged off. I'd be mad as hell, man. If some git in a white coat designed me to croak just so that he could sell his new android with go-faster stripes. I would recommend Taming of the Shrew or Twelfth Night or Tempest, that is is really good. Hamlet is ok. Romeo and Juliet of course. Richard the Third is good too. I also liked Julius Casaer and Antony and Cleopatra. These are all good to begin with. Every yougin is different though. Macbeth, Titus Andronicus, Othello, Merchant of Venice should be tackled later. His sonnets are good, but some include varies genders of beloveds depending on whether you find it appropriate. [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.] Elanor Good Evans - Aug 16, 2004 12:10 pm (#255 of 938) Practically perfect in every way Prongs - do not read Coriolanus - dull dull dull but do read the merry wives of windsor or measure for measure - great morals and good humour not too hard going . b - - - - - - - - - - Eponine - Aug 16, 2004 12:24 pm (#256 of 938) I second Good Evans, Coriolanus is BORING!! I had to read it for my Shakespeare class in college, and I could barely get through it. I like Henry V a lot as well as Titus Andronicus. Much Ado About Nothing is great also. - - - - - - - - - - Padfoot - Aug 16, 2004 2:06 pm (#257 of 938) I enjoyed reading Hamlet back in high school. My British Literature teacher was actually British. So she was able to show a class that had zero interest in Shakespeare that the man actually had a sense of humor. Who knew? - - - - - - - - - - Madame Librarian - Aug 16, 2004 3:57 pm (#258 of 938) Little Ginny, that's what I was trying to say...the ones with Harriet have a chronology. But the others do suggest a Peter Wimsey who ages and grows more deliberate and mature. It's very subtle, and certainly doesn't require a reader to do them in order. Ciao. Barb I Am Used Vlad - Aug 16, 2004 4:15 pm (#259 of 938) I Am Almighty! My Shakespeare recommendations are Macbeth, Othello and Hamlet. For some reason I like the Tragedies. - - - - - - - - - - RuthJ - Aug 16, 2004 4:53 pm (#260 of 938) I agree with recommendations for Much Ado About Nothing, and I'm reading Julius Caesar now. I don't know if this has already been mentioned (I'm new to this thread), but with the amount of sci-fi/fantasy readers here, I recommend the Dune saga. Somewhat hard to get through, especially for the under-13 crowd, but it's incredibly imaginative, with great imagery. Dan Brown's The Da Vinci Code has been mentioned, but I'll add that it's better if you have some knowledge of art history and of the Bible. His other books, though not as intellectual, are entertaining. - - - - - - - - - - T Brightwater - Aug 16, 2004 5:34 pm (#261 of 938) I also really like Barry Hughart's books about Master Li and Number Ten Ox - "Bridge of Birds," "The Story of the Stone" and "Eight Skilled Gentlemen." (maybe there are others out by now.) - - - - - - - - - - Luke E.A. Lockhart - Aug 16, 2004 6:36 pm (#262 of 938) Dune is good, so's Dune Messiah, the first sequel. The rest... not so great. - - - - - - - - - - virgoddess1313 - Aug 17, 2004 1:18 pm (#263 of 938) I actually thought Shakespeare's King Lear was fairly good and I really don't like Shakespeare. We read it my senior year in my college English class. - - - - - - - - - - Madame Librarian - Aug 21, 2004 6:43 am (#264 of 938) Hi, folks, I have to crow a bit. I just bought a used book at our library book sale that I thought might be useful in my pursuit for world-class trivia facts and in offering insight to many elements of JKR's HP universe (as well as other fantasy/legend/lore stories). It's Funk & Wagnalls Standard Dictionary of Folklore, Mythology and Legend. A big (as in takes two hand to lift off shelf) book with a very comprehensive approach, incrediby teeny type, illustrations of pertinent symbols, etc., etc. The one I have is the 1972 edition and is very nice condition (they still made books well back then, and this is a library edition, a bit stronger, I think). It was marked $20, but I paid $10 because library staff members get book sale items for half price. Just out of curiosity, I checked amazon.com to see if it's still in print and what it costs. Wow. A used copy (no edition year given) that describes as though it's in similar condition to mine goes for between...$110-$145. The 2-volume, 1949 edition (the first maybe) goes from $250+! Yikes! What a deal. I am thrilled, of course, but I do intend to use the book. I'm keeping it (as soon as I clear off a bunch of other things) on the shelf near my collection of HP books. Since this sits on a shelf sort of up and over the computer desk, I'll have to be careful pulling this heavy tome off to check something. I'd hate to smash my typing fingers. It'd probably destroy my computer, too. (Joking, I hope.) Ciao. Barb - - - - - - - - - - Madame Librarian - Aug 21, 2004 4:56 pm (#265 of 938) Here's a chuckle from that book I just bought (see post above this one). I was checking the table of contents and there in black and white was this listing: Riddles--Potter Whoa. How did they know? This book is a 1972 edition! Sense and logic took over when I realized that the section is about riddles (as in when is a door not a door) and it was written by someone named Potter (Charles Francis Potter, to be exact). Still, for a nano-second I really started to believe in time travel. Aside from that, I am finding all sorts of good stuff that relates to HP. JKR really did some serious homework on folklore, legends and mythology. I don't want to quote at random (I'd have to quit my day job), but if a topic arises and there is some worthwhile information in here I'll be sure to share it. - - - - - - - - - - Phelim Mcintyre - Aug 22, 2004 12:38 pm (#266 of 938) Celestina W - I had to review "The Da Vinci Code". Not a bad thriller, but historically, theologically and philisophically it falls down big time. Clearwater - someone after my own heart. A fellow Sayers and Pratchett fan. I enjoy the Rincewind stuff because the unseen university is so like the university I went to (though mine was not as magical). But I do love the witches. Maskerade is fab. A phantom of the opera spoof. Spot the puns about Andrew Lloyd Webber, Rogers and Hammerstien, opera, Sondhiem and others. West musicals will never be the same. Also, in the run up to Christmas, I would advise people to read Hogfather. A great tonic to the Christmas decorations that have already gone up in a store near me (and it's only August!). - - - - - - - - - - Padfoot - Aug 24, 2004 12:04 pm (#267 of 938) Barb, what a great find! A great resource at a great price. I remember finding some first edition Tom Clancy books at Goodwill. I paid $1 each!!!! I practically ran out of there before anyone could stop me and "adjust" the price. - - - - - - - - - - Madame Librarian - Aug 24, 2004 1:00 pm (#268 of 938) Bravo, Padfoot! I suppose we could call library book sales and places like Goodwill...um...Recommended Shopping. I come from a l-o-o-n-g tradition of never pay retail! Ciao. Barb Hermy-own - Aug 25, 2004 9:44 am (#269 of 938) S.P.R.W. Vice President = Ponine I'm currently reading the first book of Maggie Furey's Shadowleague series. Anyone else read it? That Lord Blade reminds me of Lord Voldermort... - - - - - - - - - - virgoddess1313 - Aug 25, 2004 8:29 pm (#270 of 938) Just remembered another great children's book, The Boxcar Children. My mom read it to me and my brother when we were little and I loved it. I went and bought it today and finished reading it in less than an hour. I also read my first A Series of Unfortunate Events book (I think that is the name of the series). It was cute.. depressing, but cute. Obviously, I am a great fan of kids books (they are wonderful for a bit of light reading). I know I'm going to think of a million more tonight, I'm in the sort of mood to look up all of my old favorites on Barnes and Noble's site. - - - - - - - - - - Eponine - Aug 25, 2004 8:53 pm (#271 of 938) virogoddess, I love children's books. I have quite a collection. I want my kids (whenever I get around to having some) to have great books available to them just like I did, so I like to go to used book stores and buy the ones I used to read. - - - - - - - - - - RuthJ - Aug 25, 2004 9:20 pm (#272 of 938) Oh, I loved The Boxcar Children. Still do, but I haven't read it in years. I was a huge fan of Nancy Drew, too. Are there any Eloise fans here? When I was little I wanted a pet like Skipperdee, until I discovered turtles are rather boring animals. I read The Lovely Bones by Alice Sebold last year. A chilling, emotionally exhausting story, one of those that stays with you for a long while. - - - - - - - - - - Eponine - Aug 25, 2004 9:22 pm (#273 of 938) I love Eloise! I have all the books, but I didn't discover them until I was in college. - - - - - - - - - - Leila 2X4B - Aug 25, 2004 9:24 pm (#274 of 938) I'd be smegged off. I'd be mad as hell, man. If some git in a white coat designed me to croak just so that he could sell his new android with go-faster stripes. The Lovely Bones was terrible story. Not due to bad writing, but due to the fact that it is so terrible. It made me cry and the ending ticked me off. The book was well written and would recommend it too. Leila Padfoot - Aug 26, 2004 8:36 am (#275 of 938) Edited by Aug 26, 2004 8:36 am Sara, I loved The Boxcar Children too! I have not even thought about that book in years. I loved books like that. Still do! The Lovely Bones is an interesting book. Rather depressing, but interesting. - - - - - - - - - - Catherine - Aug 26, 2004 9:03 am (#276 of 938) Canon Seeker The Lovely Bones was a really good novel, but the story is every parent's nightmare. I just finished The Dogs of Babel, and really enjoyed it. - - - - - - - - - - Classicsquid592 - Aug 26, 2004 9:18 pm (#277 of 938) Has anyone read "The Shadow War Trilogy" ("Shadow Moon", "Shadow Dawn", and "Shadow Star") by George Lucas and Chris Claremont? It follows off of the Ron Howard film "Willow" but the series does not even compare with this film (even though you will have to see it to understand who any of the characters are). Within the first chapter, it becomes both darker and much larger in scale. It was a well written, epic series with many unexpected twists throughout. - - - - - - - - - - virgoddess1313 - Aug 26, 2004 9:34 pm (#278 of 938) I usually re-read books multiple times, but I didn't do that with The Lovely Bones. RuthJ is right... it was chilling and very emotionally exhausting.I was very stressed out after reading it. And speaking of re-reads, I finished up Memoirs of a Geisha by Arthur Golden the other day... excellent book. The Other Boelyn Girl by Phillipa Gregory is also wonderful. - - - - - - - - - - RuthJ - Aug 26, 2004 10:23 pm (#279 of 938) A friend told me, after reading The Lovely Bones, that she couldn't wait to see it made into a movie. I disagreed, 100%. How horrific would it be, to see that kind of tragedy on screen? My own imagination was more than enough. Other children's books that deserve mentioning: A Wrinkle in Time, Tom Sawyer, and To Kill a Mockingbird. That last one is usually classified as in the children/young adult section of libraries, but like Harry Potter, it has more depth--and more humor--than just a story about kids growing up. Classicsquid, my cousin has wanted me to read The Shadow War books for ages. He read the books before seeing the movie, & said the books are enormously more enjoyable. Haven't gotten around to it yet, but it's on my list. - - - - - - - - - - Classicsquid592 - Aug 27, 2004 9:40 am (#280 of 938) The books are much better than the movie, but I would have been immensely confused If I had not seen the movie first. - - - - - - - - - - Phelim Mcintyre - Aug 27, 2004 12:33 pm (#281 of 938) A non fiction recommendation. Lance Armstrong's "It's not about the Bike" - - - - - - - - - - Classicsquid592 - Aug 28, 2004 4:40 pm (#282 of 938) If you click on my icon, my bio includes a list of favorite authors. - - - - - - - - - - Celestina W. - Aug 28, 2004 8:38 pm (#283 of 938) Go Minnesota Twins! Edited by Aug 28, 2004 8:38 pm RuthJ, To Kill a Mockingbird is a wonderful book. I don't think it should be considered a kids' book at all; everyone should read it. I liked the Wrinkle in Time books pretty well, as I recall. It's been a really long time since I read them. I think A Swiftly Tilting Planet (Tilting? Turning? can't remember) was the best. - - - - - - - - - - Eponine - Aug 28, 2004 9:40 pm (#284 of 938) I love To Kill A Mockingbird, but after I taught it to a group of sophomores, it will probably be a while before I pick it up again. A Wrinkle in Time is a wonderful book as well. I remember doing a book report on it in 6th grade and thinking my classmates just didn't get it. - - - - - - - - - - ShelterGirl - Aug 29, 2004 6:47 am (#285 of 938) My favorite book from childhood was Island of the Blue Dolphins by Scott O'Dell. Every time someone I know has a baby daughter, I purchase the hardcover of that book as a gift for them. I also have very fond memories of reading all of the Tarzan books as a pre-teen. My most guilty pleasure of all dating back to when I was 9 (er...1980, but who's counting...) is The Destroyer series by Warren Murphy. These are the books that the dreadful Remo Williams movie was based on, and I still shudder when I think of how they ruined the premise. The books are great fun, humorous, and they go down as easy as hot chocolate. Julie - - - - - - - - - - Magical Llama - Aug 30, 2004 7:13 pm (#286 of 938) My copy of Jonathan Strange and Mr Norrell came in today. I will let you know how it is. - - - - - - - - - - Herm oh ninny - Aug 31, 2004 10:46 am (#287 of 938) "Accio treats!" I have to say that the book "Rebecca" by Daphne DuMaurier is incredible. I read it for my sophomore year term paper and have loved it ever since. Some other great books are: A Series of Unfortunate Events, Artemis Fowl, and I am in the middle of the book Eragon by Christopher Paolini and it is incredible. I also loved Lord of the Rings. - - - - - - - - - - Chris. - Aug 31, 2004 12:04 pm (#288 of 938) HBP: 16th July 2005: the most anticipated day in history Quick question: Do the "Series of Unfortunate Events" books have to be read in order? - - - - - - - - - - Herm oh ninny - Aug 31, 2004 4:20 pm (#289 of 938) "Accio treats!" Yes Prongs they definately need to be read in order. Also the unauthorized biography of Lemony Snicket also reveals a lot of clues and should be read after the 9th book. - - - - - - - - - - Madame Librarian - Aug 31, 2004 8:14 pm (#290 of 938) M. Llama, I am on the waiting list for Jonathan Strange and Mr. Norrell. Please don't give anything away. I am looking forward to discovering all on my own. I'm almost sorry I read the long Time Magazine review, although that's how I heard about the book. Ciao. Barb - - - - - - - - - - Little Ginny - Sep 2, 2004 11:26 am (#291 of 938) I just finished North and South by Elizabeth Gaskell, and I liked it very much!! Mrs Gaskell was a friend of Charlotte Bronte, and wrote her novels at the same time as Charlotte Bronte (she also wrote a very interesting biongraphy about Charlotte Bronte) and within this novel, she describes the story of young Margaret Hale, who, in the midth of the 19th century, moves from the agricultural South to the industrial North of England, where she meets, among others the worker Nicholas Higgins and the mill-owner John Thornton, and has to form her own opinion on such things as wages and strikes. After having read this book, I want to read other books by the author, but at the moment I am wating for my copy of The Princess Bride to arrive, which couldn't be delivered to my local bookstore as fast as I thought. If you want to order some foreign books in Germany, you sometimes have to be just patient!! - - - - - - - - - - Leila 2X4B - Sep 2, 2004 11:28 am (#292 of 938) I'd be smegged off. I'd be mad as hell, man. If some git in a white coat designed me to croak just so that he could sell his new android with go-faster stripes. I am reading The Bonesetter's Daughter, by Amy Tan. It is excellent. Leila Catherine - Sep 2, 2004 1:15 pm (#293 of 938) Canon Seeker I almost hesitate to recommend this book, given how boring some folks found the grammar discussions on the chat thread, but I SO enjoyed Eats, Shoots, and Leaves by Lynn Truss. For anyone who has an Inner Stickler, you will enjoy it. Her humor is wonderfully British, and I laughed out loud. I found it delightful. - - - - - - - - - - Dr Filibuster - Sep 2, 2004 1:33 pm (#294 of 938) Sue, from Northwich, England. Catherine, did you have an American version of the book? I'm just curious because there seems to be quite a few differences between British and American English. Or maybe it's the alternative spellings that make it feel like there are. - - - - - - - - - - I Am Used Vlad - Sep 2, 2004 2:35 pm (#295 of 938) I Am Almighty! Sue, this is from the Publisher's Note for the American version: "Lynne Truss's Eats, Shoots & Leaves has been reprinted exactly as it was in its original British edition, complete with British examples, spellings and, yes, punctuation." The books are the same. Or is it "...and, yes, punctuation". - - - - - - - - - - Madame Librarian - Sep 2, 2004 3:37 pm (#296 of 938) I think it's wonderful that every few dozen posts or so, when a new batch of members starts participating in this thread, that Lynn Truss's book is mentioned. She actually shares some writerly characteristics with Jo. They are both clever, funny, serious, passionate about their topic, original, and willing to be in the public eye (i.e., they don't hide from their fans). I wonder if they ever get together for a chat and a cuppa. Ciao. Barb - - - - - - - - - - Little Ginny - Sep 3, 2004 4:55 am (#297 of 938) Sorry to be somewhat slow, but is this Lynn Truss-book a fictional book or rather something like Bill Bryson's Mother Tongue (which has already been discussed here, but in my opinion can't be recommended often enough)? I must confess that I have never heard about that book before, but what you say about it sounds interesting. - - - - - - - - - - Catherine - Sep 3, 2004 5:55 am (#298 of 938) Canon Seeker I would say that Eats, Shoots, and Leaves is a rant, a history of punctuation, editorial anecdotes, and a style manual all wrapped up in a very British package. - - - - - - - - - - Phelim Mcintyre - Sep 4, 2004 1:46 am (#299 of 938) Eats, Shoots and Leaves is non-fiction. Yes, Little Ginny, it is similar to Bryson's Mother Tounge. There are other books out there including one with a foward by John Humphrey's - the BBC broadcaster. To understand the differences between British, American, Australian, Canadian and other English dalaects try the Oxford Dictionary of World English. But on another note... did you, like I did, find Shakespeare boring at school? The try "Exit Stage Right, Pursued by A Bear". I don't know the author and have probably got the grammar wrong not having the book infront of me but it is a great look at the English Bard's (Shakespeare's) works. - - - - - - - - - - Choices - Sep 4, 2004 6:00 pm (#300 of 938) Completely Obsessed With Harry Potter OK, I admit I'm lazy and haven't read through all the previous posts to see if this book has been recommended already or not. I just found it recently at the library. It's by John Granger and it's called "Looking for God in Harry Potter" (with a comment in the front by our own Steve Vander Ark) [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.] Elanor TomProffitt - Sep 8, 2004 5:29 pm (#303 of 938) Bullheaded empiricist Steve, if you like Glen Cook try Tanya Huff. I actually like Cook's science fiction better than his fantasy, but it's more the worlds he creates than his stories. Has anyone mentioned Terry Goodkind on this thread? I like his stuff, some books are better than others, but it is good stuff. - - - - - - - - - - Steve Newton - Sep 9, 2004 9:00 am (#304 of 938) Librarian TomProffitt, thanks for the tip. I just ordered 'Child of the Grove' from my library. It was the only one by her that was listed. - - - - - - - - - - TomProffitt - Sep 9, 2004 3:59 pm (#305 of 938) Bullheaded empiricist I haven't actually tried that one yet. I love her Summon the Keeper series. I'm reading it for the third or forth time now. (Just got it this year) - - - - - - - - - - Steve Newton - Sep 10, 2004 7:51 am (#306 of 938) Librarian TomProffitt, it was the only one in the system. - - - - - - - - - - Steve Newton - Sep 17, 2004 12:20 pm (#307 of 938) Librarian Does anyone read Jim Butcher's Harry Dresden books? - - - - - - - - - - Accio Book Six - Sep 19, 2004 7:36 pm (#308 of 938) It's been a while for me on these boards so I haven't read EVERY page, but I dont' think I've read any reccomendations for the His Dark Materials trilogy... ATTENTION-- The series that will FILL YOU HARRY POTTER VOID is called "His Dark Materials" by Philip Pullman. Seriously... buy these books. They're amazing. Anyone who loves Harry Potter will lose themselves in these books. The three books that will make the wait for book 6 tolerable are called: "The Golden Compass" "The Subtle Knife" and "The Amber Spyglass" so I expect all of you to be trotting along to your local book emporium to check out my reccomendations ps. I'm also reading the Artemis Fowl books right now, which are good, but don't rival His Dark Materials or Harry Potter. - - - - - - - - - - ShelterGirl - Sep 20, 2004 10:10 am (#309 of 938) I've finally bitten the bullet and purchased Jonathan Strange & Mr. Morrell. I started it last night. One of my friends said it took a lot for him to get into it. After reading several chapters it's clear he has never read Austen. Anyway, so far so good. Has anyone finished it yet? - - - - - - - - - - Little Ginny - Sep 20, 2004 11:36 am (#310 of 938) Oh, yes, can anybody comment upon Jonathan Strange and Mr Norrell ? I'm trying to find out whether I should order it. As it sometimes takes ages to order British books from Germany this has to be very carefully planned. - - - - - - - - - - Doxy Bowtruckle - Sep 20, 2004 2:00 pm (#311 of 938) I have read Philip Pullmans Dark Materials and was totally blown away by them. I would love to have a Daemon like Pantalaimon just like the main character Lyra. Pan (for short) takes on various forms throughout the books and finally settles on one true form near the end. It is set in Oxford around the colleges and universities, but is set in Lyra's time line, who then manages to cross over to other times also set in Oxford and other far away places. I was so hooked on this that my partner and I recently went up to Oxford on a pilgrimage to see the Botanical Gardens and the colleges. Well worth a read. - - - - - - - - - - Accio Book Six - Sep 22, 2004 10:28 pm (#312 of 938) Yes! Another Dark Materials fan! Except she doesn't jump timelines, she jumps worlds. the theory is that there are infinite amounts of universes all on top of eachother, each different from the next, and there's a way to jump between them. It's sort of like an RPG, actually! Like, all of the world's mana (not called mana in the book) is depleting... and there's the quest to save everything... Read it and find out guys, seriously. oh, and artemis fowl is getting better. it's actually pretty good. EDIT: That's so cool about the botanical gardens! Make sure you sit on that bench if it actually exists! - - - - - - - - - - Doxy Bowtruckle - Sep 24, 2004 4:33 am (#313 of 938) The bench we did find and sat on was pictured in the made up post card in the book Lyras Oxford (PP), (David Fickling Books 2003) So not really sure if it was the right one, knowing my luck, earwax! We also saw the avenue of Hornbeam Trees on Sunderland Avenue and Mary Malones house, which you can find on the map. When we were at the Botanical Gardens, there was a really unusal but beautiful cat which kept hovering around the bench, made me think of Pan and Lyra waiting for Will to meet them again on next Mid Summers Day at Midday. I just wish that i could go and see some of things that are mentioned in the HP books. Kings Cross doesn't appeal to me that much! To midsummers day and September 1st, maybe i shall do both next year! DoxyB x El Cronista de Salem - Sep 26, 2004 10:23 am (#314 of 938) we commented this book the other day in the Parvati Patil post. "Life of Pi", of... ¿Yann Matel? It is a WONDERFUL book. It is very special... Is difficult to describe. Hm... very difficult. Maybe you will need patience at the begining of the book. personally, i dont like NOTHING give a synopsis of a book, because it describes the first 100 pages, and i want the the book would be a surprise from the 1st page. now i am reading 1984, of george orwell... i am enjoying a lot. but as i haven't finished, i cant give you my last opinion. but i read "Farm.... revelation?" (i dont know the title in english) and it was great. - - - - - - - - - - TomProffitt - Sep 27, 2004 3:41 pm (#315 of 938) Bullheaded empiricist - - - - - - - - - - Madame Librarian - Sep 27, 2004 9:13 pm (#316 of 938) The Life of Pi was written by Yan Martel. Great book. Very unusual premise, smooth reading (i.e., not dense), superb adventure story (think "Survival" or "Lifeboat") and incredibly thought provoking. And, ala The French Lieutenant's Woman, you get to pick your ending...sort of. Ciao. Barb Julia. - Sep 28, 2004 5:55 am (#317 of 938) 74% obsessed! Uconn Jew Crew says: is it August yet? Merlin's beard, I hated Animal farm, but that could have been because I was forced to read it by an evil high school English teacher, who insisted we spend a month and a half on it learning nothing, and making sure our paragraphs all had three sentences. - - - - - - - - - - timrew - Sep 28, 2004 2:53 pm (#318 of 938) Middle-aged Harry Potter fan Like all the great writers in history, whose paragraphs had three sentences - not! Teachers like that (who assume that they are right, and everyone else is wrong) should be barred from the teaching profession. I understand your hatred of Animal Farm, Julia, even though it is a wonderful book; and an indictment of all political systems (not just Communist ones!). Leave it a few years, until the memory of 'Miss Snape' recedes, and then try reading it again. - - - - - - - - - - Classicsquid592 - Oct 3, 2004 10:58 am (#319 of 938) "ATTENTION-- The series that will FILL YOU HARRY POTTER VOID is called "His Dark Materials" by Philip Pullman. Seriously... buy these books. They're amazing. Anyone who loves Harry Potter will lose themselves in these books." Accio- I respectfully disagree, however because my complaint with the series you mention would bring the conversation to an argument of philosophy I will not pursue the argument any further. Anyone who is a fan of these novels, by all means keep reading them. However I do not think that there should be any comparison with Harry Potter in discussing these books. I do not speak to offend, I disagree with the author in terms of philosophy. I say nothing negative about the quality of the books themselves and admit that I oft recommend books with which I disagree and even with these novels I will admit that they are indeed quite well written. I simply would not compare them with Harry Potter. - - - - - - - - - - Aud Duck - Oct 3, 2004 1:47 pm (#320 of 938) "I know I have to beat time when I learn Music." "Ahh, that accounts for it. He won't stand beating."--Alice in Wonderland I wasn't all that impressed by His Dark Materials, either. Well, I was until the end. That was really disappointing. I really like The Moonstone by Wilkie Collins, A Wrinkle in Time By Madeleine L'Engle, and A Series of Unfortunate Events by Lemony Snicket. You have to be prepared for the Snicket books to be dumb, but I, personally, like them for that. Candide is amusing in the same way, though it is probably done better. My favourite author is E.M. Forster. Literary, but fairly easy to read. My favourite was Howard's End, but A Passage to India is really good, too. - - - - - - - - - - timrew - Oct 3, 2004 2:16 pm (#321 of 938) Middle-aged Harry Potter fan Nope, Philip Pullman is an author I could not get into at all. In fact, I got to page 34 of "Northern Lights", at the start of the, "Lyra's Jordan" chapter, before I put down the book in despair. I'm afraid it just bored me to death. So, if anyone in the UK wants a free copy of, "Northern Lights", pristine condition, almost unread........just let me know..... - - - - - - - - - - T Brightwater - Oct 3, 2004 9:14 pm (#322 of 938) I liked _His Dark Materials_; I've even re-read it (once) but I didn't think it was nearly as good as HP. Interesting that the Spectres in HDM are a lot like Dementors; I think the Spectres may also be embodiments of depression. I don't usually care for appropriations of other peoples' characters, but I really like Laurie R. King's Sherlock Holmes & Mary Russell mysteries - they're not pastiches of Conan Doyle, and they're good stories in their own right, especially the most recent one, _Justice Hall_. I advise reading them in order, however: _The Beekeeper's Apprentice_, _A Monstrous Regiment of Women_, _A Letter of Mary_, _The Moor_, _O Jerusalem_, and _Justice Hall_. - - - - - - - - - - Accio Book Six - Oct 4, 2004 12:51 pm (#323 of 938) If you ask me, you can't give an opinion on a book that you haven't finished. I mean, books are meant to be enjoyed as a whole, not just 30 pages. Maybe if you had kept reading until her journey began you'd have a different opinion. Just do me a favour, people, if you start a book, finish it. A lot of the time you'll never know what you're missing if you just give up and you'll probably never read it again. If you don't want to read it, just don't start it, because starting and stopping will just turn you off of it even more. I can't tell you how many of my friends have started reading harry potter and stopped before he even got to school because they said it was boring, and now it's IMPOSSIBLE to get them to pick it back up again. OH, and everyone should read Timothy Findley. All of his books are great, but my favourite is 'Not Wanted on the Voyage'. But once again, it starts slow but gets amazing, so all of you people who get bored easily, just do me a favour and don't pick it up, cuz maybe if you don't now, you will eventually. - - - - - - - - - - timrew - Oct 4, 2004 3:45 pm (#324 of 938) Middle-aged Harry Potter fan I've only put two books down as unreadable in my life. One was brought out, I think as a rival to LOTR, and it was called "The Worm Oroboruos". I forget who the author was, but I don't want to know anyway; and the other was Philip Pullman's, "Northern Lights". It really takes a lot for me to put a book down part read - I love reading. But I found these two books so stultifyingly boring that I really could go no further. To suggest that I plod on to the end of either of them is the same as suggesting I iron my hands. Unless an author can grip you in the first sentence of a book, then he/she is a poor writer indeed! Only my two knuts, but I have no intention of reading either of these dire books again. - - - - - - - - - - Madame Librarian - Oct 4, 2004 3:54 pm (#325 of 938) Accio Book Six, oh dear, I beg to differ. As an avid reader and a librarian, I have come to the conclusion that life's too short and there are way too many wonderful books (wonderful to me, that is) to keep on with a book that is just not your cup of tea. I used to feel otherwise, but I discovered that finishing a book that was not enjoyable put me in a cranky mood. And, as much as I may adore HP, I cannot browbeat someone into liking it. In my job my opinion is often asked and I'm approached by library patrons all the time for recommendations. I have learned to very open and honest in my little mini-book chats with others, and certainly not to take offence when someone has different reading tastes than I. Now, I agree that one should stick with something a teensy bit and give it a chance. Although, there are those books that one knows immediately with the first page will just not suit. And, I have no problem with people expressing (politely) their opinion of a book regardless of whether they finished it or not. That's what it is--just one person's opinion. I would indeed have a problem if that same person who just read one page or ten pages were to write a full-fledged review or go on and on about how awful it was. No, I don't approve of that at all. The huge fun of this Forum is enhanced by the atmosphere of friendly debate, the agreeing to disagree, the sharing of opinions, the opening of our eyes to new ideas, even ones we may end up rejecting. If everybody liked the same thing, life would be a bit dull. As they say in the ice cream businsess, that's why there are 31 flavors. Ciao. Barb timrew - Oct 4, 2004 4:24 pm (#326 of 938) Middle-aged Harry Potter fan Okay, Barb, I guess I came on a bit strong there! Sorry! But, I really did try to get into both books. After all, I had paid good money for them! (There, I should have joined a library after all!) Another book I did finish and found very disappointing was "Artemis Fowl". I think at the the time I was taken in by all the "better than Harry Potter" hype. It wasn't. I won't be re-reading it or any further books in the series..... But I did recently finish re-reading, "The Once And Future King" by T. H. White and found it as excellent as when I first read it about thirty years ago. And if anyone says that they thought it was the worst book they've ever read.......I promise not to be upset at all! - - - - - - - - - - Aud Duck - Oct 4, 2004 5:28 pm (#327 of 938) "I know I have to beat time when I learn Music." "Ahh, that accounts for it. He won't stand beating."--Alice in Wonderland I was disappointed in Artemis Fowl as well, but the second in the series is far better than the first. I'm not necessarily reccomending it. I don't really think it's worth seeking out. But that is probably where all of the positive reviews come from. I think the main improvement is the dialogue. That always seemed unnatural to me in the first. - - - - - - - - - - TomProffitt - Oct 4, 2004 5:45 pm (#328 of 938) Bullheaded empiricist You can't argue taste. I put up a fairly long list of some of my favorite authors and I was quite surprised that no one agreed with any of my choices. I can't understand why anyone would read Jane Austen, but she seems to be quite popular with Harry readers. On the other hand I love Jack McDevitt's work, his plots are as rich JKR's, but no one here seems to have heard of him. I read a lot. I try a lot of quite different stuff. I read and enjoyed Clancy and W.E.B. Griffin until I realized they were using the same plot and characters all of the time. By the way, Anne McCaffery does the same thing (albeit, with quite a different plot and characters, but still, repetitious). No one is going to like all the same stuff. I have learned to appreciate those rare moments when I find people who have similar tastes to my own, rather than wallow in despair when people I like find my tastes don't suit them. - - - - - - - - - - Leila 2X4B - Oct 4, 2004 6:42 pm (#329 of 938) I'd be smegged off. I'd be mad as hell, man. If some git in a white coat designed me to croak just so that he could sell his new android with go-faster stripes. The main reason I have yet to agree with you Tom is, sans Art of War, I have yet to read one of the books you have listed. Leila TomProffitt - Oct 4, 2004 6:55 pm (#330 of 938) Bullheaded empiricist Leila, I learned a long time ago that my tastes are somewhat unique. I don't feel a need for people to agree with me. I appreciate people who try to understand where I am coming from, just as I strive to understand the views of other people. If people can understand why I believe something and still feel I'm wrong, I'm okay with that. I just don't want to be one of those people that proclaims "right, wrong, and truth" without trying to understand all of the arguments. - - - - - - - - - - Madame Librarian - Oct 4, 2004 7:53 pm (#331 of 938) Golly, tim, I hope you didn't think I was tsk tsk-ing anyone. We librarians have to be careful about that. Too many people think that's all we do anyway. This reminds me of an idea I had for a library promotion. A few years ago I did one called "Thanks for the Memories" where we had parons fill out slip with a brief blurb about the book they loved most. The responses were great. I edited the piece and created a hand-out. People really liked it. They said it brought back lots of memories of their favorite books. So, I thought next I should do one and ask for people to write up a short paragraph on their least favorite book. Now that would be really fun. Ciao. Barb Catherine - Oct 5, 2004 7:49 am (#332 of 938) Canon Seeker Barb, I didn't think you were "tisking" at all. I agree with you about feeling "ok" with putting down a book that isn't one's "cup of tea!" Life is too short to read bad books that do not bring you pleasure. Now, I find different kinds of pleasure in different books, but if reading a certain book leaves you empty, then by all means put it down and pick up another one. I myself will "slog" through books I don't really like if I think there might be a payoff in the end. But when teaching high-school in which I encountered many "non-readers," I always told them for their "outside" reading that if they hated it, find something else. The important thing to me was that they not stop reading, but make another selection to continue reading. My students were always surprised that I gave them "permission" to not finish a book. Keep in mind this was for their outside reading, and reading for their papers! People are so busy today and have less leisure time than ever before. Kids are so overscheduled, and life can be hectic. Finding refuge in a good book is one of life's greatest pleasures, and I think it's fine if people don't want to spend their free time with a book that they do not enjoy. - - - - - - - - - - Classicsquid592 - Oct 5, 2004 3:39 pm (#333 of 938) Aud Duck: Were you comparing Voltaire to Lemony Snicket? I have never quite seen the "Unfortunate Events Books" put on quite on the same level with "Candide". The thought is somewhat amusing, however the adjective "dumb" makes me think that there must be another book with the same title. Sorry, if there is, I must warn you that I very rarely read current literature. - - - - - - - - - - Rex Jones - Oct 10, 2004 1:35 pm (#334 of 938) This is a list of my favorite books beside Harry and LOTR 1. The Westing Game by Ellen Raskin. Very funny and puzzle-like mystery. I LOVE this book! 2. Cirque du Freak, Vampire's Assistant and Tunnels of Blood by Darren Shan. VERY cool vampire books, that are recommended by JKR herself. Beware:The other books in the series suck! 3. A Midsummer Night's Dream by William Shakespeare. Classic tale, and Shakespeare's best. - - - - - - - - - - Madame Librarian - Oct 12, 2004 9:24 am (#335 of 938) I also posted this on the HP in Pop Culture thread: I am currently reading Jonathan Strange and Mr. Norrell by Susanna Clarke (Bloomsbury, 2004), but happened upon this review in the NY Times Book Review section of 9/5/2004 (yes, I'm a bit behind on my review reading...tsk, tsk). I'll quote the first paragraph (the heading is "Hogwarts for Grown-Ups"). "There is a great deal of magic in books nowadays," Mr. Norrell says. He's right. The publishing world has been under a weird enchantment since She-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named (but her initials are J.K.R.) came out with the first Harry Potter novel.... [The review is written by Gregory Maguire who wrote Wicked: the Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West and most recently, Mirror Mirror.] BTW-I'm nearly half way through the book (it's 782 pages!), and though it's not quite a page-turner, I'm really enjoying it. Ciao. Barb - - - - - - - - - - T Brightwater - Oct 13, 2004 6:52 am (#336 of 938) Tom, have you read anything by Eric Frank Russell? I think you'd like him a lot. Unfortunately I'm having a bad memory day and can't remember titles, but I think two of them were _Six Worlds Yonder_ and _The Space Willies_; he also wrote a lot of short stories. Hilarious! Timrew, I had a friend who recommended E. R. Eddison (_The Worm Ouroboros_) so highly that I made myself read all of his books - and I wish I'd bailed out like you did. I also read the whole E. E."Doc" Smith "Lensman" series, and later re-read them just because I couldn't believe they were really as awful as I remembered them. They were. - - - - - - - - - - Steve Newton - Oct 13, 2004 7:21 am (#337 of 938) Librarian A good read, and another coming of age story, are the Chronicle of Prydain by Lloyd Alexander. (The Book of Three, The Castle of LLyr, The Black Cauldron, Taran Wanderer, The High King). This list is from memory and may be out of order, but, I think that I got the titles right. The series starts off as a children's series but matures well. Published in the late 60s. - - - - - - - - - - Amilia Smith - Oct 14, 2004 1:49 pm (#338 of 938) I second the recommendation of the Prydain Cycle. I think it is based on Welsh mythology, but could be wrong. I recently recommended this series to a friend, and he is excited enough about these books that he has been calling me from California nightly to update me on his progress. I would also recommend Alexander's Westmark Trilogy (Westmark, The Kestral, The Beggar Queen). These are books that grabbed me with the first sentence, which was startling and unexpected every time. If I remember correctly, the first sentence of Westmark was, "Theo, by occupation, was a devil." Once you read a little further, you discover that he is a printer's devil, or apprentice. My latest discovery is The Eyre Affair by Jasper Fforde. It is laugh out loud funny with plenty of action thrown in. One of the funnest parts for me was the names Fforde has come up with. The heroine is Thursday Next. The evil arch-villian is Archeon Hades (who has a brother named Styx). Thursday is a literary detective. Her boss's name is Victor Analogy. The big boss over the whole office, a weak and ineffective man, is named Braxton Hicks. There are identical twin brothers who work in her office named Jeff and Geoff Forty. I could go on and on about the names, but I will leave some of them for you to discover on your own. I highly recommend this book, especially to readers (which everyone here seems to be), as it is full of literary allusions that you have to be literate to get. Mills. Albus Glumbumble - Oct 31, 2004 9:46 am (#339 of 938) 1st Class Melancholy - Inducing Treacle Producer Here's some of the best books out there apart from the HP series, in my opinion: Philip Pullman's "His Dark Materials" trilogy is one of the best stories of the last century, read the books and love them. The Artemis Fowl books by Eoin Colfer mightn't exactly change your outlook on life or anything, but the three so far are really excellent, clever reads. I've got three of them signed, too Needless to say, the Lord of the Rings trilogy from Tolkien. Terry Pratchett's Discworld series are the funniest books out there, especially the City Watch ones. I found Alexandre Dumas' Three Musketeers and Count of Monte Cristo surprisingly good. Monte Cristo is a bit slow, however. At the moment I'm reading Lian Hearn's Tales of the Otori trilogy, which are pretty good books, too, for young adults. - - - - - - - - - - Elanor - Oct 31, 2004 3:30 pm (#340 of 938) Albus, if you liked the Three Musketeers, you will like "20 years later" which is its sequel (Sorry, I don't know exactly how it was translated in English; the real title is "Vingt ans après"). It is brilliant and you will find out that Milady's son would have done well in Slytherin too... - - - - - - - - - - SHEla WOLFsbane - Nov 6, 2004 5:08 am (#341 of 938) Whew* I had a lot to catch up on. I've got a list of books to read now though. Thanks all! Working backwards, Tom: I just picked up Art of War. Haven't got around to reading it yet, I'm working my way through Sense, and Sensibliliy. I love fantasy books, but I'm trying to read at least one 'classic' or non fiction for every two fantasy books I read. I used to hate reading! Truly! If a book didn't get my attention in the first page, I was out of there. Then I went to flipping through it if it didn't grab my attention, figuring if it did later in the book, I'd give it a try. Some times that worked, some times it didn't. I had an English teacher in High School, who told us if we got to a slow part of the book, and felt like we couldn't take any more of it, to skip that part. A paragraph or two, or maybe even a page- until it picks up- just so we know it will. Read until our interest is peaked again, then go back over the part we missed. It worked great for me. I still use it to this day if need be. I read for fun, if a book isn't fun, or relaxing, I have no probs putting it down. Especially if I'm still not interested after those 'tricks' and reading gasp the last page. Anyway, sorry about that. Okay, I'm not going to recommend any fantasy books this time, there are just too many that I have enjoyed. But I will second, or third, or what ever it turns out to be, the 'votes' for Steinbeck. Also Ray Bradbury. I have not read a lot of his works, but what I have read has drawn me in. I may have recommended this one before, but since I just got done re reading Where the Red Fern Grows after 12+ years, and found that it still made me cry, and laugh... I have to recommend it again. Wonderful book for all ages- though, I don't suggest reading it out loud... - - - - - - - - - - Madame Librarian - Nov 6, 2004 6:54 am (#342 of 938) Oh, dear, Where the Red Fern Grows is on our library's list of Best Books to Read Aloud with the Family. My son was in 5th grade (age 10). He arrives home from school one day with a look on his face that spelled 'trouble.' He looked so horribly upset, with tears brimming in his eyes. My instant reaction was a bully incident at recess or being unfairly sent to the principal's office. He wouldn't say what's wrong. All he could mumble was, "I can't talk about it now." He went directly to his room and shut the door. I didn't here a sound from him for 2 hours. I peeked in and he was buried under his covers with a pillow over his head. I thought maybe he was sobbing. When he emerged from his room, he was calmer, but very, very serious looking. I prepared myself for the worst. Here's what he told me: "Mom, you know how Ms. Schlecker [his teacher] likes to read aloud with us? Well, we just finished this book, Where the Red Fern Grows. Mom, everyone...everyone is class was crying, even Ms. Schlecker! It was so sad. I had to come home and cry some more. I just loved that book! It's the best we ever read together." Relieved? Me? Yes, but the kid nearly had me sobbing, too, at that point, and I hadn't even read the book! So, there's a different take on things. As we know from our HP obssession, sometimes the sad parts are the best parts. Ciao. Barb - - - - - - - - - - SHEla WOLFsbane - Nov 6, 2004 9:37 pm (#343 of 938) Madame Librarian, My first experience with Where the Red Fern Grows was much the same as your sons. Our 6th grade teacher Mrs. Bejin read it out loud to us. My reaction was much the same as your sons also. (As was Mrs. Bejin's) I think that was the first book I talked my Mom into reading. She cried too. The only reason I didn't recommend reading it out loud is because it's kind of hard to see the words with tears in my eyes, and to talk past the lump in my throat. (It does kind of ruin the flow when I have to stop because I simply can't see the words any more) I DO think that it is a great family book, and that all could, and would enjoy it! Just think having some one to hand the book off to when you can no longer read past the lump would be a good idea if it's going to be read out loud. - - - - - - - - - - Little Ginny - Dec 12, 2004 7:41 am (#344 of 938) I have just finished the Thursday Next series by Jasper Fforde, and I liked it. The first volume is The Eyre Affaire, followed by Lost in a Good Book and The Well of Lost Plots. If you like a book about a 1985 different from ours, plus an exciting adventure, plus some witty and funny allusions to literature, you might like these books. - - - - - - - - - - Aud Duck - Dec 12, 2004 10:01 am (#345 of 938) "I know I have to beat time when I learn Music." "Ahh, that accounts for it. He won't stand beating."--Alice in Wonderland Classicsquid: Yes, I was comparing the Snicket books to Candide. They are in the same genre in that they are both very silly satires that derive their humour from the sheer preposterousness of the events they relate. I was not, however, suggesting, that the Snicket books are as good as Candide. I recently finished the first two books to Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, and have, so far, been very pleased with the series. I also enjoyed Once on a Time by A.A. Milne and Don Qixote de la Mancha. Hmmm. I think that that officially makes my list include only two books that aren't silly satires. I should probably branch out a bit. - - - - - - - - - - Amilia Smith - Dec 12, 2004 3:07 pm (#346 of 938) To add to Little Ginny's list, the fourth book in the Thursday Next series is Something Rotten. And next year we can expect The Big Over Easy from Jasper Fforde, which is to be the first book in the Jack Spratt detective series, Nursery Crime. Sorry. I couldn't resist. I have also discovered these books recently and become something of a Fforde ffan. Mills. - - - - - - - - - - Phelim Mcintyre - Dec 28, 2004 4:23 am (#347 of 938) Two to read if you can get hold of them. Both by John Masefield, a contempary to J R R Tolkien and C S Lewis, and a Poet Lauriate here in the UK. They are called "The Midnight Folk" and "The Box of Delights". Superb books about magic which I am sure J K Rowling would have come across. But on the Dark Materials trilogy - as someone who read all three books I would recommend the first two but not the last one. The polemic gets in the way of the story. Not a good thing. - - - - - - - - - - Veritaserum - Dec 28, 2004 10:13 am (#348 of 938) Go Jays! I third the Thursday Next suggestion. Very highly recommended, for all those who enjoy books and strange bizzarity. And having recently discovered the Hitchhikers' Guide series, I greatly enjoy those too, and am terribly excited for the movie. - - - - - - - - - - Celestina W. - Dec 30, 2004 9:46 pm (#349 of 938) Go Minnesota Twins! I very strongly recommend A Tree Grows in Brooklyn by Betty Smith. I absolutely loved this book. To summarize, it's the story of a girl growing up in Brooklyn in the early 20th century, but really, the book is so much more than that. It's one of the most honest, emotional things I've ever read. I cried, several times (and that's coming from someone who didn't even shed a tear when Sirius died, even though he was one of my favorite characters). There are parts of this book that I felt could have been written about me. I know I'm not doing a good job of describing it, and you might be skeptical, but trust me, read A Tree Grows in Brooklyn and you won't regret it. - - - - - - - - - - T Brightwater - Dec 31, 2004 5:43 pm (#350 of 938) Thanks to those who recommended _Jonathan Strange and Mr. Norell_; I got it for Christmas and I love it, but I sure hope Jo doesn't leave us hanging the way Susanna Clarke did. [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.] Elanor Veritaserum - Jan 5, 2005 4:37 pm (#352 of 938) Go Jays! I'm reading The Three Musketeers right now and am really enjoying it. I thought it would be dense and hard to get through, but it's actually quite understandable and action-packed. - - - - - - - - - - Aud Duck - Jan 17, 2005 12:12 pm (#353 of 938) "I know I have to beat time when I learn Music." "Ahh, that accounts for it. He won't stand beating."--Alice in Wonderland I just finished Mostly Harmless, the last in Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy. I don't remember who reccommended this, but I'm seconding whoever it was. Admittedly, the first couple are much better than the last ones, but they were all worth reading. - - - - - - - - - - Catherine - Jan 17, 2005 4:11 pm (#354 of 938) Canon Seeker I've enjoyed reading Middlesex, which won a Pulitzer, and I really liked The Time Traveler's Wife. And, as it's known that I am a dog nut here on the Forum, I really, really enjoyed The Dogs of Babel. Happy reading. mollis - Jan 20, 2005 11:26 am (#355 of 938) Edited by Jan 20, 2005 10:27 am Ohhh, Catherine! I read The Time Traveler's Wife a couple of months ago. It was a wonderful book! Very intriguing. I just picked up a couple of books last night that have been recommended here: The Once and Future King and A Tree Grows in Brooklyn. I love getting new books and can't wait to start these. One book I read a while back was The Dante Club . Very good, but not for the the young or squimish. Deals with a group of literary figures that a doing the english translation of Dante's Divine Comedy and then someone begins murdering people in the style of the various levels of hell. A fairly basic knowledge of Dante's book is most helpful when reading this one. Sorry, I don't remember the author's name, but it should be with the new paperbacks at your local bookstore. - - - - - - - - - - Veritaserum - Jan 20, 2005 4:11 pm (#356 of 938) Go Jays! It's Matthew Pearl, mollis. I almost bought that the other day and I do plan to read it sometime. - - - - - - - - - - Chemyst - Feb 2, 2005 4:09 pm (#357 of 938) "Organizing is what you do before you do something, so that when you do it, it is not all mixed up." A.A. Milne On the Chat thread, From Venus asked about books that would help keep her grandkid's love of reading alive. I thought this would be a more appropriate place to answer since I wanted to post a link that is absolutely custom-made for her question. Here is a copied and pasted excerpt from what Jim Trelease says about Harry Potter: How is Harry Potter different from other "series" books? There are two kinds of series books: the quick and easy commercial kind, like: Nancy Drew, Goosebumps, and The Baby-Sitters Club; the more sophisticated series, like: Cleary's Ramona books, Lewis' The Lion, the Witch & the Wardrobe, Banks' The Indian in the Cupboard, and Rowling's Harry Potter. The quick and easy series are often mass-produced, sometimes written by more than one author, and churned out at a pace of more than one a year; the more sophisticated series are always written by one person, published a year or more apart, and are characterized by richer text, plot, and characterization. Along with its excellent imagery, what especially sets Harry Potter books apart from nearly all other series books is the amount of text. Consuming that many words, students are getting prodigiously better at reading — many for the first time, and enjoying it. From Venus had mentioned Goosebumps and on this page there is a chart that compares word counts. Just a teaser– Goosebumps averaged 8 words per sentence while GoF averaged 13! (highlight) The home page for Trelease On Reading leads to a lot of information about child-friendly books. - - - - - - - - - - Denise P. - Feb 2, 2005 4:17 pm (#358 of 938) Ravenclaw Pony The Magic Treehouse series of books is a good one to spark an interest in reading. With my now almost 11 year old and my almost 8 year old, I started getting them Illustrated Children's Classics, my local bookstore has them for about $3 each. The 11 year old has read many, many classics this way. Yes, they are abridged and have pictures but they still get the basic story and it sparked his interest in reading. My 7 year old (will be 8 in about a month) read Treasure Island about 6 months ago using this version. I really like these. Once they are older, I am hoping they will pick up the full version to read. My almost 12 year old recommends the Wayside School Series, I think there are maybe 3. Charlie and The Chocolate Factory is good, Trumpet of the Swan, Stuart Little, The Borrowers, the Mouse and the Motorcycle books... There are a lot of good books. If you are stuck, ask the clerk in the store or talk to a librarian. - - - - - - - - - - Catherine - Feb 2, 2005 5:19 pm (#359 of 938) Canon Seeker I'm finally getting down here to post. I wholeheartedly second the nominations made by Chemyst and Denise. I was always drawn to historical fiction, so my choices may reflect that. Elizabeth George Speare is a Newberry winner, and I remember reading her book The Witch of Blackbird Pond and being fascinated with Puritan life. She also wrote The Bronze Bow in which I learned more about life in Galilee during the time of Jesus' ministry. Because I am a dog lover, I found her book Julie of the Wolves quite interesting as well. Katherine Patterson also is a Newberry winner, and I especially loved her book about twins on a remote Virginia/Maryland island Jacob Have I Loved. She also wrote the very tragic and imaginative Bridge to Terabithia, which still makes me cry. Lupin is Lupin and I were chatting about the book Understood Betsy. I remembered it very fondly, and Kim confirmed that it is still quite wonderful even now. I have always liked Madelne L'Engle's novels and the Narnia series by C.S. Lewis. In fact, I still cry at the conclusion of the last book of Lewis's book. His adult fiction is also among my favorites, but then, I do have a fondness for British literature. Good luck! EDIT: Because JKR said she loved The Little White Horse, I read it. It's a sweet fairy tale. - - - - - - - - - - Eponine - Feb 2, 2005 5:32 pm (#360 of 938) I'm going to nod along and agree with everything you all have listed. I adore Madeline L'Engle and C.S. Lewis. Beverly Cleary's Ramona books were some of my favorites growing up. Hmm...I'm off to check my childrens' lit. bookcase. (I have a strange obsession with kiddie lit) I would also recommend Elizabeth Enright. Thimble Summer won a Newberry, and The Four-Story Mistake is another good one. Gone-Away Lake is another one of my favorites. They are a little out-dated with some of the references, but they are quite enjoyable. Holes by Louis Sachar is such a fun book, and the movie adaptation was one of the most faithful I've ever seen. Oh, and the Sideways Stories from Wayside School are full of great silly stories. I hope some of these help! - - - - - - - - - - Catherine - Feb 2, 2005 8:16 pm (#361 of 938) Canon Seeker Ooh, Eponine, Holes was a great story, and the movie was fun, too. I encourage male forum members to come forth and recommend....it's been exclusively ladies for ever so long now... - - - - - - - - - - Madame Librarian - Feb 2, 2005 8:53 pm (#362 of 938) Reluctant readers of the 7-9 year old variety who are nonethless reading at their grade level will often cotton to the Dragons of Blueland series by Gannett. The first one is My Father's Dragon. Humor and fantasy in a not-too-long chapter book. The Stories Julian Tells, first of another series by Ann Cameron is also a big hit with that gang. Wacky older brother entertains little brother with wild and funny tales. All the others mentioned are good picks, too. And, don't forget that wonderful little people fantasy/adventure series The Borrowers by Mary Norton. This is an old classic, around when I was a kid, that still captures the younger set's delight and imagination. You can't go wrong with All-of-Kind Family by Syndey Taylor, though I find that it's more of a girl series than a boy one. As a read-aloud, younger boys, 5-6, would probably go for it. Well, I'm off on my librarian schtick, and if I don't stop here, I'll be up all night. Ciao. Barb Mrs. Sirius - Feb 2, 2005 10:18 pm (#363 of 938) Mom of 4 in serious lurker mode. Venus, all of my children (ages 6 and love the "Junie B. Jones" books, even I can't help cracking up reading them. My son ( also likes the "Young Cam Jansen" books which are a bit of detective twist to them. Recently I started reading "Charley and the Chocolate", and he just loves that. He likes Roald Dahl, and of course he just loves "Harry Potter". One of my girls loves, loves any book about princes, rags to riches stories. She told me told that during library time she just walks right to the princes section. - - - - - - - - - - From Venus - Feb 3, 2005 12:24 am (#364 of 938) Less than three months to HBP!!!! Wow! Thank you everyone for all your wonderful recommendations. I have gotten some good ideas for the kids. Tomorrow, I'm going to re-read all these and make a good shopping list. I have some birthdays coming up in April. And so now...off to bed. It's waaaaay past my bedtime! - - - - - - - - - - Phelim Mcintyre - Feb 3, 2005 1:04 am (#365 of 938) May I suggest P L Travers Mary Poppins, the book is so dark compared to the Disney film. There are actually a number of books in the series. Also J M Barries Peter Pan. - - - - - - - - - - Lupin is Lupin. Natch. - Feb 3, 2005 2:34 pm (#366 of 938) Sometimes known as Kim. I hope I'm not repeating what's already been recommended. Except I have to second The Witch of Blackbird Pond. I enjoyed it tremendously when I was younger and although upon rereading it I found it more simple than I remembered it was still good. As Catherine mentioned, Understood Betsy is timeless and simply wonderful. For years I read and reread Black Beauty and One Hundred and One Dalmations and they are both spectacular books. The movies have never done either any justice. A book I loved as a child was The Blind Connemara by C. W. Anderson. He also did the Blaze series of books, although I have not read those. I believe the book is out of print but if you can find it at your library I heartily recommend it. Another good one is The Court of the Stone Children by Eleanor Cameron. This is especially good for older girls (12ish). This author also wrote The Wonderful Flight to the Mushroom Planet which I understand is quite good although I've never read it myself. I recommend it for boys. Also for boys, although I enjoyed it tremendously as an adult is My Side of the Mountain by Jean Craighead George. This is actually the first of a trilogy but I haven't read the others yet. I always liked to be spooked and enjoyed both Down a Dark Hall and Summer of Fear by Lois Duncan. The first has a "supernatural" theme and the second deals with black magic but they were engrossing when I was young. (As an aside, Summer of Fear became a pretty decent Made-for-TV movie with Linda Blair. And she played the good guy!) I just read Ella Enchanted by Gail Carson Levine and thought it thoroughly entertaining. She's rather prolific so if this book finds a welcoming audience there are more by her. And a simply wonderful, wonderful book is A String in the Harp by Nancy Bond. It deals with Welsh/Celtic history and a bit of magic/mysticism. It's a wonderful read and good for boys and girls. I have to say the "Little House" books never did it for me. Although people adore them. I think I was hooked on the Michael Landon version and never looked back. - - - - - - - - - - haymoni - Feb 3, 2005 5:25 pm (#367 of 938) Eponine - I'm glad to see another fan of Elizabeth Enright. The whole Melendy family absolutely captivated me. I actually thought about naming my daughter Miranda and calling her Randy just like the books. The Little House books are great, especially for city kids. Johnny Depp is supposed to be starring in "Charlie and the Chocolate Factory" so I'm going to ask Ungrateful Son to get it out of his school's library. I need to get the Gene Wilder version out of my head. I also liked The Great Brain books. The Magic Treehouse books were a favorite of my son's about 2 years ago. He wrote to Mary Pope Osbourne and actually received a letter back. He was thrilled. - - - - - - - - - - Catherine - Feb 3, 2005 5:34 pm (#368 of 938) Canon Seeker Haymoni, thanks for the dittos on "The Magic Treehouse." We went to the UNC Planetarium this fall to see the Mary Pope Osburne Magic Treehouse Show. It was an amazing show that she personally wrote and did appear in, and we all learned a lot. The tie-in to the books was great. Even Mr. Catherine, who is a scientist, thought it measured up. - - - - - - - - - - Eponine - Feb 3, 2005 6:14 pm (#369 of 938) Haymoni, I've thought about doing that too! Of course, I don't have a daughter to name yet, but it's still a possibility. I always liked the name Rush too. I also heartily recommend Roald Dahl's books. Love him! I've never read any of the Magic Schoolbus/Treehouse books (aren't they by the same lady?), but I have seen the cartoons which I loved. - - - - - - - - - - haymoni - Feb 3, 2005 7:10 pm (#370 of 938) I can't speak to the Magic Schoolbus books - loved the cartoon. Mary Pope Osbourne researches each of her topics and then writes a story that teaches children, but doesn't talk down to them. The kids have a tree house with books in it. They open a book and the tree house takes them there. We've gone to the moon, to a tornado, to Titanic, to ancient Egypt and to the Globe Theatre. I think she's written well over 25 of the books now. The kids collect a clue in each book - the books are tied together and they solve a poem/riddle every 3 or 4 books. Great to keep kids reading. - - - - - - - - - - Chemyst - Feb 4, 2005 10:55 am (#371 of 938) "Organizing is what you do before you do something, so that when you do it, it is not all mixed up." A.A. Milne If Kim, Catherine, & Barb are all recommending Witch of Blackbird Pond, I guess I'll have to break down and read it. I certainly have seen the title on a gazillion children's lit. lists over the years, but I never thought a story about an orphaned child thrust into a strange environment ... oh well, never mind. I wanted to add a note about fairy tales, especially Grimms' and Andersen's. If you just want the kids to read, any of them will do. But if you want them to get a richer experience from it, the translated ones are better than the simplified "as retold by" versions. This is especially true in the case of Hans Christian Andersen's tales which were written with strong character-building messages that are sometimes watered down in the retold versions. One more suggestion for boys who enjoy mathematicians as heroes, Carry On, Mr. Bowditch, by Jean Lee Latham. (The mathematician-as-hero, is the reason I listed Bendick's book about Archimedes on the chat thread too.) I don't think the Magic Treehouse series came out until the late '90s, and my kids were reading older-kid stuff by then, but I do know that the series is getting wonderful reviews at the home schooling bookfairs. They have a Merlin's Missions with the same kids, Annie & Jack – anyone know anything about those? - - - - - - - - - - Catherine - Feb 4, 2005 11:38 am (#372 of 938) Canon Seeker ... I never thought a story about an orphaned child thrust into a strange environment ... --Chemyst Imagine reading such a story! Could such a story actually attract devoted fans and make loads of galleons..ahem...I meant money? Surely not... - - - - - - - - - - Denise P. - Feb 4, 2005 3:29 pm (#373 of 938) Ravenclaw Pony Oh, how could we have forgotten Island of the Blue Dolphins?? I didn't much care for the sequel though. For the horse and dog mad group, I remember reading a bunch by Lois Duncan. The Blaze series by CW Anderson that Kim recommened, it is beautifully illustrated. Walter Farley's Black Stallion and Island Stallion books are good as are the Maurgerite Henry books. Wilson Rawls does very good books although you will get weepy...Where the Redfern Grows (Made into a so so movie), Summer of the Monkeys (never saw the movie). I was lucky enough to have signed copies of each of these since my gram worked in a bookstore and would send them to us. - - - - - - - - - - Catherine - Feb 4, 2005 3:34 pm (#374 of 938) Canon Seeker I very much liked Island of the Blue Dolphins, also. I need to print out some of these latest suggestions so that I have a list handy the next time I'm at the library or the bookstore. - - - - - - - - - - Amilia Smith - Feb 4, 2005 4:34 pm (#375 of 938) I loved the Black Stallion books as a kid. There was one year in elementary school (5th grade?) that I didn't read anything else. I think alot of us in the class must have had troubles branching out from one particular genre that we enjoyed, because our teacher gave us a reading chart with a rainbow on it. One band was mystery, one was sports, one was romance, one was animals, you get the idea. We were supposed to read a book from each of the different genres on our chart in order to color the rainbow in. I was able to tie a different Black Stallion book in with each band of the rainbow, and therefore didn't have to leave my favorite books at all. :-) I was so enamored with the world of horse racing introduced to me in these books that I tried desperately to convince my parents to get me a horse. I got a stick horse and a model horse for Christmas that year. However, my mother did take me to the local racetrack to watch the one day of horse races our small town had. As an adult, I enjoyed Seabiscuit as it brought back so many happy Black Stallion/horse racing memories. Thank you, Denise, for bringing those memories back as well. Mills. timrew - Feb 4, 2005 4:44 pm (#376 of 938) Middle-aged Harry Potter fan I agree, eponine. Anything by Roald Dahl is recommended. That guy knew how to write!! - - - - - - - - - - Catherine - Feb 4, 2005 5:54 pm (#377 of 938) Canon Seeker Tim, Roald Dahl did indeed write a great yarn. I remember that my mom bought me his short stories (for adults) after I had raced through his kids' books at age eight. His sense of humor ferried me across the ocean, quite literally, and I haven't regretted a moment. After I read his books, my mother, and I did begin to call her "mum," which is a joke to this day, said, "What in the world has gotten IN to you?" To this day, my mother still signs her cards to me, "Mum." And she still thinks that I am pure evil, but she likes it, just like I loved it about Mr. Dahl. Oh, and I like you, too, Tim! - - - - - - - - - - Madame Librarian - Feb 4, 2005 7:22 pm (#378 of 938) How could I forget this one? Again, it's really best suited for the under-10 set, The Indian in the Cupboard by Lynn Reid Banks. The second in the series, Return of the Indian ain't so great, but then for the 3rd and 4th (I think there might be one more; I didn't read all of them) things pick up again. Ciao. Barb Eponine - Feb 4, 2005 10:29 pm (#379 of 938) Mmmmm...Roald Dahl. I adore his short stories. They're so macabre. I had a teacher read us The Indian in the Cupboard series when I was in elementary school, and we all loved them. Another book I enjoyed when I was younger was The Egypt Game by Zilpha Keatley Snyder. I also liked The Borrowers by Mary Norton, but I never got into the sequels. A book I've read more recently is The Giver by Lois Lowry, and it moved me. The companion book Gathering Blue is worth a look too, but I haven't gotten to The Messenger yet. Oh, I just got in the mail today The Little White Horse by Elizabeth Goudge that JKR says was one of her favorite books when she was little. So, I'm looking forward to reading it. Anyway, I'm really enjoying everyone's recommendations. - - - - - - - - - - Veritaserum - Feb 5, 2005 11:46 am (#380 of 938) Go Jays! Eponine, Messenger is good, only I kind of liked not knowing what happened to Jonas and Gabe better. The Giver is quite good. Some of my favorite kids books: A Wrinkle in Time, Ella Enchanted, Island of the Blue Dolphins, Matilda, The Witches. The Dear America books are good and teach you lots of stuff about history. I think the old ones are better than the newer ones. - - - - - - - - - - Little Ginny - Feb 6, 2005 12:52 pm (#381 of 938) My sister, who is now twelve, likes The Princess' Diaries series by Meg Cabot. I think they're rather funny to read for girls of that age. Not a kiddie's classic, but fun nevertheless... Anyway, when I was her age, I read everything by Enid Blyton. By now, I think that if you have read one of her books, you know all of them, but when I was twelve, I collected all books of the Five and all the other series. But what I think are really good children's books are all books by Astrid Lindgren, a Swedish writer who died a few years ago and who wrote really wonderful books about children and their adventures that I like up to now. I also read the Eddie Dickens trilogy, which is classified as children's literature, but although I liked it very much, I don't know whether children will like it quite as much, as it portrays a rather strange sort of humour, that children often don't understand that well. (It's been called something like "Charles Dickens meets Monty Python"). Oh, and I can only second anybody who recommended Roald Dahl's book about witches (forgot the title) and Matilda. - - - - - - - - - - Eponine - Feb 6, 2005 1:34 pm (#382 of 938) Oh, and I can only second anybody who recommended Roald Dahl's book about witches (forgot the title) and Matilda. - Little Ginny It's called (appropriately enough) The Witches. - - - - - - - - - - Aud Duck - Feb 6, 2005 2:27 pm (#383 of 938) "I know I have to beat time when I learn Music." "Ahh, that accounts for it. He won't stand beating."--Alice in Wonderland Little Ginny, do you remember who wrote the Eddie Dickens trilogy? Not that I need something else to add to my list of books to read (which covers several pages), but it does sound interesting. - - - - - - - - - - Madame Librarian - Feb 6, 2005 3:51 pm (#384 of 938) I did a database search at the Evanston Public Library. Philip Ardagh is the author of the Eddie Dickens Trilogy. The individual titles are: A House Called Awful End Book One Dreadful Acts Book Two Terrible Times Book Three The series is pretty new (c2000 or 2001 originally). I am not familiar with it, but the titles sound like they could just as easily have been dreamt up by Lemony Snicket. The author is English as is the setting. Magic seems to be involved. Note that the house's name is Awful End. Here's what the Lib. of Congress notes say-- When eleven-year-old Eddie Dickens's ill parents become "a bit crinkly round the edges," he is taken by his great-uncle and great-aunt, Mad Uncle Jack and Mad Aunt Maude, and embarks on adventures that involve strolling actors, St. Horrid's Home for Grateful Orphans, and a carnival float shaped like a giant cow. There, I've done my librarian thing even though it's Sunday and I'm off. Ciao. Barb - - - - - - - - - - Little Ginny - Feb 7, 2005 11:36 am (#385 of 938) Yes, it's true, these books were written by Philip Ardagh, but no, there's no magic involved, it's just the very funny description of the life of a kid who has rather, well, unusual relatives. There is his father, who likes to paint, but unfortunately all he can paint is liver sausages (though he intends to paint biblical scenes), his mother, who cooks him things like "snow soup", his Mad Uncle Jack, who thinks in dried fish categories and his Even Madder Aunt Maud, whose companion is a stuffed stoat called Malcolm (though Mad Uncle Jack thinks it's called Sally). Eddie has to organise his own life and that of his family, and that can get a bit difficult. What I like very much about the book are the comments by the narrator, like (paraphrasing), "the front door opened to the front. The clue lies in the name." - - - - - - - - - - Pinky - Feb 12, 2005 8:42 pm (#386 of 938) La la narf! I just finished an excellent book titled Outwitting History by Aaron Lansky. It is nonfiction. It is the amazing story of a journey to rescue Yiddish literature after the realization that it was disappearing from the world. After World War 2, many Yiddish books had been either destroyed or lost. As the survivors of that era began to age, the books they owned were in jeopardy of being thrown out. Very few young people were learning Yiddish as a language, and so saw no use in keeping Yiddish books around. The author decided to attempt to collect as many of these books as he could in order to preserve them. Even if you are not interested in Yiddish, all you need is a love for books in order to enjoy this story. I highly recommend you look for this book in your library or bookstore and give it a read. It is very entertaining, and will grip you all the way to the end. - - - - - - - - - - Catherine - Feb 13, 2005 7:14 am (#387 of 938) Canon Seeker I finished the curious incident of the dog in the night-time. It's written from the perspective of an autistic British teen, hence the lower case letters in the title. The author, Mark Haddon, does an amazing job of portraying how Christopher can be a math/science genious, have a photographic memory, but be completely baffled by facial expressions and human emotions. As a parent to a mildly autistic child, I found this book very funny and still full of empathy. I can't wait to see what kind of reaction this book gets at our book club meeting on Wednesday. - - - - - - - - - - Madame Librarian - Feb 13, 2005 9:43 am (#388 of 938) I really liked that book, too, Catherine. I found Chris (the protagonist and narrator--a 15-yr. old autistic boy) so charming in his own way. I have recommended the book to many of our library patrons who ask for suggestions. You should have a rich discussion on this one--bring up a question about whose perception is the real one--i.e., what's really real. I had also found it helpful to have some simple medical/psychological info handy on autism and Asberger's Syndrome (sp?). I think I just googled it and picked out a few basic ones. Try the Mayo Clinic site--it is considered one of the most un-bogus medical info sites for the lay person. Ciao. Barb Dr Filibuster - Feb 13, 2005 2:55 pm (#389 of 938) Sue, from Northwich, England. Catherine, did you know that "curious incident" is Potter producer David Heyman's new film project? It seems like he has a good knack for picking interesting reads. Maybe we should ask him onto this thread? - - - - - - - - - - Madame Librarian - Feb 13, 2005 9:56 pm (#390 of 938) Ooooh, I thought it'd make a great film. Hope they do it well. It'll be all in the casting, I think. Ciao. Barb Catherine - Feb 14, 2005 5:32 am (#391 of 938) Canon Seeker Thanks for the information about the film version, Sue! It has the potential to be wonderful. - - - - - - - - - - Eponine - Feb 14, 2005 3:06 pm (#392 of 938) Not to rain on anyone's parade or anything, but did you know Steve Kloves is writing the screenplay for that movie? I don't know how you feel about his HP adaptations, but at least there's no Hermione to turn into Pink Power Ranger in this book. - - - - - - - - - - Phelim Mcintyre - Feb 15, 2005 6:23 am (#393 of 938) Eponine - Hermione as pink power ranger. I thought it was more powderpuff girl. - - - - - - - - - - T Brightwater - Feb 15, 2005 10:28 am (#394 of 938) Does anyone remember a book called something like _The Secret Door_, in which an Appalachian family takes in a boy from another world? I can't remember many of the details, but its prejudice vs. understanding theme had a quite a powerful effect on this Hufflepuff. I didn't read Susan Cooper's _The Dark is Rising_ series until I was in college, but I liked them a lot. One of my favorite Madeleine L'Engle books is _The Arm of the Starfish_. - - - - - - - - - - Lupin is Lupin. Natch. - Feb 15, 2005 3:31 pm (#395 of 938) Sometimes known as Kim. I have to second The Dark is Rising series. I read it last year and loved it! While magical, it is of a much different tone than Harry Potter. It's quieter and, I felt, more menacing. Not as imaginative as Rowling's work, but as far as believability is concerned, this one feels more like it could actually happen and thus more likely to give one chills. - - - - - - - - - - dizzy lizzy - Feb 16, 2005 12:31 am (#396 of 938) There is more to life than increasing its speed: Mahatama Ghandi. I will say that The Dark is Rising is a great series. Another good series is by an Australian Author - Garth Nix. He has written for both children and adults. His childrens' books aren't bad reading for adults, but they are good value for introducing kids to the concepts behind science fiction/fantasy. For Adults, try - The Old Kingdom trilogy - Sabriel, Lirael and, Abhorsen For Children (and adults), try - The Seventh Tower series and Keys to the Kingdom series. This series is partially written and has Four books (of Seven) to go. Thanks everyone for the great suggestions here, now to go find them! Lizzy - - - - - - - - - - T Brightwater - Feb 16, 2005 8:49 am (#397 of 938) Correction: Now that I think about it, the book I was trying to remember is called _The Forgotten Door_. Can't remember the author's name. Also good are Zelda Henderson's stories about "the People." Can't remember book titles, though. (Insufficient memory at this time...) - - - - - - - - - - Madame Librarian - Feb 16, 2005 1:49 pm (#398 of 938) T, the author of The Forgotten Door is Alexander Key. It was copyright 1965. (I haven't read it; I just checked the library website for the info.) Ciao. Barb T Brightwater - Feb 16, 2005 6:03 pm (#399 of 938) That sounds right. Thanks, Barb! - - - - - - - - - - haymoni - Feb 17, 2005 5:08 pm (#400 of 938) I'm not recommending them, but will anyone else admit to reading the V.C. Andrews "Flowers in the Attic" books??? [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.] Elanor Denise P. - Feb 17, 2005 5:37 pm (#402 of 938) Ravenclaw Pony I read them when I was about 12, when they first came out. I loved them, they were just so....:::sigh::: romantic (Blech! Now I think about it...) After I hit about 16, I stopped reading anything written by VCAndrews LOL I read Harlequin Romances too... - - - - - - - - - - Steve Newton - Feb 17, 2005 7:31 pm (#403 of 938) Librarian As I recall it V.C. Andrews has written more books since he died than while he was living. The name is now sort of a franchise. - - - - - - - - - - dizzy lizzy - Feb 18, 2005 1:31 am (#404 of 938) There is more to life than increasing its speed: Mahatama Ghandi. Denise, I was the same. I read the first four books as a teenager and now I wouldn't touch them with a ten foot pole. When I tried to read them the second time I thought they were plain outright weird. Steve, I used to work as a library assistant and that's what I was told as well. Lizzy Lupin is Lupin. Natch. - Feb 18, 2005 3:06 pm (#405 of 938) Sometimes known as Kim. I read them about the same time as Denise and at the time, I found them utterly fascinating. - - - - - - - - - - Phelim Mcintyre - Feb 19, 2005 3:14 am (#406 of 938) Denise - you read Mills and Boon ?!!!!. So Harry Potter must be light relief. But then who am I to judge, much of my reading is traditional cosy crime novels (Agatha Christie/Dorothy L Sayers etc) or historical crime novels. This is mainly because, as some one with a psycholgical background, I find the modern psychological thrillers unrealistic. - - - - - - - - - - Denise P. - Feb 19, 2005 9:05 am (#407 of 938) Ravenclaw Pony Mills and Boon? I suppose I may have at some point, I read a wide variety of material, not all fiction We were talking about the sappy VC Andrews books. - - - - - - - - - - haymoni - Feb 19, 2005 4:38 pm (#408 of 938) I read somewhere that VC Andrews was a woman who was in a wheelchair. True??? Steve Newton - Feb 19, 2005 5:44 pm (#409 of 938) Librarian Not sure of the sex of V.C. Andrews but whoever it was died a few years ago so the wheelchair would seem to be a stretch at this time. - - - - - - - - - - Eponine - Feb 19, 2005 5:50 pm (#410 of 938) Here's the IMDB mini-biography on VC (Viginia Cleo) Andrews V. C. Andrews was the author of a number of books, including "Flowers in the Attic". After her death in 1986, a ghostwriter she was working with (novelist Andrew Neiderman) continued the series' she had begun. The last book she wrote was "Fallen Hearts" (part of the Casteel series), and since then, Neiderman has been writing the books and putting them out under her name. During her life, the wheelchair-bound V. C. never wed. Her books were her children. - - - - - - - - - - haymoni - Feb 19, 2005 9:39 pm (#411 of 938) Sorry, I read "Neiderman" as "Neidermeyer" and thought, "Wasn't he killed by his own troops in VietNam?" Guess I should go to bed! Back to "Flowers in the Attic" - ever see the movie version of that book? And we were upset about POA??? - - - - - - - - - - Lupin is Lupin. Natch. - Feb 20, 2005 1:22 am (#412 of 938) Sometimes known as Kim. I saw the movie! Gosh, how long ago was that? If I remember correctly, the woman who played Nurse Cratchet (One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest) played the grandmother who banishes the children to the attic. There's two hours of my life I'll never get back again. - - - - - - - - - - Lupin is Lupin. Natch. - Feb 20, 2005 7:49 am (#413 of 938) Sometimes known as Kim. Sorry to double-post but as you can see, they're hours apart. I don't know if these have been mentioned but for the person looking for children's book recommendations (I can't remember who just now) I recommend two book catalogs. They are Chinaberry and The Company of Books. Both offer in depth summaries and critiques of books for children of all ages. You can find both on line. I would recommend ordering the catalog if, like me, you find it more comfortable to read a catalog in your lap rather than on your screen. Also, the same people who produce The Company of Books also produce A Common Reader which is the same idea but for adults. I imagine with a book-smart crowd like this you've all heard of them but I thought I'd pass it along anyway. - - - - - - - - - - Chemyst - Mar 4, 2005 7:04 am (#414 of 938) "Organizing is what you do before you do something, so that when you do it, it is not all mixed up." A.A. Milne Kim, thanks for mentioning that the same people who produce The Company of Books also produce A Common Reader. "Company of Books" does not do well on either a Google or a Yahoo search, (one gets many book companies, natch,) but it was easy enough to find a link to it from the Common Reader. (Chinaberry comes right up.) If anyone is looking for classical-flavored books for children, Veritas Press also offers a catalog with descriptions of each book. This catalog is marketed for home education, but the literature and history sections have broad interest. - - - - - - - - - - Catherine - Mar 4, 2005 9:37 am (#415 of 938) Canon Seeker Thanks, Chemyst. Wonderful to get new book sources. off to Google - - - - - - - - - - Mistress Gim - Mar 6, 2005 4:58 pm (#416 of 938) I haven't read all of the posts, but most of them - I'm about to run out the door, but I wanted to post something here. The "Artemis Fowl" series by Eion Colfer was mentioned; I love the series - there are three that I know of, so far - and I recommend it, but I do understand why some might not like it. I don't think this one was mentioned, unless it was in the part I didn't read: The "Alex Cross" series by James Patterson. I absolutely adore this series. Patterson is a genius writer, one of my few favorites (another being JKR) and his AC series is among the select number of books I'll always be willing to reread any time. Also, if it hasn't been suggested, "Inkheart" by Cornelia Funke. I noticed her name is similar to one Cornelius Fudge; coincidence, though, methinks. Another great book. AF, I think, has been summarized - and I can't think of a decent summary for it right now. The AC series follows a detective whose skills in the field lead him to danger, excitement, and a lot of sick people. That one's definately not for young people. Rated "R" so far as I'm concerned. And "Inkheart" I think would have to be 'PG" or "PG-13" for mild violence; AF seems to be the lightest of the bunch, at a "PG" leve or about there. Anyway, "Inkheart" is about a guy named Mortimer and his daughter, Meggie; some evil person comes back for Mo as well as an old friend. And this evil person wants Mo to use his ability to his own evil purposes. It's a good read, and I probably make it sound worse than it is, but for now that can't be helped, I guess. Has anyone heard of "Inkheart"? Or James Patterson? - Koto Asakawa Catherine - Mar 6, 2005 6:16 pm (#417 of 938) Canon Seeker I enjoy reading James Patterson's novels, Koto, but I will say that many of them may not be suitable for our younger members. For those who enjoy British period mysteries, I like Anne Perry a great deal. She has several series going at present, which means that there is always a good book when you need one. Her novels focus on the late Victorian period, with her newest series showcasing WWI. Her novels have very interesting female characters, and usually have "social" roots at the source of the mystery. - - - - - - - - - - Madame Librarian - Mar 6, 2005 9:27 pm (#418 of 938) I am currently reading and enjoying (with lots of out-loud guffawing) The Know-It-All: One Man's Humble Quest to Become the Smartest Person in the World by A. J. Jacobs. Jacobs's day job is a writer/editor on staff at "Esquire" magazine, but he is a very funny fellow who writes a memoir-ish report of his learning adventures while trying to read the entire Encyclopaedia Britannica. This is a quest beyond a wish to merely know a bunch of trivia (although that, I fear, is the result). The poor guy is really after an impossible dream--to internalize all the facts in the whole enchilada. To our advantage the effort he makes is valiant and very humorous. He drifts off on wonderful tangents thereby introducing us to his ever-patient wife, family, co-workers, his foibles, idiosyncracies (some are really weird), and his hilarious attempts to use his new found knowledge in casual conversations. His droll, self deprecating tone is loaded with irony and a sense of the absurd. My kind of humor, similar to the way Bill Bryson writes. Ciao. Barb Mellilot Flower. - Mar 7, 2005 4:06 am (#419 of 938) Pixie led I loved Inkheart, I'm currently saving up my knuts to buy Dragon Rider by Cornelia Funke- the landscapes she described were wonderful, as were the characters; at once stylised representations and in depth characters. I'm going to reiterate a few books that I think have already been mentioned here (or at least they should have been). The Spiderwick Chronicles by Holly Black and Anthony Diterlizzi; a set of five books following the adventures of twins Simon and Jared and their older sister Mallory. These are gorgeous, set in america but with dozens of creatures whose origins are generally in the brittish isles or scandanavia, and they are all very acurate to their mythologies but with that little extra quirke. The books themselves are beautifull and I spend hours just leafing through them without reading. Aimed at younger readers, simple style and quite short, but very enjoyable for 19yr olds too Also by Holly Black, for older readers Tithe. This is a young adult book and follows Kaye as she returns to the town she lived in when she was much younger, where she had several "little" friends. Diana Wyne Jones' Merlin Conspiracy is very good, though very british - it takes our world britain and then manipulates it to make it very recognisable perhaps to the adult reader with an understanding of the world, but very unique. It should still be appealing to those that aren't familliar with england though.. It is very involved, and wonderfully woven. Also recomended by her would be her Chrestomanci series, I can't remember how many their are and they don't have to be read in order... but they are very nice. And then there's her Dalemark Quartet - I read them out of order, but should really be read from begining to end though it isn't necassary. Again, wonderful world that she creates, I especially like the third in the series, The Spellcoats. Garth Nix has deffinately been mentioned, but his Old Kingdom series is well worth reading. The ideas in the book are very ingenious and the characters are so easy to relate to. Neil Gaiman's Stardust is also brilliant. - - - - - - - - - - azi - Mar 7, 2005 2:58 pm (#420 of 938) Photo borrowed from Ardent Photography I second the Garth Nix books - brilliant and imaginative! I think the Old Kingdom books are better than the Keys to the Kingdom series personally. Also, The Book of Dead Days and The Dark Flight Down by Marcus Sedgwick. These two books have an extremely intriguing plot (The Dark Flight Down is the sequel). I just started reading The Da Vinci Code by Dan Brown. It's probably been mentioned on here already, I can't remember, but I'm finding it a nice change from my usual childrens fantasy books. - - - - - - - - - - Little Ginny - Mar 8, 2005 11:24 am (#421 of 938) I read Inkheart, too, or rather Das Tintenherz, which is the German original title. I thought it was rather nice, too. Cornelia Funke also wrote some books for younger girls about some girls founding a group called "The Wild Hens" (Die wilden Hühner in German), which, I think, are rather funny books for girls 11+, but I don't know whether they have been translated into English. - - - - - - - - - - Herm oh ninny - Mar 8, 2005 9:12 pm (#422 of 938) "Accio treats!" "Eragon" by Christopher Paolini is an excellent book. I bought it because something about the cover reminded me of Harry Potter.(I bought the Artemis Fowl and Lemony Snicket series for the same reason!} The book was incredible and the next book in the series comes out in August. - - - - - - - - - - MoonRider - Mar 8, 2005 11:15 pm (#423 of 938) I'm sorry I haven't read anything on this thread-----though, I want to------I just wanted to add my favs (in no particular order------and, aside from the obvious, JKR): Louis Lamour (sp?) - - - - - - - - - - Madame Librarian - Mar 14, 2005 1:20 pm (#424 of 938) Hi, all. This doesn't really fit the description of recommended reading, but it's more of a "heads up" on a book yet to be written. Saw this little snippet in the paper and heard about it on NPR-- Award-winning author Geraldine McCaughrean has been chosen to write the official sequel to J.M. Barrie's Peter Pan. She won a contest run by the Great Ormond Street Hospital, insititution that was bequeathed the copyright and royalties of the story by Barrie in his will in 1937. McCaughrean, children's author, has written many books retelling the world's myths and legends (a few titles are The Epic of Gilgamesh, The Golden Horde, God's People, The Crystal Pool). Her most recent work is a juvenile novel called The Kite Rider (not to be confused with The Kite Runner), which was very highly acclaimed here in the U.S. The hospital trustees stipulated that the sequel must contain all the primary and secondary characters from the original. The working title is Captain Pan. This was one of my favorite tales when I was little. I loved the stage play ("I Gotta Crow," etc.) with Mary Martin when they broadcast it on TV. I think I was about 7 or so. But I had never really read the book/play. It was Disney or Mary Martin. Then when I was about 10 or 11, I finally read the original, and loved it all the more. It might have been one of my first "oh my gosh, the book is sooo much better than the movie" experiences. So I look forward to this as I often lulled myself to sleep as a young 'un imagining the future for Peter, Wendy, Tink and all. I just hope Ms. McCaughrean does a better job with this sequel than the disappointing result with the sequel to Gone With the Wind (Alexandra Ripley's Scarlett). Ciao. Barb - - - - - - - - - - vanessa cave - Mar 14, 2005 4:14 pm (#425 of 938) Hi Madame Librarian, i must confess to not liking peter pan at all but noticed your comment on the sequel to Gone With The Wind. I am currently reading Gone With The Wind for the second time (I love it) and was considering reading the sequel, although i didn't know it existed until recently. Is it really bad? i don't want to read it and have it spoil the original. Sorry if this question is off topic. My absolute favourite books second only to Harry Potter are the Discworld series, I just can't make my mind up as to whether i enjoy the witches or the city watch more? - - - - - - - - - - Amilia Smith - Mar 14, 2005 4:54 pm (#426 of 938) Vanessa: I am not Madame Librarian, but I also read Scarlett, and was also very disappointed. It reads like a bad romance novel. Highlight below for a brief synopsis and spoiler. Scarlett has another baby, Rhett's baby (don't ask), but neglects to tell him until the end of the book. Scarlett goes to Ireland. (Ireland? Why Ireland, of all places, you ask? Because this is now a romance novel and we must go to Ireland.) Scarlett finally grows up. Scarlett gets Rhett back. Besides reading like a corny romance, part of the reason I didn't like it was because Gone With the Wind doesn't need a sequel. It is complete in and of itself. Some people don't like the ending, but I love it. That is what makes the book real. Life is like that. It is our own faults and mistakes and obsessions that destroy us, not external forces. Scarlett is Scarlett's downfall. She did herself in, where the war and the carpetbaggers couldn't. And sometimes you miss your chance. While I do believe that people can change and grow, what is gone is gone. By this I mean that, sure, Scarlett can grow up, go on, live a happy life. But she won't live it with Rhett. That opportunity is long gone. Mills. Denise P. - Mar 14, 2005 4:55 pm (#427 of 938) Ravenclaw Pony The sequel to GWTW is not bad as long as you don't mind that the author totally redid the main characters and ruined them. - - - - - - - - - - Eponine - Mar 14, 2005 5:22 pm (#428 of 938) I read Scarlett when I was about 13-14, and it seemed perfectly fine to me at the time. I had not read GWTW then, but I have since and have become appalled at the way Scarlett was handled. So, I would not recommend it. - - - - - - - - - - Madame Librarian - Mar 14, 2005 6:14 pm (#429 of 938) vanessa, it seems you've gotten your answer! Yes, I agree with everything my fellow readers have said. GWTW was a great epic, great war story, love story and particularly good historical fiction (one of my favorite genres). It was a huge story. The sequel was too narrow, went too far afield from the U.S. and post-war South and lost the infrastructure that a good historical novel has. The happenings in this country were so fascinated in that crucial time that I was disappointed when Scarlett hops off to Ireland. Yeah, I know her Daddy was from Ireland, and her last name is O'Hara, but it just wasn't something that Margaret Mitchell would have done. Ciao. Barb - - - - - - - - - - vanessa cave - Mar 15, 2005 5:08 am (#430 of 938) Hi, thank you all for helping me with that one i will give it a miss, i enjoy GWTW too much. - - - - - - - - - - Archangel - Mar 16, 2005 6:21 am (#431 of 938) Every new beginning comes from some other beginning's end. -- Semisonic Has anyone here read the Wind on Fire trilogy? One of the best young adult series, IMHO. - - - - - - - - - - hawkeyetkdchick - Mar 16, 2005 7:48 pm (#432 of 938) Hi! I have to second Eragon (I know it's been on this list before when the book first came out). I borrowed it from a friend, and liked it so much I bought it. I'm now rereading it (I first read it right after it had come out). Another series I like is The Obsidian Trilogy by Mercedes Lackey and James Mallory (not really sure if I spelled the authors right.. I've lent out both of my books ). Anyway, the first book in the trilogy is The Outstreatched Shadow. The second book came out pretty recently-it's To Light A Candle. I really enjoyed both books (although it started out a little slow-but not too bad). I think I'd put a PG-13 rating on them, but maybe I'm a little conservative..? Has anyone else read these books? I'm curious to know if anyone else likes them. - - - - - - - - - - Herm oh ninny - Mar 16, 2005 11:33 pm (#433 of 938) "Accio treats!" "Rebecca" by Daphne DuMaurier is a great book. I read it years ago and I still get chills whenever I re-read it! I also love "The Silence of the Lambs", "Red Dragon", and "Hannible" by Thomas Harris. I am currently reading the "OZ Chronicles" by R.L. Baum (I hope I got the name right, my book isn't around!) and so far they are great! - - - - - - - - - - Acceber - Mar 18, 2005 10:02 pm (#434 of 938) Ruler of Omeletteheads I'm currently on a classics rampage. I'm in the middle of The Great Gatsby, by F. Scott Fitzgerald. I read GWTW over the summer and have also recently read Kidnapped, by Robert Louis Stevenson; The Caine Mutiny, by Herman Wouk; David Copperfield, by Charles Dickens; and Wuthering Heights, by Emily Bronte. I'm going to read A Tale of Two Cities, also by Charles Dickens; The Heart is a Lonely Hunter, by Carson McCullers; and A Tree Grows in Brooklyn, by Betty Smith. All of the already read are highly recommended, even though I probably didn't understand them all fully. - - - - - - - - - - Amilia Smith - Mar 19, 2005 12:36 am (#435 of 938) Good choices, Acceber. Of those you have coming up, A Tale of Two Cities is my favorite Dickens novel, and A Tree Grows in Brooklyn is probably my all time favorite novel. Have not read The Heart is a Lonely Hunter, so let us know how good it is. I have recently been reading Orson Scott Card. I think Ender's Game was mentioned earlier on the thread, and it is excellent. Some of his other works also deserve mention. Lost Boys is very creepy. Sort of a supernatural murder mystery. Gives me chills every time. My favorite stand-alone book of Card's is Enchantment. It involves time travel and Russian folklore, and is absolutely beautiful. Plus, Card does his homework. I took Russian language and culture classes in high school, and Russian history courses in college, which doesn't make me an expert or anything, but I can tell when someone has done at least as much research as I have. Enchantment does not contradict anything I learned. And the characters are not modernized. You know how, sometimes, you read a book, and even though it is supposed to be taking place 100 years ago, the only way you can tell is that the heroine is wearing a dress instead of jeans? Not so with this book. Highly recommend. My favorite series by Card is The Tales of Alvin Maker. They take place in an alternate reality. In an America that might have been. Magic is real, and everyone has their own special knack. Funnest of all, for the history major in me, are the historical references that are just slightly off of what really happened. WARNING, RANT AHEAD* However, Card does not seem to want to finish this series. He keeps trying to kill if off before it is over. The latter books in the series are not what the first ones were. And there are long waits for new books. Unfortunantly Card keeps returning to Ender instead of finishing Alvin. Ender's Game is a complete entity in and of itself. It didn't need a sequel. But it got one. And another and another and another. And then Card retold the whole thing from a different viewpoint. While poor Alvin is no closer to the end of his story . . . grrr Mills. - - - - - - - - - - T Brightwater - Mar 23, 2005 3:45 pm (#436 of 938) Terry Pratchett's two most recent Discworld books are neither City Watch nor witches, but they're quite good - "Monstrous Regiment" and "Going Postal" There's a bit of humor at the expense of prophecies in the latter... - - - - - - - - - - Phelim Mcintyre - Mar 24, 2005 1:41 am (#437 of 938) T Brightwater - I loved Monstrous Regiment, but am waiting for Going Postal to get into paperback. I would encourage people to read Witches Abroad though, some great ideas about fulfilling stories. - - - - - - - - - - vanessa cave - Mar 24, 2005 3:45 am (#438 of 938) I enjoyed Monstrous Regiment and am also waiting for Going Postal to make it to paperback, my favourite has to be The Fifth Elephant. - - - - - - - - - - Hermy - Mar 24, 2005 4:45 pm (#439 of 938) To Kill a Mockingbird - one of the few books that the movie was just as good as the book The Shades by Betty Brock - this book is out of print - My sister use to read it to me as a child. It is a great book about a boy named Hollis that has to live with his aunt. There is a magical garden of shadows. La Morte de Arthur - I know I probably spelled this wrong but it is one of the stories of King Arthur and it is very good. I keep trying to fill my time mainly with the LOTR while waiting on the 6th book. I have reread it and have the extended versions of all the dvds. I am trying to wait until July for a marathon reread of the Harry Potter books. - - - - - - - - - - Steve Newton - Mar 24, 2005 7:53 pm (#440 of 938) Librarian It should be a sin To Kill a Mockingbird. My second favorite book. My favorite is Catch-22. - - - - - - - - - - Eponine - Mar 24, 2005 8:39 pm (#441 of 938) I actually just finished teaching To Kill a Mockingbird to a bunch of 9th graders. They really got into it, and when I was reading the attack scene at the end to them, they were completely and utterly silent. It made me happy, especially since I really have to work to hold myself together when I get to "Neighbors bring food with death and flowers with sickness and little things in between. Boo was our neighbor. He gave us two soap dolls, a broken watch and chain, a pair of good-luck pennies, and our lives." I really love that book. - - - - - - - - - - Herm oh ninny - Mar 25, 2005 2:23 pm (#442 of 938) "Accio treats!" I just finished reading Bridget Jones' Diary and Bridget Jones the Edge of Reason. They were hysterical. I literally had to hold myself back from laughing at work! - - - - - - - - - - Cornelia - Mar 25, 2005 2:50 pm (#443 of 938) If you like crime-thrillers, I can highly recommend swedish authors. Look for Henning Mankell (The fifth Woman) or Liza Marklund (Paradise) or Hakan Nesser (there should be a little ° over the first a, but I couldn´t find it on my keyboard) or M. Sjöwall/P. Wahlöö (Kommissar Beck, don´t know in English) I checked the first two on amazon, there are english editions, but I didn´t try the other two... - - - - - - - - - - Mrs Brisbee - Mar 25, 2005 3:11 pm (#444 of 938) I read Sjowall and Wahloo's (sorry, don't know how to make accent thingies) Martin Beck series about 20 years ago in english, so it has been translated at one point. I remember enjoying them very much. - - - - - - - - - - Phelim Mcintyre - Mar 26, 2005 5:34 am (#445 of 938) Some one recently said they had just finsihed reading Tolkien's Symarillion. I can't remember who it was but I do have a question for them - did you understand it? - - - - - - - - - - Lupin is Lupin. Natch. - Mar 26, 2005 5:21 pm (#446 of 938) Sometimes known as Kim. I've got myself a nifty little promotional certificate from Amazon and since I'm not proud and possess very little shame I've decided to get myself a high-end dictionary. No more Webster's New Collegiate for me. Is it still considered new if the copyright is more than 30 years old? Sooooo, you're a smart group. Recommendations? And if it's not too much trouble could you tell me what you like best about whatever it is your recommending. Thanks. I can't remember who it was but I do have a question for them - did you understand it?---Phelim McIntyre You're getting a bit pushy there, aren't you Phelim? I mean, the bragging rights are in the reading of the Silmarillion, not the understanding. - - - - - - - - - - Madame Librarian - Mar 26, 2005 9:18 pm (#447 of 938) Lupin is, I'd go for the Shorter Oxford English Dictionary. It's a two-volume set and fits on a normal bookcase. You will not get a hernia lifting a volume up to check something. I've seen prices from about $85 to $100. Here's Amazon's promo for it [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.] I find this a comprehensive dictionary that's got excellent word origin material, is current, reflects everyday British and American usages, and though expensive is still affordable. Ciao. Barb - - - - - - - - - - Phelim Mcintyre - Mar 28, 2005 5:19 am (#448 of 938) Lupin, you actually finished the book!!!!!! I think you should be awarded some type of medal. Order of Merlin 1st Class at least. So far I have been defeated. - - - - - - - - - - Little Ginny - Mar 28, 2005 7:45 am (#449 of 938) Well, I just skipped the introduction of the Silmarillion (I am going to read that when I really have a lot of time) and got along very well with the rest. Does that count? I must add that, understanding or not, I like the book. - - - - - - - - - - azi - Mar 28, 2005 8:37 am (#450 of 938) Photo borrowed from Ardent Photography Finishing the Silmarillion? I've started it, but it's so difficult to understand and get your head round that I've kind of abandoned it. I've got to be in an extremely focused mood to take any of it in. A rare event. [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.] Elanor Lupin is Lupin. Natch. - Mar 29, 2005 3:48 pm (#452 of 938) Sometimes known as Kim. Barb--thank you for the recommendation. I was leaning in that direction but I'm glad to have your input before making the purchase. Lupin, you actually finished the book!!!!!!---Phelim Mcintyre Did I say that? :::looks around innocently::: No, no. If I had read it, then I could brag about it. In all honesty, I read it back in college (going on 20 years ago) and cannot remember if I read it in total or in parts. I know I was particularly interested in the backstory on Arwen's ancestors and that was where my focus lay. I'm sure I read other parts but I would not have read it front to back in an orderly fashion (that's just torture) and I have no memory of saying, "There! That's done." - - - - - - - - - - fleur-de-lys - Apr 1, 2005 11:32 am (#453 of 938) I was reading and posting on a thread a few days ago and was reminded of a series of books, that the Harry Potter fan would enjoy. Lloyd Alexander has written a wonderful series called The Prydain Chronicles. I was comparing a plot, major to one book but minor to the overall story, to the theories on the "Why didn't Voldemort die?" thread. After thinking about the Prydain Chronicles for a few days and comparing them to Harry Potter, I realized that Harry Potter fans may enjoy them as well. They aren't quite as long or as dark, but they are very good. There is magic, but the magical world is not hidden. They are set more in medieval times, with knights and wandering bards and castles and kings and queens. They are also considered kids books, but I think adults will enjoy them almost as much as Harry Potter. Again they are The Prydain Chronicles and the author is Lloyd Alexander. He has other books out too, but I haven't read any of them. If anyone has read them or reads them after reading this, I would love to discuss comparisons. I've found a few interesting tidbits. Perhaps a subject for a new thread. Enjoy. - - - - - - - - - - Catherine - Apr 1, 2005 4:31 pm (#454 of 938) Canon Seeker Barb--thank you for the recommendation. I was leaning in that direction but I'm glad to have your input before making the purchase. Lupin is Lupin I second Barb's recommendation. I adore my Oxford English Dictionary that Mr. Catherine bought me as a gift a while back. And boy, does it make Scrabble fun! And yes, I considered this a very romantic gift. I'm a an uber-goober, after all. - - - - - - - - - - Phelim Mcintyre - Apr 2, 2005 12:38 am (#455 of 938) Catherine - for Scrabble I recommend Chambers. For every thing else the OED is best. Even better if you have the space for the Complete OED. Some words in there are wonderful. - - - - - - - - - - Melly - Apr 10, 2005 12:59 am (#456 of 938) For those of you who love to read to your kids (and I know there are a lot who do) then I seriously reccommend Australian author Emily Rodda. The ones I reccommend are the Rowan of Rin series which are FANTASTIC, you and your kids will love them. I think there are four or five books in this series. Another book by Emily Rodda that is also FANTASTIC is Finders Keepers and its sequel The Timekeeper. I am not sure of the availability for people who live in other countries but if you can get your hands on them then please read them! Another great series is the Tomorrow series by Australian author James Marsden. This series is very popular in Australia and I know many people who have read it and loved it. There are I think seven books in this series. It is set in Australia and is about a group of teenagers who go camping in the bush and when they return home they find they've been invaded and their family and friends and the rest of the country is been held hostage. There is not a dull moment in these books it is action packed! If you can get your hands on this series then please do read it! - - - - - - - - - - I Am Used Vlad - Apr 16, 2005 5:27 pm (#457 of 938) I Am Almighty! With appologies to Amilia Smith, I'd like to recommend Orson Scott Card's latest book, Shadow of the Giant. It is the forth book in the second series of Ender stories, and they are all worth reading, even though they are keeping Card from writing about Alvin Maker. - - - - - - - - - - T Brightwater - Apr 18, 2005 1:31 pm (#458 of 938) Connie Willis is terrific; I especially like _To Say Nothing of the Dog_, and _Bellwether_, both of which are hilarious. _Doomsday Book_ is good but heartbreaking. - - - - - - - - - - Amilia Smith - Apr 18, 2005 7:07 pm (#459 of 938) Edited Apr 18, 2005 8:22 pm I'd like to second the Connie Willis recommendation. I haven't read anything she has written that I didn't like. Besides the books T Brightwater mentioned, I especially like Lincoln's Dreams, Remake, and Passage. She's got a new book coming out in June called Inside Job. It's a chapbook. Can anyone tell me what a chapbook is? Vlad: No apologies necessary. To tell the truth, I quit reading the Ender books after Ender's Shadow because I was so mad. (What??!! Now he's retelling the same story from a different point of view???) However, I should probably get over it. On your recommendation, I will check out the others. :-) To my ffellow Fforde ffans, we now have a release date for The Big Over Easy. Those of you lucky enough to live in the UK can get it July 11, those of us in the US must wait until July 25. The blurb on jasperfforde.com reads: It's Easter in Reading -a bad time for eggs- and no-one can remember the last sunny day. Ovoid D-class nursery celebrity Humpty Stuyesant Van Dumpty III, minor baronet, ex-convict and former millionaire philanthropist is found shattered to death beneath a wall in a shabby area of town. All the evidence points to his ex-wife who has conveniently shot herself. But Detective Inspector Jack Spratt and his assistant Mary Mary remain unconvinced, a sentiment not shared with their superiors at the Reading Police Department, who are still smarting over their failure to convict the Three Pigs of murdering Mr Wolff. Before long Jack and Mary find themseves grappling with a sinister plot involving cross-border money laundering, bullion smuggling, problems with beanstalks, titans seeking asylum and the cut and thrust world of international Chiropody. And on top of all that, the JellyMan is coming to town... End quote. I looked up chiropody. It is synonymous with podiatry. The branch of medicine concerned with the feet. hmmm . . . Mills. Denise P. - Apr 18, 2005 7:28 pm (#460 of 938) Ravenclaw Pony For those who are Artemis Fowl fans, I see that there is a new book out in hardback. Artemis Fowl and the Opal Deception....whoo hoo! I love Artemis Fowl and was so bummed that the last few books from Eoin Colfer were not Artemis books. The Darren Shan books are good too... Cirque Du Freak series. They are found in the teen section but they are really good. I started reading them when someone on the Forum suggested them a few years back. In the UK, I believe the series is finished (12 books) but here in the US, we just got book #9. - - - - - - - - - - Elfcat - Apr 19, 2005 7:04 pm (#461 of 938) What do you call a boomerang that doesn't come back? A Stick. Hey! Stop telling people The Lord of the Rings is dry! it is NOT! You just have to have a special sort of sense of humor sometimes. The dryest thing about it is the long words. One of My favorite scenes (Ingold and Gandalf have been having a discussion about Pippn): "...His Name is Peregrin, a very valiant man." "Man?" said Ingold dubiosly, and the others laughed. "Man!" cried Pippin, now thoroughly roused. "Man! Indeed not! I am a Hobbit, and no more valiant than I am a man, save now and again by necessity. Do not let Gandalf decieve you!" "Many a doer of great deeds might say no more," said Ingold. "But what is a hobbit?" End quote. It may take a little while to get into the writing style, but it's far from dry when you learn to decode it. Do not imagine you know the stories if you have only seen the movies. I also highly recomend: The Hobbit Hawksong and Snakecharm by Amelia Atwater-Rhodes (slight pg rating here, reccomend @ least 13 years of age) Mark Twain, particularly the huck Finn & Tom Sawyer books. The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy absolutely rocks, though I personaly would recomend only reading the first three books of the series (last two drag). Deffinitely rated pg or pg13 for language. Gordon Korman is absolutely the best commedy writer for all ages. His work is generally considered to be for children, but so is HP, so there. He's got the best laugh out loud value per chapter of any author I've ever read, and yes that includes Douglass Adams. - - - - - - - - - - Little Ginny - Apr 20, 2005 9:49 am (#462 of 938) I most definitely don't think the Lord of the Rings is dry! I love the books, and I remember how I read The Hobbit for the first time, when I was ten or eleven, and how much I loved it (and still do so!) - - - - - - - - - - T Brightwater - Apr 20, 2005 2:43 pm (#463 of 938) I think the complaint of dryness was in regard to _The Silmarillion_ rather than LOTR. The hobbits are the source or at least the provocation of most of the humor in LOTR; they have a way of bringing situations abruptly down to earth. (Aragorn's little tirade to Merry in the Houses of Healing, in which he mimics the Warden, is one of my favorite passages.) - - - - - - - - - - Veritaserum - Apr 20, 2005 4:43 pm (#464 of 938) Go Jays! Yay! The Big Over Easy! Sounds wicked hilarious, as usual! - - - - - - - - - - Elfcat - Apr 21, 2005 9:32 am (#465 of 938) What do you call a boomerang that doesn't come back? A Stick. I'll go with The Silmarillion being dry. It took me three attepmts to get all the way through it. (as in started reading, got bored, put it down for 6 months, forgot where I was and started over...) I'm taking the numerous recommendation on Artemis Fowl, and it's really good so far. - - - - - - - - - - Little Ginny - Apr 21, 2005 12:00 pm (#466 of 938) Has anybody already read the new Artemis Fowl? Can you recommend it? - - - - - - - - - - Denise P. - Apr 21, 2005 2:08 pm (#467 of 938) Ravenclaw Pony I have it, read the introduction but have not finished it yet. If his previous books are any indication, The Opal Deception will be worth the read. I just picked up The Thief Lord by Cornelia Funke. It is fairly good so far. I saw an article that mentioned JKR and this author was mentioned so I thought I would try it. I got The Theif Lord and then the next day my kids brought home a book order form where I could order Thief Lord AND Inkheart for less than I paid. :::sigh::: Figures. I will still order it since it is less than I would pay for Inkheart alone (another by the same author) - - - - - - - - - - Denise P. - Apr 26, 2005 6:09 am (#468 of 938) Ravenclaw Pony Little Ginny, I finished Opal Deception and can recommend it. It is not as good as the first 2 Artemis books and I am most unhappy with one aspect but overall, it is a good read and I like how things were resolved from the last book. - - - - - - - - - - Elfcat - Apr 26, 2005 5:51 pm (#469 of 938) What do you call a boomerang that doesn't come back? A Stick. There is also a very good book out there somewhere called The Theif, But I can't quite recall the author. Possibly Tanith Lee, but it might be somebody else with a similar name. - - - - - - - - - - Little Ginny - Apr 27, 2005 8:35 am (#470 of 938) Thanks, Denise, I think I will get in in May, when the English Paperback is available in Germany. By the way, I read Inkheart, and I thought it was quite nice, also suitable for children (maybe 10+, but I'm no expert about such things). - - - - - - - - - - Veritaserum - May 1, 2005 10:21 am (#471 of 938) Go Jays! Elfcat, are you thinking of The Thief where the main character's name is Eugenides? If that's the case, it's by Megan Whalen Turner. I highly recommend both that and the sequel, The Queen of Attolia. Eugenides is one of my favorite characters that I've read. Got that great sarcastic quality to him. - - - - - - - - - - Little Ginny - May 2, 2005 10:32 am (#472 of 938) I have just heard that Alfred Lord Tennyson seems to have written some Poems about King Arthur, Merlin, Launcelot and Elaine and other Knights of the Round Table. Does anyone know whether there is a book edition with all the Poems on this topic collected, or, if there are more, can you recommend any? (preferably from the UK, as I have difficulties ordering books from the US) Thanks a lot! Steve Newton - May 2, 2005 10:37 am (#473 of 938) Librarian Ginny, here is the online text of Idylls of the King: [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.] You'll have to copy and paste. I don't do links. - - - - - - - - - - timrew - May 2, 2005 11:07 am (#474 of 938) Middle-aged Harry Potter fan Ginny, if you go to [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.] select 'books'(under which product), and type 'tennyson, alfred' into their search engine, you should find a large selection of books of his poetry. You'll want The Idylls Of The King (as Steve has said), and The Lady Of Shallot (principally about Lancelot). I don't know if he has written any more on this subject, but someone on this forum might. - - - - - - - - - - Little Ginny - May 2, 2005 12:10 pm (#475 of 938) Thanks, I'll try out amazon! (I'm not so very fond of online texts- feels as if it were no real book to me. I can't really explain, I just prefer reading things that are bound together- perhaps because you can better carry them around) - - - - - - - - - - Elfcat - May 2, 2005 4:42 pm (#476 of 938) What do you call a boomerang that doesn't come back? A Stick. Yes, that's the one, Veritaserum! The first book has the king of all surprise endings, don't you think? - - - - - - - - - - Veritaserum - May 4, 2005 2:42 pm (#477 of 938) Go Jays! Oh, yes it does! Great ending. And the second one, well, the main surprise is at the beginning, but the ending is quite unexpected as well. Thoroughly enjoyed both of them. - - - - - - - - - - Good Evans - May 7, 2005 3:05 pm (#478 of 938) Practically perfect in every way I am just finishing Going postal by Terry Pratchett - V good and up to his usual standard. But for another "childrens book" (being faceitious - dont throw things!!) that has adult appeal try Jonathan Strouds "Bartemaus" trilogy the first two are out and we are waiting for the third. The amulet of samarkand and the golems eye were the first two. loved them both and love the world that is depicted. London modern times run by Wizards who are corrupt and the non magical are supressed with a highly inventive resistance movement. Not Harry, but very enjoyable (I was surprised to find they were so called childrens books as I think they have some dark content). - - - - - - - - - - applepie - May 18, 2005 2:09 pm (#479 of 938) "Always forgive your enemies; nothing annoys them so much." -- Oscar Wilde "Suzanne's Diary for Nicholas" by James Patterson It's a very quick read, but is extremely emotional. I am still trudging through "Anna Karenina" by Leo Tolstoy. I feel as though I have been reading it for a year...maybe I have, but I seem to be stuck about 3/4 of the way through.....I am seriously contemplating dropping it all together. - - - - - - - - - - Mare - May 20, 2005 2:10 am (#480 of 938) applepie, I read that book too. if you finish it, please tell me what you think about the last chapter... To me it felt like it was "tagged on", it didn't seem to fit with the rest of the book. - - - - - - - - - - applepie - May 20, 2005 6:54 am (#481 of 938) "Always forgive your enemies; nothing annoys them so much." -- Oscar Wilde At the moment I am reading "The Five People You Meet in Heaven" by Mitch Albom. I have to admit that I am enjoying it, though it is a short read and I should finish it today. Anna Karenina is still bookmarked and waiting for me to gain the strength to finish it. I probably will finish it, because I have not abandoned a book yet, but how long it will take, I cannot say. Thanks for the heads up on the last chapter. I'll keep it in mind. - - - - - - - - - - Amilia Smith - May 20, 2005 4:43 pm (#482 of 938) I didn't like Anna (the character, not the book) at all. She drove me nuts. So after a while, I started skipping all of the Anna parts, and only reading the Levin (who I liked very much) parts. I ended up doing the same thing with War and Peace, skipping all the war parts and just reading the peace parts. I had a Russian professor tell me that Russians do the same thing, after I admitted this to her. Mills. timrew - May 21, 2005 4:56 pm (#483 of 938) Middle-aged Harry Potter fan Edited May 21, 2005 6:00 pm You'll have to bear with me on this. It's a long story, as they say....... A few weeks ago, I visited Grasmere (in the English Lake District), well known as the poet William Wordsworth's dwelling place (for some years - Dove Cottage is here), and also the place where he is buried. On visiting his grave in the village churchyard, I saw that it was a family plot, with headstones for William (and his wife, Mary), and various other Wordsworths and family members. Then, just behind William and Mary's grave I saw a small, stone celtic cross marking another grave, but I couldn't quite make out the name. On going nearer, and bending down to take a closer look, I made out the name Hartley Coleridge. Hartley? I knew Wordsworth was a friend of Samuel Taylor Coleridge of 'Ancient Mariner' fame; but I'd never heard of a Hartley Coleridge. So I decided to do some research. Things like this really bug me until I find out about them! I put Hartley Coleridge's name into Google and came up with a few results. Hartley, it turns out, was the oldest son of Samuel Taylor Coleridge. He was also a poet, but was overshadowed by his own (very famous) dad, and therefore ignored by most people. He was left virtually to his own devices by Samuel (who, let's face it, was a bit of an opium-head). And while Samuel travelled round Europe, Hartley lived in the Lake District and became a good friend of William and Mary Wordsworth. In fact, Hartley sounds like the kind of person that was loved by everybody. He died at the age of 52, a year before Wordsworth (who lived until he was 80); and it was Wordsworth who caused him to be buried in the family plot saying to the sexton, "Let him lie by us, he would have wished it". Hartley loved to drink; and speculation is, that drink caused his death. He was supposed to have got drunk one night, caught a chill walking home, which led to bronchitis, which led to his premature death. I had to find a book of his poetry. I found it on Amazon, a collection of his poems called "Bricks Without Mortar" edited by Lisa Gee. And you know what? I think Hartley Coleridge is better than his dad - not as prolific, but better. His book is such a slim volume, only 75 pages of his poems, but all of them wonderful. It's a crime that he is so ignored. "I am a sinner, full of doubts and fears, Make me a humble thing of love and tears." from the sonnet, "Multum Dilexit" - - - - - - - - - - applepie - May 23, 2005 7:39 am (#484 of 938) "Always forgive your enemies; nothing annoys them so much." -- Oscar Wilde Amilia Smith, good idea about Anna. I skip a lot of the political stuff in the book, but I think Anna drives me insane too. I much rather read about Levin and Kitty. Glad to know it's not just me... - - - - - - - - - - Little Ginny - May 25, 2005 12:01 pm (#485 of 938) I recently got the impression that almost every girl in the English-speaking world grew up reading "Anne of Green Gables", or am I wrong in that? Anyway, I thought that now, at twenty years, I should perhaps also read it, to know what every one is talking about, though I am not a native speaker. Can anyone tell me in which order the books ought to be read? Thanks! Veritaserum - May 25, 2005 12:44 pm (#486 of 938) Go Jays! Anne of Green Gables is first, I'm pretty sure. I actually did read them all when I was younger, but I've forgotten most of them by now. I don't know if they're quite so popular among the people I know, Little Ginny. I know one girl who LM Montgomery is her favorite author, but generally I think more kids have read HP and things like Nancy Drew or something. - - - - - - - - - - Amilia Smith - May 25, 2005 4:27 pm (#487 of 938) Edited May 25, 2005 5:18 pm Anne of Green Gables Rainbow Valley Rilla of Ingleside Some of my all time favorite books. L. M. Montgomery also has several other novels that are very good, and some short story collections. My only complaint with her writing is that she tends to use the same plot line over and over again. Lonely/abused/neglected orphan finds a family and happiness. But this doesn't really bother you until you read all her short stories. Mills. Ladybug220 - May 25, 2005 5:14 pm (#488 of 938) ...moves faster than Severus Snape confronted with shampoo I have never read Anne of Green Gables but I have read all of Laura Ingalls Wilder's Little House books and those are great! - - - - - - - - - - Denise P. - May 25, 2005 7:21 pm (#489 of 938) Ravenclaw Pony Oh, Rilla of Ingleside always chokes me up when Jem comes home and is greeted by his dog. ::::sniffle:::: If you like the Little House books, you will like the Anne books. My least favorite of the series is Anne of Windy Poplars but it is still good. She has a few other series, L.M. Montgomery but Anne is her best work. The Blue Castle is a favorite non-Anne book. - - - - - - - - - - Veritaserum - May 26, 2005 11:19 am (#490 of 938) Go Jays! I second The Blue Castle. Great irony. - - - - - - - - - - Elfcat - May 26, 2005 7:41 pm (#491 of 938) What do you call a boomerang that doesn't come back? A Stick. I'm reading Outlaws of Sherwood by Robin McKinley at the moment, and it seems pretty good so far. True, it is a Robin Hood retelling. But it's a good one. Tad bit of violence occasionally, but really not worse than you'd find in The Lord of the Rings. - - - - - - - - - - applepie - May 30, 2005 8:46 am (#492 of 938) "Always forgive your enemies; nothing annoys them so much." -- Oscar Wilde Just started Good Grief by Lolly Winston. So far, I love it. I could not imagine losing a loved one, especially my husband. I read it until 1am and concencted to sleep since I had to be at work for 8am today. Has anyone read it? - - - - - - - - - - Mare - May 31, 2005 5:57 pm (#493 of 938) I didn't like Anna (the character, not the book) at all. She drove me nuts. So after a while, I started skipping all of the Anna parts, and only reading the Levin (who I liked very much) parts. I had the same thing. Anna is whiny, but in her defense, there isn´t much she could do... In her time and situation she is nothing more than an extension of the man she is married to. The only time she ever chooses for herself she ends up an outcast. Now, we would wack the husband on the head (or never marry him in the first place) and sue him for custody. In the end I disliked her too, except for the last moment we meet her. Her thoughts make sense, and I had feeling like "Aha, deep in your heart you know that you are to blame as well". And I liked Levin, but his whole "the farmers are happy and good and noble" routine got abit tiring at the end. It was an odd and sometimes longwinded book, but I learned something about Russian society, so I was glad I read it. Won't reread it though. - - - - - - - - - - Amilia Smith - Jun 2, 2005 3:24 pm (#494 of 938) I am looking to brush up my very rusty Russian by reading a Russian work side by side with its English translation. Does anyone know of any short Russian children's stories that have been translated into English? Mills. Herm oh ninny - Jun 4, 2005 12:03 pm (#495 of 938) "Accio treats!" Little Ginny, you should definately give the Anne Books a try. They are very good, and you should watch the movies too. All except for the 3rd movie which has nothing to do with the books. Ladybug, I agree with you, the Little House Books are great!! I just watched the movie The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants. It was cute. Has anyone read the books? How are they? - - - - - - - - - - Little Ginny - Jun 4, 2005 2:09 pm (#496 of 938) Herm oh ninny, I think I will. It should prove an interesting challenge for my local library. Amilia, I think I read Russian children's stories, but of course, I don't rememember too well. There is however, one book I can highly recommend you to read, and I think it should be no problem for you to find an English version, and that is Garri Potter i filosofskiy kamyen. ;-) No, seriously, I read parts of that, too, and because I knew the contents almost by heart, it was not that difficult to recognize the many words unknown to me (Me and Russian vocabulary- it's a story of mutual hatred- I simply cannot remember the verbs, I always remember only the funny words you never need). I also tried to improve my Latin by reading the Latin version, and my Dutch by reading the Dutch version... it didn't work too well, because I didn't have much patience, but perhaps I should have concentrated on one language... still, it's something I can only recommend if you want to brush up a language. - - - - - - - - - - lemonbalm&bees - Jun 4, 2005 2:32 pm (#497 of 938) "This time it was right, it would work, and no one would have to get nailed to anything." ~D.A. I agree Little Ginny. 'Harry Potter y la piedra filosofál' was a great read! In the first chapter alone I learned many new words, including 'owl' and 'drill!' And I would definately reccommend the Little House books to anyone. These books are where the books-on-tape tradition began with my family. My dad was in submarines and missed a great deal of my growing-up years, but he would visit me in recordings of "Little House in the Big Woods." Countless times, my friends have been amazed at some odd knowledge I seemed to posses. "Where on earth did you learn that?!?" And of course, it was the Little House books. In fact, for those who grew up with Little House and Anne of Green Gables, I can personally gauruntee that they are ten times better when you go back to them years later. (Not to mention their being much quicker) - - - - - - - - - - Finn BV - Jun 4, 2005 8:23 pm (#498 of 938) Me kayaking, Niagara River, August 2006. I have been likened to Reepicheep in this photo. Oh, yes. I am attempting to read "Harry Potter y la Orden del Fénix" without a copy of my English book. It's tempting to switch over occasionally, but it's really good for learning another language. - - - - - - - - - - Amilia Smith - Jun 4, 2005 8:25 pm (#499 of 938) Don't know why I didn't think of that. :-) I shall check out my local bookstore, and if that fails, Amazon. Mills. Veritaserum - Jun 4, 2005 8:57 pm (#500 of 938) Go Jays! Herm oh Ninny, I enjoyed the Sisterhood movie, and I thought they did a pretty good job adapting the books. I liked the book a little better in some parts. I like the books because they are an easy read, and some nice girly teenage angst, which is different from what I normally read. Also, I have been "reading" Harry Potter et le prisonnier d'Azkaban for a year and a half and I'm only on chapter 3 or 4...I don't get around to it too often. But it is fun, especially to note how they translated some of the names. Professor Snape= Professor Rogue, for example. [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.] Elanor João Paulo Costa - Jun 15, 2005 3:50 am (#503 of 938) Hello all: I checked and did not find in this thread, so I supose that these books have not been sugested - unless they were sugested prior to this thread as been discontinued. The fiction books that I read, that dealt with magic, and that influenced me for a long time were The Earthsea Chronicles, by Ursula le Guin: 1. The Wizard of Earthsea 2. The Tombs of Atuan 3. The Farthest Shore 4. Tehanu (I still have not read this one) The aspect of the books that striked me as the most appealing was the use (or rather, the rationality of use) of magic in these books. (When I first read the Harry Potter books, I was somehow thrown off by the fact that magic was done all the time, and seemed a very mundane thing - what atracked me later to the HP series was the continuous revealing off the mistery of HP: the number and multitude of characters, the very complicated plot, the fact that the characters age and learn...) Like the Harry Potter books, these books also deal with the growing up of a character (in the first book he grows from 12 to 19 years old; in the second he is a grown man, probably in his 30's; in the third he is about fifty yeears old, an old man by the story standards). Also like in HP, the action takes place in a world that functions with magic. However, the nature and use of it are radically different. I recomend it for all of those that like fantsy books. But these books deal with several harsh lessons of life: making mistakes, being marked by them and trying to correct them. Being solitary in a vast world. Having the courage to live. Having the courage to deal and accept death. Good reading to all. Joao Costa. - - - - - - - - - - KTO - Jun 15, 2005 1:08 pm (#504 of 938) I am not happy unless I am reading a good book, here are some recomendations (for adults) 1. anything by David Sedaris 2. The Mists of Avalon - one of my all time favorites 3. The Far Pavillons - amazing, wanted to cry when I finished it as I felt like I was losing a friend 4.The Kit Runner - should be mandatory reading for all adults. 5. The Red Tent - loved it, loved it, loved it. KT KTO - Jun 15, 2005 1:17 pm (#505 of 938) any suggestions for the harry potter companion books? - - - - - - - - - - Veritaserum - Jun 15, 2005 4:39 pm (#506 of 938) Go Jays! Oh, you mean like the clue books and all? The only one I've read of those is the Ultimate Unofficial Guide to the Mysteries of Harry Potter or something to that effect. It's pretty good and brings up some interesting points. They go really far out there on some of it, but then I suppose so do we. - - - - - - - - - - Regan of Gong - Jun 18, 2005 7:22 pm (#507 of 938) Self declared doctor of everything. Has any one here read Alex Rider ? They're really for kids and teenagers written by Anthony Horowitz. He's done some really good research into these so that everything he writes is within the bounds of reality. He consults experts and researchs information for ages so it can be realistic. They're teenage spy thriller books- but hold the groaning 'till you read them through. It's got a good running plot through the six books published so far, everyone thought they had ended when Alex was shot in book 5 and there was a massive outcry frokm the public. It's in the top ten at Dymocks. Anthony Horowitz also writes Midsommer Murders for TV. I also enjoy a series of books called CHERUB. More child-spy type of thing, but realy witty and brilliantly written. They're written by Robert Muchamore, and there's a series of 8 planned so far, but only 3 are out at the moment. It's more single books, indivual plot series following a boy called James and his missions of espionage. I love them, but my brother is going to murder me when he comes home and finds I've read book 3 before him. Sorry bout my rambling, Regan - - - - - - - - - - Elfcat - Jun 28, 2005 8:15 pm (#508 of 938) What do you call a boomerang that doesn't come back? A Stick. applepie brought a point to my attention: I have thus far failed to recommend Eats, Shoots and Leaves. I have failed you all, and deserve severe punnishment. If you like English (Like me, freak that I am), have trouble with english, or could care less about the language, this book is for you. If you like or need to learn about the language, well, you learn about it. If you could care less, you get to amuse yourself with the way she compares punctuation to objects and animals, IE- the "Oxford Coma" as a shark, the normal coma as a sheepdog, etc. Surprisingly good read. (all this is the IMHO of a language lover, by the way) - - - - - - - - - - Finn BV - Jun 28, 2005 8:26 pm (#509 of 938) Me kayaking, Niagara River, August 2006. I have been likened to Reepicheep in this photo. I second Elfcat. Fantastic book. See my response to when dizzy lizzy said something about "reading through 160 odd posts" on the Chat thread and I warned her about that tricky hypen: "160-odd posts" means 160-169 posts; "160 odd posts" is a very rude way to describe what we put into our posts. Yup, anyway, a great read. - - - - - - - - - - dizzy lizzy - Jun 28, 2005 8:41 pm (#510 of 938) There is more to life than increasing its speed: Mahatama Ghandi. lol blushes Someone I am sure has recommended Garth Nix (Aussie Fantasy Author) haven't they?? He has another new book of short stories being released pretty soon. As I understand it, his books are starting to make their presence felt in the US and UK. - - - - - - - - - - Phelim Mcintyre - Jun 29, 2005 1:52 am (#511 of 938) Elfcat - you may leave the court without a stain on your character. f you put in Eats, Shoots and Leaves into the search you will find nearly everyone on this thread has recommended the book, or supported a recommendation by someone else. You should have seen the discussion we had about the use of the hyphen in Half-Blood Prince. Eats, Shoots and Leaves was our touchstone. - - - - - - - - - - Finn BV - Jun 29, 2005 11:18 am (#512 of 938) Me kayaking, Niagara River, August 2006. I have been likened to Reepicheep in this photo. Yeah, Phelim, I had S.E. Jones change the title thread because every time I looked at it I just shook my head with a slight bit of sadness. Glad we've got more grammar freaks. Lizzy, hope you understand I just couldn't resist that little bit of hypen-ism. - - - - - - - - - - dizzy lizzy - Jun 29, 2005 5:27 pm (#513 of 938) There is more to life than increasing its speed: Mahatama Ghandi. No problems fbv. I'm still laughing . I had better go to the local library and borrow Eats, Shoots and Leaves then. - - - - - - - - - - Finn BV - Jun 29, 2005 6:25 pm (#514 of 938) Me kayaking, Niagara River, August 2006. I have been likened to Reepicheep in this photo. This is so funny! So I went to [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.] just because I saw there was a web site, and look at this picture at [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.] correcting "Two Weeks Notice" to "Two Weeks' Notice"! The other movie playing just had to HP! I just couldn't believe it. A must-post on the You Know You're a Fan When… thread! - - - - - - - - - - Little Ginny - Jun 30, 2005 4:59 am (#515 of 938) Oh, yes, I can only recommend Eats, Shoots and Leaves ; though I have not finished it yet, it has greatly influenced me. There is a shop in the town where I live offering Women and Men's Fashion (I suppose it would be too unfashionable to have a German name for a German shop), and every time I pass it I wonder whether I should go in and ask for "a middle-aged woman, capable of cooking and housekeeping, not too expensive", since they seem to have specialised in that kind of things. ;-) - - - - - - - - - - T Brightwater - Jun 30, 2005 2:21 pm (#516 of 938) In _Going Postal_, Terry Pratchett has a lot of fun with the "Greengrocer's Apostrophe." (as in "Cabbage's 99p") By the way, Elfcat, as long as we're all sticklers together here, is the Oxford coma a newly-described medical condition? :-) - - - - - - - - - - Phelim Mcintyre - Jul 1, 2005 4:10 am (#517 of 938) For those who can get hold of it - you must read the Uxbridge English Dictionary. Published by Harper Collins. There is a great comedy program on BBC Radio 4 called "I'm Sorry I Haven't A Clue". it describes itself as the "antidote to panel games". One of it's rounds is the "new definitions". Take a normal word and change its definition. For example: idiomatic - a Ugandan washing machine; vacinate - to administer drugs using a Hoover. You get the idea. Funny enough to use the Imperious Curse to force people to buy it. These defenitions would really send Dementors flying. - - - - - - - - - - Elfcat - Jul 5, 2005 4:20 pm (#518 of 938) What do you call a boomerang that doesn't come back? A Stick. T Brightwater--Oh NO!! I did that? While talking about grammar? I hate that! Bad Elfcat, bad! goes to iron hands - - - - - - - - - - nu9p - Jul 6, 2005 9:56 am (#519 of 938) I don't know if anyone has recommended this yet, but I enjoy orson scott card books. He wrote the ender's series...Ender's Game, Speaker for the Dead, Xenocide, Children of the Mind...the bean's series...Ender's Shadow, Shadow of the Hegemon, Shadow Puppets, Shadow of the Giant...I think I got those in order...He also wrote another series that I enjoyed...but I can't remember their titles, anyways, he is a science fiction author. - - - - - - - - - - nu9p - Jul 8, 2005 6:44 am (#520 of 938) His other series is the Homecoming series I believe. Anyways, good stuff, you should check it out. - - - - - - - - - - Denise P. - Jul 8, 2005 7:36 am (#521 of 938) Ravenclaw Pony He also wrote the Alvin Maker series. - - - - - - - - - - nu9p - Jul 8, 2005 8:36 am (#522 of 938) Yeah, but I haven't read that yet. Is it any good? - - - - - - - - - - Amilia Smith - Jul 8, 2005 7:03 pm (#523 of 938) I love the Tales of Alvin Maker. If you go up a ways on this thread, you see me go on and on about it. However, I will admit that the latter books in the series are not as good as the early ones. It's almost as if Card has lost interest in the series, which is a shame as he has not finished it yet! Non series Card: I recommend Enchantment. Time travel, Russian fairytales, a little romance, what more could you want? Mills. nu9p - Jul 11, 2005 5:36 am (#524 of 938) Thanks for the response Amilia. - - - - - - - - - - Loopy Lupin - Aug 4, 2005 2:23 pm (#525 of 938) I have to recommend "The Historian" by Elizabeth Kostovo. It's a Vampire tale, but it is immersed in the history of Vlad The Impaler. It has been compared to "The DaVinci Code" but it is not really like that at all because the history is more of a backdrop and less of a means to solve puzzles. - - - - - - - - - - I Am Used Vlad - Aug 4, 2005 8:07 pm (#526 of 938) I Am Almighty! That book is near the top of my books to read after HBP list, Loopy. I like vampire stories in general, and books about Vlad Tepes specifically. My current favorite is Children of the Night by Dan Simmons. My name being Vlad is, however, entirely coincidental. Speaking of Dan Simmons, I am finishing reading his latest book, Olympos, now. I would recommend it and its predecessor, Ilium, to fans of science fiction or the Trojan War. - - - - - - - - - - Loopy Lupin - Aug 5, 2005 9:03 am (#527 of 938) My name being Vlad is, however, entirely coincidental.-- Vlad Thank you for not saying that it is ironic . The fact that you know to call him "Vlad Tepes" tells me you'd enjoy the book immensely. I've really come away from it with a real sense of the history of the region. - - - - - - - - - - Lupin is Lupin. Natch. - Aug 5, 2005 9:11 am (#528 of 938) Sometimes known as Kim. Loopy Lupin - Aug 5, 2005 10:20 am (#529 of 938) Yup! Lupin is Lupin. Natch. - Aug 15, 2005 12:45 pm (#530 of 938) Sometimes known as Kim. Has anyone read Marlena de Blasi's A Thousand Days in Venice? I'm just about finished and found out she's written a follow-up: A Thousand Days in Tuscany. I've enjoyed reading her first book and will certainly grab the second. I think she has an unusual style and am wondering if anyone else out there is familiar with her work. I also just reread Jack London's Call of the Wild and have finally started White Fang which I promised myself many years ago I would read. I'd forgotten what a beautiful writer he is. I hope someone else out there enjoys him. - - - - - - - - - - irish flutterby - Aug 21, 2005 7:33 am (#531 of 938) new to the thread, and looking forward to making use of the recommendations. I'd also like to recommend, if you can get your hands on them, The Song of Albion trilogy. I think " Paradise War" is the first. Stephen R. Lawhead is the author. But, beware, they are no longer in publication, so good luck finding them. They are about a guy who finds a "door" to an ancient celtic world, and war breaks out in this paradise. There's more to it, but that's a one sentence synopsis. Fantasy Fiction, and an excellent read. All three books. - - - - - - - - - - Dame Peverell - Sep 2, 2005 10:18 pm (#532 of 938) Who wants JKR to hire some help and get on with it... HOMER PRICE by ROBERT McCLOSKEY A wonderfully funny childrens book, (we can remember it decades later) most especially for those not quite ready for the life and death realism of Harry Potter. Or any adult looking for the brighter side. - - - - - - - - - - Joanna S Lupin - Sep 10, 2005 7:28 am (#533 of 938) Little Bobik Lupin is Lupin - I read London's books as a child and loved them! I just finished Incas trillogy by A. B. Daniel and although it's terribly sad (obviously) it is very well written, picturesque, and amazingly beautiful. Book One is: Puma's Shadow Book Two is: Gold of Cuzco Book Three is: Light of Machu Picchu Excellent read! - - - - - - - - - - irish flutterby - Sep 21, 2005 4:31 pm (#534 of 938) I just finished Serinity which is the novelization of the movie set to come out Sept 30th and a compliment to the series "Firefly" that used to air on Fox, but was not given a fair chance and was cancelled before the end of one season. Anyways, the novel is pretty darn good. can't wait to see the movie. I highly recommend the series, too. - - - - - - - - - - Eponine - Sep 21, 2005 6:53 pm (#535 of 938) I second the recommendation for the series Firefly, but as this is a book thread...I'm reading The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night Time and I really like it so far. - - - - - - - - - - Finn BV - Sep 21, 2005 7:01 pm (#536 of 938) Me kayaking, Niagara River, August 2006. I have been likened to Reepicheep in this photo. Curious Incident is a fantastic book. I've read it about four times now. I really love it, although I haven't gotten so fanatic about it as I have with Harry… It's really touching. - - - - - - - - - - Nathan Zimmermann - Sep 21, 2005 10:47 pm (#537 of 938) Eponine, the title you mentioned reminded me of the Sherlock Holmes short story Silver Blaze where they key to the mystery is referred to as the curious incident of the dog in the night time. - - - - - - - - - - Amilia Smith - Sep 22, 2005 12:07 am (#538 of 938) I have not read The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night Time, but my brother has. He said he was much more impressed with The Speed of Dark by Elizabeth Moon, also about autism, and why he read Curious Incident in the first place. Now, I have read Speed of Dark, and I can give it a very favorable recommendation. So, all you who enjoyed Curious Incident, check it out! Mills. Veritaserum - Sep 22, 2005 3:48 pm (#539 of 938) Go Jays! I have Curious Incident, but have not had a chance to read it yet. I just finished To Say Nothing of the Dog, by Connie Willis. It was very good and entertaining. Almost like light (and sane) Jasper Fforde. - - - - - - - - - - Finn BV - Sep 22, 2005 4:42 pm (#540 of 938) Me kayaking, Niagara River, August 2006. I have been likened to Reepicheep in this photo. Jasper Fforde – Mills, isn't that the author of a book you were trying to get – didn't you mention it on the Chat Thread? - - - - - - - - - - Amilia Smith - Sep 22, 2005 7:10 pm (#541 of 938) Indeed it is! The Big Over Easy came out a week or so after HBP. Detective Jack Spratt is trying to figure out who killed Humpty Dumpty. It was a hoot. And I just saw yesterday, on Fforde's website, that he will autograph your book if you mail it to him. I am thinking I will do this. Now Connie Willis is another of my all time favorite authors. I have not read a single thing of hers that I haven't liked. She also had a new book out this summer, at the end of August. Inside Job was much harder to get a hold of than either of the other new releases I bought this summer. Apparently it was a limited edition with a small print run. (I think, I am just making this up based on my experience.) So my local Borders did not have it. And when I ordered it from Amazon, I got a series of emails saying that my order was delayed, and not to expect my book till October. Fortunantly it didn't take that long, and when I got it, it was a second printing. But it was worth the wait. Excellent book, as expected, my only complaint was that it was too short. Veritaserum, have you read Doomsday Book? Also Connie Willis. Also in the same universe as To Say Nothing of the Dog. But it has a very different tone. (One of the things I like about Willis is that she can adopt different tones. Most authors, you can tell right off who is writing because they always write this way.) Doomsday Book was out of print for quite a while, but has just recently come back. So now you can find it again! Yay!!! Mills. - - - - - - - - - - wynnleaf - Sep 23, 2005 3:56 pm (#542 of 938) For those who like the alchemy aspects of the HP books, and also like historical fiction, you might like to try Scottish writer, Dorothy Dunnett's books of the Lymond Chronicles: "Game of Kings," "Queen's Play," "Disorderly Knights," "Pawn in Frankensense," "The Ringed Castle," and "Checkmate." They were written in the 60's and 70's (I think). The primary character, Francis Crawford, deals on an adult level with themes of prophecy, political manuvering, good/evil, truth, destiny, etc. As you'd guess from the titles, there's also a major chess theme throughout. Set in the period of the beginnings of the reign of Mary Queen of Scots, through the start of Elizabeth I's reign. Takes place everywhere from Scotland to Russia and the mid-east. It would take a lot of explaining to say why, but somehow, some of the themes and characters of HP remind me of themes in the Lymond series. That would maybe seem strange to anyone who's read both -- even to me, but there it is. If it sounds interesting, google the titles to learn more. - - - - - - - - - - Veritaserum - Sep 23, 2005 8:20 pm (#543 of 938) Go Jays! Amilia, To Say Nothing of the Dog was the first book I'd read by Connie Willis, but I do think I'm going to read Doomsday Book now. And for anybody that likes Tamora Pierce-ish type fantasy, try Crown Duel by Sherwood Smith. It's very good. I totally called the romance, but it was very sweet anyway. - - - - - - - - - - Herm oh ninny - Sep 24, 2005 10:17 pm (#544 of 938) "Accio treats!" Angela's Ashes and its sequel 'Tis by Frank McCourt were great books. I would definately recommend them. - - - - - - - - - - irish flutterby - Sep 26, 2005 8:55 am (#545 of 938) I don't know if it's been mentioned, but I recenty read "Because of Wynn-Dixie." It was a short read, but really well written and moving, IMO. - - - - - - - - - - Amilia Smith - Oct 1, 2005 5:41 pm (#546 of 938) I am taking a storytelling class this semester, and I am doing a presentation on literary fairy tales. I need a bibliography of sources, and I was wondering if anyone here has a favorite author. By "literary fairy tales," I mean stories that sound like traditional fairy tales, but were actually written by an author. Think Hans Christian Andersen, Eleanor Farjeon or Rudyard Kipling's Just So stories. Thanks in advance, - - - - - - - - - - irish flutterby - Oct 1, 2005 7:38 pm (#547 of 938) Does the Chronicles of Narnia count? C.S. Lewis actually calls the books "fairy tales" in the first sentence or two of The Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe. That's one of my favorite series. Another fave is William Goldman's Princess Bride - - - - - - - - - - Amilia Smith - Oct 1, 2005 7:44 pm (#548 of 938) They would count, except for this project I have to find stories that are short enough that you could tell them in a library storyhour. And I agree, The Chronicles of Narnia is one of my favorite series too. Mills. Herm oh ninny - Oct 1, 2005 9:39 pm (#549 of 938) "Accio treats!" Amilia, I am quite partial to the Grimm Brothers. They wrote Cinderella, The Frog Prince, and my absolute favorite Rumplestiltskin (SP?). Those are just a few of their fairy tales. - - - - - - - - - - Little Ginny - Oct 2, 2005 5:34 am (#550 of 938) I also thought about the Grimm brothers first, but if I remember correctly, they collected fairy-tales throughout the country (Germany, mostly), polished them up a bit, edited and published them. I'm not sure whether they actually wrote a few of them. By the way, Herm oh Ninny, I think that it is indeed spelt Rumplestiltskin in the English-speaking world. The original German name is Rumpelstilzchen. [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.] Elanor Herm oh ninny..I agree, I loved Angela's Ashes, it is one of my favorites.. Can anyone recommend books that are like the Harry Potter books, with wizardry? I'm going to read the Chronicles of Narnia series again but need something new after that? - - - - - - - - - - irish flutterby - Oct 2, 2005 1:51 pm (#552 of 938) If you haven't read Lord of the Rings it's fabulous. The language can be very thick, if you know what I mean, but it is well worth the read. Or you can get the books on CD. (very good, also.) As far as Fairy tales goes. I just rememebred that A.A. Milne wrote The Ugly Duckiling. No, not the story about a swan. The version I saw was a play, but it may be in story form originally. It's about a princess whose forced into an arranged marraige. She gets her maid to pretend to be the princess so she can size the prince up. She falls in love with the Princes servant, only to find out that the Prince's servant is actually the Prince. It's really funny and a good classic style fairy tale. Also, it's short. - - - - - - - - - - Little Ginny - Oct 3, 2005 5:27 am (#553 of 938) Shannon, have you tried the "Artemis Fowl" books? They're not really about wizards, but about magic, and a really evil hero. I liked them a lot. - - - - - - - - - - Esther Rose - Oct 3, 2005 8:06 am (#554 of 938) I have moved on to the DaVinci Code. It soothes the logic puzzled mind of mine. Not for the younger minds though. Now waiting for Rowling's and Dan Brown's next books. - - - - - - - - - - Shannon aka Brammwell - Oct 3, 2005 11:30 am (#555 of 938) Financial Services Representative Little Ginny - No I haven't read Artemis Fowl but I'll try it out, it sounds very intriguing. Esther Rose - If you are reading the DaVinci Code and you like it there's also Angels & Demons which preceeded the DaVinci Code. Any other "magic/wizard" genre recommendations for me? - - - - - - - - - - dizzy lizzy - Oct 3, 2005 5:32 pm (#556 of 938) There is more to life than increasing its speed: Mahatama Ghandi. Shannon: Try Diane Duane, Jim Butcher (definitely darkish adult themes in both series), Tamora Pierce, Garth Nix (Aussie Author), Diana Wynne Jones (UK author), Jasper Fforde, Charles DeLint, Jane Yolen, Edith Pattou, Ursula Le Guin (Earthsea series), Eva Ibbotson, Meridith Ann Pierce, Patrick Carman, Cornelia Funke, Christopher Paolini and last but not least - other books written by Eoin Colfer (artemis fowl author) Most of these Authors (except for Jim Butcher) write for Young Adults and Adults - sometimes in the one book! Most have written a series or two of books, and some have written stand alone books. Diana Wynne Jones mostly writes standalones and she has an amazing way of looking at magic/wizardry and the world. I could go on for ages about each author. Email me using my worldcrossing address which is [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.] if you (or anyone else needs more information/ideas). Lizzy azi - Oct 4, 2005 6:51 am (#557 of 938) Photo borrowed from Ardent Photography I definitely second Garth Nix. Also try Johnathon Stroud and The Bartimaeus Trilogy. It's a completely different style of magic to Harry Potter, but is one of my favourite sets of books! I have heard that Diana Wynne Jones is excellent, but haven't got round to reading anything of hers yet. There's a book out in the UK called The Magicians Guild. It's the first of a trilogy, and the second book has also been released. I can't remember the name of the author (something like Trudy Canavan or something...) but it's about magic and is apparently a lot like the Garth Nix books. So if you like Garth Nix, you may like this. - - - - - - - - - - dizzy lizzy - Oct 4, 2005 3:31 pm (#558 of 938) There is more to life than increasing its speed: Mahatama Ghandi. Thanks,azi...I shall put "The Magicians Guild" on my list of books to further investigate. Lizzy - - - - - - - - - - muggle born - Oct 6, 2005 2:01 am (#559 of 938) Has anyone read Terry Pratchett disc world books, There are lots of them. I also like The Green Rider books by Kristen Britain I have read the first two the third should be out soon, can't wait to find out what happens next. - - - - - - - - - - T Brightwater - Oct 6, 2005 4:27 pm (#560 of 938) I'll second the recommendations for Terry Pratchett and Connie Willis; the latter's Bellwether had me in hysterics. Doomsday Book is beautiful but very sad. A good literary fairy story which is quite readable and hilarious is Tolkien's "Farmer Giles of Ham." "Smith of Wootton Major" is also good but more contemplative in character. More wizardry: Susan Cooper's "The Dark is Rising" series (thanks, Patrick Mullan, for reminding me of those). - - - - - - - - - - Shannon aka Brammwell - Oct 7, 2005 6:06 am (#561 of 938) Financial Services Representative Dizzy Lizzy, T Brightwater & Azi - thanks for the recommendations, you've given me alot to look from. All the suggestions look wonderful! I'm off to the library......... - - - - - - - - - - Patrick Mullan - Oct 7, 2005 11:25 am (#562 of 938) Edited by Oct 7, 2005 11:26 am I would like to recommend the Dark is Rising sequence written by Susan Cooper. It is a classic fantasy tale written in the late 70's and 80's with many characteristics that can be found in Harry Potter. The first book Over Sea, Under Stone starts with the three main characters (2 boys and a rather clever girl) taking a long train ride. And they meet up with their Great Uncle Merry who is as wizard-like as they come. Although it is not as smooth and easy to read as Harry Potter, it is an enjoyable tale. The entire sequence of books can be found at Barnes and Noble in a boxed set. - - - - - - - - - - Veritaserum - Oct 7, 2005 10:48 pm (#563 of 938) Go Jays! Ditto to the Garth Nix, Tamora Pierce, and Jasper Fforde. I've only read one Terry Pratchett book, but I have a couple of friends on me to read more. Along the fairy tale line, I just finished Wicked by Gregory Maguire. The musical is something of a cult fave in my group of friends, and the book was quite good, though a little confusing and not so cut and dried (which, of course, was quite the point.) But I liked it so much I'm being Elphaba for Halloween. Also by Gregory Maguire, Mirror Mirror is very good, but I didn't enjoy Lost very much. Oh, and the Tales of the Otori trilogy by Lian Hearn is excellent also. It's kind of samurai/secret agent/medieval Japan-ish/a little bit of fantasy/love story. Quite good, especially the beginning of the first and ending of the last. - - - - - - - - - - azi - Oct 8, 2005 5:06 am (#564 of 938) Photo borrowed from Ardent Photography Wow, I'm currently reading Wicked! It's quite a good book for humour, but it's not the page turner type like with other books. A friend got me to read it as she loved it. The description is good and Elphaba is a really cool character! I didn't think many people would have read it, since I'd never heard of it before, but obviously someone has! - - - - - - - - - - Veritaserum - Oct 8, 2005 2:47 pm (#565 of 938) Go Jays! Azi-- have you heard of it as a musical? It came out on Broadway a couple of years ago, and now it's kind of on a US national tour...it came to Chicago and Denver and stuff. I have some musical-obsessed friends who first got me interested. I really want to see the musical to see how it differs from the book; it's quite a complicated book to adapt. Now I'm never going to look at the Wizard of Oz the same again! P.S. Gregory Maguire also just came out with a sequel: Son of a Witch. It's about Liir, if you've gotten to him yet. - - - - - - - - - - azi - Oct 8, 2005 2:56 pm (#566 of 938) Photo borrowed from Ardent Photography No, I didn't know it was a musical! From what I have read, I also think it will be difficult to adapt - although as a slapstick comical sort of thing it should work quite well. I think the book is much better than The Wizard of Oz (it's a bit...quaint...for my liking). Haven't read about Liir yet. I'm only on the bit where Elphaba is a teenager at university. - - - - - - - - - - Veritaserum - Oct 9, 2005 11:37 am (#567 of 938) Go Jays! Ah yes. That's my favorite section of the book, I think. That or the one coming up right after that. - - - - - - - - - - haymoni - Oct 9, 2005 3:09 pm (#568 of 938) After reading "Wicked", I find that it is very difficult to watch "The Wizard of Oz" with the same wonderment I once did. - - - - - - - - - - T Brightwater - Oct 10, 2005 8:01 am (#569 of 938) Nobody's mentioned Jonathan Strange and Mr Norrell by Susanna Clarke for a while. It's a different literary approach to magic - assuming that it has always been a well-known part of English history, with a considerable (ficticious) scholarly bibliography. Clarke has managed to capture a lot of the flavor of Jane Austen, including some of her very sly humor, and although it's a bit slow-moving at first, it is quite engaging, and downright riveting by the end. - - - - - - - - - - Dr Filibuster - Oct 11, 2005 2:06 pm (#570 of 938) Sue, from Northwich, England. I'm halfway through Jonathon Strange and enjoying it a lot. Infact, I just popt off the sopha to put a recommendation on here, only to find that T Brightwater beat me to it. I had my eye on it for a while, but waited until it came out in paperback and on sale. Got it for £3.99 in the end. - - - - - - - - - - Veritaserum - Oct 11, 2005 7:30 pm (#571 of 938) Go Jays! Hmm, haymoni, I always thought Wizard of Oz was kind of overrated. I just never really liked it (the movie, anyway). Now with Wicked, I feel a lot more affinity for the story. Kind of opposite, huh? - - - - - - - - - - haymoni - Oct 12, 2005 6:23 am (#572 of 938) It's just hard to be scared of her now. And I feel really badly when she gets doused - poor thing. Although, that "Auntie Em! Auntie Em!" bit in the crystal ball when she looks at the screen still flips me out! I had borrowed "Wicked" when I read it, so I only read it once. I should go back and read it again. I think Gina Snape said that she was involved in a forum about it. - - - - - - - - - - Veritaserum - Oct 12, 2005 3:31 pm (#573 of 938) Go Jays! Oh, I totally agree. I am way more sympathetic to Elphaba now. She's my favorite character. It was so sad when she got killed, too. And (according to Wicked) Corothy didn't even mean to kill her! - - - - - - - - - - Herm oh ninny - Oct 12, 2005 9:57 pm (#574 of 938) "Accio treats!" You should read the Oz books. The movie takes plots from 3 or 4 of them and kind of mashes them together. - - - - - - - - - - CatherineHermiona - Oct 13, 2005 11:00 am (#575 of 938) My drawing... LOL I definitely reccomend you to read Laura Leander books, writer Peter Freund. That are amazing books and very similar to Harry Potter. For more informations you can look at [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.] (I don't exactly know how to put a link so I'm letting you to write this address alone. I'm sorry!). Just beautiful book! I'm still in the chat room! Kate - - - - - - - - - - Finn BV - Oct 13, 2005 6:58 pm (#576 of 938) Me kayaking, Niagara River, August 2006. I have been likened to Reepicheep in this photo. Hmm… Kate, when I go to laura.com it asks me for a password. I'll check out the library, though. - - - - - - - - - - CatherineHermiona - Oct 13, 2005 11:19 pm (#577 of 938) My drawing... LOL Yes, I know. But try to write [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.] and he will give you the results on Croatian if you would like to read that kind of informations . If you look in the library I think titles would be something like Laura and the secret of Aventerra and Laura and Signet of seven moons. Or months (that's the same word here). Kate - - - - - - - - - - Patrick Mullan - Oct 14, 2005 6:27 am (#578 of 938) I am well into the second book in the Dark is Rising sequence written by Susan Cooper. Their are many items in the book that can be found in Harry Potter. I have to assume that JKR was influenced by this sequence of books by Susan Cooper when she was writing the Harry Potter books. - - - - - - - - - - T Brightwater - Oct 14, 2005 6:56 am (#579 of 938) Or they were drawing on many of the same materials - what Tolkien calls the "Cauldron of Story." Harry, Luke Skywalker, Aragorn, King Arthur and Susan Cooper's Will are all variations on the same theme. For a point of difference, Cooper's Old Ones are guardians of the non-magical world; JKR's wizards pretty much ignore it. - - - - - - - - - - Chemyst - Oct 16, 2005 11:31 am (#580 of 938) "Organizing is what you do before you do something, so that when you do it, it is not all mixed up." A.A. Milne Has anyone read Dragons in Our Midst by B. Davis? It is supposed to be a series for teens. The customer reviews at amazon are pretty high, but I've never met anyone who has actually read them. I'm looking for Christmas shopping ideas for young teens, so if you have suggestions... post away. - - - - - - - - - - Lupin is Lupin. Natch. - Oct 18, 2005 7:26 am (#581 of 938) Sometimes known as Kim. Chemyst, I may have mentioned this one before, but I strongly recommend A String in the Harp by Nancy Bond. It's about three American kids who go to Wales with their father and the boy (about 11 or 12) finds a harp tuning key which causes him to have visions of the ancient past and the legendary life of the bard, Taliesin. It's recommended for ages 10-14 although I read it at thirty-something and found it fascinating. - - - - - - - - - - Patrick Mullan - Oct 18, 2005 7:55 am (#582 of 938) Well Brightwater, you may be correct. However there are certainly some shocking similarities between the Rowling and Cooper works. For those who may be interested in "The Dark is Rising" series as some reading material until we get Book 7, I found this interesting article from the Sunday Times dated May 16, 2005. LOS ANGELES: A British writer about to celebrate her 70th birthday is poised to become a second JK Rowling after selling a series of fantasy books to Hollywood in a deal that could be worth pound stg. 2million ($5 million). Susan Cooper, a former journalist who began her career by working for Ian Fleming, the creator of James Bond, has signed a contract to turn The Dark is Rising, one of her quintet of epic tales, into blockbuster movies. The mythical saga, set largely in Cooper's native Buckinghamshire, in southeast England, has been bought by Walden Media, a US film company whose movie version of CS Lewis's The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe will be released this Christmas. After turning down film offers for many years, Cooper said she had entrusted her books to Walden, which is owned by sports tycoon Philip Anschutz, because the company would not wreck them. "You have to do some violence to a book to turn it into a film, but that doesn't mean there are no limits," she said. "They wanted to set it in America, which I stopped, but they'll have to update it. The books were written in the 1970s and the characters say things like 'Gosh!' that I'm not sure if modern children would even understand." The Dark is Rising is the second book of the quintet, and revolves around a farm boy called Will Stanton who teams up with a Merlin-like figure to save the world from dark forces resurrected from Celtic mythology. - - - - - - - - - - Mrs. D. - Oct 19, 2005 7:43 am (#583 of 938) I know it has already been brought up but I really enjoyed "Eldest" by Christopher Paolini. I was groaning when I came upon the end and realized I would have to wait for book 3. LOVED it!!! - - - - - - - - - - T Brightwater - Oct 19, 2005 9:59 am (#584 of 938) Patrick, thanks for the news! What's ironic is that Cooper's books were out long before JKR's, but she's being called "a second J.K.Rowling." (And she isn't - her books don't have nearly the depth of detail or the humor of HP, but Cooper is very good with atmosphere.) By the way, I invoked your theory on the Snape thread, but don't read that post unless you've finished the second book. :-) - - - - - - - - - - Patrick Mullan - Oct 19, 2005 10:56 am (#585 of 938) Edited by Oct 19, 2005 11:02 am He he he, It sure is going to be interesting when we see what happens to Snape in the last book. I can't wait. I agree Bright,Susan Cooper is not as detailed or as humorous as JKR. But I am finding that the books are a good read, and they should make interesting movies. I think I would have had a hard time getting through them when I was a teen ager but I can appreciate them now. What they probably mean by saying Cooper will be a "second" JKR is that the movies (if successful) will propel her into the same sort of fame that JKR currently holds. Of course, JKR was famous before the movies so there is sort of a reverse scenario here. Mrs. D, the Christopher Paolini works will probably be my next read. I see the books in the store all the time and I have yet to buy them. They sure look interesting. I also have a stack of the latest Salvatore works and some Goodkind to keep my mind occupied until JKR produces her final book. And, I saw the trailor for the Goblet of Fire, and it looks awesome. I can't wait for the movie to come out. - - - - - - - - - - T Brightwater - Oct 19, 2005 11:25 am (#586 of 938) Here's a question: Other than HP, what fantasy books have characters or a world that you wonder about when you're not reading the books? A lot of books are good enough to produce what Tolkien called "Secondary Belief" - that the reader "believes" what is happening in the context of the story. I think what he, JKR, and a few others have done is to approach what he calls "Enchantment" - a world that exists in its own right, that both creator and audience can enter. Mine include: LOTR Katherine Kurtz's Deryni series Terry Pratchett's Discworld series and to a lesser extent: Jonathan Strange and Mr. Norrell C. J. Cherryh's Chanur books (these are sf but I'm counting them anyway.) - - - - - - - - - - Patrick Mullan - Oct 19, 2005 1:26 pm (#587 of 938) Interesting question Bright. Middle-Earth, of course, is the brightest world in my mind, with Harry Potter's wonderous world coming in second. I dream quite often of sipping a cup of tea by the fire while I watch the snow falling heavily outside my window in Hogsmeade. I could also find myself quite at home in R.A. Salvatore's Icewind Dale. Those three worlds are the only ones that have a firm hold on my imagination to the point where I would love to slip into one of them for a few hours. - - - - - - - - - - dizzy lizzy - Oct 19, 2005 7:28 pm (#588 of 938) There is more to life than increasing its speed: Mahatama Ghandi. For me HP is the brightest and is the most real, but I often "stop by" to say hi to Nita and Kit from the young wizards Series by Diane Duane. Lizzy - - - - - - - - - - Amilia Smith - Oct 20, 2005 3:30 pm (#589 of 938) Years ago, when I was reading Brian Jacques's Redwall series, I used to worry about the characters constantly. I had to keep reminding myself that they weren't real, that it was only a book. He's written several more books since I quit reading them. I ought to go back . . . Mills. - - - - - - - - - - irish flutterby - Oct 20, 2005 4:07 pm (#590 of 938) I was at a used bookstore recently looking for more fantasy to bewitch me when I ran across a book by Patricia A. McKillip. I bought it for the cover, mostly. Just finished. It's fantastic (no pun intended). Alphabet of Thorn is great. I had a hard time understanding the world, at first, but once I got into the plot (about the second page) I was hooked. - - - - - - - - - - hawick girl - Oct 22, 2005 10:44 pm (#591 of 938) I think that Stephen King's Dark Tower series (epic/saga/anthology...) is a version of 'second belief' because there is alot about second/alternate/other worlds and infact the Dark Tower is the visualization of this (a Tower in a field of red roses held in place by magic and machines where different 'worlds' exist like pancakes stacked one atop another). I think that SK's stories make up the worlds, but also incuded are all stories ever made. My favorite SK's are Dark Tower IV (Wizard and Glass), Dark Tower VII (the Dark Tower), the Stand, From a Buick 8, Insomnia, Hearts in Atlantis, Dolores Claiborne, Different Seasons, I suppose all but Carrie and the Girl Who loved Tom Gordon (dumb girl walks out of FM radio range). Other great books are: Hannibal -rather gory, but tantalizing (I actually cheered for Hannibal) The Anasazi Mysteries series -a dual time line story where one is making the artifacts and stuff found in present day (in archeology sites) To Kill a Mockingbird -a classic had to read in high scool and bought in college because it was so good The Handmaid's Tale -another classic read last year and it seems so realistic and believable and all the more scary Stephanie Plum series -bounty huntering gone wrong. they are unbelievably funny actually so funny I'm laughing just remembering the crap she endures--my stomach hurts - - - - - - - - - - Patrick Mullan - Oct 24, 2005 8:39 am (#592 of 938) My favorite Stephen King of all time is Misery. That book kept my heart in my mouth until the end. - - - - - - - - - - irish flutterby - Oct 24, 2005 8:53 am (#593 of 938) I think I'm a bit of a sucker to get drawn in to alternate reality. Almost any book I get so engrossed that I begin to "worry" for the character. For example: I am in the middle of reading The Summer Tree from Guy Gavriel Kay's series The Fionavar Tapestry. It's becoming really hard to focus on other things. My mind keeps coming back to the books. It's a really great book so, far by the way. - - - - - - - - - - hawick girl - Oct 24, 2005 12:57 pm (#594 of 938) SK's Misery is great even the movie although different is great especially Kathy Bates as Annie Wilkes. Scary,very scary, but great! - - - - - - - - - - Patrick Mullan - Oct 25, 2005 12:33 pm (#595 of 938) No recommended reading thread would be complete without mentioning, The Chronicles of Thomas Covenant, the Unbeliever by Stephen R. Donaldson. - - - - - - - - - - Regan of Gong - Oct 31, 2005 3:30 am (#596 of 938) Self declared doctor of everything. I reckon I could definately see myself relaxing on one of the various private islands/penthouses/yauhts/mansions etc. of the Alex Rider series. Living a supreme existance indeed I think. We just finished The Chrysalids for English at school and that's a fair good book for anyone who hasn't read it yet. It's a 40's sci-fi book with the what-if? question of what if there was a nuclear war and we lost most knowledge of technology and slipped back to a middle-ages existance. It's also about a bunch of kids who communicate by telepathy and need to keep the secret safe from their people because they'll kill them if they find out they're different from themselves and not "in the Image of God" as they put it. Pretty good read if you haven't already. Regan - - - - - - - - - - valuereflection - Nov 9, 2005 2:53 pm (#597 of 938) Can anyone help me? I want to find a quote from J. K. Rowling, about a book she was reading. I remember her saying it a year or so ago, probably before Half-Blood Prince. The context was that JKR walked past crowds to some kind of event where she was doing a reading (I think it was from Order of the Phoenix?). Anyway, while she was walking, she happened to mention the book which she was reading at the time. She commented that for people who had read that book, it would give them some insight into the passage which she was about to read from her own book. I think MAYBE the author's last name started with an "O", but I'm not certain. Please can anyone remember this event? I tried to search "Quick Quotes" but I couldn't seem to find it. I wonder if maybe this quote didn't get transcribed, because she said it before the event actually began. Or maybe I don't know quite where to look. Thanks for your help! - - - - - - - - - - valuereflection - Nov 9, 2005 10:05 pm (#598 of 938) Do you think that I should start a new thread with my question? That way, more Forum members might notice it and answer me. (Actually I don't know how to start a new thread. But I wondered if the idea would be helpful.) Thanks again. Edit: I'm not 100% sure JKR was walking in to do a reading when she said the quote I'm looking for -- the event might have been an Azkaban movie premiere, or something else. - - - - - - - - - - Amilia Smith - Nov 10, 2005 4:08 am (#599 of 938) Hi, valuereflection! I don't remember ever seeing a quote like the one you described. I had a lot of fun looking in Quick Quotes tonight, though! :-) I found several places where she mentioned her favorite authors, but I didn't have any more luck than you did in finding one that she says would specifically give insight to her books. As far as I can tell, the only readings she did for OotP were Royal Albert Hall and the Edinburgh Book Festival. While, once again, she discussed her favorite books in each interview, she didn't tie any particular one to the readings. The closest I found was a 2000 interview with Writer's Digest: Q: You've said before that you want to keep your favorite authors to yourself. [When has she said this? I couldn't find any such quote. She always seems happy to share her favorite authors.] Are there secrets about Harry that you'll keep to yourself? A: There are things I know about many of the characters in the Harry books that might not make it into the books themselves ... too much information, not enough space! Which doesn't really help. So . . . I haven't really got anything to report, I just wanted you to know that I had seen your message and tried to look for an answer. Mills. valuereflection - Nov 10, 2005 10:44 am (#600 of 938) Amilia Smith, thank you for looking for me. I seem to remember that the book JKR mentioned was a more recent work by a modern author, who JKR just happened to be reading during that week. I don't know if JKR meant to say that this book she mentioned would relate to all of her own books; I think she intended to say it happened to be related to the subject of the passage which she had chosen to read on that day. (It might have been the scene with Umbridge and McGonagall, but again, I'm not sure.) When this incident happened, I read about it on the internet. Then I tried to look up JKR's recommendation on "Amazon", because I had never heard of that book or that author. I think I remember that Amazon described a plot about a child growing up with a chicano (spelling?) grandmother -- which I didn't expect, as JKR is British. Next I tried to request the book from my local library, but they didn't have it, and so I forgot about it ... And now I can't find the reference. Do you think that it would be a good idea to make my question into a new thread, so it will attract more attention? I hope someone on our forum will remember this. [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.] Elanor - - - - - - - - - - valuereflection - Nov 13, 2005 5:30 pm (#603 of 938) I've noticed both "timrew" and "Padfoot" posted on other threads that Watership Down , by Richard Adams, is a great read. That is one of the most favorite books in my family, all of us avid readers. (after we're past making jokes about "the rabbit book") I began reading it only because my fiance (now husband) insisted, so I thought that the first chapter moved pretty slowly. But then it became very absorbing; I didn't want to put the book down for anything. It's a suspenseful depiction of military strategy. - - - - - - - - - - Phelim Mcintyre - Nov 14, 2005 5:53 am (#604 of 938) For those interested in something other than magic, but about Edinburgh could I suggest the Rebus novels by Ian Rankin and the two novels by Alexander Mccall Smith, The Sunday Philosophers Club and it's sequal. Ian and Alexander are actually neighbours of JKR so may give her help in plotting the mystery aspects of her books. Both Ian and Alexander are crime writers. - - - - - - - - - - azi - Nov 14, 2005 7:26 am (#605 of 938) Photo borrowed from Ardent Photography I remember reading Watership Down. I was about 9 or 10, and got really upset. Seem to remember it was a good read. Ack crime books, always good covers, never really my style of reading. Keep meaning to read something by Ian Rankin though. I only got 4 books (including 4 of Douglas Adams in one book) to read after all! - - - - - - - - - - Good Evans - Nov 15, 2005 10:20 am (#606 of 938) Practically perfect in every way nothing to do with magic or potters, but can I reccomend A wayne in a manger by G Phinn. Absolute scream, I couldnt put it down it is so funny. If you haven't heard of it, it is a collection of true recollections from a school inspector in Yorkshire, nativity plays and childrens behaviour around school events at christmas. The things that Children say. I wont spoil it but "wayne" comes in to his own due to a small boy having misheard something. worth a stocking filler this christmas.... - - - - - - - - - - timrew - Nov 15, 2005 3:59 pm (#607 of 938) Middle-aged Harry Potter fan I see they went and changed the ending to Pride & Predjudice, the movie. After Mr. Darcy has asked for the hand of Elizabeth from her father, the film ends with Darcy and her on a balcony. They exchange several kisses, while Darcy moans, "Mrs. Darcy, Mrs. Darcy, Mrs. Darcy......." - you get the drift. This shows us that they really got married. I always wondered........ Will Hamlet be next? Hamlet and Ophelia don't die; but instead get married, raise kids, and get a house with a picket fence...... Star Wars. Princess Leia and Luke are not brother and sister. They get married, raise kids, and get a house with a picket fence...... Where will it all end? - - - - - - - - - - Esther Rose - Nov 15, 2005 4:19 pm (#608 of 938) Well Timrew, Bride of Dracula has been changed to getting one coffin made for two, raising a couple of bats and a BLACK picket fence. Just wanted to let you know. And um Romeo and Juliet. They didn't really die they just drifted apart after going to different universities. 20 years later they end up reuniting on some cheesy talk show about family rivalries. They then adopt kids, buy a house with a white picket fence. =) - - - - - - - - - - valuereflection - Nov 21, 2005 7:56 pm (#609 of 938) One of my favorite series for rereading while I was growing up was about how the earth had been taken over by aliens, the Tripods, but a few brave human teenagers dared to challenge them. The author is John Christopher. The first book is The White Mountains, and the second book is The City of Gold and Lead. The books are fairly short and easy to read. Has anyone else read them? I am taking a storytelling class this semester, and I am doing a presentation on literary fairy tales. I need a bibliography of sources, and I was wondering if anyone here has a favorite author. By "literary fairy tales," I mean stories that sound like traditional fairy tales, but were actually written by an author. Think Hans Christian Andersen, Eleanor Farjeon or Rudyard Kipling's Just So stories. --Amilia Smith Amilia, I loved Eleanor Farjeon when I was about 10. She wrote a book of short fairy tale-like stories called The Old Nurse's Stocking Basket, as well as full-length children's novels. My first reactions to your question: the 1001 Nights, also called Arabian Nights, which I enjoyed while growing up. And the Brer Rabbit stories by Uncle Remus, which I only heard of when I was an adult. But after thinking some more, I would recommend the author Thornton W. Burgess. He wrote a series of short stories that were very popular with children around the turn of the last century; his stories were published in newspapers and in books about "Mother West Wind". I was reminded of him by your example of Rudyard Kipling's Just So stories, because some of Burgess' short stories had similar titles to Kipling's, such as "Why Grandfather Frog has No Tail", "Why Jimmy Skunk Wears Stripes", and "Why Ol' Mistah Buzzard has a Bald Head". Some of Burgess' books have been reprinted now. I was an avid reader as a child. So when my family went to visit acquaintances but I was bored, I explored their bookshelves. One day I came across this old book by Thornton W. Burgess. (It was old and rare even back then.) I was curious because it looked different from anthing I'd read before. I ended up borrowing "Mother West Wind Why Stories" many times from our acquaintance, because I wanted to read it over and over again. Then I asked the public library to track down another book in the series: Mother West Wind "How" Stories. I read stories from both books aloud to my friends. I loved how every story presented a moral,like Aesop's fables -- but reading Aesop was dry when compared to Mother West Wind. Because I wanted to be able to continue rereading these books, I eventually decided to copy them. This was before copy machines. I remember Thornton W. Burgess vividly because I gave up playtime for many weeks to tediously copy some of his stories in longhand, in my childish handwriting, onto a large stack of paper. It was a price I was happy to pay, so that I could participate in the world of Mother West Wind. Your school assignment is probably finished by now, but I'm still intrigued to hear that a university offers a class about storytelling. That's a skill which I always thought some people must simply be born with (JKR is one of them).I'd like to know more about the class curriculum. Which department of the university offers this course? Edit: "...for this project I have to find stories that are short enough that you could tell them in a library storyhour." --Amilia Smith I also remembered Betty MacDonald's books, Mrs. Piggle-Wiggle and Mrs. Piggle-Wiggle's Magic, which I loved to read aloud to my brothers and my friends when I was about 11. They are funny for kids. Betty MacDonald said that she used to tell bedtime stories about Mrs. Piggle-Wiggle to her own children, before she decided to publish the stories. Although each chapter is a separate story, it does help your listeners if they are already acquainted with who Mrs. Piggle-Wiggle is. Thus I'm not sure if it would work, if you have only one hour to present the story. - - - - - - - - - - valuereflection - Nov 21, 2005 8:37 pm (#610 of 938) Once I get started down memory lane... Another exciting book for teenagers is Escape to Witch Mountain, by Alexander Key. The book is better than the movie! This author also wrote The Forgotten Door, which has already been discussed on this thread. And I want to second the poster who recommended The Little Prince, by Antoine de Saint-Exupery. - - - - - - - - - - Mrs. D. - Nov 23, 2005 2:04 pm (#611 of 938) Long live the Baobab tree! - - - - - - - - - - valuereflection - Nov 23, 2005 9:16 pm (#612 of 938) Where did everybody go? A book I greatly enjoyed, when I was about 13-15, was The Robe, by Lloyd C. Douglas. My friends loved it, and they recommended it to me. It's an old but famous Christian novel, about a Roman soldier who crucified Jesus Christ. It's still fun for me to re-read. Has anybody on the Forum read it? - - - - - - - - - - Amilia Smith - Nov 23, 2005 11:36 pm (#613 of 938) Thanks for the great suggestions, Valuereflection! I have indeed finished that assignment. I told Farjeon's "Westwoods," and it went off rather well! :-) The written part of the assignment was to research your story and hand in an annotated bibliography of similar stories. But as this is something I am hoping to carry with me onto the job (I want to be a children's librarian), your recommendations are greatly appreciated. I had never heard of Thornton Burgess before; I shall make it a point to check him out. Oh, and I am a Library Science major at the University of Hawaii. Most MLIS programs offer a Storytelling class, as that is part of the fun of being a librarian, you get to tell stories to little kids! It's my favorite class; I shall be very sorry to bid it good-bye at the end of the semester. I have also read and loved The Robe and Escape to Witch Mountain. Witch Mountain used to be my favorite movie to watch over at my grandparents' house. So when I discovered the book, needless to say, I was delighted. Mills. - - - - - - - - - - valuereflection - Nov 29, 2005 6:45 pm (#614 of 938) In Post #357, Chemyst said: On the Chat thread, From Venus asked about books that would help keep her grandkid's love of reading alive. So even though its been awhile, I went back to read the original question by From Venus. After all, Christmas is coming; maybe From Venus or some other forumers are preparing a shopping list. Here's her question: My grandkids are really getting into reading. My grandson Alex is in the 3rd grade (he'll be 9 in April) and he really likes the Goosebumps series. Are you familiar with them? My granddaughter, June, who is in 1st grade (age 7), is getting into the Junie B. Jones series. I would really like to keep their love for reading alive. Do any of you have any books and/or series that you would recommend for their age groups? Also, my youngest granddaughter, Penny, who'll be 5 in April, is already learning to sound out words. She'll start Kindergarten in the fall. I think she'll be a reader too. I love this reading kick they're on; it makes for a nice quiet house at times when you usually hear a lot of noise coming from the TV; cartoons or video games. I'd like to make some good interesting books available to them to keep this love for reading alive. I'm surprised that none of us Harry Potter fans have mentioned The Little Witch, by Anna Bennett. This was a favorite of my two daughters when they were 8-9. Its a favorite for many girls aged 7-9. Its like a fairy tale about a girl who is a witch, but it doesn't insult children's intelligence. When I was 7 years old, this was the first book I read with chapters, and I loved it. Our family likes to give this book as a gift. For beginning readers who aren't ready yet to read a whole book with chapters (1st and 2nd grade, about age 5-7), the beloved Triplet series, by Maj Lindman, are very popular even though they are now out of print. If you can find them used, or borrow from a library, they are worth the trouble because children still love them. My public library's copies are always checked out, and they have a waiting list. Look for titles which begin with Snipp, Snapp, Snurr, or with Flicka, Ricka, Dicka. Snipp, Snapp, and Snurr are three little Swedish boys who are triplets. Flicka, Ricka, and Dicka are three little Swedish girls who are triplets. I've seen both boys and girls at my library who happily read about both sets of triplets, because they like how the books are written. Another short book for beginning readers which is much loved is Miss Suzy, by Miriam Young, because it's about bullying. It has memorable pictures with about one or two sentences per page. Although it might appeal more to girls because Miss Suzy lives in a dollhouse, boys would enjoy having the story read to them. I agree with the posters who recommended the Little House books. Several of my nieces and nephews were charmed by a similar book when they were about age 7-11: Susannah, the Pioneer Cow, by Miriam Evangeline Mason. For older children, about age 9-12, mine were riveted by From the Mixed-up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler, by the author E. L. Konigsburg. Each of my children, both the boys and the girls, read it three times or more, until the pages were falling apart -- then they objected strongly to the idea of throwing the book in the trash can. The Freddy the Pig series, by Walter R. Brooks is now back in print. Most of the books are still funny and interesting despite being written long ago. Recommended for kids ages 4-8, but I know of 11-year-olds and 14-year-olds who enjoy them. Read the story aloud to younger children, or let older ones enjoy on their own. Some of the best titles in the series are: Freddy and the Bean Home News; Freddy the Detective; Freddy and the Men from Mars; Freddy's Perilous Adventure. However, a few titles, such as Freddy and the Space Ship, are not as much fun because they are now outdated. If you have a child who enjoys the Encyclopedia Brown mystery series by Donald J. Sobol, he/she might also like an adventure/mystery series about Alvin Fernald, by author Clifford B. Hicks. These books are fascinating for kids who like to think. Another series about set of triplets who are older and have interesting and entertaining adventures, is by author Nan Hayden Agle. The titles all begin with "Three Boys and..." Some titles are: Three Boys and a Lighthouse; Three Boys and a Train; Three Boys and a Helicopter; Three Boys and a Mine; Three Boys and the Remarkable Cow; Three Boys and H20; Three Boys and a Tugboat; Three Boys and Space. I can't remember exactly what age group would be best for this series, but I had fun reading it when I was about 10 years old. It's not in as much demand as the triplet series by Maj Lindman. I hope that my ideas will help a child in some Lexicon Forumer's life, to have fun reading. - - - - - - - - - - valuereflection - Nov 29, 2005 7:33 pm (#615 of 938) Okay, just one more suggestion... Key to the Treasure , by Peggy Parish was the second book with chapters that I read. I was then 7 years old. This mystery story was so exciting that some of my friends, who were not yet confident in their own reading, asked me to read it aloud to them -- several times. Peggy Parish wrote a few sequels, but I don't know if they are as exciting as the first book. Pippi Longstocking, by Astrid Lindgren, is good also for young readers about age 7-8 years old. Keith Robertson wrote a series of very fun novels, beginning with Henry Reed, Inc., about an ingenious youthful entrepreneur. Its a good transition for older children who are ready for more sophisticated, adult reading, about ages 9-12. Have fun reading. - - - - - - - - - - valuereflection - Nov 29, 2005 8:39 pm (#616 of 938) This children's book is different. It's a non-fiction book which kids find interesting, for ages 10-13. I wasn't interested in the subject at first, when I received the book as a gift in my childhood. Nevertheless this book was SO interesting that I re-read it several times. It became interesting because it was just so well-written. Then I wanted to read other books by this author. When Nantucket Men Went Whaling, by Enid La Monte Meadowcroft This is really a fun thread. I hope I haven't overdone it. - - - - - - - - - - T Brightwater - Nov 30, 2005 12:49 pm (#617 of 938) Pippi Longstocking and Mrs. Basil E Frankweiler! Haven't thought about those in ages; both were great fun. - - - - - - - - - - haymoni - Dec 1, 2005 4:29 pm (#618 of 938) I absolutely ADORED "From the Mixed Up Files..."!!! To this day, I try to think of unusual places to run away to! I had forgotten all about that book. Ungrateful Son is 12 - I'll have to get on the stick! - - - - - - - - - - valuereflection - Dec 2, 2005 8:01 am (#619 of 938) Glad to help, T Brightwater and haymoni. How did Ungrateful Son get that name? When I was age 9-11, I read Mr. Mysterious & Company, by Sid Fleischman, over and over about 30 times because I loved it. I would have read it more, but other kids liked it, too, and our library had only one copy. The story was about a traveling magic show in the Old West. I was intrigued by The Twenty-One Balloons, by William Pene du Bois -- I read it maybe 15 times. Until today I didn't know that it won the Newbery Award. Garth Seldon's The Cricket in Times Square enchanted me, although I didn't reread it. (Sid Fleischman is author of the Newbery Award winner The Whipping Boy, which I've been intending to pick up sometime because it sounds interesting even if it was written for children.) Here are two more, which my children loved when they were at about the same age. They INSISTED that Mom had to read this book. (Incidentally, I was first introduced to Harry Potter when my 11-year-old daughter insisted in that way. After listening to her for several months, pleading with every member of the family to please look at this book called Harry Potter, I was finally motivated to action when I overheard her grumbling to herself, "No one in this family loves me, because no one will even try to look at my book for me." I brought PS along, on one of those chauffeur-Mom errands where I transported the kids to an activity and waited around to take them back home afterward. And then I couldn't put the book down. I confess that someone else in the family made dinner that night, because I didn't care about food. I finished at 4 am. Next my daughter and I got the rest of our family addicted to Harry Potter, too -- all of us remain addicted still. I learned from that experience to trust my children when they tell me to read one of their books! Probaby others have also had the experience of first reading Harry Potter in order to see what their children were so engrossed by. But I digress...) The same daughter told me to read Journey to America by Sonia Levitin, which was astonishingly good. My son told me to read Summer of the Monkeys, by Wilson Rawls, which made me laugh so hard I was in pain. When my sons grew into teenagers, I can remember two books which they told me to read because they were impressed by them: Dragonwings by Laurence Yep, and Jonathon Livingston Seagull by Richard Bach. Happy Holidays to everyone on the Forum! - - - - - - - - - - haymoni - Dec 2, 2005 11:16 am (#620 of 938) value - When Ungrateful Son turned 11, I offered to throw him a full-blown Harry Potter party - "It's not every day yer young man turns 11!" - with costumes, pumpkin juice, a Sorting - whatever he wanted. He turned me down flat! All he wanted was a sleepover with his buddies and to play video games all night. He has been "Ungrateful Son" ever since. Actually, he did earn a reprieve after a period of time, but now that he's a mouthy 12-year-old (I don't know where he gets it!) he has earned the title once again. He brought home "Mrs. Frisby and the Rats of NIMH" as a school assignment. I had never read the book and I finished it in 2 evenings. What happens next??? Was there a sequel??? - - - - - - - - - - Nathan Zimmermann - Dec 2, 2005 3:54 pm (#621 of 938) Haymoni, there is at least one sequel called Racso and the Rats of NIMH written by Robert O'Brien's daughter Jane Conly. - - - - - - - - - - haymoni - Dec 2, 2005 5:25 pm (#622 of 938) Mmmm...I'll have to check that out. I take it NIMH stands for National Institute of Mental Health, but I find it strange that the rats don't figure that out. - - - - - - - - - - Denise P. - Dec 2, 2005 6:12 pm (#623 of 938) Ravenclaw Pony R-T, Margaret, and the Rats of NIMH is another one. I recall reading both sequels but they pale in comparison. - - - - - - - - - - T Brightwater - Dec 29, 2005 10:00 am (#624 of 938) Several of us have recommended Terry Pratchett's Discworld books, but his latest, "Thud!" is outstanding even for him. He's as good at presenting deep moral issues in a fantasy setting as JKR, and the little pokes at "The Da Vinci Code" are an added bonus. I don't think this will ruin anything for anyone: one line that sent chills up my spine was "What kind of creature defines itself by hatred?" - - - - - - - - - - Veritaserum - Jan 6, 2006 6:47 pm (#625 of 938) Go Jays! I just read A Tale of Two Cities for school and thought it was great. Compelling story, awesome character names, and a heartwrenching ending. - - - - - - - - - - azi - Jan 8, 2006 1:16 pm (#626 of 938) Photo borrowed from Ardent Photography So...I finally get to this thread about 8 days after I finished the books I wanted to recommend! Anyway, it's called the Black Magician trilogy and is written by Trudi Canavan. I mentioned the first book a while ago before I had read it. The 3 books are The Magicians Guild, The Novice and The High Lord. I found myself unable to stop reading for 3/4 days while I read them. Brilliant storyline! If you like Garth Nix then the reviews are right - the style is fairly similar. In a way, the story follows a typical fantasy story style, but the imaginative places and events can distract you from that fact easily. Erm, I hate to admit asking this, but was A Tale of Two Cities written by Charles Dickens, Shakesphere or someone completely different? - - - - - - - - - - dizzy lizzy - Jan 8, 2006 4:07 pm (#627 of 938) There is more to life than increasing its speed: Mahatama Ghandi. LOL azi - I can't quite remember the author either. - - - - - - - - - - Veritaserum - Jan 8, 2006 4:59 pm (#628 of 938) Go Jays! - - - - - - - - - - hawick girl - Jan 10, 2006 7:45 pm (#629 of 938) I read A Tale of Two Cities in 9th Grade and liked it a lot, but I read To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee in 10th grade and loved it. I bought a copy when in college. Right now I'm reading America (the book) by Jon Stewart and the Daily Show people and it is siriusly funny. - - - - - - - - - - haymoni - Jan 10, 2006 8:54 pm (#630 of 938) My mother-in-law received a copy of that book for Christmas. I started reading it before she did - very rude, I know, but I was only going to be there for the day - what a scream!!! It is a textbook about history - very, very twisted history. I can't even think of any examples right now, but everything I read had me laughing hysterically. The rest of the family kept shooting me dirty looks as I was interupting the football games. - - - - - - - - - - azi - Jan 11, 2006 9:16 am (#631 of 938) Photo borrowed from Ardent Photography Thanks Veritaserum! Nice to have that cleared up! - - - - - - - - - - Veritaserum - Jan 11, 2006 3:34 pm (#632 of 938) Go Jays! - - - - - - - - - - Phelim Mcintyre - Jan 14, 2006 5:31 am (#633 of 938) May I recommend Lynn Truss's follow up to "Eats, Shoots and Leaves". It is called "Talk to the Hand" and is about the lack of courtesy in letters and society in general. - - - - - - - - - - Madame Pomfrey - Jan 22, 2006 8:13 am (#634 of 938) I recieved the the saga A Song of Ice and Fire by George R.R. Martin on my B-Day and am currently half way through book 1 A Game Of Thrones. I am enjoying book 1 so much I can hardly put it down and am looking forward to the rest of the saga.Has anyone else read these books?If so,I'd would appreciate any input. - - - - - - - - - - Choices - Jan 22, 2006 10:49 am (#635 of 938) Completely Obsessed With Harry Potter It sounds interesting Madame Pomfrey. I am going to put that on my "to read" list. I am waiting for the last book in the Highlander series by Diana Gabaldon to arrive - book 6 - and I want to finish that before I start on anything else. - - - - - - - - - - Madame Pomfrey - Jan 22, 2006 11:13 am (#636 of 938) Choices,I know how it is to want to finish a series before starting a new one and these books make for a very long read.They are medievil fantasy.There are 5 books available and book 6 is due sometime next year.How is the Highlander?Was the movie The Highlander based on the books you are currently reading? - - - - - - - - - - Choices - Jan 22, 2006 11:28 am (#637 of 938) Completely Obsessed With Harry Potter I don't know about the movie Madame - I didn't see it. I have really enjoyed the Highlander series. They are long books - each is right at 1000 pages more or less, but they are very interesting. The action starts out in the 1950's if I remember correctly, but then goes back to the 1700's in Scotland. Claire, the main female character is a British army nurse (who becomes a physician) who travels back in time when she accidentally steps into the crevice of a stone in a huge stone circle (ala Stone Hinge). In about book 4/5 the story moves to the American colonies. I love the characters and the story is very good. It is a great love story. I ordered book 6 the end of December and am still waiting for it to arrive. If it doesn't come this week I will have to reorder. I am so anxious to see what happens to everybody - the American Revolution is about to begin. If you like historical novels with some supernatural thrown in and a great love story, you will like these books. - - - - - - - - - - Denise P. - Jan 22, 2006 12:01 pm (#638 of 938) Ravenclaw Pony There are books based on the Highlander movie and TV show but the books Choices is talking about is called the Outlander series. Parts of it do take part in the Highlands though. It is a great series although you could skip book 5 (snorefest) without missing much. - - - - - - - - - - Choices - Jan 22, 2006 12:38 pm (#639 of 938) Completely Obsessed With Harry Potter Thanks for correcting me Denise. I don't know why I always want to call it Highlander (well, I do, but it's wrong). It is Outlander as Denise said, but it is about Highland Scots, thus my mistake. I wouldn't want to skip book five necessarily, but I did do a bit of "skimming". - - - - - - - - - - VeronikaG - Jan 22, 2006 12:39 pm (#640 of 938) ASOIF is on my to read list as well. I just need to finish The Wheel of Time first. Is it only three books? - - - - - - - - - - Denise P. - Jan 22, 2006 4:05 pm (#641 of 938) Ravenclaw Pony Wheel of Time? You are asking if WOT has three books? The last book in WOT that came out was Knife of Dreams, book #11 in the series. And he is STILL NOT FINISHED!!! - - - - - - - - - - Finn BV - Jan 23, 2006 4:47 pm (#642 of 938) Me kayaking, Niagara River, August 2006. I have been likened to Reepicheep in this photo. Well, this has nothing to do with the current books discussed but I recently finished Life at These Speeds by Jeremy Jackson which was incredible. Being a Cross-Country runner, I particularly enjoyed it, but you don't have to be one to like it. It's a tear-jerker, but it's really well-written and fast-paced. The writing style is excellent, first person, very spacey. - - - - - - - - - - Madame Pomfrey - Jan 24, 2006 9:48 am (#643 of 938) Choices,The Outlander sounds like something I'd like to read.I enjoy historical novels being I have read mounds of historical romances. I usually find an author I like and read all their works. - - - - - - - - - - azi - Jan 31, 2006 6:14 am (#644 of 938) Photo borrowed from Ardent Photography In The Guardian (a UK newspaper) today, there was an article on books that authors say are must-reads. JKR recommended; Wuthering Heights - Emily Bronte Charlie and the Chocolate Factory - Roald Dahl Robinson Crusoe - Daniel Defoe To Kill a Mockingbird - Harper Lee Animal Farm - George Orwell The Tale of Two Bad Mice - Beatrix Potter The Catcher in the Rye - JD Salinger Catch-22 - Jospeh Heller Just thought everyone may be interested. Personally, I have only read two of the books - the ones by Roald Dahl and Beatrix Potter. Three - Robinson Crusoe, Wuthering Heights and David Copperfield - I attempted to read at the ages of 8, 10 and 12 respectively, got bored and gave up on. - - - - - - - - - - dizzy lizzy - Jan 31, 2006 3:33 pm (#645 of 938) There is more to life than increasing its speed: Mahatama Ghandi. The Catcher in the Rye, Wuthering Heights, To Kill a Mockingbird and Animal Farm were school texts for me! I liked Harper Lee's book but Charlie and the Chocolate factory is my favourite!. Lizzy Steve Newton - Jan 31, 2006 3:38 pm (#646 of 938) Librarian To Kill a Mockingbird and Catch-22 are my 2 favorite books ever. - - - - - - - - - - Amilia Smith - Feb 1, 2006 1:43 am (#647 of 938) You might want to go back and try those books again, Azi. I've often found that books I gave up on as too boring when I tried to read them as a kid, but then went back to as an adult were excellent reads. Not sure what made the difference . . . higher reading level, more maturity, what? Keep in mind that Dickens was paid by the word. When you realize this, and start looking for all the padding, it's quite fun! Especially when you realize how good he still is. It is the rare author who can pull that off. Mills. - - - - - - - - - - valuereflection - Feb 2, 2006 11:19 pm (#648 of 938) In Post #644, Azi said: In The Guardian (a UK newspaper) today, there was an article on books that authors say are must-reads. The whole article was really interesting to me. The title was, "From Beatrix Potter to Ulysses ... what the top writers say every child should read." I don't know how to put a link into my post. But below is the web address where I read the article, so hopefully you can cut and paste to read it. I hope that the moderators will approve this ,and allow it to remain in this thread for people to refer to. [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.] For everyone who loved From the Mixed-up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler, the author E. L. Konigsburg won a second Newbery medal for her book, A View from Saturday. My local library had a reading discussion group a couple years ago. Although they traditionally had chosen only adult literature for this group, they made an exception for Konigsburg's book because it impressed everyone. The book's structure is astonishingly intricate. There was plenty of material for our large group of adults to analyze. This children's story is so elegant that my both my husband and I have reread it several times. - - - - - - - - - - valuereflection - Feb 3, 2006 12:02 am (#649 of 938) The Phantom Tollbooth, by Norton Juster, was a much beloved and clever story for me, my brothers, my in-laws, and my own children. Its written for about ages 9-12. - - - - - - - - - - haymoni - Feb 28, 2006 7:15 am (#650 of 938) "Sense & Sensibility" was on TV again last night, so of course I had to watch it. While I plan on reading the book SOMEDAY, I know it will not be any time soon, so spoil it for me and answer this question: In the book, does Miss Steele know what she is doing in telling Miss Dashwood about Edward or is she just looking for someone to confide in? Each time I watch the movie, I look for answers - they show her holding that hankerchief just right so that the initials show, it seems like a blatant slap in the face. But she really seems floored when Edward visits Miss Dashwood later in London. I'm guessing the movie doesn't exactly follow the book - where have we seen that before??? - but I didn't know if things were made more apparent than they were in the movie. It was on AMC - they were doing an Oscar tribute - the host specifically mentioned "Sir John" was "Cornelius Fudge", but made no mention of Alan Rickman or Emma Thompson being in the films. He did say however that Emma is the first actor to receive an Oscar for acting (Howard's End) and one for writing (Sense & Sensibility). [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.] Elanor haymoni - Feb 28, 2006 12:41 pm (#652 of 938) And her daughter will be Umbridge. But is Miss Steele the snake that I think she is??? - - - - - - - - - - valuereflection - Feb 28, 2006 2:49 pm (#653 of 938) "In the book, does Miss Steele know what she is doing in telling Miss Dashwood about Edward or is she just looking for someone to confide in? ...is Miss Steele the snake that I think she is???" Haymoni, the answer is both yes and no. Her intentions behind her actions are as snake-like as you suspect. However, she is a very poor relation, supported by the charity of her relatives. Despite the poverty of Elinor and her family, Lucy Steele is more poor still. "The whole of Lucy's behaviour in the affair, and the prosperity which crowned it, therefore, may be held forth as a most encouraging instance of what an earnest, an unceasing attention to self-interest, however its progress may be apparently obstructed, will do in securing every advantage of fortune, with no other sacrifice than that of time and conscience." [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.] - - - - - - - - - - haymoni - Feb 28, 2006 2:58 pm (#654 of 938) Thanks, value. I couldn't grasp how she could know about Elinor if she only sees Edward a couple times each year (again, I have only seen the movie.) Guess I'll have to break down and read this one for myself. I do like the movie though! - - - - - - - - - - valuereflection - Feb 28, 2006 3:55 pm (#655 of 938) Haymoni, for some reason only part of my last post showed up. Here's the rest if you're still interested. As a consequence of Lucy's poverty, she is both much less educated and less experienced than Elinor. She is jealous of Elinor for this. When she wants to hurt Elinor, she is often too inexperienced to know if she succeeds (but that doesn't keep her from trying). Although Lucy is conniving, she generally only knows what she can determine by watching people's emotional reactions to herself. When Lucy first confides in Elinor (handkerchief scene), her original intent is to let Elinor know that Edward is taken so she'd better stay away from him -- because Lucy has observed that Edward's feelings toward herself have grown a bit less enthusiastic than in the past and he has once mentioned Elinor's name. Elinor is so stunned by Lucy's information that she consciously decides to try not to show any reaction to what Lucy says until she can determine how much is true. A more worldwise woman than Lucy would have discerned Elinor's true feelings from her understated reaction, but Lucy is puzzled by Elinor's coolness. Elinor figures this much out about Lucy very quickly. After this incident, Lucy becomes very curious to know how Elinor and Edward feel about one another. She constantly seeks Elinor out in order to talk about Edward, hoping to observe some reaction from Elinor which she can understand. Elinor realizes that Lucy has engaged in underhanded warfare with this behavior. Elinor resolves to display no romantic sentiment toward either Lucy or Edward, because Lucy has become obsessed with watching her. For months Elinor is carefully circumspect to noncommitally communciate, "Isn't that nice." I hope I haven't spoiled the book. My husband surprised me with the DVD. I was fascinated by listening to Emma Thompson describe how she adapted the book into a screenplay. She quoted the book as saying that Lucy did rather well for herself in the end without having to sacrifice anything more than time and conscience. (My last post quoted that book passage.) Then I too wanted to know more about Lucy Steele. I read the story online for free. It was a fast, easy, and suspenseful read for me (as compared to the only other Austen book which I've read, Pride and Prejudice). I read it at classic reader.com. Hope you have fun! valuereflection - Feb 28, 2006 4:50 pm (#656 of 938) Sorry, its [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.] (no space) - - - - - - - - - - Choices - Feb 28, 2006 6:36 pm (#657 of 938) Completely Obsessed With Harry Potter All I can say is....Col. Brandon....sigh!!!! - - - - - - - - - - haymoni - Mar 1, 2006 7:25 am (#658 of 938) Hands down, Choices!! Is it true that Emma Thompson is married to whomever played Willoughby? value - I did find the book online - boy, are her sentances long or what???? I think I hate Mrs. John Dashwood even more!! - - - - - - - - - - Caius Iulius - Mar 2, 2006 5:00 am (#659 of 938) Emma Thompson has got a relationship with Greg Wise, who indeed plays Willoughby in S & S. - - - - - - - - - - Nathan Zimmermann - Mar 6, 2006 10:56 am (#660 of 938) I would recommend reading Don Quijote by Cervantes. - - - - - - - - - - Die Zimtzicke - Mar 15, 2006 12:39 pm (#661 of 938) Anyone who lolved the great book Lovely Bones should read Just Bones by Jeffrey Denhart. Great mystery to it. Of course for the best mysteries, get into Sherlock Holmes. Doyle was the master for me. Anyone who loves mysteries and WWII should read Just Revenge by Alan Dershowitz. It's about a holocaust survivor who finds the man who murdered his family years later and cooks up a plot to turn the tables. Most original book I've ever read. Younger Potter fans should read Jill Murphy's "The Worst Witch" series or go get the DVDs of the TV show that came out in Britain in the late 90's. My midwestern USA library has them. It is Hogwarts on a simpler scale. Edith is Malfoy to a "T" and the black-robed potions mistress Miss Hardbroom is Snape in drag. My oldest son recommended it to me when he turned off Harry Potter and was trying to prove to me how unoriginal it was, but you can love the Murphy stories for their own charm. Laur Wilder's books captured a time period beautifully, but they always irritated me because they had such huge holes in them You could drive a truck through the missing parts of the plot. They succeed solely on their charm. - - - - - - - - - - azi - Mar 15, 2006 12:50 pm (#662 of 938) Photo borrowed from Ardent Photography I would also recommend The Worst Witch. I always enjoy comparing it to HP! I saw HB as being McGonagall's alter-ego though, as both are (were) strict deputy headmistresses working for an eccentric head. Miss Hardbroom never had much patience for the very Trelawney-like Mrs Bat. In fact, the TV Miss Hardbroom is how I imagine McGonagall to look like and Trelawney looks like Mrs Bat! Ethel is a Slytherin through and through, hating Mildred Hubble who is from a non-witch background. Ethel's father is like Lucius Malfoy, having influence as a governor and trying to get people like Mildred out of Cackles...I could go on! - - - - - - - - - - Die Zimtzicke - Mar 15, 2006 9:54 pm (#663 of 938) Mrs. Bat is very Trelawney-like. Good catch. Sorry I said Edith instead of Ethel. I had just finished watching Ben Kingsley in "Anne Frank", the film based on the biography by Melissa Muller, and I must have had the name Edith stuck in my head. If anyone likes "the Diary of a Young Girl" I'd recommend the book "The Hidden Life of Otto Frank" by Carol Ann Lee. And if anyone like Schindler's List" I'd recommend Emilie Schindler's book about her husband, "Where Light and Shadow Meet" or "Schindler's Legacy" a book about the list survivors by Elinor Brecher. My kids all loved Nancy Cartwright's book about playing Bart Simpson: "My Life as a Ten-Year-old Boy". - - - - - - - - - - Veritaserum - Mar 16, 2006 9:20 am (#664 of 938) Go Jays! I just read "A Northern Light" by Jennifer Donnelly. It was one of the best books I've read in awhile. It is a young adult book, but I think older people would enjoy it also. It is a historical novel, love story, mystery, etc. The writing is beautiful. - - - - - - - - - - valuereflection - Mar 16, 2006 12:47 pm (#665 of 938) Laur (Laura) Wilder's books captured a time period beautifully, but they always irritated me because they had such huge holes in them You could drive a truck through the missing parts of the plot. They succeed solely on their charm. --Die Zimtzicke What plot holes? I'm also curious about the meaning of your name, Die Zimtzicke. - - - - - - - - - - haymoni - Mar 16, 2006 12:52 pm (#666 of 938) I didn't think there WAS a plot to those stories. They were just recollections of her life. There wasn't a mystery to solve or a love to be regained. It just was Half-Pint growin' up. - - - - - - - - - - Moo4Freedom - Mar 16, 2006 2:14 pm (#667 of 938) Been reading the works of one Gregory MaGuire and highly rcomend. He has a modern and sophisticated slightly gothic style. Can vouch for Wicked, Son of a Witch, and Confessions of an Ugly Stepsister. Hope you all enjoy Sorry if there was a discussion going, jsut didn't want to forget to mention these books. - - - - - - - - - - Die Zimtzicke - Mar 16, 2006 5:10 pm (#668 of 938) Die Zimtzicke is a crabby old lady in German. I'm one of the over 50 fans, and part-German. As for the Wilder books, they had holes in my opinion, because we got more details on things like how the dress they made for Mary to take to college in was sewn, and turned out, than reactions to the death of Laura's only brother or only son. And if Almanzo's sister hated Laura so much, why did she want to come west to arrange their wedding, which forced them to elope? There are TONS of things like that. Even as a kid, I thought the stuff I personally wanted to know about most was the stuff that got dropped. I'm scared spitless HP will always be like that! But as I said, the lifestyle was captured well. Back on topic and to Jill Murphy, little ones should see her books "Five Minutes Peace" or "All in One Piece" which I admired myself as a mother of many. I love "the Little Prince", too, and anything by Doctor Seuss. My kids were big "One Fish, Two Fish" fans. I had to read that over and over and over... - - - - - - - - - - valuereflection - Mar 16, 2006 8:08 pm (#669 of 938) Thank you for answering my questions, Die Zimtzicke. I think your name is cute. I guess that Laura wouldn't have felt comfortable in telling about her baby brother's death, along with her family's grieving, as a bedtime story for children. It didn't fit the into the theme and general tone which she wanted for her children's stories. Even The First Four Years, which was written much later than the other books, had a tone which was much dryer and sadder: lots of worrying about the details of having enough money to make their farm work, and very little of the descriptions of fun and the personal anecdotes which appealed to me so much in the earlier books. As I child, I was disappointed by it. But now that I am adult, I would appreciate hearing about more of the depth of her family's heartbreak over their losses. And if Almanzo's sister hated Laura so much, why did she want to come west to arrange their wedding, which forced them to elope? Okay, I figured out this answer to at least this one of your questions. Eliza was so bossy while she was growing up, that she simply didn't know any other mindset. Of course she would arrange Almanzo's wedding -- because she had always told her little brother what to do. I think Almanzo recognized that his sister was not grown up enough herself to be able to change her accustomed way of thinking toward her little brother. Change is uncomfortable for anyone, but especially for an insecure spinster. Eliza would have felt more comfortable quarreling (about anything, including running a wedding) than acknowledging that her brother is now an independent adult. I thought Almanzo was wise to avoid a big family blow-up which could have affected the family's relationships for years afterward. (But I couldn't figure out Eliza until after I was married myself. This question confused me, too, during my childhood reading of her books.) The books you suggested sound intriguing to read. Heidi (by Johanna Spyri) is one of my favorite stories for reading over and over because of its charm. - - - - - - - - - - Finn BV - Mar 22, 2006 8:02 pm (#670 of 938) Me kayaking, Niagara River, August 2006. I have been likened to Reepicheep in this photo. Anybody ever read The Fire Next Time by James Baldwin? I'm reading it voluntarily for school and I'm starting to regret the commitment… so far I haven't really found a plot… - - - - - - - - - - haymoni - Mar 23, 2006 7:03 am (#671 of 938) I remembered a title of a book I read when I was young - "Jennifer, Hecate, MacBeth, William McKinley and me, Elizabeth". It was about 2 girls who were friends - the one claimed to be a witch (Jennifer)- I can't remember all of the details, but there was a bit of a mystery that Elizabeth ended up solving. - - - - - - - - - - valuereflection - Mar 23, 2006 8:47 am (#672 of 938) I also liked Jennifer, Hecate, Macbeth, William McKinley, and Me, Elizabeth, by E. L. Konigsburg; I read it when I was about 10 years old. If I remember correctly, Elizabeth was about nine, so she looked up to Jennifer, who was about 12 and had a very different personality. It's a Newbery honor book and very good. Nevertheless, Konigburg's two Newbery Medal winners are even more outstanding: The View from Saturday and From the Mixed-Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler. I've never heard of The Fire Next Time. But I read the review on Amazon.com. It described the book as a bestseller in the sixties, which contained two essays against racial prejudice, and short. How did you hear about it, Finn BV? - - - - - - - - - - Finn BV - Mar 23, 2006 11:54 am (#673 of 938) Me kayaking, Niagara River, August 2006. I have been likened to Reepicheep in this photo. It's my school's Book Day book, value. However, it's the high school's Book Day book, so it's optional attendance for middle schoolers like me. I signed up for it anyway, but it's really slow. I think there have been 4 sets of quotation marks -- meaning 4 sets of dialogue -- in 40 pages. - - - - - - - - - - Holly T. - Mar 23, 2006 12:04 pm (#674 of 938) My daughter got me hooked on the Artemis Fowl books, which I enjoyed. She also liked Inkheart, which I couldn't get into at all. She says it's because I was listening to the audiobook instead of actually reading it. - - - - - - - - - - Nathan Zimmermann - Mar 23, 2006 12:19 pm (#675 of 938) I am an avid reader of mysteries There are several series I enjoy reading. The Nero Wolfe series by Rex Stout, the stories are a lot of fun to read and I also like to try the dishes mentioned in the books. The Brother Cadfael Chronicles by Ellis Peters. These are set in the period from 1137 to 1145 C.E. in Shrewsbury. The Alienist and Angel of Darkness by Caleb Carr, both these mysteries are set in Manhattan of the 1890's and include characters such as Theodore Roosevelt, Clarence Darrow, Jacob Riis, and Lincoln Steffens. A Daughter of Time by Josephine Tey. - - - - - - - - - - Phelim Mcintyre - Mar 24, 2006 3:27 am (#676 of 938) Holly T - negotiations are underway for an Artemis Fowl movie!!!! - - - - - - - - - - Mrs Brisbee - Mar 27, 2006 10:17 am (#677 of 938) The Brother Cadfael Chronicles by Ellis Peters. These are set in the period from 1137 to 1145 C.E. in Shrewsbury.-- Nathan Zimmerman I'll second those as a good read. Brother Cadfael is a very likeable hero, and the detail Ellis Peters put into her historical setting was very enjoyable. Another mystery series I enjoyed was Peter Tremayne's Sister Fidelma books. They are set in 7th century Irland. For some reason I really enjoy relaxing with a mystery with a historical setting. Maybe because I feel like I'm cheating and learning something at the same time - - - - - - - - - - Veritaserum - Mar 27, 2006 6:49 pm (#678 of 938) Go Jays! I am reading Peace Like a River right now. It is very good. The writing style is very poetic, like A Northern Light, which I mentioned earlier, and it's very well written. Makes me wish I could write like that. - - - - - - - - - - Phelim Mcintyre - Mar 28, 2006 4:50 am (#679 of 938) Miss Brisbee - try the John Rawlings novels by Deryn Lake, set in Georgian England. My favourite historical mysteries. Oh yes and the Templar series of medevial mysteries by Michael Jecks. - - - - - - - - - - Herm oh ninny - Apr 3, 2006 1:51 pm (#680 of 938) "Accio treats!" negotiations are underway for an Artemis Fowl movie!!!! -Phelim WHOOOOO HOOOOOO!!! Lupin is Lupin. Natch. - Apr 14, 2006 12:55 pm (#681 of 938) Sometimes known as Kim. Has anyone seen What the Dormouse Said--Lessons for Grown-ups from Children's Books? Although it's been out for a while I just saw it for the first time. It's broken up into chapters--such as "Faith and Courage", "Defiance", "Silence" and "Acceptance". Each chapter contains pertinent quotes from children's books. I've only flipped through it but this one, from National Velvet, caught my eye: "Mrs. Brown gave no second chances. It was her strength." - - - - - - - - - - Eponine - Apr 14, 2006 1:50 pm (#682 of 938) I've been reading a lot of the Dorothy Sayers books lately, and I'm really enjoying them. They're very good, and they're not easy to figure out how things were done either. I definitely recommend them. - - - - - - - - - - Catherine - Apr 15, 2006 11:06 am (#683 of 938) Canon Seeker Same here on the Dorothy Sayers, Eponine! How coincidental that we've been reading it now. I cannot recommend Geraldine Brooks highly enough. I've recently finished March and Year of Wonders along with her nonfiction book The Nine Parts of Desire, which deals with Brooks' time as a journalist in the Middle East. March is the story of the father from Alcott's Little Women; Year of Wonders deals with the plague year of 1666. As part of my preparation to teach 7th grade this fall, I've been indulging myself with a lot of adolescent/young adult literature. One of the Printz award winners Looking for Alaska is a fabulous "boarding school" novel, although it has some "adult" love scenes that are perhaps not appropriate for very young teens. I've also really enjoyed Lois Lowry's The Giver (won a Newberry), Gathering Blue, and Messenger. Anyone who reads Carl Hiassen's adult fiction will probably enjoy his YA novel Hoot. It reminded me a lot of Holes by Louis Sachar, which I also really enjoyed. Finally, I recommend A Northern Light by Jennifer Donnelly. It is an ALA "Top Ten" Best Book for Young Adults, a Printz honor book, a Carnegie Medal winner, and it also won a book prize by the Los Angeles Times. The novel was inspired by a real murder in 1906. Donnelly provides a great bibliography for further reading at the end of the novel. - - - - - - - - - - Nathan Zimmermann - Apr 15, 2006 11:17 am (#684 of 938) I would recommend Bullfinch's Mythology, it is an interesting read. - - - - - - - - - - Die Zimtzicke - Apr 15, 2006 9:45 pm (#685 of 938) I just finished Cynthia Lennon's new biography of John Lennon (JOHN) and it's very good. It's certainly much better than the book she wrote in the 70's (A Twist of Lennon)which was good, but didn't go into so much detail about living with Beatlemania and the aftermath of John and Cynthia's divorce. - - - - - - - - - - Phelim Mcintyre - Apr 17, 2006 7:07 am (#686 of 938) Eponine, Catherine - if you enjoy Dorothy Sayers (who I love - especially Gaudy Night set in Oxford) then try these modern authors: David Roberts, author of the Lord Edward Corinth and Verity Brown books (http://www.lordedwardcorinth.co.uk); Jacqueline Winspear, author of the Maisie Dobbs books (http://www.jacquelinewinspear.com); and Catriona McPhearson, author of After the Armistice Ball staring Dandy Gilver ([You must be registered and logged in to see this link.] All three are worth the read. - - - - - - - - - - Liz Mann - Apr 29, 2006 4:35 pm (#687 of 938) Join us for the Philosopher's Stone Watch-A-Long I don't know if anyone has mentioned these books before, but if you like children's fantasy (and I'm assuming a lot of people on here aren't exclusive to Harry Potter ) I'd recommend the Children of the Red King books by Jenny Nimmo. They're not as good as Harry (obviously ) but they have some good features and a good plot. Four out of the planned five books are available and the fifth is coming out this summer. - - - - - - - - - - Mrs Brisbee - Apr 30, 2006 6:52 am (#688 of 938) Well, I went to the library the other day intending to look for some of the books recommended on this thread. I'd had a tough few months and was hoping to find a good mystery novel to relax with, but unfortunately my frazzled brain went completely blank as soon as I stepped into the library, so I ended up going to the history section to get one of my favorites, A Bridge Too Far. I wasn't too happy with my grim choice, I'd wanted something light, but as soon as I started reading it I was hooked. I'd forgotten what an amazing historian and writer Cornelius Ryan is, and I highly recommend A Bridge Too Far, and also his book The Longest Day. - - - - - - - - - - Lupin is Lupin. Natch. - May 3, 2006 10:05 am (#689 of 938) Sometimes known as Kim. I just finished Under the Banner of Heaven by Jon Krakauer and just started The Lost Continent: Travels in Small Town America by Bill Bryson. I very much enjoyed the former. As for the latter, it's apparent to me I can't go a paragraph of a Bill Bryson book without laughing so hard I start to cry. - - - - - - - - - - Rea - May 5, 2006 3:22 am (#690 of 938) I really loved "Der Sterben der Pythia" , I read it in italian, La Morte della Pizia. The death of Phytia is as short story into Der Mitmacher by Friederich Durrenmatt (1976) I'm really sorry I couldn't find an english edition in order to give you a clear reference... It is a story about profecies, destiny and chaos. I really recommend it! Rea - - - - - - - - - - John Bumbledore - May 10, 2006 11:25 am (#691 of 938) "Tempus edax rerum." [Time, the devourer of all things.] Ovid Another Aussie Author (I believe, he is) Matthew Reilly, has several books out about an American solder with the nick name of Scarecrow. (Ice Station is the only title I can remember at the moment.) I have read a few of the Alex Rider books, and I also recommend them. Eragon is the series I am currently reading, while I await HP-Year 7. <)B^D˜ John Bumbledore - - - - - - - - - - Esther Rose - May 10, 2006 1:15 pm (#692 of 938) I finished Eragon in two days. Good book. Didn't think I would enjoy it at all. Now I am thinking I may need to invest in Eldest. sigh.. - - - - - - - - - - Finn BV - May 11, 2006 7:30 pm (#693 of 938) Me kayaking, Niagara River, August 2006. I have been likened to Reepicheep in this photo. I am still trying to get through Chronicles of Narnia… I think they may have been read to me, but that was a while ago. I'm reading them in publication order, not chronological order, so I'm on The Silver Chair now. It's getting good… - - - - - - - - - - Die Zimtzicke - May 14, 2006 9:12 pm (#694 of 938) If anyone likes true crime stories or Chicago history, get "The Devil in the White City" about a series of murders that occurred during the Chicago World's fair. Very well done by Erik Larson. - - - - - - - - - - Madam Pince - May 20, 2006 6:40 am (#695 of 938) The eyes are the windows to the soul... This is going back a ways, but I just found this thread... Die Zimtzicke, about the Laura Ingalls Wilder books, another issue for Laura was that a lot of the people she was writing about were still alive at the time of her writing, and so she left out a great many things that she felt would be embarrassing or hurtful to them. (Remember this was back in the day when people were still nice to each other...) I have read a couple biographies of Wilder and done some online research, and there is a lot more "fill-in" available out there, should you really like to know more. (For example, I just recently found out that Cap Garland died at a very young age - late 20's maybe? - from a farming accident. The website had a picture of him, too, which was way cool.) The curators of the various Wilder museums are also very helpful if you e-mail them, and there are several book collections of Laura's later writings (A Little House Sampler, etc.) from when she wrote for a local farming magazine/newspaper -- they are quite interesting and give some insight into her earlier books as well as about her later life. There was one short story in the Sampler book which was written by her daughter Rose, (also an accomplished writer and often credited with prodding/doing the "guts" of her mother's work) and was about the young family's brief stay in Florida. That story, "Innocence," was most unsettling and raised a whole bunch of questions for me about what really happened which I still haven't figured out for sure. (I'm a big Wilder fan, in case you can't tell! ) And this is from even further back, but haymoni I had to laugh when you asked if there are sequels to Mrs. Frisby and the Rats of NIMH -- I would be glad to provide you with copies of the sequel I wrote when I was in the sixth grade! I was so enchanted with that book that I wrote a sequel for one of my writing assignments! (Well, actually, to be fair it really was only the start of a sequel -- the assignment was due before I really got rolling!) I tell myself about once a year that I really should dig it out and finish it and become a famous children's book author. - - - - - - - - - - haymoni - May 20, 2006 6:35 pm (#696 of 938) Madam P - I have always been a "Well, what happened NEXT????" kind of reader. Ungrateful Son had brought NIMH home so I read it and I actually flipped the book over to make sure that I had really read all of it. Most disappointing!! - - - - - - - - - - Madam Pince - May 20, 2006 8:02 pm (#697 of 938) The eyes are the windows to the soul... Me, too -- that's exactly how I felt about NIMH! But so often sequels are more disappointing than the actual yearning for more of the book (case in point: Scarlett -- NOT a recommended read!) so I try not to think about it. I think the solution is that we should only read very prolific writers rather than "one-hit wonders," because then by the time we've read them all we'll be old and forgetful and can enjoy them like new all over again! That's what I do with Agatha Christie -- I get to a part and think to myself "Hmmmm... this was a major clue I think.... I just know it means something!" but oftentimes I can't remember exactly what. It's almost as good as the first read! Of course, it means I'm going off my rocker, but hey.... - - - - - - - - - - Finn BV - May 20, 2006 8:40 pm (#698 of 938) Me kayaking, Niagara River, August 2006. I have been likened to Reepicheep in this photo. I completely agree on NIMH as well. And of course we all know that you have to be Agatha to know what something's going to me ahead of time. They're just so unpredictable. - - - - - - - - - - mooncalf - May 20, 2006 11:43 pm (#699 of 938) Ooh, Madame Pince! I do exactly the same thing with Agatha Christies. By the time they get pushed to the back of the shelf, they're about due for a re-read, And she was wonderfully prolific! - - - - - - - - - - Nathan Zimmermann - May 21, 2006 9:37 am (#700 of 938) It is interesting you should mention Agatha Christie, I just finished a reread of Sleeping Murder. Of all her mysteries I would recommend the Tuesday Club Murders I also wish I could lay my hands on a copy of Miss Marple's Final Cases and Two Other Stories and While the Light Lasts and Other Stories neither of which were published in the United States [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.] Elanor Nathan Zimmermann - May 21, 2006 5:38 pm (#702 of 938) Edited May 21, 2006 6:25 pm The volume contained the following stories: Sanctuary (1954) A/K/A: The Man on the Chancel Steps; also contained in Double Sin and Other Stories (1961). Strange Jest AKA Buried Treasure Also contained in Three Blind Mice and Other Stories (1950). The Tape-Measure Murder Also contained in Three Blind Mice and Other Stories (1950). The Case of the Caretaker Also contained in Three Blind Mice and Other Stories (1950). Madam P., I would recommend looking at wikipedia's article on Agatha Christie tit has an excellent chronological list of her works. Maybe it can provide more infprmation than I have here . The Case of the Perfect Maid Also contained in Three Blind Mice and Other Stories (1950). Miss Marple Tells a Story (1939) Also contained in The Regatta Mystery and Other Stories (1939). The Dressmaker's Doll (1954) Also contained in Double Sin and Other Stories (1961). Nonseries story. In a Glass, Darkly (1934) Also contained in The Regatta Mystery and Other Stories (1939). Nonseries story. The Harlequin Tea Set contained the following short stories: The Edge The Mystery of the Spanish Chest Harlequin Tea Set - - - - - - - - - - Phelim Mcintyre - May 22, 2006 1:23 am (#703 of 938) Nathan - don't know what country you live in but Harper Collins, her publisher here in the UK, did a collection of the complete Miss Marple short stories. - - - - - - - - - - Nathan Zimmermann - May 22, 2006 7:29 am (#704 of 938) Phelim Mcintyre, I live in the United States. I kmow of the book you are speaking. However, if I remember correctly several of the stories in the The Harlequin Tea Set utilized one of Christie's lesser known dectetives Harley Quinn. - - - - - - - - - - Phelim Mcintyre - May 22, 2006 7:44 am (#705 of 938) With Charles Satherwaitte ho appeared with Hercule Poirot in Murder in Three Acts/Three Act Tragedy (different titles for different sides of the Atlantic). I think the main serries with Harley Quinn was called the Mysterious Mr Quinn on both sides of the pond. The Harlequinn Tea Set is a Quinn/Satherwaite story but I'm not sure any of the others are. - - - - - - - - - - valuereflection - May 28, 2006 11:24 pm (#706 of 938) In Post #116, Little Ginny said: Fantastic books for children are the books by Astrid Lindgren, a Swedish author who died about two years ago. I grew up reading these books, but I don't know whether they are famous in the US or in the UK as well. I don't even know their English titles, but the most famous ones (at least in Germany are about Karlsson, who lives on the roof, about Pippi, who lives together with her horse and her monkey, and about an island called Saltkrokan. But she's written much more, and they are all very wonderful, taking place in Sweden in the time about the fifties, and just describing things children have always dreamt of. If anybody knows them and can help me with the English titles, thank you!! Little Ginny, Mischievous Meg by Astrid Lindgren is wonderfully funny. Its not a well-known title, but people who read it say they like it. In Post #245, Little Ginny said: I love to see so many Janeites here, though I really can't understand why you don't like Emma, which I like much better than Sense and Sensibility, but then, the main thing is that it's by Jane Austen, isn't it? I can only recommend Jane Austen and her time by Deidre LeFaye (sp?) which is a wonderful guide for those who don't know Austen and her work so well yet, and a great source of "background information" for the really obsessed. I would like to read this reference book which you recommended, but I could not find it. Amazon.com listed 3 books with somewhat similar titles, but those 3 books were written by different authors than Deirdre Le Faye. Their website also showed Deirdre Le Faye wrote 10 books about Jane Austen, but her 10 books had very dissimilar titles. Would you please check the title and author. In a college English class which my son took, this book was studied as a text: You Just Don't Understand: Women and Men in Conversation, by Deborah Tannen. It was fascinating to read! My son often couldn't find his copy to bring to class -- because I really enjoyed it and shared it with my friends also. - - - - - - - - - - valuereflection - May 29, 2006 2:28 am (#707 of 938) Edited May 29, 2006 3:11 am Little Ginny: I noticed that Amazon.com has listed some other book titles by Astrid Lindgren, which were translated into English. Several of them sounded like they would be interesting and fun to read (besides her famous Pippi books). Here are a few titles: Ronia the Robber's Daughter, The Children of Noisy Village, Mio My Son, and The Brothers Lionheart. Are these books the ones which you remember reading? (Personally I have only read Pippi Longstocking and Mischievous Meg, because I did not know that Astrid Lindgren wrote other books, too.) - - - - - - - - - - Choices - May 29, 2006 10:58 am (#708 of 938) Completely Obsessed With Harry Potter I have the Outlander series that I have finished and can highly recommend - romance, adventure, historical and sci-fi all rolled into one. If anyone would like the series, e-mail me and we can work a steal of a deal. There are six books at about 1000 pages each. - - - - - - - - - - valuereflection - May 29, 2006 11:40 am (#709 of 938) Choices, would you please tell more about why you liked Outlander. Thanks in advance. I forgot to mention You Just Don't Understand: Women and Men in Conversation was a #1 national bestseller here in the US. It is an intriguing read, because it tells how men and women grow up behaving in profoundly different ways. - - - - - - - - - - Denise P. - May 29, 2006 2:32 pm (#710 of 938) Ravenclaw Pony I am not Choices but I can say Outlander is one heck of a series. It was originally shuffled off to the romance section of stories but now is properly in the general fiction. Yes, there is romance but there is adventure, thrills, mysteries, history, science fiction (not a lot but enough) and just about every other kind of action in the stories. The main characters are well written so you can actually care about them. There are currently six books published with the seventh in the works. IMO, the fifth book, The Fiery Cross, has been the weakest in the series. I wear a sterling silver replica of the ring Jamie gave to Claire. An online group called The Ladies of Lallybroch got permission from the author several years ago to have the rings made. I was lucky enough to get one of them since they only made one group of them. - - - - - - - - - - Choices - May 29, 2006 5:45 pm (#711 of 938) Completely Obsessed With Harry Potter Thanks Denise - You said just about all that I would say about the series. I think the main thing for me was that I grew to care so much about the characters. They were so likable and so well written. The books just flowed, much like Harry Potter does. I hate reading books that you have to struggle to read, but Outlander is written so well it is a pleasure to read - you just sail through them. Claire is a former English wartime nurse, married and living in Scotland with her husband who is a historian - it is the late 1960's if I remember correctly. I won't say how (hint: think Stonehenge), but she goes back in time to the Scotland of the 1700's and meets a man with whom she falls in love. Thus begins some wonderful, exciting and dangerous adventures and a love that transcends time. All I can say is that it is a wonderful story - 6000 + pages long and you will love every page of it.....well, most of them anyway. :-) I think the ring idea is lovely Denise - I know you are proud of it. - - - - - - - - - - Denise P. - May 29, 2006 6:30 pm (#712 of 938) Ravenclaw Pony When Claire went back in Outlander (Book #1), it was just after WWII. If you are in Europe, you may want to look for the book Cross Stitch, that was the title used for Outlander in England. The author is Diana Gabaldon Choices, I would post a picture but I can't ever really capture the design well on film because it is so intricate. It does have the Jacobite thistle interwoven with a celtic design though. I did find a finished auction on eBay showing Claire's Ring that is like mine. - - - - - - - - - - Amilia Smith - May 30, 2006 2:59 am (#713 of 938) That is one cool ring. Also, good to know about the seventh book. I was wondering if she would be going on . . . things were tied up so nicely at the end of A Breath of Snow and Ashes. What I like best about the Outlander books (well, besides the things already mentioned) was how well Gabaldon did her homework. I don't know a whole lot about anything, but I do know a little bit about a lot of things. And it drives me nuts when I am reading a novel and it is obvious that the author did not do the slightest bit of research to prepare because s/he will make stupid mistakes that even I can spot. Gabaldon does not do this. She did her homework, and it shows. Well, she did buy the clan tartan myth, but so has everyone else for the past 150+ years; she doesn't make a big deal out of it, and everything else is so well researched that I have forgiven her for that. :-) I think I read somewhere that they sell her books at Culloden because they are so well researched. I am really into Scottish Highland dancing, and go to Scottish Games all over the Western US. Tons of fun. Now, when you go to these games, you hear Bonnnie Prince Charlie this, and Bonnie Prince Charlie that, and After the '45 . . . Well, Gabaldon does not paint such a rosy picture of the Bonnie Prince. It was because of her books, and the faith I had in her research, that I started wondering about that. How did a man who destroyed his country come to be its quintessential nationalistic symbol? That's what I ended up writing about for my senior thesis: the evolution of the Bonnie Prince and the '45. Gabaldon has also published An Outlandish Companion, which as well as telling all sorts of interesting things about the characters, gives a bibliography listing her sources of information on the Bonnie Prince and the '45. I was very grateful for this as it gave me a jumping off point for my own research. And after saying all that, I am worried that you will think these books read like a history text. They don't. I promise. They are everything Choices and Denise have said. Adventure. Romance. Characters. Intrigue. Family. Sacrifice. Friendship. Loyalty. Bad men. Good men. Beautifulest ladies. Pain. Death. Brave men. Coward men. Strongest men. Chases. Escapes. Lies. Truth. Passion. Miracles. (To quote another good book . . .) Mills. - - - - - - - - - - TheSaint - May 30, 2006 3:52 am (#714 of 938) Finished 'Angels and Demons', was a good quick read, though I found most of the clues easily solved and new the form when I read the poem the first time. Great read for airplane or beach..lol. - - - - - - - - - - Veritaserum - May 30, 2006 8:31 am (#715 of 938) Go Jays! Haha, Amilia. The Princess Bride is a great book. It has everything the movie has (in fact, some scenes are almost word for word), plus a little more background info. - - - - - - - - - - valuereflection - May 30, 2006 1:18 pm (#716 of 938) Thanks for describing Outlander. You have all convinced me to look and give it a try. I loved Princess Bride, too. Amilia Smith, in Post #613 you said you still want to collect literary fairy tales to use for your future job. I sent you an e-mail about a source of stories. I hope you like it. Please would you let me know if you receive it -- thank you. - - - - - - - - - - Holly T. - May 30, 2006 1:23 pm (#717 of 938) Here is my very snarky reason for not wanting to read the Outlander books--a person I strongly dislike loves them. I cannot stand the thought of possibly liking them and then having something in common with her. I must edit to add that the person mentioned above is not someone on this forum! - - - - - - - - - - Choices - May 30, 2006 5:29 pm (#718 of 938) Completely Obsessed With Harry Potter Holly T, thank goodness that same person isn't into Harry Potter or you really would be missing out on something wonderful!! - - - - - - - - - - Laura W - May 31, 2006 1:07 am (#719 of 938) Holly, for some reason your comment made me think of the part of PoA where Harry has to get a new broom for Quidditch because his Nimbus Two Thousand was smashed by the Whomping Willow and his new Firebolt has been confiscated by McGonagall. Oliver Wood says to him, "I reckon it's time you ordered a new broom, Harry. ... you could get a Nimbus Two Thousand and One, like Malfoy's got." and Harry replies, "I'm not buying anything Malfoy thinks is good." (chuckle) - - - - - - - - - - Phelim Mcintyre - May 31, 2006 5:08 am (#720 of 938) TheSaint - Angels and Demons a good book? Did you read the same Dan Brown novel I did? But then when I read it I wasn't trying to kill time on a plane or beach. - - - - - - - - - - Choices - May 31, 2006 8:52 am (#721 of 938) Completely Obsessed With Harry Potter I also thought Angels and Demons was a good book. Like I said previously, it is all a matter of individual taste when it comes to reading matter and art. One person's trash is another person's treasure. - - - - - - - - - - Denise P. - May 31, 2006 3:20 pm (#722 of 938) Ravenclaw Pony I thought Angels and Demons was better than Da Vinci Code I read them fairly close together and read Da Vinci first. If one likes vampire/paranormal type books that have a dose of :::ahem::: adult content, the Dark-Hunter series is pretty good for a fun read. It is not as fun as Laurell K. Hamilton's books or even Jim Butcher but it is close. - - - - - - - - - - Esther Rose - May 31, 2006 3:51 pm (#723 of 938) Angels and Demons was okay. The beginning was good but by the end of the book it was a bit too fantastical for me to take seriously. The DaVinci Code was good. And it goes to show how dangerous an ounce of truth can be in a web of fiction. - - - - - - - - - - Die Zimtzicke - May 31, 2006 10:12 pm (#724 of 938) If anyone liked "The DaVinci Code" (religion based mystery) you should try "White Smoke" by Andrew Greeley, an AU version of the last papal enclave. And I still think anyone who likes the Potterverse, but wants a more small-kid friendly version, should get The Worst Witch series by Jill Murphy, from the 70's, or at least get the TV shows (on DVD) from the early 90's. Most big libraries have them. Edith is Draco's role model,and Miss Hardbroom, the evil black robed potions mistress might as well be Snape in drag. You can just see where Hogwarts came from, in my opinion. - - - - - - - - - - TheSaint - Jun 1, 2006 3:59 am (#725 of 938) I was on a plane..for 12 hours! The book worked well for that, but as i said, it was predictable, and yes, the end was a bit much...but better than the solution to The Stand! - - - - - - - - - - Esther Rose - Jun 1, 2006 7:01 am (#726 of 938) Edited Jun 1, 2006 7:57 am Another good book with a religion base is The Red Tent by Anita Diamant. (Not much of a mystery though) A fascinating fictional read beautifully written! - - - - - - - - - - Holly T. - Jun 1, 2006 7:27 am (#727 of 938) I liked The Red Tent. I also liked Year of Wonders by Geraldine Brooks. She also wrote March, which just won the Pulitzer Prize for fiction. I bought March but haven't read it yet, since I was reading Andrew Jackson: His Life and Times by H. W. Brands, which I had from the library, so I read it first. It was very good. I read an interesting mix of fiction and non-fiction. The librarian even made a comment about it once when I was checking out three romance novels, a biography of John Quincy Adams, and a biography of Queen Victoria. - - - - - - - - - - Die Zimtzicke - Jun 1, 2006 9:26 am (#728 of 938) Oh, I adored "the Red Tent" and think that was a very good choice of books to recommend. Historical fiction fans might also like "Love is Eternal" a ficitonalized account of the marriage of Abraham and Mary Lincoln that is based on a considerable amount of fact. - - - - - - - - - - Madam Pince - Jun 1, 2006 1:22 pm (#729 of 938) The eyes are the windows to the soul... For a history buff, the actual real letters of Mary Todd Lincoln are a fascinating read as well. I can't remember the name of the book and it's at my Mom's house, but I think it is something basic like "The Letters of Mary Todd Lincoln" or similar. You really get a sense of how, ummm..., difficult a person she was! I read that one and followed it up with a biography of Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis, and I was very struck by many similarities between the two! - - - - - - - - - - Laura W - Jun 2, 2006 12:11 am (#730 of 938) I read The Red Tent when it first came out and really, really liked it too! Laura Veritaserum - Jun 9, 2006 1:03 pm (#731 of 938) Go Jays! I just finished reading Captain Alatriste by Arturo Perez-Reverte. There's a series of about five or so, originally published in Spain, and the English translations are coming out I think once a year. The first two are out now. It's a swashbuckling story of a Spanish swordsman in the seventeeth century. You like the alliteration? - - - - - - - - - - Mrs. D. - Jun 10, 2006 3:57 pm (#732 of 938) My son is out of school for the Summer and we tried very hard to find something of interest for him to read that was age appropriate (he is 12). We came across the Bartimaeus Trilogy which I have since discovered several Lexers have read since last December. We have completed the first book and he has promised to read the second of the series while I am away next week so I can have it when I get back. This series is definately a winner! - - - - - - - - - - Holly T. - Jun 10, 2006 7:54 pm (#733 of 938) My daughter's summer reading list for sixth grade (she just finished fifth) has The Golden Compass on it as one of the choices. She'd already read it and it now reading the other books in the trilogy. I haven't read them, but she is a big HP fan if that makes a difference in the other books she likes. I also suggested that she read all of the books on the list instead of just picking one. I think there were four or five for them to choose from. She's read the Bartimaeus books and liked them. - - - - - - - - - - Catherine - Jun 11, 2006 8:38 am (#734 of 938) Canon Seeker I've read the Pullman "His Dark Materials" series, and enjoyed them. I've been reading a lot of juvenile and young adult fiction lately. Here's what I've enjoyed: I recommend Lois Lowry's trilogy consisting of The Giver, Gathering Blue, and The Messenger. The first book won the Newberry award. Cynthia Voigt's Homecoming and Newberry winning seqeul Dicey's Song are quite good. Carl Hiassen's Hoot is a fun read, but I liked the more recent Flush better. Some recent Printz (award for young adult fiction) that I really liked include Tangerine by Edward Bloor and John Green's Looking for Alaska. Warning: Alaska contains VERY mature scenes of adolescent experimentation with substance abuse and intimate relationships. It's also one of the most poignant, laugh-out-loud funny, and literary books (adult or juvenile) that I've read in a long time. I think it is a modern answer to Knowles's A Separate Peace and Salinger's The Catcher in the Rye. I made Mr. Catherine read it, and he could not put it down, and had tears in his eyes at the end. I think this book could spark some good heart-to-heart parent/teen discussion. - - - - - - - - - - Steve Newton - Jun 11, 2006 6:03 pm (#735 of 938) Librarian Catherine, we got Looking for Alaska for our son to read and then held back. The suicide theme gave us pause. Do you recommend it for a 14 year old? - - - - - - - - - - Catherine - Jun 12, 2006 5:23 am (#736 of 938) Canon Seeker Edited Jun 12, 2006 6:10 am You know, Steve, it really depends on the child. I read at a very high level at that age, and I would have been fine. I have students who would be ok with it, too, but I also have students who would not get the historical or literary references, and would be very upset by the ambiguity of Alaska's death. The students do wonder--did she have a tragic accident, or did she choose a tragic death? That said, I have had to deal with students who have lost parents and who have tangled with mental illness, and the behaviors that come with that. Unfortunately. Many parents would be concerned by the gritty teen language (read: not family-friendly) more so than the issues surrounding Alaska's death, so I am glad that you are looking at the real content of the novel. Fourteen is probably young to appreciate this book as a general rule. I think, though, if someone is old enough to drive, they are probably old enough to deal with the themes in this book. EDIT: The novel does not, in my opinion, glamourize or glorify suicide (and there is some abiguity about the nature of the teen's death). The narrator, "Pudge," takes a world religion class throughout the novel, and has to evaluate his own spiritual beliefs and reconcile them with the events in the novel. - - - - - - - - - - Steve Newton - Jun 12, 2006 9:25 am (#737 of 938) Librarian Thanks for the feedback. My son is very intelligent, he was reading at an 11th grade level in 4th grade. He is more responsible than the average 14 year old, I think. How do you judge maturity? I have no problem with language, but am not so sure about my wife. - - - - - - - - - - Catherine - Jun 12, 2006 4:22 pm (#738 of 938) Canon Seeker Edited Jun 12, 2006 5:38 pm How do you judge maturity?--Steve I look at what the student has already read and enjoyed, what TV shows the student follows and enjoys, and what historical subjects interest them. I look at their social skills, their comprehension level of what they read, and how "philosophical" they wax. About language--what's really amusing is that in certain times, profanity about body parts and bodily functions and actions was not considered obscene. "Cursing" was really about profaning the name of a deity, for example. Our modern society is much more prudish about certain types of language (read Shakespeare if you don't believe me! ) but tends to take (in casual conversation) the deity's name rather lightly. Perhaps this is one reason why I enjoyed majoring in Medieval English--bawdy speech (which I do not engage in, by the way) and bawdy imagery was allowable, but lying and profaning a deity was not. I think that families are at the heart of it all--every family and community has at its heart the "standard" of what is acceptable. I think reading some teen novels from a "cultural" perspective is useful--it can open discussion about what is OK and what is not OK within various communities--families, schools, sports, the city, the state, the nation, the world. Language, substance use and abuse, intimacy--these are all things that families with teens really must deal with, and I think good novels provide juicy fodder for reflection and discussion. (See the Forum for details...) Also, the "honesty" in which some teen novels deal with difficult topics can show parents (even if the teens never read them! ) what issues REALLY ARE out there, even if the teen never asks/tells the parent about them. There were several "clues" in the Alaska novel that I so wished someone had clued in a "responsible adult" about, and it didn't happen. Tragedy as a result. So perhaps, when I recommended the Printz award-winning Looking for Alaska, I was wishing that parents were as attuned to teen lives as the author is, and thinking that perhaps parents of teenagers might find this novel as touching as I do. And as scary as I do. And as enlightening, like...I really meant to talk about X....so let's introduce that topic and see what happens... I just fly by the seat of my pants, Steve, when it comes to judging when someone is ready for a book. My experience shows that parents judge well someone's reading "level" while not really knowing what "experience" or "knowledge" they really have. I would encourage parents to really discern this information, rather than assume. But if your gut feeling is that it's not the right time, and that your wife would seriously object to the language, I'd say, with sadness, "Not yet." Cheers. EDIT: I reread your above post, and the sentence My son is very intelligent, he was reading at an 11th grade level in 4th grade. He is more responsible than the average 14 year old, I think really stood out to me. I was tested in fourth grade (don't ask, not a pretty story) and was found to read off the test. Literally. All they would say to my mother is that I was reading beyond high school level and she said, "You're telling me??!!"" She'd been frustrated trying to keep me occupied and on "social level." It didn't work. I was reading books WAY above that of my peers, while being socially less adept than my peers. Reading helped me "bridge" the gap, while not actually violating my family's standards, nor my own. College was a relief, as then we could dispense with the "labeling" of literature and move on with business, no matter what the content, worthy or not. - - - - - - - - - - haymoni - Jun 12, 2006 7:54 pm (#739 of 938) Here is a definition of maturity that I stole from "Dear Abby". This is maturity: To be able to stick with a job until it's finished; to do one's duty without being supervised; to be able to carry money without spending it; and to be able to bear an injustice without wanting to get even. It hangs on our refrigerator door, just in case Ungrateful Son (or anyone else!) forgets. - - - - - - - - - - Regan of Gong - Jun 21, 2006 3:00 am (#740 of 938) Self declared doctor of everything. "Carry money without spending it" 'Spose that rules out me, half the other people around here as well... - - - - - - - - - - Snuffles - Jun 29, 2006 3:09 am (#741 of 938) Olivia I would definately recommend any book by 'Torey Hayden'. The one I am reading at the moment is 'Just another Kid'. I finished one of her other books 'Ghost Girl' last week. They are all based on her past experiences as a special-education teacher. Once I pick up her books I can't seem to put them down again. - - - - - - - - - - Nathan Zimmermann - Jun 30, 2006 5:09 pm (#742 of 938) Hi all, I am in need of some advice. I am working on a project for my legal reasearch class on the subject of McCarthyism and effect it had on the various aspects of the law especially in regards to first, fifth, and fourteenth amendment rights. I am curious to know whether any of the members could suggest any books or films that could shed light on the period. On another note I was not sure whether to place my question here or on the recommended reading thread? I fanyone has any thoughts on books that might be useful I qould apprieciate any and all suggestions? Best Regards Nathan - - - - - - - - - - Die Zimtzicke - Jun 30, 2006 5:17 pm (#743 of 938) Film on McCarthyism that you should see is Woody Allen's "The Front". It's ficitonalized, but the main thrust of it is right on target. When it came out people had a field day guessing who was disguised as who. - - - - - - - - - - Steve Newton - Jun 30, 2006 5:33 pm (#744 of 938) Librarian Veritaserum - Jun 30, 2006 8:42 pm (#745 of 938) Go Jays! Well, I haven't seen it, so I can't vouch for it's quality, but I know "Good Night and Good Luck" was about that era. - - - - - - - - - - TwinklingBlueEyes - Jul 2, 2006 4:58 am (#746 of 938) "Character is doing the right thing when nobody is looking" Wonders how we went from reading to movies... no matter. For those who suggested Outlander, thanks loads! I am halfway through it and love it! - - - - - - - - - - valuereflection - Jul 5, 2006 8:12 pm (#747 of 938) Has anyone read Emergence, by David Palmer, or can anyone tell me about it? My mother-in-law gave us and her other kids a copy and told us we have to read it! (It looks like science fiction -- but she usually doesn't read science fiction.) - - - - - - - - - - valuereflection - Jul 5, 2006 9:52 pm (#748 of 938) BTW, those movies sound excellant -- even if the thread is about books. Now I want to watch them. - - - - - - - - - - Die Zimtzicke - Jul 12, 2006 11:38 am (#749 of 938) Awesome book, meant for teens, but I liked it and I am VERY old: "Dear Zoe" by Philip Beard. A teenaged girl's 3 year old sister is killed by a hit and run driver, and the girl writes to and about her lost sister to work through her grief. Very bad language, though, and some descriptions of drug use. Be warned if that doesn't appeal to you. The comments about religion are quite humorous to me, and the parents grief, which overshadows them to the extent that they have trouble relating to each other and their other children seems quite realistic. The scene where the dad comes home and breaks down when he finds his wife has painted the dead little girls' room is heartbreaking. - - - - - - - - - - Finn BV - Aug 29, 2006 3:48 pm (#750 of 938) Me kayaking, Niagara River, August 2006. I have been likened to Reepicheep in this photo. For any Potter fan, a must-read is Harry Potter and Philosophy: If Aristotle Ran Hogwarts, eds. David Baggett and Shawn E. Klein. Though published before HBP, there are numerous excellent theories, my favorite of which deals with Time Travel (it discusses the philosophical and scientific possibilities of divination, the Time-Turner, and the events at the end of PoA). On Amazon. [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.] Elanor Vulture - Oct 10, 2006 8:35 pm (#752 of 938) It's just my opinion, but I like it !! I read Philip Pullman's "His Dark Materials" trilogy after a (friendly) argument with a former tutor of mine about Harry Potter _ i.e. she couldn't get interested in HP and was all into Pullman. I liked some of it well enough, but found a few bits distasteful. I couldn't help thinking _ those people who think Harry Potter is some kind of threat to civilization should read "His Dark Materials": the title alone (if they know where it comes from) should stop them ever complaining about JKR again !! I also think that anyone who really liked Order Of the Phoenix should look up the former BBC T.V. drama seies "Secret Army" for comparison. - - - - - - - - - - Nathan Zimmermann - Oct 10, 2006 9:12 pm (#753 of 938) I just finished reading In the Company of Strangers written Mary Meigs that serves as the companion volume to Cynthia Scott's film The Company of Strangers. Both the film and the companion volume were brilliantly written. - - - - - - - - - - journeymom - Oct 11, 2006 11:09 am (#754 of 938) Vulture, you read "His Dark Materials"? I've been meaning to mention that series here. What did you think of the Specters? And note that "Golden Compass/Northern Lights" was published two years before SS/PS. And I agree, the people who get upset about Harry Potter would have a coronary if they read His Dark Materials. Golden Compass is being made into a movie and it's already being condemned. And I also agree, a few bits are distasteful. I'm reading it to my 11 y.o. daughter, and we're about half way through Amber Spyglass. I felt a little odd reading to her the angel's description of the true nature of the Authority. I had to leave some out when Will sees the two angels reunited. I don't mind if she reads it herself when she's a little older. I just didn't fancy the idea of her mother reading that passage to her. I'm also wondering just what it's going to look like when Mary Malone facilitates Lyra's 'Fall'. No doubt about it, Pullman's a more poetic writer. I have an easier time reading his stuff out loud than I do with JKR's stuff. Her writing is a little less graceful. - - - - - - - - - - Vulture - Oct 11, 2006 4:32 pm (#755 of 938) It's just my opinion, but I like it !! Hi, Journeymom _ The Spectres ? _ scary enough, but I think the Dementors would have them for breakfast. Mind you, I've forgotten the details of what they do, exactly. My favourite of the trilogy was "Northern Lights", largely because of Lyra, the gypsies, and the descriptions of boats. In general, though, I didn't feel as close to Pullman's characters as I do to JKR's. There are particular passages of HP which make me smile or move me _ that wasn't really the case with Pullman _ I felt more distant. On the other hand, I think the worlds he created were more persuasive than JKR's _ more detailed. I didn't know that "Northern Lights" had an alternative name. I imagine the films of Pullman are bound to be better than the HP movies _ I always feel angry that the actors are so good in HP films, but that the whole thing is ruined by rubbish direction and almost complete elimination of JKR's own lines. Yes, the stuff about "the Authority" _ I just felt that Pullman had an agenda when it comes to religion, which I don't like. On the other hand, I liked the whole notion of parallel universes, and of people's daemons in Lyra's world _ equivalent of the HP Patronuses, I suppose, though very different. ============================================================================== Do try and see "Secret Army" if you can get hold of it. The character of Kessler has to be one of the best fictional villains ever created. Voldemort would hide behind a sofa !! ==================================================================================== By the way, has anyone ever heard of a book called "Ged" _ the character Ged being an apprentice wizard ? I read it when I was a kid, and it was great, but I can't remember the writer's name, and when I searched on the Net, I couldn't find it. - - - - - - - - - - journeymom - Oct 11, 2006 4:40 pm (#756 of 938) I thought it was notable that the Dementors do exactly the same thing that the Spectres do. Though I suppose the Spectres keep exclusively to adults. Yes, the publishers did the same thing to Philip Pullman's first book that they did to JKR's first book. They changed the name for the American public from Northern Lights to Golden Compass. He was very irked but didn't have enough clout to fight it at the time. I'm searching for Secret Army. - - - - - - - - - - journeymom - Oct 11, 2006 4:47 pm (#757 of 938) There aren't any books called Ged, but there's "Wizard of EarthSea" by Ursala K. Le Guin. Ged goes to a wizarding school that's suspiciously like Hogwarts. His secret name is SparrowHawk. - - - - - - - - - - Phelim Mcintyre - Oct 13, 2006 4:59 am (#758 of 938) journeymom - try Amazon for Secret Army under DVD or videos. The difference between Pullman''s Dark Matter Trilogy and HP is Pullmans wrote his work as an athiestic answer to the Narnia Chronicles. I wouldn't recommend them (especially the last one) as Pullman can not keep his rhetoric from dominating the story. Pullman's work are, by his admission, anti-Christian and anti-God where JKR's are not. - - - - - - - - - - Holly T. - Oct 13, 2006 8:05 am (#759 of 938) My daughter read the Pullman trilogy over the summer--the first one was one her summer reading list from school and she went ahead and read the others too. They don't look that interesting to me but I am wondering if I need to read them just to be a responsible parent. I got the new Artemis Fowl book from Amazon the other day and told my son he could read it first. He hid it in his room so his sister doesn't know he has it. - - - - - - - - - - Herm oh ninny - Oct 15, 2006 10:04 pm (#760 of 938) "Accio treats!" Holly- I finished the new Artemis book, definitely my favorite of the series! - - - - - - - - - - kaykay1970 - Oct 19, 2006 2:23 pm (#761 of 938) S.E. Jones, I saw your "Howl's Moving Castle" post. Are you aware that there is a sequel? I haven't read "Castle in the Air" yet, but my daughter really enjoyed it. - - - - - - - - - - S.E. Jones - Oct 19, 2006 3:32 pm (#762 of 938) Let it snow! There's a sequel! Is it by Wynn Jones as well? Oh, I absolutely LOVED Howl's Moving Castle, so I'll check out the "Castle in the Air". Thanks, kaykay! In fact, I've become so addicted to Howl that, while re-reading HBP, my mind keeps wandering to Howl, and I keep thinking, "but I've got Harry right here in my hands, what am I thinking?!?" - - - - - - - - - - kaykay1970 - Oct 19, 2006 4:19 pm (#763 of 938) Yes, it is the same author. Your welcome! From kaykay's daughter :p I am now the Mad Hatter of Howl, from the quote where he tells Sophie "We can't all be mad Hatters." If you liked the first book, you should like this pretty well. Although you can never top the original Howl as it was the greatest anyway. Any fan of Howl is encouraged to check it out. - - - - - - - - - - valuereflection - Oct 27, 2006 10:44 am (#764 of 938) Since everyone on this thread has a love of reading, I want to share with you: "Once Again I Fail to Read an Important Novel," by George Bilgere. My husband and I heard this unusual short poem on the radio show, "The Writer's Almanac." Hope you enjoy it. The Writer's Almanac The poem was published in Bilgere's new book, Haywire, which won the Swenson Poetry Award. I'd happily type it in here, but I'd need to get the author's permission. So you can read it at this link from National Public Radio. Scroll down to 22 September 2006. - - - - - - - - - - TheSaint - Oct 27, 2006 1:04 pm (#765 of 938) Thanks VR! That was a great laugh and a wonderful poem! - - - - - - - - - - kaykay1970 - Oct 29, 2006 10:08 am (#766 of 938) I just read "Now You See It..." by Vivian Vande Velde. It is a children's book but I really enjoyed it and I'm 36 years old. Of course that doesn't necessarily make me qualify as an adult! - - - - - - - - - - azi - Dec 21, 2006 8:34 am (#767 of 938) Photo borrowed from Ardent Photography I just finished reading the second of the books in Trudi Canavan's Age of the Five trilogy, called Last of the Wilds. I was engrossed from beginning to end and read the book in one day. I would even claim that emotions are better written in her books than in HP (blasphemy, I know). Alas, I have to wait until February for the last book, although people in Australia (waves) are lucky enough to have it already. I know I've recommended this author before on this thread, but she really is that good! - - - - - - - - - - Tom Marvolo Riddleton - Dec 23, 2006 10:04 am (#768 of 938) I recently found a book called Henry Potty and the Pet Rock: An Unofficial Harry Potter Parody. I thought some parts were hilarious, and the basic premise was funny. Every character has their own pet name, such as Really Wimpy (Ronald Weasley) or Bumbling Bore (Dumbledore), and the basic plot follows that of Sorcerer's Stone. The book spends the majority of it's time poking fun at how heroes are portrayed in books and also how no matter what Henry does, it should logically lead to him being victorious in the end (come along, he's the hero). While the book is described as being fun for people of all ages, no matter their knowledge of the Harry Potter series, I think it's really only interesting if you know about the world of Harry Potter and can catch all of the little references to the real HP. - - - - - - - - - - me and my shadow 813 - Jan 3, 2007 6:38 pm (#769 of 938) Image Courtesy of Burgundyeyes at fanpop.com icons -- [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.] This is a good idea. Never really noticed this thread before. The book(s) that first come to mind to recommend, for "fantasy" book fans, is Juliet Marillier's Sevenwaters Trilogy - Daughter of the Forest, Son of the Shadows, and Child of the Prophecy. I think a lot of why I empathise with Severus came from reading these three books, in particular, book 2. I'll never judge a "cruel" man the same way again. Has anyone else read them? - - - - - - - - - - me and my shadow 813 - Jan 3, 2007 7:38 pm (#770 of 938) Image Courtesy of Burgundyeyes at fanpop.com icons -- [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.] Sorry, went back reading the thread and noticed folks give a background on their recommendations. So here goes: It's Celtic in nature, with the point of view in all three books being a daughter of the Sevenwaters house, who are the keepers or guardians of the forest. The "seventh daughter" myth comes into play in book 1, as do other Celtic stories, such as the swan and a curse by a sorceress. Book 2 is my favorite. Liadan, an herbologist and healer (like her mother), is thrust into a compromising situation which serendipitously... Book 3 has a nice twist in the "prophecy" and is a fabulous read. All in all, a grand gathering of Celtic myth, destiny, villains, romance, and adventure. - - - - - - - - - - The Wandless Wizard - Jan 7, 2007 9:53 pm (#771 of 938) When wands are outlawed, only outlaws will have wands. me and my shadow, if you enjoy Celtic myths, you should try "The Mysteries" by Lisa Tuttle. It is a strange but fantastic book that is based strongly in celtic folklore and myth. It is story about a detective who specializes in missing persons because his life has been shaped by people in his life who have disappeared (his father and girlfriend both disappeared without a trace). While this girl's loved ones want answers grounded in fact, the detective becomes convinced the girls disappearence might be more mystical. Is he right? Or is it wishhful thinking that people disappear to a magical land instead of just abandoning their loved ones? I discovered Tuttle while reading George RR Martin. I got hooked on his Song of Ice and Fire series. This is a most excellent series as well. However, it is very adult in nature, so I will not be recomending it here. Anyway, he co-wrote a book with Lisa Tuttle called Windhaven and speaks very highly of her on his website. So I tried a few of her books and they were very good. I wouldn't list her as one of my absolute favorites, but "The Mysteries" is definitely worth a read, especially if you are interested in the Cletic mythology. - - - - - - - - - - me and my shadow 813 - Jan 8, 2007 12:12 am (#772 of 938) Image Courtesy of Burgundyeyes at fanpop.com icons -- [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.] Thank you, Wandless. - - - - - - - - - - Die Zimtzicke - Jan 22, 2007 7:43 pm (#773 of 938) Anyone who has read "The Diary Of Anne Frank" and loved it should read "The Hidden Life of Otto Frank" by Carol Ann Lee. Otto Frank has a much more interesting story than simply as Anne's father. He is interesting in his own right, particularly when it comes to his early life, his survival of the concentration camps and his life after the war. He deserves his own biography. - - - - - - - - - - Catherine - Jun 10, 2007 3:24 pm (#774 of 938) Canon Seeker After a year of teaching 7th grade Humanities, I have a handle on the books children of all ages will enjoy. Not for the first time, I wholeheartedly recommend The Little Prince. I still cry when the fox discusses the taming process. Gordon Korman's books really appeal to reluctant male readers. The Son of the Mob series stands out for its sassy dialogue. For younger readers, or slow readers of middle school age, the book No More Dead Dogs is a delightful romp that skewers all the "usual suspects" of middle school literature that have dogs who are gonna die in the title. Overall, Printz award winners are amazing for young adult and mature readers. Certain books that I still recommend (with caution about language, situation, and maturity) are Looking for Alaska, A Northern Light, and How I Live Now. I have begun reading Orson Scott Card's books, and cannot recommend Ender's Game highly enough. I will be teaching it next fall in 8th grade as part of our "Cold War and Space Exploration" unit that I am imagining. - - - - - - - - - - Denise P. - Jun 10, 2007 8:11 pm (#775 of 938) Ravenclaw Pony Oh, I adore Ender's Game It is just an awesome book. The other Ender books are not so great. The parallel Ender books, that mainly focus on Bean, are actually better, IMO, than Speaker for the Dead and Xenocide No More Dead Dogs I recently read the latest Artemis Fowl book...good series! - - - - - - - - - - Veritaserum - Jun 10, 2007 8:24 pm (#776 of 938) Go Jays! it's not fantasy or young adult, but I just read The Visible World by Mark Slouka and really liked it. If you're interested in Czech history, WWII, the nature of storytelling and memory, or love stories, I would recommend this book. Very interesting story, and very well done. And I agree about Le Petit Prince (I read it in French last year), such a good book. - - - - - - - - - - I Am Used Vlad - Jun 13, 2007 11:37 am (#777 of 938) I Am Almighty! Denise, did you forget there was a forth book in the original Ender series, or just leave out Children of the Mind because it stank so much? - - - - - - - - - - Denise P. - Jun 13, 2007 1:03 pm (#778 of 938) Ravenclaw Pony It stank but I did forget about it I didn't like any of the books that followed Ender but the parallel series, with Bean, I like some of them. - - - - - - - - - - I Am Used Vlad - Jun 14, 2007 12:06 pm (#779 of 938) I Am Almighty! I love all of the Ender's Shadow series. Sorry, Mills. - - - - - - - - - - Amilia Smith - Jul 18, 2007 11:06 pm (#780 of 938) :-P I've actually had a bit of a change of heart towards them. Once I got over myself, and forgave Card for writing them instead of finishing Alvin Maker, I discovered that they weren't so bad after all. And it was thanks in good part to your glowing recommendation that I gave them a second chance. Catherine, have you read Enchantment or Lost Boys yet? Those are probably my favorite Card stand-alones. He also wrote an essay for Border's Great Snape Debate, which I have not yet read . . . Mills. Catherine - Jul 19, 2007 6:06 am (#781 of 938) Canon Seeker Catherine, have you read Enchantment or Lost Boys yet? Those are probably my favorite Card stand-alones. He also wrote an essay for Border's Great Snape Debate, which I have not yet read . . . --Mills No, but I'll put them on my list! - - - - - - - - - - Denise P. - Jul 19, 2007 6:09 am (#782 of 938) Ravenclaw Pony I think Lost Boys was originally a short story that expanded into a novel. I think it was the short story that I liked better but it has been years since I read either of them - - - - - - - - - - valuereflection - Jul 26, 2007 8:21 am (#783 of 938) I loved Ender's Game and so did my teenaged sons. In fact, they brought it to me and insisted I read. It was a winning book without their recommendation. An experience to share between teenage boys and their mother is cool, too. Catherine, I appreciate your classroom experience with recommending books to read, which you share in your comments. I like to read your insightful posts. Can you tell me if you have discussed this book with a student? The Robe, by Lloyd C. Douglas: it was a bestseller during each of the World War II years in the U.S.A. When I was 13-14 years old (in the 1970's), one of my friends glowingly recommended it, and I devoured it. Was I a weird kid? I am thrilled to see it is newly republished in paperback now. Thanks. Mills, awhile ago you and I discussed using this book for a library story-hour: The Story of King Arthur and His Knights by Howard Pyle. I recently learned that was John F. Kennedy's favorite childhood book. He read a lot while he grew up because he had a couple of lengthy illnesses, and his parents gave him books while he convalesced. I'm going to add it to my list of books I want to read. - - - - - - - - - - Catherine - Jul 26, 2007 9:40 am (#784 of 938) Canon Seeker Can you tell me if you have discussed this book with a student? The Robe, by Lloyd C. Douglas: it was a bestseller during each of the World War II years in the U.S.A. When I was 13-14 years old (in the 1970's), one of my friends glowingly recommended it, and I devoured it. Was I a weird kid? I am thrilled to see it is newly republished in paperback now. Thanks. --Valuereflection Actually, I have not had the pleasure of discussiong that book with a student! I read that book as a teenager myself. Perhaps it is due for a reread. - - - - - - - - - - Denise P. - Jul 26, 2007 11:51 am (#785 of 938) Ravenclaw Pony Hmm, maybe I will have to see if my library has it. The library here just rocks! It has 335 copies of DH! I am very impressed with the system, so much better than the one we had in TN. There, it was not worth looking at the library unless all you wanted was much older books, very few new releases. I may have mentioned these before but the Pendragon series by DJ MacHale is worth a read. It is consider young adult fiction, I think. - - - - - - - - - - Denise P. - Aug 3, 2007 9:12 am (#786 of 938) Ravenclaw Pony Okay, I just picked up The Robe from the library as well as the next Pendragon. I also already have the next 3-4 in the Cirque du Freak series as well. I will be on a reading binge. - - - - - - - - - - valuereflection - Aug 3, 2007 4:33 pm (#787 of 938) Hope you have fun reading, Denise. - - - - - - - - - - Madam Pince - Aug 8, 2007 1:18 pm (#788 of 938) The eyes are the windows to the soul... My mom has an old copy of The Robe, from the 1940's I believe. I remember seeing it on her shelves, but for some reason I never picked it up (odd, that...) I'll grab it the next time I'm there. - - - - - - - - - - Potteraholic - Aug 14, 2007 7:39 am (#789 of 938) "Plenty of courage, I see. Not a bad mind either. There's talent - and a nice thirst to prove yourself ..." (PS/SS) I originally posted this in the "Chat and Greeting Thread for Members" -- Aug 13, 2007 1:50 pm (#1401 of 1418) -- but had a vague recollection that there was a book recommendation thread somewhere on the Forum. After looking on the main page a few times and not finding it, after another quick look-see, voilá, I finally saw it! Here is my post from the chat thread: I was going to put this in one of the HP Movies; threads, but thought it fit better in this thread, as it's more of a book recommendation. The other day, I read that Emma Watson will voice the character of 'Pincess Pea" in an animated film version of The Tale of Despereaux (Being the Story of a Mouse, a Princess, Some Soup, and a Spool of Thread) by Kate DiCamillo. This is a wonderful children's book which I absolutely love. They better get the movie right! Messing it up is like messing up a Harry Potter book. Children, and adults, too, should not see this movie until they have read the book for themselves. I basically think this is true for every movie-from-a-book production, as do countless other book lovers. The story is divided into 4 parts and each part is dedicated to a different character. The end of the book brings together all these 4 characters' different stories. Emma should be fine as Princess Pea, especially since her flaring nostrils and roving eyebrows (to paraprahse comments I've read in other posts) won't be on view. About her being cast for the BBC's Ballet Shoes, I was a little surprised by the director's choice. I saw the original production years ago and don't remember any of the girls being quite as old as Emma is now. I suppose the hair, make-up, and wardrobe people will do their magic to "young" her up a bit. Didn't realize there was a book and totally missed (as in it went over my head), Meg Ryan's mention of it in 'You've Got Mail". Will try to find it and read it. I remember liking the Beeb's version years ago when I saw it; I must have been about 11 or 12 then. - - - - - - - - - - TomProffitt - Aug 14, 2007 5:28 pm (#790 of 938) Bullheaded empiricist My current favorite series (after Harry Potter) are: The Women of the Otherworld by Kelley Armstrong (Bitten, Stolen, Dime Store Magic, Industrial Magic, Haunted, Broken, and No Humans Involved). An Urban (or Modern) Fantasy Series with rotating first person narrative. Rachel Caine's Weather Warden Series (Ill Wind, Heat Stroke, Chill Factor, Windfall, Firestorm, and thin Air) A unique take on Djinn, in the first person. Jim Butcher's Harry Dresden. Much better than the briefly lived TV series on SciFi. Patricia Brigg's has written two books with a character who can turn herself into a coyote. It has vampires & werewolves and if I remember correctly has little or no sex & profanity. Has anyone read any of her other stuff? Kim Harrison's Rachel Morgan series. Funny stuff, but the plots are somewhat too focused on relationships for my taste. Charlaine Harris's Sookie Stackhouse series. A "dumb blonde" telepath having all sorts of problems with her relationships with Vampires. The humor is great, but there is too much focus on sex for me. Carrie Vaugn's Kitty the Werewolf. (Kitty and the Midnight Hour, Kitty Goes to Washington, and Kitty Takes a Holiday) If Rowling writes "mostly" with teens/young adults in mind, all of the series I've listed here are adult series, but essentially in the same genre. - - - - - - - - - - TomProffitt - Aug 15, 2007 8:59 am (#791 of 938) Bullheaded empiricist I'm a military history fan. I find that I like to read first person type stories, oral histories, of war. I've found good accounts for Vietnam & WWII, but am hoping to find WWI stories. Does anyone know of any good ones. All Quiet on the Western Front is on my list to read next, but I'm wondering if there are other recommendations. - - - - - - - - - - Holly T. - Aug 15, 2007 9:52 am (#792 of 938) Tom, All Quiet on the Western Front is an excellent book. There are a few books about the Christmas Truce during WWI you might want to look at. I think one is called Silent Night. There are also some books about Gallipoli. Most of my WWI era reading involves the flu epidemic, not the war itself. For another great young adult series I highly recommend Rick Riordan's The Lightning Thief, The Sea of Monsters, and The Titan's Curse, all modern updates of Greek mythology. Book 4 is coming out next May--it's about the Labyrinth! I am still wadiing through Tournament of Shadows, which is about the Great Game in 19th-century Asia. I can't say that I recommend it, as it is very slow going. But it is very interesting. - - - - - - - - - - valuereflection - Aug 15, 2007 3:38 pm (#793 of 938) Edited Aug 15, 2007 5:04 pm Holly T., please tell me what you read about the flu epidemic. I'd like to learn more about it. TomProffitt, do you like to read Civil War literature, too? There are probably more of those stories than World War I stories. I also read All Quiet on the Western Front and was moved by it. Tolkien's Lord of the Rings trilogy was based on World War I -- not the second world war as is commonly believed (according to the film documentary "J. R. R. Tolkien: Master of the Rings"). Read any biography or autobiographal account of Sergeant Alvin York, the most decorated American soldier of World War I. Or watch the film starring Gary Cooper. Following are some World War I books which I have heard good things of -- and I would like to read them myself: Puck recommended the award-winning Johnny Got His Gun in Post # 1564 on the "Chat and Greeting Thread (12 May 06 to 27 Jul 06)." To the Last Man, by Jeff Shaara, is a bestseller. Try A Farewell to Arms by Ernest Hemingway, or The Forty Days of Musa Dagh by Franz Werfel. The film "Gallipoli," directed by Peter Weir, is popular in Australia. My husband said there is a lot of poetry written by infantrymen in that war, because they believed it was the war to end all wars. For example, the very short but horrifying poem, "Dulce et Decorum Est" by Wilfred Owen. (The title was taken from a recruiting slogan used in the colleges.) The online encyclopedia Wikipedia.com has an entry for "Media of World War I" with more suggestions. Sorry for the overkill post. I've also wondered about WWI literature. - - - - - - - - - - Potteraholic - Aug 15, 2007 5:34 pm (#794 of 938) "Plenty of courage, I see. Not a bad mind either. There's talent - and a nice thirst to prove yourself ..." (PS/SS) Edited Aug 15, 2007 6:15 pm Tazzygirl, Here all the The Indian in the Cupboard titles. Hope you get to read them all. I'd love to find out what you think. 1. The Indian in the Cupboard 2. The Return of the Indian 3. The Secret of the Indian 4. The Mystery of the Cupboard 5. The Key to the Indian - - - - - - - - - - TomProffitt - Aug 15, 2007 5:45 pm (#795 of 938) Bullheaded empiricist Thanks Holly & valuereflection, let me be specific. I am not looking for literature or fiction. I'm looking for true stories about individuals rather than historic overviews. I'm not particularly interested in the American Civil War, being from Virginia and within only a couple of hours of dozens of historic battlefields I've been over exposed to the Civil War. I'm interested in WWI because it is kind of forgotten in American History shuffled between the two "bigger more climatic wars." I'm definitely into war films, but am very picky about truth or realism. I enjoyed Sgt York but it was too sanitized for me. The opening beach scene in Saving Private Ryan is one of the most incredible and accurate battle scenes I've ever watched. - - - - - - - - - - DJ Evans - Aug 15, 2007 7:19 pm (#796 of 938) Genealogy....Where you confuse the dead & irritate the living! I don't know if you would be interested, but the book The Mysterious Benedict Society by Trenton Lee Stewart is quite a good read. It is supposed to be for kids in grades 5-9, but there are a lot of adults who like it too. The reason why we read it, & not just because Mr. Stewart lives in our home state, but we kept hearing it being compared to HP. Yes, you can spot a few similarities in the story, but I think on a whole it will stand on it's own. Later, Deb - - - - - - - - - - Holly T. - Aug 15, 2007 8:00 pm (#797 of 938) valuereflection, I read Flu by Gina Kolata and another book I can't remember the name of now, plus some articles. I've read a lot more about yellow fever and cholera (lest you all start to think I am crazy, I study 19th-century politics, specifically urban politics, and a lot of city policy in the 19th century was related to the control of and reaction to infectious diseases). Tom, you can't beat All Quiet for an individual's story about WWI. The other ones I mentioned are all nonfiction, but they aren't the individual stories you're looking for. - - - - - - - - - - mollis - Aug 15, 2007 8:11 pm (#798 of 938) Tom - you might try Ghost Army of World War II by Jack Kneece. It is the true story of the twenty-third headquarters special troops of the US Army. They were a special unit of soldiers trained to mislead and deceive the enemy through the use of rubber dummies of tanks, trucks, planes, etc. simulating a strong enemy force. They would also broadcast fake chatter over the airwaves and draw enemies towards them while the real troop movement was going in the other direction. Interesting read. And made even cooler because my grandfather served in that unit. It was classified until 1996 when he could finally tell my grandmother what he had done in the war. - - - - - - - - - - NFla Barbara - Aug 15, 2007 8:15 pm (#799 of 938) Tom, have you read The Somme: Herosim and Horror in the First World War, by Martin Gilbert? It came out in paperback this spring; I think I got the hardcover last year by accident from a book club, but it was a very interesting (if difficult) read. It takes a very personal approach -- focusing on individuals or small groups of them. Of course, given the battle, almost everyone dies. But it might be something along the lines of what you're looking for. - - - - - - - - - - Potteraholic - Aug 15, 2007 9:20 pm (#800 of 938) "Plenty of courage, I see. Not a bad mind either. There's talent - and a nice thirst to prove yourself ..." (PS/SS) TomProffitt, Since you are looking for true stories about individuals rather than historic overviews, I thought you might like this book: The Ransom of Mercy Carter by Caroline B. Cooney. It’s a book for 5th-9th graders, but it was recommended to me by a parent (I’m a teacher) who was researching her family tree in Massachusetts. I know it’s set in a different historical period than the on you’re interested in, but it’s still an excellent read. Here is an excerpt from From Publishers Weekly as found on Amazon’s website: Based on actual events, … is a gripping and thought-provoking account of the 1704 Indian raid on the English settlement of Deerfield, Mass. After their village is burned and many of its residents killed, Mercy and more than 100 other settlers are taken prisoner by the Kahnawake Mohawk, who have been converted to Catholicism by the French. Some of the novel's most riveting chapters describe the difficult winter trek that takes them 300 miles north to Canada, where Mercy settles into life in a traditional Indian village near Montreal. Uncertain whether she will be adopted by the Mohawk who captured her or whether the English will pay the ransom that would allow her to return to Massachusetts, Mercy struggles to balance loyalty to her own family and traditions with a growing appreciation for the Kahnawake way of life. Just how much her perspective broadens can be measured by the fact that, in addition to adopting many Indian ways, Mercy can find something sacred and comforting in the Catholic mass a rite she was raised to believe led straight to eternal damnation. .... Cooney's trademark staccato delivery keeps the pages turning. Ages 12-up. I had such a visceral reaction to this book. It was the first time a book written for children made me react this way. I’ve often debated whether I should read this book aloud during my class’s study of Colonial America, but I’ve never been able to do it. I think it might be too much for 4th and 5th graders to fully comprehend the magnitude of some of the events. [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.] Elanor TomProffitt - Aug 16, 2007 4:28 am (#802 of 938) Bullheaded empiricist azi, that would be great! The nationality of the people involved isn't important to me. I'm interested in understanding what life was like for the soldier, and that isn't tied to nationality. (Actually the best WWII books are written by folks who fought for Germany) - - - - - - - - - - valuereflection - Aug 16, 2007 8:03 am (#803 of 938) Edited by megfox* Aug 16, 2007 8:56 am TomProffit, I'm sorry I misunderstood your question. Do any of the diaries on the Wikipedia website sound like what you are looking for? Many soldiers published their diaries after the war. Scroll to, "Memoirs and Diaries," a bit down the page. I don't know how to post the link. (You might also be interested in the list, on that same page: "Novels written from personal knowledge.") Holly T., thanks for the suggestion for a book about the great influenza epidemic. I don't think you're crazy -- your study of how infectious disease affected city politics in the 19th century sounds interesting! If you remember the name of the other book you read, please post it, too. I edited this post to remove a hot link. For further explanation of this please, see Denise's post #1195 on the Practice Area thread here . Thanks! - - - - - - - - - - azi - Aug 16, 2007 10:58 am (#804 of 938) Photo borrowed from Ardent Photography Tom - I've sent you an email to the address in your profile, entitled 'HP Lexicon Forum - War Diary'. - - - - - - - - - - valuereflection - Aug 16, 2007 11:43 am (#805 of 938) Sorry, Denise P. I hadn't read the Forum's new policy about posting active links. Tom, the removed link was for the entry, "Media of World War I," on the wikipedia website. I hope one of those soldier diaries listed in it is what you're looking for. - - - - - - - - - - TomProffitt - Aug 16, 2007 12:39 pm (#806 of 938) Bullheaded empiricist Steve Newton - Sep 6, 2007 1:21 pm (#807 of 938) Librarian I can't personally recommend it but the September 3, 2007 issue of Publishers Weekly of David Thewlis' new book is very positive. A "laugh-out-loud, darkly intelligent debut." It is called 'The Late Hector Kipling.' - - - - - - - - - - PeskyPixie - Sep 23, 2007 7:50 pm (#808 of 938) 'Life of Pi' by Yann Martel is incredible. - - - - - - - - - - Anna L. Black - Oct 4, 2007 8:07 am (#809 of 938) PeskyPixie, I just finished reading it yesterday! The whole book was amazingly written, although the "second story" left me a bit squeamish... - - - - - - - - - - PeskyPixie - Oct 4, 2007 8:38 am (#810 of 938) Anna, do you have any idea what the meerkats and the carnivorous island are meant to represent in the 'second story'? - - - - - - - - - - Anna L. Black - Oct 8, 2007 1:49 pm (#811 of 938) I've wondered that as well... The best thing I can come up with is (in white): After all that time alone in the sea, he started 'eating himself' from the inside (not literally, although in this book it's hard to know...), maybe going crazy, etc... - - - - - - - - - - kaykay1970 - Oct 17, 2007 5:42 am (#812 of 938) "Twilight" by Stephenie Meyer! I really enjoyed this one. Darling Daughter brought it to my while she was home for Fall break and insisted that I read it. I think this one more will be enjoyed more by the ladies of the forum. It has just the right mixture of romance, comedy and danger...Loved it! She's bringing home the second in the series for me to read when she comes home for Thanksgiving. It's going to be a long wait...:sigh: - - - - - - - - - - PeskyPixie - Oct 17, 2007 2:23 pm (#813 of 938) Most of you have probably already read it, but I absolutely adored 'The Good Earth' by Pearl S. Buck. - - - - - - - - - - TwinklingBlueEyes - Oct 28, 2007 3:37 am (#814 of 938) "Character is doing the right thing when nobody is looking" Check out this site I found for online audio books. Wired for Books. - - - - - - - - - - KTO - Nov 5, 2007 6:26 pm (#815 of 938) Game of Thrones, followed by Clash of Kings, Storm and Swords and Feast for Crows, great George R.R. Martin, not for kids. Mists of Avalon Shantaram - one of my top five of all times, EPIC. A suitable boy. PeskyPixie - Nov 5, 2007 6:29 pm (#816 of 938) Is A Suitable Boy by Rohinton Mistry? - - - - - - - - - - valuereflection - Nov 6, 2007 10:33 pm (#817 of 938) Amazon.com said that A Suitable Boy was authored by Vikram Seth, but I don't know anything about the book. - - - - - - - - - - PeskyPixie - Nov 6, 2007 10:40 pm (#818 of 938) Then it is by Vikram Seth. I have one of his books in my library. Let me go check what it's called ... I'm back. It's called Two Lives, but I haven't read it yet. It's supposed to be really good. I have read A Fine Balance by Rohinton Mistry. I liked it a lot, but didn't LOVE it as Oprah did. - - - - - - - - - - Meoshimo - Nov 19, 2007 8:39 pm (#819 of 938) I recommend: Timequake by Kurt Vonnegut (anything by him, really) Darkness At Noon by Arthur Koestler The Children of Hurin by J.R.R. Tolkien To Kill A Mockingbird by Harper Lee The Electric Kool-Aid Acid Test by Tom Wolfe (CAUTION: This one isn't for everyone) - - - - - - - - - - PeskyPixie - Nov 19, 2007 8:59 pm (#820 of 938) To Kill A Mockingbird is one of my favourites as well. I also recommend In Cold Blood by Truman Capote. - - - - - - - - - - Meoshimo - Nov 20, 2007 9:45 am (#821 of 938) Something interesting I found was that at almost the same time the movie Capote was made, there was another movie with the same general storyline and subject matter called Infamous . What's more, I think it looks better than the Philip Seymour Hoffman one. - - - - - - - - - - Choices - Nov 20, 2007 12:19 pm (#822 of 938) Completely Obsessed With Harry Potter Ewwww, In Cold Blood is one of the scariest books I've ever read. It haunted me for weeks, I suppose because it is based on something that actually happened. Chilling! KayKay, I'm reading Twlight now and enjoying it. Thanks for the recommendation. :-) - - - - - - - - - - kaykay1970 - Nov 20, 2007 1:22 pm (#823 of 938) You're very welcome Choices! I'm glad you are enjoying it! I have read the two available sequels "New Moon" and "Eclipse". Daughter brought them home the weekend she made the surprise visit. I can say that they are both fabulous as well! - - - - - - - - - - Denise P. - Nov 20, 2007 5:53 pm (#824 of 938) Ravenclaw Pony I read Twilight after seeing it mentioned here and a few other places. I am about done with New Moon and am on the wait list for Eclipse I looked at my libary account, I currently have 14 books out (need to return several) and am currently reading 4 of them at the same time. - - - - - - - - - - Choices - Nov 20, 2007 6:48 pm (#825 of 938) Completely Obsessed With Harry Potter I am about half-way through Twilight and looking forward to the next two. :-) - - - - - - - - - - PeskyPixie - Nov 23, 2007 9:03 am (#826 of 938) The Legend of Sleepy Hollow by Washington Irving I just reread it for the first time as an adult and appreciate it more than when I read it as a child. - - - - - - - - - - Barbara J - Nov 27, 2007 5:49 pm (#827 of 938) I'm in search of a recommendation for a mixed-age group of girls, middle and high school, but for reasons I won't go into it needs to be about a fifth-grade reading level. This group has in the past read Hoot, Holes, and The Outsiders. Any suggestions? - - - - - - - - - - Potteraholic - Nov 27, 2007 6:14 pm (#828 of 938) "Plenty of courage, I see. Not a bad mind either. There's talent - and a nice thirst to prove yourself ..." (PS/SS) Hi Barbara J, I'm a 4th/5th grade teacher and the books I'm suggesting have been big hits over the years. This list is off the top of my head, since I'm at home right now. If you need more ideas, just post another message and I'll have another look in my class and ask my class for recommendations. Here it goes: 1. How about some Jerry Spinelli: Maniac Magee, Crash, Wringer, Library Card (mostly male protagonists, but still appealing to girls). 2. Then there's books by Deborah Wiles: Love, Ruby Lavendar, Each Little Bird That Sings, and Aurora County All-Stars (mostly girl protagonists). 3. Kate DiCamillo has great books, too: Because of Winn-Dixie and Tiger Rising, especially (girl, and girl and boy protagonists, respectively). 4. Any of the Tales of Dimwood Forest books by Avi; they have animal protagonists, but there is a lot of good chracter development stuff there. 5. Some individual titles I love: - Strays Like Us by Richard Peck (girl protagonist - my current read-aloud in my 4th/5th grade class) - The Shioh trilogy by Phyllis Reynolds Naylor (Shiloh, Saving Shiloh, Shiloh Season; boy and his dog stories) - Spider Boy and Going Solo by Ralph Fletcher (boy, and boys/girls protagonists, respectively) - Hatchet by Gary Paulsen (boy survival story in Canadian wilderness; GREAT!) - Number the Stars by Lois Lowry (girls prtagonists, set in WWII,; context: Holocaust) - Out of the Dust by Karen Hesse (girl protagonist, Dust Bowl story) - - - - - - - - - - Barbara J - Nov 27, 2007 9:59 pm (#829 of 938) Thank you so much! I'm familiar with some of these and had put others on my "possible" list, but I have not read most of them myself -- it is reassuring to hear from the voice of experience. (I have an avid 4th grade reader at home, and this has given me some good ideas for him too.) - - - - - - - - - - PeskyPixie - Nov 30, 2007 2:30 pm (#830 of 938) Les Miserables and The Hunchback of Notre-Dame by Victor Hugo are both incredible. I read them on my own in high school and enjoyed Hugo's writing far more than the Dickens we were reading for class. I still like Dickens, though. I just need to be jabbed repeatedly before starting one of his books! I've actually got two volumes of his Christmas stories which I've never read. I really should start one tomorrow. - - - - - - - - - - valuereflection - Nov 30, 2007 4:13 pm (#831 of 938) Pesky Piskie, what is the title(s) of your two volumes of Christmas stories by Charles Dickens? - - - - - - - - - - PeskyPixie - Nov 30, 2007 4:47 pm (#832 of 938) The books are simply called Christmas Stories I and Christmas Stories II. Volume one contains the following stories: A Christmas Tree, What Christmas Is As We Grow Older, The Poor Relation's Story, The Child's Story, Nobody's Story, The Seven Poor Travellers, The Holly-Tree, The Wreck Of The Golden Mary, The Perils Of Certain English Prisoners, Going Into Society, The Haunted House, A Message From The Sea, Tom Tiddler's Ground, Somebody's Luggage Volume II: Mrs. Lirriper's Lodgings, Mrs. Lirriper's Legacy, Doctor Marigold, Mugby Junction, No Thoroughfare, The Lazy Tour Of Two Idle Apprentices - - - - - - - - - - valuereflection - Nov 30, 2007 6:13 pm (#833 of 938) Thanks. It sounds like a good read. - - - - - - - - - - PeskyPixie - Nov 30, 2007 6:17 pm (#834 of 938) Thank you, Valuereflection, for giving me the 'jab' to yank it out of the library. I'll start volume I tomorrow. The inscriptions inside the front covers state that I received them in 2004. Sorry, Santa. - - - - - - - - - - PeskyPixie - Dec 9, 2007 11:08 pm (#835 of 938) The Devil Wears Prada by Lauren Weisberger makes for an entertaining read. I like the movie, but the book is much better. - - - - - - - - - - Madam Pince - Dec 10, 2007 5:36 am (#836 of 938) The eyes are the windows to the soul... In the book, does she send the assistant to get a pre-release copy of a Harry Potter book? Or was that just a movie-ism? (I found it to be appalling, by the way, that the assistant was successful in this venture...) - - - - - - - - - - PeskyPixie - Dec 10, 2007 1:43 pm (#837 of 938) Yes, it's in the book as well. As if a pre-released copy of any HP book would be that easy to get without risking JKR's wrath. - - - - - - - - - - Veritaserum - Dec 15, 2007 7:56 pm (#838 of 938) Go Jays! I recommend Into the Wild and Into Thin Air by Jon Krakauer. Also, Barbara J, when I was that age I really liked books by Sharon Creech: Walk Two Moons, Chasing Redbird, etc. Also A Wrinkle in Time by Madeline L'Engle. And I can't say enough about A Series of Unfortunate Events, for all ages. I have two more to go! - - - - - - - - - - PeskyPixie - Dec 16, 2007 11:59 am (#839 of 938) I love Lemony Snicket's A Series of Unfortunate Events as well. Be sure to read The Beatrice Letters once you've finished The End. - - - - - - - - - - Veritaserum - Dec 18, 2007 12:16 pm (#840 of 938) Go Jays! - - - - - - - - - - Barbara J - Dec 21, 2007 2:25 pm (#841 of 938) Thanks, Veritaserum! I actually suggested Walk Two Moons, but the girls in the group I was shopping for had already read it. We ended up with Listening for Lions. I picked up A Wrinkle in Time for one of my older son's Christmas presents. (He loves to read, and I am happy to get him lots of books.) I've actually never read it myself, so I am looking forward to reading it with him. And then maybe, just maybe, I'll find time in the next month to read one of the books on my OWN reading pile. - - - - - - - - - - Madam Pince - Dec 21, 2007 4:33 pm (#842 of 938) The eyes are the windows to the soul... Ooooo! I remember I loved Madeline L'Engle's books when I was young. I re-read A Wrinkle In Time recently and found that it suffered in comparison with the Harry Potter books, but was still enjoyable. - - - - - - - - - - haymoni - Dec 22, 2007 4:12 pm (#843 of 938) I still think Jo got the apparation feeling from the tesseract. - - - - - - - - - - Veritaserum - Dec 22, 2007 8:29 pm (#844 of 938) Go Jays! Now that you say that, haymoni, it did always remind me of that. - - - - - - - - - - valuereflection - Jan 9, 2008 11:26 am (#845 of 938) PeskyPixie, Have you read the story that Charles Dickens handwrote for his own children, The Life of Our Lord? At his request, it was not published until 85 years after his death, because it was so personal. It is inspiring. It is also short and written in simple language, because he wrote it for children. - - - - - - - - - - PeskyPixie - Jan 9, 2008 11:42 am (#846 of 938) Valuereflection, I haven't read The Life of Our Lord. I hadn't even heard of it, but must look into it now. Thanks. I received quite a few books for Christmas. So far I've read Steve & Me by Terri Irwin. It's written well and very informative about wildlife conservation. Three descriptions of atrocities committed against animals are haunting (I can't stop thinking about them), but knowledge is power and I feel I've learned many things which need to be heard by people all over the world. I've always loved animals, but after reading this book I know that I'll never be tempted by an awesome alligator skin purse as I now understand the process behind it. Point well made, Mrs. Irwin! Steve is smiling from beyond the veil. I've now started A Mighty Heart by Mariane Pearl. As I've already seen the movie, I'm interested to note the differences between the two. - - - - - - - - - - PeskyPixie - Jan 20, 2008 4:54 pm (#847 of 938) I read Cold Mountain this week. I found it similar to Homer's The Odyssey and was pleasantly surprised to learn that it was intentionally written as a sort of Civil War 'Odyssey'. I read A Mighty Heart by Mariane Pearl the week before that and was a bit startled at some of her comments as the movie portrayed her as a much softer character. Also, while Pearl is the better writer I find that Terri Irwin is much stronger at re-creating her own late husband's presence in her recent book, Steve & Me. Gosh, I need to read something more cheery! - - - - - - - - - - Herm oh ninny - Apr 1, 2008 11:28 am (#848 of 938) "Accio treats!" I just read the Twilight series from Stephanie Meyer and they were great! A new obsession has been born - - - - - - - - - - HungarianHorntail11 - Apr 4, 2008 2:08 pm (#849 of 938) The heart sees deeper than the eye. Priscilla has been through a number of books she enjoyed and recommends: The City of Ember by Jeanne DuPrau - this one is being read by her bookclub run by the librarian. Also, No Talking by Andrew Clements. Avalon by Rachel Roberts. - - - - - - - - - - kaykay1970 - May 22, 2008 7:07 am (#850 of 938) Stephenie Meyer is a genius! I just finished reading "The Host". It is a very touching and beautiful story. [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.] Elanor PeskyPixie - May 23, 2008 8:37 am (#853 of 938) Alrighty, Anna. I'll do it. Big Brother's omnipresence is absolutely chilling. I can already begin to see similarities between the beliefs the Party promotes and the Death Eaters' propaganda. Scary. I'm sure I'll also pick up all sorts of nuances which I missed during my first readings of DH. - - - - - - - - - - haymoni - May 26, 2008 8:28 pm (#854 of 938) That big screen of Fudge hanging in the Ministry in the OotP movie gave me the Big Brother willies. - - - - - - - - - - John Bumbledore - Jul 22, 2008 7:07 am (#855 of 938) "Tempus edax rerum." [Time, the devourer of all things.] Ovid Was it really one year ago that DH was released? :winged_clock: I'm currently reading "Airman" by Eoin Colfer, author of the Artemis Fowl series. I hope Airman becomes a series! The Artemis Fowl series hasn't captured my interest in the least; but my oldest son does recommend them--makes me fear he would be a Slytherin. I'm also waiting (impatiently) for Matthew Reilly's conclusion of "Seven Deadly Wonders" and "The Six Sacred Stones" about Jack West Junior. These are better than his Shane Schofield (Scarecrow) series. I'm always on the watch for another Alex Rider adventure by Anthony Horowitz. I just finished the last two: Ark Angel and Snakehead John Bumbledore <)B^D˜ - - - - - - - - - - Holly T. - Jul 22, 2008 8:26 am (#856 of 938) I just read the latest Artemis Fowl book, The Time Paradox last night. I love that series. Eoin Colfer is actually going to be in town this Sunday night, but I will not be able to go the event, since I will be in Arkansas with my Girl Scouts. John, Artemis is definitely a Slytherin! - - - - - - - - - - John Bumbledore - Jul 22, 2008 11:17 am (#857 of 938) "Tempus edax rerum." [Time, the devourer of all things.] Ovid Edited Jul 22, 2008 12:41 pm Holly, I wondered if I had used a vague pronoun. My fear is that my oldest son would be a Slytherin... I wouldn't care what house Artemis would sort into (so long as it wasn't Gryffindor.) Aren't you the one who calls her son, "Draco?" Then there is Lina's oldest sporting a dark mark.. Is it Denise P. that has "Millicent"? I am beginning to worry about our (HP forum members') next generation of students. Edit to add... Well, he also reads stories about Alex Rider, Eragon, and Jack West Junior; so there are positive in fluences. Speaking of Eragon, I haven't heard anything recent about the third book... Oh! Here we go, but that word "cycle" bothers me. BRISINGR, book 3 in the Inheritance cycle, will be on sale September 20, 2008. (Since I can't edit my profile, may I put the count down here?) - - - - - - - - - - Holly T. - Jul 22, 2008 11:41 am (#858 of 938) John, I understood that you were worried about your son, but if he likes Artemis he may have some Slytherin-like traits. My Draco is also a potential Slytherin, but he may choose Camp Half-Blood instead of Hogwarts. He is a son of Apollo. Which brings me to more recommended reading--Draco's counselor at Camp Half-Blood started reading Gods of Manhattan to them and now Draco is reading it. He likes it, but he says I can't read it until he is done. Draco did want to have his picture made with the statue of Alexander Hamilton when we went to the National Constitution Center since apparently Hamilton is a character in this book. - - - - - - - - - - TwinklingBlueEyes - Jul 22, 2008 8:08 pm (#859 of 938) "Character is doing the right thing when nobody is looking" Since some of us seem to have a "thing" about dragons, may I recommend Naomi Novik"s series about Temeraire, a historical fantasy series set in the Napoleonic era. 1.His Majesty's Dragon 2. Throne of Jade 3. Black Powder War 4. Empire of Ivory 5. Victory of Eagles - - - - - - - - - - Denise P. - Jul 23, 2008 5:39 pm (#860 of 938) Ravenclaw Pony Yes, I have Millicent (not her actual name!) I think Artemis would have been a Slytherin originally but would now firmly be a Ravenclaw I see there is a new book in the Pendragon series. If you have not yet checked it out, now is a good time to look into a good series. - - - - - - - - - - John Bumbledore - Jul 25, 2008 12:43 pm (#861 of 938) "Tempus edax rerum." [Time, the devourer of all things.] Ovid Edited Jul 25, 2008 1:17 pm I just picked up the first two Sherlock Homes story, "A Study in Scarlet" and "The Sign of Four" for my first time read (I did not know they were the first two, they just happened to be the only two titles available that sounded interesting). I read Watson's analysis of Homes's study habits. Yet his zeal for certain studies was remarkable, and within eccentric limits his knowledge was so extraordinarily ample and minute that his observations have fairly astounded me. Surely no man would work so hard or attain such precise information unless he had some definite end in view. I felt a humorus affinity to the description. I think Homes must have suffered ADHD, though I always think of it as hyper-attentiveness. John Bumbledore <)B^D˜ - - - - - - - - - - PeskyPixie - Sep 11, 2008 6:34 pm (#862 of 938) I've just read The Other Boleyn Girl and I liked it a lot. The trick is to remember that it's fiction, even though the characters and major events are based in history. - - - - - - - - - - Choices - Sep 12, 2008 9:12 am (#863 of 938) Completely Obsessed With Harry Potter I am reading the Fever Series by Karen Moning and it is interesting because it incorporates a good bit about the Hallows of Britain - both good and evil. (DarkFever, BloodFever and FaeFever). If you enjoy paranormal mystery/romance, you will like these books. The setting is Dublin, Ireland. - - - - - - - - - - PeskyPixie - Sep 18, 2008 3:07 pm (#864 of 938) Marley & Me by John Grogan. Anybody who has ever had a beloved pet will appreciate this one. Then again, chances are that it's been recommended already. - - - - - - - - - - Holly T. - Sep 19, 2008 7:38 am (#865 of 938) The Maze of Bones by Rick Riordan. It's an adventure story, similar to the National Treasure movies. A fun read. - - - - - - - - - - TwinklingBlueEyes - Sep 19, 2008 8:04 am (#866 of 938) "Character is doing the right thing when nobody is looking" *reuters.com/article/oddlyEnoughNews/idUSLH9268320080917 "Hitchhiker's Guide" series to ride again Replace stars with www John Bumbledore - Sep 19, 2008 8:28 am (#867 of 938) "Tempus edax rerum." [Time, the devourer of all things.] Ovid H2G2 always reminds me of "The Princess Bride," best when retold as a heavily edited and anotated story. I convess that I have never been able to finish reading any of the H2G2 books. They put me to sleep. - - - - - - - - - - Orion - Sep 19, 2008 11:51 am (#868 of 938) Of the Douglas Adams books the best one is "The Long Dark Teatime Of The Soul". It is absolutely awesome! If the Hitchhiker's books are too pessimistic for you, you will hopefully find Teatime more uplifting, and it's fantastically funny. The new one, "Salmon Of Doubt" is also great. It contains also interviews with Adams, and he is really the most loveable person who ever lived. I remember the day when I read he had died. It was like "Fred is dead", only worse because Adams really lived. He had lived as a single for so long, and then he finally found a wife and had a daughter and was happy, and then he had a heart attack on his exercise machine. - - - - - - - - - - journeymom - Sep 21, 2008 9:49 am (#869 of 938) I finally read A Study in Scarlet a little while ago because someone here at the Lex was discussing it in reference to Harry Potter. And now I have no idea what the connection was. But Holmes was great. Gregory House on the tv show House is analogous to Holmes, but Holmes is a much nicer person. I heard Eoin Colfer interviewed about his Douglas Adams project just yesterday. I just finished reading Seventh Son by Orson Scott Card, and have started Red Prophet. These are excellent stories. But I think you need to have at least a high school knowledge of American history in order to fully 'get' it. And knowledge of American folk lore and 19th century culture. They're clever, thoughtful and well written. - - - - - - - - - - Choices - Sep 21, 2008 5:11 pm (#870 of 938) Completely Obsessed With Harry Potter* Ya'll make me feel so dumb. You are all reading these "classic" books and I am mired down in paranormal romance novels now. Seems I spent my early years reading the classic books and now I just want fluff. LOL I finished what I thought was the last book of the Fever series by Karen Marie Moning this afternoon and it ended so abruptly I was left hanging by my fingernails from a sheer cliff. I am devastated. I love this series and am really glad there are going to be two more books to come, but I can't stand the thought of having to wait another year or two for them. I have ordered all 7 books of her Highlander series and will pass the time with them for a while. :-( - - - - - - - - - - Holly T. - Sep 22, 2008 7:17 am (#871 of 938) Choices, I love to read romance novels! I like historical romances. But I also read nonfiction political history, books about the history of diseases, all sorts of books, plus what I read at work. To me, reading a romance novel is like watching TV, only better. - - - - - - - - - - Orion - Sep 22, 2008 11:41 am (#872 of 938) I love Alexander McCall Smith, especially "The Sunday Philosophy Club" and his other novels about Edinburgh philosopher Isabel Dalhousie. She is constantly asking herself whether her actions are in accordance to her ethical beliefs, and questions herself all the time. I just like her immensely. Some time ago I found out that Ian Rankin, Alexander McCall Smith and Joanne K. Rowling all live in the same street in Edinburgh and know each other, and as I love all three of them, I find that quite amazing. At the moment I read "The 2 1/2 Pillars of Wisdom", also by McCall Smith, it's about three hapless crotchety linguists from Regensburg university, and it's very funny. - - - - - - - - - - John Bumbledore - Sep 23, 2008 6:47 am (#873 of 938) "Tempus edax rerum." [Time, the devourer of all things.] Ovid Sometime I think I manage 2 and a half pillars of wisdom all by myself; then life happens and ... no pillars to be seen. Can one recommend "Harry Potter Lexicon Forum => + Recommended Reading" as a good read? Now see what I mean? - - - - - - - - - - Choices - Sep 23, 2008 6:59 am (#874 of 938) Completely Obsessed With Harry Potter John - "Can one recommend "Harry Potter Lexicon Forum => + Recommended Reading" as a good read?" Thanks to faithful posters like you John, I think we can definitely call the HP Forum a "good read". - - - - - - - - - - Denise P. - Sep 30, 2008 5:44 pm (#875 of 938) Ravenclaw Pony Choice, what paranormal romance are you reading? I just finished the last JR Ward one, Lover Enshrined. I also have Noah by Jacquelyn Franks to read. A book series targeted to teens but a decent read was House of Night series by PC Cast and Kristin Cast. The 4th book just came out. Since it is marketed to teens, light on romance but still pretty decent. Very quick reads. - - - - - - - - - - Choices - Sep 30, 2008 6:07 pm (#876 of 938) Completely Obsessed With Harry Potter Denise, I just finished the third book in the Fever series by Karen Marie Moning. There are supposed to be two more in the series coming out, but I don't know how soon. I really enjoyed the first three and am on pins and needles waiting for the last two. They take place in Dublin, Ireland and have to do with the Hallows of Britain. I just started the Highlander series by Karen Moning - there are seven books. Moning incorporates aspects and characters from the Highlander books in the Fever series. That is why I wanted to read them - for the background information. I finished all the Ward books - Lover Enshrined was the last I read. - - - - - - - - - - Elanor - Oct 1, 2008 12:37 pm (#877 of 938) I really enjoyed reading the first two books of the Series by Michael Scott ("The Secrets of the Immortal Nicholas Flamel"): "The Alchemyst" (first book) and "The Magician" (second book). Though Nicholas Flamel is one of the main characters of the series, the alchemy depicted in it has nothing to do with what alchemy is. The author just used the names of famous alchemists/scientists/historic characters/authors of old, along with lots of characters from the mythology (mythologies I should say) and had lots of fun creating his own "rules" for his universe. The result, however, is a very fun and pleasant reading. It's very creative, packed with action, and I'm not surprised the first book will soon become a movie: you can almost "watch" the movie in your head while reading the books already! So, in summary, perfect for some nice "light reading"! - - - - - - - - - - journeymom - Oct 10, 2008 2:42 pm (#878 of 938) Hey, congratulations to Frenchman Jean-Marie Gustave Le Clézio, for his Nobel Prize in literature. Audrey, have you read any of his writings? =============== I finished the afore mentioned Red Prophet and it was very good. But it also finished the story arc so I have no real reason to read the next book. Ds and I are just about finished reading Titan's Curse from the Percy Jackson series. I highly recommend it; it's been a lot of fun. It seriously stinks, though, that Book 4 is only yet available in hard bound, while we own the first three in paper bound. Doesn't fit with my sense of order. - - - - - - - - - - Elanor - Oct 11, 2008 6:20 am (#879 of 938) I have! If I remember well, when I was at school, we read "Voyage au pays des arbres" (Journey to the Land of the Trees) which is a very nice book he wrote for children, very poetic and uplifting. I can't say I've read many of his books since then but each time one is published I always think I'll have to give it a look in due course (yeah.. that list of "books to read when I have the time" is quite long, lol!). The reviews of these books are always inviting, especially if you like travels and discovering other cultures. He's first a traveller and he knows how to make the reader travel with him and discover people and cultures, in a beautiful yet very accessible way. He is very famous here and manages to be at the same time a popular writer and someone whose work is praised by critics (which rarely goes together, lol!). I hope one day Jo gets that prize! She would so deserve it IMO, if only for getting so many kids to read and discover they like it! - - - - - - - - - - Madam Pince - Nov 9, 2008 7:39 am (#880 of 938) The eyes are the windows to the soul... Scholastic dot com has two faux "non-fiction" hardcover books that looked like fun to me, although I didn't get to check them out as much as I would've liked at the book fair. One is called Dragonology (red cover) and one is called Wizardology (blue cover.) The dragon one caught my eye as it looks like an "authentic" wizarding-world book that might be in Hagrid's library, or in Madam Pince's perhaps... Just thought it might be worth mentioning since the holidays are approaching and many HP fans might be looking for something besides Tales of Beedle the Bard to stock their wizarding libraries... - - - - - - - - - - PeskyPixie - Nov 9, 2008 9:46 am (#881 of 938) I've seen those, Madam Pince. They do look wizardy. - - - - - - - - - - Julia H. - Nov 10, 2008 12:53 am (#882 of 938) I've recently seen a book called Piratology. It may be the same series. - - - - - - - - - - Ludicrous Patents Office - Jan 2, 2009 4:48 pm (#883 of 938) There is also Mythology. Choices - Jan 2, 2009 7:58 pm (#884 of 938) Completely Obsessed With Harry Potter For those who like vampire romances/mysteries - I am reading the Sookie Stackhouse books - she is the main character. The first book is called Dead Until Dark (takes place in a small Louisiana town) and I am almost finished with it. It is different from the usual vampire romances and I have enjoyed it. The next book is called Living Dead in Dallas. - - - - - - - - - - Orion - Jan 3, 2009 2:34 am (#885 of 938) The last book I read was "44 Scotland Street" by Alexander McCall Smith. He wrote it as a serialised novel for a newspaper, and apparently it was a huge success, so that there have been four sequels. It is easily the most beautiful, funny and uplifting novel I have ever read. It creates instant happiness and you don't want to part from all those interesting people. Most of all I liked somebody called Angus who was a sort of older and more sociable Snape. (Of course!) - - - - - - - - - - Ludicrous Patents Office - Jan 3, 2009 8:57 am (#886 of 938) Choices I never liked vampire books until Twilight. Orion I like novels that make me happy! One of my favorite series is by P.B. Kerr the Children of the Lamp. They are about twin young genies. It is fun. I'm really into an Australian writer John Flanangan and his Rangers Apprentice series. Great books for middle school aged boys. LPO - - - - - - - - - - Choices - Jan 3, 2009 10:18 am (#887 of 938) Completely Obsessed With Harry Potter LPO, I have to admit that most of the vampire books I have read are very cookie-cutter - pretty much ho-hum, same plot and characters - but I did like The Twlight series very much and I also liked the Fever series by Karen Marie Moning. I am still waiting anxiously for the next Fever book to come out. The Sookie Stackhouse book is a combination vampire romance/mystery - interesting and I like the character of Sookie - southern/country girl who works as a waitress in a small town and has the curse (in her opinion) of being able to read people's minds. Sort of a different twist. - - - - - - - - - - journeymom - Jan 5, 2009 9:13 am (#888 of 938) Choices, I finished reading the first three Sookie Stackhouse novels a few weeks ago. I really enjoyed them for a while. I think Charlaine Harris is a better writer than Stephanie Meyer, but she's still not a great writer, lol! That's ok, the stories were immensely entertaining. Perhaps it was the steamy (explicit) romantic encounters. And I liked Sookie much better than Twilight's Bella, though I think Bill is surprisingly dull. But by the end of the third book some plots were getting repetitive. Book Three ended with Sookie making a decision I heartily approved of, and it was a good place to stop. Perhaps I'll pick up the story again later. - - - - - - - - - - Choices - Jan 5, 2009 1:21 pm (#889 of 938) Completely Obsessed With Harry Potter Journeymom, I have to totally agree about Sookie - she is a rather interesting character, but on the other hand, Bill is not a very exciting vampire. - - - - - - - - - - Choices - Jan 12, 2009 9:03 am (#890 of 938) Completely Obsessed With Harry Potter On the Golden Globes last night, the girl who plays Sookie in True Blood (the TV series based on the Sookie Stackhouse books) won the best actress in a TV drama award. I have never seen the show, but plan to watch it now. - - - - - - - - - - journeymom - Jan 12, 2009 9:37 am (#891 of 938) Anna Paquin won for best actress? Cool. I think she does an excellent job. However, Choices, if you're going to watch the show be prepared for some explicit action. I don't remember what its TV rating is, but it's easily the equivalent of an R movie rating, in my opinion. - - - - - - - - - - Choices - Jan 12, 2009 6:48 pm (#892 of 938) Completely Obsessed With Harry Potter Well, there goes my chance to see it. Oh, not because of the rating, I just don't have HBO or whatever premium channel it is on. Rats! - - - - - - - - - - PeskyPixie - Feb 9, 2009 6:41 pm (#893 of 938) I am searching for a book I read when was in my early teens, but I have forgotten its title. It was set during the Holocaust and tells the story of two young sisters who are hidden in someone's attic. Hmm, that doesn't narrow it down, does it? The title may have referred to 'the room' in which the girls were hiding (I think it was an attic, but it might just as easily have been a cellar). Does anyone have any idea what book I am rambling about? If not, do you know of any Holocaust novels for young readers? Thanks. (I've already got The Diary of Anne Frank in my library.) - - - - - - - - - - Ludicrous Patents Office - Feb 9, 2009 9:54 pm (#894 of 938) PeskyPixie it might be The Upstairs Room by Johanna Reiss. It is about an 8 year old Annie and her sister Sini who were hidden by a family in Holland. LPO - - - - - - - - - - PeskyPixie - Feb 9, 2009 11:16 pm (#895 of 938) Thanks a lot, LPO. I'm going to look it up on Amazon. For some reason, the only detail I remember about this book is a scene where the sisters are given pork for dinner, and when they don't eat it they're told by their host that they better learn to eat it. I don't know why this particular moment stands out. - - - - - - - - - - Verity Weasley - Feb 10, 2009 7:07 pm (#896 of 938) Pesky, while you're there, check out Once by Morris Gleitzman. It is a complete departure from his usual style and tells the story of the Holocaust from the point of view of two children. It is poignant and heart-wrenching. Once when I was substitute teaching I was filling in for the library teacher who had been reading this book with the grade sixes. I read the same two chapters four times that day with different classes, and afterwards I had to get a copy for myself so I could read the rest of the book. I highly recommend it. There is a sequel, called Then, but I haven't had a chance to read it yet. - - - - - - - - - - PeskyPixie - Feb 10, 2009 9:12 pm (#897 of 938) Thanks, Verity. I'll check it out right now! ETA: Once is already in my Amazon cart, along with The Upstairs Room. - - - - - - - - - - me and my shadow 813 - Feb 12, 2009 11:23 pm (#898 of 938) Image Courtesy of Burgundyeyes at fanpop.com icons -- [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.] We got on the topic of Hitler on a thread and I remembered a book which got me hooked on WWI. It's called King, Kaiser, Tzar and it is nothing short of fascinating. They were three cousins ruling during the delicate and tragic years before and during the war. A great book for teens to learn more than the average history class covers, I think. - - - - - - - - - - PeskyPixie - Feb 12, 2009 11:38 pm (#899 of 938) Thanks, Shadow. I'll definitely check it out. - - - - - - - - - - PeskyPixie - Feb 18, 2009 11:16 am (#900 of 938) Y'all () have probably read it already, but last week I read Fried Green Tomatoes At The Whistle Stop Cafe and I really enjoyed it. Of course, I was already a fan of the movie, so I was looking forward to the book; I was not disappointed. [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.] Elanor Puck - Aug 5, 2009 10:08 pm (#905 of 938) Mommy, Queen of Everything Ah, that sounds like one my husband and I can both enjoy! I just finished The Kite Runner last week. A powerful novel. - - - - - - - - - - haymoni - Aug 7, 2009 5:35 am (#906 of 938) Does anyone else find that they are better readers after reading the Harry Potter series? I am reading "My Life In France" by Julia Child and I am on my second read-through. It is very good. Didn't know Julia was from Pasedena. My co-worker asked why I was re-reading it. I'm re-reading it because I bought a paperback copy for our Niagara trip. I finished it, but was interrupted so many times, I know that I missed something. I just find that I am making connections sooner, remembering names better, etc. Anyone else have similar experiences? - - - - - - - - - - John Bumbledore - Aug 11, 2009 9:09 am (#907 of 938) "Tempus edax rerum." [Time, the devourer of all things.] Ovid Sorry, It was J.R.R.Tolkien's Silmarillion that was the catlyst for my reading study skills. After two failed attempts, I sat down with a notebook and pencil and attacked the tome as if it were a text book for a self-paced study course. Well, that during my time at university, also, so I tended toward an eidetic (known as "photographic") memory then. But I applied (what was left of) it to HP and seldom have I found a novel or series since that really needed such analysis. I think the Harry Potter series is densly woven tail with many details that only become visible after close examination and cross comparisons between chapters and books. Eidetic memory is a multi-media skill and about "one in twelve"1 children have the ability. Alas! It fades with age. I am more muggle now than when I was at university. "One investigator guessed that fewer than one in a thousand adults [still] had it."2 (1,2 From [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.] written September 1, 2000 by Cecil Adams) --John - - - - - - - - - - Orion - Aug 11, 2009 10:19 am (#908 of 938) Too bad if you have that memory only for rubbish. I can quote large passages out of Martha Grimes novels, know every character by heart, know every Beatles song on earth and every known biographic detail - what for??? Sometimes I think that if you fill your head with popcultural waste like that you don't have much space left for important stuff. People say that today's teenagers get more and more stupid. Are they really? They are amazingly fast at zapping people or peoploids in their fancy computer games, and they know all the features of their expensive mobiles. They aren't thick! They're just not interested in school! Back to topic (sorry!): I'm struggling through The Amber Spyglass (Pullman). Does anybody have an opinion on it? There are an awful lot of people dying, methinks, just what got on my nerves in DH. - - - - - - - - - - PeskyPixie - Aug 11, 2009 10:43 am (#909 of 938) Mrs. Dalloway is the struggle novel for me. LOL, I zipped along through War and Peace but have yet to make a successful attempt at Mrs. Dalloway. - - - - - - - - - - Puck - Aug 12, 2009 6:54 pm (#910 of 938) Mommy, Queen of Everything I just finished Pride and Prejudice and Zombies. A fun read if you have a twisted and dark sense of humor. It does go a bit too far in some places, but there were a few parts that I had tears from laughing so hard. (Apparently, I have the required warped sense of humor. ) - - - - - - - - - - mona amon - Aug 13, 2009 3:17 am (#911 of 938) Pesky, it's very boring in the beginning, but it picks up. I really liked it. Wish I could get hold of Pride and Prejudice and Zombies, but I doubt if my library'll have it. - - - - - - - - - - Denise P. - Aug 13, 2009 7:13 pm (#912 of 938) Ravenclaw Pony PP & Zombies has been on my to read list for some time. It is down several books though. - - - - - - - - - - PeskyPixie - Aug 14, 2009 9:02 am (#913 of 938) Okay, Mona, I'll give it another whirl. - - - - - - - - - - Orion - Nov 17, 2009 7:29 am (#914 of 938) Does anybody know the Charlie Bone series by Jenny Nimmo? I found them in the library section for nine years and older and I absolutely love them. They are bit like HP but without the british wit, but you don't miss that much. Every time I get my hands on another one I read it bulimically, a whole book in one day, and then "burp". There are lots of pets, much more than in HP. - - - - - - - - - - journeymom - Nov 18, 2009 10:43 pm (#915 of 938) Excellent, Orion. I've seen Charlie Bones around. I'll suggest it to my 10 y.o. son. - - - - - - - - - - Victoire Weasley - Nov 19, 2009 4:59 pm (#916 of 938) I actually have Charlie Bones and the Time Twister on my shelf though I've never read it. My kids are too young to read it, but I'll check it out. Thanks Orion. - - - - - - - - - - Choices - Jan 2, 2010 3:53 pm (#917 of 938) Completely Obsessed With Harry Potter Has anyone read Percy Jackson and the Lightening Thief? Is it good reading and what about other books in the series. Can anyone tell me what they think about these books? - - - - - - - - - - journeymom - Jan 2, 2010 4:33 pm (#918 of 938) Yes, Choices, I read the whole series to my son. My 14 y.o. daughter and one of her friends have read it repeatedly. Well worth a read. A fun take on Greek myths, cleverly done. We learned a bit about the real stories as we went along, as we'd stop to Google someone/something to get a better idea about characters in the story. Rick Riordan is not as good a writer as JK Rowling in my opinion. But still fine writing. - - - - - - - - - - Denise P. - Jan 2, 2010 5:37 pm (#919 of 938) Ravenclaw Pony I agree. They are quick, fun read. They are not overly long and you don't have to think much when you read them but they do introduce to Greek mythology and you can use that as stepping stone to explore some classics...like Ulysses (You get the meet the Cyclops, who is still holding a grudge against Nobody) - - - - - - - - - - Choices - Jan 3, 2010 10:47 am (#920 of 938) Completely Obsessed With Harry Potter Thanks! I think I will give them a try. :-) - - - - - - - - - - Ludicrous Patents Office - Jan 3, 2010 4:46 pm (#921 of 938) Choices I recommend them. Battle of the Labyrinth has one of funniest scenes outside of a HP book I've ever read. He is starting another series about Camp Half-Blood. LPO - - - - - - - - - - me and my shadow 813 - Jan 5, 2010 3:35 pm (#922 of 938) Image Courtesy of Burgundyeyes at fanpop.com icons -- [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.] Wow, I was actually about to ask the same question as Choices! Thanks for input! Other than the Olympians, does anyone have any other series in this genre they recommend? I was in the HP area looking at books and cannot believe how many fantasy series there are for kids (and us)! - - - - - - - - - - Verity Weasley - Jan 8, 2010 7:10 am (#923 of 938) I've mentioned it previously, but the Secrets of the Immortal Nicholas Flamel by Michael Scott is another series worth checking out. There are three out so far - The Alchemyst, The Magician, and The Sorceress, with the fourth book, The Necromancer, due out in May. They also draw heavily on myth of all kinds, including a lot of little known Celtic mythology, and weave lots of actual historical figures into the storyline as well. Like Journeymom, Google is our constant companion when we read these books. I highly recommend them. - - - - - - - - - - me and my shadow 813 - Jan 9, 2010 3:50 pm (#924 of 938) Image Courtesy of Burgundyeyes at fanpop.com icons -- [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.] Thanks, Verity! Choices - Jan 20, 2010 9:20 am (#925 of 938) Completely Obsessed With Harry Potter I'm reading (and enjoying) a book right now called Beautiful Creatures. Has anyone else read it and what did you think? - - - - - - - - - - Ludicrous Patents Office - Jan 23, 2010 2:36 pm (#926 of 938) I also recommend the Fablehaven series by Brandon Mull. I second the Nicholas Flamel series. I really like the mix of mythology and modern life. The Children of the Lamp series by PB Kerr is good. The new Rick Riordon series is based on the Egyptian Gods. I'm looking forward to it. LPO - - - - - - - - - - Choices - Mar 17, 2010 7:45 am (#927 of 938) Completely Obsessed With Harry Potter I finished reading Percy Jackson and the Lightning Thief - it was enjoyable, but certainly no Harry Potter. It exhibited nowhere near the thought that went into HP and nowhere near the "depth". When you read something like Percy Jackson, you realize all over again how truly amazing JKR is to have created HP and the HP wizarding world.....so much attention to detail, so many hidden meanings, so much suspence, such fascinating/in-depth characterizations, etc. JKR can relax, Percy will never replace Harry. LOL - - - - - - - - - - Verity Weasley - Mar 19, 2010 9:50 pm (#928 of 938) I agree with Choices that Percy Jackson can never replace Harry Potter, however, I would encourage you to read on with the series. As our school library didn't have the first book, I started reading number two, then went on to three and four. I'm now reading number one, as I managed to get hold of a copy and I wanted to see how it started before I read the final book in the series. I have to say that I think it gets better. I haven't finished book one yet, but I think 2, 3 and 4 are better. - - - - - - - - - - Choices - Mar 20, 2010 8:18 am (#929 of 938) Completely Obsessed With Harry Potter Thanks for the recommendation Verity. I do want to read the rest of the series. :-) - - - - - - - - - - TwinklingBlueEyes - Mar 21, 2010 4:41 am (#930 of 938) "Character is doing the right thing when nobody is looking" The last book in the Fablehaven series by Brandon Mull comes out Tuesday. - - - - - - - - - - Verity Weasley - Jun 29, 2010 12:21 pm (#931 of 938) It's something a little different, but I have just finished reading Little Brother by Cory Doctorow, and I highly recommend it. I think it should be required reading for teenagers and since the author has some very liberated views on copyright and makes his books available online for free, there's no excuse for not reading it. Here's the link - just take out the : http://craphound.com/littlebrother/Cory_Doctorow_-_Little_Brother.pdf Cory Doctorow is a science fiction writer but this book is scarily real. It is set in the very near future in San Francisco when a terrorist attack changes everything. The main character, Marcus, a 17 year old computer geek, is swept up in the aftermath of the attack when he and his friends are rounded up as suspected terrorists and subjected to illegal detention, questioning and torture. After his release, as a marked man, Marcus embarks on a quest to restore freedom and civil liberties to his city, using his knowledge of computers and gadgets. The title is in reference to George Orwell's Big Brother, and the book raises similar questions, but in an America that is not so very far removed from the present day. The author's position on the issues comes through strongly, and he makes those clear in the foreword to the book in any case, but there is plenty of scope for debate and discussion of the issues in the book. Amazon recommends this book for grade 10 and up, and there is some mild sexuality depicted - the main character is 17 after all, but my eleven year old (going on 18) read it first and really enjoyed it. My son was looking for something to read and we had already packed up all our books ready for our move, so this was very handy as it was available online. It's the first time I've read a book completely from my computer screen, but it's not overly long so it was OK. It's written in a very teenage friendly style and it really appeals to your inner geek. If you have teenagers, or teach teenagers, give them this book. - - - - - - - - - - journeymom - Jul 8, 2010 1:27 pm (#932 of 938) Verity, I'll recommend it to my 15 y.o. daughter, thanks! - - - - - - - - - - Ludicrous Patents Office - Jul 28, 2010 6:47 pm (#933 of 938) I recommend The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins. It is young adult. It is a page turner and very well written. The second book is Catching Fire. The third comes out on August 24. - - - - - - - - - - Denise P. - Sep 2, 2010 2:39 pm (#934 of 938) Ravenclaw Pony I read Mockingjay, the final book in the Hunger Games trio when it came out last week. It is much, much darker than the previous two and many people are unhappy with the conclusion of it. I am going to give it a few months and read it again. I would definitely recommend reading the trio but if you have younger readers (say, under 12) I would pre-read it. - - - - - - - - - - Ludicrous Patents Office - Sep 6, 2010 6:58 pm (#935 of 938) I found the first one the darkest. The thought of the Hunger Games was appalling to me. It was the only one in the series that gave me nightmares. Mockingjay was sad. I liked how it ended (though I"m Team Gale...). LPO - - - - - - - - - - Verity Weasley - Nov 25, 2010 12:54 pm (#936 of 938) I don't know if this has been mentioned on here before, but I just finished reading The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time by Mark Haddon. This is a bitter sweet novel that gives great insight into the mind of someone with aspergers or autism. It is written in the first person by Christopher, the protagonist, who starts to investigate when a neighbour's dog is killed and ends up uncovering some uncomfortable secrets. I found the look inside the world of this autistic boy to be absolutely fascinating, as did my son, who read it before me and piqued my interest by describing snippets from the book, like the fact that all the chapter numbers are prime numbers and that Christopher hates the colours yellow and brown. It's very different, but definitely worth a read. - - - - - - - - - - Steve Newton - Dec 9, 2010 7:26 am (#937 of 938) Librarian I've been listening to the Alan Bradley Flavia de Luce books. Quite fun. The first is 'The Sweetness At the Bottom of the Pie.' 1950, English countryside, 11 year old Flavia lives in a somewhat ragged mansion and loves chemistry. Especially poisons. Murder ensues. Fun. (Flavia is not the murderer, in case you were worried.) - - - - - - - - - - Choices - Mar 20, 2011 4:16 pm (#938 of 938) Completely Obsessed With Harry Potter* I am almost finished with the second Hunger Games book and I am really enjoying the series. I understand that Alan Rickman is being considered for the role of Heymitch (or is it Haymitch - can't remember now). That would be awesome to see him in that. Love me some Alan Rickman in anything. LOL [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.] Elanor	i don't know
What was the pen name of US crime writer Frederic Dannay?	The Crime Fiction Kings Behind Ellery Queen \| The Lineup Promoted by Open Road Media The Crime Fiction Kings Behind Ellery Queen Two boys from Brooklyn create one of the toughest sleuths of crime fiction's Golden Age. StumbleUpon stumbles Legendary editor Otto Penzler of Mysterious Press believes, “after Poe, I think it’s true that Ellery Queen was the most significant and important writer of mystery fiction in America.” Ellery Queen was actually the pen name of two cousins, Frederic Dannay (1905–1982) and Manfred B. Lee (1905–1971), as well as the name of their most famous detective. Born in Brooklyn, they spent forty-two years writing and editing under the pseudonym, gaining a reputation as the foremost American authors of the Golden Age “fair play” mystery. Besides producing multiple Queen novels – including Calamity Town and The Greek Coffin Mystery – Dannay and Lee co-founded Ellery Queen’s Mystery Magazine, one of the most influential crime publications of all time. In this video, Penzler and the authors’ sons, Richard Dannay and Rand Lee, speak about the enduring influence of the Ellery Queen mystery series. Book Genre:	Ellery Queen
Which fruit is the main ingredient of the liqueur Quetsch?	Pen name P Pen name A pen name, nom de plume, or literary double, is a pseudonym adopted by an author . A pen name may be used to make the author's name more distinctive, to disguise his or her gender, to distance an author from some or all of his or her works, to protect the author from retribution for his or her writings, or for any of a number of reasons related to the marketing or aesthetic presentation of the work. The author's name may be known only to the publisher, or may come to be common knowledge. Western literature An author may use a pen name if his or her real name is likely to be confused with that of another author or notable individual. Some authors who regularly write in several genres use different pen names for each genre. Romance writer Nora Roberts writes erotic thrillers under the pen name J.D. Robb, and Samuel Langhorne Clemens used the aliases "Mark Twain" and "Sieur Louis de Conte" for different works. Similarly, an author who writes both fiction and non-fiction (such as the mathematician and fantasy writer Charles Dodgson, who wrote as Lewis Carroll , or the American television commentator Bill O'Reilly, who wrote a thriller under a pen name) may use a pseudonym for fiction writing. Occasionally a pen name is employed to avoid overexposure. Prolific authors for pulp magazines often had two and sometimes three short stories appearing in one issue of a magazine; the editor would create several fictitious author names to hide this from readers. Robert A. Heinlein wrote stories under pseudonyms so that more of his works could be published in a single magazine. Stephen King published four novels under the name Richard Bachman because publishers didn't feel the public would buy more than one novel per year from a single author. Eventually, after critics found a large number of style similarities, publishers revealed Bachman's true identity. Sometimes a pen name is used because an author believes that his name does not suit the genre he is writing in. Western novelist Pearl Gray dropped his first name and changed the spelling of his last name to become Zane Grey , because he believed that his real name did not suit the Western genre. Romance novelist Angela Knight writes under that name instead of her actual name (Julie Woodcock) because she felt that her real name was a little too fitting for the genre. Edward Gorey had dozens of pseudonyms, apparently for his own amusement, each one an anagram of his real name. C. S. Lewis used two different pseudonyms for different reasons. Before his conversion to Christianity , he published a collection of poems (Spirits in Bondage) and a narrative poem (Dymer) under the pen name "Clive Hamilton", to avoid harming his reputation as a don at Oxford University . His book entitled A Grief Observed, which describes his experience of bereavement, was originally released under the pseudonym "N. W. Clerk". Eric Blair also adopted the pseudonym George Orwell for several books, including Animal Farm and Nineteen Eighty Four. Female authors Some female authors have used pen names to ensure that their works were accepted by publishers and/or the public. Such is the case of Peru's famous Clarinda, whose work with published in the early 17th Century. More often, women have adopted masculine pen names. This was common in the 19th century, when women were beginning to make inroads into literature but, it was felt, would not be taken as seriously by readers as male authors. Mary Ann Evans wrote under the pen name George Eliot , and Amandine Aurore Lucile Dupin, Baronne Dudevant, used the pseudonym George Sand . Charlotte, Emily and Anne Brontë published under the names Currer, Ellis and Acton Bell respectively. Karen Blixen 's very successful Out of Africa was originally published under the pen name Isak Dinesen. Victoria Benedictsson, one of the most famous Swedish authors of the 19th century, wrote under the name Ernst Ahlgren. More recently, women who write in genres normally written by men sometimes choose to use initials or a neutral pen name, such as D. C. Fontana, J. K. Rowling, K. A. Applegate, and S. E. Hinton. Author Robin Hobb chose that unisex pen name when she set out to write a fantasy trilogy featuring a male leading character. An example of the opposite situation is Ian Fleming 's experimental James Bond novel The Spy Who Loved Me, which is written in the first person from the perspective of the female protagonist, Vivienne Michel, and purports to be written by her and merely presented by Fleming who 'found' the manuscript. Even at the time of publication the reality of the situation was clear, however. Collective names In some forms of fiction, the pen name adopted is the name of the lead character, to suggest to the reader that the book is a (fictional) autobiography. Daniel Handler used the pseudonym Lemony Snicket to present his A Series of Unfortunate Events books as memoirs by an acquaintance of the main characters. Some series fiction is published under one pen name even though more than one author may have contributed to the series. In some cases the first books in the series were written by one writer, but subsequent books were written by ghost writers. For instance, many of the later books in the The Saint adventure series were not written by Leslie Charteris, the originator of the series. Similarly, Nancy Drew mystery books are published as though they were written by Carolyn Keene, The Hardy Boys books are published as the work of Franklin W. Dixon, and The Bobbsey Twins series are credited to Laura Lee Hope, although several authors have been involved in each series. Collaborative authors may have their works published under a single pen name. Frederic Dannay and Manfred B. Lee published their mystery novels and stories under the pen name Ellery Queen (as well as publishing the work of ghost-writers under the same name). Cheryth Baldry, Kate Gary, and Victoria Holmes wrote the Warriors series under the pseudonym of Erin Hunter to keep their readers from searching all over the library for their books. The writers of Atlanta Nights, a deliberately bad book intended to embarrass the publishing firm PublishAmerica, used the pen name Travis Tea. Sometimes multiple authors will write related books under the same pseudonym; examples include Nicolas Bourbaki in non-fiction and T. H. Lain in fiction. Nicolas Bourbaki is the collective pseudonym under which a group of (mainly French ) 20th-century mathematicians wrote a series of books presenting an exposition of modern advanced mathematics , beginning in 1935. With the goal of founding all of mathematics on set theory , the group strove for utmost rigour and generality, creating some new terminology and concepts along the way.In 2007 three Slovenian artists legally changed their names to Janez Janša the Slovenia’s economic-liberal, conservative prime minister at the time. When publicly asked whether this gesture was of an affirmative or subversive nature, they claimed they did it for "personal reasons". All their works, including art exhibitions, theatrical pieces, and publications, have been signed under this name ever since. With this gesture they introduced the concept of namesake as a collective name. The three artists now occasionally use their original names as a pen name. Concealment of identity A pseudonym may also be used to protect the writer for exposé books about espionage or crime. Andy McNab, a former SAS soldier used a pseudonym for his book about a failed SAS mission titled Bravo Two Zero. Ibn Warraq has been used by dissident Muslim authors. Author Brian O'Nolan used the pen names "Flann O'Brien" and "Myles na gCopaleen" for his novels and journalistic writing from the 1940s to the 1960s because Irish civil servants were not allowed at that time to publish works under their own names. The identity of the enigmatic twentieth century novelist B. Traven has never been revealed, in spite of thorough research. The Histoire d'O (The Story of O), an erotic novel of sadomasochism and sexual slavery, was written by an editorial secretary with a reputation of near-prudery who used the pseudonym Pauline Réage. Alice Bradley Sheldon had a multiplicity of reasons to write under the pen name of James Tiptree, Jr.: she was a woman writing in the heavily male-dominated genre of science fiction ; she was a bisexual woman who may have wanted to avoid the inherent biases of her readers; and she was a career intelligence officer, first in the Army Air Corps and then in the early years of the CIA , for whom concealment was a way of life.'' Eastern cultures Persian and Urdu poetry Note: List of Urdu language poets provides pen names for a range of Urdu poets. A shâ'er (a poet who writes she'rs in Urdu or Persian) almost always has a takhallus, a pen name, traditionally placed at the end of the name when referring to the poet by his full name. For example Hafez is a pen-name for Shams al-Din, and thus the usual way to refer to him would be Shams al-Din Hafez or just Hafez. Mirza Asadullah Beg Khan (his official name and title) is referred to as Mirza Asadullah Khan Ghalib, or just Mirza Ghalib. India In Indian Languages, writers put it at the end of their names, like Ramdhari Singh 'Dinkar'. Sometimes they also write under their pen name without their actual name like Firaq Gorakhpuri. In early Indian literature, we find authors shying away from using any name considering it to be egotistical. Due to this notion, even today it is hard to trace the authorship of many earlier literary works from India. Later, we find that the writers adopted the practice of using the name of their deity of worship or Guru's name as their pen name. In this case, typically the pen name would be included at the end of the prose or poetry. For instance, the famous Lady Saint of India, Meerabai used 'Giridhar' a name of her beloved Lord Krishna. Great Saint and Social reformer Basavanna used the pen name 'Kudalasangamadeva' addressing the Supreme Lord in the memory of the place where he attained his divine communion. It is interesting to see how these authors twain the name of the God in their works. Japan Japanese poets who write haiku often use a haiga or penname. The famous haiku poet Matsuo Bashō had used fifteen different haiga before he became fond of a banana plant (bashō) that had been given to him by a disciple and started using it as his penname at the age of 38. Similar to a pen name, Japanese artists usually have a gō or art-name, which might change a number of times during their career. In some cases, artists adopted different gō at different stages of their career, usually to mark significant changes in their life. One of the most extreme examples of this is Hokusai , who in the period 1798 to 1806 alone used no fewer than six. Manga artist Ogure Ito uses the pen name 'Oh! great' because his real name Ogure Ito is roughly how the Japanese pronounce "oh great." Etymology Despite the use of French words in the name Nom de plume, the term did not originate in France. H. W. Fowler and F. G. Fowler, in The King's English state that the term nom de plume "evolved" in Britain, where people wanting a "literary" phrase, failed to understand the term nom de guerre , which already existed in French. Since guerre means war in French, nom de guerre did not make sense to the British, who did not understand the French metaphor. The term was later exported to France (H. W. Fowler's Modern English Usage). See French-language expression, although amongst French speakers pseudonyme is much more common. References and further reading Room, Adrian (editor). Dictionary of Pseudonyms: 11,000 Assumed Names and Their Origins. McFarland, 2004. ISBN 0786416580 (Wikipedia)	i don't know
Jon Voight, Burt Reynolds, Ned Beatty and Ronny Cox play four friends in which 1972 film?	Deliverance (1972) - IMDb IMDb Doctor Strange Confirmed to Appear in ‘Thor: Ragnarok’ 23 hours ago There was an error trying to load your rating for this title. Some parts of this page won't work property. Please reload or try later. X Beta I'm Watching This! Keep track of everything you watch; tell your friends. Error Intent on seeing the Cahulawassee River before it's turned into one huge lake, outdoor fanatic Lewis Medlock takes his friends on a river-rafting trip they'll never forget into the dangerous American back-country. Director: From $2.99 (SD) on Amazon Video ON TV a list of 21 titles created 12 Jun 2011 a list of 30 titles created 10 Aug 2011 a list of 26 titles created 24 Jun 2013 a list of 25 titles created 10 Apr 2015 a list of 30 titles created 6 months ago Search for " Deliverance " on Amazon.com Connect with IMDb Want to share IMDb's rating on your own site? Use the HTML below. You must be a registered user to use the IMDb rating plugin. Nominated for 3 Oscars. Another 2 wins & 10 nominations. See more awards » Videos Two counterculture bikers travel from Los Angeles to New Orleans in search of America. Director: Dennis Hopper A paranoid, secretive surveillance expert has a crisis of conscience when he suspects that a couple he is spying on will be murdered. Director: Francis Ford Coppola A young American and his English wife come to rural England and face increasingly vicious local harassment. Director: Sam Peckinpah When a mad man calling himself 'the Scorpio Killer' menaces the city, tough as nails San Francisco Police Inspector Harry Callahan is assigned to track down and ferret out the crazed psychopath. Director: Don Siegel Edit Storyline The Cahulawassee River valley in Northern Georgia is one of the last natural pristine areas of the state, which will soon change with the imminent building of a dam on the river, which in turn will flood much of the surrounding land. As such, four Atlanta city slickers - alpha male Lewis Medlock, generally even-keeled Ed Gentry, slightly condescending Bobby Trippe, and wide-eyed Drew Ballinger - decide to take a multi-day canoe trip on the river, with only Lewis and Ed having experience in outdoor life. They know going in that the area is ethno-culturally homogeneous and isolated, but don't understand the full extent of such until they arrive and see what they believe is the result of generations of inbreeding. Their relatively peaceful trip takes a turn for the worse when half way through they encounter a couple of hillbilly moonshiners. That encounter not only makes the four battle their way out of the valley intact and alive, but threatens the relationships of the four as they do ... Written by Huggo Four men ride a wild river. A weekend turns into a nightmare. See more » Genres: 20 September 1972 (France) See more » Also Known As: Beim Sterben ist jeder der Erste See more » Filming Locations: 70 mm 6-Track (70 mm prints)\| Mono (35 mm prints) Color: Did You Know? Trivia According to director John Boorman , the gas station attendant's jig during "Dueling Banjos" was unscripted and spontaneous. See more » Goofs When the main characters first meet the hillbillies they're on the right side of the river. After the accident in the rapids, and for Ed's climb up the cliff, they're on the left side of the river. They never passed under a bridge, but the surviving hillbilly is on that side of the river with them. See more » Quotes Lewis : You w- you wanna... you wanna talk about the vanishing wilderness? Bobby : Lewis, listen - what are you so anxious about this? Lewis : Because they're buildin' a dam across the Cahulawassee River; they're gonna flood a whole valley, Bobby, that's why. Dammit, they're drownin' a river; they're drownin' a river, man. See more » Crazy Credits The end credits only show the cast and a notice of where the location of the film was shot and the special thanks, which rolls over a shot of Ed and his wife laying down trying to sleep. It also shows the shot of the lake where the hand ascended up out of the water and the final credit reads 'Distributed by WARNER BROS' See more » Connections The New Man confronts the Old in a place of raw beauty and stark terror 23 December 2004 \| by Nergal-Is-Risen (Where I am now) – See all my reviews 'Deliverance' is a brilliant condensed epic of a group of thoroughly modern men who embark on a canoe trip to briefly commune with nature, and instead have to fight for their sanity, their lives, and perhaps even their souls. The film has aged well. Despite being made in the early Seventies, it certainly doesn't look particularly dated. It still possesses a visceral punch and iconic status as a dramatic post-'Death of the Sixties' philosophical-and-cultural shock vehicle. There are very few films with similar conceits that can compare favourably to it, although the legendary Sam Peckinpah's stuff would have to be up there. Yes, there has been considerable debate and discussion about the film's most confronting scene (which I won't expand upon here) - and undoubtedly one of the most confronting scenes in the entire history of the cinematic medium - but what surprises about this film is how achingly beautiful it is at times. This seems to be generally overlooked (yet in retrospect quite understandably so). The cinematography that captures the essence of the vanishing, fragile river wilderness is often absolutely stunning, and it counterbalances the film as, in a moment of brief madness, we the viewers - along with the characters themselves - are plunged into unrelenting nightmare. 'Deliverance's narrative is fittingly lean and sinewy, and it is surprising how quickly events unfold from point of establishment, through to crisis, and aftermath. It all takes place very quickly, which lends a sense of very real urgency to the film. The setting is established effectively through the opening credits. The characters are all well-drawn despite limited time spent on back story. We know just enough about them to know them for the kind of man they are, like them and ultimately fear for them when all goes to hell. The conflict and violence within the movie seems to erupt out of nowhere, with a frightening lack of logic. This is author James Dickey's theme - that any prevailing romanticism about the nature of Man's perceived inherent 'goodness' can only wilt and die when his barely suppressed animal instincts come to the fore. There are no demons or bogeymen here. The predatory hillbillies - as the film's central villains - are merely crude, terrifyingly amoral cousins of our protagonists. They shock because their evil is petty and tangible. The film has no peripheral characters. All reflect something about the weaknesses and uncertainties of urbanised Homo Sapiens in the latter 20th century, and all are very real and recognisable. Burt Reynolds is wonderful in this movie as the gung-ho and almost fatally over-confident Survivalist, Lewis, and it is a shame to think that he really couldn't recapture his brief moment of dramatic glory throughout the rest of his still sputtering up-and-down career ('Boogie Nights' excluded, perhaps). Trust me, if your are not a Reynolds fan, you WILL be impressed with his performance here. John Voight is his usual effortlessly accomplished self, and Ned Beatty and Ronny Cox both make significant contributions. This is simply a great quartet of actors. To conclude, I must speculate as to if and when 'Deliverance' author James Dickey's 'To the White Sea' will be made. For those that enjoyed (?) this film, TTWS is a similarly harrowing tale of an American Air Force pilot's struggle for survival after being shot down over the Japanese mainland during WW2. It's more of the typically bleak existentialism and primordial savagery that is Dickey's trademark, but it has all the makings of a truly spectacular, poetic cinematic experience. There was the suggestion a few years ago that the Coen brothers might be producing it, but that eventually came to nothing. Being an avid Coen-o-phile it disappoints me to think what might have been had they gotten the green light on TTWS, rather than their last couple of relatively undistinguished efforts. Returning to 'Deliverance', it's impossible to imagine a movie of such honest, unnerving brutality being made in these times, and that is pretty shameful. We, the cinema-going public, are all the poorer for this. 130 of 176 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes	Deliverance
Which make of car has the advertising slogan ‘Zoom, Zoom’?	Deliverance [1972] [DVD]: Amazon.co.uk: Jon Voight, Burt Reynolds, Ned Beatty, Ronny Cox, Ed Ramey, Billy Redden, Seamon Glass, Randall Deal, Bill McKinney, Herbert 'Cowboy' Coward, Lewis Crone, Ken Keener, Vilmos Zsigmond, John Boorman, Tom Priestley, Charles Orme, James Dickey: DVD & Blu-ray Deliverance [1972] [DVD] Â£13.45 & FREE Delivery in the UK on orders dispatched by Amazon over Â£20. Details Only 1 left in stock. This item can be delivered to your selected dispatch location in the United States. Details Sold by A ENTERTAINMENT and Fulfilled by Amazon . Gift-wrap available. Fulfilment by Amazon (FBA) is a service Amazon offers sellers that lets them store their products in Amazon's warehouses, and Amazon directly does the picking, packing, shipping and customer service on these items. Something Amazon hopes you'll especially enjoy: FBA items are eligible for and for Amazon Prime just as if they were Amazon items. If you're a seller, you can increase your sales significantly by using Fulfilment by Amazon. We invite you to learn more about this programme . Note: This item is eligible for click and collect. Details Pick up your parcel at a time and place that suits you. Choose from over 13,000 locations across the UK Prime members get unlimited deliveries at no additional cost How to order to an Amazon Pickup Location? Find your preferred location and add it to your address book Dispatch to this address when you check out Deliverance [1972] [DVD] Â£13.45 & FREE Delivery in the UK on orders dispatched by Amazon over Â£20. Details Only 1 left in stock. Sold by A ENTERTAINMENT and Fulfilled by Amazon . Gift-wrap available. Fulfilment by Amazon (FBA) is a service Amazon offers sellers that lets them store their products in Amazon's warehouses, and Amazon directly does the picking, packing, shipping and customer service on these items. Something Amazon hopes you'll especially enjoy: FBA items are eligible for and for Amazon Prime just as if they were Amazon items. If you're a seller, you can increase your sales significantly by using Fulfilment by Amazon. We invite you to learn more about this programme . Frequently Bought Together Add all three to Basket These items are dispatched from and sold by different sellers. Show details Buy the selected items together This item:Deliverance [1972] [DVD] by Jon Voight DVD Â£13.45 Only 1 left in stock. Sold by A ENTERTAINMENT and sent from Amazon Fulfillment. FREE Delivery on orders over Â£20. Details Southern Comfort [DVD] by Walter Hill DVD Â£5.99 In stock. Sent from and sold by Amazon. FREE Delivery on orders over Â£20. Details Midnight Express (30th Anniversary Edition) [DVD] [2008] by Brad Davis DVD Â£3.95 Only 2 left in stock. Sold by The Happy Zombie and sent from Amazon Fulfillment. FREE Delivery on orders over Â£20. Details What Other Items Do Customers Buy After Viewing This Item? Subtitles: English, Spanish, French, Italian, Portuguese, Dutch, Arabic, Romanian, Bulgarian Dubbed: French Subtitles For The Hearing Impaired: English Region: Region 2 (This DVD may not be viewable outside Europe. Read more about DVD formats. ) Aspect Ratio: 16:9 - 2.35:1 DVD Release Date: 15 May 2000 Run Time: 104 minutes Product Description Product Description Atlanta businessmen Ed (Jon Voight), Lewis (Burt Reynolds), Bobby (Ned Beatty), and Drew (Ronny Cox) take a weekend canoeing trip through the remote Appalachian wilderness, before the area is flooded for a new dam. Their inexperience and pride make them easy targets for hostile, inbred hillbillies, and the men all react differently to their situation as it becomes more perilous. Directed by John Boorman, the film serves as an allegory for America's experiences in Vietman. From Amazon.co.uk One of the key films of the 1970s, John Boorman's Deliverance is a nightmarish adaptation of poet-novelist James Dickey's book about various kinds of survival in modern America. The story concerns four Atlanta businessmen of various male stripe: Jon Voight's character is a reflective, civilized fellow; Burt Reynolds plays a strapping hunter-gatherer in urban clothes; Ned Beatty is a sweaty, weak-willed boy-man, and Ronny Cox essays a spirited, neighbourly type. Together they decide to answer the ancient call of men testing themselves against the elements and set out on a treacherous ride on the rapids of an Appalachian river. What they don't understand until it is too late is that they have ventured into Dickey's variation on the American underbelly, a wild, lawless, dangerous (and dangerously inbred) place isolated from the gloss of the late 20th century. In short order, the four men dig deep into their own suppressed primitiveness, defending themselves against armed cretins, facing the shock of real death on their carefully planned, death-defying adventure and then squarely facing the suspicions of authority over their concealed actions. Boorman, a master teller of stories about individuals on peculiarly mythical journeys, does a terrifying and beautiful job of revealing the complexity of private and collective character--the way one can never be the same after glimpsing the sharp-clawed survivor in one's soul. --Tom Keogh, Amazon.com	i don't know
How many coloured rings are on the Olympic flag?	How many rings are on the Olympic flag? \| Reference.com How many rings are on the Olympic flag? A: Quick Answer The Olympic flag has five interlocking rings on a white background. The rings represent the union of the nations of the five continental areas – North and South America, Africa, Europe, Asia and Australia and their athlete delegates at the games. Full Answer In 1913, the president of the International Olympic Committee, Baron Pierre de Coubertin, suggested an official Olympic flag to symbolize the peace and unity of international athletic competition. The flag was first introduced at the seventh Olympic Games in 1920. The white background and the blue, yellow, black, green and red ring colors were chosen to represent at least one color from each country's national flag.	5
Who was the founder of the modern Olympic Games?	The Olympic Rings What do the Olympic rings signify? According to most accounts, the rings were adopted by Baron Pierre de Coubertin (founder of the modern Olympic Movement) in 1913 after he saw a similar design on an artifact from ancient Greece. The five rings represent the five major regions of the world: Africa, the Americas, Asia, Europe, and Oceania. Every national flag in the world includes at least one of the five colors, which are (from left to right) blue, yellow, black, green, and red. It is important to emphasize that Pierre de Coubertin never said nor wrote that the colors of the rings were linked with the different continents The Olympic Flag made its debut at the 1920 Olympic Games in Antwerp, Belgium. At the end of each Olympic Games, the mayor of that host-city presents the flag to the mayor of the next host-city. It then rests at the town hall of the next host-city for four years until the Opening Ceremony of their Olympic Games.	i don't know
The Olympic Torch is lit at which ancient site?	Olympic torch for Rio games lit at ancient Greek site - BBC News BBC News Olympic torch for Rio games lit at ancient Greek site 21 April 2016 Media captionThe flame was lit by the sun's rays during a ceremony The flame for the Olympic Games in Brazil has been lit in southern Greece. An actor performing the role of high priestess lit the torch by using the sun's rays. The torch will be taken by various runners on an international relay that will culminate at the opening ceremony in Rio de Janeiro on 5 August. The ritual was established 80 years ago for the Berlin Games, based on a ceremony in Ancient Olympia where games were held for more than 1,000 years. Actor Katerina Lehou, who lit the torch, offered a mock prayer to Apollo, the old Greek god of light and music, at Thursday's ceremony. Wearing a long pleated robe, she knelt solemnly to the ground and lit the torch within a few seconds by using a concave mirror to catch the sunlight. Image copyright Reuters Image caption The flame was passed on by Ms Lehou to Greek gymnast Eleftherios Petrounias Image copyright Reuters Image caption The flame lighting ceremony was accompanied by choreography from priestesses Image copyright Reuters Image caption Thursday's ceremony marks the 80th anniversary of the torch relay Image copyright AP Image caption The relay, which did not exist in the ancient Greek Olympics, was introduced by the Nazi organisers of the 1936 Berlin Games She then delivered the flame to Greek world gymnastics champion Eleftherios Petrounias, the first runner in a torch relay that will conclude at the opening ceremony in Rio's Maracana Stadium. The chief organiser of the Games, Carlos Nuzman, promised to "deliver history". He said the Olympics would unite Brazil, which is beset by political and economic crises. "[The torch lighting] brings a message that can and will unite our dear Brazil, a country that is suffering much more than it deserves in its quest for a brighter future," he said in his speech. Brazil President Dilma Rousseff was forced to cancel her trip to ancient Olympia because of the impeachment threat she faces . International Olympic Committee (IOC) President Thomas Bach said the flame was "a timeless reminder that we are all part of the same humanity" despite the difficulties that Brazil is facing. "Rio de Janeiro... will provide a spectacle to showcase the best of the human spirit. In just a few weeks the Brazilian people will enthusiastically welcome the world and amaze us with their joy of life and their passion for sport," he said. Before the flame arrives in South America it will begin a six-day relay across Greece, passing through the town of Marathon - which gave its name to the long distance race - as well as a camp for refugees and migrants in Athens, the International Olympic Committee has said. The flame is due to arrive in Brazil on 3 May for a relay across the country, travelling through hundreds of cities and villages in every Brazilian state. It will be carried by about 12,000 torch bearers.	Olympia
In which US state were the 1960 Winter Olympic Games held?	Olympic torch lit at ancient Greek site \| KBC TV Olympic torch lit at ancient Greek site By BBC The flame for the Olympic Games in Brazil has been lit in southern Greece. An actor performing the role of high priestess lit the torch by using the sun’s rays. The torch will be taken by various runners on an international relay that will culminate at the opening ceremony in Rio de Janeiro on 5 August. The ritual was established 80 years ago for the Berlin Games, based on a ceremony in Ancient Olympia where games were held for more than 1,000 years. Actor Katerina Lehou, who lit the torch, offered a mock prayer to Apollo, the old Greek god of light and music, at Thursday’s ceremony. Wearing a long pleated robe, she knelt solemnly to the ground and lit the torch within a few seconds by using a concave mirror to catch the sunlight. She then delivered the flame to Greek world gymnastics champion Eleftherios Petrounias, the first runner in a torch relay that will conclude at the opening ceremony in Rio’s Maracana Stadium. The chief organiser of the Games, Carlos Nuzman, promised to “deliver history”. He said the Olympics would unite Brazil, which is beset by political and economic crises. “[The torch lighting] brings a message that can and will unite our dear Brazil, a country that is suffering much more than it deserves in its quest for a brighter future,” he said in his speech. Brazil President Dilma Rousseff was forced to cancel her trip to ancient Olympia because of the impeachment threat she faces . International Olympic Committee (IOC) President Thomas Bach said the flame was “a timeless reminder that we are all part of the same humanity” despite the difficulties that Brazil is facing. “Rio de Janeiro… will provide a spectacle to showcase the best of the human spirit. In just a few weeks the Brazilian people will enthusiastically welcome the world and amaze us with their joy of life and their passion for sport,” he said. Before the flame arrives in South America it will begin a six-day relay across Greece, passing through the town of Marathon – which gave its name to the long distance race – as well as a camp for refugees and migrants in Athens, the International Olympic Committee has said. The flame is due to arrive in Brazil on 3 May for a 100-day relay across the country, travelling through 500 cities and villages in every Brazilian state. It will be carried by about 12,000 torch bearers.	i don't know
An Olympiad is a period of how many successive years?	Olympic Games - Ancient History Encyclopedia Olympic Games by Mark Cartwright published on 23 May 2013 The ancient Olympic Games were a sporting event held every four years at the sacred site of Olympia , in the western Peloponnese , in honour of Zeus , the supreme god of Greek religion . Involving participants and spectators from all over Greece and even beyond, the Games were the most important cultural event in ancient Greece and were held from 776 BCE to 393 CE, a run of 293 consecutive Olympiads. Origins of the Games Sporting events were originally associated with funeral rituals, particularly those of heroes and the fallen in battle , for example, the games for Patroklos in Homer ’s Iliad. At Olympia, in particular, some mythological accounts credit Zeus with beginning the Games to celebrate his victory over Kronos whilst other accounts state the hero Pelops began them in honour of Oinomaos. In any case, sport, a healthy body and the competitive spirit were a large part of Greek education and so it is hardly surprising that organised athletic competitions would at some point be created, as they had been in the earlier Minoan and Mycenaean civilizations. Remove Ads Advertisement The first Olympics were held from 776 BCE at the first full moon after the summer solstice (around the middle of July) in honour of Zeus. The winner of the first and only event, the stadion foot-race was Koroibos of Elis and from then on every victor was recorded and each Olympiad named after them, thus giving us the first accurate chronology of the ancient Greek world. An Olympiad was not only the name of the event itself but also of the period between games. During a three month pan - Hellenic truce, athletes and as many as 40,000 spectators came from all over Greece to participate in the Games at Olympia. Later, other games would be organised at other sacred sites such as Delphi , Isthmia and Nemea but the Olympian Games would remain the most prestigious. The Games started with a procession which went from the host town of Elis to Olympia, led by the Hellanodikai (judges) and on arrival at Olympia all athletes and officials swore an oath to follow the established rules of the competitions and to compete with honour and respect. The most important religious ceremony of the event was the sacrifice of 100 oxen, known as the hecatomb, at the altar of Zeus, carried out when the sporting events were over. The Spectators Heralds (spondophoroi) were sent from Elis to advertise the coming of the Games across Greece. Spectators came from not only the Greek mainland but also the islands, Ionia and Magna Graecia . To facilitate the movement of spectators and athletes and in respect of the religious importance of the Games a sacred truce (ekecheiria) was called across Greece. Initially, the truce was for one month but in later centuries it was extended to three. No wars were permitted, no arms could be carried in the territory of Elis and no hindrance was to be given to any spectator, athlete or theoriai - (the official missions representing particular cities ) travelling to the games from wherever they came from and whichever territory they had to cross. Remove Ads Advertisement The site of Olympia must have been positively buzzing during a Games with mass crowds of excited spectators staying in make-shift camp sites (only later was accommodation provided for the visitors) and admiring the masses of fine statues and buildings at the site. Food vendors, craftsmen, musicians, poets and philosophers took full advantage of the crowds to publicise their wares or ideas. Just how many spectators attended each Games is unknown but we do know that around 45,000 spectators consisting of men, slaves and foreigners sat and watched from the embankments of the stadium which hosted the main events. Spectators actively participated in the events through their boisterous support of the athletes and after each event they showered flowers and laurel leaves on the victors. Women were not permitted to participate in or watch the events although young girls were allowed in the crowd. There was a single exception to this rule, the priestess of Demeter Chamyne. A famous breach of the men only rule was the case of Kallipateira. She had trained her son Peisirodos and when he won his race his mother, celebrating a little too exuberantly in the crowd, loosened her clothes and revealed her sex. She escaped the prescribed punishment of the death penalty because she came from a family of great Olympic victors but from then on all trainers had to be naked - like the athletes - to avoid such an occurrence in the future. The Athletes Who of men today has been adorned with so many petals and myrtles and crowns of rose thanks to his victory in the Games? Simonides' ode to Astylos Athletes trained under the watchful eye of a professional trainer (gymnastes) or physical trainer (paidotribes) who knew how to best develop particular muscles, the best diet and the correct amount of exercises to be done. Trainers were often thanked by their more successful athletes by the dedication of a statue of them at the site. Athletes also had an aleiptes who rubbed them down with oil and massaged them both before exercising and after. Remove Ads Advertisement The athletes competed naked, probably for complete freedom of movement. Events were open to all free Greek males and the list of victors illustrates just how pan-Hellenic the Games were with athletes coming from all parts of Greece and in Roman times the no-foreigner rule for athletes was relaxed. Victors were those who beat all other competitors. There are practically no records of times and distances achieved by victorious athletes as these were simply not considered important, the idea was to be first amongst the best, not to beat records. The Main Event: The Stadion For the first 12 Olympics the stadion foot-race was the only event and it remained the most prestigious event throughout the history of the Games. The race was ran over one length (a stadion) of the stadium track, 600 ancient feet or 192 m and preliminary heats were held with heat winners going into the final. Athletes were grouped by lot and in the interest of fairness this was also the way pairings were matched in the other events. The eventual winner of the stadion would even give his name to that particular Games and so be remembered for all time. Other Events Over time other events were added to the Games to bring the total programme to 18 events spread over five days: diaulos - the two stadium lengths foot-race, added in 724 BCE. dolichos - longer foot-races 7 to 20 stadium lengths, added in 720 BCE. wrestling - added in 708 BCE. Competitors had to throw their opponent to the ground three times to gain victory. pentathlon - also added in 708 BCE. All done in a single day, the event order was: jumping (in a soft soil pit using hand-weights or halteres and accompanied to music), discuss (in stone, iron or bronze), stadion, javelin (in wood and thrown using a leather thong), and wrestling. Just how an athlete won the overall event is unclear, three event victories may have guaranteed overall victory. boxing - added in 688 BCE. Athletes wore straps of leather (himantes) around their hands, initially as protection but they evolved into destructive weapons with metal pieces added. Rules were limited to no low-blows and no holding. Serious injuries were common and deaths not unknown. tethrippon - the four-horse chariot race added in 680 BCE, run over ten or twelve circuits of the hippodrome. A version using foals over 8 circuits was added in 384 BCE. keles - a horse race added in 648 BCE and run over 6 cicuits. A version for foals was added in 256 BCE. pankration - a mix of boxing and wrestling also added in 648 BCE. The pankration was a brutal event and the only moves not allowed were biting and gouging, although competitors did not wear the damaging leather thongs of the boxers. hoplitodromos - the race in hoplite armour (helmet, shield and spear) between 2 and 4 stadium lengths was added in 520 BCE and was usually the last event of the Games. apene - a race with chariots pulled by two mules, added in 500 BCE (dropped from 444 BCE). kalpe - a trotting horse race for mares, added in 496 BCE (dropped from 444 BCE). synoris - the two-horse chariot race run over eight circuits of the hippodrome, added in 408 BCE. A version using foals over three circuits was added in 268 BCE. competitions for trumpeters and heralds - added in 396 BCE. This was held on the first day and the winners - those whose sound carried the furthest - were also given the honour of announcing the victors on the final day at the official prize-giving event. Rules & Judges Athletes had to arrive at Olympia one month before the Games for training and, further, they had to declare that they had been in training for at least ten months. Non-Greeks, slaves, murderers, those convicted of defiling temples and all those who had not respected the truce were excluded from participating. Indeed, cities could be included in the latter category, for example, Sparta in 420 BCE. The events were supervised by trained judges from Elis, the Hellanodikai (or agonothetai) who also had various assistants such as the alytai (police officers). For the first 49 Olympics there was only one judge but he was joined by others to reach a peak of twelve, distributed amongst the various events. Originally, the office was hereditary and for life but later judges were selected from Elis by lot. The Hellanodikai had the power to disqualify and fine athletes for any infringement of the rules and, wearing their purple cloaks, they were given special seats of honour in the stadium. The decisions of the Hellanodikai could never be revoked but the judges were themselves subject to judgment from a council of elders and should an athlete successfully appeal, the judge concerned could be fined. Rules were very rarely broken and when they were penalties were imposed ranging from exclusion and fines to flogging. Fines were paid both to the sanctuary and the wronged athlete. If an offender did not pay the fine then the city he represented had to or else be excluded from the next Games. Revenue from fines was in part used to erect statues of Zeus known as zanes and a number of the bases of these statues can still be seen at the site today. Prizes The Hellanodikai also gave out the victory crown (kotinos) of wild olive leaves and an olive branch cut from the scared tree (Kallistephanos) to each event winner. The olive was significant because the trees of Olympia were believed to have been originally planted by Hercules . Another prize could be a red woollen ribbon which was worn on the upper arm or around the head, especially for chariot racers as it was the horse owner who actually received the olive crown. Victors were welcomed back to their home towns as heroes after the Games. Typically entering the city in a procession where they rode a four-horse chariot victors had huge banquets held in their honour and they could receive additional benefits such as exemption from tax and invitations to join the political elite. Cities also received prestige from victories at the Games and for this reason they sometimes offered financial incentives for athletes such as Solon ’s 500 drachmas prize (a substantial sum considering one sheep cost one drachma at the time). However, the real prize for athletes was glory, fame and, in a very real sense, historical immortality. This was achieved through renown whilst still alive but was perpetuated after death via victor’s lists, personal statues and victory odes written in the victor’s honour. Famous Victors There were many great athletes who won fame and glory in multiple Games. Kroton from southern Italy won three consecutive stadion races from 488 to 480 BCE. Phanas of Pellene managed to win three events in the Olympics of 521 BCE - the stadion, diaulos and the race in armour. Leonidas of Rhodes went even better and managed to win all three events in four consecutive Olympics between 164 and 152 BCE. A feat almost matched by Hermogenes of Xanthos, known as ‘the horse’ who won eight running events over three Olympics between 81 and 89 CE. Milon of Kroton won the wrestling competition five times from 532 to 516 BCE and the runner Astylos of Kroton won six crowns across the three Olympics of 488, 484 and 480 BCE. Finally, Herodoros of Megara won an incredible ten consecutive trumpet competitions from 328 to 292 BCE. The Games and their prestige also attracted famous competitors from outside the sporting world. The great Athenian general and statesman Alcibiades won three chariot races in 416 BCE. Philip II of Macedon won the horse race in 356 BCE and repeated his winning streak in the chariot races of the 352 and 348 BCE Games. Also, Roman emperor Nero famously won every event he entered in 65 CE. These powerful political leaders even sought to milk the prestige of their successes at Olympia by minting coins to commemorate their victories. The first woman to win the crown of victory was Kyniska in 392 BCE. Although women were not permitted to compete, they could own horses and it was the owner who won the olive crown prize. Many other women went on to emulate Kyniska and Spartan women, in particular, enjoyed a high reputation in the equestrian events at Olympia. End of the Games The Games continued through the Hellenistic period with more buildings added to the site, greater comforts offered for the spectators and an increase in the professionalism and event specialisation of the athletes. In Roman times, although there were some changes to tradition such as Sulla ’s moving of the 80 BCE Games to Rome , the Games continued to be popular and their prestige increased under hellenophile emperors such as Hadrian . However, it was Emperor Theodosios who finally decreed that all cult practices, including Games, be stopped and the final Olympics was held in 393 CE after a run of 293 Olympics over more than a millennium. About the Author	4
The decathlon is contested over how many days?	Eric Liddell Bio, Stats, and Results \| Olympics at Sports-Reference.com Medals: 1 Gold, 1 Bronze (2 Total) Biography After showing brilliant promise as an all-round sportsman at Elthiam College, Eric Liddell won international honors at rugby football and athletics when he went up to Edinburgh University. Born in China in the aftermath of the Boxer rising, Liddell first entered the Scottish Championships as a 19-year-old in 1921 and scored the first of his five successive victories in the 100 yards and the 200 yards and the 220 yards. He also won the 440 yards in 1924 and 1925. At the AAA Championships, Liddell won the 100 yards and 200 yards in 1923 and the 440 yards in 1924. His time of 9.7 seconds for 100 yards in 1923 stood as a British record for 35 years. Liddell won seven caps on the wing for Scotland, the first of which came against France at the Stade Colombes which was also the venue for his Olympic triumph, and scored four tries for his country. He gave up rugby for 1923-24 season in order to concentrate on his Olympic preparation. He opened the 1924 traction season with a brief visit to America in April, where he finished second in the 200 yards and fourth in the 100 yards at the Penn Relays. When the program was announced for the Paris Olympic Games, Liddell immediately forsook any idea of running the 100 metres as the preliminaries were scheduled to be held on a Sunday. Following this decision, he naturally chose to use the AAA Championships as a final tune-up for the two events on which he had set his adjusted Olympic sights. He won the 440 yards, finished second behind the South African [Howard Kinsman] in the 220 yards and then went to Paris for the Olympic Games. After wining a bronze medal in the 200 metres, he improved his personal best by more than one second in the semi-finals of the 400 metres. In a classic final, Liddell, drawn in the outside lane, set a devastating pace, which with head back and arms flailing he somehow managed to maintain to the tape, coming home in 47.6 seconds for a new Olympic, European and British record. Back at Stamford Bridge after the Games for the British Empire vs. USA match, Liddell again ran inside 48 seconds as he made up six yards on the Olympic silver medalist [Horatio Fitch] in the 4×440 yards relay. After the 1924 track season, Liddell spent an increasing amount of time on his religious duties and after winning three events in the 1925 Scottish Championships he returned to China to join his father as a missionary. He did not give up athletics completely and in 1929 at a meeting in Tientsin, he ran 49.1 seconds to beat the celebrated German runner [Otto Peltzer] over 400 metres. Peltzer pressed Liddell to train for the 800 metres at the 1932 Olympic Games, but Liddell ran his last race in 1930 when he won the North China Championship. Over the next decade, Liddell devoted all his energies to the Church and became a legend in the London Missionary Society, but in March 1943 he was interned in a Japanese concentration camp. The privations suffered in camp took their toll of even the fittest and Eric Liddell died in captivity at the age of 43. Although partly fictionalized, the film [Chariots of Fire] is a fitting tribute to this memorable man. Personal Bests\: 100y – 9.7 (1923); 220y – 21.6 (1923); 400 – 47.6 (1924). Results	i don't know
The Olympic Marathon is held in commemoration of which ancient Greek soldier who ran from Marathon to Athens?	Marathon - Ancient History Encyclopedia Marathon by Mark Cartwright published on 19 May 2013 The Battle on the plain of Marathon in September 490 BCE between Greeks and the invading forces of Persian King Darius was a victory which would go down in folklore as the moment the Greek city -states showed the world their courage and excellence and won their liberty. Although in reality the battle only delayed the Persians in their imperialistic ambitions and greater battles would follow, Marathon was the first time that mighty Persia had been shown beatable and the battle would be represented in Greek art - literature , sculpture, architecture, and pottery - as a crucial and defining moment in the history of Greece . The Persian Empire Persia, under the rule of Darius (r. 522-486 BCE), was already expanding into mainland Europe and had subjugated Ionia , Thrace, and Macedonia by the beginning of the 5th century BCE. Next in king Darius’ sights were Athens and the rest of Greece. Just why Greece was coveted by Persia is unclear. Wealth and resources seem an unlikely motive; other more plausible suggestions include the need to increase the prestige of the king at home or to quell once and for all a collection of potentially troublesome rebel states on the western border of the empire. The Ionian rebellion, the symbolic offering of earth and water in submission to the Persian satrap in 508 BCE, and the attack by Athens and Eretria on the city of Sardis in 499 BCE had not been forgotten either. Whatever the exact motives, in 491 BCE Darius once again sent envoys to call for the Greeks’ submission to Persian rule. The Greeks sent a no-nonsense reply by executing the envoys, and Athens and Sparta promised to form an alliance for the defence of Greece. Darius’ response to this diplomatic outrage was to launch a naval force of 600 ships and 25,000 men to attack the Cyclades and Euboea, leaving the Persians just one step away from the rest of Greece. However, the invaders would meet their match in 490 BCE when the Greek forces led by Athens gathered at the plain of Marathon to defend their country from foreign subjugation. Advertisement The Persian Army Overall command of the Persian army was in the hands of Datis as Darius did not lead the invasion in person. Second-in-command was Artaphernes, Darius’ nephew, who perhaps led the Persian cavalry. The total strength of the Persian army is unclear, but judging by the number of ships there may have been some 90,000 men. The actual number of fighting men may have been two baivarabam units or 20,000-25,000 men. Most of these were archers with perhaps another 2,000 strong cavalry force. The Persian army actually came from various states across the empire but the Persians and Sakai were acknowledged as the best fighting units. The Greek Army The Greeks were led by either the Athenian Polemarch Kallimachos (also spelt Callimachus) or Miltiades who had actually fought under Darius in the latter’s campaign in Scythia and so had valuable military intelligence of Persian tactics. The 1,000 Plataeans were commanded by Arimnestos and the Athenians fielded some 9,000 hoplites. The total force is estimated between 10,000 and 20,000 but was probably nearer the lower figure. Hoplites v Archers The Persians could field superior numbers and their reputation was formidable. The two opposing armies were essentially representative of the two approaches to Classical warfare - the Persians favoured long-range assault using archers followed up with a cavalry charge, whilst the Greeks favoured heavily-armoured hoplites, arranged in a densely packed formation called the phalanx, with each man carrying a heavy round bronze shield and fighting at close quarters using spears and swords. The Persian infantry carried a lightweight (often rectangular) wicker shield (spara) and were armed with a long dagger or curved sword (kopis), a short spear, and composite bow. Typically, those with shields (sparabarai) formed a defensive barrier whilst from behind the archers fired their arrows. The Persian forces also included a couple of 1,000-strong units (hazarbam) of elite spear-bearers (aristabara). They had lighter armour than the hoplite , usually wearing a tunic (with perhaps bronze scales attached or a leather cuirass for some), colourfully patterned trousers, boots, and a soft hood. Remove Ads Advertisement The Persian cavalry were armed as the foot soldiers, with a bow and an additional two javelins for throwing and thrusting. Cavalry, usually operating on the flanks of the main battle, were used to mop up opposing infantry put in disarray after they had been subjected to repeated salvos from the archers. Although the Persian tactic of rapidly firing vast numbers of arrows into the enemy must have been an awesome sight, the lightness of the arrows meant that they were largely ineffective against the bronze-armoured hoplites. At close quarters, the longer spears, heavier swords, better armour, and rigid discipline of the phalanx formation meant that the Greek hoplites would have all of the advantages, but the Persians could field superior numbers and their reputation was formidable. Opening Positions The Persian force first landed at Karystos and then Eretria in northern Euboea, sacking both cities before moving across the strait to the eastern end of the bay of Marathon on the 1st and 2nd of September. Marathon was chosen as a suitable landing point for the Persians because it provided ideal terrain for the cavalry units; indeed, the very name Marathon may derive from the wild fennel (marathos) which still grows on this exceptionally fertile plain. In addition, the site also had a nearby lake offering a plentiful supply of water for both men and horses. The advantages of the site are probably why Pisistratus also chose the spot to land in c. 546 BCE on his way to establishing himself as tyrant of Athens. Here then, in the shelter of the Kynosoura peninsula, the Persians set up camp. When the Greeks discovered the invasion point, there was some discussion amongst the Athenian strategoi or generals whether to stay or meet the invaders, but the latter was the option decided upon and on arrival at Marathon on the 3rd or 4th of September, they set up camp near the sanctuary of Hercules at the western end of the bay, to be shortly joined by the Plataeans. The Spartans, celebrated as the finest fighters in Greece, were unfortunately delayed in their mobilisation because they were involved in the sacred Karneia festival and may well have been preoccupied with a local revolt by the Messenians. In fact, the Spartans would miss the battle by a day. Remove Ads Advertisement The details of the battle, as with most early 5th century BCE battles, are sketchy and contradictory between ancient sources. However, on the 11th of September, it seems that the Greeks drew up their battle lines in the centre of the bay whilst the Persians had embarked only half of their infantry. Forming a front eight men deep, the Greeks lengthened their lines to match the Persians and thinned out their centre group to four men deep. The Plataeans were positioned on the right flank whilst the Athenians were in the centre and on the left. The best Persian and Sakai troops commanded from the centre, perhaps as many as ten men deep. This was a common Persian tactic, so the thinning of the Greek hoplites in the centre may have been a deliberate tactic by Miltiades or Kallimachos to allow the flanks to envelop the Persians as they made progress in the centre. On the other hand the Greeks could not afford a narrower front than the Persians, as this would allow them to get behind the Greek lines at the wings and render the phalanx formation hopelessly exposed to attack. The two lines of men - invaders and defenders - stretched 1,500 metres long and they now stood just 1,500 metres apart. Battle The Persian cavalry is mysteriously absent from the battle scene, and once again ancient sources and modern historians reach no consensus. It may have been that Datis could not use them to good effect because of the sporadic trees which dotted the plain, or that he had in fact sent them (or was planning to send them) with other troops towards Athens, either in an attempt to take the city while the Greeks were at Marathon, or perhaps their very absence was to tempt the Greek army to engage in battle before the Spartans arrived. Eventually, though, the infantry on both sides engaged in battle. Moving towards each other and perhaps with the Greeks running the final 400 metres whilst undoubtedly under fire from the Persian archers, the two armies clashed. A lengthy and bloody struggle ensued with eventually the centre of the Persians, perhaps predictably, pushing the weakened Greek centre back. However, both the right and left flank of the Greeks got the upper-hand of the Persians, driving them back. The lines were, therefore, broken and a confused melee was the result. The Persians, now routed on the left and right, fled back to their ships, but to reach them they had to cross a wide marshy area. In the confused retreat the Greek wings closed into the centre and attacked both the Persian centre and pursued the fleeing Persian flanks, inflicting heavy casualties. Fierce fighting continued around the Persian ships, and it was in this action that Kallimachos was killed. The Greeks captured seven ships of the enemy, but the rest of the fleet escaped with any Persians who had managed to climb aboard. The Greeks had won a great victory. According to tradition 6,400 Persians were dead, for only 192 Greeks. The first figure is reasonably accurate but the latter is likely a great underestimate for propaganda purposes. The Persians were not finished though, as Datis now sailed for Cape Sounion in an attempt to attack Athens whilst the Greek army was away. The Greeks may have been alerted to this development by a traitor’s shield signal from Mt. Pentelikos which was, perhaps unfairly, accredited to the Alkemeonidai clan. No doubt exhausted, the Greek army was, nevertheless, compelled to march back at the double to Athens to defend the city. Their arrival at night of the same day seems to have been enough to discourage the Persians anchored off Phaleron and the fleet withdrew back to Asia. At this point 2,000 Spartans finally arrived but they were unnecessary for victory was complete. The Aftermath Back at Marathon, the dead were cremated and buried at the site (an unusual step and the burial mound is still visible today), and a commemorative column trophy was erected (fragments of which are now in the Archaeological Museum of Marathon). Sacrifices were made in thanks to the gods, notably 500 goats to Artemis Agrotera, and each year thereafter, a sacrifice was performed at the site, a ritual continued for another 400 years. The Athenians set up a column and statue of Iris (or Nike ) on their acropolis in honour of Kallimachos, and his role in the victory and statues and war booty were dedicated at the great sanctuary of Delphi . The victory was also commemorated in statues by the renowned sculptor Phiedias - a bronze group at Delphi which included Apollo , Artemis, and Miltiades, and a colossal bronze Athena on the Athenian acropolis. A temple to Artemis Eukleia was built in Athens, and the battle was also the subject of the sculpture on the south side of the Temple of Athena Nike c. 425-400 BCE in Athens. The victory was a great morale booster for the Greeks and all kinds of legends grew out of the events in September. Visions of the mythical Athenian hero Theseus during the battle and the intervention of Pan were just some of the stories which helped to explain how the Greeks had managed to defeat the mighty Persian army. Also, veterans of the battle carried a bull of Marathon (from the Hercules myth) device on their shield thereafter to proudly show their participation in this great victory. Despite the Greek euphoria at victory, however, Persian ambitions were not dampened by defeat at Marathon, for within a decade King Xerxes continued his predecessor Darius’ vision, and in 480 BCE gathered a huge invasion force to attack Greece, this time via the pass at Thermopylae . In August 480 BCE a small band of Greeks led by Spartan King Leonidas held the pass for three days, and at the same time the Greek fleet managed to hold off the Persians at the naval Battle of Artemision. Together, these battles bought Greece time and allowed for the victories to come, first at Salamis in September 480 BCE where the Greek fleet manoeuvred the Persians into shallow waters, and at Plataea in August 479 BCE where the Greeks, fielding the largest hoplite army ever seen, won the battle which finally ended Persia’s ambitions in Greece. The Marathon Race One final legend of Marathon and one which has carried its name up to the present day is Herodotus ’ account of a long-distance messenger (hēmerodromos) named Phidippides. He was sent to enlist the help of the Spartans before the battle and he ran to Sparta, first stopping at Athens, a total distance of 240 km (a feat repeated by an athlete in 1983 CE). Later sources, starting with Plutarch in the 1st century CE, confuse this story with another messenger sent from Marathon after the battle to announce victory and warn of the Persian fleet’s imminent arrival in Athens. In any case, it was from this second legend that a race - covering the same distance as the 42 kilometres between Marathon and Athens - was established in the first revival of the Olympic Games in 1896 CE to commemorate ancient Greek sporting ideals and the original games at Olympia . Fittingly, the first marathon race was won by a Greek, Spiridon Louis. About the Author	Pheidippides
Which country has won the most medals in total at the Summer Olympic Games?	The Olympic Marathon The Olympic Marathon The Athens Marathon By Alexander Kitroeff* From Spyros Louis' victorious win in 1896 to the first women's marathon in 1973, the lengthy journey runs to this day SPYROS Louis' famous win in the marathon at the Athens Olympics of 1896 provided the exclamation mark for those Games. It was the only Greek win in the track and field events and it was in one of the last events. The home crowd greeted Louis' entrance into the Panathenaic Stadium, where he crossed the finishing line, with an outburst of patriotic enthusiasm. It was just as well, then, that the marathon race had been specially invented for the Olympic Games, only a year earlier. It was the brainchild of a Frenchman, Michel Breal, a friend of the reviver of the modern Olympics, the baron de Coubertin. Breal accompanied Coubertin when he travelled to Greece in 1895 to persuade the Greeks to organise the first Olympics. Breal, a romantic phil hellene, stated he would offer a gold cup as a prize if the Greek organisers revived the run from the battleground at Marathon to Athens by the Greek soldier Pheidippides to announce the victory over the Persians in 490BC. According to the legend - no actual evidence exists in any of the sources - Pheidippides ran the roughly 40- kilometre (25-mile) distance at the conclusion of the battle, announced its outcome by gasping out Nenikikamen! and then promptly died of exhaustion. See also: Pheidippides' Heroic Journey The Athens Marathon The Greek organisers loved the idea of a race that recalled such a proud moment in Ancient Greek history, and they even had two trial runs. The first trial - the first ever marathon race in history - took place on March 10 (February 27 according to the Julian calendar that was observed in Greece at the time). It involved only Greek runners and the winner was the nineteen-year old Peloponnesian Charilaos Vasilakos, who would come second to Louis in the Olympic marathon, a month later. Legendary Louis Appropriately perhaps for a race based on a legend, Louis, the first winner, became a legend in his own time. He won before a home crowd expecting a Greek win in what was considered a Greek race. The twenty-four year old Louis, a farmer and water carrier who lived in Maroussi just north of Athens (and now one of its suburbs) had taken part in the second trial marathon prior to the Olympics but otherwise he was untrained, and this gave his win its mystique and romanticism and helped him become a legend. The Olympic Stadium that hosts the 2004 Athens Olympics, located very close to Maroussi, is named after Louis. There has probably never been a marathon win again of such tremendous national importance. Coubertin's biographer, Chicago University professor John MacAloon, said that Louis' dramatic victory in the marathon gave the Olympics an aura of heroism that helped them become the major sporting event in the world. The longest race and the most gruelling track and field event, the marathon is now the highlight of each Olympics and traditionally takes place on the last day. Its instant popularity led, within months of the Athens Olympics, to the running of a marathon in Paris and in the American town of Stamford, Connecticut in April 1896 and, most famously, to the establishment of an annual marathon race which began the next year in Boston, Massachusetts, that is now a major event on the international athletic calendar. By being held only every four years, however, the Olympics marathon is the one that attracts the most international attention. From its earliest days it also generated the best myths. A small book can be written about the stories surrounding Louis' origins and the rewards he was promised and actually received for his win. Fanciful stories also emerged about the next marathon winner at the Paris Olympics in 1900. Michel Theato, a resident of France who was born in Luxembourg, was said to have won on a very hot day because he was a baker used to delivering hot croissants to his fellow Parisians. As usually happens, academic research spoiled this good story by ascertaining that Thlato was, in fact a woodworker. Marathon music There have been several dramatic finishes to the Olympic marathons that have involved athletes running neck and neck in the final stretch. The first of these took place at the london Olympics in 1908. This might not have happened if the race's distance had not been extended in order to please the British royal family: they wanted the race to start just outside one of their official residences, Windsor Castle, located just west of london. Although there was no standard distance yet, the previous marathons had been between 25 and 26 miles (or 40 to 41.6 kilometres). In london, the 26-mile maximum distance would have ended the race at the entrance to london's White City stadium. But there would be greater dramatic effect if the runners circled the stadium and ended up in front of the royal box. So another 385 yards were, added. This extra distance proved disastrous for the Italian runner Dorando Pietri who entered the stadium first but then, utterly exhausted, collapsed. Pietri got up, staggered on and fell again but was helped up by officials who eventually had to assist him across the finishing line. This was in clear violation of the rules, and the American team, whose runner John Hays, a New Yorker, came in second to Pietri, lodged a protest. The judges had no option but to disqualify the unlucky Italian and award the gold medal to Hays. In a very British gesture, it was announced that Pietri would receive a special award for the fighting spirit he had shown in adversity. Irving Berlin, one of America's greatest popular composers, had his first big hit with the song' Dorando' , named after the Italian runner. It is about an Italian-American barbershop owner who bets his shop on Dorando winning a race at Madison Square garden. Dorando falls and loses: "Dorando he's a drop! / Goodbye poor old barber shop." And the reason Dorando does not win, according to Berlin, is that the day before he eats Irish beef stew instead of spaghetti. Ironically, Hays was the son of Irish immigrants. Kenya's Paul Tergat, one of the favourites to win the 2004 marathon, shows off the gold medal that he won on 28 September 2003 in Berlin with a time of 2:04.55 International race The Korean Kitei Song (Kee ChungSohn) won the marathon at the 1936 Games in Berlin running, unhappily, in Japanese colours because his country was occupied by Japan. This first win by a runner from Asia meant that among the first ten Olympic marathon winners (eleven if we include the Interim Olympics held in Athens in 1906) were runners from all the major continents. After Louis in 1896 and Thlato in 1900, two more runners from Europe won the gold, the Finn Johannes Kolehmainen in 1920 and his compatriot Albin Stenroos in 1924. There were two Americans, Thomas Hicks in 1904 and John Hays in 1908, and a Canadian, Phillip Sherring in 1906. Two winners came from Africa - the South African Kennedy MacArthur in 1912 and the Algerian (running in French colours) Boughera EI Ouafi in 1928. And in 1932, Juan Zabala became the first Olympic marathon winner from Latin America A map of the original 1896 Marathon course. The route is the same for the Athens 2004 Olympics New records In the aftermath of World War II, the Olympic marathon acquired a new legend: Emil Zatopek..When the Czech runner appeared at the starting line during the 1952 Helsinki Games he caused a great deal of consternation among the other competitors. There was a very good reason why. Zatopek had just won the two major long-distance contests - the 10,000 metres (that he had also won at the London 1948 Games) and the 5,000 metres. He had never, though, competed in a marathon before. In the 10,000m the runner-up was a full 100 metres behind him and in the 5,000m, Zatopek was only in fourth place with half a lap to go, but he sprinted into the lead in the final turn and won easily. In the afternoon, he watched his wife Jana, whom he had met at the London Games, win gold in the javelin throw. Distance runners, especially 10,000metre specialists, often compete in the marathon as well. Delfo Cabrera, the Argentinian winner of the London marathon in 1948, had earlier distinguished himself in the 10,000-metre race in the South American championships. But no one had ever gone on to try for the marathon after winning a long distance race in the same tournament only days earlier. So Zatopek's presence at the starting line caused understandable astonishment, at least to those not familiar with his genuine love of running long distances! As a novice, the Czech runner did not know what the right pace was, so for good measure he ran along with the more experienced favourites who led the race. Then, just past the halfway mark, he found himself ahead of everyone else. There was no mistaking Zatopek' s figure as he entered the stadium, still first. He had the most unorthodox running style, his arms and shoulders flayed about, his head was tilted to one side and his face was contorted in an awful grimace. The lower half of his body seemed to be moving totally independently. The stadium's 70,000 capacity crowd rose to their feet and cheered Zatopek to the finishing line. History had been made, and this extraordinary feat has yet to be repeated. A year before Zatopek' s triumph at Helsinki, a young Ethiopian named Abebe Bikila enlisted in the army because it offered him the opportunity to do the running and physical training he enjoyed. Within a few years it became evident that Bikila was a strong marathon runner, with times very close to those of the Algerianborn Alain Mimoun, who won at the 1956 Melbourne Olympics, running in French colours. Bikila was included in the small Ethiopian squad which travelled to Rome for the 1960 Olympics. There was an anti-colonial aura surrounding Mimoun' s win for France at a time when his fellow-Algerians were fighting the French for independence. Something similar was at work when the Ethiopians competed in the capital city of their former colonial masters. Perhaps it was this that energised Bikila on the eve of the marathon, although he had rather more immediate concerns: his running shoes had fallen apart and he could not find a suitable pair to replace them. So he decided he would run barefoot. The marathon was about to acquire a new legend. Bikila not only won, but he also posted a new world record, clocking in at 2 hours, 15 minutes and 16 seconds. It was the first Olympic marathon win under the two-hour-twenty-minute mark. The only difference between the Rome marathon of 1960 and the one at the next Olympics in Tokyo was that Bikila won wearing shoes this time. He also smashed the record by running eight minutes faster. Thus he became the first athlete to win two consecutive Olympic marathon races. Zatopek may have been the greatest long distance runner to win a marathon, but Bikila was surely the greatest marathon runner of all time. Indeed, Bikila was in with a chance to win a third marathon in Mexico City in 1968, but he injured himself and, not fully fit, had to abandon the race. But Ethiopia did not lose all hope for a third marathon medal in a row because Bikila' s running mate, the 36-year-old Mamo Wolde, was among the leaders. Spurred on by Bikila' s appeal to him to make history, Wolde took the lead around the thirtieth kilometre and kept it until he crossed the finishing line. So Ethiopia became the first and only country to win three consecutive Olympic marathons. But a couple of tragic twists of fate were in store for its champion runners. A few months after the 1968 Olympics Bikila was involved in a car accident in his country that left him paralysed from below the waist. He remained active but fell ill and died five years later. Wolde would suffer as well, as a result of the political instability Ethiopia faced: he spent several years in prison in the 1990s. European dominance After an American Frank Shorter took the gold in the marathon at Munich in 1972, with Wolde coming in third, European runners won the next four. In fact, the East German Waldermar Cierpinski, formerly a steeplechase runner, equalled Bikila's feat by winning the raindrenched marathon at the Montreal Olympics in 1976, with Shorter coming in second, and winning again with a very strong finish at the Moscow 1980 Olympics. Two southern European victories followed at a time when more and more countries were entering athletes for the event. Portugal's Carlos Lopes won in Los Angeles in 1984, at thirty-seven the oldest ever winner, and the Italian Gelindo Bordin won in Seoul in 1988. The Korean Hwang Young-Cho' s victory in Barcelona put an end to this period of European dominance - it was the first win for an Asian runner since his compatriot Kitei Shon (Kee Chung-Sohn) had won in Berlin in 1936. Women' marathon The difficulty women experienced in being treated as equal to men in the Olympic Games is epitomised by how late they had to wait for a women's marathon to be included. It was in Amsterdam in 1928 that women were allowed to compete for the first time in what was considered for them to be a long distance race, the 800 metres. Because many of the competitors collapsed on finishing, the male Olympic administrators decided that women were unsuited to running long distances. Only in the 1970s did attitudes begin to change. In 1973 a women-only marathon was organised in Germany, and was repeated the following year after another one had also been run in California. The first women's marathon at a major international event was held in Athens in 1982 at the European track and field championships and was won by Rosa Mota of Portugal. The first women's Olympic marathon took place in Los Angeles in 1984, with America's Joan Benoit the winner and Grete Waitz of Norway second. Benoit's time was better than that of many male Olympic marathon winners. Another myth about female weakness landed in the dustbin of history as women's marathons proliferated throughout the world. Mota won the bronze medal in Los Angeles but four years later she was the gold medal winner at the Seoul Olympics where only 5 of the 69 starters did not finish. Valentina Yegorova of the former Soviet Union won in Barcelona in 1992 with Japan's Yuko Arimori finishing very close behind her, and 37-year-old Lorraine Moller of New Zealand third. Arimori' s performance was particularly impressive given that she had been born with a congenital dislocation of her foot joint, which was corrected with a cast when she was a child. Ethiopian women followed the example set by their men when Fatuma Roba won at the Atlanta Olympics of 1996 aged twenty-two, with Yegorova and Arimori finishing behind her in the same order as four years earlier. At Sydney it was third time lucky for Japan's quest for women's gold when 28-year-old Naoko Takahashi was the winner. Lidia Simon of Romania was second and Joyce Chepchumba of Kenya third. Takahashi broke Benoit's record, and her success provided a powerful boost for women in Japan, where marathon running is a revered sport. Meanwhile, Japan's Arimori was still in the news, but for the wrong kind of reason. There was media speculation that she was marrying an American in order to move to the United States. Ultimately, she wound up as a Japanese TV commentator at the Sydney Games. Later, she was to make the news for a good reason too. In 1998, she established a non-governmental organisation (NGO) called "Heart of Gold", which aims to offer hope to handicapped people around the world through sports. The NGO also supports self-help activities by war victims in Cambodia and other countries. Africa strikes back The Atlanta 1996 and Sydney 2000 men's marathons witnessed the reemergence of African runners. South African Josiah Thugwane won in Atlanta in an extremely close finish that had Korea's Lee Bong-ju just behind him and the Kenyan Eric Wainaina a close third. The Africans were back and no one was left in any doubt after they captured all three medals in Sydney in 2000. This time Wainana was second, coming in between two Ethiopians, the winner Gezahng Abera and bronze medallist Tesfaye Tola. The three winners shared more than their African identities: high altitude training prior to the Games. "We train high, and compete low," said team doctor Ayalew Tilahun. He was referring to the Ethiopian policy of withdrawing athletes from competition for a month before the Games and putting them through intensive training at the high-altitude team camp in Addis Ababa. And there is one more important ingredient in the Ethiopian and Kenyan preparations, a tactic first adopted by Emil Zatopek. They have intense work outs with a lot of speed training, something that not all long distance coaches and athletes favour. And speaking of great runners such as Zatopek, we must not forget the other ingredient that makes for a champion marathon runner - the sheer will to continue running and to win. "When I felt tired during the race, all I could think was, 'What about all that effort, wasn't it for this?''' explained Abera after he had crossed the finishing line in Sydney. The men's marathon race tomorrow will be all about continuity (as was last Sunday's women's race). The runners will take the same course covered by Spyros Louis back in 1896 and the finish is sure to evoke memories of the revival of the modern Games. But this time there will be no Greek winner. The favourites, according to Sports Illustrated, a leading US sports magazine, are all from Africa Paul Tergat of Kenya, Gert Thys of South Africa and Jaouad Gharib of Morocco. * Alexander Kitroeff was born in Athens. He is professor of history at Haverford College in Pennsylvania and author of Wrestling With the Ancients: Modern Greek Identity and the Olympics, New York, Greekworks.com, 2004 HCS readers can view other excellent articles by the Athens News writers and staff in many sections of our extensive, permanent archives, especially our News & Issues, Travel in Greece, Business, and Food, Recipes & Garden sections at the URL http://www.helleniccomserve.com./contents.html . Readers enjoying these articles may wish to subscribe to the Athens News by visiting the website and following online directions at http://www.athensnews.gr . All articles of Athens News appearing on HCS have been reprinted with permission. 2000 © Hellenic Communication Service, L.L.C. All Rights Reserved. http://www.HellenicComServe.com	i don't know
Which event is sometimes referred to as the ‘Hop, step and jump’?	Hop, step and jump - definition of Hop, step and jump by The Free Dictionary Hop, step and jump - definition of Hop, step and jump by The Free Dictionary http://www.thefreedictionary.com/Hop%2c+step+and+jump Also found in: Thesaurus , Encyclopedia , Wikipedia . Related to Hop, step and jump: triple jump triple jump n. A distance jump in track and field consisting of a hop landing on the take-off foot, a stride landing on the other foot, and a jump landing on both feet. triple jump n (Athletics (Track & Field)) an athletic event in which the competitor has to perform successively a hop, a step, and a jump in continuous movement. Also called: hop, step, and jump tri′ple jump′ n. (in track and field) a jumping event for distance in which a participant leaps on one foot from a takeoff point, lands on the same foot, steps forward on the other foot, leaps, and lands on both feet. Also called hop, step, and jump. [1960–65]	Triple jump
Which US retired speed skater has won five gold medals at the Winter Olympic Games?	Hop, step and jump - definition of Hop, step and jump by The Free Dictionary Hop, step and jump - definition of Hop, step and jump by The Free Dictionary http://www.thefreedictionary.com/Hop%2c+step+and+jump Also found in: Thesaurus , Encyclopedia , Wikipedia . Related to Hop, step and jump: triple jump triple jump n. A distance jump in track and field consisting of a hop landing on the take-off foot, a stride landing on the other foot, and a jump landing on both feet. triple jump n (Athletics (Track & Field)) an athletic event in which the competitor has to perform successively a hop, a step, and a jump in continuous movement. Also called: hop, step, and jump tri′ple jump′ n. (in track and field) a jumping event for distance in which a participant leaps on one foot from a takeoff point, lands on the same foot, steps forward on the other foot, leaps, and lands on both feet. Also called hop, step, and jump. [1960–65]	i don't know
Who was the first gymnast to score a perfect 10 seven times in a row, at the 1976 Montreal Games?	Most 10 scores at Olympics: world record set by Nadia Comaneci July 18, 2008 Most 10 scores at Olympics: world record set by Nadia Comaneci [July 18] MONTREAL, Canada--With a total of seven perfect ten scores at Montreal 1976 Games, Olympic legend Nadia Comaneci set a world record for the most 10 scores at a single edition of the Olympic Games. She captured the hearts of the world and became the first gymnast in history to know what it's like to be perfect- setting also the world record for the first award of a score of perfect 10 at an Olympics Games gymnastic event. World Record Academy will send to Nadia a special Gold-Sealed World Record Certificate and her name will be listed for ever in all our future Book of World Recordss. July 18 is also declared by the Records Academy as the World's Records Day, a day to remember one of the most beautiful evolution in the history of Olympics. Before 1976, no male or female had ever received a perfect score in any Olympic gymnastics event. And then came Nadia Comaneci, all 4-foot-11, 86 pounds of her. The 14-year-old Romanian dazzled the judges in Montreal to the point where they couldn't help but give her a perfect 10. And they didn't stop there, for not only did Comaneci receive the first perfect score, she then proceeded to get six more! ABC Television set her performance to music, using a theme from a popular American soap opera, and the song was eventually renamed "Nadia's Theme". Times magazine posted huge photo of Nadia in front cover page, "She's Perfect!" with a very small photo of the the first photo of Mars... 14 years old Nadia Comaneci became the only person shown in the cover page of Time, Newsweek and Sports Illustrated magainzes at the same time, not to mentioned millions of press and magazines covers around the world. The record breaking moment came with Comaneci's performance on the uneven bars. However, the judging equipment was not equipped to display the four digits of a 10.00 score, so the scoreboard simply showed 1.00. The crowd soon understood the meaning of the score when the announcer declared, "Ladies and gentleman, for the first time in Olympic history, Nadia Comaneci has received the score of a perfect ten," reported Septima Green in Top 10 Women Gymnasts.The perfect gymnast bitting the perfect machine! Nadia Comaneci earned a total of seven perfect ten scores at those Olympic Games. She won three gold medals for the all-around competition, uneven bars, and balance beam. She also won a silver medal for the team competition and a bronze medal for the floor exercise. Four of her seven perfect scores, including the first one, came on the uneven bars, which as you might imagine, was one of the three events Comaneci struck gold. But it was on the balance beam that she truly showed off her skill. The beam is considered one of the most difficult Olympic events, with gymnasts performing pirouettes and backflips on a beam measuring just four inches across. All Nadia did was record three more perfect scores and her second gold medal. Comaneci became the first Romanian to win the all-around title and she was also the youngest all-around champion at 14 years old. Once Comaneci broke the barrier, it became easier over the years. Then, after the 1992 Olympics, those 10s disappeared. Not one has been scored in major international competition since. Bela Karolyi, maybe the most internationally famous coach and booster of the sport, believes that maybe a perfect 10 is really more than just a number. "It gives the flavour and spice to the sport that we need so much. Just the recognition of the performance," he said. That moment almost surely won't be repeated this year, or anytime soon. The perfect 10 has slowly, perhaps sadly, filtered its way out of gymnastics, a victim of increased difficulty in events, tougher judging and, some critics say, maybe some hard-headedness and ignorance among those who run it. "Actually, I think they thought there were too many 10 scores," said Karolyi who, along with her husband Bela, coached Comaneci and Retton during their perfect-10 moments. Where perfection used to be something that could be sensed or felt, as well as seen, it is now something that must be measured according to the rules of the very strict, very long, very complex Code of Points to which each judge and gymnast must adhere. In the past, gymnasts used to strive for a perfect 10; these days, they strive to develop a routine with a "start value" of 10, meaning it could conceivably earn a perfect score if it were done flawlessly. U.S. champion Carly Patterson said no gymnast she knows ever goes out there thinking about scoring a 10 these days. "You'd have to be beyond perfect," she said. In 1989, Nadia Comaneci defected from Romania and settled in North America. She has since married American Olympic gymnastic medallist Bart Conner. Comaneci is active in many charities and international organizations. In 1999, she became the first athlete to be invited to speak at the United Nations to launch the Year 2000 International Year of Volunteers. She is currently the Vice-Chair of the Board Of Directors of the International Special Olympics and Vice President of the Board of Directors of the Muscular Dystrophy Association. In the world of gymnastics, Nadia Comaneci is the Honorary President of the Romanian Gymnastics Federation, the Honorary President of Romanian Olympic Committee, Ambassador of Sports of Romania and a member of the International Gymnastics Federation Foundation. In 2006, Thirty years after Romanian gymnast Nadia Comaneci wowed Olympic judges at the Montreal Olympics, a tribute to that "Perfect 10" performance, made by "ShanFan" (Heather Gibson)-a US gymnastics fan, has been beamed toward the stars via the Deep Space Communications Network. Deep Space general manager Jim Lewis said in the news release. "The way we see it, if there is someone out there receiving radio waves from this planet, Earth is getting some pretty bad press. Basically, they'd be seeing what we're seeing on the evening news: war, famine, strife and struggle. Perhaps now they will see there is also unmatched beauty and grace on our little green ball as well." Nadia's husband for Sports Illustrated: "Everyone wants to remember her as this 14 -year-old, ponytailed little girl. She's not that anymore." ...But for those who saw her in '76, she always will be.	Nadia Comăneci
The distance of the Olympic marathon is 26 miles and how many yards?	Nadia Comaneci - Public Speaking & Appearances - Speakerpedia, Discover & Follow a World of Compelling Voices Nadia Comaneci Former Gymnast, Olympic Gold Medalist & the First Female Gymnast to be Awarded a Perfect Score in an Olympic Gymnastic Event Romania's NadiaComaneci was the star of the Montreal Olympics in 1976 when she became the first gymnast in Olympic history to be awarded the perfect score of 10.0. ABC Television set her performance to music, using a theme from a popular American soap opera, and the song was eventually renamed "Nadia's Theme". Comaneci first achieved her perfect 10 on the uneven parallel bars in 1976 and the judges awarded her the maximum mark seven times during the Games. Comaneci first came to prominence at the 1975 European Championships, at which she won four gold medals. In the 1976 and 1980 Games she won a total of nine Olympic medals. Following the 1980 Games and after a victory at the 1981 World Student Games she retired from competition. In 1989, she defected from Romania and settled in North America. She is married to American Olympic gymnastics medalist Bart Conner. Both remain active in the world of gymnastics and the world of Olympic sport. Together, they have been actively supporting the work of Special Olympics around the globe for nearly 15 years. Click Here to register and get pricing on booking Nadia Comaneci for your next event! Speakerpedia Network Nadia Comaneci, and related speakers, have recently spoken at events for Speakerpedia Network Members. Mike Eruzione spoke for an event in Traverse City, MI for $25000 Lisa Leslie spoke for an event in Las Vegas, NV for $12500 Lisa Leslie spoke for an event in San Jose, CA for $22500 Lisa Leslie spoke for an event in Kalamazoo, MI for $15000 Shannon Miller spoke for an event in Longview, Texas for $10000 Videos added over 1 year ago Tags	i don't know
At the 1896 Athens Summer Olympic Games, the winners were given a silver medal and a branch from which type of tree?	1896 Olympic Medals and Awards - Olympic-Legacy.com E-Mail The 1896 Olympic Medals and Awards In ancient Greece, an Olympic victory had immense impact on the athlete and his home city-state. Spiritual gratification, rather than material gain, motivated participation in the ancient Games. Based on that heritage, the awards of the 1896 Olympic games were simple tokens, yet rich in meaning and symbolism. Above: Marathon race winner, Spiros Louis, with his awards Awards of the First Modern Olympiad At the first modern Olympic games there were no gold medals for the winners, nor were there separate awards ceremonies. (Gold medals were first distributed at the Olympic games of 1904 in Saint Louis.) Instead, all of the prizes were given out by King George at a special ceremony just prior to the closing ceremony on the last day of the Games. All competitors in the Athens 1896 Games received some kind of award. In this way, the revived Games differed sharply from the ancient model, where only first place merited any kind of recognition. The official awards of the 1896 Olympics were a silver medal, crown of olive branches, and certificate for first place; a bronze medal, crown of laurel, and certificate for second place; and a commemorative medal for each athlete who competed. The marathon race, however, was treated differently. Michel Br�al, who was fascinated by the legend of Phidippides , proposed "marathon run" for the first Olympic games. He promised a silver cup to the runner who could duplicate Phidippides' famous exploit (but without dying, of course). Lambros, a wealthy collector of Greek antiquities, offered an antique vase as a prize, to be added to Br�al's cup, for the marathon champion. So much excitement grew up around the introduction of this new kind of race that when Spiros Louis, a Greek national like Phidippides, won the race, the reaction of the spectators was understandable exuberant. 1896 Victor's Medal This medal was designed by Nicolas Gysis of Greece, who was then teaching at the Academy of Fine Arts in Munich. It was cast in silver for first place and bronze for second place. On the front is a portrait of Zeus with the globe in his right hand, upon which stands the goddess of victory, Nike. She is holding an olive branch in her hands. On the left the script reads in Greek "OLYMPIA."	Olive
Which British sportsman was the first 2012 Olympic Torchbearer in the UK?	World Commemorative Medals - Greece - First Modern Olympics 1896 - Commemorative Copper Participation Medal - Lot No. 2984 World Commemorative Medals - Greece - First Modern Olympics 1896 - Commemorative Copper Participation Medal Medals - Commemorative Sold for (Inc. premium): £546 WORLD COMMEMORATIVE MEDALS - GREECE - FIRST MODERN OLYMPICS 1896 - COMMEMORATIVE COPPER PARTICIPATION MEDAL Dated 1896 AD By N. Lytras and W. Pittner, Austria. Obv: seated Nike holding laurel wreath over phoenix emerging from flames, Acropolis in background, with ΟΛΥΜΡΙΑΚΟΙ ΑΓΩΝΕΣ (Olympic Games) to right and ΑΘΗΝΑΙ (Athens) below. Rev: ΔΙΕΘΝΕΙ ΟΛΥΜΡΙΑΚΟΙ ΑΓΩΝΕΣ ΑΘΗΝΗΣΙ (International Olympic Games Athens) legend and date in five lines, within wreath. 58.87 grams, 50mm. Very fine/good very fine; weakly struck to obverse. Scarce. [No Reserve] Literature See Gad. 2. Footnotes The 1896 Olympic Games, the first full Games of the modern era, opened in Athens on 6 April following the congress organised by Baron Pierre de Coubertin and the formation of the International Olympic Committee; some 80,000 spectators watched the opening ceremony and sports including athletics, cycling, gymnastics, swimming, shooting, tennis, weightlifting, wrestling, fencing and sailing, totalling forty-three events with winners receiving an olive branch, certificate and a silver medal and the runners-up receiving the olive branch, certificate and a copper medal (which was also given to all participants and was available to the public attending; it is believed that 20,000 were struck). Although recorded as representing their country, athletes (strictly amateurs) often made their own travel and accommodation arrangements with the full modern concept of national teams, selected and organised by each nation, not being universal until the Games of 1906. Date Wednesday 9th September 2015 - Saturday 12th September 2015, Antiquities, Coins & Natural History TimeLine Auctions Ltd arranges printed catalogue rostrum Auctions, eAuctions and Timed Auctions where we offer antiquities, ancient artefacts / artifacts, antiques, collectibles, coins, medals and books for public sale. Lot - jump to:	i don't know
Who was the only Olympic medallist to have won the Nobel Peace Prize?	Noel-Baker School - School History School History School Status: School is Open School History In September 1960, Noel-Baker opened its doors to staff and pupils for the first time. Noel-Baker Technical School, as it was then called, welcomed both girls and boys from year one to year three but only boys were allowed in year four. The curriculum was designed to be less academic than the town’s two Grammar Schools, with more emphasis on practical and vocational subjects, including woodwork and metalwork for the boys and needlework and domestic science for the girls. The School is named after Philip Noel-Baker, Member of Parliament for Derby South. As an athlete, Philip Noel-Baker was the flag bearer and silver medallist in the 1920 Olympics held in Antwerp Belgium. He was also a Nobel Peace Prize winner and holds the distinction of being the only person to have won an Olympic medal and also received a Nobel Prize. The first Head Teacher was Albert Buchan, who brought several of his students from Allenton Technical School. Since Mr Buchan, there have been six Head Teachers. Glyn John oversaw the change from Technical School to comprehensive in the early 1970’s, when Noel-Baker merged with Southgate School. In 1989 the school became a Community College. Current Head Teacher Mal Kerr has brought the school into the 21st century with the planning and building of the Derwent Campus, which provides education for girls and boys of all abilities from year seven to year thirteen in the state-of-the-art award winning buildings and facilities on Bracknell Drive, Alvaston. One person who has witnessed all the changes is Governor Freda Daniel. In 1960 Freda was appointed the school’s first needlework teacher. Her husband Geoff was a geography teacher from 1963 until his death in 1989. Freda left teaching in 1968 and became a parent governor in 1987 and has served continuously since. Freda was appointed Chair of Governors in 2003 and in 2013 when Freda Daniel retired from the Chair of Governors role Alan Larkins became chairman. Noel-Baker School © 2014 - Site Created by www.noelbakeritservices.co.uk	Philip Noel-Baker, Baron Noel-Baker
The length of the Olympic marathon was extended for which British monarch, so that the competitors finished in front of where the monarch was seated?	Noel-Baker School - School History School History School Status: School is Open School History In September 1960, Noel-Baker opened its doors to staff and pupils for the first time. Noel-Baker Technical School, as it was then called, welcomed both girls and boys from year one to year three but only boys were allowed in year four. The curriculum was designed to be less academic than the town’s two Grammar Schools, with more emphasis on practical and vocational subjects, including woodwork and metalwork for the boys and needlework and domestic science for the girls. The School is named after Philip Noel-Baker, Member of Parliament for Derby South. As an athlete, Philip Noel-Baker was the flag bearer and silver medallist in the 1920 Olympics held in Antwerp Belgium. He was also a Nobel Peace Prize winner and holds the distinction of being the only person to have won an Olympic medal and also received a Nobel Prize. The first Head Teacher was Albert Buchan, who brought several of his students from Allenton Technical School. Since Mr Buchan, there have been six Head Teachers. Glyn John oversaw the change from Technical School to comprehensive in the early 1970’s, when Noel-Baker merged with Southgate School. In 1989 the school became a Community College. Current Head Teacher Mal Kerr has brought the school into the 21st century with the planning and building of the Derwent Campus, which provides education for girls and boys of all abilities from year seven to year thirteen in the state-of-the-art award winning buildings and facilities on Bracknell Drive, Alvaston. One person who has witnessed all the changes is Governor Freda Daniel. In 1960 Freda was appointed the school’s first needlework teacher. Her husband Geoff was a geography teacher from 1963 until his death in 1989. Freda left teaching in 1968 and became a parent governor in 1987 and has served continuously since. Freda was appointed Chair of Governors in 2003 and in 2013 when Freda Daniel retired from the Chair of Governors role Alan Larkins became chairman. Noel-Baker School © 2014 - Site Created by www.noelbakeritservices.co.uk	i don't know
What are the names of the two 2012 London Olympic Games mascots?	Olympic Games Mascots - Olympic News Olympic Games Mascots twitter Share The first Olympic mascot – which was not official – was named “Schuss” and was born at the Grenoble Olympic Games in 1968. A little man on skis, half-way between an object and a person, it was the first in a long line of Olympic mascots. (c) IOC It was not until the Munich 1972 Olympic Games that the first official Olympic mascot, “Waldi”, the dachshund, was created. Since then, mascots have become the most popular and memorable ambassadors of the Olympic and Paralympic Games. An original image, the mascot has the job of giving concrete form to the Olympic spirit, spreading the values highlighted at each edition of the Games; promoting the history and culture of the host city; and giving the event a festive atmosphere. (c) Photo Olympia Press The Games mascots over the years have all been examples of ingenuity, imagination and artistic creativity. From “Waldi” to “Amik”, the Montreal Games beaver, the first mascots were emblematic animals of the host countries. In 1992, Barcelona surprised everyone with “Cobi”, a strange avant-garde dog created by the great designer, Javier Mariscal. Cobi was followed by a whole variety of mascots based on people, animals or even mythical and imaginary creatures. From the dog to the snow leopard, via human-like ice cubes, the mascots lend an element of humour and joy to the Olympic experience. They contribute to the efforts made to offer a warm welcome to athletes and visitors from around the world. Sochi 2014 (c) IOC On Saturday 26 February 2011, more than a million Russians participated in a live television broadcast, during which a vote was held to choose the mascots for the Sochi Games. The leopard got the most votes, followed by the polar bear and the hare; and these three animals from the Great North and the mountainous regions of Russia would become the mascots of the XXII Olympic Winter Games. During the Games, tens of thousands of spectators were able to see the mascots, « Белый мишка » (Bieliy Michka, the polar bear), « Леопард » (Leopard, the leopard) and « Зайка » (Zaïka, the hare), but the most spectacular moment was doubtless when they appeared in giant format in the Fisht Stadium during the Closing Ceremony. They gathered in front of a cauldron where the Olympic flame was burning, and the polar bear proceeded to blow out the flame, while, simultaneously, the flame burning outside the Stadium was extinguished. The polar bear then shed a tear in a nod to the Closing Ceremony of Moscow 1980, where the mascot Michka also cried at the end of those Games. London 2012 The London 2012 mascot, Wenlock, takes his name from the town of Much Wenlock in Shropshire, which still hosts the traditional Much Wenlock Games. These were one of Pierre de Coubertin‟s sources of inspiration for the modern Olympic Games. According to the story by Michael Morpurgo, Wenlock's metallic look is explained by the fact that he was made from one of the last drops of steel used to build the Olympic Stadium in London. The light on his head is based on those found on London‟s famous black cabs. The shape of his forehead is identical to that of the Olympic Stadium roof. His eye is the lens of a camera, filming everything he sees. On his wrists, he wears five bracelets in the colours of the Olympic rings. And the three points on his head represent the three places on the podium for the medal winners. (c) IOC Streets, parks and underground station entrances in London were decorated with 84 sculptures of Wenlock and the Paralympic mascot Mandeville standing 2 metres 30 tall and each weighing a ton, to help guide tourists during the Games. These sculptures were decorated by 22 designers to reflect their surroundings. The mascots were chosen in a competition launched in 2008. More than 100 designers, artists and agencies submitted proposals. Wenlock and Mandeville were chosen from a series of designs which included a humanised pigeon, an animated teacup and representations of Big Ben featuring arms and legs. Vancouver 2010 (c) Kishimoto/IOC The Vancouver Games mascots were creatures inspired by the fauna and tales of the First Nations on the West Coast of Canada. Quatchi is a sasquatch, a popular character from local legend who lives in the forest. He is covered in thick fur and wears boots and earmuffs. Miga is a sea bear, a mythical animal that is part killer whale and part Kermode bear. The Kermode bear, also called “Bear Spirit” lives only in British Columbia. The Organising Committee launched a tender among illustration agencies and professionals to which 177 responded. Five designers were selected for a more detailed study of their creation skills. Finally, it was Meomi design that won. (c) IOC Quatchi and Miga have a friend called Mukmuk, who turned out to be very popular, even if he was not an official mascot. Mukmuk was inspired by a rare and threatened type of marmot that lives only on an island in Vancouver. His name is taken from the word “muckamuck”, meaning food in Chinook. Though at the start he existed only virtually and on paper, later he too had the right to a range of products. Beijing 2008 (c) IOC The five Beijing 2008 mascots form the “Fuwa”, which translates as “good-luck dolls”. The mascots correspond to the five natural elements and, apart from Huanhuan, to four popular animals in China. Each mascot represents the colour of one of the five Olympic rings. Each also bears a wish, as it was traditional in ancient Chinese culture to transmit wishes through signs or symbols. (c) Kishimoto/IOC Beibei the fish is a reference to the element of water. She is blue and her wish is prosperity. The waves on her head are based on a design in traditional Chinese painting. Jingjing the panda represents the forest. He is black and his wish is happiness. Porcelain paintings from the Song dynasty (960-1234 AD) were the inspiration for the lotus flowers on his head. Yingying, the Tibetan antelope, represents earth. He is yellow and his wish is good health. Decorative elements from Western China appear on his head. Nini, the swallow, represents the sky. She is green and her wish is good luck. Her design is inspired by those on Chinese kites. Swallow is pronounced “Yan” in Chinese, and an ancient name for Beijing was “Yanjing”. Huanhuan symbolises fire and the Olympic spirit. His red colour transmits the passion of sport. Dunhunag grotto art inspired the decoration on his head, together with certain traditional good-luck designs. Linking the five names forms the sentence “Welcome to Beijing” (Bei Jing Huan Ying Nin).	Wenlock and Mandeville
Which British female swimmer won a silver medal at the 1980 Moscow Olympic Games for the 400 metre medley?	BBC Sport - London 2012 unveils Games mascots Wenlock & Mandeville London 2012 unveils Games mascots Wenlock & Mandeville Advertisement Claire Balding discovers the story behind the London 2012 mascots By Gordon Farquhar View animated story of the mascots on the London 2012 website London 2012 organisers have unveiled cartoon animations named Wenlock and Mandeville as the mascots for the Olympic and Paralympic Games. Focus groups of children and families helped form the designs and children's author Michael Morpurgo added a story concept for an animated series. "We've created our mascots for children," said Locog chair Lord Coe. "They will connect young people with sport, and tell the story of our proud Olympic and Paralympic history." The characters are named after the small town of Much Wenlock in Shropshire - which hosted a precursor to the modern Olympic Games in the 19th Century - and the birthplace of the Paralympic Games, Stoke Mandeville hospital in Buckinghamshire. Children told us a number of things: they weren't that sold on furry animals and they actually wanted a story Lord Coe The Wenlock Games gave inspiration to Baron Pierre de Coubertain as he formed his concept of the modern Olympics in 1896. Olympic motifs chime through the design: Wenlock wears the Olympic rings as friendship bracelets, and although predominantly silver in colour, also contains flashes of gold and bronze. Mandeville's head reflects aspects of the three crescent shapes of the Paralympics symbol. In a deliberate homage to London taxis, each has a yellow light on top of its head, with an initial in the middle. In author Morpurgo's vision, the pair begin life as two drops of steel from a factory in Bolton, taken home by a retiring worker who fashions characters out of the metal for his grandchildren. They appear to have a single central eye, explained as a camera lens, through which they'll see the world, and respond to it. Mandeville and Wenlock will feature in an animated series In a series of animated updates, linked to the official games website, they will be seen learning to play different Olympic sports in a narrative that will be regularly revised between now and the opening of the Games. "The children told us a number of things: they weren't that sold on furry animals and they actually wanted a story," Coe added. "Youngsters will be able to make a case for the mascots coming to their school if they've done something that is inspired by the Games. It's a way of engaging in a fun way." The mascots are an important revenue generating tool for the Games, and Locog's commercial partners were consulted throughout the design process. They will also be used to front London 2012's Get Set education programme, which will focus in part on the Olympic values. Both will have their own Facebook and Twitter pages, with an emphasis on interactivity. The mascots will also form a key part of 2012's marketing and merchandising, with organisers keen to avoid the controversy which surrounded the unveiling of the Games logo in 2007. ROGER MOSEY'S BLOG Tell us what you think - and I suspect our friends over at Locog will be having a look at your reaction, too There was widespread criticism of that particular emblem, which was designed by the Wolff Olins agency and cost £400,000. A segment of animated footage to promote the logo was also claimed to trigger seizures in a small number of people, prompting it to be removed from the Locog website. But Locog refused to bow to pressure, saying that the logo, which comes in pink, blue, green and orange, was modern, bold and flexible. The first official mascot - Waldi, a colourful striped dachshund - appeared for the 1972 Summer Games in Munich. But it was the 1984 Olympics in Los Angeles which saw the first commercial mascot, Sam the American eagle. Bookmark with:	i don't know
Which European city hosted the 2004 Summer Olympic Games?	Olympic Games Host Cities, Map of Summer and Winter Olympic Host Cities 2016 Summer Olympics Participating Countries The first modern Olympic Games were held in 1896. The Olympiad has been held thirty times, though it has been canceled three times over history because of World War I and II. Olympic Games have been hosted the greatest number of times in Europe, followed by North America (especially in the United States of America). Rio de Janeiro, Brazil in South America has been selected to host the 2016 Olympic Games, but South America has not yet hosted the Olympic Games. Africa, Southeast Asia, the Middle East, and the Indian subcontinent have also never hosted the Olympics. The World Map of Olympics Hosts Cities shows all cities that have hosted the Summer and Winter Olympic Games and the years in which they were held. The United States of America has hosted four Winter Games and four Summer Games, more than any other country in the world. France has hosted two Summer Olympics and three Winter Olympics, and now the United Kingdom stands third, having hosted its third Olympic Games in 2012. After hosting the 2012 games, London became the fist ever city to have hosted the Olympic Games thrice. Los Angeles, Paris and Athens have each hosted two games each. ACOD~20120813	Athens
The men’s football team from which country won the gold medal at the 2008 Summer Olympics?	The new ruins of Athens: Rusting and decaying 10 years on, how Greece's Olympics turned into a £7 BILLION white elephant \| Daily Mail Online The new ruins of Athens: Rusting and decaying 10 years on, how Greece's Olympics turned into a £7 BILLION white elephant Greek government built state-of-art sports venues as part of £7billion project in Olympics' spiritual home of Athens They played host to millions of spectators, athletes and officials from across world during 2004 Summer Olympics But now, ten years on, buildings lie empty, completely unused and decaying, while swimming pools have dried up Greece was unable to invest in the upkeep of the Games venues after it was hit hard by the global financial crisis	i don't know
What was the name of the horse that Zara Phillips (Tindall) should have ridden at the 2008 Summer Olympics, but had to pull out because of an injury to the horse?	William Fox-Pitt Archives - Equestrian News Equestrian News Nov 012013 Following a successful season now is the time to celebrate the riders and horses that have made it to the top of the British Eventing Points ranking table. The final 2013 rankings have seen a hotly contested battle for the top spots. New Zealander Andrew Nicholson has retained first place in the rankings following another very successful season and also leads the FEI HSBC rankings. Topping the horse rankings is Irish bred Mr Cruise Control, owned jointly by Robin and Nicola Salmon alongside Andrew. Mr Cruise Control has had a prolific season finishing fifth in the 4* at Pau and first in both the CIC3* at Chatsworth in May and Luhmuhlen 4. His owners will be presented with the Calcutta Light Horse Trophy in recognition of his impressive achievement. Andrew’s Olympic bronze medal winning mount, Deborah Sellar’s Nereo, is runner up with 382 points. Best of the Brits, and winner of the Tony Collins award, is Dorset based William Fox-Pitt who attained a total of 2142 points this season. William’s European bronze medal winning horse Chilli Morning, owned by Christopher and Lisa Stone, reached third place in the BE rankings after winning 378 points. Another of Fox-Pitt’s rides, Catherine Witt’s recent Pau 4 winner Seacookie finished just behind his stable mate in fourth place with 368 points. Fellow Brit Oliver Townend again retains third place in the rankings following another busy season, amassing 1241 points. The top twenty ranked horses and riders are detailed below and the top one hundred can be found here . Jan 242013 HRH the Duchess of Cornwall, Patron of the British Equestrian Federation (BEF), hosted a reception on the evening of Tuesday 22 January 2013 to celebrate the achievements of the British equestrian teams at the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games. The event, held in the majestic formal rooms of Clarence House, London, was a wonderful opportunity for the team to meet the Duchess, an enthusiastic supporter of equestrian sport and to reflect on a successful 2012. Over 80 honoured guests including horse owners, grooms, coaches and team support staff gathered with medallists to enjoy the occasion. Athletes attending included dressage gold medallist Laura Bechtolsheimer MBE; eventing silver medallists Tina Cook, William Fox-Pitt, Mary King MBE, Zara Phillips MBE and Nicola Wilson; showjumping gold medallist Peter Charles MBE; Paralympic multi-medallists Natasha Baker MBE, Sophie Christiansen OBE, Deb Criddle MBE and Sophie Wells MBE who were presented and photographed with Her Royal Highness. Chairman of the British Equestrian Federation, Keith Taylor commented; “Our Patron, HRH The Duchess of Cornwall, is wonderfully supportive of everything we do. Tonight, HRH played a very personal tribute in hosting and celebrating the successes of our athletes, their owners and the support staff at Clarence House. It was a joyous occasion in celebration of the best ever haul of medals at an Olympic and Paralympic Games.” The success of the equestrian teams during the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games saw a record 16 medals won across the four disciplines, from the historic first Olympic medals for dressage, the first showjumping gold medal for sixty years, to the unbeaten British Paralympic team (since para-dressage’s introduction in 1996) exceeding their Beijing medal haul, after securing a total of 11 medals. Jul 032012 Unfortunately DHI Topper W, ridden by Piggy French, has incurred an injury that means he will not be fit to compete at the London 2012 Olympic Games in the equestrian (eventing) competitions. The British Olympic Association (BOA) has confirmed that Nicola Wilson (35) from Northallerton, North Yorkshire, riding Opposition Buzz owned by Miss Rosemary Search has been selected to replace Piggy and DHI Topper W. Commenting on her selection Nicola Wilson said: “It’s horrific and fabulous at the same time; I just don’t know what to say; I’m devastated for Piggy and wouldn’t wish this on anybody, she’s become a very close friend and I feel for her so much. “What an emotional rollercoaster, obviously I’m so excited for Rosemary, myself and my support team but so saddened at the same time for it to be at the expense of such a good friend. To be thinking about London now is amazing though – having very much told myself it wouldn’t happen. We’ll definitely be ready.” Piggy French commented: “What can I say, I am devastated; my dreams are shattered but most of all I feel so sorry for my support team that have been such a vital part of my success and also for my family and joint owners, the Underwoods. I wish the Team all the best for the Games and look forward to being back on the Team in the future.” Will Connell, Equestrian Team Leader commented: “Piggy will be completely devastated and all of us feel so very sorry for her, her support team and her owners; Piggy is a truly outstanding athlete, a wonderful Team member and one of life’s good human beings. However, horses have a habit of giving great highs but also terrible lows. “We aim to always select as early as possible (many Nations have not yet selected) and one of the knock on effects of this is that there is a longer period between selection and the Championships and thus a longer period of time in which horses can encounter a problem: The horses have to be fit, especially for the terrain we will encounter at Greenwich and they cannot be wrapped in cotton wool. “Whilst we feel for Piggy we must look forward and we now welcome Nicola Wilson and Opposition Buzz. What a wonderful combination joins the Team; Nicola and Opposition Buzz have been the pathfinders for the Team at the last three Championships and have an enviable Championship record.” Eventing Performance Manager Yogi Breisner commented: “I feel extremely sorry for Piggy and it is a real shame not to be able to have her on the Team. I am sure a rider of Piggy’s talent, and with the backing she has, she will be back on future Teams. It is great to have a reserve of the calibre of Nicola Wilson and Opposition Buzz to bring on to the Team, and preparations will continue as planned.” Kristina Cook / Miners Frolic Jun 192012 The British Equestrian Federation today named the equestrian athletes and horses they have submitted to the Fédération Equestre Internationale (FEI) as the Nominated Entry List for the London 2012 Olympic Games. Only horses and athletes listed on the Nominated Entries can be put forward to the British Olympic Association (BOA) for selection. Nations are invited to register a set number of eligible horse and rider combinations in each of the Olympic equestrian disciplines of dressage, eventing and showjumping. From this nominated entry list athletes will be selected to compete for Team GB in the relevant discipline with the remaining combinations forming the reserve list for the team. Only horses and riders from these nominated lists may be considered to compete at the Games. Britain has qualified the following number of riders to compete in the equestrian Olympic events: • Dressage – 4 riders Jun 122012 The British Equestrian Federation can confirm that they have formally nominated the following five riders to the British Olympic Association (BOA) for Team GB. The nominations must now be reviewed and ratified by the BOA before the athletes are selected for Team GB. The nominated athletes are: • Kristina Cook – (41) from Worthing, West Sussex riding Miners Frolic, owned by Mrs Sarah Pelham, Mr Nicholas & Mrs Valda Embiricos • William Fox-Pitt (43) from Sturminster Newton, Dorset riding Lionheart, owned by Mr Jeremy & Mrs Judith Skinner • Georgina [Piggy] French (31) from Lubenham, Leicestershire riding Jakata owned by Mr Wally French & Mr Michael Underwood or DHI Topper W, owned by Mr Wally French & Mr Michael Underwood • Mary King (51) from Sidmouth, Devon riding Imperial Cavalier, owned by Mrs Janette Chinn and Mr Edwin & Mrs Sue Davies • Zara Phillips (31) from Stroud, Gloucestershire riding High Kingdom, owned by Gleadhill House Stud Ltd Between the five selected riders the eventing team contains a wealth of experience; this will be Mary King’s sixth Olympic Games; William Fox-Pitt’s fourth and Kristina Cook’s second. Although Zara Phillips and Georgina French will make their Olympic debuts in London 2012, they are also no strangers to championship call ups for their country. Kristina Cook, William Fox-Pitt and Mary King were all members of the GB eventing squad that won team bronze at the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games, where Kristina also scooped the individual bronze on Miner’s Frolic. The same trio were then part of the team that won gold at the 2010 World Championships, where William Fox-Pitt took an individual silver medal. Zara was crowned individual World Champion in 2006 but missed out on her Olympic dream in 2008 when her horse Toytown suffered an injury prior to competition. She is now back at the top of the sport with High Kingdom, a horse that she has brought up the ranks from novice level. Georgina French (more commonly known by her nickname Piggy), won individual silver at the 2009 European Championships and was also part of the 2011 European Championship team that won bronze alongside team mates Fox-Pitt and King. Piggy also won the Olympic Test event in Greenwich in 2011. Equestrian Team Leader, Will Connell commented: “It’s been a challenging spring with a number of events cancelled and great credit is due to all the riders who have had to reflect this in their plans. It has also been a challenging time for selectors. The team we have now nominated to the BOA is crammed full of athletes that have proven medal winning ability at European, World and Olympic level. I offer my congratulations to them, their support teams and their horse’s owners and look forward to working with them during the final push to the London Olympics.” Eventing Performance Manager Yogi Breisner commented: “It’s great to now have names on the team sheet and I look forward to working with them to put final plans together for Greenwich.” Kristina Cook commented: “I’m totally thrilled! After the horse’s illness last year this is a dream come true. With his past form Miner’s Frolic has proved he can do it but he nearly died of colitis 12 months ago so to come back to this level shows he’s a real fighter – that’s what pulled him through. He’s gone really well this season so I’m very excited to get the opportunity to take him to London. “I’ve had him since he was four years old, he’s kind and talented and we have a great partnership. Greenwich will be challenging but he’s a well bred horse, fast cross country but adjustable and polite which is important for those hills!” William Fox-Pitt commented: “It’s a great honour and a privilege to be selected for the British team. It’s particularly exciting as its London and I can’t wait for the Games to get started and experience the London Olympics. It’s very exciting to be part of such a strong team and I’m particularly delighted for my long-time owners Judy and Jeremy Skinner. “Lionheart is a phenomenal horse and an incredible athlete with a great temperament and he’ll be able to cope with Greenwich perfectly. I’m really looking forward to riding there; he’s only a ten year old but a very generous and talented horse. In my opinion he’s made for Greenwich.” Georgina French commented: “I am overly excited and very relieved. It is what my team and I have been working towards over the last few years so it’s excellent to be getting this far; we just have to hope and pray that they stay in one piece to get there. “I have to say a massive thank you to my owners for their support; I wouldn’t have got to this stage without them. Obviously I am confident that ‘Topper’ will cope with the going there because of our experience at the test event but they are both amazing horses with different strengths. We will make a decision nearer the time based on who is feeling on the best form nearer the Games.” Mary King commented: “It is such an honour to be selected to represent GB at what will, all being well, be my sixth Olympic Games. It is a very strong team and I hope that they are the ones to help me complete my set of all three colours of medals! “I am so pleased that ‘Archie’ will get the chance to compete at an Olympic Games, he so deserves this opportunity and I am sure he will rise to the occasion! He is a big powerful horse which means he should be able to cope well with the undulations and be strong enough to handle galloping up and down those hills!” Zara Phillips commented: “It’s awesome to be given this opportunity, I’m really excited and can’t wait to kick on and get him there – hopefully we will make it this time after you know what happened last… “High Kingdom is a pretty cool, very relaxed kind of guy, I was really happy with him at Bramham as he’d obviously grown up and is improving all the time. He’s pretty pony like, a nippy little jumper and easy to manoeuvre so hopefully it will suit him well in Greenwich. High Kingdom is owned by Trevor Hemmings who’s been one of my earliest supporters – he’s owned a lot of my horses and has been so supportive, I couldn’t do it without him.” A formal announcement of the eventing team is expected later this week. Reserve horses and riders will be named in due course. Nov 182011 The great and the good from the equestrian world gathered at Cheltenham on 11 November 2011 for the Countryside Race Day. Not only did they come to support the Countryside Alliance, but also to raise awareness and much needed funds for Equestrian Team GBR in their build up to the London 2012 Olympic Games and Paralympic Games. Team GBR Performance Manager Yogi Breisner was on-hand to showcase the team’s skills, with help from eventer Laura Collett, dressage rider Gareth Hughes and showjumper Tina Fletcher. The display, called ‘Team GBR Prepares’, took place in front of the main grandstand and gave spectators the opportunity to see some of our riders training for the future. The Countryside Race Day, which was part of the Open three-day race meeting at Cheltenham, featured a charity lunch and auction hosted by Countryside campaigner, Baroness Mallalieu QC, and attended by 280 guests. Racegoers were able to enjoy luncheon and support the charity auction and raffle ably assisted by the likes of Carl Hester, Pippa Funnell, Tina Cook, Polly Stockton, Charlotte Dujardin, Deborah Criddle, Simon Crippen, Rob Hoekestra and Natasha Baker. There was a great atmosphere throughout the day and one of the highlights was the magnificent sight of 16 hunts from all around the UK taking part in the traditional Hound Parade. This year they were followed by Britain’s bronze medal-winning European Eventing Championship team, William Fox-Pitt, Mary King, Piggy French and Nicola Wilson, along with Laura Collett, showjumper Simon Crippen and Sophie Wells from Para-Equestrian Dressage – this was the first time that Sophie had sat in a jumping saddle! In the afternoon it was back to business with six races, including the exciting Glenfarclas Cross- Country Chase, a National Hunt race over Cheltenham’s’ cross-country course, which was won by Patrick Mullins on Uncle Junior. Meanwhile Emile Faurie, Ricky Balshaw, Emily Lewellyn, Sophie Christiansen, Emma Sheardown, Anne Dunham, Lee Pearson, Peter Charles, Ruth Edge, Nicola Wilson, Piggy French and Richard Davison were all on hand to support the various fundraising initiatives taking place in the tradestands including a silent auction, a tradestand selling London 2012 merchandise. The champagne raffle was drawn by Zara Phillips. International eventer, William Fox-Pitt said: “We’re very lucky to receive Lottery funding, because we do so well and have won medals for Britain. A great deal of work goes into our sport, so we are most grateful for the financial support that they give us. This event was a fantastic way to raise extra funds for next years’ London Olympics. We had a great response, and the auction went really well.” At the time of writing it is unknown exactly how much was raised on the day, but the event was said to be a significant help to Equestrian Team GBR in their preparations for the London 2012 Olympic Games and Paralympic Games.	Toytown
Which British rower won five gold medals in five consecutive Olympic Games?	Zara Phillips' Olympic dream in tatters AGAIN as injured horse forces her to pull out of Beijing \| Daily Mail Online Zara Phillips' Olympic dream in tatters AGAIN as injured horse forces her to pull out of Beijing comments Zara Phillips has been forced to pull out of the Olympics after her horse was injured in training. The 27-year-old royal, who is the world champion three-day eventer, was tipped to win gold at the Beijing Games this summer. But since she and the gelding Toytown were jointly selected for Great Britain's eventing team, his injury means she must also withdraw. Zara Phillips jumps Toytown in Rome in 2007. The pair have pulled out of the 2008 Olympics just weeks before the Games began The almost telepathic relationship between an Olympic rider and horse means switching to another mount is impossible. Last night, Miss Phillips said: 'I am very disappointed not to have the opportunity to ride at the Olympic Games and feel that Toytown deserved his chance to go. 'However, with horses these things happen and we still have a very strong team. I wish them every success.' More time together: England rugby international Mike Tindall and Zara Phillips, pictured at the Cheltenham Festival Four years ago, Miss Phillips – who is 11th in line to the throne – missed the Athens Olympics as Toytown was injured. She may well have a chance to represent Great Britain at the London Olympics in 2012. B ut that hope is likely to be of little consolation at present. On Monday, she had voiced her fears that the pair would not make it to the event, which will be staged in Hong Kong. 'The next two months will be very nerve-racking because the horses can do stupid things and ruin their chance of going out there. The horses have got to compete before they go out there. 'You can't wrap them up and put them in a box and leave them. Now I'm in the team, the important thing is to get on the plane.' But during training with Toytown on Tuesday, in Gloucestershire, a check-up revealed the injury. Within hours, he was declared unfit for the Games. Details of the injury have not been revealed, but it is hoped he will recover. Miss Phillips was voted BBC Sports Personality of the Year two years ago. Her parents, the Princess Royal and Captain Mark Phillips, both represented Great Britain at the Olympics. Zara gives Toytown a kiss before the competition in Rome last year	i don't know
In which European city was the first opening ceremony of the Olympic Games held?	The Olympics Opening Ceremony Home > Events > Olympics > Summer > Traditions > Opening Ceremony The Olympic Opening Ceremony The opening ceremony at the Olympic Games has become a major entertainment spectacle, costing many millions of dollars to stage. It has come a long way since the first opening ceremonies held during the 1908 Olympic Games in London, where for the first time, athletes marched into the stadium behind their nations' flags. During the opening ceremony of the Olympic Games, tradition dictates that the procession of athletes is always led by the Greek team, followed by all the other teams in alphabetical order (based on the language of the hosting country), except for the last team which is always the team of the hosting country. The IOC has two official languages English and French. Both languages are used to introduce competitors. At the opening ceremony, the Olympic flag is raised while the Olympic hymn is played. The torch relay arrives and the flame is lit. The Olympic Oath and Creed is also said. Opening Ceremony Trivia The first opening ceremony was organized by Regent Street Polytechnic. At the first opening ceremony in 1908, the team from Finland refused to carry a flag when they were told that they would have to march under the flag of Russia. At the 1912 Olympic Games opening ceremony, Finland's team paraded under the national insignia flag of a Swedish-speaking female gymnastics club in Helsinki. Finland was part of the Russian Empire at the time, but competed separately. During the opening ceremony of the 1936 Berlin Olympic Games, athletes from Liechtenstein were shocked to discover that their flag was identical to the flag of Haiti. After the games, a yellow crown was added to the flag of Liechtenstein. Leading up to the Rio Games in 2016, American broadcasters NBC requested that the order of countries in the opening parade of nations be in English language order, so that the American team would march later in the program. It was worried it would lose viewers if they marched in their correct order, which in Portuguese the US will march with the E's (as in - Estados Unidos). Share:	London
Which country’s team always leads the procession of athletes during the Olympic Opening Ceremony?	The Olympics Opening Ceremony Home > Events > Olympics > Summer > Traditions > Opening Ceremony The Olympic Opening Ceremony The opening ceremony at the Olympic Games has become a major entertainment spectacle, costing many millions of dollars to stage. It has come a long way since the first opening ceremonies held during the 1908 Olympic Games in London, where for the first time, athletes marched into the stadium behind their nations' flags. During the opening ceremony of the Olympic Games, tradition dictates that the procession of athletes is always led by the Greek team, followed by all the other teams in alphabetical order (based on the language of the hosting country), except for the last team which is always the team of the hosting country. The IOC has two official languages English and French. Both languages are used to introduce competitors. At the opening ceremony, the Olympic flag is raised while the Olympic hymn is played. The torch relay arrives and the flame is lit. The Olympic Oath and Creed is also said. Opening Ceremony Trivia The first opening ceremony was organized by Regent Street Polytechnic. At the first opening ceremony in 1908, the team from Finland refused to carry a flag when they were told that they would have to march under the flag of Russia. At the 1912 Olympic Games opening ceremony, Finland's team paraded under the national insignia flag of a Swedish-speaking female gymnastics club in Helsinki. Finland was part of the Russian Empire at the time, but competed separately. During the opening ceremony of the 1936 Berlin Olympic Games, athletes from Liechtenstein were shocked to discover that their flag was identical to the flag of Haiti. After the games, a yellow crown was added to the flag of Liechtenstein. Leading up to the Rio Games in 2016, American broadcasters NBC requested that the order of countries in the opening parade of nations be in English language order, so that the American team would march later in the program. It was worried it would lose viewers if they marched in their correct order, which in Portuguese the US will march with the E's (as in - Estados Unidos). Share:	i don't know
The heptathlon is made up of how many events?	What are the ten events that make up the decathlon? \| Reference.com What are the ten events that make up the decathlon? A: Quick Answer The ten events that make up the decathlon are spread over two days and include the 100-meter sprint, long jump, shot put, high jump and 400-meter run on the first day, followed by the 110-meter hurdles, discus throw, pole vault, javelin throw and 1500-meter run on the second day. Points are awarded for each event, and the competitor with the highest aggregate score is declared the winner. Full Answer The decathlon made its first Olympic appearance at the 1912 Games in Stockholm. This men's event challenges competitors to perform at their best in a wide range of track-and-field events that test for power, speed, agility and endurance to determine the best all-around athlete. As of 2014, the youngest man to take the Olympic decathlon title is Bob Mathias, an American who was just 17 years old when he won the event in 1948. He competed at the next Olympics in 1952 and became a two-time decathlon champion. Competition for the women's all-around title began with the 1984 Olympics, when the seven-event heptathlon was introduced. This comparable event, which is also staged over two days, consists of the 100-meter hurdles, high jump, shot put and 200-meter run on the first day followed by the long jump, javelin throw and 800-meter run on the second day.	seven
In 1924, which country hosted the first Winter Olympic Games?	Track and Field Events Hammer Throw. Multiple Events The Men’s Decathlon and Women’s Heptathlon include a combination of events, held over two days each. Points are awarded for each event and the overall winner is the athlete with the most points. The decathlon includes ten events in the following order, for the first day: 100m, long jump, shot put, high jump, 400m. The second day events are 110m hurdles, discus throw, pole vault, javelin, 1500m. The heptathlon includes seven events in the following order, for the first day: 100m hurdles, high jump, shot put and 200m. The second day events are long jump, javelin and 800m. Walking Events Race walking is a special long-distance race event in which the participants must walk as fast as they can, while they are expected to maintain good form. The competitors are penalized for bending the knee as it passes under the body or having no foot-to-ground contact. The men compete in both 20km and 50km events, women only in the 20km event. Marathon The Marathon is a long-distance running event, taking place over a course of 42.195km or (26 miles & 385 yds.) in length. The marathon was originally conceived as a race for the 1896 Olympics in Athens, commemorating the run of the soldier Pheidippides from a battlefield at the site of the town of Marathon, Greece, to Athens in 490 B.C. Legend has it that Pheidippides delivered the momentous message "Niki!" ("victory"), then collapsed and died. The unusual distance is a result of the 1908 Olympic Games in London where the marathon distance was changed to 26 miles to cover the ground from Windsor Castle to White City Stadium, with 385 yards added on so the race could finish in front of royal family's viewing box. Share:	i don't know
How many chances in each round do high-jumpers get to clear the bar?	HIGH JUMP The method of clearing the bar is largely pre-determined by: the angle of take-off the degree of extension in the lead leg the degree of forward inclination of the head, arms and shoulders the extent to which the powerful take-off leg extension is diminished by a twisting attempt to aid body rotation If the forward momentum of the run has not been fully blocked, so that the jump continues forward toward the crossbar, the style will necessarily be some variation of a dive-straddle. In general, this style of lay-out is associated with a fast run. In contrast, if the lead leg is fully extended and driven well above the bar and if the head and chin are erect so as to rise momentarily above the bar, then dropped quickly down and if the direction of the body's COM is close to the vertical, then the jump can be called an orthodox straddle style. Such a style tends to be associated with a slower run. By long-time practice and power training, the athlete can combine a faster run with a more vertical jump and thus achieve a lay-out style closer to the desired form. This is difficult but it can be done. The greater the extent to which it is done, the higher the bar that can be cleared. Though the path of movement of a jumper's COM is fixed by take-off direction and methods, one can still change the relative positions and movements of his extremities: the head:, arms, and legs. By dropping the head down quickly , the trail leg and hip can be lifted up and over the bar. By dropping the right arm down and twisting the head, the trail leg-hip can be lifted, and the left hand-arm-shoulder can be pulled out of the crotch and away from the bar. Or, by its own direct action, the trail foot can be rotated outward and upward. There is a close action-reaction between the movements of the extremities. For most straddle-style jumpers, the trail foot-leg-hip are the most difficult parts of the body to get over the cross-bar. Each successful jumper seems to have their own unique way of trying to solve the problem. Most effective of all is to acquire the special power and flexibility demanded by this unique action, not duplicated in any other sports event. Assuming power and flexibility are adequate, the jumper should try several methods then select one for special emphasis. Actually these are variations of one method; the body always acts as a unit; each action here will have an equal reaction there. However, try: rolling around the bar without awareness of special action of any one part thrusting the lead arm-shoulder and head down just before the hips reach their greatest height; a compensating reaction will tend to lift the trail foot-leg rotating the face toward the bar and/or down lifting or everting the left hip along with a drop of the head--the trail foot-leg will follow throwing the trail foot straight up, with little concern for rotating the foot concentrating on an outward rotation of the trail foot, with extension of the leg Great high jumping requires three essentials: 1: Competitive competence: self-confidence, concentration of physical-emotional-mental energy, self-control and reckless abandon 2: Adequate power: Such power in the related muscles makes full use of a maximum approach to each of the many phases of high jumping. 3: Mastery of skill: The many phases of skill in the gather, the takeoff, the upward thrust of the arms and lead leg, and the mechanics of an efficient clearance action must be mastered in part and as a whole. Such mastery leads toward complete automatism, to the point where high jumping becomes an artless art. Conscious intelligent practice of the many parts of action gradually loses all consciousness of those parts. A great champion jumps holistically as a unit the run-gather-take-off-spring-clearance are merely words by which to transmit and comprehend ideas. Only the ideas are partial; only the words have separate entities; the high jumping action from first step to landing is an inseparable whole. NOTE: The above was edited from a technical paper supplied by high jumper Charlie Rader, M50/54 THE HIGH JUMP USING THE "FLOP" TECHNIQUE Relative to the other jumps, the approach run for the high jump is short, usually consisting of only about ten strides. The shape of the approach is a "J" shaped curve. The end of the "J" curve must be maintained at takeoff. Visual tracking should be initiated as the jumper stands at the start mark looking straight ahead to a point straight out from the bar extended. Then the look should be to the take-off point, on to the other standard, then to the mid-point of the bar and finally back straight ahead to the bar extended line. These points need to become fixed in the mind of the jumper. The drive phase segment is initially a straight line and should be five strides in length. At the start, the body should be rocked back, keeping the ankle locked with the toe up in the dorsiflexed position. In the drive out, strides two and three should provide maximum acceleration. On the fourth stride anticipation of the bar should begin, with the eyes flicking back and forth from the straight ahead to the target. At the fifth stride maximum velocity should be attained, with the body upright and slightly turned toward the bar. Velocity must be maintained through liftoff. The curve usually starts from between 15 and 16 1/2 feet out from the bar extended. The feet should be turned into the curve so that the rotation begins in the lower body with the hips turning before the shoulders. The outside shoulder should not be ahead of the hips or inside shoulder. The feet control the turn, not the shoulders. In running the curve, enough torque should be developed so that there is a feeling of running on the sides of the feet. The curve must continue through the takeoff stride. On stride eight, the outside arm should be held back and not driven ahead of the body. On stride nine, which is the penultimate stride, heel lift should be kept low with the ankle locked and fixed in the dorsiflexed position. The foot should land directly under the COM and the tibia should be vertical. The arms should be driven back just before the foot makes contact. Coming down on the bar is often caused by a bad penultimate stride. In going from the penultimate to the takeoff stride, the heel lift should be kept low, landing with the ankle fixed and the foot very slightly ahead of the COM. The curved path must be retained on this stride and the takeoff foot toe should be pointed toward the far standard. The hands, with the palms turned outward and the thumbs pointing down, should move back past the hips. The shoulders should be made square with the hips. There should be flexation of the takeoff knee, lowering the COM. Lowering the COM requires leg strength and the lower the COM, the more difficult the liftoff. However, the lower the COM goes, the higher the upward thrust can become. The shoulder and hip axes should be in line and a "butt out" position should be avoided. The free leg should move away from the bar and the arms should block with the humorous in the arms parallel to each other. The elbows should be slightly flared out from the rib cage. At liftoff, the free leg knee should be slightly bent and it is critical that the liftoff leg be fully extended prior to liftoff. Once this foot leaves the ground, the flight path has been determined and can not be changed! The body will rotate over the bar rather than arching over it. The knees should be kept separated and as the shoulders drop going over the bar, the hips will rise. Once the butt has cleared, the chin should be tucked down toward. Currently some coaches train that the chin should be turned toward the shoulder while others teach that it should go straight to the chest. This is pretty much a question of personal preference. A key thing to remember is that the takeoff is straight up and not into the bar. Momentum will carry the body over the bar. Coming down on the bar is usually caused by a bad penultimate stride. DRILLS FOR THE BEGINNING "FLOPPER" To get the feel of landing on your back, take two legged jumps up and backwards into the pit. Remember, you jump over the bar and not into the bar. These jumps should be done from the standing position with emphasis placed on landing on the upper portion of the back rather than on the neck or the buttocks. Next, take a three stride run-up, turn and jump and taking a "jump-sit" into the pit. The emphasis should be on jumping up and not into the pit. Following this, go to a slow speed five stride run-up and do a scissors jump over a low bar. Again, make certain that the jump is up and not into the pit. This begins to train the body to coordinate the run and the jump. From this go to a five stride curved run-up to get the feel of the momentum introduced by running a curve. These jumps should also be over a low height with the emphasis on going up with the back to the pit and allowing the momentum to carry the body into the pit. A lot of time should be spent on this drill. For safety, it is better to do the drills and some of the jumping using a rubber tube stretched between the standards rather than a bar. Doesn't hurt as much when you land on it.	3
In ancient Olympic Games, some men wore a ‘kynodesme’ to restrain which part of their body?	Frequently Asked Questions about STIHL Chainsaws \| STIHL USA Will a 10% (E10) blend of ethanol hurt my gas-powered STIHL product? All STIHL gasoline-powered engines can be used with up to a 10% (E10) blend of ethanol in the gasoline/engine oil mix. We also recommend that if a unit will be left unused for more than 30 days that it be stored "dry." This means emptying the fuel tank and then restarting and letting the unit run until all the fuel is consumed and the engine stops. For maximum performance and engine life expectancy we also recommend using STIHL Ultra 2-cycle engine oil with built-in stabilizer. Note: STIHL recommends use of fuel with no more than 10% ethanol content. Using fuel with greater than 10% ethanol content may cause damage to your equipment and may void your STIHL warranty. Learn More… My chainsaw will start and idle but won't run or stalls when I go to full throttle. What's wrong? There are several things you can check: first, make sure that you are using fresh fuel mix (never store or use fuel mix older than 60 days in can or fuel tank), second, clean spark arrester screen in the muffler, third, replace fuel filter in fuel tank, fourth, clean or replace air filter. If none of these work, please take the machine to your local authorized STIHL servicing Dealer for evaluation. Why does my chainsaw flood? The most common reason is due to too many attempts trying to start the machine in the choke position. When starting a unit, make sure to follow the starting instructions in your instruction manual . The manual provides the proper instruction for starting procedures, but there are many conditions that may affect how the unit starts. A good rule of thumb to follow is to remember that when placing the switch control to the full choke setting, more liquid fuel and less air flow into the combustion chamber in order to create a higher chance for ignition. Pulling the rope more than two to three times in this setting may flood the engine. The operator should move the Master Control Lever™ or choke lever from the full choke setting after three to four pulls even if the engine does not fire. Moving the lever to the next setting, the half choke or part throttle position will allow more air into the combustion chamber and help resolve the flooding condition. My Dealer informs me that you no longer make parts for my old STIHL chainsaw. What are my options? Although parts for many older model STIHL products may no longer be in production, specific parts may still be available and active. You can call 1-(800) GO-STIHL (467-8445) and select Option 2 to find out if the specific part(s) you need is/are still available through normal channels or not. If not, we have a list of Dealers that deal in discontinued/ NLA parts: Legacy Feed & Fuel (ID) 208-888-3003 Fax: 208-888-1963 Why does my saw leak bar oil? The way our units lubricate a chain, most of the oil is distributed around the inside of the bar rails as it is circulated by the oil reservoirs in each drive link of the chain. The amount of oil being circulated inside the bar at any given time can be between .3 and .5 oz. As a general rule of physics, the oil will be pulled down by gravity once the chain stops turning, collecting at the bottom of the bar and seeping through the chain to puddle underneath the bar & chain assembly as well as under the drive sprocket. The fact that it appears to be continuing to seep after the unit is cut off for several days is owed to the viscosity of the oil and the anti-flinging compound (lithium) mixed with the oil at the refinery. These factors give the oil a very thick consistency, which in turn explains a slower flow rate. This condition is deemed to be normal for any chainsaw with a similar bar & chain lubricating system. If the unit continues to seep oil after a few days, the problem may be the vacuum relief valve located in the side of the engine housing between the oil output hole and the bar stud(s). This valve has an internal spring and ball type arrangement with the ball pressed against the vent hole of the casing of the valve, when the tank develops a vacuum from the normal process of the oil being pumped out. The ball is pulled away from the hole, allowing air to enter into the tank and break the vacuum so that oil can continue to flow to the bar and chain assembly. Once the vacuum is relieved, the spring pushes the ball back against the hole of the valve casing. Sometimes debris may become trapped between the ball and the hole. This would cause the oil to keep "weeping" because there must be some measure of vacuum in the tank to keep the oil from flowing freely once the unit is shut down. More often than not, all one needs to do is to take a small pin or needle and push it into the hole of the valve (identifiable as a small silver disk with a small hole in the center) about 6 or 7 times to loosen the debris. This should re-seal the orifice and keep the oil from seeping from the output hole when the saw is stored. How do I adjust the bar and chain on my chainsaw? Please refer to your instruction manual under the heading's Mounting bar and chain, Tensioning the saw chain , and checking chain tension. If you do not have a copy of the instruction manual you can download a PDF version or order a copy by going to our product manuals webpage . What is kickback? Kickback occurs when the moving saw chain near the upper quadrant of the bar nose contacts a solid object or is pinched. The reaction of the cutting force of the chain causes a rotational force on the chainsaw in the direction opposite to the chain movement. This may fling the bar up and back in an uncontrolled arc mainly in the plane of the bar. Under some cutting circumstances the bar moves towards the operator, who may suffer severe or fatal injury. Kickback may occur when the nose of the guide bar is pinched unexpectedly, unintentionally contacts solid material in the wood or is incorrectly used to begin a plunge or boring cut. It may also occur during limbing. The greater the force of the kickback reaction, the more difficult it becomes for the operator to control the saw. Many factors influence the occurrence and force of the kickback reaction. These include chain speed, the speed at which the bar and chain contact the object, the angle of contact, the condition of the chain and other factors. Where do I find my serial number? Most serial numbers are stamped in the motor housing or crankcase to the left or right of the muffler looking down from the top on a flat surface. They will in most cases be 9 digits long and begin with the number 1, 2 or 5. What do I need to know about chainsaw bar and chain lubrication? For automatic and reliable lubrication of the chain and guide bar , use only an environmentally compatible quality chain and bar lubricant with non-fling additive or the rapidly biodegradable STIHL BioPlus™ is recommended. The service life of the chain and guide bar depends on the quality of the lubricant. It is therefore essential to use only a specially formulated chain lubricant. Can I adjust my own carburetor? The carburetor comes from the factory with a standard setting. This setting provides an optimum fuel-air mixture under most operating conditions. With most carburetors, it is only possible to adjust the engine idle speed within fine limits. Quite often adjusting the carburetor will not solve acceleration issues. To find the correct setting for your machine, please refer to your instruction manual. If you do not have a copy of your instruction manual, please go to our product manual webpage where you can download a PDF version. Why do the instructions tell you to wash your protective chainsaw chaps before using? These protective garments contain pads of cut-retardant material designed to reduce the risk or severity of injury to the body parts covered by the pads in the event of contact with a rotating chain. The fibers in the pads provide extra layers of material and are designed to rip apart if they come into contact with the moving chain and to clog the sprocket and stop the chain in certain circumstances. In some contacts, the pads may stop the chain. In other contacts, the pads will resist the cutting process only for a fraction of a second. The actual degree of protection afforded will vary with the speed of the chain at the time of contact, the power and torque of the saw, the design of the chainsaw sprocket and similar factors. Follow the washing instructions. Improper care may destroy cut-retardant properties of the material. During shipping these pads may become compressed. By washing them prior to use and weekly during regular use, these pads fluff up and offer maximum protection. My STIHL chainsaw was stolen. Do you track them? STIHL Inc. maintains a Stolen Unit Database. If your STIHL product was stolen, please report it stolen to your local law enforcement agency. Then contact us with your name, address, model number and serial number. If the unit was registered at the time of purchase, we can have it added to the Stolen Unit Database. What is the recommended procedure for preparing my STIHL chainsaw for long term storage (over 30 days)? Only if you plan to "mothball" your lawn trimmer, brushcutter or chainsaw for a longer period - say during the winter months - should you pay a little more attention to the topic of "care." This will ensure that your equipment, when required, will be ready for action. To get the equipment ready for winter, clean it first. The air filter, the cylinder fins, the spark plug and the dismantled cutting tool should be checked and cleaned (also see Instruction Manual). Metal parts should be lightly coated with oil to protect them from rust and corrosion. The spark arresting screen in the muffler should be cleaned or replaced with a new one. The fuel tank should be emptied. Run the engine until the fuel system is dry (Warning! Do not operate the throttle. Run the equipment only at idle speed until the engine stops!) STIHL recommends the use of STIHL MotoMix® fuel which is pre-mixed with STIHL HP Ultra synthetic oil. STIHL MotoMix® contains no ethanol and has a storage life of up to two years. STIHL MotoMix® can be left in the machine during seasonal storage. For winter storage, a dry and, if possible, dust-free and frost-free place would be ideal. You can save space if you hang the equipment. And remember: standard pump gasoline deteriorates. To avoid problems, only purchase enough fuel that can be used within sixty days unless it is STIHL MotoMix®. Please refer to the Maintenance Schedule which can be found in the Instruction Manual . My file does not appear to fit my new STIHL chain correctly. Is the chain defective? Note that most brands of new saw chain will not exactly match the shape and fit of a round file radius and is not a defect in the chain. When STIHL saw chain is manufactured, the cutter teeth are shaped to precise angles with highly specialized machines to provide optimum performance of the new saw chain. After the manufacturing process, a simple round file of specific diameter with the appropriate file guide is recommended to help more easily maintain the cutting performance of your saw chain. While a new saw chain does not exactly match the shape and fit of a round file, a few strokes of the correct file diameter with the appropriate file guide will quickly form the shape of the cutter tooth to match the fit and radius of the file. Click here for instructions on how to sharpen STIHL Saw Chains. Additional information and instructions can also be obtained from your STIHL servicing Dealer .	i don't know
In 1960, who became the first Sub-Saharan African to win an Olympic Gold Medal?	History and HeadlinesHistory: September 10, 1960: 1st Sub-Saharan African Wins Olympic Gold Medal - History and Headlines No Comments A Brief History On September 10, 1960, the final event of the Summer Olympics held in Rome, Italy, was the scene of the first Sub-Saharan African (Black) to win an Olympic Gold Medal. Abebe Bikila of Ethiopia won the prestigious Olympic Marathon race (about 26.2 miles long) and won it in high fashion, that is, barefoot! Digging Deeper Only 126 lbs, this slim 5’11” runner was 28 years old when he ran his historic race, and for good measure he won the Olympic Gold Medal in the Marathon in the 1964 Olympics as well. The course of events that led to Bikila’s historic performance makes for a good background story. The only reason he even went to Rome to compete was because another Ethiopian runner had taken ill and Bikila was a last minute substitute. On top of that, because of the late addition to the team, running shoe company Adidas that sponsored the Olympics did not have shoes for Bikila that fit properly, which is why he ran barefoot. He won in record time by a 25 second margin. In the 1964 Olympics Bikila competed as the reigning champion and would not surprise anyone this time. Between his Olympic Gold Medal performances, Bikila won every Marathon he ran except a disappointing 5th place in the 1963 Boston Marathon. In fact, Boston was the only Marathon Bikila ran (completed) in his career that he did not win. Disaster nearly struck 40 days before the 1964 Tokyo Olympics when Bikila came down with appendicitis and required surgery. Though he traveled to Tokyo, he was not expected to run. Bikila did choose to run, and won his second Olympic Gold Medal, once again setting a new record, while becoming the first man to win a second Olympic Marathon. His emperor, Haile Selassie, presented Bakila with a brand new Volkswagen Beetle. No kidding. In 1968 disaster did indeed strike, and Bikila had to pull out of the Olympic Marathon due to injury to his knee. It seems he had earlier broken a bone in his foot as well. In 1969 an even bigger disaster struck when Bikila swerved his Volkswagen to avoid protesters in the roadway. He wrecked his car and became a quadriplegic from his injuries. In 1973 Bikila died at age 41 of a cerebral hemorrhage, leaving a legacy of excellence by Sub-Saharan (Black) African long distance runners to follow. Of course, Black African athletes had won Olympic Gold Medals before Bikila, but not representing an African nation. African-Americans such as Jesse Owens had won Olympic Gold, but Bikila was the first to bring his medal back to Africa. Since Bikila’s heroics, Olympic Marathons have been won by athletes from Ethiopia, Kenya, and Uganda, and twice Ethiopian women have won the Olympic Marathon. What other Sub-Saharan African athletes can you think of that have achieved greatness? Please tell us your favorites. If you liked this article and would like to receive notification of new articles, please feel welcome to subscribe to History and Headlines by entering your email address at the top right of this page or like us on Facebook . Your readership is much appreciated! Historical Evidence	Abebe Bikila
The ‘J’ approach and the ‘Flared’ approach are associated with which event?	Rome Olympic Games in 1960 Home > Events > Olympics > Summer > Hosts > Rome Rome 1960 Olympic Games The 1960 Olympic Games were held in Rome, Italy. A record 5,348 athletes from 83 countries competed. The Soviets again topped the medal tally, with 103 medals (43 gold) to the USA 71 medals (34 gold). See the 1960 Medal Table . Trivia The Rome Olympics in 1960 was the first Olympics covered by U.S. television by CBS, and the first covered by television worldwide. Ethiopian marathoner Abebe Bikila won the marathon, running barefoot, and became the first black African to win a gold medal. He successfully defended his title four years later in Tokyo, this time wearing shoes. 18-year-old boxer Cassius Clay, later to be known as Muhammad Ali, was the light heavyweight boxing champion. American Wilma Rudolph won three gold medals in Track and Field running events. At the Rome Olympics on August 26, 1960, 23 year old Danish cyclist Knud Enemark Jensen collapsed during the 100 km team time trial, fatally fracturing his skull. The autopsy showed he had taken amphetamines and Roniaco. Competing in 93°F (34°C) heat, the official cause of death was heat stroke. Share:	i don't know
Who won the Eurovison Song Contest for the United Kingdom in 1967?	Eurovision United Kingdom 1967: Sandie Shaw - "Puppet On A String" Sandie Shaw - "Puppet On A String" I wonder if one day that you'll say that you care If you say you love me madly, I'll gladly be there Like a puppet on a string Love is just like a merry-go-round With all the fun of the fair One day I'm feeling down on the ground Then I'm up in the air Are you leading me on? Tomorrow, will you be gone? I wonder if one day that you'll say that you care If you say you love me madly, I'll gladly be there Like a puppet on a string I may win on the roundabout Then I'll lose on the swings In or out, there is never a doubt Just who's pulling the strings I'm all tied up in you But where's it leading me to? I wonder if one day that you'll say that you care If you say you love me madly, I'll gladly be there Like a puppet on a string I wonder if one day that you'll say that you care If you say you love me madly, I'll gladly be there Like a puppet on a string Like a puppet on a string	Sandie Shaw
Who succeeded Lyndon B Johnson as President of the United States?	1000+ images about Sandie Shaw \| United Kingdom Eurovision 1967 on Pinterest \| Grand prix, TVs and Thoughts Pinterest • The world’s catalog of ideas Sandie Shaw \| United Kingdom Eurovision 1967 4 Pins251 Followers	i don't know
Which US author committed suicide with a shotgun in 1961?	10 Sad Stories of Writers Who Committed Suicide - Toptenz.net Toptenz.net Posted by Shell Harris on October 14, 2009 in Literature , People \| 28,493 Views \| 27 Responses From the earliest records of ancient civilizations to the most recent works produced by modernity, the history of literature bears witness to the creative power of the human mind. We have before us a vast library of stories, plays, and poetry to enjoy at our leisure, but in some cases this creativity came with a price – the life of the creator. A significant number of writers have struggled with depression and the seductions of suicide, leading some to believe there is often a close connection between artistic skill and the mood swings of a tortured mind. While not all of the following writer-suicides of modernity occurred because of the writer’s battle with depression, many of them did – and there are many, many more that could be added to this list. 10. Yukio Mishima (1925 – 1970) Yukio Mishima was the pen name for Kimitake Hiraoka, a prolific Japanese author, actor, and playwright. Taken under the wing of his overly protective grandmother until the age of 12, Mishima was not allowed to play with other boys, participate in sports, or even expose himself to sunlight. Mishima’s early fascination with literature and writing led to clashes with his military-minded father, who destroyed any of his son’s manuscripts he found. Still, Mishima enjoyed early success in the academic world, becoming the youngest member of his elite school’s editorial board and subsequently publishing poetry and prose in prestigious magazines. To protect him from the scorn of his classmates, his instructors decided that he should write under a pen name. Mishima graduated from the University of Tokyo in 1947 and continued to publish stories, poems, and plays, while also traveling extensively. Keenly interested in physical fitness and martial arts, he joined the Japan Self Defense Forces (JSDF) and later started his own private force called the Shield Society. In 1970, Mishima and four members of this Shield Society took over the Tokyo JSDF headquarters and tied up the commandant. Mishima gave a speech outlining his demands to restore power to the Japanese emperor, and then ended his life by committing seppuku. He had been carefully planning the suicide for a year. 9. Jerzy Kosinski (1933 -1991) As Jews living in Poland during World War II, the Lewinkopf family had to do everything possible to avoid German capture, so young Jozef Lewinkopf was given the false name Jerzy Kosinski, which he kept as an alias. After the war was over, Kosinski remained in Poland in order to pursue university studies. In 1957, Kosinski emigrated to the United States on a passport obtained by forging papers that “proved” an American foundation was willing to sponsor him. He supported himself by driving a truck until he obtained a grant from the Ford Foundation allowing him to attend Columbia University’s sociology program. In 1965 – the same year he became an American citizen – Kosinski published the novel The Painted Bird, a highly controversial story about a young boy’s experiences in Europe during World War II. Other famous (and also controversial) novels by Kosinski include Steps and Being There. Many people were critical of Kosinski’s writing because of the sexual, violent, and often sadistic topics he chose to portray. He was thought to rely heavily on ghostwriters and freelance editors for the content of his novels, and was even accused of plagiarism, which he vehemently denied. In addition to the mental exhaustion of dealing with these allegations, Kosinski also suffered from serious physical illnesses later in life. On May 3, 1991, his wife found his body in a half-filled bathtub, a suffocating plastic bag wrapped around his head. “I am going to put myself to sleep now for a bit longer than usual,” read Kosinski’s suicide note. “Call it Eternity.” 8. Hunter S. Thompson (1937 – 2005) Perhaps most famous for his 1972 novel Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas, Kentucky native Hunter Thompson is remembered for his signature “Gonzo” style of journalism. Avoiding the objective nature of typical reporting, he often wrote in a highly subjective manner, incorporating his own experiences and artistic creativity into stories. The result was a form of writing that blurred the lines between truth and fiction. Thompson’s early journalistic work usually involved editing or reporting sports stories. Over the years he worked various jobs at quite a few different papers around the United States and even in places like Puerto Rico and Brazil. While researching a story for Rolling Stone about the killing of journalist Ruben Salazar by Los Angeles police, Thompson had the idea for Fear and Loathing, which initially appeared in Rolling Stone in 1971 and gave him the opportunity to write much more for the magazine. From an early age, Thompson clashed with authority and was always outspoken about the rights of privacy and bearing arms (he owned a massive collection of firearms and explosives). He was also known for actively supporting the legalization of marijuana and other drugs. Thompson suffered from various medical problems, which may have been a factor in his suicide. On February 20, with visiting family members in the next room, Thompson put a bullet through his brain and ended his life. “No More Games,” read a note delivered to his wife shortly before the incident. “No More Bombs. No More Walking. No More Fun. No More Swimming. 67. That is 17 years past 50. 17 more than I needed or wanted. Boring. I am always bitchy. No Fun — for anybody. 67. You are getting Greedy. Act your old age. Relax — This won’t hurt.” 7. Richard Brautigan (1935 – 1984) Born in Tacoma, Washington, Richard Brautigan endured a childhood of poverty, parental neglect, and physical abuse. He moved around the Northwest, finally settling in Eugene, Oregon with his mother and stepfather. While in high school, Brautigan wrote articles and poetry for the school newspaper. In 1955, Brautigan was arrested for disorderly conduct and later committed to a hospital, where he was diagnosed with clinical depression and paranoid schizophrenia. He was treated with electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) and released, but for most of his life he struggled with depression and alcoholism. Somewhat naïve and eccentric, Brautigan, whose writing style was characterized by a unique sense of humor and a richly imaginative use of metaphor, wrote poems and novels with little success until the publication of Trout Fishing in America (1967), which won him an international readership and the respect of literary critics – the same readers and critics who would dismiss his work in later years. In October of 1984, Brautigan’s long-dead body was found rotting in his Bolinas, California home, where he lived alone. A .44 Magnum bullet through the brain had finally brought an end to his despair. 6. John Berryman (1914 – 1972) The poet John Berryman was born John Smith in McAlester, Oklahoma. Following his father’s suicide when he was only 12, his mother remarried and his surname was changed. Berryman studied as an undergraduate at Columbia College and later attended Cambridge University on a fellowship. From 1955 until his death, he was a professor at the University of Minnesota. The publication of his 77 Dream Songs (1964), a collection of lyrical sonnets, won him the Pulitzer Prize for poetry. He later expanded on this work by adding over three hundred sonnets and publishing the whole collection as The Dream Songs in 1969. Berryman’s style of poetry incorporated a surprisingly scrambled syntax, purposeful disorder, the use of inside jokes, and hidden meanings, and many readers have found Berryman’s own “explanation” of his work to be very appropriate – “these Songs are not meant to be understood, you understand.” Berryman’s lifelong emotional instability and devotion to alcohol eventually led him down the same road blazed by his father years before. On January 7, 1972, he killed himself by jumping from the Washington Avenue Bridge, which connects the East and West Bank sides of the University of Minnesota’s Minneapolis campus. 5. Karin Boye (1900 – 1941) Known for her compelling, serious writing style that was often symbolic, bleak, and tragic, Swedish poet and novelist Karin Boye was responsible for co-founding the magazine Spektrum, translating T. S. Eliot, and working to introduce surrealism to Swedish readers. Born in Gothenburg, Boye moved to Stockholm in 1909 and spent her early years there, later studying at the University of Uppsala and the University of Stockholm. Boye published her first collection of poems (Clouds) in 1922, and continued writing poetry and novels throughout her life. Much opposed to totalitarian government, Boye wrote the novel Kallocain, which contained ideas culled from her thoughts while traveling through Germany and the Soviet Union, and which helped inspire the 2002 film Equilibrium. Although she was briefly married to Leif Bjork, a friend from the Socialist Clarté organization, Boye was a lesbian and lived with her partner Margot Hanel for the last ten years of her life. Her depression eventually led to her suicide in April of 1941. After leaving home one day, she was found dead, lying next to a boulder on top of a hill. She had killed herself with an overdose of sleeping medication. 4. Ryunosuke Akutagawa (1892 – 1927) Born in Tokyo to a mother who later went insane, Ryunosuke (“Dragon Son”) Akutagawa showed an early interest in reading and writing, eventually going on to study English Literature at Tokyo Imperial University. Known as the father of the Japanese short story, Akutagawa’s writings often focused on psychological disorders, the macabre, and the evils of human nature, frequently reinterpreting historical themes in a modern light. Akutagawa taught English briefly at the Naval Engineering School in Yokosuka, but eventually quit and devoted himself completely to writing. Of the 150 short stories he wrote in his short life, most of these were composed during the last ten years he lived. Paranoid, severely depressed, and suffering from visual hallucinations (such as perceiving maggots in his food), Akutagawa killed himself with an overdose of Veronal at the age of 35. “The world I am now in is one of diseased nerves, lucid as ice,” read part of his suicide note. “Such voluntary death must give us peace, if not happiness…” 3. Anne Sexton (1928 – 1974) The poetry of Anne Sexton is known for being extremely personal and honest; indeed, she is considered one of the modern confessional poets. Much of her writing deals with themes that were usually left alone by other authors – themes like abortion, menstruation, and masturbation. The manic depression that stayed with Sexton for most of her life also factored heavily into her poetic work. In 1956, Sexton’s therapist recommended that she take up poetry as an outlet for her severe depression. So she did – and it wasn’t long before she saw her poems accepted in major publications, even receiving the Pulitzer Prize for poetry in 1967. But despair was always a constant factor. Even as she gained exposure for her poems, the effects of her medications, combined with an increasing alcohol dependency, were slowly putting a damper on her creative fires. She repeatedly made attempts on her own life, and finally she succeeded. On October 4, 1974, right after meeting with a close friend to discuss her latest book of poetry (The Awful Rowing Toward God), Sexton went home, locked herself in the garage with the car running, and succumbed to carbon monoxide poisoning. 2. Virginia Woolf (1882 – 1941) “I feel certain that I am going mad again… and I can’t recover this time” – so read the suicide note Virginia Woolf left for Leonard, her husband of almost thirty years. Born in London and raised there by eminent parents, Woolf had to deal with depression throughout her life. The death of her mother in 1895 resulted in her first nervous breakdown, and when her father passed away in 1904 she suffered a collapse so severe that she had to be institutionalized for a short time. However, Woolf’s mental illness did not prevent her from becoming a successful novelist, essayist, and publisher, and it was through her association with the circle of intellectuals known as the Bloomsbury Group that she met her husband, with whom she enjoyed a long and fulfilling marriage. Her most famous works include the novels Mrs. Dalloway (1925), To the Lighthouse (1927), and Orlando (1928). Shortly after Woolf finished the manuscript for her novel Between the Acts, she once again slipped into a state of severe depression. Afflicted by voices in her head and an ever-increasing despair, Woolf wrote a final note to Leonard, asserting that her disease was beyond healing, yet also telling him how happy her marriage to him had been. On March 28, she slipped on an overcoat weighed down with rocks and drowned herself in the River Ouse. Her body wasn’t found for three weeks. 1. Ernest Hemingway (1899 – 1961) Born and raised in Oak Park, IL, Ernest Hemingway’s literary talents go all the way back to his teenage years, when he worked as a writer and editor for his high school’s newspaper and yearbook. Post-graduation work as a cub reporter at The Kansas City Star was cut short by his decision to serve as a Red Cross ambulance driver in Italy during World War I, and after he returned to the United States he eventually moved to Toronto and gained employment at the Toronto Star Weekly, where he worked as a freelancer, staff writer, and foreign correspondent. Hemingway is best known for writing several novels which are now considered classics of American literature, such as For Whom The Bell Tolls (1940) and The Old Man And The Sea (1952). His writing ventures gave him many opportunities to travel, and the things he experienced in such places as France, Spain, Cuba, and Key West became themes for his novels. His contributions to literature won him both the Pulitzer Prize (1953) and the Nobel Prize (1954). Hemingway’s love of the bottle developed into alcoholism later in life, leading to high blood pressure and liver problems. Shortly after receiving ECT at Mayo Clinic in 1961, he attempted suicide at his home in Sun Valley. Ten more shock treatments followed, and two days after being released from Mayo Clinic the second time, Hemingway loaded both barrels of his twelve-gauge shotgun, put the weapon in his mouth, and blew his brains out the back of his head. Four other members of Hemingway’s immediate family also committed suicide – his father, two of his siblings, and his granddaughter – leading some to the conclusion that a hereditary disease was at work behind the scenes. \| Permalink Here is what you do. Go on to YOU TUBE and type in : Sylvia Plath reading her poem entitled “Daddy”. Its the way that she recites it that gives you a “no wonder she was suicidal” feeling in the pit of your stomach. As far as Hunter S Thompson (who, yes, is my 20th century literary idol) goes, when he committed suicide at the age of 67, his personal physician said that he should have died 35 years prior to that due to the amount of drugs he was taking. Read “Fear And Loathing In Las Vegas” and you’ll get what I am talking about. He actually had access to bottles of RAW ETHER !!!………Go Figure. He did have his own reasons for wanting to take his life and that was he did not want to live beyond the age of 50. So at 67, he wrote his suicide note and just simply said that he was tired of living. He had an arsenal of guns and chose a pistol and did the dirty deed. I know life is tough, but I hope that I go beyond 67. \| Permalink I am amazed that Sylvia Plath is not on this list. 32 years old and divorced from Ted Hughes (Great Britain’s poet laureate) She did the “deed” by shoving her head into a gas powered stove and put the gas on, while her children were still sleeping. On a rather distasteful note, I remember recently seeing an episode of “Family Guy” and Meg (the daughter) was distraught and crying over not being invited to a party. Her mother Lois said “well I am going to help you”. So what does Lois do ? She hands Meg a bottle of Ambien and a Sylvia Plath novel………..go figure, Family Guy	Ernest Hemingway
On which Greek island did Jacqueline Kennedy marry shipping tycoon Aristotle Onassis in October 1968?	Famous Suicides: 10 Celebrities Who Committed Suicide - EnkiVillage Famous Suicides: 10 Celebrities Who Committed Suicide Famous Suicides: 10 Celebrities Who Committed Suicide Celebrities have been around forever, whether movie or television stars, rock stars, or those famous for just being wealthy. Many of them have gotten into trouble with drugs or alcohol, but others have, for whatever reason, committed suicide. These famous celebrity suicides continue to be talked about and written about and never seem to leave the public eye. We are here to make a list of the 10 most famous suicides and truly wish all of them could rest in peace. Famous Suicides: 10 Celebrities Who Committed Suicide These 10 famous suicides are ordered by the year of the incident, from the latest to the oldest. 1 Robin Williams (1951-2014) This could be most shocking famous suicide in 2014. Robin Williams was an actor and comedian who had a long career, including television shows such as Mork and Mindy, and films such as Good Morning Vietnam (1987), Popeye (1980) and The Birdcage (1996). His career began in San Francisco and Los Angeles with stand-up comedy in the 1970s and quickly progressed after an appearance on the hit show Happy Days. Williams has had a public battle with addiction and mental illness and in 2014 was struggling with a diagnosis of Parkinson’s disease. Williams took his own life on August 11, 2014. What a lost for all his fans and the whole world. 2 Philip Seymour Hoffman (1967-2014) This is another one of the famous suicides that I could never imagine it's even possible to happen. Philip Seymour Hoffman was a prolific film and stage actor with a stellar career that included such films as Magnolia (1999), Almost Famous (2000) and Charlie Wilson’s War (2007). He also portrayed writer Truman Capote in the 2005 film Capote. He had a history of drug addiction and after years of sobriety, relapsed in 2012, but still he died in February, 2014 due to an overdose of a combination of drugs. 3 L’Wren Scott (1964-2014) Model, fashion designer and costume designer, L’Wren Scott was also a long-time girlfriend of Mick Jagger. Born Lula Bambrough in Utah, she began her career as a model and later established herself as a celebrity stylist, working for such celebrities as Madonna and Julia Roberts. She was found by her assistant hanged in her Manhattan apartment in March of 2014 and police reported no foul play in the designer’s death. No reason for her suicide has ever been determined. 4 Lee Thompson Young (1984-2013) Young was an American actor most known for his role on the Disney Channel television series The Famous Jett Jackson and in the film Friday Night Lights (2004). He more recently starred in the television show Rizzoli & Isles, a police crime drama. Born in South Carolina, Young began acting in high school. He got his break after moving to New York City in 1996. In 2013 after failing to show up on the set of Rizzoli & Isles, police were called to check on him at his apartment. Young was found dead of a single gunshot wound to the head. He had struggled with depression and a diagnosis of bipolar disorder. 5 Whitney Houston (1963-2012) Some may argue this is not a suicide, but still we put Whitney Houston into this category of famous suicides. As a world wide known American actress and singer, Whitney Houston is the only artist to chart seven consecutive times on the Billboard Hot 100 and was named by the Guinness Book of World Records as the most awarded female music act of all time. She had a tumultuous marriage to fellow singer Bobby Brown and struggled for many years with drug addiction. Houston was found dead in a hotel room in Beverly Hills of an accidental drowning in the bathtub. Cocaine abuse and heart disease were deemed contributing factors, but speculation is that she accidentally overdosed. 6 Tony Scott (1944-2012) Tony Scott was a British film producer and director known for such movies as Top Gun (1986), True Romance (1993) and Man on Fire (2004). He is the younger brother of director Ridley Scott. Tony Scott committed suicide by jumping off the Vincent Thomas Bridge in San Pedro, California and witnesses say he didn’t hesitate before jumping to his death. Police reported notes left behind in his car and at his home, but the contents of those notes have never been revealed. It has been rumored that Scott had been diagnosed with terminal brain cancer, but his family vehemently denies the rumor. 7 Amy Winehouse (1983-2011) An English singer and songwriter, Winehouse had a deep sultry voice that lent itself to hit after hit on the music charts. Her second album Back to Black in 2008 garnered Winehouse five Grammy Awards, making her the first British female singer to win five Grammys in a single year. Amy Winehouse had a chaotic life and a very public struggle with alcoholism and bulimia. Winehouse died of alcohol poisoning in July of 2011 in what was declared an accidental suicide. 8 Hunter S. Thompson (1937-2005) American author and journalist Hunter S. Thompson became a well-known counter culture figure in the 1960s and coined the term Gonzo Journalism to describe his style of writing. He was long associated with Rolling Stone magazine and one of his most famous novels, Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas: A Savage Journey to the Heart of the American Dream was turned into a movie in 1998 that starred Johnny Depp. Thompson used drugs and alcohol throughout his life and suffered many health problems in his later years as a result. In 2005 he died of a self-inflicted gunshot wound to the head. 9 Marilyn Monroe (1926-1962) Born Norma Jeane Mortenson, Marilyn Monroe was a model and actress who would become one of the most famous women in history. She was a blond bombshell that had been linked romantically to President John F. Kennedy and was married to author Arthur Miller and baseball player Joe DiMaggio. Some of her well-known films include Some Like it Hot (1959), The Seven Year Itch (1955) and The Misfits (1961). Monroe was found dead in her home due to an overdose of barbiturates and her death has been hotly debated as being an intentional suicide, accidental suicide or murder for decades. 10 Ernest Hemingway (1899-1961) Famed American author Ernest Hemingway is probably best known for such works as The Old Man and the Sea, A Farewell to Arms, The Sun Also Rises, and For Whom the Bell Tolls. He began his career as a journalist and many of his novels were based on personal experience. Hemingway was almost killed in two separate plane crashes and suffered health problems in the years toward the end of his life. Ernest Hemingway shot himself with a shotgun to the head in 1961 after years of illness and mental deterioration. His brother and sister had also committed suicide. This's odd to say this one complete this famous suicides list, though we truly hoped this had not happened. ANY IDEAS ABOUT THIS TOPIC? Please Log In or add your name and email to post the comment. NAME:	i don't know
Which Arthur Miller play aroused controversy over his portrayal of his failed marriage to actress Marilyn Monroe?	Arthur Miller - Biography - IMDb Arthur Miller Jump to: Overview (4) \| Mini Bio (1) \| Spouse (3) \| Trivia (45) \| Personal Quotes (15) Overview (4) 6' 2½" (1.89 m) Mini Bio (1) Arthur Asher Miller was born on October 17, 1915, in New York City, to Augusta (Barnett) and Isidore Miller. His family was of Austrian Jewish descent. His father manufactured women's coats, but his business was devastated by the Depression, seeding his son's disillusionment with the American Dream and those blue-sky-seeking Americans who pursued it with both eyes focused on the Grail of Materialism. Due to his father's strained financial circumstances, Miller had to work for tuition money to attend the University of Michigan. It was at Michigan that he wrote his first plays. They were successes, earning him numerous student awards, including the Avery Hopwood Award in Drama for "No Villain" in 1937. The award was named after one of the most successful playwrights of the 1920s, who simultaneously had five hits on Broadway, the 'Neil Simon (I)' of his day. Now almost forgotten except for his contribution to "Gold Diggers of 1933," Hopwood achieved a material success that the older Miller could not match, but he failed to capture the immortality that would be Miller's. Hopwood's suicide, on the beach of the Cote d'Azur, inspired Norman Maine's march into the SoCal surf in A Star Is Born (1937). It seemed to encapsulate the American dilemma: the achievement of success was no panacea for an America soul-sick from its pursuit. Like Fitzgerald, Miller tasted success at a tender age. In 1938, upon graduating from Michigan, he received a Theatre Guild National Award and returned to New York, joining the Federal Theatre Project. He married his college girlfriend, Mary Grace Slattery, in 1940; they would have two children, Joan and Robert. In 1944, he made his Broadway debut with "The Man Who Had All the Luck," a flop that lasted only four performances. He went on to publish two books, "Situation Normal" in '44, and "Focus" in 1945, but it was in 1947 that his star became ascendant. His play "All My Sons," directed by Elia Kazan , became a hit on Broadway, running for 328 performances. Both Miller and Kazan received Tony Awards, and Miller won the New York Drama Critics Circle Award. It was a taste of what was to come. Staged by Kazan, "Death of a Salesman" opened at the Morosco Theatre on February 10, 1949, and closed 742 performances later on Nov 18, 1950. The play was the sensation of the season, winning six Tony Awards, including Best Play and Best Author for Miller. Miller also was awarded the 1949 Pulitzer Prize for Drama. The play made lead actor Lee J. Cobb , as Willy Loman, an icon of the stage comparable to the Hamlet of John Barrymore : a synthesis of actor and role that created a legend that survives through the bends of time. A contemporary classic was recognized, though some critics complained that the play wasn't truly a tragedy, as Willy Loman was such a pathetic soul. The fall of such a small person as Loman could not qualify as tragedy, as there was so little height from which to fall. Miller, a dedicated progressive and a man of integrity, never accepted the criticism. As Willy's wife Linda said at his funeral, "Attention must be paid," even to the little people who were crucified alongside the capitalist gods in the pursuit of the American Dream. In 1983 Miller himself directed a staging of "Salesman" in Chinese at the Beijing Peoples' Art Theatre. He said that while the Chinese, then largely ignorant of capitalism, might not have understood Loman's career choice, they did have empathy for his desire to drink from the Grail of the American Dream. They understood this dream, which Miller characterizes as the desire "to excel, to win out over anonymity and meaninglessness, to love and be loved, and above all, perhaps, to count." It is this desire to sup at the table of the great American Capitalists, even if one is just scrounging for crumbs, in a country of which President Calvin Coolidge said, "The business of America is business," this desire to be recognized, to be somebody, that so moves "Salesman" audiences, whether in New York, London or Beijing. Miller never again attained the critical heights nor smash Broadway success of "Salesman," though he continued to write fine plays that were appreciated by critics and audiences alike for another two decades. Disenchanted with Kazan over his friendly testimony before the House Un-American Activities Committee, the two parted company when Kazan refused to direct "The Crucible," Miller's parable of the witch hunts of Sen. Joseph McCarthy . Defending her husband, Kazan's wife Molly told Miller that the play was disingenuous, as there were no real witches in Puritan Salem. It was a point Miller disagreed with, as it was a matter of perspective--the witches in Salem were real to those who believed in them. Directed by another Broadway legend, Jed Harris , the play ran for 197 performances and won Miller the 1953 Tony Award for Best Play. Miller had another success with "A View from the Bridge," a play about an incest-minded longshoreman written with overtones of classical Greek tragedy, which ran for 149 performances in the 1955-56 season. It was in 1956 that Miller made his most fateful personal decision, when he divorced his wife Mary and married movie siren-cum-legend Marilyn Monroe . With this marriage Miller achieved a different type of fame, a pop culture status he abhorred. It was a marriage doomed to fail, as Monroe was, in Miller's words, "highly self-destructive." In his beautifully written 1989 autobiography "Timebends," Miller wrote that a marriage was a conspiracy to keep out the light. When one or more of the partners could no longer prevent the light from coming in and illuminating the other's faults, the marriage was doomed. In his own autobiography, "A Life," Kazan said that he could not understand the marriage. Monroe, who had slept with Kazan on a casual basis, as she did with many other Hollywood players, was the type of woman someone took as a mistress, not as a wife. Miller, however, was a man of principle. He was in love. "[A]ll my energy and attention were devoted to trying to help her solve her problems," Miller confessed to a French newspaper in 1992. "Unfortunately, I didn't have much success." The conspiracy collapsed during the filming of The Misfits (1961) (1961), with John Huston shooting the original script Miller had written expressly for his wife. The genesis of the story had come to him while waiting out a divorce from his first wife Mary in Nevada. Monroe hated her character Roslyn, claiming that Miller had made her out to be the dumb blond stereotype she so loathed and had been trying to escape. Withering in her criticism of Miller, and ultimately unfaithful to him, she and Miller separated. Norman Mailer , in his dubious 1973 biography "Marilyn," ridiculed Miller for not doing enough to help Monroe, for not being man enough to keep her. Movie critic Pauline Kael , in turn, lambasted Mailer, saying it was simply a matter of petty machismo and jealousy, that the nearly eight-year-younger Mailer resented Miller (who, unlike Mailer, was never shy about his Judaism), his respectable reputation and his conquest of Marilyn. Ironically, Mailer had lived in the same Brooklyn boarding house as Miller did, after World War II. What Mailer seemed to resent most of all was never being invited over to meet the Missus when they lived close by one another in Connecticut in the late 1950s. Miller would later reunite with Kazan to launch the new Lincoln Center Repertory Theater, with the play "After the Fall," a fictionalization of his relationship with Monroe. "Fall" ran for 208 performances in repertory in 1964 and 1965 and won 1964 Tony Awards for Jason Robards and Kazan's future wife Barbara Loden , playing the Miller and Monroe stand-ins Quentin and Maggie. Miller's own "Incident at Vichy" played in repertory with "Fall" in the 1965 season, but lasted only 32 performances On June 1, 1957, Miller was found in contempt of Congress for refusing to name names of a literacy circle suspected of Communist Party affiliations. The State Department deprived him of his passport, and he became a left-wing cause celebre. In 1967 Miller became President of P.E.N., an international literacy organization that campaigned for the rights of suppressed writers. He published a collection of short stories entitled "I Don't Need You Any More" the same year. Returning to the Morosco Theatre, the site of his greatest triumph, "The Price" was Miller's last unqualified hit in America, running for 429 performances between Feb 7, 1968 and Feb 15, 1969. Though Miller won a 1968 Tony Award for Best Play, the bulk of his success as an original playwright was over. A 1971 teleplay (_Price, The (1971) (TV)_) of the production was nominated for six Emmy awards, including Outstanding Single Program-Drama or Comedy, and won three, including Best Actor for George C. Scott , who would later win a 1976 Tony playing Willy Loman in a 1975 Broadway revival. Miller never again achieved success on Broadway with an original play. In the 1980s, when he was hailed as the greatest living American playwright after the death of Tennessee Williams, he even had trouble getting full-scale revivals of his work staged. One of his more significant later works, "The American Clock", based on Studs Terkel 's oral history of the Great Depression "Hard Times," ran for only 11 previews and 12 performances in late 1980 at the Biltmore Theatre. Also in 1980, Miller courted controversy by backing the casting of anti-Zionist Vanessa Redgrave as a concentration-camp Jewess in his teleplay Playing for Time (1980), an adaptation of the memoir "The Musicians of Auschwitz." Another politically active Jew in show business, soon-to-be-president of the Screen Actors Guild Edward Asner , recommended that other Jews shun Miller. Commercial Broadway producers didn't need Asner's advice to shun Miller, however. Ironically for America's greatest living playwright, his original work was popular in Britain, whose intellectual and theatrical communities treated him as a major figure in world literature. The universality of his work was highlighted with his own successful staging of "Death of a Salesman" in Beijing in 1983. Arthur Miller wrote plays, screenplays, novels, short stories, non-fiction, and an autobiography, but it will be for "Death of a Salesman" that he will be remembered. It is the "Great American Fiction" of the 20th century, if not the Great American Play, perfectly encapsulating what was wrong with America in that tumultuous century. The play has become a standard warhorse, now revived each decade on Broadway, and all over the world. In addition to George C. Scott and Lee J. Cobb (who received an Emmy nomination for the 1966 teleplay; Miller himself received a Special Citation from the Academy of Television Arts and Sciences for the production), Dustin Hoffman and Brian Dennehy have garnered kudos for playing Willie Loman. The 1984 Broadway revival of "Salesman" won a Tony for best Reproduction and helped revive Miller's domestic reputation, while Volker Schlöndorff 's 1985 film ( Death of a Salesman (1985)) of the production won 10 Emmy nominations, including one for Miller as executive producer of the Outstanding Drama/Comedy Special. Hoffman won an Emmy and a Golden Globe for playing Willy Loman. The hit 1999 revival won four Tonys, including Dennehy for Best Actor, and ran for 274 performances at the Eugene O''Neill Theatre. Miller based his works on American history, his own life, and his observations of the American scene. Though uniquely American, they simultaneously were universal stories about an individual's struggle with his society, his family, and especially, himself. Miller's characters suffer from anxiety, depression, and guilt, and it was the genius of Miller to portray their pain and sorrow realistically, creating works that were familiar, yet uncanny in their power to move an audience. Miller's stature is based on his refusal to avoid moral and social issues in his writing, even when the personal cost was terrible. Miller might not have been the greatest writer in America, but his bravery and his willingness to fight for what he believed in his chosen art form made him a great American whose name will live on in world letters. - IMDb Mini Biography By: Jon C. Hopwood Spouse (3) Older brother of Joan Copeland . First wife Mary Slattery was his college sweetheart. Met his late wife, Inge Morath , when she and other photographers from the legendary Magnum agency, was assigned to document the making of Miller's and Marilyn Monroe 's film, The Misfits (1961). Daughter Rebecca Miller is married to Daniel Day-Lewis , who starred in The Crucible (1996), a film version of Miller's play. (May 8, 2002) Miller received the "Principe de Asturias" prize, in honour of his writing career. Awarded Spain's Principe de Asturias Prize for Literature as "the undisputed master of modern drama." Previous winners include Doris Lessing , Günter Grass and Carlos Fuentes . [May 2002] Divorced his first wife, Mary Slattery, in Reno, NV, after a six-week residency period. It was while waiting for his divorce that Miller met a group of cowboys who inspired the short story "The Misfits", which he later adapted as a vehicle for his second wife, Marilyn Monroe . His "Death of a Salesman" was the first play to take the New York Drama Critics Circle Award, the Tony Award and the Pulitzer Prize. Was exempted from military service during World War II because of a football injury. Was found guilty of contempt of Congress for refusing to reveal to the House Un-American Activities Committee the names of members of a literary circle accused of Communist affiliations. His conviction was reversed by the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia on 8 August 1958. [May 1957] Graduated from the University of Michigan in 1938, majoring in journalism. He was a reporter and night editor on the student paper, The Michigan Daily. According to Martin Gottfried's biography, "Arthur Miller: His Life and Work," he and his late wife, Inge Morath , had a son, Daniel, born with Down Syndrome. Miller put Daniel in an institution in Roxbury, Conn., and never visited him. Was one of three children. His father was an Austrian Jewish immigrant. His mother was born in New York, to Austrian Jewish parents. He was awarded the Laurence Olivier Theatre Award in 1995 (1994 season) BBC Award for Best Play for Broken Glass. (12/04) The 89-year-old Miller announced that he has been living with 34-year-old artist Agnes Barley at his Roxbury, Connecticut, farm since 2002. Biography/bibliography in: "Contemporary Authors". New Revision Series, Vol. 132, pp. 287-295. Farmington Hills, MI: Thomson Gale, 2005. Miller died on the 56th anniversary of the opening night of his greatest success. "Death of a Salesman" opened at the Morosco Theatre on Feb 10, 1949 and closed on Nov 18, 1950, running for a total of 742 performances. The original production won two 1949 Tony Awards for Miller for Best Play and Best Author. It also won Tony Awards for Arthur Kennedy (Best Supporting or Featured Actor-Dramatic), Jo Mielziner (Best Scenic Design), Kermit Bloomgarden and Walter Fried (Producer-Dramatic), and Elia Kazan (Best Director). Cameron Mitchell won a 1949 Theatre World Award for Supporting Actor. Miller also was awarded the 1949 Pulitzer Prize for Drama. The play has been revived three times successfully on Broadway, in 1975, 1984 and 1999. According to Miller in his autobiography "Timebends," he had written a screenplay dealing with corruption on the New York waterfront called "The Hook." Elia Kazan had agreed to direct it, and in 1951 they went to see Harry Cohn at Columbia Pictures about making the picture. Cohn agreed in principle to make "The Hook," but his minions were troubled by the portrayal of corrupt union officials. When Cohn asked that the antagonists of the script be changed to Communists, Miller refused. Cohn sent Miller a letter telling him it was interesting that he had resisted Columbia's desire to make the movie pro-American. Kazan later made a movie about corruption on the waterfront that did include corrupt union officials, based on articles by Malcolm Johnson . He asked Miller to write the script, but Miller declined due to his disenchantment with Kazan's friendly testimony before the House Un-American Activities Committee. Budd Schulberg , a fellow HUAC informer, developed the story and wrote the script. The movie was produced by Sam Spiegel and distributed through Columbia. On the Waterfront (1954), which won eight Oscars, including Best Picture, Best Director, and Best Screenplay, is considered a classic and was one of the first films named to the National Film Preservation Board's National Film Registry in 1989. He was forced to testify in front of the House Un-American Activities Committee (HUAC) in 1956, after he had sought a passport to accompany his wife, Marilyn Monroe , to England for the shooting of The Prince and the Showgirl (1957). In 1954 the US State Department had refused to renew his passport (first issued in 1947) on the grounds that he was a "fellow traveler". Subsequent to his 1956 request, HUAC subpoenaed Miller to testify about the unauthorized use of American passports. The justification of the subpoena was that the State Department was withholding approval of his latest request due to derogatory information about Miller's past. In his HUAC testimony, Miller admitted to involvement with many Communist-front organizations and having had sponsored many Communist-backed causes in the 1940s. When Miller was asked whether he had signed an application to join the Communist Party in 1939 or '40, he explained that he believed he had signed an application for a course on Marxism. The date was significant for it was the Nazi-Soviet Non-Aggression Pact, signed in Moscow on August 23, 1939 (thus enabling the launching of World War II by allying the USSR with Germany, partitioning Poland between the two countries, and allowing Adolf Hitler to concentrate his war machine on the West), that led many American Communist Party members, like friendly witness Elia Kazan , to repudiate the Party. To have stuck with the Party or to have joined after the Pact would tar one as a Stalinist. Claiming he could not remember, Miller refused to deny that he had signed statements attacking H.U.A.C. and the Smith Act, and signing a statement against outlawing the Communist party. The Alien Registration Act of 1940, a.k.a. the Smith Act, had been used to destroy the Communist Party. It banned knowingly or willfully advocating, abetting, advising, or teaching the necessity, desirability, or propriety of overthrowing the government of the U.S. or any of its subdivisions by force or violence, or by assassination of its officials. It also outlawed the printing, publishing, editing and distribution of materials advocating violent revolution, and made it a crime to organize, help or make attempts to organize any group advocating the same. The U.S. Supreme Court had upheld the Smith Act in 1951. Upholding the conspiracy convictions of 11 Communist Party leaders, the Court, applying a clear and present danger test, held that free speech could be curbed in order to suppress a serious evil. Miller told H.U.A.C. that he opposed the Smith Act because it might limit "advocacy," which was essential to literature. The right to free expression for artists had to be preserved. Miller's culpability hanged upon his helping a group, i.e., the Communist Party, which advocated the violent overthrow of the U.S. government. Miller testified that he had attended Communist party writers' meetings four or five times. When he was asked to confirm the identity of the chairman of a 1947 "meeting of Communist party writers" that he had attended, Miller refused to name names. He stated that though he "would not support now a cause dominated by Communists . . . my conscience will not permit me to use the name of another person and bring trouble to him." Section 6 of The Subversive Activities Control Act of 1950 made it illegal for any member of a registered Communist or Communist-front organization, or an organization under order to be filed as Communist or Communist-front, to apply for or use a passport if they had knowledge of the actual or impending registration. The provision was later struck down by the U.S. Supreme Court in 1964 as violating the Fifth Amendment's due process clause. The Court held that the law infringed on the right to travel, and limited "freedom of association." Faulting Section 6 for being too broad in its application, the Court held it to be unconstitutional as it penalized organization members regardless of their knowledge of its illegal aims, whether they were active or not, and whether they intended to further the organization's illegal aims or not. The law was too broad as it effected "Communist-action" and "Communist-front" organizations whether or not a member believed or knew that they were associated with such an organization, or whether they knew that the organization sought to further the aims of world Communism. (However, the next year, the Court upheld State Department area restrictions on passports, finding that its passport policies did not violate the First Amendment as they inhibited action rather than expression. This distinction was again upheld in 1981.) In 1956, however, Section 6 of The Subversive Activities Control Act of 1950 was still the law of the land, and it was the law with which H.U.A.C. went after Miller. H.U.A.C. gave Miller an additional ten days to return and answer questions, with the implication that he would be cited for contempt if he did no do so. Miller's lawyers counseled that since the committee's line of questioning had nothing to do with passports, he was not in contempt of Congress for choosing not to answer a question about an unrelated subject. He refused to participate in any further questioning. The State Department issued Miller a six-month temporary passport to accompany Monroe to England, but upon his return, he was indicted by a federal grand jury after the U.S. House of Representatives voted 373 to 9 to cite him for contempt. He was convicted of contempt in federal court, fined $500 and given a thirty-day suspended prison sentence. In 1958, his conviction was overturned by the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia. Citing a 1955 U.S. Supreme Court decision, the Court of Appeals ruled unanimously that H.U.A.C had not sufficiently warned Miller of the penalty for refusing to answer a congressional committee's questions. Miller won the respect of the left and libertarians for doing what many others in his position did not: Stand up to the House Un-American Activities Committee, regardless of the personal cost. His moral courage, which was on display in his life as well as his literature, made him a true American hero. Won six Tony Awards: in 1947, as Best Author for "All My Sons;" in 1949, as Best Author as well as author of Best Play winner "Death of a Salesman;" in 1953, as Best Author (Dramatic) as well as author of Best Play winner "The Crucible;" and in 1999, a Special Lifetime Achievement Tony Award. He was also Tony-nominated three other times as author of a Best Play nominee: "The Price in 1968, "Broken Glass" in 1994, and "The Ride Down Mt. Morgan" in 2000. In his autobiography "Timebends," Miller speculates that his unconscious mind picked the name "Loman" for Willy Loman, the protagonist of his greatest play, "Death of a Salesman" (1947), from the movie The Testament of Dr. Mabuse (1933), which featured a character named "Inspector Lohmann." (Kriminalkomissar Karl Lohmann also appeared in "Mabuse" director Fritz Lang 's M (1931)). His play "Resurrection Blues" was chosen by Old Vic Artistic Director Kevin Spacey for an early 2006 production by the venerable London theatrical company. Director by Robert Altman in his London theatrical debut, the Miller play featured an eclectic cast, including Maximilian Schell , James Fox (who replaced John Wood before previews) and American movie actors Matthew Modine and Jane Adams . The critics mostly panned "Resurrection Blues", partly due to the clash in acting styles of the disparate cast. Adams walked out after a matinée on April 5, 2006, and was replaced by her understudy for subsequent performances. No explanation was given for her departure from the production. The play was scheduled to close a week early in mid-April due to poor ticket sales. Altman claimed after the poor debut of the play that he was not very familiar with the script, and didn't really understand the play. Critics said that his confusion obviously affected the cast, many of whom seemed not to understand the play, and some of whom seemed to have trouble remembering lines. While not an outright debacle, the play is another relative failure characterizing Spacey's troubled tenure as Old Vic chief. In his autobiography "Timebends," Miller says that Lee J. Cobb was his favorite Willy Loman. He also says that Cobb was never really a leftist as he was apolitical, but that he had been attracted to left-wing and anti-Nazi causes during the Depression as had many people who were trying to do right. Thus, Miller never held the fact that he was a friendly witness before HUAAC against him. A decade after his testimony, Cobb's Willy Loman was captured for posterity, with the 1966 video version. By then, Miller had even worked again with Elia Kazan , the most famous and unrepentant of the people who knuckled under and "named names, " whom he fell out with when Kazan refused to direct the Broadway staging of "The Crucible," Miller's metaphorical denunciation of McCarthyism. He was awarded the American National Medal of the Arts in 1993 by the National Endowment of the Arts in Washington D.C. Won the University of Michigan's prestigious "Hopwood Prize" for creative writing in 1938, while an undergraduate at the school. The prize is named for playwright Avery Hopwood (1882 - 1928), a vastly successful playwright in the teens and 1920s (most famous for the plays " The Bat (1926)" and "The Golddiggers", which became the basis of Gold Diggers of 1933 (1933)) a Michigan alumnus who left a bequest in his will establishing the awards. The Hopwood Program at Michigan now administers the Arthur Miller Award of the U-M Club of New York Scholarship. He and his then wife Marilyn Monroe commissioned famed American architect Frank Lloyd Wright to design a home for their Roxbury property in Litchfield County, Connecticut. Although the house was never built by the couple, the plans were purchased many years later by a country club in Hawaii and built as a clubhouse. The scale model is on exhibit at Taliesan West, Wright's winter compound in Scottsdale, Arizona. Lived with his girlfriend Agnes Barley at the time of his death. Agnes was approximately 50 years younger than Miller. After his divorce from Marilyn Monroe , his father was Marilyn's date to JFK's birthday party at Madison Square Garden. Biography in: "The Scribner Encyclopedia of American Lives". Volume 7, 2003-2005, pages 373-376. Farmington Hills, MI: Thomson Gale, 2007. Won a 1999 Special Tony Award (New York City) lifetime achievement award. His play, "Death of a Salesman," at the Goodman Theatre in Chicago, Illinois was awarded the 1999 Joseph Jefferson Award for Play Production. His play, "The Price," at the Writers Theatre in Chicago, Illinois was awarded the 2002 Joseph Jefferson Award for Play Production. His play, "All My Sons" at the TimeLine Theatre Company in Chicago, Illinois was nominated for a 2010 Joseph Jefferson Award for Production-Play Midsize. His play, "Death of a Salesman" at the Raven Theatre in Chicago, Illinois was nominated for a 2010 Joseph Jefferson Award (Non-Equity Division) for Production of a Play. Both his younger sister Joan Copeland and his second wife Marilyn Monroe were born on June 1: in 1922 and 1926 respectively.	After the Fall
Mechanics Bay Airport serves which New Zealand city?	IMDb: Most Popular People With Biographies Matching "Death Of A Salesman" Most Popular People With Biographies Matching "Death Of A Salesman" 1-50 of 150 names. Stephen Lang A stage actor of great recognition, Stephen Lang has shaped a formidable career on and off the various stages of the United States and abroad. Though he is arguably most well-known for his acclaimed performance in James Cameron 's Avatar , Lang began his career in theater. Broadway roles include his Tony-nominated performance as Lou in "The Speed of Darkness", Happy in the Dustin Hoffman revival of "Death of a Salesman", Colonel Jessep in "A Few Good Men", and Mike Tallman alongside Quentin Tarantino and Marisa Tomei in "Wait Until Dark". Off-Broadway credits include John Patrick Shanley 's "Defiance", Anne Nelson 's "The Guys", Arthur Miller 's "Finishing the Picture" and his own play, "Beyond Glory", for which he received numerous accolades. The play premiered in Washington, D.C. and has played the Goodman Theatre in Chicago, the Roundabout in New York City and a USO tour to various military bases and battleships around the world. In the fall of 2010, Lang received the Patriot Award from the Medal of Honor Society in honor of his theatrical and charitable works for the United States military. John Malkovich John Gavin Malkovich was born in Christopher, Illinois, to Joe Anne (Choisser), who owned a local newspaper, and Daniel Leon Malkovich, a state conservation director. His paternal grandparents were Croatian. In 1976, Malkovich joined Chicago's Steppenwolf Theatre, newly founded by his friend Gary Sinise . After that, it would take seven years before Malkovich would show up in New York and win an Obie in Sam Shepard 's play "True West". In 1984, Malkovich would appear with Dustin Hoffman in the Broadway revival of "Death of a Salesman", which would earn him an Emmy when it was made into a made-for-TV movie the next year. His big-screen debut would be as the blind lodger in Places in the Heart , which earned him an Academy Award Nomination for best supporting actor. Other films would follow, including The Killing Fields and The Glass Menagerie , but he would be well remembered as Vicomte de Valmont in Dangerous Liaisons . Playing against Michelle Pfeiffer and Glenn Close in a costume picture helped raise his standing in the industry. He would be cast as the psychotic political assassin in Clint Eastwood 's In the Line of Fire , for which he would be nominated for both the Academy Award and the Golden Globe. In 1994, Malkovich would portray the sinister Kurtz in the made-for-TV movie Heart of Darkness , taking the story to Africa as it was originally written. Malkovich has periodically returned to Chicago to both act and direct. Finn Wittrock Finn Wittrock was born in Lenox, Massachusetts, to Kate Claire Crowley, a professor of occupational therapy, and Peter Wittrock , an actor and voice teacher. Finn grew up near the stage of Shakespeare and Company, where his father worked. He made his Broadway debut as Happy in "Death of a Salesman", directed by Mike Nichols . Recently he has also appeared at the Goodman Theatre opposite Diane Lane in Tennessee Williams 's "Sweet Bird of Youth", directed by David Cromer, and alongside Sarah Wayne Callies in The Guardsman, directed by Gregory Mosher at The Kennedy Center. Off-Broadway he starred in Tony Kushner 's play "The Illusion" at the Signature Theatre. Shortly after graduating from Juilliard, he played Romeo at the Shakespeare Theatre In DC, and Marchbanks in Bernard Shaw's "Candida" at the Berkshire Theatre Festival. His 2014 films included Winter's Tale , Noah , and Unbroken . On television, he appeared in Masters of Sex on Showtime as well as The Normal Heart on HBO. Wittrock originated the role of Damon on All My Children , and has made appearances on shows such as Criminal Minds , Harry's Law , CSI: Miami , Cold Case , and ER . He attended the Los Angeles County High School for the Arts. He is a member of The Mechanicals Theatre Group in Los Angeles, where he has also directed. His screenplay The Submarine Kid , which he wrote with lifelong friend Eric Bilitch , has been turned into a film. Elias Koteas Elias Koteas was born on March 11, 1961, in Montreal, Canada. Both his parents are of Greek descent. Elias attended Vanier College in Montreal before leaving to attend the American Academy of Dramatic Arts in New York City in 1981, of which he is a graduate. He also attended the Actors Studio in New York City, where he studied acting under Ellen Burstyn and Peter Masterson . His film debut was in One Magic Christmas . He has also appeared on stage in "Kiss of the Spider Woman," "Death of a Salesman," "Bent" and "The Cherry Orchard." In 1989 he was nominated for a Genie (Canada's Academy Award) for best actor in Malarek , a true story in which he plays a troubled street-kid-turned reporter for a Canadian newspaper. A somewhat of a breakthrough role for Elias happened in 1990, when he got the role of vigilante Casey Jones in Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles and its sequels. He is one of Canada's most popular actors and frequently appears in films by Canadian directors Atom Egoyan and David Cronenberg . It was Cronenberg's controversial movie Crash that had Cannes all abuzz in 1996. Elias played Vaughan, a self-appointed "mad scientist" with an unusual fetish--sexual delight in car crashes! The past two years have been busy ones for Koteas, adding six more roles to his resume. As Capt. James Staros, the commanding officer of Charlie Company in The Thin Red Line , he brought sensitivity and compassion to his portrayal of a man who cared about the safety of his men--even at the risk of his own career. In 2000 he appeared in Lost Souls , a thriller starring Winona Ryder , and starred on Broadway with Josh Brolin in the Sam Shepard play "True West." James Purefoy James Brian Mark Purefoy was born and brought up in Taunton, Somerset, England, the son of Shirley (Taylor), who ran an employment agency, and Anthony Chetwynd Purefoy. After leaving school at the age of sixteen, he took a succession of different jobs, including working on a pig farm and as a porter at Yeovil District Hospital, before travelling and working extensively throughout Europe. At eighteen, James returned to college to take his A-Levels, one of which was Drama. It was there that he realised that this was something he felt inspired by and so applied for and was accepted onto the acting course at the Central School of Speech and Drama. Whilst playing the title role in "Henry V" in the first term of his final year at Central, he was seen by a casting director from the RSC and invited to join the company, immediately, in Stratford. Although initially asked only to play "Ferdinand" in Nicholas Hytner 's production of "The Tempest", he left the RSC two years later having performed in eight productions and been directed by the likes of Adrian Noble , Roger Michell and Gene Saks playing, amongst other, "Edgar" in "King Lear" and "Malcolm" in "Macbeth". Over the next six years, he divided his time between theatre and television. In the theatre, he worked with Katie Mitchell on "Women of Troy" at the Gate; Matthew Warchus , Ken Stott and Jude Law on "Death of a Salesman" at the West Yorkshire Playhouse; Iain Glen on "Hamlet" at Bristol Old Vic; Bill Alexander in a critically-acclaimed season at Birmingham Rep, playing leading parts in "The Servant", "The Way of the World" and "Macbeth"; and with Simon Callow , Joseph Fiennes , Rupert Graves , and Helen McCrory , on "Les Enfants du Paradis", again for the RSC. As well as appearing in the BBC's landmark period drama, The Tenant of Wildfell Hall , he has always chosen to do a wide variety of parts on television, to avoid being typecast. From the psychopathic rapist in BBC1's Calling the Shots with Lynn Redgrave to the fraudster "Darius Guppy" in LWT's "The Prince"; from the urbane observer "Nick Jenkins" in Channel 4's A Dance to the Music of Time to the sad stalker in Granada's series, Metropolis , James has always managed to confound people's expectations of him. Over the last few years, he has been busy making feature films, on average at the rate of three a year. Early credits include "Jedd Wainwright" in Feast of July for "Merchant Ivory", and as the bisexual Irish baker, "Brendan" in Rose Troche 's Bedrooms and Hallways . From the alcoholic roustabout "Tom Bertram" in Mansfield Park to the wannabee "Bond" actor "Carl Phipps" in Maybe Baby ; the gambling, womanising "Daniel" in Women Talking Dirty with Helena Bonham Carter to the noble, enigmatic "Prince Edward" in Brian Helgeland 's A Knight's Tale . He has continued to surprise those who seek to pidgeon-hole him in his film career - always choosing to play parts that juxtapose strongly with the one he has just completed. Last year, he returned to the theatre to play the rake "Ned Loveless" in Trevor Nunn 's acclaimed production of "The Relapse" at the National Theatre in London, before embarking on the biggest challenge he has yet faced - playing "George" in the big budget George and the Dragon , with, among others, Michael Clarke Duncan , Val Kilmer , Piper Perabo and Patrick Swayze . This movie will be released in the summer of 2003. He lives alone in London. Michael Nyqvist Born Rolf Åke Mikael Nyqvist in Stockholm, Sweden, it wasn't until he was over a year old when he was finally adopted from the orphanage he had been given to. His father was a lawyer and his mother a writer. It wasn't until he had his first child that he decided to seek out his biological parents. After a long journey, he met his biological mother who is Swedish and is now close to his biological father who is Italian and a pharmacist. Acting wasn't always originally on the agenda for Nyqvist. A career in hockey was desired until an injury lead to an early retirement. At the age of 17, Nyqvist went to Omaha, Nebraska in America as an exchange student for a year. This is where his passion for acting first sparked. He took his first acting classes and played amongst other roles, a part in a school version of the drama Death of a Salesman by Arthur Miller. However, upon returning to Sweden he got accepted into Ballet school but after one year gave it up insisting he was too "stiff" and twirls and twists were not for him. An ex-girlfriend suggested to try theatre instead and at 19 years old, he was accepted into the Swedish Academic School of Drama in Malmö. He then went onto work mainly in theatre but also had several parts in film productions. He became well known for his role as police officer Banck in the first series of Beck films made in 1997. His big breakthrough in European cinema came three years later, as he starred as Rolf, an alcoholic and abusive husband, in a film by Lucas Moodysson called Together. This role landed him his first Guldbagge nomination (Best Supporting Actor) and won him the Best Actor award at the Gijón International Film Festival. The accolades, awards and nominations flowed on from there. In 2002, Nyqvist played the leading man in the Swedish romantic comedy-drama, The Guy in the Grave Next Door directed by Kjell Sundvall and based on the novel of the same name written by Catherine Mazetti. He won a Best Actor Guldbagge award for his performance. The following year, Nyqvist starred as the leading role in the As It Is in Heaven which was Academy Award nominated for Best Foreign Film and his performance as an internationally renowned, struggling conductor earned Nyqvist his second nomination for a Best Actor Guldbagge award. In 2006, he was nominated for a Best Supporting Actor Guldbagge award for his role in the film, Mother of Mine. Over the next few years he went on to star in several other films and plays as part of the Royal Dramatic Theatre. A notable role that Nyqvist portrayed was that of Swedish ambassador Harald Edelstam in the film the Black Pimpernel. Edelstam was a hero that saved several lives from execution in Chile during and after the military coupe in September 1973. In 2008, it was announced that Nyqvist was chosen to star as Mikael Blomkvist of the literary phenomenon, the Millenium Trilogy written by Stieg Larsson. It was long speculated by Scandinavian tabloids that fellow Swedish actor, Mikael Persbrandt could be chosen for the role of Blomkvist until Oplev claimed that 'he would not have been right for the role.' Oplev needed 'a humanist with his heart in the right place, a Swedish teddy bear whom women would feel safe in his arms...a man who respects women, regardless of what type they are.' Nyqvist's capabilities as an actor and his public persona scored him the role. The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo and its sequels, the Girl who Played with Fire and the Girl who Kicked the Hornet's Nest were released throughout 2009 throughout Europe and in the following year, throughout the rest of the world. The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo has garnered international critical acclaim. Oplev, Rapace (who starred as Lisbeth Salander, female protagonist of the trilogy) and Nyqvist all gained international recognition Nyqvist has said that his role as Blomkvist 'put him on the map internationally.' He has recently finished filming The Chinese Man based on the novel The Man from Beijing by well-known Swedish crime writer Henning Mankell, and Abduction directed by John Singleton. There has been speculation and talk from Mankell that Nyqvist would be his first choice to play Swedish Prime Minister Olof Palme who was assassinated in 1986. Nyqvist is currently filming Mission: Impossible - Ghost Protocol and is reportedly starring as the lead male villain of the film. Nyqvist is married to set designer, Catharina Ehrnrooth and has two children Ellen (born in 1991) and Arthur (born in 1996). Brian Dennehy Imposing, barrel-chested and now silver-haired Brian Dennehy is a prolific US actor, well respected on both screen and stage for the best part of 25 years. He was born in July 1938 in Bridgeport, CT, and attended Columbia University in New York City on a football scholarship. He majored in history, before moving on to Yale to study dramatic arts. He first appeared in minor screen roles in such fare as Looking for Mr. Goodbar , Semi-Tough and Foul Play and proved popular with casting directors, leading to regular work. However, he really got himself noticed by movie audiences in the box-office hit First Blood as the bigoted sheriff determined to run Vietnam veteran "John Rambo" (played by Sylvester Stallone ) out of his town. Dennehy quickly escalated to stronger supporting or co-starring roles in films including the Cold War thriller Gorky Park , as a benevolent alien in Cocoon , a corrupt sheriff in the western Silverado , a tough but smart cop in F/X and a cop-turned-writer alongside hit man James Woods in Best Seller . In 1987, Dennehy turned in one of his finest performances as cancer-ridden architect "Stourley Kracklite" in Peter Greenaway 's superb The Belly of an Architect , for which he won the Best Actor Award at the 1987 Chicago Film Festival. More strong performances followed. He reprised prior roles for Cocoon: The Return and F/X2 , and turned in gripping performances in three made-for-TV films: a sadistic small-town bully who gets his grisly comeuppance in In Broad Daylight , real-life serial killer John Wayne Gacy in the chilling To Catch a Killer and a corrupt union boss in Teamster Boss: The Jackie Presser Story . In 1993, Dennehy appeared in the role of police "Sgt. Jack Reed" in the telemovie Jack Reed: Badge of Honor , and reprised the role in four sequels, which saw him for the first time become involved in co-producing, directing and writing screen productions! Demand for his services showed no signs of abating, and he has put in further memorable performances in Romeo + Juliet , as bad-luck-ridden "Willy Loman" in Death of a Salesman (which earned him a Golden Globe Award), he popped up in the uneven Spike Lee film She Hate Me and appears in the remake Assault on Precinct 13 . The multi-talented Dennehy has also had a rich theatrical career and has appeared both in the United States and internationally in dynamic stage productions including "Death of a Salesman" (for which he picked up the 1999 Best Actor Tony Award and a Drama Desk Award), "A Touch of the Poet", "Long Day's Journey into Night" (for which he picked up another Tony Award in 2003) and in Eugene O'Neill 's heart-wrenching "The Iceman Cometh". Bailey Chase Bailey attended Duke University in Durham, North Carolina, on a full athletic scholarship. He graduated in 1995 with a degree in Psychology. After graduation, Bailey moved to Los Angeles to pursue his acting career, which has encompassed a training stint in London and performing in such plays as "A Comedy of Errors," "Picnic" and "Death of a Salesman." Bailey's first film break came in Adam Shankman 's Cosmo's Tale , which screened at both Sundance and Cannes in 1999. Estelle Getty She was truly one mother of a mom...on stage, on film and on TV. A favorite firecracker on 80s and 90s television, tiny character player Estelle Getty became best known for her carping, meddlesome moms -- complete with bemused, cynical looks, irreverent digs and dead-pan Henny Youngman -like one-liners. Blunt and down-to-earth off-stage as she was on-, she scored big points with both the young and the old...and all those who fell in between. The middle-class masses and society's underdogs deemed Estelle one of their own. The star who had a hard time playing the star card also taught an earnest lesson to the millions of actor wannabes that it was never too late to get into the big leagues, pursue your dream and come out a winner. After nearly five decades of stage work, she achieved "overnight" stardom at age 62. Ill health forced her retirement in 2000 after only a decade and a half of celebrity. Yet even something as sinister as Lewy body dementia, a degenerative brain disease, couldn't take away her indomitable spirit and feistiness. The affliction, which slowly clouds then erases the memory banks, should have claimed her a couple of years after its detection, but she proved the doctors wrong and lived nearly eight years from its onset, dying peacefully in her Hollywood home on July 22, 2008. Getty was born Estelle Scher on July 25, 1923, on the Lower East Side of Manhattan in New York City, the daughter of Sarah (Lacher) and Charles Scher, Polish Jewish immigrants who worked in the glass business. Starry-eyed as a very young child when her father first took her to see a vaudeville show at the New York Academy of Music, Estelle already had a mindset about her future. She almost immediately started taking singing, dancing and acting lessons and, following her graduation from Seward Park High School, began building up experience in the Yiddish theater. She even attempted the stand-up comedy stage on the Catskills "borscht belt" circuit in upstate New York, but it was a time of rampant sexism and women comics were a rarity and seldom successful. She wasn't. Her young life took an abrupt, post-World War II turn when she married New York businessman Arthur Gettleman at age 24 in December of 1947 (she went on to use a derivative of her married last name for the stage). Not your typical domesticated wife by any stretch of the imagination, Estelle nevertheless raised two children, sons Barry and Carl, and worked as a secretary for various companies over time. Determined as ever to be an actress, she found moderate compensation performing in community theatre plays. Adept at playing abrasive, insinuating types, she had an innate gift for comedy and stole many scenes in such light-hearted plays as "Arsenic and Old Lace," "Blithe Spirit," "6 Rms Riv Vu," "Light Up the Sky" and "Lovers and Other Strangers". On the flip side, Estelle demonstrated surprising dramatic stamina in such classics as "All My Sons," "The Glass Menaqerie" and "Death of a Salesman." Following decades of obscurity, it was her connection to the actor/playwright Harvey Fierstein that turned the tide and started the ball rolling. Forging a deep friendship in the late 70s after appearing in small New York theaters together, and after considerable prodding by Estelle, Harvey wrote a part for his diminutive friend in the ground-breaking, autobiographical "Torch Song Trilogy". Playing Harvey's recalcitrant mother, the show eventually made it to Broadway and Estelle's big debut was a resounding success. Winning the Helen Hayes Award for her performance, she played the feisty foil to Fierstein's raspy-voiced drag queen for five years. While on tour with the play in Los Angeles, Estelle secured an audition for and won the role of viper-tongued Sicilian mama Sophia Petrillo on The Golden Girls . She nearly lost out on the part when it was thought she came off too young to play Bea Arthur 's mother. In truth, Estelle was 14 months younger than Bea. Given another go-around, and this time donning a grey wig, age makeup and frumpy apparel, Estelle fully convinced the powers-that-be that she WAS Sophia and the rest is history. The role was a breath of fresh air during an era of strong political correctness. A seven-time consecutive Emmy Award nominee for "Best Supporting Actress Award," she took home the trophy in 1988. In both 1991 and 1992 Estelle won the American Comedy Award for "Best Supporting Actress" in a series. The Sophia character was so popular she even went on to play the impish octogenarian in several other shows, including two "Golden Girls" spin-offs -- the short-lived The Golden Palace and "Empty Nest". Estelle went on to mother other stars on the big screen as well, including Cher in Mask and Sylvester Stallone in Stop! Or My Mom Will Shoot , the latter in which she received second billing. The one maternal film role she wanted more than anything did not come her way. When Torch Song Trilogy was made into a film, actor Fierstein needed star power surrounding him. Anne Bancroft replaced Estelle in the part and she was heartbroken. The movie itself lost much of its impact in its transition from the stage. At the peak of her TV fame, Estelle wrote a 1988 autobiography entitled "If I Knew Then, What I Know Now... So What?" with Steve Delsohn. The diminutive dynamo (4'10") with a big heart was an outspoken activist for gay rights and regularly involved herself in AIDS causes, part of it propelled by a nephew who was diagnosed and later succumbed to the disease. She also became a spokesperson for Alternative Living for the Aging, a nonprofit organization that locates cooperative housing for senior citizens. In 2000, Getty stopped making public appearances after her health and mind began its slow decline. One of her last sightings was in the L.A. audience of "The Vagina Monologues," which starred "Golden Girls" co-star Rue McClanahan . Misdiagnosed as having both Parkinson's and Alzheimer's diseases, it was later learned she was suffering from advanced dementia. Estelle died of complications from her disease just three days before her 85th birthday. Long-time husband Arthur, who was only 5'3" tall himself, never adjusted to Estelle's meteoric rise and the media attention that accompanied it. He quietly maintained her parents' glass business far from the Hollywood glitz...in Florida. He died in 2004. Lifetime television hosted a "Golden Girls" reunion, but by this time Estelle was too ill to appear. Shortly after her death, and in tribute to Ms. Getty, Lifetime, which shows reruns of "The Golden Girls" almost on a daily basis, announced that it would air ten episodes of the series featuring the "best of Sophia". A simple, unadorned service was conducted, as she would have wanted, and she was interred at Hollywood Forever Memorial Park in Los Angeles. George C. Scott George C. Scott was an immensely talented actor, a star of screen, stage and television. He was born in 1927 in Wise, Virginia, to Helena Agnes (Slemp) and George Dewey Scott. At the age of eight, his mother died, and his father, an executive at Buick, raised him. In 1945 he joined the US Marines and spent four years with them, no doubt an inspiration for portraying Gen. George S. Patton years later. When Scott left the Marines he enrolled in journalism classes at the University of Missouri, but it was while performing in a play there that the acting bug bit him. He has said it "clicked, just like tumblers in a safe." It was in 1957 that he landed a role in "Richard III" in New York City. The play was a hit and brought the young actor to the attention of critics. Soon he began to get work on television, mostly in live broadcasts of plays, and in 1959 he landed the part of the crafty prosecutor in Anatomy of a Murder . It was this role that got him his first Oscar nomination, for Best Supporting Actor. However, George and Oscar wouldn't actually become the best of friends. In fact, he felt the whole process forced actors to become stars and that the ceremony was little more than a "meat market." In 1962 he was nominated again for Best Supporting Actor, this time opposite Paul Newman in The Hustler , but sent a message saying "No, thanks" and refused the nomination. However, whether he was being temperamental or simply stubborn in his opinion of awards, it didn't seem to stop him from being nominated in the future. "Anatomy" and "The Hustler" were followed by 1963's clever mystery The List of Adrian Messenger , in which he starred alongside Kirk Douglas , Robert Mitchum and cameos by major stars of the time, including Burt Lancaster and Frank Sinatra . It's a must-see, directed by John Huston with tongue deeply in cheek. The following year Scott starred as Gen. "Buck" Turgidson in Stanley Kubrick 's comical anti-war film Dr. Strangelove or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb . It became one of his favorites and he often said that he felt guilty getting paid for it, as he had so much fun making it. Another comedy, The Flim-Flam Man , followed in 1967, with Scott playing a smooth-talking con artist who takes on an apprentice whom he soon discovers has too many morals. Three years followed, with some smaller TV movies, before he got the role for which he will always be identified: the aforementioned Gen. Patton in Patton . It was a war movie that came at the end of a decade where anti-war protests had rocked a nation and become a symbol of youth dissatisfied with what was expected of them. Still, the actor's portrayal of this aggressive military icon actually drew sympathy for the controversial hero. He won the Oscar this time, but stayed at home watching hockey instead. A pair of films that he made in the early 1980s were outstanding. The first of these was The Changeling , a film often packaged as a horror movie but one that's really more of a supernatural thriller. He plays John Russell, a composer and music professor who loses his wife and daughter in a tragic accident. Seeking solace, he moves into an old mansion that had been unoccupied for 12 years. A child-like presence seems to be sharing the house with him, however, and trying to share its secrets with him. By researching the house's past he discovers its horrific secret of long ago, a secret that the presence will no longer allow to be kept. Then in 1981 he starred--along with a young cast of then largely unknowns, including Timothy Hutton , Sean Penn and Tom Cruise --in the intense drama Taps . He played the head of a military academy that's suddenly slated for destruction when the property is sold to local developers who plan to build condos. The students take over the academy when they feel that the regular channels are closed to them. Scott kept up in films, TV and on stage in the later years of his life (Broadway dimmed its lights for one minute on the night of his death). Among his projects were playing Ebenezer Scrooge in a worthy TV update of A Christmas Carol , an acclaimed performance on Broadway of "Death of a Salesman", the voice of McLeach in Disney's The Rescuers Down Under and co-starring roles in TV remakes of two classic films, 12 Angry Men and Inherit the Wind , to name just a few. After his death the accolades poured in, with Jack Lemmon saying, "George was truly one of the greatest and most generous actors I have ever known," while Tony Randall called him "the greatest actor in American history." Mikael Persbrandt Mikael Persbrandt is internationally known for his starring role in the Academy Award winning foreign feature, "In A Better World," directed by Susanne Bier. His performance earned him a 2011 European Film Award nomination for Best Actor. His interest in acting started when working as an extra in Ingmar Bergman 's staging of William Shakespeare 's "King Lear." In the early 1990s, Mikael starred in a popular TV series, "Rederiet" ("The Shipping Company.") He has also starred in other series such as "Storstad," "Den vite riddare," "Anna Holt- Polis" and in "Medicinmannen." Mikael also has an extended theatre background and collaborated successfully with director Thorsten Flinck on several Swedish productions such as "Three Sisters" and "Death of a Salesman" at the Plaza Theatre, "Mr. Puntila and His Man Matti," "The Good Person of Szechwan" and "Long Day's Journey Into Night" at the Royal Dramatic Theatre. Among his other appearances at the Royal Dramatic Theatre mention can be made of "Maria Stuart" (directed by Ingmar Bergman,) "Don Juan," "The Wild Duck," "Miss Julie" and recently "The Sea Gull." In 1997, Persbrandt starred for the first time as the tough detective, Gunvald Larsson, the role that ultimately became his major break-through. "Beck" was not only a major hit in Sweden but in Germany as well - and now consists of 24 theatrical and television movies based on the characters created by authors Maj Sjöwall and Per Wahlöo. Mikael's other work includes starring roles in the Swedish films "The Hypnotist", the "Hamilton" series, "Nagon annanstans i Sverige" (for which he received a 2011 Guldbagge nomination), "Stockholm East," and "Day and Night." He has starred in IFC Films' "Everlasting Moments," for which he earned the 2009 Guldbagge Award for Best Actor. In 2006, he earned Best Actor nominations for both the Bodil (Denmark) and Guldbagge Awards for his performance opposite Lena Olin in Simon Staho's "Bang Bang Orangutang." He also starred in Staho's "Day and Night," which won the Chicago International Film Festival's Silver Hugo Award for Best Ensemble Acting. In 2005, Mikael received the highly coveted Ingmar Bergman award from the Guldbagge Awards. Mikael previously received Guldbagge nominations for his performances in director Peter Possne's 2002 film, "Everybody Loves Alice," and director Bo Norgren's 1999 film, "Deathly Compulsion." He can be seen as the character Beorn in the highly anticipated, final installment of Peter Jackson's "The Hobbit: The Battle of Five Armies," set to release December 2014. Mikael also stars in the drama "Someone You Love," which tells the story of a world-famous, hard-living Danish singer-songwriter who returns to his homeland to record a new album. After opening the 2014 Berlin Film Festival, "Someone You Love" took home the Audience Award for Best International Film at the Los Angeles Film Festival. Mikael stars opposite Mads Mikkelson in the critically acclaimed feature "The Salvation," which premiered at 2014 Cannes Film Festival with a standing ovation, and will be distributed by IFC Films. Douglas Henshall Douglas Henshall was born in Glasgow, Scotland in November 1965. His mother was a nurse and his father a salesman. He is the youngest of three children and has two older sisters. He grew up in Barrhead and attended Barrhead High School. Whilst at school a friend asked him to join The Scottish Youth Theatre based in Glasgow. After leaving school, he moved to London to train at Mountview Theatre School. He returned to Glasgow after training where he joined the 7:84 theater company. Eventually, he went back to live in London where he received critical acclaim for his theater work, notably "Life of Stuff" at the Donmar Warehouse (1993) and "American Buffalo" at the Young Vic (1997). Darren McGavin A remarkably seasoned actor of stage, screen and television, Darren McGavin has notched in excess of 200 performances; however, he is most fondly remembered by cult TV fans as heroic newspaper reporter Carl Kolchak in the classic but short-lived horror TV series Kolchak: The Night Stalker . In a long and varied career, McGavin has often turned up as authority figures including policemen, military officers, stern-faced business executives or father figures; however, he is equally adept at light-hearted comedic performances. Darren McGavin was born William Lyle Richardson on May 7, 1922, in Spokane, Washington, to Grace Mitton (Bogart) and Reed D. Richardson. His mother was from Ontario, Canada. He received his dramatic arts training at New York's Neighborhood Playhouse and the Actors Studio, and debuted on screen in an uncredited role in A Song to Remember . Several standard roles followed over the next decade before he landed the key role of Louie the drug pusher in The Man with the Golden Arm and Capt. Russ Peters in The Court-Martial of Billy Mitchell , both directed by Otto Preminger . Each of these performances showcased McGavin's versatility, and his virile looks scored him the role of Mickey Spillane 's hard-boiled private eye in Mike Hammer . McGavin stayed continually employed throughout the 1960s, appearing in such films as The Great Sioux Massacre , The Outsider , The Challengers and Tribes . In addition, he was regularly guest-starring in dozens of TV shows, including Gunsmoke , Dr. Kildare , Mission: Impossible and The Man from U.N.C.L.E. . In 1971 he landed the role of cynical reporter Carl Kolchak in the low-budget horror thriller The Night Stalker , about a vampire running amok in Las Vegas. The film was a monster ratings winner (pun intended!) and the highest-rated telemovie of 1972, and original scriptwriters were soon hard at work on a punchier sequel. The Night Strangler saw Kolchak in Seattle (after being booted out of Las Vegas by the police), and this time on the trail of a serial killer seeking the elixir of eternal youth. The second movie was equally successful, and spawned the short-lived TV series Kolchak: The Night Stalker with Simon Oakland as McGavin's long-suffering editor and a host of weekly guest stars including Jim Backus , Phil Silvers , Richard Kiel , Tom Skerritt , Scatman Crothers and Larry Storch . "Kolchak" only lasted one season, but it became a bona-fide cult classic, and many years later its premise of "the unknown amongst us" inspired writer Chris Carter to create the phenomenally successful long-running TV series The X-Files , which saw McGavin guest-star in several episodes. McGavin remained busy throughout the rest of the 1970s and into the 1980s, appearing in Airport '77 , as Gen. George S. Patton in the TV miniseries Ike: The War Years , alongside Rock Hudson in the uneven sci-fi miniseries The Martian Chronicles and a few years later endeared himself to to a whole new generation of fans with his superb performance as the vitriolic, yet buffoonish, father in the delightful Christmas classic A Christmas Story . The always versatile McGavin also popped up as a detective in Turk 182! , assisted Arnold Schwarzenegger in cleaning up the mob in Raw Deal and was a doctor in the bizarre zombie/cop/zombie cop film Dead Heat . At this point it's worth mentioning that, along with his film and TV work, McGavin has also enjoyed an illustrious career on the stage, with appearances in dozens of critically acclaimed productions across the length and breadth of the US. He has appeared in stage presentations of "Death of a Salesman", "The Rainmaker", "The King and I" and "Blood Sweat & Stanley Poole", to name a few. In 1990 the opportunity arose for McGavin to play another somewhat stern, yet comedic, father figure, this time as "Bill Brown" to Candice Bergen in the much loved sitcom Murphy Brown . McGavin was again wonderful, and his entertaining performances resulted in an Emmy Award in 1990. Several other film roles followed in the 1990s, in such films as Adam Sandler 's hit Billy Madison . He died on 25th February 2006 at the age of 83. Rod Steiger Rodney Stephen Steiger was born in Westhampton, New York, to Augusta Amelia (Driver) and Frederick Jacob Steiger, both vaudevillians. He was of German and Austrian ancestry. After his parents' divorce, Steiger was raised by his mother in Newark, New Jersey. He dropped out of Westside High school at age 16 and joined the Navy. He saw action in the Pacific on a destroyer. Steiger returned to New Jersey after the war and worked for the VA. He was part of an amateur acting group, and then joined the Actors' Studio using his GI Bill benefits. Steiger received his first film roles in the early 1950s. His first major one was in Teresa , but his first lead role was in the TV version of Marty . The movie version, however, had Ernest Borgnine in the lead and won him an Academy Award. Steiger's breakthrough role came in 1954, with the classic On the Waterfront . Since then he has been a presence on the screen as everything from a popular leading man to a little-known character actor. Steiger made a name for himself in many different types of roles, from a crooked promoter in The Harder They Fall to the title character in Al Capone . He was one of dozens of stars in the epic World War II film The Longest Day . In 1964, he received his second Oscar nomination for The Pawnbroker . The next couple of years he was at the height of his powers. In 1965, he starred in the dark comedy The Loved One , and in David Lean 's epic Doctor Zhivago . In 1966, he starred in the BBC Play of the Month episode "Death of a Salesman" as Willy Loman in the TV version of his stage play "Death of a Salesman," but in 1967, he landed what many consider his greatest role: Sheriff Bill Gillespie in In the Heat of the Night , opposite Sidney Poitier . Steiger deservedly took home the Best Actor Oscar for his work in that film. He took another controversial role as a man with many tattoos in The Illustrated Man and as a serial killer in the classic No Way to Treat a Lady . After that, he seemed to have withdrawn from high-profile movies and became more selective in the roles he chose. He turned down the lead in Patton and also in The Godfather . Among his more notable roles in the 1970s are Happy Birthday, Wanda June , Lolly-Madonna XXX , as Benito Mussolini in The Last 4 Days , Portrait of a Hitman , Jesus of Nazareth , F.I.S.T. and The Amityville Horror . He starred in the critically acclaimed The Chosen with Robby Benson and Maximilian Schell , perhaps the highlight of his 1980s movie career. Steiger increasingly moved away from the big Hollywood pictures, instead taking roles in foreign productions and independent movies. As the 1980s ended, Steiger landed a role as the buttoned-up New York City Chief of Police in The January Man . Steiger was seriously affected by depression for 8 years. As he returned to the screen in the late 1990s he began creating some of his most memorable roles. He was the doctor in the independently-made movie Shiloh , about an abused dog. He was the crazed, kill-'em-all army general in Mars Attacks! who always called his enemies peace-mongers. He took a small part as a Supreme Court judge in The Hurricane and as a preacher in the badly produced film End of Days . He was still active in films moving into the new millennium. Ralph Waite Ralph Waite was born in White Plains, New York on June 22, 1928. Educated at Bucknell University where he graduated with a BA degree, Waite existed rather aimlessly as a young adult while trying to find his way in the world. Occupations came and went, including social worker, religious editor for Harper & Row, and even Presbyterian minister after spending three years at the Yale School of Divinity. At age 30, however, he began to study acting and found his true life's passion. Waite made his professional NY debut in a 1960 production of "The Balcony" at the Circle in the Square and was seen on Broadway in "Blues for Mister Charlie" before earning fine reviews in 1965 alongside Faye Dunaway in "Hogan's Goat". This was enough to encourage him to move West where he began collecting bit parts in prestigious movies, including Cool Hand Luke and Five Easy Pieces . One of those films, the coming-of-age Last Summer starred an up-and-coming talent named Richard Thomas , who, of course, would figure prominently in Waite's success story in years to come. Waite continued to thrive as well on the stage appearing in both contemporary plays ("The Trial of Lee Harvey Osward") as well as Shakespearean classics (Claudius in "Hamlet" and Orsino in "Twelfth Night"). Stardom came for him in the form of the gentle, homespun Depression-era series The Waltons . In the TV-movie pilot, the roles of John and Olivia Walton were played by Andrew Duggan and Patricia Neal . The Earl Hamner Jr. series, however, would welcome Waite along with Michael Learned , and make both, as well as Richard Thomas playing their son John-Boy, household names. Waite also directed several episodes of the series during the nine seasons. Throughout the seventies, he strove to expand outside his Walton patriarchal casting with other TV mini-movie endeavors. Those included Roots , for which he received an Emmy nomination, the title role in The Secret Life of John Chapman , OHMS , Angel City and The Gentleman Bandit . He also appeared in a few films including On the Nickel which he wrote and directed. Throughout the run of the series, Waite continued to revert back to his theater roots from time to time. Notable was his role as Pozzo in Waiting for Godot , which was televised by PBS, and a return to Broadway with "The Father" in 1981. Waite also founded the Los Angeles Actors Theatre in 1975 and served as its artistic director. The Waltons , which earned him an Emmy nomination, ended in 1981 and Waite ventured on to other TV character roles during the 80s and 90s but less visibly. In his second TV series The Mississippi , which was produced by his company Ralph Waite Productions, he played a criminal lawyer who abandoned his practice (almost) for a leisurely life captaining a riverboat. It lasted only a year. There have been other more recent theater excursions including "Death of a Salesman" (1998), "The Gin Game" (1999), "Ancestral Voices (2000) and "This Thing of Darkness" (2002). He also had a recurring role on the offbeat HBO series Carnivàle and in 2009 began putting time in on the daytime soap Days of Our Lives as Father Matt. Waite still carries with him a certain grizzled, rumpled, craggy-faced, settled-in benevolence, although he is quite capable of villainy. He has always seemed more comfortable in front of the camera wearing a dusty pair of work clothes than a suit. For many years, Waite has held passionate political ambitions. He twice ran unsuccessfully for a Congressional seat -- in 1990 and 1998. A Palm Desert resident during his second attempt, the 70-year-old Californian was a Democratic hopeful for a seat left vacant by the late Sonny Bono after his fatal skiing accident in 1998. He was ultimately defeated by Bono's widow, Mary Bono . Waite has been married since 1982 to third wife Linda East. Michael Hogan Michael Hogan, a prospector's son, was born in Northern Ontario. He trained at the National Theatre School of Canada, where he met his future wife, actress Susan Hogan (nee King). They worked as a package until their their children, Jennie Rebecca Hogan (actress), Gabriel Hogan (actor), and Charlie Hogan (audience member), came along. Over the years, Hogan has appeared in countless plays, films, TV series, and radio dramas, and even an opera. Some of his favorite feature film experiences include Clearcut , with his good friend, Graham Greene , shot in the bush north of Lake Superior Road to Saddle River, shot in the Badlands of Alberta; Klondike Fever , with Rod Steiger , Lorne Greene , Angie Dickinson and Gordon Pinsent , shot in and around Barkerville, B.C. in the winter; A Simple Curve , shot in Slocan Valley, B.C. His most rewarding television experiences include his work on Jake and the Kid , Monk , African Skies , Dead Man's Gun , Lifeline to Victory , Nights Below Station Street , _Secret in Giving (1999) (TV) (aka "Calico Christmas"), _For Those Who Hunt The Wounded Down (1996) (TV)_ and, of course, his all-time favorite, Battlestar Galactica . Among his numerous live theater performances are the title role in "Cowboy King", performed on horseback at the Caravan Farm Theatre in the interior of B.C.; "Biff Loman" in "Death of a Salesman", then 19 years later, "Willy Loman" in the same play; "Red Mango Blues", a one-man show (with guitar virtuoso Harris Van Berkel ), written by poet/playwright Charles Tidler; and "Petruchio" in "Taming of the Shrew", with wife Susan Hogan as "Kate". Hogan has performed on several radio shows, including "Pocket City Blues", a radio series about a blues DJ who stumbles into a different crime every week. Hogan's distinctive voice has also been heard over CBC Radio as the narrator of many books, poems, and short stories. His award nominations are numerous and include a Blizzard Award for Best Leading Actor (feature length) for his role in Nights Below Station Street , from Manitoba Film; and a Genie for Best Supporting Actor (feature length) in Solitaire . The Hogans live on an island with son Charlie, a couple of dogs, cats, bikes, skis, and a few kayaks. Jon Polito A veteran of nearly 100 films, Jon Polito is most recognized for his work with The Coen brothers, as well as his many television appearances as a series regular and guest star. Notable motion picture roles include: Millers Crossing, Barton Fink, The Man Who Wasn't There, The Crow, Blankman, and The Freshman with Marlon Brando, and Big Eyes. Directors he has worked with include; Russel Mulcahy, Clint Eastwood, John McNaughton, Tom Hanks, Andrew Bergman, Michael Apted, Ridley Scott, and Tim Burton amongst others. On television, he starred as a series regular on Crime Story, Ohara, Hearts are Wild, The Chronical, and the critically acclaimed Homicide, Life on the Street. Notable guest star roles include the befuddled landlord Sylvio on Seinfeld, his only role as a woman - Rhonda, on The Chris Isaak Show, Danny Devito's brother Frank on It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia,, and Earl Chambers on Modern Family. He starred on Broadway with Faye Dunaway in The Curse Of An Aching Heart, and with Dustin Hoffman in the 1985 Tony award winning revival of Death Of A Salesman, which he also filmed for CBS. He received the Best Actor OBIE award for Off Broadway theatre in 1980. Other awards include the 2001 TELLY for animation voice over in The Dancing Pumpkin which was directed by his brother Jack Polito, The New York Independent Festival Award for Excellence in Acting, and the 2005 Cinequest Maverick Award for his lifetime body of work in Film and Television. In 2012 Jon received the Best Actor Award for the short film Anti-Muse from the Hollywood Reel Independent Film Festival. He credits his success to three people; his mentor Dominic Garvey, his only acting teacher Irene Baird, and to the late, great director, and friend, Paul Bettis. In addition, his inspiration to this day is New York theatre artist, Theodora Skipitares, who taught him film and design in university, and who has since never been far away from his life. She is 'Art' surviving. Lee J. Cobb Lee J. Cobb, one of the premier character actors in American film for three decades in the post-World War II period, was born Leo Jacoby in New York City's Lower East Side on December 8, 1911. The son of a Jewish newspaper editor, young Leo was a child prodigy in music, mastering the violin and the harmonica. Any hopes of a career as a violin virtuoso were dashed when he broke his wrist, but his talent on the harmonica may have brought him his first professional success. At the age of 16 or 17 he ran away from home to Hollywood to try to break into motion pictures as an actor. He reportedly made his film debut as a member of Borrah Minevitch and His Harmonica Rascals (their first known movie appearance was in the 1929 two-reeler Boyhood Days), but that cannot be substantiated. However, it's known that after Leo was unable to find work he returned to New York City, where he attended City College of New York at night to study accounting while acting in radio dramas during the day. An older Cobb tried his luck in California once more, making his debut as a professional stage actor at the Pasadena Playhouse in 1931. After again returning to his native New York, he made his Broadway debut as a saloonkeeper in a dramatization of Fyodor Dostoevsky 's Crime and Punishment, but it closed after 15 performances (later in his career, Dostoevsky would prove more of a charm, with Cobb's role as Father Karamazov in The Brothers Karamazov garnering him his second Oscar nomination), Cobb joined the politically progressive Group Theater in 1935 and made a name for himself in Clifford Odets ' politically liberal dramas Waiting for Lefty and Til the Day I Die, appearing in both plays that year in casts that included Elia Kazan , who later became famous as a film director. Cobb also appeared in the 1937 Group Theater production of Odets' Golden Boy, playing the role of Mr. Carp, in a cast that also included Kazan, Julius Garfinkle (later better known under his stage name of John Garfield ), and Martin Ritt , all of whom later came under the scrutiny of the House Un-American Activities Committee during the heyday of the McCarthy Red Scare hysteria more than a decade later. Cobb took over the role of Mr. Bonaparte, the protagonist's father, in the 1939 film version of the play, despite the fact that he was not yet 30 years old. The role of a patriarch suited him, and he'd play many more in his film career. It was as a different kind of patriarch that he scored his greatest success. Cobb achieved immortality by giving life to the character of Willy Loman in the original 1949 Broadway production of Arthur Miller 's Death of a Salesman. His performance was a towering achievement that ranks with such performances as Edwin Booth as Richard III and John Barrymore as Hamlet in the annals of the American theater. Cobb later won an Emmy nomination as Willy when he played the role in a made-for-TV movie of the play ( Death of a Salesman ). Miller said that he wrote the role with Cobb in mind. Before triumphing as Miller's Salesman, Cobb had appeared on Broadway only a handful of times in the 1940s, including in Ernest Hemingway 's The Fifth Column (1940), Odets' "Clash by Night" (1942) and the US Army Air Force's Winged Victory (1943-44). Later he reprised the role of Joe Bonaparte's father in the 1952 revival of Golden Boy opposite Garfield as his son, and appeared the following year in The Emperor's Clothes. His final Broadway appearance was as King Lear in the Repertory Theatre of Lincoln Center's 1968 production of Shakespeare's play. Aside from his possible late 1920s movie debut and his 1934 appearance in the western The Vanishing Shadow , Cobb's film career proper began in 1937 with the westerns North of the Rio Grande (in which he was billed as Lee Colt) and Rustlers' Valley and spanned nearly 40 years until his death. After a hiatus while serving in the Army Air Force during World War II, Cobb's movie career resumed in 1946. He continued to play major supporting roles in prestigious A-list pictures. His movie career reached its artistic peak in the 1950s, when he was twice nominated for Best Supporting Actor Academy Awards, for his role as Johnny Friendly in On the Waterfront and as the father in The Brothers Karamazov . Other memorable supporting roles in the 1950s included the sagacious Judge Bernstein in The Man in the Gray Flannel Suit , as the probing psychiatrist Dr. Luther in The Three Faces of Eve and as the volatile Juror #3 in 12 Angry Men . It was in the 1950s that Cobb achieved the sort of fame that most artists dreaded: he was called before the House Un-American Activities Committee on charges that he was or had been a Communist. The charges were rooted in Cobb's membership in the Group Theater in the 1930s. Other Group Theater members already investigated by HUAC included Clifford Odets and Elia Kazan , both of whom provided friendly testimony before the committee, and John Garfield , who did not. Cobb's own persecution by HUAC had already caused a nervous breakdown in his wife, and he decided to appear as a friendly witness in order to preserve her sanity and his career, by bringing the inquisition to a halt. Appearing before the committee in 1953, he named names and thus saved his career. Ironically, he would win his first Oscar nomination in On the Waterfront directed and written by fellow HUAC informers Kazan and Budd Schulberg . The film can be seen as a stalwart defense of informing, as epitomized by the character Terry Malloy's testimony before a Congressional committee investigating racketeering on the waterfront. Teresa Wright A natural and lovely talent who was discovered for films by Samuel Goldwyn , the always likable Teresa Wright distinguished herself early on in high-caliber, Oscar-worthy form -- the only performer ever to be nominated for Oscars for her first three films. Always true to herself, she was able to earn Hollywood stardom on her own unglamorized terms. Born Muriel Teresa Wright in the Harlem district of New York City on October 27, 1918, her parents divorced when she was quite young and she lived with various relatives in New York and New Jersey. An uncle of hers was a stage actor. She attended the exclusive Rosehaven School in Tenafly, New Jersey. The acting bug revealed itself when she saw the legendary Helen Hayes perform in a production of "Victoria Regina." After performing in school plays and graduating from Columbia High School in Maplewood, New Jersey, she made the decision to pursue acting professionally. Apprenticing at the Wharf Theatre in Provincetown, Massachusetts during the summers of 1937 and 1938 in such plays as "The Vinegar Tree" and "Susan and God", she moved to New York and changed her name to Teresa after she discovered there was already a Muriel Wright in Actors Equity. Her first New York play was Thornton Wilder 's "Our Town" wherein she played a small part but also understudied the lead ingénue role of Emily. She eventually replaced Martha Scott in the lead after the actress was escorted to Hollywood to make pictures and recreate the Emily role on film. It was during her year-long run in "Life with Father" that Teresa was seen by Goldwyn talent scouts, was tested, and ultimately won the coveted role of Alexandra in the film The Little Foxes . She also accepted an MGM starlet contract on the condition that she not be forced to endure cheesecake publicity or photos for any type of promotion and could return to the theater at least once a year. Oscar-nominated for her work alongside fellow cast members Bette Davis (as calculating mother Regina) and Patricia Collinge (recreating her scene-stealing Broadway role as the flighty, dipsomaniac Aunt Birdie), Teresa's star rose even higher with her next pictures. Playing the good-hearted roles of the granddaughter in the war-era tearjerker Mrs. Miniver and baseball icon Lou Gehrig's altruistic wife in The Pride of the Yankees opposite Gary Cooper , the pretty newcomer won both "Best Supporting Actress" and "Best Actress" nods respectively in the same year, ultimately taking home the supporting trophy. Teresa's fourth huge picture in a row was Alfred Hitchcock 's psychological thriller Shadow of a Doubt and she even received top-billing over established star Joseph Cotten who played a murdering uncle to her suspecting niece. Wed to screenwriter Niven Busch in 1942, she had a slip with her fifth picture Casanova Brown but bounced right back as part of the ensemble cast in the "Best Picture" of the year The Best Years of Our Lives portraying the assuaging daughter of Fredric March and Myrna Loy who falls in love with damaged soldier-turned-civilian Dana Andrews . With that film, however, her MGM contract ended. Remarkably, she made only one movie for the studio ("Mrs. Miniver") during all that time. The rest were all loanouts. As a freelancing agent, the quality of her films began to dramatically decline. Pictures such as Enchantment , Something to Live For , California Conquest , Count the Hours , Track of the Cat and Escapade in Japan pretty much came and went. For her screenwriter husband she appeared in the above-average western thriller Pursued and crime drama The Capture . Her most inspired films of that post-war era were The Men opposite film newcomer Marlon Brando and the lowbudgeted but intriguing The Search for Bridey Murphy which chronicled the fascinating story of an American housewife who claimed she lived a previous life. The "Golden Age" of TV was her salvation during these lean film years in which she appeared in fine form in a number of dramatic showcases. She recreated for TV the perennial holiday classic The Miracle on 34th Street in which she played the Maureen O'Hara role opposite Macdonald Carey and Thomas Mitchell . Divorced from Busch, the father of her two children, in 1952, Teresa made a concentrated effort to return to the stage and found consistency in such plays as "Salt of the Earth" (1952), "Bell, Book and Candle" (1953), "The Country Girl" (1953), "The Heiress" (1954), "The Rainmaker" (1955) and "The Dark at the Top of the Stairs" (1957) opposite Pat Hingle , in which she made a successful Broadway return. Marrying renowned playwright Robert Anderson in 1959, stage and TV continued to be her primary focuses, notably appearing under the theater lights in her husband's emotive drama "I Never Sang for My Father" in 1968. The couple lived on a farm in upstate New York until their divorce in 1978. By this time a mature actress now in her 50s, challenging stage work came in the form of "The Effect of Gamma Rays on Man-in-the Moon Marigolds", "Long Day's Journey Into Night", "Morning's at Seven" and "Ah, Wilderness!" Teresa also graced the stage alongside George C. Scott 's Willy Loman (as wife Linda) in an acclaimed presentation of "Death of a Salesman" in 1975, and appeared opposite Scott again in her very last play, "On Borrowed Time" (1991). After almost a decade away from films, she came back to play the touching role of an elderly landlady opposite Matt Damon in her last picture, John Grisham 's The Rainmaker . Teresa passed away of a heart attack in 2005. Cameron Mitchell Cameron Mitchell was the son of a minister, but chose a different path from his father. Prior to World War II, in which he served as an Air Force bombardier, Mitchell appeared on Broadway, and, in 1940, an experimental television broadcast, "The Passing of the Third Floor Back". He made his film debut in What Next, Corporal Hargrove? , but continued with stage as well as film work. He gained early recognition for his portrayal of Happy in the stage and screen versions of "Death of a Salesman". Still, out of more than 300 film and TV appearances, he is probably best remembered for his work on The High Chaparral TV series in which he, as the happy-go-lucky Buck Cannon, and Henry Darrow , as Manolito Montoya, stole the show. Joan Van Ark Joan Van Ark, just out of high school, was the second youngest student to attend the Yale School of Drama on a scholarship. The youngest was Julie Harris . It was the beginning of a lifelong friendship. Years later, they would co-star on the CBS Television series, Knots Landing . Van Ark began her professional career at the Minneapolis Guthrie Theater in Moliere's "The Miser", opposite Hume Cronyn and Zoe Caldwell . That was followed by "Death of a Salesman" at the Guthrie with both Cronyn and Jessica Tandy . After a season at the Arena Stage in Washington, D.C., Joan was cast in the national touring company of "Barefoot in the Park", directed by Mike Nichols . She recreated the role in the critically acclaimed London Company and later on Broadway. She earned a Tony nomination for her performance in "The School for Wives" and she won the Theater World Award for "The Rules of the Game". Van Ark also appeared off-Broadway opposite John Rubinstein in "Love Letters". More recently, she co-starred in the New York production of Edward Albee 's Pulitzer Prize winning play "Three Tall Women". Her Los Angeles theater credits include "Cyrano de Bergerac", playing "Roxanne" opposite Richard Chamberlain 's "Cyrano", "Ring Around the Moon" with Michael York and Glynis Johns , "Chemin de Fer", "Heartbreak House" and "As You Like It", for which she won a Los Angeles Drama Critics Award. She also appeared as "Lady Macbeth" in the Grove Shakespeare Festival's production of "Macbeth". Van Ark has also starred in the Williamstown Theater Festival productions of "Night of the Iguana", "The Legend of Oedipus" and the festival's 40th anniversary production of Stephen Sondheim 's "A Little Night Music". Ben Cross Ben Cross was born Harry Bernard Cross on December 16, 1947, in London, England. He began acting at a very young age and participated in grammar school plays -- most notably playing "Jesus" in a school pageant at age 12. Ben left home and school at age 15 and worked various jobs, including work as a window washer, waiter and carpenter. He was master carpenter for the Welsh National Opera and property master at the Alexandra Theatre in Birmingham, England. Driven by his desire to be an actor, Ben accepted and overcame the enormous challenges and obstacles that came with the profession. In 1970, at the age of 22, he was accepted into London's Royal Academy of Dramatic Arts (RADA) -- the alma mater of legendary actors such as Sir John Gielgud , Glenda Jackson and Sir Anthony Hopkins . Upon graduation from RADA, Ben performed in several stage plays at Duke's Playhouse where he was seen in "Macbeth", "The Importance of Being Earnest", and Arthur Miller 's "Death of a Salesman". He then joined the Prospect Theatre Company and played roles in "Pericles", "Twelfth Night", and "Royal Hunt of the Sun". Ben also joined the cast in the immensely popular musical "Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat" and played leading roles in Peter Shaffer 's "Equurs", "Mind Your Head" and the musical "Irma La Douce" -- all at Leicester's Haymarket Theatre. Ben's first big screen film appearance came in 1976 when he went on location to Deventer, Holland, to play "Trooper Binns" in Joseph E. Levine 's World War II epic A Bridge Too Far , which starred a very famous international cast -- namely Dirk Bogarde , Sir Sean Connery , Sir Michael Caine and James Caan . In 1977, Ben became a member of the Royal Shakespeare Company and performed in the premier of "Privates on Parade" as "Kevin Cartwright" and played "Rover" in a revival of a Restoration play titled "Wild Oats". Ben's path to international stardom began in 1978 with his extraordinary performance in the play, "Chicago", in which he played "Billy Flynn", the slick lawyer of murderess "Roxie Hart". During his performance in this play, he was recognized and recommended for a leading role in the multiple Oscar-winning Chariots of Fire . The major success of Chariots of Fire opened the doors to the international film market. Ben followed up Chariots of Fire with strong and successful performances, most notably in the Masterpiece Theatre miniseries The Citadel , in which he played a Scottish physician, Dr Andrew Manson, struggling with the politics of the British medical system during the 1920s, and his performance as "Ash Pelham-Martyn", a British cavalry officer torn between two cultures in the Home Box Office miniseries The Far Pavilions . During the 1984 Summer Olympic Games, Ben appeared in a commercial for American Express with Jackson Scholz , a sprinter for the 1924 American Olympic team whose character was featured in the film Chariots of Fire . He subsequently replaced James Garner as the featured actor endorsing the Polaroid Spectra camera in 1986. Ben was also featured in "GQ Magazine" as one of the annual "Manstyle" winners in January, 1985, followed by a featured photo shoot in March, 1985. Having stuck by his desire to choose quality roles over monetary potential, Ben has enjoyed long-term success in the film industry, currently over 30 years. Over the years, Ben has played several outstanding roles including his portrayal of "Solomon", one of the most fascinatingly complex characters of the Bible, in the Trimark Pictures production Solomon in 1997. Other outstanding roles included his "Barnabus" in the 1991 MGM remake of the miniseries Dark Shadows ; "Sir Harold Pearson" in the 1994 Italian production Honey Sweet Love... (Honey Sweet Love); "Ikey Solomon" in the Australian production The Potato Factory in 2000; and, most recently, his role as Rudolf Hess in the 2006 BBC production Nuremberg: Nazis on Trial . Ben is a director, writer and musician, as well. Among many of his original works is the musical "Rage" about Ruth Ellis , which was performed in various regional towns in the London area. He also starred in it and played the part of the hangman. Ben's first single as a lyricist was released by Polydor Records in the late 1970s and was titled "Mickey Moonshine". Other works include "The Best We've Ever Had" and "Nearly Midnight", both written by Ben and directed by his son, Theo Cross . In addition, the original soundtrack for "Nearly Midnight" was written, produced and performed by his daughter, Lauren Cross. These works were performed in Edinburgh, Scotland, in 2002 and 2003, respectively. "Square One", directed by Ben, was performed at the Etcetera Theatre in London in 2004. Ben has lived all over the world, including London, Los Angeles, New York, Southern Spain, Vienna, and, most recently, Sofia. He is familiar with the Spanish, Italian and German languages and has enrolled in a course studying Bulgarian. When he's not filming, he can be found writing music, screenplays and articles for English language publications. Robert Pastorelli Beefy, roughhewn actor Robert Pastorelli was a former boxer and an admitted drug addict before he cleaned up his act and pursued theater work in New York in such 1970s productions as "Rebel Without a Cause," "The Rainmaker," and "Death of a Salesman," he headed west and turned to film and TV in 1982, soon finding a fairly comfortable niche playing ballsy, streetwise characters often with a Runyonesque feel and truck driver mentality. Supporting Bette Midler and Shelley Long in Outrageous Fortune and Eddie Murphy in Beverly Hills Cop II , his first meaty film role came with Kevin Costner 's Dances with Wolves . But it was TV that would be his claim to fame as Candice Bergen 's gruff but mushy-hearted house painter in Murphy Brown , staying with the show for seven seasons. With that came more visible roles in Sister Act 2: Back in the Habit , Michael , and Modern Vampires . He played the role of salty Luther Billis in the mini-movie remake of South Pacific with Glenn Close , then appeared as Mitch with Ms. Close on stage in "A Streetcar Named Desire" a year later. Sadly, drugs once again took hold of Pastorelli in full force in later years. In 2004, the 49-year-old died of a heroin overdose and was found at home with a syringe in his arm in the bathroom by his assistant. Conrad Bain Usually sized up as an erudite gent, advice-spouting father or uptight, pompous neighbor, the acting talents of Conrad Bain were best utilized on stage and on TV. Born in Lethbridge, Alberta, on February 4, 1923, Conrad Stafford Bain was a twin son (the other was named Bonar) born to Stafford Harrison Bain, a wholesaler, and Jean Agnes (née Young). He enjoyed Canadian sports growing up (ice hockey, speed skating), but picked up an interest in acting while in high school. Electing to train at Alberta's Banff School of Fine Arts after graduating, he met Monica Marjorie Sloan, an artist, while there. His acting pursuit was interrupted by WWII when he subsequently joined the Canadian army. Picking up here he left off following his discharge, he studied at New York's American Academy of Dramatic Arts. He also married Ms. Sloan in 1945 and became a naturalized U.S. citizen the following year. The couple went on to have three children -- Jennifer, Mark and Kent. Making his stage debut in a Connecticut production of "Dear Ruth" in 1947, Bain also appeared in "Jack and the Beanstalk" and a tour of "The Barretts of Wimpole Street" before making his off-Broadway debut in a 1956 Circle-in-the-Square revival of Eugene O'Neill's "The Iceman Cometh," a production that made a star out of Jason Robards . Following an inauspicious Broadway bow in "Sixth Finger in a Five Finger Glove", which closed after only one day, he joined the Stratford (Ontario) Shakespeare Festival for their 1958 season, appearing in "A Winter's Tale," "Much Ado About Nothing" and "Henry IV, Part I." Fair in complexion and exceedingly genial in demeanor, the wry and witty blond actor graduated into other Broadway work, particularly drama, with strong roles in "Candide," "Advise and Consent," "An Enemy of the People," "Twigs" and "Uncle Vanya." He also built up his regional and repertory credits during the early 1960s with parts in "King Lear," "The Firebugs," "Death of a Salesman" and "The Shadow of Heroes" at Seattle Rep. Later in the decade he began to focus more intently on TV, usually playing cerebral, white-collar types (district attorneys, stock brokers, doctors, politicos). Bain eventually found an "in" with daytime drama, which included a recurring role on Dark Shadows (as an innkeeper), and a part on The Edge of Night in 1970. He broke completely away, however, from his trademark dramatics when the 49-year-old actor was "discovered" for prime-time TV by Norman Lear and offered a supporting role opposite Bea Arthur and Bill Macy in Norman Lear 's landmark, liberally-sliced comedy series Maude , a spin-off of Lear's equally landmark All in the Family sitcom. Conrad was cast as Rue McClanahan 's stuffy, conservative doctor/husband, Arthur Harmon, who usually was at political odds with free-wheeling feminist Maude Finlay. The role moved Bain into the prime TV comedy character ranks. Following the show's lengthy run (1972-1978), he was given the green light by Lear to move into his own comedy series with Diff'rent Strokes as the wealthy father of a girl and adoptive father of two African-American children. While young Gary Coleman , the compact, precocious, mouthy dynamo, may have stolen the show, the good-humored Bain remained a strong center and voice of reason until the show's demise in 1986. Three was not a charm when Bain went into a third new comedy series, Mr. President , with Conrad as a loyal aide-de-camp to "President" George C. Scott . The show, created not by Lear but by Johnny Carson , lasted only 24 episodes. During and after his lengthy 70s and 80s TV success, Conrad would continue to return to his first love, the stage, in such productions as "Uncle Vanya," "The Owl and the Pussycat," "On Golden Pond," "The Dining Room" and "On Borrowed Time", the last being a 1992 return to Broadway after nearly two decades. Films, on the other hand, were a non-issue at this point. Earlier minor turns included Clint Eastwood 's Coogan's Bluff , Gene Hackman 's I Never Sang for My Father , Woody Allen 's Bananas , Sean Connery 's The Anderson Tapes and Barbra Streisand 's Up the Sandbox . His last stop in films was an engaging part as a befuddled grandpa opposite the perennially crusty Mary Wickes in Postcards from the Edge starring Meryl Streep and Shirley MacLaine . One of Bain's last on-camera appearances was recreating his Phillip Drummond role from Diff'rent Strokes on a 1996 episode of "The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air". Other than a stage role in "Ancestral Voices" in 2000, Conrad turned for a time to screen-writing but later comfortably retired to the Brentwood area of Los Angeles. Moving to a Livermore California retirement home in 2008, wife Monica died a year later. Bain passed away there quietly of natural causes on January 14, 2013, less than a month short of his 90th birthday. His twin brother Bonar died in 2005. Ford Austin Ford Austin is an American stage and motion picture actor who was born in Oklahoma and raised in Texas. He is a descendant of Stephen F. Austin. For much of the mid-1990s, Austin lived as an actor in Philadelphia & New York City making stage appearances in the Philadelphia premiere of The a Grapes of Wrath, the Homecoming, Death of a Salesman (with Ralph Waite and Lisa Richards), Macbeth, Lawyers (with Kevin Conway) and many more. While in New York, he appeared on television series like Another World and Saturday Night Live. In 2000, he made his feature film debut in the war film Pearl Harbor as one of the legendary Doolittle pilots under the direction of a Michael Bay. Austin gained wide recognition for playing Darwin in Vicky Jenson's Family Tree with Talia Shire and Harland Williams. The movie premiered at Sundance and won the jury prize at SXSW and became the darling of the film festival circuit before qualifying for the Academy Awards. Immediately following the films success, Austin landed a national tour of a one man show called MaleIntellect: An Oxymoron which he performed in for almost two years before returning to Hollywood to try his hand at writing & directing. At this time, he and a close friend Scott Ingalls wrote and directed the hilariously successful comedy series about The Wright Brothers called The Wright Stuff. The Wright Stuff premiered on Dan Harmon and Rib Schrab's Channel 101 network and ran for six months as a prime time show until it was canceled. After that, Austin wrote and directed another academy qualifier film called Tiny Dancer which he filmed on the backlot at Universal Studios. The motion picture featured a ballerina who uses her dancing to evade street punks. The dancing sequences were choreographed by Ballanchine dancer Zippora Karz and opened in theaters before becoming Austin's second Academy qualifying motion picture. About thus time, Austin was tapped by Stephen Chao (COPS, Americas Most Wanted) and Mike Goedecke of a Belief Design firm to launch an internet company called WobderHowTo.com. Austin became one of the first five hires of the new company where he was made a share holder in the corporation, named Vice President of Original Production and wrote, produced and starred in over 300 pieces of content for the company. Two years later, Austin returned to directing motion pictures under his own shingle The Ford Austin Company. Austin directed over a dozen Low budget horror features including The Curse of Lizzie Borden, Attitude for Destruction and his cult horror comedy classic Dahmer vs Gacy which won many awards for the actor turned director and was released in the Laemmle theater chain. On March 9th, 2011, while in production on seven feature motion pictures, Austin suffered a life changing car accident in Hollywood, California that brought everything to a halt. He spent two weeks in a coma followed by five months at Cedars Sinai Hospital in Los Angeles. Doctors gave him a 1% chance of survival and said he would probably never walk again. Defiantly, Austin stayed in process and worked from his hospital bed during his hospital stay. He produced the feature documentary The Right to Love:An American Family with Cassie Jaye and would eventually attend the motion picture's premiere at George Lucas' Skywalker Ranch in Marin, California. The movie would also become Austin's third Academy Awards qualifying motion picture. When he arrived home from his first of seven hospitalizations, Austin found a copy of Variety on his deck which had a full page ad for another motion picture he was producing before his accident called The Ghostmaker released by Lions Gate Entertainment. Austin relocated to New York City where he had more hospitalizations and surgeries. During his recovery from the procedures, he created, produced and pitched a clip show to Time Warner Cable in Manhattan called The Angry Baby Monkey Short Film Showcase and completed a 26 episode sale that aired in New York City for a year. In 2012, Austin,fully recovered from his injuries, and his amazing wife Lauree Dash returned to work in Los Angeles. He joined The Actors Studio as a Lifetime Member where he studies with Mark Rydel, Lou Antonio, Lisa Richards, Cathleen Leslie, James DiStefano, Allan Miller and his mentor Martin Landau. Arthur Kennedy Arthur Kennedy, one of the premier character actors in American film from the late 1940s through the early 1960s, achieved fame in the role of Biff in Elia Kazan 's historic production of Arthur Miller 's Pultizer-Prize winning play "Death of a Salesman." Although he was not selected to recreate the role on screen, he won one Best Actor and four Best Supporting Academy Award nominations between 1949 and 1959 and ranked as one of Hollywood's finest players. Born John Arthur Kennedy to a dentist and his wife on February 17, 1914 in Worcester, Massachusetts. As a young man, known as "Johnny" to his friends, studied drama at the Carnegie Institute of Technology. By the time he was 20 years old, he was involved in local theatrical groups. Kennedy's first professional gig was was with the Globe Theatre Company, which toured the Midwest offering abbreviated versions of Shakespearian plays. Shakesperian star Maurice Evans hired Kennedy for his company, with which he appeared in the Broadway production of "Richard II" in 1937. While performing in Evans' repertory company, Kennedy also worked in the Federal Theatre project. Arthur Kennedy made his Broadway debut in "Everywhere I Roam" in 1938, the same year that he married Mary Cheffrey, who would remain his wife until her death in 1975. He also appeared on Broadway in "Life and Death of an American" in 1939 and in "An International Incident" in 1940 at the Ethel Barrymore Theatre, in support of the great American actress the theater had been named after. Kennedy and his wife moved west to Los Angeles, California in 1938, and it was while acting on the stage in L.A. that he was discovered by fellow Irish-American actor James Cagney , who cast him as his brother in the film City for Conquest . The role brought with it a contract with Warner Bros., and the studio put him in supporting roles in some prestigious movies, including High Sierra , the film that made Humphrey Bogart a star, They Died with Their Boots On with Errol Flynn , and Howard Hawks 's Air Force alongside future Best Supporting Actor Oscar winner Gig Young and the great John Garfield . His career was interrupted by military service in World War Two. After the war, Kennedy went back to the Broadway stage, where he gained a reputation as an actor's actor, appearing in Arthur Miller 's 1947 Tony Award-winning play "All My Sons," which was directed by Kazan. He played John Proctor in the original production of Miller's reflection on McCarthyism, "The Crucible" - which Kazan, an informer who prostrated himself before the forces of McCarthyism, refused to direct - and also appeared in Miller's last Broadway triumph, "The Price." When Kennedy returned to film work, he quickly distinguished himself as one of the best and most talented of supporting actors & character leads, appearing in such major films as Boomerang! , Champion (for which he received his first Oscar nomination as Best Supporting Actor) and The Glass Menagerie , playing Tom in a mediocre adaptation of Tennessee Williams 's classic play. Kennedy won his first and only Best Actor nomination for Bright Victory , playing a blinded vet, a role for which he won the New York Film Critics Circle award over such competition as Marlon Brando and Humphrey Bogart . Other films included Fritz Lang 's 'Rancho Notorious (1951)', Anthony Mann 's Bend of the River , William Wyler 's The Desperate Hours , Richard Brooks ' Elmer Gantry , David Lean 's Lawrence of Arabia , and John Ford 's Cheyenne Autumn . In 1956, Kennedy won another Best Supporting Actor Oscar nomination for his role in Trial , plus two more Supporting nods in 1958 and 1959 for his appearances in the screen adaptations of Grace Metalious 's Peyton Place , and James Jones Some Came Running . Kennedy returned to Broadway frequently in the 1950s, and headlined the 1952 play "See the Jaguar", a flop best remembered for giving a young actor named James Dean one of his first important parts. A decade later, Kennedy replaced his good friend Anthony Quinn in the Broadway production of "Beckett", alternating the roles of Beckett and Henry II with Laurence Olivier , who was quite fond of working with him. In the 1960s, the prestigious movie parts dried up as he matured, but he continued working in movies and on TV until he retired in the mid-1980s. He moved out of Los Angeles to live with family members in Connecticut. In the last years of his life, he was afflicted with thyroid cancer and eye disease. He died of a brain tumor at 75, survived by his two children by his wife Mary, Terence and actress Laurie Kennedy . He is buried at Woodlawn Cemetery in Lequille, Nova Scotia, Canada. Will Merrick William Charles Merrick was born on April 9th 1993 in Ledbury in Herefordshire and started acting as a child in productions at the Downs School and Dean Close School in Cheltenham. Joining the Close Up Theatre Will appeared with them at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival in 2010 and 2011 in 'The History Boys' and 'Death of a Salesman' and continued appearing at the festival with the Close Up's off-shoot company No Prophet in 2012 and 2013 before launching his own production Consent in 205. In 2012 he received the Royal Television Society award as best actor for his role in teen-age drama 'Skins' and has continued to appear on the box, notably as Steve Davis in the 2016 snooker-based one off film 'The Rack Pack' as well as joining the ensemble cast for comedy-drama 'Brief Encounters, also in 2016'. On stage Will has appeared with the Royal Shakespeare Company in their play 'Wendy and Peter Pan' and at the Royal Exchange in the famous old comedy 'The Ghost Train'. Barbara Tarbuck Trained on a Fulbright Grant to the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art, Barbara's New York theatre work includes "Landscape & Silence" by Harold Pinter , "Water Engine" by David Mamet , Neil Simon 's "Brighton Beach Memoirs" and "Broadway Bound", Joseph Chaikin 's production of "America Hurrah!", and "Enter The Night" by Marie Irene Fornes . Recent regional standouts include "Long Days Journey Into Night" at Dallas Theatre Center, "Death of a Salesman" at San Diego Repertory, "The Cripple Of Inishman" at the Geffen, "Wonderful World" at Laguna Playhouse, "Six Characters in Search of an Author" at Williamstown, and "Blue Window" and "Sidney Bechet Killed a Man" at South Coast Repertory. Favorite screen roles: the woman with 12 dogs on ER , the aged mother on Cold Case who comes to terms with her murdered son's homosexuality, Dwayne Johnson 's mother in Walking Tall , and Kevin McKidd 's mother on Journeyman . Jason Brooks Jason began his career with his memorable portrayal of the dark, but likeable villain, "Peter Blake", on NBC's long-running drama, Days of Our Lives , for which he garnered Soap Opera Digest's coveted Best Villain award. After leaving "Days" to pursue other projects, Jason continued to work consistently in leading roles in television and film, including Alibi , opposite Tori Spelling for ABC, Three Secrets , with Jaclyn Smith for CBS, and The Darwin Conspiracy (Pilot/MOW) for UPN. He then landed a recurring role warming up the ice cold "Miss Parker" on ABC's hit drama series, The Pretender , opposite Andrea Parker . Soon after, Baywatch producers approached Jason to replace David Hasselhoff in the series' new incarnation, Baywatch Hawaii, shooting on location in the island paradise. After two seasons, the series wrapped up its syndicated run and Jason returned to Los Angeles, where he became the father to his second son with wife, Corinne Olivo Levin, a literary talent manager. Jason was then cast in numerous indie film roles such as The Rose Technique , with JoBeth Williams , Flying Virus (aka "Buzzed"), with Gabrielle Anwar and Rutger Hauer , Purgatory Flats and Submission , opposite Aussie star, Simmone Mackinnon . More recently, he appeared in the films: Star Trek , directed by J.J. Abrams , Burning Palms , Accused at 17 , Christmas Spirit , Home Invasion , and this summer's upcoming Super 8 , again for director J.J. Abrams . Geoffrey Cantor Geoffrey graduated magna cum laude from Amherst College with a degree in theater. He attended the National Theater Institute (Eugene O'Neill Theater Center in Conn), and continued his training at the Royal Central School of Speech and Drama, in London, England. Film credits include the Coen Brothers' Hail, Ceasar!, MIB3, Bird People, Thanks for Sharing, The Longest Week, Man on a Ledge, Fair Game, Michael Mann's Public Enemies, When in Rome, The Notorious Betty Page, One Last Thing, the short film 411 with F. Murray Abraham, and the title role of Karl Manhair in the short Karl Manhair, Postal Inpsector. On TV he plays Ellison in the Marvel series Daredevil on Netflix, Bobby Fletcher in TNT's Civil, and Christian, the Grief Counselor, in AMC's Feed the Beast. He has also been seen on Madam Secretary, House of Cards, Elementary, The Blacklist, Forever, Believe, The Americans, The Following, Deception, Zero Hour, Person of Interest, Pan Am, Damages, Smash, The Big C, Sopranos, Bored to Death, all of the Law & Order's, Mercy, Brotherhood, Life on Mars, Ed, Third Watch, The $treet, Queens' Supreme, All My Children, Guiding Light, and Spike TV's The Kill Point. Stage work Includes Side Man (Broadway), Warren Leight's Sec 310, Row D, Seats 5&6, Dinner With Friends, Julie Taymor's Titus Andronicus, Saturday Sunday Monday, Denial (Long Wharf), Death of a Salesman (with Judd Hirsh), Talley's Folly, Romeo and Juliet (Acting Company), and Lone Star (London and Edinburgh). Geoffrey has been featured in over 200 television and radio commercials, including two award-winning campaigns: Let It Out (Kleenex--the Good Listener), and Fair Enough (part of the Truth campaign). Geoffrey began directing in college, and in London, he developed the play-reading series Readings at One at the Duke of York's Theater in the West End. There he directed the London premier reading of Allan Knee's The Man Who was Peter Pan, upon which the film Finding Neverland was based. Other directing credits include Sweet Texas Reckoning, Stripped (which he co-wrote), James Mclure's 1959 Pink Thunderbird (Lone Star and Laundry and Bourbon, For Our Daughters (Illuminart) in Staten Island, Prey (NYfringe 2010), My Secret Public Seder (an Original Piece, written for and with members of the Bergen County JCCY), Winterglass (an original piece), and Cowboys II, by Sam Shepard. As a coach and teacher, he has worked all over the country with actors whose credits include all the major TV shows in New York, film and Broadawy. His students have also been accepted to some of the best theater programs in the country, including Ithaca, Fordham, Emerson, Michigan, Mason Gross, and UCSD. Geoffrey is also the Chief Creative consultant for Rethink The Conversation, a nonprofit public awareness group focused on issues of serious concern that have been tinged by stigma, misinformation, lack of attention, or indifference, bringing them to the fore of social consciousness and activism. Arthur Miller Arthur Asher Miller was born on October 17, 1915, in New York City, to Augusta (Barnett) and Isidore Miller. His family was of Austrian Jewish descent. His father manufactured women's coats, but his business was devastated by the Depression, seeding his son's disillusionment with the American Dream and those blue-sky-seeking Americans who pursued it with both eyes focused on the Grail of Materialism. Due to his father's strained financial circumstances, Miller had to work for tuition money to attend the University of Michigan. It was at Michigan that he wrote his first plays. They were successes, earning him numerous student awards, including the Avery Hopwood Award in Drama for "No Villain" in 1937. The award was named after one of the most successful playwrights of the 1920s, who simultaneously had five hits on Broadway, the 'Neil Simon (I)' of his day. Now almost forgotten except for his contribution to "Gold Diggers of 1933," Hopwood achieved a material success that the older Miller could not match, but he failed to capture the immortality that would be Miller's. Hopwood's suicide, on the beach of the Cote d'Azur, inspired Norman Maine's march into the SoCal surf in A Star Is Born . It seemed to encapsulate the American dilemma: the achievement of success was no panacea for an America soul-sick from its pursuit. Like Fitzgerald, Miller tasted success at a tender age. In 1938, upon graduating from Michigan, he received a Theatre Guild National Award and returned to New York, joining the Federal Theatre Project. He married his college girlfriend, Mary Grace Slattery, in 1940; they would have two children, Joan and Robert. In 1944, he made his Broadway debut with "The Man Who Had All the Luck," a flop that lasted only four performances. He went on to publish two books, "Situation Normal" in '44, and "Focus" in 1945, but it was in 1947 that his star became ascendant. His play "All My Sons," directed by Elia Kazan , became a hit on Broadway, running for 328 performances. Both Miller and Kazan received Tony Awards, and Miller won the New York Drama Critics Circle Award. It was a taste of what was to come. Staged by Kazan, "Death of a Salesman" opened at the Morosco Theatre on February 10, 1949, and closed 742 performances later on Nov 18, 1950. The play was the sensation of the season, winning six Tony Awards, including Best Play and Best Author for Miller. Miller also was awarded the 1949 Pulitzer Prize for Drama. The play made lead actor Lee J. Cobb , as Willy Loman, an icon of the stage comparable to the Hamlet of John Barrymore : a synthesis of actor and role that created a legend that survives through the bends of time. A contemporary classic was recognized, though some critics complained that the play wasn't truly a tragedy, as Willy Loman was such a pathetic soul. The fall of such a small person as Loman could not qualify as tragedy, as there was so little height from which to fall. Miller, a dedicated progressive and a man of integrity, never accepted the criticism. As Willy's wife Linda said at his funeral, "Attention must be paid," even to the little people who were crucified alongside the capitalist gods in the pursuit of the American Dream. In 1983 Miller himself directed a staging of "Salesman" in Chinese at the Beijing Peoples' Art Theatre. He said that while the Chinese, then largely ignorant of capitalism, might not have understood Loman's career choice, they did have empathy for his desire to drink from the Grail of the American Dream. They understood this dream, which Miller characterizes as the desire "to excel, to win out over anonymity and meaninglessness, to love and be loved, and above all, perhaps, to count." It is this desire to sup at the table of the great American Capitalists, even if one is just scrounging for crumbs, in a country of which President Calvin Coolidge said, "The business of America is business," this desire to be recognized, to be somebody, that so moves "Salesman" audiences, whether in New York, London or Beijing. Miller never again attained the critical heights nor smash Broadway success of "Salesman," though he continued to write fine plays that were appreciated by critics and audiences alike for another two decades. Disenchanted with Kazan over his friendly testimony before the House Un-American Activities Committee, the two parted company when Kazan refused to direct "The Crucible," Miller's parable of the witch hunts of Sen. Joseph McCarthy . Defending her husband, Kazan's wife Molly told Miller that the play was disingenuous, as there were no real witches in Puritan Salem. It was a point Miller disagreed with, as it was a matter of perspective--the witches in Salem were real to those who believed in them. Directed by another Broadway legend, Jed Harris , the play ran for 197 performances and won Miller the 1953 Tony Award for Best Play. Miller had another success with "A View from the Bridge," a play about an incest-minded longshoreman written with overtones of classical Greek tragedy, which ran for 149 performances in the 1955-56 season. It was in 1956 that Miller made his most fateful personal decision, when he divorced his wife Mary and married movie siren-cum-legend Marilyn Monroe . With this marriage Miller achieved a different type of fame, a pop culture status he abhorred. It was a marriage doomed to fail, as Monroe was, in Miller's words, "highly self-destructive." In his beautifully written 1989 autobiography "Timebends," Miller wrote that a marriage was a conspiracy to keep out the light. When one or more of the partners could no longer prevent the light from coming in and illuminating the other's faults, the marriage was doomed. In his own autobiography, "A Life," Kazan said that he could not understand the marriage. Monroe, who had slept with Kazan on a casual basis, as she did with many other Hollywood players, was the type of woman someone took as a mistress, not as a wife. Miller, however, was a man of principle. He was in love. "[A]ll my energy and attention were devoted to trying to help her solve her problems," Miller confessed to a French newspaper in 1992. "Unfortunately, I didn't have much success." The conspiracy collapsed during the filming of The Misfits (1961), with John Huston shooting the original script Miller had written expressly for his wife. The genesis of the story had come to him while waiting out a divorce from his first wife Mary in Nevada. Monroe hated her character Roslyn, claiming that Miller had made her out to be the dumb blond stereotype she so loathed and had been trying to escape. Withering in her criticism of Miller, and ultimately unfaithful to him, she and Miller separated. Norman Mailer , in his dubious 1973 biography "Marilyn," ridiculed Miller for not doing enough to help Monroe, for not being man enough to keep her. Movie critic Pauline Kael , in turn, lambasted Mailer, saying it was simply a matter of petty machismo and jealousy, that the nearly eight-year-younger Mailer resented Miller (who, unlike Mailer, was never shy about his Judaism), his respectable reputation and his conquest of Marilyn. Ironically, Mailer had lived in the same Brooklyn boarding house as Miller did, after World War II. What Mailer seemed to resent most of all was never being invited over to meet the Missus when they lived close by one another in Connecticut in the late 1950s. Miller would later reunite with Kazan to launch the new Lincoln Center Repertory Theater, with the play "After the Fall," a fictionalization of his relationship with Monroe. "Fall" ran for 208 performances in repertory in 1964 and 1965 and won 1964 Tony Awards for Jason Robards and Kazan's future wife Barbara Loden , playing the Miller and Monroe stand-ins Quentin and Maggie. Miller's own "Incident at Vichy" played in repertory with "Fall" in the 1965 season, but lasted only 32 performances On June 1, 1957, Miller was found in contempt of Congress for refusing to name names of a literacy circle suspected of Communist Party affiliations. The State Department deprived him of his passport, and he became a left-wing cause celebre. In 1967 Miller became President of P.E.N., an international literacy organization that campaigned for the rights of suppressed writers. He published a collection of short stories entitled "I Don't Need You Any More" the same year. Returning to the Morosco Theatre, the site of his greatest triumph, "The Price" was Miller's last unqualified hit in America, running for 429 performances between Feb 7, 1968 and Feb 15, 1969. Though Miller won a 1968 Tony Award for Best Play, the bulk of his success as an original playwright was over. A 1971 teleplay (_Price, The (1971) (TV)_) of the production was nominated for six Emmy awards, including Outstanding Single Program-Drama or Comedy, and won three, including Best Actor for George C. Scott , who would later win a 1976 Tony playing Willy Loman in a 1975 Broadway revival. Miller never again achieved success on Broadway with an original play. In the 1980s, when he was hailed as the greatest living American playwright after the death of Tennessee Williams, he even had trouble getting full-scale revivals of his work staged. One of his more significant later works, "The American Clock", based on Studs Terkel 's oral history of the Great Depression "Hard Times," ran for only 11 previews and 12 performances in late 1980 at the Biltmore Theatre. Also in 1980, Miller courted controversy by backing the casting of anti-Zionist Vanessa Redgrave as a concentration-camp Jewess in his teleplay Playing for Time , an adaptation of the memoir "The Musicians of Auschwitz." Another politically active Jew in show business, soon-to-be-president of the Screen Actors Guild Edward Asner , recommended that other Jews shun Miller. Commercial Broadway producers didn't need Asner's advice to shun Miller, however. Ironically for America's greatest living playwright, his original work was popular in Britain, whose intellectual and theatrical communities treated him as a major figure in world literature. The universality of his work was highlighted with his own successful staging of "Death of a Salesman" in Beijing in 1983. Arthur Miller wrote plays, screenplays, novels, short stories, non-fiction, and an autobiography, but it will be for "Death of a Salesman" that he will be remembered. It is the "Great American Fiction" of the 20th century, if not the Great American Play, perfectly encapsulating what was wrong with America in that tumultuous century. The play has become a standard warhorse, now revived each decade on Broadway, and all over the world. In addition to George C. Scott and Lee J. Cobb (who received an Emmy nomination for the 1966 teleplay; Miller himself received a Special Citation from the Academy of Television Arts and Sciences for the production), Dustin Hoffman and Brian Dennehy have garnered kudos for playing Willie Loman. The 1984 Broadway revival of "Salesman" won a Tony for best Reproduction and helped revive Miller's domestic reputation, while Volker Schlöndorff 's 1985 film ( Death of a Salesman ) of the production won 10 Emmy nominations, including one for Miller as executive producer of the Outstanding Drama/Comedy Special. Hoffman won an Emmy and a Golden Globe for playing Willy Loman. The hit 1999 revival won four Tonys, including Dennehy for Best Actor, and ran for 274 performances at the Eugene O''Neill Theatre. Miller based his works on American history, his own life, and his observations of the American scene. Though uniquely American, they simultaneously were universal stories about an individual's struggle with his society, his family, and especially, himself. Miller's characters suffer from anxiety, depression, and guilt, and it was the genius of Miller to portray their pain and sorrow realistically, creating works that were familiar, yet uncanny in their power to move an audience. Miller's stature is based on his refusal to avoid moral and social issues in his writing, even when the personal cost was terrible. Miller might not have been the greatest writer in America, but his bravery and his willingness to fight for what he believed in his chosen art form made him a great American whose name will live on in world letters. Barclay Hope Barclay Hope is a veteran television actor whose numerous credits include film, television and stage. He has appeared in the television series The Hidden Room , The Hitchhiker , Top Cops and Alfred Hitchcock Presents . He has guest-starred in the series Goosebumps , _"Forever Knight" (1992)_, Knightwatch , Doc , and had a recurring role on Street Legal . His series credits also include The Twilight Zone , as well as Taking the Falls , E.N.G. and Ready or Not . He played "Peter Axon" in all four seasons of the Canadian television series, PSI Factor: Chronicles of the Paranormal , from 1996-2000, narrated by Dan Aykroyd . His television movie credits include Strange Justice , starring Louis Gossett Jr. , Dead Silence , with James Garner , Disney's The Garbage Picking Field Goal Kicking Philadelphia Phenomenon , with Tony Danza , Danielle Steel 's Remembrance , The Facts of Life Reunion , Mary Higgins Clark 's You Belong to Me and Atom Egoyan 's Gross Misconduct: The Life of Brian Spencer , among many others. He also performed the lead role in the TV movie, The Long Road Home , and was an Executive Producer of and appeared in the short film The Wager On stage, Hope has performed in both Toronto's Royal Alexandra Theatre and the Manitoba Theatre Centre productions of "The Heidi Chronicles". He also appeared in Theatre Direct's "Getting Wrecked", Limelight Dinner Theatre's "The Best Little Whorehouse In Texas", and the Stratford Festival's "Death of a Salesman" and "The Country Wife". One of his most recent production ventures was the production of "Birthday Cake", a short film he produced, and which screened at many different film festivals, debuting at the Palm Springs Film Festival in 2000. Barclay Hope attended Lakefield College in Ontario, Canada, and now lives in Vancouver with his wife, Lindsay Collins and their 3 children. Langley Kirkwood Langley Kirkwood was born in Bromley, Kent, England, UK. His family moved to South Africa when Kirkwood was young. The son of a poet and an art teacher, he was exposed to literature and the arts from an early age and fell in love with acting in his school years. He studied drama at high school and at Johannesburg's Wits University, and started working in theatre immediately thereafter. He made an award-winning debut at Johannesburg's Market Theatre as Billy the Kid and followed that up by award-nominated performances in other theatre productions in both Johannesburg and Cape Town, and winning another award as Biff Loman in Miller's Death of a Salesman. He had two children, Willow and Phoenix with former Calvin Klein model Josie Borain. He lives in Cape Town and works primarily in film and television, but still finds time for theatre and also works as a voice-artist. He is a fitness fanatic and spends much of his free time trail running, cycling and competing in ultra distance races. Kate Reid Esteemed London-born stage, radio and TV actress Kate Reid was actually born Daphne Katherine Reid in 1930 of Canadian parents. The family moved back to Ontario before she was a year old. An introverted child of delicate health, Kate sought refuge in books and role-playing and began studying drama in her mid-teens. She apprenticed in summer stock and trained with Uta Hagen and Herbert Berghof at the HB Studio in New York. Earning critical acclaim for her Lizzie in "The Rainmaker" and Masha in "The Three Sisters," her ten years with the Stratford Festival in Canada would establish her as one of Canada's most accomplished actresses. On the Shakespearean stage she would play everything from Lady Macbeth to the shrewish Katherine. A bulky, highly insecure woman, Kate tended to look and play older than she was, battling alcohol and weight problems throughout much of her life. She was to have taken "The Rainmaker" to England's West End at one point but severe anxiety attacks kept her from doing so. She made her Broadway debut playing the matinée Martha in Edward Albee 's "Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?" in 1962 in which her legendary mentor Uta Hagen starred. Filming for Kate would be very erratic during the course of her career. She played Natalie Wood 's mother in This Property Is Condemned and is probably best remembered as a scientist in the thriller The Andromeda Strain . She earned two Tony nominations in the 60s for her participation in the plays "Dylan" and "Slapstick Tragedy." Further respect came in the package of Arthur Miller's "The Price" and John Guare's "Bosoms and Neglect." Plagued by ill health in later years Kate nevertheless offered a couple of outstanding contributions. She was the invalid mistress in the film Atlantic City opposite Burt Lancaster , and portrayed the devoted, long-suffering wife Linda Loman alongside Dustin Hoffman in the critically-acclaimed 1984 remake of "Death of a Salesman" on Broadway. She and Hoffman subsequently preserved their roles with a TV adaptation the following year. Kate also managed a recurring part on Dallas as well as regular roles on the short-lived Gavilan and Morningstar/Eveningstar TV series. She succumbed to brain cancer at age 62 in Ontario, Canada. Matt Mulhern Matt Mulhern was trained as an actor by William Esper at Mason Gross School of the Arts, Rutgers University, where he received a BFA in Acting. He was first in the original cast as Joseph Wykowski in Neil Simon's Tony Award winning "Biloxi Blues". From there, he went on to a film, TV, and theater career as an actor, appearing in films such as "One Crazy Summer," Extreme Prejudice," "Biloxi Blues," "Sunchaser," "Infinity," "Junior," and "Walking To The Waterline," which he also wrote and directed for IFC films. New York theater includes: "The One-Armed Man" at Ensemble Studio Theater, "Surviving Grace" at the Union Square Theater, "The Night Hank Williams Died" at the Orpheum Theater, "Wasted" at the WPA, Regional appearances at La Jolla Playhouse in "The Glass Menagerie", "The Habitation of Dragons", at Pittsburgh Public Theater, and the National Tour of "Death of a Salesman" as Biff opposite Hal Holbrook, and, most recently, "Orphans Home Cycle" at Hartford Stage in 2009. On TV he played the Lieutenant as a Regular on the top ten CBS hit "Major Dad" in the 1990's, as well as many other pilots, recurring and guest roles, most recently a recurring role on FX's "Rescue Me," and appearances on Fox's "Fringe," CBS's "CSI," and CBS's "Blue Bloods." He has written and directed two films, "Walking to the Waterline" (which he also acted in), and "Duane Hopwood" starring David Schwimmer, named "One of the Best Films of 2005" by Roger Ebert, and shown at the Sundance Film Festival, before being theatrically released by IFC Films. He also has a novel, "Crossing Open Spaces," available at Amazon, Createspace.com or mattmulhern.net. Matt lives north of New York City with his wife Karen and sons Connor and Jack. Samantha Coughlan Born and raised in Vancouver, British Columbia, Samantha is a graduate of the acclaimed Circle In The Square Theatre School in New York City. She moved to London in 2003 forming the theatre company, Suspect Package with fellow Canadian actor Trevor White ( Downton Abbey/ Episodes), where their productions received critical success. Evening Standard review for "Problem Child": ' It is impossible to maintain a detached reaction to the Suspect Package company's provocative production, largely due to the impressive Samantha Coughlan's sympathetically psychotic performance'. She made her West End debut in the Olivier and Tony award winning "Death of a Salesman" as "Miss Forsyth" opposite Brian Dennehy and Clare Higgins. Theatrically she has further worked with Kevin Spacey at The Old Vic, Josh Hartnett and Adam Godley on "Rain Man", and as a cover for both Keira Knightly and Elizabeth Moss in "The Children's Hour" directed by Ian Rickson. In 2012 she was nominated for a Best Actress OFFIE for her work in Tennessee Williams, "Vieux Carre" at The Kings Head Theatre. Samantha is also a successful VoiceOver artist working across the board in radio drama, commercials, documentaries and has been the US voice of Nike Training Club from 2011 until present. Ted Atherton Ted Atherton's big break came when he was cast as Pan Philips in the CBC TV series "Nothing Too Good For A Cowboy." This series gave him a Gemini Award nomination in 2000,as "Best Lead in a Continuing Dramatic Role." Now Ted is well known by fans everywhere as the sarcastic yet funny F.B.I. Agent Myles Leland III on the Syndicated TV series "Sue Thomas: F.B.Eye." Aside from Ted performing in front of the cameras, another passion of his is performing on stage. He's a well accomplished Shakespearean actor. He's done "As You Like It" at the Du Maurier World Stage, "Much Ado About Nothing" at the Theater Calgary, "Richard III" & "All Well That Ends Well" at the Stratford Festival. Other major stage performances by Ted has been in "Death Of A Salesman" & "The Lion King", at the Royal Alexandra, "The Cryptogram", at the Tarragon Theater, "Hay Fever" at the Canadian Stage, & "The Last Comedy" at the Banff Centre. Ted graduated with honors, receiving a Bachelor's Degree in English & Drama from the University of Toronto. He also completed a 3 year Masters program at the Banff Centre. Gene Lockhart Gene Lockhart was born on July 18, 1891, in London, Ontario, Canada, the son of John Coates Lockhart and Ellen Mary (Delany) Lockhart. His father had studied singing and young Gene displayed an early interest in drama and music. Shortly after the 7-year-old danced a Highland fling in a concert given by the 48th Highlanders' Regimental Band, his father joined the band as a Scottish tenor. The Lockhart family accompanied the band to England. While his father toured, Gene studied at the Brompton Oratory School in London. When they returned to Canada, Gene began singing in concert, often on the same program with Beatrice Lillie . His mother encouraged his career, urging him to try for a part on Broadway. Lockhart went to America. At 25, he got a part in a New York play in September, 1917, as Gustave in Klaw and Erlanger's musical "The Riviera Girl." Between acting engagements, he wrote for the stage. His first production was "The Pierrot Players" for which he wrote both book and lyrics and played. It toured Canada in 1919 and introduced "The World Is Waiting for the Sunrise" (words by Lockhart, music by Ernest Seitz ), which became a very popular ballad.. "Heigh-Ho" (1920) followed, a musical fantasy with score by Deems Taylor and book and lyrics by Lockhart. It had a short run (again, with him in the cast). Lockhart's first real break as a dramatic actor came in the supporting role of Bud, a mountaineer moonshiner, in Lula Vollmer 's Sun Up . This was an American folk play, first presented by The Players, a theatrical club, in a Greenwich Village little theater in 1923. After great notices it moved to a larger house for a two-year run. During this engagement, in 1924 at the age of 33, Lockhart married Kathleen Lockhart (aka Kathleen Arthur), an English actress and musician. Gene meanwhile also appeared in a series of performances presented by The Players in New York theaters: as Gregoire in "The Little Father of the Wilderness"; as Waitwell in "The Way of the World," as Gumption Cute in "Uncle Tom's Cabin", and as Faust in "Mephisto." The Lockharts' daughter, June Lockhart , was born in 1925. She would eventually appear regularly in the television series Lassie and Lost in Space . In 1933, Gene and Kathleen were featured in "Sunday Night at Nine," a radio program presented at New York's Barbizon-Plaza Hotel. Meanwhile, Lockhart was keeping busy writing articles for theatrical magazines and a weekly column for a Canadian publication, coaching members of New York's Junior League in dramatics, lecturing on dramatic technique at the Julliard School of Music, and directing a revival of "The Warrior's Husband"--a formidable schedule. It amused him as he said that, "in spite of [the amount of work in a typical day] I don't get thin." Lockhart had by this time taken on the appearance that audiences would see again and again in films--short and plump with a chubby, jowly face and twinkling blue eyes. In 1933, he played Uncle Sid in the Theatre Guild's production of Eugene O'Neill 's comedy "Ah, Wilderness!" co-starring George M. Cohan . This was the role that was to bring Lockhart stardom and lead to a contract with RKO Pictures and his first film, By Your Leave . O'Neill wrote to Lockhart: "Every time your Sid has come in for dinner I've wanted to burst into song, and every time you've come down from that nap I've felt the cold gray ghost of an old heebie-jeebie." The acclaim for his acting in "Ah, Wilderness!" allowed Lockhart to proceed to Hollywood and remain there almost without interruption. However, he was back on Broadway in December, 1949, when he took over the part of Willy Loman in the New York production of "Death of a Salesman." Lockhart appeared in over 125 films. Though he often played upright doctors, judges and businessmen, and was in real life described as an amiable and gentle soul, Lockhart is perhaps best remembered on film as a villain who usually ends up cowering in a corner whimpering pitifully before getting his just desserts, a scene he played to the hilt in such movies as Algiers (for which he was nominated for an Oscar), Blackmail , Geronimo , Northern Pursuit , and Hangmen Also Die! . Late on Saturday, March 30, 1957, Lockhart suffered a heart attack while sleeping in his apartment at 10439 Ashton Avenue in West Los Angeles. He was taken to St. John's Hospital and died on Sunday afternoon, March 31. He is buried in Holy Cross Cemetery. Lane Compton Lane Lorzing Compton was born in Boulder, CO on May 24, 1985. Lane's artistic vision and precocity for creation began with the influence of his two parents who held careers as architects. Acting was not the initial avenue Lane took to becoming a performer. His early passions were split between the football field and the swimming pool while participating in various bands and choirs. At the age of 17, soon after graduating high school, Lane traveled extensively as a roadie all across the United States with his friends' rock and roll band. After spending a year on the road he began paying attention to that noise knocking at the door, the noise that had been there for quite some time-a call to begin his acting career. On the heels of an emotional goodbye and a friendly nudge from his partners in musical crime, Lane left for New York City to begin his career as an actor on the stage and screen. After studying with various teachers in Manhattan and attending the New York Film Academy, Lane left for Vancouver, BC. He extended his exploration of acting while also gaining knowledge of the craft of filmmaking while studying at The Vancouver Film School, where he spent two years. Lane has since relocated to Los Angeles, California, where he is a Lifetime Member of The Actors Studio and studies with acclaimed acting coach Salome Jens. He continues seeking new ways to perform and create through the craft of acting. He has played the role of Happy in Arthur Miller's Death of a Salesman, alongside dramatic heavyweights Mark Rydell and Lisa Blake Richards. Other theatre credits include the world premiere of Tragedy of The Commons written by Stephen Metcalfe, acting alongside notable actor Brian Kerwin. He was also cast in an award-winning production of another Arthur Miller play, A Memory of Two Mondays. He then lent his hand as not only actor, but also producer of William Saroyan's elegiac one-act entitled Hello Out There, Lane got his break in prime time television thanks to being cast by Michael Testa and Dan Shaner in Cold Case. Other noteworthy credits include leading roles in the independent films, Demonic Toys: Personal Demons (2010), and Text (2008). One of Lane's favorite quotes (which has inevitably inspired him to continue his search and desire to act) is from none other than the late James Dean: "It was an accident, although, I've been involved in some kind of theatrical function since I was a child. To me, acting is the most logical way for people's neuroses to manifest themselves, in this great need we all have to express ourselves. To my way of thinking, an actor's course is set even before he's out of the cradle." And with that, enjoy the show. Frank Converse A brawny, firm-jawed, sandy-haired player of 60s and 70s primetime TV, Frank Converse seemed to be one of those handsome tough-guy action figures that could go by the wayside after the demise of their famous series. Instead, this stage-trained actor persevered as a well-respected, all-purpose character actor in a career that has now passed its fourth decade. Born on May 2, 1938 in St. Louis, Missouri, Frank received his early education at the Phillips Andover Academy in Andover, Massachusetts, and earned his BFA degree in drama in 1962 at the Carnegie Institute of Technology in Pittsburgh. In the 1960s he built up his Shakespearean resume with roles in "King Lear", "Caesar and Cleopatra", "Hamlet", "The Comedy of Errors", "Richard III", "Henry V" and "Much Ado About Nothing" before making his 1966 Broadway debut in "First One Asleep, Whistle", which closed that same day. By this time he had set his sights on film but it was strong-armed TV drama that made him a name. 1967 was a banner year for Frank. Not only did he appear to good advantage in the films Hour of the Gun as Virgil Earp, and the Southern-baked melodrama Hurry Sundown , he earned surprise stardom in his first TV vehicle Coronet Blue . Probably best remembered for this short-lived series (filmed in 1965, but televised as a summer replacement series from May to September 1967), Converse played the very mysterious Michael Alden, who was roughed up and dumped unceremoniously into the New York harbor by would-be assassins. Left for dead and having lost his memory, the only key to his past are the code words "Coronet Blue". Although audiences never found out just what those words meant (the show ended abruptly and without a proper conclusion), they at least now knew the name Frank Converse. From there the actor ventured on (still in a New York City setting) with the police drama N.Y.P.D. . He fared better this time around alongside co-stars Jack Warden and Robert Hooks as three plainclothes detectives tracking down the city's most virulent. This show lasted until 1969. His third and last major series co-starred burly trucker Claude Akins in the big-rig action-adventure Movin' On . In all three series, Converse owned a quiet, reserved, somewhat detached quality that invited "mystery man" appeal. During this stage of his popularity he starred or co-starred in a number of mini-movies including Dr. Cook's Garden with Bing Crosby and Blythe Danner , A Tattered Web , The Widowing of Mrs. Holroyd , Killer on Board , Cruise Into Terror and, most notably, Sergeant Matlovich vs. the U.S. Air Force . He also guested on such popular 70s shows as "The Mod Squad", "Medical Center", "Police Story", "Rhoda" "The Love Boat", "Baa Baa Black Sheep" and "The Bionic Woman". Despite his hectic TV schedule, he continued to return to his theater roots appearing in the original cast of John Guare s bizarre black comedy "The House of Blue Leaves" (1971) and earning challenging parts in "The Seagull" in 1973 and "Hobson's Choice" in 1977. Having achieved semi-hunk status as a result of his trio of series work, Frank could have easily drifted away by decade's end. Instead he continued to impressed on the stage. In the 1980s he made a strong return to Broadway opposite Blythe Danner in "The Philadelphia Story" (1980) and later appeared as Mitch opposite Danner's Blanche DuBois in "A Streetcar Named Desire" (1988). Other 80s Broadway shows included "Brothers (1983) and "Design for Living" (1984), the latter in which he replaced actor Frank Langella . Other productions around the country included that of "The Crucible", "Death of a Salesman", "A Man for All Seasons", "Misalliance", "The Shadow Box", "Two for the Seesaw" and even the musical "South Pacific". On the TV/film front, Frank showed up in stalwart character form on a number of daytime soaps during the 1980s ("One Life to Live") and the 1990s ("As the World Turns", "All My Children"). A return to series TV with The Family Tree and Dolphin Cove were again very short-lived. More recently he showed up on stage as Doc Gibb in "Our Town", which starred Paul Newman and was later televised, and has been a guest star on such shows as "Law & Order". He has been married to his third wife, Tony-nominated stage actress Maureen Anderman , since 1982. They have two children along with his two children from a previous marriage. Ari Cohen Originally from Winnipeg, Manitoba, Ari Cohen made his big screen debut in Guy Maddin's cult hit, Archangel and has worked steadily since in film, television and live theatre. Recent films include Ricky Gervais' Special Correnspondents and David Cronenberg's Maps to the Stars. He is currently a series regular on Shoot The Messenger which will begin airing in the summer of 2016 on CBC and ITV and in Gangland Undercover for A&E. His more than fifty television appearances include recurring roles on The L Word and Smallville, and guest appearances on Quantico, Heroes Reborn, Shadowhunters, Girlfriends Guide To Divorce, Suits, and numerous others. A highly-regarded stage actor, he has, appeared in True West, Speed The Plow, Awake and Sing and as Biff Loman in Death of a Salesman, for which he was nominated for a Dora (Toronto theatre) award for The Soulpepper theatre company. Other nominations include a Dora for the world premiere of Sunday Father at Canadian Stage Company, a Jessie (Vancouver theatre) award nomination for The Rainmaker and a Gemini award nomination for The Tournament. James A. Watson Jr. James A. Watson, Jr. Biography as of Nov. 9, 2014. Mr. Watson has enjoyed a working career through four decades in San Francisco, New York and Hollywood. Having trained at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Arts (Visiting the U.S.) James has performed with major theater companies such as "The American Conservatory Theater" in San Francisco, and "The Mark Taper Forum" in Los Angeles. Mr. Watson has directed and Produced with his own theater company, appeared in 12 feature films, guest starred and appeared in over 90 television shows, commercials, T.V. films and mini-series. "In the 1970's through the 1980's Mr. Watson established himself as an "A list" actor in demand by the networks, when few roles existed for minority actors. Throughout his experience, Mr. Watson has been nominated for an NAACP Image Award, received a variety of honors and fortunate to co-star with the celebrated talents of Edward G. Robinson, Leslie Caron, Michael Crichton, Mary Tyler Moore, Jamie Foxx, Tom Selleck, Candice Bergen, Red Fox, Rob Reiner, James Coburn, Jeff Bridges and Sidney Poitier. Mr. Waston is still pleasing his fans. Most recent stage work (2014) was in "Blue Print To Freedom: An ode To Byard Rustin" directed by Phylicia Rashad at the La Jolla Playhouse, Death of A Salesman at South Coast Repertory Theater an and August Wilson's "Jitney" performed at The South Coast repertory Theater and The Pasadena Playhouse to superlative reviews and recognition by critic Charles McNulty as one of the ten best plays in America in 2012 and the winner of two Los Angeles Drama Circle Awards. Coming to television 2015 is "The Whitney and Bobby Story, The Whitney Houston Story" (playing her father John Houston) directed by Angela Bassett. As a writer, Mr. Watson has worked with or developed projects for Dick Berg, Viacom, Productions, Arsenial Hall Productions, Exec. Producer Charles Johnson (Magnun P.I., Jag, N.C.I.S.) and others. Mr. Watson's production company, Vision Entertainment enjoys a collaboration with Emmy winning Executive Producer Renee Valente. Together they are currently developing feature films, stage and television projects. Robert F. Simon A prolific character actor of tall, imposing presence, Robert F. Simon drifted into acting via the Cleveland Playhouse, hoping that this would cure his natural propensity for shyness. After training at the Actor's Studio in New York, he had a ten year run on Broadway (1942-52), in which he cut his teeth, both as actor and as stage manager, on anything from drama to musical comedy. In a roundabout way, he was even able to fulfill his original career goal of becoming a traveling salesman -- as understudy to the great Lee J. Cobb in the role of Willy Loman, in Arthur Miller 's "Death of a Salesman". Robert started in films in 1950, but over the years was often typecast in stereotypical roles of benevolent authoritarianism or grouchy executive stress, at times drawing unkind reviews from the critics. He was considerably better served by the small screen, where, for some 35 years, he became a familiar face as generals, police captains, doctors, journalists and attorneys. He is, perhaps, most fondly remembered as George Armstrong Custer's disapproving superior, General Alfred Terry, in Custer ; as the sympathetic, long-suffering father of Darren Stephens in Bewitched ; and as Maynard M. Mitchell, one of the wackiest of generals ever to have served in the Korean War (or any other war, for that matter), in MAS*H . Janet Suzman This alert and classy Britisher seemed poised for Hollywood stardom in the early 1970s. Although it wasn't meant to be, Janet Suzman has remained one of the more respected classical stage actresses of her time. Born in 1939, she was raised in a staunch, liberal family household in South Africa at a time when the country was confronted with the horrors of apartheid. Janet studied languages at the multi-racial Witwatersrand University in the late 1950s and was an active member of the drama society. She left South Africa during the height of her country's oppression and moved to England in 1959. Making her professional stage debut with "Billy Liar" in 1962, she almost immediately joined the Royal Shakespeare Company and received rave notices for her Joan of Arc in "The War of the Roses." She made her official London debut in a production of "A Comedy of Errors" in 1963. In the ensuing years Janet built up an impressive classical resumé portraying most of Shakespeare's illustrious heroines including Rosalind, Portia, Ophelia, Beatrice and the shrewish Kate. She also appeared in several BBC-TV versions of the classics. In 1969 Janet married director Trevor Nunn and together they collaborated on some of England's finest stage productions during the early 1970s, notably "Antony and Cleopatra" (1972), "Titus Andronicus" (1972) and "Hello and Goodbye" (1973), which won Janet the Evening Standard award. She won a second for her role of Masha in the 1976 production of Chekhov's "The Three Sisters." They had a son, Joshua, before they divorced in the 1980s. Later work included notable roles in "She Stoops to Conquer," "The Good Woman of Setzuan" and her "Hedda Gabler." Steve Le Marquand Steve was born in Perth in 1967. His family soon moved to Sydney where he completed his schooling. After two years working his way around Australia on a motorbike he studied acting at Penrith (Theatre Nepean) in Sydney's outer west. His first job was a TV commercial for Arnott's Ruffles which was banned a day after its release for sacrilege. Since then Steve has had guest and lead roles on most of the Aussie serials and has featured in several movies both here and internationally (see IMDb listings). On stage Steve has been seen in Death Of A Salesman, Summer Of The Seventeenth Doll, Paul, The Spook, Buried Child and Waiting For Godot for Company B Belvoir, plus shows for the Sydney Theatre Company (The War Of The Roses, The Serpent's Teeth, Gallipoli, Tales From the Vienna Woods {all for STC Actors' Company}, Holy Day and Don's Party) and for Griffin (The Return {by Reg Cribb - the stage version of Last Train To Freo}and Songket). Steve was a member of the elite STC's Actors' Company from 2007-09. Le Marquand co-wrote, directed, produced and starred in the hugely successful theatre show He Died With A Felafel In His Hand (based on the book by John Birmingham - not to be confused with the film of the same name) which has been playing pretty much continuously somewhere in the world since its premiere at the Bridge Hotel in Rozelle in 1995 - cities include Sydney, Brisbane, Perth, Melbourne, New York, Toronto, Edinburgh and Wagga Wagga. Steve lives on the Central Coast of NSW with his partner, Pippa Grandison and their daughter Charlie. Steve takes his cricket and rugby league quite seriously (he barracks for the Penrith Panthers). Jonathan Hardy Bushy-browed, New Zealand-born actor and writer Jonathan Hardy became most familiar to television audiences as the commanding voice of the Jim Henson Creature Shop muppet, Dominar Rygel XVI, the pint-sized , egocentric ruler-in-exile of a galactic empire, in TV's cult series Farscape . His distinctive diction proved ideally suited to lending both humour and personality to the cantankerous, idiosyncratic 26-inch Hynerian. Jonathan was educated at St. Patrick's College and Victoria University in Wellington, and trained for acting at the New Zealand Player's Drama School. In later years, he became a force in his country's theatrical scene as artistic director of the Auckland Mercury Theatre, from 1980 to 1985. Prior to that, he had studied at the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art on a scholarship, and subsequently spent ten years gaining valuable experience on British stages -- with the National Theatre, the Bristol Old Vic and with the Royal Shakespeare Company in Stratford-upon Avon. Back in the antipodes, he was especially acclaimed for his performance as Willy Loman in an Auckland Theatre Company production of "Death of a Salesman". With the same organisation, he had another winning role in "Twelve Angry Men". After moving to Australia in 1972, Jonathan was notably featured in the films The Mango Tree and Mad Max , and had guest spots on popular television shows like Prisoner and The Flying Doctors . He also made occasional forays into screenwriting. His first, for the controversial Boer war drama Breaker Morant , won him an Oscar nomination (along with Bruce Beresford and David Stevens ), and an Australian Film Institute Award. In the cast of the two-act play "Breaker Morant", debuting at the Athenaeum Theatre in Melbourne (February 1978), he played the key role of Major James Francis Thomas, who defended Morant at the infamous court martial. Jonathan was known in his profession for his work ethic and boundless energy. In fact, he soldiered on for many years after 1988, despite having undergone the trauma of heart transplant surgery. He also had a reputation for a wonderfully wicked sense of humour ...after all, he once described Rygel's most endearing traits on "Farscape" to be "biting people and farting helium"! Frank Maxwell A ubiquitous presence during television's golden age, New York native Frank Maxwell stood out as a solid purveyor of quiet authority. Upon graduating from the University of Michigan, a prospective legal career had been on the cards. But those plans came to naught in the wake of a successful theatrical debut in "Macbeth" at the Ann Arbor Dramatic Festival. Wartime service as a navigator and bombardier with the 20th Air Force then put further ambitions temporarily on hold. After the war, Frank found himself blacklisted during the communist witch hunts of the McCarthy era and was forced to make ends meet by acting in summer stock and on radio. By the end of the 40's he had moved back to New York. In the course of the next few years -- now matured into a seasoned and versatile character player -- he began to make a name for himself with small roles in high-profile Broadway plays like "Death of a Salesman" and "Stalag 17". From 1951, he was also regularly featured on television, usually as gruff but benevolent army officers or police detectives. After appearing in a 1958 Los Angeles stage production of "Lonelyhearts", he was afforded the chance to reprise his role as the disabled husband of Maureen Stapleton in the 1959 film version. Raspy-voiced, of stocky built and and with that distinctive white streak of hair, Frank became one of the most recognisable (not to mention prolific) character actors of the 60's and 70's. Aside from guesting on almost every seminal television series of the era (among them Perry Mason , Peter Gunn , The Twilight Zone , Rawhide , Alfred Hitchcock Presents and The Fugitive , he had recurring roles in The Felony Squad (as an L.A. police captain) and on the long-running daytime soap General Hospital (as administrator Dan Rooney). He was also a member of Roger Corman 's stock company of players, prominently cast as the kindly Dr. Marinus Willet in the enjoyably campy The Haunted Palace and as a preacher in The Wild Angels . For the better part, he remained typecast as tough, no-nonsense authority figures (as exemplified by his Detective Lieutenant McAllen in Mr. Majestyk ). Behind the scenes, Frank Maxwell was a tireless campaigner and negotiator on behalf of Actor's Equity (as Vice President) and as National President of AFTRA (American Federation of Television and Radio Artists) from 1984 to 1989. His daughter, Chris Ann Maxwell , is Vice President of Legal Affairs at 20th Century Fox. Francisco Rabal Francisco Rabal -- Paco to everyone -- was born in the mining camp where his father worked. His mother owned a small mill. At the age of six, with the Civil War breaking out, the family emigrated to Madrid and he started working as a street salesman and later in a chocolate factory, which later led to him working as an electrician in the Chamartín Film Studios. It was here he started in his first films in crowd scenes and so on. However, following advice from people like Dámaso Alonso, he found his way into the theatre and in 1950 started working with José Tamayo where he met Asunción Balaguer, who was to become his wife and inseparable companion for the rest of his life. One of the plays he starred in was a Spanish version of Arthur Miller's "Death of a Salesman." The big breakthrough came when he met Luis Buñuel , one of the greatest of Spanish film directors. They became great friends, in part due to their similar philosophies on life. Nazarín and Viridiana remain as hallmarks of that early period. However, with maturity and the passing of the Franco Régime, Rabal's best work was yet to come, and indeed culminated with his exceptional rôle in _Santos Inocentes, Los (1984)_, one of the best three or four Spanish films of all time. In 1987 he made a wonderful TV series called Juncal which was probably the character which mostly resembled the real-life Paco Rabal: a veritable "truhan" -- a roguish rascal. However, he has played the character of the Aragonese painter Francisco Goya in three different films, a personage who he became heavily identified with. It is in this period that he received his highest awards in Spain, Cannes, Montreal, etc. He is the only Spanish actor to have been given a Doctor Honoris Causa by the University of his native Murcia. Returning from the XXV Montreal Festival where he was homaged for a lifetime's work, he died over the English Channel aboard the aeroplane bringing him from London to Madrid and, despite the emergency landing in Bordeaux, nothing could be done for him. The pressure inside the plane aggravated his chronic bronchitis and started a fit of coughing which he was not able to overcome. He has published a few books which he called "some little things of mine," but most notably his collection of verses and "coplas" in 1994 and a little later collaborated with Agustín Cerezales on his biography "Si yo te contara" (If I told you all about it). His daughter, Teresa Rabal, is a successful actress, singer and TV presenter, while his son, Benito, also works as film director. Mildred Dunnock Petite American character actress who was celebrated for her definitive portrayal of long-suffering Linda Loman in Arthur Miller 's "Death of a Salesman", a part she played opposite Lee J. Cobb at the Morosco Theatre for 742 consecutive performances between 1949 and 1950. Mildred recreated her role for the screen the following year and was nominated for an Academy Award as Best Supporting Actress, critic Bosley Crowther describing her performance as 'simply superb'. Ironically, Dunnock had not been the first choice for the part for either Miller, or the director, Elia Kazan . Mildred Dunnock first came to the realisation that she had the potential to perform in public when called upon to read in front of her assembled classmates at Western High School. She quickly discovered that, above all, she had 'a voice'. Her initial training was served at Agora, the dramatic society of Baltimore's Goucher College. After graduation she continued her studies at Columbia, completing a master's degree in theatre arts. She first appeared in college productions at John Hopkins University, her debut being a part in "Penelope" by W. Somerset Maugham in 1924. She had to wait another eight years before making her debut on Broadway in "Life Begins", at the same time earning a crust teaching at a private girl's school. The 1930's were a period of struggle and hardship for the actress and not until the following decade did she gain recognition for her performances in "King Richard II", "Foolish Notion" and "The Corn is Green". One of her biggest hits was as Lavinia Hubbard in Lillian Hellman 's "Another Part of the Forest" (1946-47). Going from strength to strength, Mildred followed her triumph in 'Salesman' with a tour-de-force performance in the Tennessee Williams play "Cat on a Hot Tin Roof" (1955-56), originating the role of 'Big Mama'. Mildred absented herself from the theatre for several years to act in films. Near the beginning of her motion picture career, she was the frail old lady in a wheelchair (in real life she was in her forties) pushed down a flight of stairs by psychopathic killer Tommy Udo ( Richard Widmark , in his screen debut) in Kiss of Death . With her finely etched features and sad, all-knowing eyes, Mildred excelled in equal measure at playing eccentric spinster aunts, understanding wives and mothers, her slight frame belying a powerful, intense presence. In Elia Kazan's Baby Doll , she enacted the relatively small part of simple-minded, perpetually timorous Aunt Rose Comfort with such conviction, that she garnered her second Academy Award nomination (losing to Dorothy Malone for Written on the Wind ). She then appeared as a compassionate teacher (her first real-life profession) in Peyton Place , as the exemplary Sister Margharita in The Nun's Story , and, against type, as Gig Young 's glacial and avaricious mother in The Story on Page One . In this, Mildred demonstrated her versatility in a chilling portrayal of motherly domination and ostensible virtue turned to vice. Dunnock's film roles in the 1960's included two films with Geraldine Page : Sweet Bird of Youth , as another gentle-mannered aunt, and What Ever Happened to Aunt Alice? , as Page's housekeeper and eventual murder victim. As film roles diminished, she appeared on television and returned to stage work, particularly at the Long Wharf Theater in New Haven, acting in plays by Tennessee Williams and Eugene O'Neill . In 1971, she received the Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Performance for her starring role in "A Place Without Doors" by Marguerite Duras . The much-respected actress spent her final years in relative seclusion at Martha's Vineyard, Massachusetts, and died there of age-related problems in July 1991. A teaching theatre at Goucher College is named in her honour.	i don't know
What is the name of the ‘cake’ which is flat, round, made of licorice and named after a Yorkshire town?	Ten tasty treats named after the towns they come from Ten tasty treats named after the towns they come from Updated on 12 November 2013 \| 0 Comments Share the love Are you lucky enough to live in a town which has its very own cake, pie, cheese, fish, or even soup named after it? We take a look at ten delicacies named after the place they originate from. Arbroath Smokies A type of smoked haddock which was invented, as the legend goes, in the small Scottish fishing village of Auchmithie, three miles northeast of Arboath. Apparently a shop caught fire there one night, ‘cooking’ barrels of haddock preserved in salt as it spread … next morning, the locals discovered that the ‘ruined’ haddock was in fact very tasty. It’s a nice story, but it’s far likelier that the villagers were descended from Scandinavians, where fish is smoked in a very similar way. Smokies are still exclusively produced in the region today, and Iain R. Spink is leading the way – he’s often extolled the virtues of Smokies on TV shows such as Jamie’s Great Britain and Rick Stein’s Food Heroes, and his Smokies were named one of the top 50 foods in the UK last year. You can order Arbroath Smokies from Iain online . Banbury Cake Not to be confused with an Eccles Cake, which came decades after, a Banbury Cake is a currant-filled spiced flat pastry cake more oval in shape than round. They used to be made and sold exclusively in Banbury, Oxfordshire, and the recipe dates back to the mid-sixteenth century at least. Apparently it was Edward Welchman who made the first batch at his shops on Parsons Street, but the recipe has been adapted a fair bit since then and can now include everything from rum to rose water, nutmeg and mixed peel. Caerphilly Cheese Caerphilly is a crumbly, white, cow’s milk cheese originating from the Welsh town of the same name. Apparently, the cheese was not invented in Caerphilly; only sold at a market there for the first time. It’s pretty salty and was developed over time to be so, in order to stock the coal miners of the area up with the salt they lost over the course of a hard day’s work. Original Caerphilly is dry in the middle and creamy around the edges – but its production was halted during World War II, as all the nation’s milk was sent to the Cheddar factories to help with the war effort. After the war, the same cheddar factories started making their own Caerphilly, creating a dry and crumbly texture. The latter is mostly how it’s known today. Cullen Skink A thick, creamy and fragrant Scottish soup made from smoked haddock, potatoes and onions (main picture). To be truly authentic, Cullen Skink must be made with Finnan haddie (cold smoked haddock), and be served alongside Scottish oatcakes. Usually, it would be the starter at a formal Scottish dinner. The soup originates from the town of Cullen in Moray, on the north east coast of Scotland, and is fairly similar in taste and texture to American chowder, although it is smokier. ‘Skink’ is a Scots word for a shin, knuckle or hough of beef, all of which were used to make soup – hence the word ‘skink’ eventually ended up meaning ‘soup’. It’s still often served in restaurants throughout Scotland, and it’s the perfect soup for chilly winter nights. Bath Oliver biscuit You’ve very likely had one of these with cheese before. A Bath Oliver is a hard, savoury biscuit made from flour, butter, yeast and milk and it was invented by physician William Oliver of Bath, Somerset around 1750. Apparently Mr Oliver bequeathed his coachman, Mr Atkins, the recipe upon his deathbed, together with £100 and ten sacks of wheat flour to get started – it made Atkins a very rich man. The Bath Oliver business was passed from company to company, and the biscuits are now made by James Fortt – you can buy them in Waitrose . Apparently they go well with wine as well as cheese. Chorley Cake Is it a Banbury Cake, is it an Eccles Cake? No, it’s a Chorley Cake! Again, these sweet treats are puck-shaped and fruit-filled, but this time they originate from Chorley in Lancashire. Chorley Cakes (or ‘Fly Pie’, as the locals call it) aren’t as sweet as Eccles Cakes and they are commonly eaten with butter on top, and a slice of Lancashire cheese on the side. The pastry is shortcrust, and the only fruit in there is currants. The cake is still celebrated today , and every October the town hosts a ‘Chorley Cake Street Fair’ to promote the Chorley Cake, with a competition for local bakers to produce the largest one. Kendal Mint Cake An absolute must for climbers, hikers and mountaineers, Kendal Mint Cake originates from Kendal in Cumbria and is mainly consumed because of its high energy content. Three Kendal-based companies still produce Kendal Mint Cake, including Quiggin’s –the oldest surviving mint cake company - , which was set up in 1880. All three companies (Quiggin’s, Wilson’s and Romney’s) base their mint cake on the traditional recipe – sugar, glucose, water and peppermint oil. Although the exact recipe and way of manufacturing Mint Cake is a secret, we know that the basic process involves boiling the four ingredients together; continuously stirring it; then pouring it into moulds and allowing it to set. Mint Cake can be made with either white or brown sugar, and some bars come slathered in chocolate. Liverpool Tart A very pretty tart, warm in colour and sweet in taste, with a sharp lemony kick. Fresh lemons are the key ingredient (as used by generations of Liverpudlian sailors to keep scurvey at bay) and each tart always comes topped with some kind of pastry cut-out – a heart, perhaps, or a liver bird. The recipe dates back to the late 1890s and the distinctive taste comes from the mixture of ‘moist sugar’ (which could have referred to dark muscovado sugar) and a minced boiled lemon. It wasn’t until this millennium that the tart became popular – by 2008 it was being produced as a regular line by two bakeries in Merseyside, including Satterthwaites in Crosby. Manchester Tart A Manchester Tart looks a bit like a cross between a Bakewell Tart and a Lamington . It sports a shortcrust pastry shell and comes filled with jam and custard, with coconut shavings and a maraschino cherry to decorate. It was often on the dinner menu at schools in Manchester until the mid-1980s, and is apparently a variation on an earlier recipe, the Manchester Pudding, writen by Victorian cookery writer Mrs Beeton. The tarts are still made in Manchester, and the award-winning Manchester Tart Company (set up by mother-and-daughter team Ann and Claire) still uses the Beeton recipe as its basis. Pontefract Cakes Not ‘cakes’ at all, these sweet treats are in fact circular black sweets made of liquorice. They were first called ‘Pomfret’ cakes after the old Norman word for the Yorkshire town of Pontefract, and used to come embossed by hand with a stamp of Pontefract Castle – the workers who did that were called ‘cakers’. Be careful how many you eat, though – in 2004 a Yorkshire woman was admitted to hospital with muscle failure after eating too many of them. The basic recipe for original Pontefract Cakes involves cleaning, grinding and boiling liquorice roots; adding sugar and a thickening agent; drying and cooling for a week; squashing the blocks into long strands; and then punching out small rounds topped with the traditional Pontefract Cake stamp. There are, of course, plenty more examples we could cite – we’ve already written about the wonder that is Bakewell Pudding , and we’re big fans of Melton Mowbray Pork Pies , too. Do you know of any other local delicacies worthy of mention? Talk to us in the comments box below. Smokies image courtesy of Anne Burgess ; Banbury Cake image from Redrose64 ; Cullen Skink image from Metukkalihis ; Bath Olivier biscuit image from Richard Wheeler ; Chorley Cake image from Dr Greg ; Kendal Mint Cake image from Geni ; Manchester Tart image from Jamesjones79 . You might also like	Pontefract cake
Who directed the 1997 film ‘Jackie Brown’?	Liquorice fields to return to the UK after a 100-year absence \| Daily Mail Online Liquorice fields to return to the UK after a 100-year absence comments Liquorice is to be produced commercially in Britain again for the first time in more than 100 years. Planting is to start this week in Pontefract, the West Yorkshire town that was once the liquorice centre of the UK. Farmer Robert Copley, 42, hopes to bring back the kind of liquorice sticks once commonly found in sweetshops. Robert Copley believes he will be able to cut hundreds of six-inch chewing sticks from each plant He believes he will be able to cut hundreds of six-inch chewing sticks from each plant, sell them for £1 each and establish a profitable new sideline at his 120-acre Ravensknowle Farm. He said: 'It is possible to get three to four tons of liquorice from one acre and as the plants grow in all seasons, we will have liquorice all year.' Mr Copley has bought his liquorice from a nursery in Wakefield which supplies them as decorative plants to gardeners. But his plan is to establish the only commercial liquorice farm in the country. RELATED ARTICLES Share this article Share Liquorice was once so important to the town, the sprawling fields inspired Sir John Betjeman to write a love poem, The Licorice Fields of Pontefract. In 1885, there were ten companies in the UK producing the sticks but growers could not meet demand. Imports flooded in and farmers gave up the crop. Today, there are just two factories, Tangerine Confectionery and Haribo. Both use liquorice mainly grown in Turkey, Italy and Spain. The plant is described as looking like a privet, which is ornamental and similar to a wisteria but thicker The root was first brought to the town in 1090 by Crusaders returning from their Middle East campaigns and was later grown in the 14th century by Spanish monks who settled at Pontefract Priory and other parts of northern England where the root was even nicknamed 'Spanish'. Its main purpose then a medicine to ease coughs and stomach complaints and by 1614 liquorice extract was being formed into small lozenges. But it was not until 1750 that a local apothecary, George Dunhill, decided to add sugar to the recipe and liquorice became a sweet, known as the Pomfret or Pontefract Cake. Mr Copley’s 12-inch bushes is expected to grow seven feet tall and three foot wide in two years when the first crop will be ready. He is thrilled to revive a crop that has been so important to the town’s history. He added: 'Liquorice grows well round here because we have the right soil which is sandy and easy-draining. The plant looks like a privet. It is quite ornamental and similar to a wisteria but thicker. 'In warm countries the plant produces purple or pale blue flowers but it’s too cold here for the liquorice to flower. But that’s a good thing because it will make my liquorice roots even sweeter.' He hopes the liquorice will provide another attraction to entice visitors to the farm. He said: 'We are always looking at new ways to create an interesting experience on the farm. No-one else is growing liquorice commercially any more so I thought this was a good idea. 'We have a lot of children visiting the farm and we might decide to experiment with some sweet liquorice recipes. But my idea is sell the liquorice in six-inch twigs as a mouth-freshener or chewing stick. 'People chew and suck on the wood, it goes mushy and then you spit out the mush. I might also dry some out and grind it to a fine powder to flavour ice cream, beer, pork pies and sausages.'	i don't know
In the game of Scrabble, the ‘C’ tile is worth how many points?	Keeping Score in Scrabble - Letter Tiles and Point Values How to Keep Score in Scrabble Keeping Score in Scrabble Knowing how to keep score in Scrabble is simple, but it’s also important. Each letter in Scrabble has its own value, while certain points on a Scrabble board are worth more points than others. Finally, there are a few special circumstances where Scrabble scoring differs than in other points of the game. Scrabble Letter Tiles – Point Values Below is a table showing the point values of each tile in Scrabble. I’ll include a table to show how many of each letter exists in a standard Scrabble game, as well. When you play one of these letter tiles on the Scrabble board, you get the point value indicated on the letter tile. Scrabble Point Distribution A – E – I – O – - U – L – N – R – S – T = 1 point D – G = 2 points B – C – M – P = 3 points F – H – W – Y – V = 4 points K = 5 points J – X = 8 points Q – Z = 10 points The following table shows how many of each letters there are in a standard game of Scrabble. In all, there are 100 tiles to play in any given Scrabble game. Scrabble Letter Distribution 1: J – K – X – Q – Z 2: B – C – F – H – M – P – W – Y – V – Blank Tiles 3: G 4: D – L – S – U 6: N – R – T 10: E Double and Triple Scores When any of the letters of a word you place on the board covers a double or triple score, apply that modifier to your word score. If it’s a double or triple letter score, only modify the score for the letter on that tile. If it’s a double or triple word score, add up the score for all the tiles and then multiply the amount by the modifier. If you happen to cross two or more modifiers with your word, apply all of them. If you cross a triple letter score and a double word score, then multiple the triple score letter by x3 and then multiple the whole word score by x2. If you happen to cross two word multipliers, then remember to multiple the word score by both values. In this way, scores can reach large numbers. There is a limiting factor to the scores made by these tiles, though. That’s because, once used, these tiles can’t be reused for the purposes of multipliers. Reusing Double and Triple Scores After a double-word or triple-word score has been used and figured, that space will not be worth a double- or triple-word score again in the game. The same goes for double-letter and triple-letter scores. For example, imagine that a letter tile saying double-word score, like the one you play off of at the beginning of the game, is “activated” at the beginning of the game. Whoever plays off that tile first gets a double-word score. But the next player who builds a word off that same letter does not get a double-word score. This rule is there for several purposes, but it keeps people from simply beating opponents by playing an -s or -ed or -ing at the end of words on the board. You can still do so, but you won’t score as many points (or more) if the original word played involved double- or triple-word scoring. 50 Point Bonus If at any time, you use all 7 tiles in your rack one on play, you get an automatic 50 point bonus. This does not apply in the endgame scenario when you have less than 7 letters on your rack, of course. Final Scores in Scrabble Who “goes out” also has a big affect on the score. Eventually, the letter tiles will run out. When this happens, you will have a dwindling number of letter tiles on your rack. When this happens, the first person to get rid of all the letters on their rack on their turn “goes out”. The scoring is not yet finished, though. Every player with letters should add up the point values of those letters. These players should subtract that letter amount from their score. Once this is done, the point value for all those letters should also be added up collectively and added to the score of the person who “went out” or got rid of all their letter tiles first. In this way, the winner of a Scrabble game is often determined by who goes out first. This can be forgotten or only half-applied with new Scrabble players, so knowing how to score correctly in Scrabble is important.	3
How many red stripes are on the national flag of Austria?	Stefan Fatsis is the author of Word Freak and A Few Seconds of Panic and is a panelist on Hang Up and Listen . Follow him on Twitter. Any Scrabble player can tell you that the X is actually worth eight points. But as Butts was creating the game, in a fifth-floor walkup in Queens, he tinkered—with the layout of the board, with the total number of tiles, with their distribution, and with their respective point values. “It’s not hit or miss,” Butts said long afterward. “It’s carefully worked out.” Seventy-five years later, Butts’ carefully worked out point values are under attack. Late last month, a University of California–San Diego, cognitive science postdoc and casual player named Joshua Lewis conducted a computer analysis to recalibrate Scrabble’s letter values based on the game’s current lexicon. Lewis reposted his findings to Hacker News, and they were picked up by Digg and went viral. Around the same time, Sam Eifling, writing for Deadspin, asked a programmer friend to do the same . Both were inspired by the fact that while the language had changed dramatically from the time Butts performed his calculations, the game of Scrabble had not. Advertisement It’s a fair observation. Since Scrabble was adopted in chess parlors in New York in the 1950s, competitive players have dissected its strategic quirks. One early realization was that short words have outsized value, so players scoured the preferred source (the now-defunct Funk & Wagnalls Standard College Dictionary) and compiled lists of two- and three-letter words. They also recognized that the most common letters showed up in a lot of words, so they recorded and memorized seven- and eight-letter words—ones that would earn the 50-point bonus for using all seven tiles at once—that contained A, E, I, N, R, S, and T, among other single-point letters. You didn’t need a computer to see that the Q, though worth the most points, was a pain in the rack but the Z not so much. Since the publication in 1978 of the Official Scrabble Players Dictionary, a compilation of several standard college dictionaries, the game’s word list has grown by tens of thousands of words. From a playing vantage, the addition of QI (a Chinese life force) and ZA (short for pizza) in the last lexicon update, in 2006, were game-changers. Players feared the new words would cheapen Scrabble, boosting scoring and elevating the role of chance. It didn’t happen. The Q became less of a hindrance, a slightly fairer tile than before, and players adjusted strategy to account for the new gimmes. That need to adjust validates Lewis’ and Eifling’s suspicion that the values assigned to letters aren’t in perfect harmony with the frequency of their use in English or in its narrower subset, the Scrabble word list. The two approached the problem differently. Eifling and software developer Kyle Rimkus totaled the number of letters in Scrabble-eligible words (1.58 million), isolated the frequency of each letter, and then calculated how overvalued or undervalued each letter was compared to its existing point value. Lewis’ approach was more complicated. He weighted letters not only by appearance in the Scrabble lexicon but also by the frequency with which they appear in words of different lengths (with emphasis on two-, three-, seven-, and eight-letter words) and by their ability to “transition” into and out of other letters. The findings don’t differ much. In both analyses, the values of about half the letters change by one or two points. One or the other found that B, C, F, H, K, M, P, X, Y, and Z are overvalued, which makes some intuitive sense. For instance, the X (eight points) and the Z (10) can be easy money, especially since they occur in a number of short words; bumping them down to six points apiece is a logical move. Similarly, the H was set by Butts at four points, but it now appears in nine two-letter words and combines beautifully with other letters, while the M appears in 12 two-letter words. Living-room players detest the C, but they haven’t studied seven- and eight-letter “bingos,” in which C’s abound. The clunky U and V, by contrast, are undervalued—ratcheting them up to two points and five points respectively seems reasonable. Advertisement While the media pounced on the story (I joined in ), the Scrabble community has been largely unmoved. Why? Several reasons. One, the game’s owners, Hasbro in North America and Mattel overseas, aren’t changing anything. Two, such proposed rejiggerings aren’t new. Three, players understand that variances, in letter values and tile distribution (too many I’s, the Q without a U), are part of the game and strategize accordingly. Four, there are other, arguably more sophisticated ways to assess tiles values. Five, and most important, adjusting any core variables would create a completely different game requiring different strategies. “It's basically saying, Let’s change the game to make a new game,” Jason Katz-Brown, a software engineer who co-wrote Scrabble’s best computer player, Quackle , told me. Let’s examine the potential effects of the “new” values. In both Lewis’ and Deadspin’s calculations, 10 tiles decrease in value, four increase, and 12 don’t change. More tiles fall in a band of two to five points, bringing the utility of each closer together. The consensus of my math-brained Scrabble colleagues is that this would be like a dose of lithium for the game, flattening scoring and eliminating swings that keep games interesting. Big but still-reasonable values for some tiles, especially the X and Z, are good because they improve the odds of comebacks, make tile positioning a compelling strategic consideration, and give players with lesser word knowledge a slightly better chance against those who are booked up. “Except for the Q, Josh [Lewis] basically squashes the volatility,” said Eric Chaikin, co-director of the Scrabble documentary Word Wars . “His values take the fun out.” Quackle co-writer John O’Laughlin, a software engineer at Google, said the existing inequities also confer advantages on better players, who understand the “equity value” of each tile—that is, its “worth” in points compared with the average tile. That gives them an edge in balancing scoring versus saving letters for future turns, and in knowing which letters play well with others. “If we tried to equalize the letters, this part of the game wouldn't be eliminated, but it would definitely be muted,” O’Laughlin said. “Simply playing the highest score available every turn would be a much more fruitful strategy than it currently is.” In response to Lewis’ findings , John Chew, co-president of the North American Scrabble Players Association and a mathematics doctoral student at the University of Toronto, wrote that Scrabble has always had an “intentional” imbalance between the face value and the equity value of the letters. Whenever the game’s lexicon changes—a fifth edition of the Scrabble dictionary is due in 2014—players adapt. “The tile values were chosen to make an interesting game, not to accurately represent the statistical properties of a particular lexicon,” he wrote. Advertisement In fact, for Alfred Butts, the face value of the letters was secondary to their distribution. That’s because Butts’ original research was for a word-formation game called Lexiko, which didn’t involve a board and didn’t assign points to individual letters.* In the early 1930s, on spreadsheets containing 26 rows, one for each letter, Butts tallied tens of thousands of letters from the pages of the New York Times, the New York Herald Tribune, and the Saturday Evening Post. Then he compared the frequency with which the letters occurred, both on their own and as part of words of particular lengths. From those tabulations, he determined how many of each letter should be included in his game. Criss-Cross Words, Alfred Butts' prototype for Scrabble Courtesy National Scrabble® Association. Butts manufactured and sold a few hundred sets of Lexiko from his Queens walkup, but Milton Bradley and Parker Brothers, among others, rejected it. In 1938, Butts decided to add a board. That’s when he assigned values to letters roughly corresponding with their frequency. Butts’ files, which I read while researching my book Word Freak , contain pages of spreadsheets and notes about letter frequency and tile distribution. But there’s little about how he settled on the point values for his new game, which he named Criss-Cross Words. He did experiment, though. I found one iteration in which the Z was worth nine points; the K and V six; and the B, F, and W five. And there’s the plywood evidence of my six-point X. My conclusion: Butts coupled intuition with direct observation of the game in action—he tested it on his wife and their friends—to arrive at values that he felt balanced equity and volatility. (Not that he would have used those words.) So, for instance, while Butts might have suspected the X was logically worth six points, he understood that eight would make the game more exciting. Similarly, while Butts included a lexicographically reasonable seven S’s in Lexiko, he knew the letter was so valuable for pluralizing words that he should reduce the number in his board game, which he did, to four. (As with Lexiko, Butts made and sold Criss-Cross Words from his apartment with no success. In 1948, he sold its rights to a small businessman, James Brunot of Newtown, Conn., who renamed, redesigned, and manufactured the game. Five years later, Scrabble became a national sensation. Butts received royalties until 1976. He died in 1993.) Scrabble inventor Alfred Butts Courtesy National Scrabble® Association. Advertisement Lewis and Eifling performed a statistical exercise that can help lay players reconsider particular letters based on the overall lexicon. “Get rid of your J and your Q as quickly as possible, because they’re just damn hard to play and will clog your rack,” Eifling concluded, correctly. A deeper dive would involve valuing each letter based on how it is actually used in Scrabble, because words of certain lengths or lexicographic properties might be more or less useful when playing the game. Lewis’ program didn’t consider, for instance, longer combinations of letters, or the importance of four- and five-letter words. “The game isn’t about drawing words at random from the dictionary,” Chew wrote. “It’s about actually finding places to play them on the board.” Chew’s and O’Laughlin’s approach to reconsidering the face values of the tiles involves adjusting their equity values. Equity value in Scrabble is similar to advanced baseball stats that compare players to an “average” replacement. Scrabble theorists have been calculating this stat—let’s call it VORT, or Value Over Replacement Tile—since the 1980s. “The Barry Bonds of the Scrabble set,” O’Laughlin said, is the blank, with a VORT of about 25 points. That means a blank plus six random tiles will likely net 25 more points than seven random tiles. At the other end, the Q has the lowest VORT, about -7 points. To perform a revaluation using VORT, Chew and O’Laughlin would shift the equity value of positive tiles downward and negative tiles upward, have Quackle play thousands of games against itself using those new values, and keep adjusting the values and making Quackle play until the equity of each tile approaches zero. At that point, the tiles could be given corresponding face values, which would be based on how Scrabble is played by the world’s best player. Chew and O’Laughlin said they aren’t interested in conducting that analysis because it would be time-consuming and wouldn’t add to the understanding of the game. But they have begun trading emails with Lewis, who told me he’s eager to work with the Scrabble quants to learn more and find ways to study the statistical properties of the tiles further. Which shows how, in contrast to the way this story is being framed in the media—Scrabble Controversy!—it’s really just a bunch of curious living-room players and super-smart computer guys swapping ideas about game theory and analysis. Lewis isn’t demanding that the game’s manufacturers change anything, just performing an interesting statistical and intellectual exercise. Still, he does believe, as he wrote in a new post on Wednesday , that tweaking Scrabble’s tile values would “keep the intentional luck in the game and remove the unintentional luck that has crept in over time as the use of English has changed.” He’s perplexed as to why competitive Scrabble players wouldn’t favor mediating some of the luck, because that might make the results of games and tournaments more accurate. I can answer that. Because Scrabble players understand that the game’s inequities are on the margins, and that figuring them out is a crucial part of learning to play well. And we respect, and are in fact awed by, how Alfred Butts, without the benefit of computer programs and language databases, came damn close to nailing both letter distribution and letter valuation, and in the process created a game that exquisitely, often maddeningly, balances skill and luck. Making the X worth six points won’t improve on that. Correction, Jan. 19, 2013: This article originally misspelled the name of Alfred Butts’ first word game, Lexiko.	i don't know
In which 1976 horror film did John Travolta appear with Sissy Spaceck?	Carrie (1976) - IMDb IMDb 17 January 2017 4:34 PM, UTC NEWS There was an error trying to load your rating for this title. Some parts of this page won't work property. Please reload or try later. X Beta I'm Watching This! Keep track of everything you watch; tell your friends. Error Carrie White, a shy, friendless teenage girl who is sheltered by her domineering, religious mother, unleashes her telekinetic powers after being humiliated by her classmates at her senior prom. Director: From $2.99 (SD) on Amazon Video ON DISC a list of 37 titles created 15 Nov 2010 a list of 32 titles created 02 Aug 2012 a list of 24 titles created 17 Jul 2013 a list of 34 titles created 4 months ago a list of 31 titles created 3 months ago Search for " Carrie " on Amazon.com Connect with IMDb Want to share IMDb's rating on your own site? Use the HTML below. You must be a registered user to use the IMDb rating plugin. Nominated for 2 Oscars. Another 3 wins & 5 nominations. See more awards » Photos A family's home is haunted by a host of ghosts. Director: Tobe Hooper 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 7.5/10 X Several people are hunted by a cruel serial killer who kills his victims in their dreams. While the survivors are trying to find the reason for being chosen, the murderer won't lose any chance to kill them as soon as they fall asleep. Director: Wes Craven When a teenage girl is possessed by a mysterious entity, her mother seeks the help of two priests to save her daughter. Director: William Friedkin Fifteen years after murdering his sister on Halloween night 1963, Michael Myers escapes from a mental hospital and returns to the small town of Haddonfield to kill again. Director: John Carpenter Two siblings visit their grandfather's grave in Texas along with three of their friends and are attacked by a family of cannibalistic psychopaths. Director: Tobe Hooper A young couple move into an apartment, only to be surrounded by peculiar neighbors and occurrences. When the wife becomes mysteriously pregnant, paranoia over the safety of her unborn child begins to control her life. Director: Roman Polanski A year after the murder of her mother, a teenage girl is terrorized by a new killer, who targets the girl and her friends by using horror films as part of a deadly game. Director: Wes Craven A group of camp counselors is stalked and murdered by an unknown assailant while trying to reopen a summer camp which, years before, was the site of a child's drowning. Director: Sean S. Cunningham Mysterious deaths surround an American ambassador. Could the child that he is raising actually be the Antichrist? The Devil's own son? Director: Richard Donner There is panic throughout the nation as the dead suddenly come back to life. The film follows a group of characters who barricade themselves in an old farmhouse in an attempt to remain safe from these flesh eating monsters. Director: George A. Romero 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 5.9/10 X A reimagining of the classic horror tale about Carrie White, a shy girl outcast by her peers and sheltered by her deeply religious mother, who unleashes telekinetic terror on her small town after being pushed too far at her senior prom. Director: Kimberly Peirce After a famous author is rescued from a car crash by a fan of his novels, he comes to realize that the care he is receiving is only the beginning of a nightmare of captivity and abuse. Director: Rob Reiner Edit Storyline It's nearing the end of the school year. High school senior Carrie White is a social outcast, largely due to being unwise to the ways of the world based on her upbringing. Her mother, Margaret White, is a religious fanatic, her extreme views primarily targeted against sex, which she believes is a sin. She even believes natural associated processes such as menstruation are a sin, about which she has refused to mention to Carrie. Mrs. White's beliefs were taken to that extreme largely because of her own failed marriage and her husband Ralph long ago having run off with another woman. The only adult authority figure who tries to help Carrie with her life is her phys ed teacher, Miss Collins, who is nonetheless warned not to get too close to go against how Mrs. White chooses to raise Carrie, Mrs. White whose beliefs are well known in the community. An impromptu event that happens among Carrie's phys ed classmates against her leads to her classmates being punished. One of those students, ... Written by Huggo If you've got a taste for terror... take Carrie to the party. (Great Britian) See more » Genres: 16 November 1976 (USA) See more » Also Known As: Carrie - Lo sguardo di Satana See more » Filming Locations: Did You Know? Trivia When Sissy Spacek was preparing for her character, she isolated herself from the rest of the ensemble, decorated her dressing room with heavy religious iconography and studied Gustave Doré 's illustrated Bible. She studied "the body language of people being stoned for their sins," starting or ending every scene in one of those positions. See more » Goofs Stephen King 's name is spelled "Steven King" in the trailer. See more » Quotes Margaret White : Carrie, you haven't touched your apple cake. Carrie : It gives me pimples, Mama. Margaret White : Pimples are the Lord's way of chastising you. Featured in Superstar (1999) See more » Soundtracks Written by Mike Towers , Eugene Garfin, Stephen Bonnem, Joseph Walter Newton Jr., & Carmine Lauro (Mexico) – See all my reviews It is a classic offbeat horror-melodrama merging harmoniously the family Gothic extravaganza, supernatural power, and a woman's movie of a peculiar kind It remains the cinema's best adaptation of a Stephen King novel The film initiated De Palma's inclination for surprise diverts between playful imagination and reality, as in the opening, which swifts from a soft-core porn fantasia of girls taking a shower in the locker room to the fact of Carrie's menstruation for the first timethe first sign of "otherness" that will reserve her as an horrifying monster from her small-minded colleagues All the oppression that Carrie undergoes both at home (with a bible beating maniacal mother played by scary Piper Laurie who develops twisted bizarre ideas) and at school to suppress tension which takes the shape of super telekinetic power, the ability to move objects with the strength of her mind We observe with ambivalence as Carrie's insatiable revenge jumps the line into uncontrolled mass murders ever filmed Sissy Spacek is amazing as the mocked, helpless girl pushed over the edge Her face and body twist like a living special effect to unleash her pent up rage, as well as her character's alarming progress from painfully shy high-school teenager to Angel of Vengeance 57 of 64 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes	Carrie
Which human sub-species was named after a valley near Dusseldorf in Germany, where they were known to have lived?	Carrie - DVD - Sissy Spacek John Travolta Amy Irving FREE Shipping! 27616865519 \| eBay 027616865519 Detailed item info Brian De Palma's commercial breakout, based on a novel by Stephen King, helped launch a whole slew of teen-based horror films, and Carrie the blood-spattered prom queen has taken her throne in the pantheon of modern American myth. High school girls played by Amy Irving (in her film debut), P.J. Soles, and Nancy Allen plot to avenge themselves on ostracized fellow student and budding telekinetic Carrie White (Sissy Spacek) after they get in trouble for pelting her with tampons. When they get popular boy Tommy Ross (William Katz) to be her date for the prom, the stage is set for some heart-rending cruelty and fiery retribution. De Palma expertly uses split screens, slow motion, color filters, and tracking shots to imbue the proceedings with a haunting, allegorical elegance. Piper Laurie plays Carrie's mentally ill, devoutly Christian mom; she's brilliant, as is Spacek. John Travolta has a memorable pre-SATURDAY NIGHT FEVER role as one of the girls' beer-guzzling boyfriends. There was finally a sequel in 1999, as well as a short-lived Broadway musical. Product Highlights Video Trailer: <script type="text/javascript"> webyclipSiteKey = "512f7ba25c0f3"; webyclipCdnPrefixUrl = "http://cdn94.webyclip.com"; webyclipProduct = "Carrie (DVD, 2001, 25th Anniversary Special Edition)"; webyclipSearchString = "Carrie ~ 1976 ~ Sissy Spacek"; webyclipProductExternalId = "3386987"; webyclipProductCategory = "Movies"; webyclipProductSubCategory = "US"; (function() { function async_load() {if (typeof(jQuery) != "undefined" && jQuery("#icImg").size() > 0) { jQuery("#PicturePanel").append("<div id='webyclipButtonContainer' style='margin-left: -15px;'></div>"); } else if (typeof(jQuery) != "undefined" && jQuery("#v4-5").size() > 0) { jQuery("#v4-5").after("<div id='webyclipButtonContainer'></div>"); } var s = document.createElement("script"); s.type = "text/javascript"; s.async = true; s.src = (("https:" == document.location.protocol) ? "https://6bf746ad5bc91a240a3d-1d8fbdf7ecdc2b67730d7c561f0d1dfd.ssl.cf2.rackcdn.com/WebyClipPlugin.js" : "http://code.webyclip.com/WebyClipPlugin.js"); var x = document.getElementsByTagName("script")[0]; x.parentNode.insertBefore(s, x); } if (document.readyState === "complete") { async_load(); } else { if (window.attachEvent) { window.attachEvent("onload", async_load); } else { window.addEventListener("load", async_load, false); }} })(); </script><div id="webyclipEmbeded"></div> Product Details	i don't know
Which epic poem by John Milton tells the story of the Fall of Adam and Eve?	Paradise Lost \| Epic Poetry Paradise Lost Home Paradise Lost Paradise Lost is an epic poem in blank verse by the 17th-century English poet John Milton (1608-1674). The first version, published in 1667, consisted of ten books with over ten thousand lines of verse. A second edition followed in 1674, arranged into twelve books (in the manner of Virgil's Aeneid) with minor revisions throughout and a note on the versification. It is considered by critics to be Milton's major work, and helped solidify his reputation as one of the greatest English poets of his time. The poem concerns the Biblical story of the Fall of Man: the temptation of Adam and Eve by the fallen angel Satan and their expulsion from the Garden of Eden. Milton's purpose, stated in Book I, is to "justify the ways of God to men". Synopsis The poem is separated into twelve "books" or sections, the lengths of which vary greatly (the longest is Book IX, with 1,189 lines, and the shortest Book VII, with 640). The Arguments at the head of each book were added in subsequent imprints of the first edition. Originally published in ten books, a fully "Revised and Augmented" edition reorganized into twelve books was issued in 1674, and this is the edition generally used today. The poem follows the epic tradition of starting in medias res (Latin for in the midst of things), the background story being recounted later. Milton's story has two narrative arcs, one about Satan (Lucifer) and the other following Adam and Eve. It begins after Satan and the other rebel angels have been defeated and banished to Hell, or, as it is also called in the poem, Tartarus. In Pandæmonium, Satan employs his rhetorical skill to organise his followers; he is aided by Mammon and Beelzebub. Belial and Moloch are also present. At the end of the debate, Satan volunteers to poison the newly created Earth and God's new and most favoured creation, Mankind. He braves the dangers of the Abyss alone in a manner reminiscent of Odysseus or Aeneas. After an arduous traversal of the Chaos outside Hell, he enters God's new material World, and later the Garden of Eden. At several points in the poem, an Angelic War over Heaven is recounted from different perspectives. Satan's rebellion follows the epic convention of large-scale warfare. The battles between the faithful angels and Satan's forces take place over three days. At the final battle, the Son of God single-handedly defeats the entire legion of angelic rebels and banishes them from Heaven. Following this purge, God creates the World, culminating in his creation of Adam and Eve. While God gave Adam and Eve total freedom and power to rule over all creation, he gave them one explicit command: not to eat from the Tree of the knowledge of good and evil on penalty of death. The story of Adam and Eve's temptation and fall is a fundamentally different, new kind of epic: a domestic one. Adam and Eve are presented for the first time in Christian literature as having a full relationship while still being without sin. They have passions and distinct personalities. Satan, disguised in the form of a serpent, successfully tempts Eve to eat from the Tree by preying on her vanity and tricking her with rhetoric. Adam, learning that Eve has sinned, knowingly commits the same sin. He declares to Eve that since she was made from his flesh, they are bound to one another ‒ if she dies, he must also die. In this manner, Milton portrays Adam as a heroic figure, but also as a greater sinner than Eve, as he is aware that what he is doing is wrong. After eating the fruit, Adam and Eve have lustful sex. At first, Adam is convinced that Eve was right in thinking that eating the fruit would be beneficial. However, they soon fall asleep and have terrible nightmares, and after they awake, they experience guilt and shame for the first time. Realizing that they have committed a terrible act against God, they engage in mutual recrimination. Eve's pleas to Adam reconcile them somewhat. Her encouragement enables Adam and Eve both to approach God, to "bow and sue for grace with suppliant knee", and to receive grace from God. In a vision shown to him by the angel Michael, Adam witnesses everything that will happen to mankind until the Great Flood. Adam is very upset by this vision of the future, so Michael also tells him about humankind's potential redemption from original sin through Jesus Christ (whom Michael calls "King Messiah"). Adam and Eve are cast out of Eden, and Michael says that Adam may find "a paradise within thee, happier far". Adam and Eve also now have a more distant relationship with God, who is omnipresent but invisible (unlike the tangible Father in the Garden of Eden). Characters Satan Satan is the first major character introduced in the poem. Formerly called Lucifer, he was the most beautiful of all angels in Heaven, and is a tragic figure who describes himself with the now-famous quote "Better to reign in Hell than serve in Heaven." He is introduced to Hell after he leads a failed rebellion to wrest control of Heaven from God. Satan's desire to rebel against his creator stems from his unwillingness to be subjugated by God and his Son, claiming that angels are "self-begot, self-raised", and thereby denying God's authority over them as their creator. Satan is deeply arrogant, albeit powerful and charismatic. Satan's persuasive powers are evident throughout the book; not only is he cunning and deceptive, but he is also able to rally the angels to continue in the rebellion after their agonising defeat in the Angelic War. He argues that God rules as a tyrant and that all the angels ought to rule as gods. Satan is comparable in many ways to the tragic heroes of classic Greek literature, but Satan's hubris far surpasses those of previous tragedies. Though at times he plays the narrative role of an anti-hero, he is still commonly understood to be the antagonist of the epic. However, the true nature of his role in the poem has been the subject of much notoriety and scholarly debate. While some scholars, like the critic and writer C. S. Lewis, interpret the poem as a genuine Christian morality tale, other critics, like William Empson, view it as a more ambiguous work, with Milton's complex characterisation of Satan playing a large part in that perceived ambiguity. Adam Adam is the first human created by God. Though initially alone, Adam demands a mate from God. Considered God's prized creation, Adam, along with his wife, rules over all the creatures of the world and resides in the Garden of Eden. He is more gregarious than Eve, and yearns for her company. His complete infatuation with Eve, while pure in and of itself, eventually contributes to his joining her in disobedience to God. Unlike the Biblical Adam, before he leaves Paradise this version of Adam is given a glimpse of the future of mankind (including a synopsis of stories from the Old and New Testaments) by the angel Michael. Eve Eve is the second human created by God, taken from one of Adam's ribs and shaped into a female form of Adam. Far from the traditional model of a good wife, she is often unwilling to be submissive towards Adam. She is more intelligent and curious about external ideas than her husband. Though happy, she longs for knowledge and, more specifically, self-knowledge. Her first act in existence is to turn away from Adam and look at and ponder her own reflection. Eve is extremely beautiful and thoroughly in love with Adam, though may feel suffocated by his constant presence. One day, she convinces Adam that it would be good for them to split up and work different parts of the Garden. In her solitude, she is tempted by Satan to sin against God. Adam shortly follows along with her. The Son of God The Son of God is the spirit that will become Jesus Christ, though he is never named explicitly, since he has not yet entered human form. The Son of God shares total union with God, and indeed is understood to be a person of the Godhead, along with the Father and the Spirit. He is the ultimate hero of the epic and is infinitely powerful, singlehandedly defeating Satan and his followers and driving them into Hell. The Son of God tells Adam and Eve about God's judgment after their sin. However, he sacrificially volunteers to eventually journey to the World, become a man himself, and redeem the Fall of Man through his own death and resurrection. In the final scene, a vision of Salvation through the Son of God is revealed to Adam by Michael. Still, the name, Jesus of Nazareth, and the details of Jesus' story are not depicted in the poem. God the Father God the Father is the creator of Heaven, Hell, the World, and of everyone and everything there is. He desires glory and praise from all his creations. He is an all-powerful, all-knowing, infinitely good being who cannot be overthrown by even the great army of angels Satan incites against him. The stated purpose of the poem is to justify the ways of God to men, so God often converses with the Son of God concerning his plans and reveals his motives regarding his actions. The poem portrays God's process of creation in the way that Milton believed it was done, with God creating Heaven, Earth, Hell, and all the creatures that inhabit these separate planes from part of Himself, not out of nothing. Thus, according to Milton, the ultimate authority of God derives from his being the "author" of creation. Satan tries to justify his rebellion by denying this aspect of God and claiming self-creation, but he admits to himself this is not the case, and that God "deserved no such return/ From me, whom He created what I was." Raphael Raphael is an archangel whom God sends to warn Adam about Satan's infiltration of Eden and to warn him that Satan is going to try to curse Adam and Eve. He also has a lengthy discussion with the curious Adam regarding creation and events which transpired in Heaven. Michael Michael is a mighty archangel who fought for God in the Angelic War. In the first battle, he wounds Satan terribly with a powerful sword that God designed to even cut through the substance of angels. After Adam and Eve disobey God by eating from the Tree of Knowledge, God sends the angel Michael to visit Adam and Eve. His duty is to escort Adam and Eve out of Paradise. Before he does this, Michael shows Adam visions of the future which cover an outline of the Bible, from the story of Cain and Abel in Genesis, up through the story of Jesus Christ in the New Testament. Composition In his introduction to the Penguin edition of Paradise Lost, the Milton scholar John Leonard notes, "John Milton was nearly sixty when he published Paradise Lost in 1667. [The writer] John Aubrey (1626-97) tells us that the poem was begun in about 1658 and finished in about 1663. But parts were almost certainly written earlier, and its roots lie in Milton's earliest youth." Leonard speculates that the English Civil War interrupted Milton's earliest attempts to start his "epic [poem] that would encompass all space and time." Leonard also notes that Milton "did not at first plan to write a biblical epic." Since epics were typically written about heroic kings and queens (and with pagan gods), Milton originally envisioned his epic to be based on a legendary Saxon or British king like the legend of King Arthur. Having gone totally blind in 1652, Milton wrote Paradise Lost entirely through dictation with the help of amanuenses and friends. He also wrote the epic poem while he was often ill, suffering from gout, and despite the fact that he was suffering emotionally after the early death of his second wife, Katherine Woodcock, in 1658, and the death of their infant daughter (though Milton remarried soon after in 1663). Themes Marriage Milton first presents Adam and Eve in Book IV with impartiality. The relationship between Adam and Eve is one of "mutual dependence, not a relation of domination or hierarchy." While the author does place Adam above Eve in regard to his intellectual knowledge, and in turn his relation to God, he also grants Eve the benefit of knowledge through experience. Hermine Van Nuis clarifies that although there is a sense of stringency associated with the specified roles of the male and the female, each unreservedly accepts the designated role because it is viewed as an asset. Instead of believing that these roles are forced upon them, each uses the obligatory requirement as a strength in their relationship with each other. These minor discrepancies reveal the author's view on the importance of mutuality between a husband and a wife. When examining the relationship between Adam and Eve, critics tend to accept an either Adam- or Eve-centered view in terms of hierarchy and importance to God. David Mikics argues, by contrast, these positions "overstate the independence of the characters' stances, and therefore miss the way in which Adam and Eve are entwined with each other". Milton's true vision reflects one where the husband and wife (in this instance, Adam and Eve) depend on each other and only through each other's differences are able to thrive. Although Milton does not directly mention divorce, critics posit theories on Milton's view of divorce based on inferences found within the poem, and, of course, the tracts on divorce Milton wrote earlier in his life. Other works by Milton suggest he viewed marriage as an entity separate from the church. Discussing Paradise Lost, Biberman entertains the idea that "marriage is a contract made by both the man and the woman". Based on this inference, Milton would believe that both man and woman would have equal access to divorce, as they do to marriage. Feminist critics of Paradise Lost suggest that Eve is forbidden the knowledge of her own identity. Moments after her creation, before Eve is led to Adam, she becomes enraptured by an image reflected in the water (her own, unbeknownst to Eve). God urges Eve to look away from her own image, her beauty, which is also the object of Adam's desire. Adam delights in both her beauty and submissive charms, yet Eve may never be permitted to gaze upon her individual form. Critic Julia M. Walker argues that because Eve "neither recognises nor names herself... she can know herself only in relation to Adam." "Eve's sense of self becomes important in its absence... [she] is never allowed to know what she is supposed to see." Eve therefore knows not what she is, only what she is not: male. Starting in Book IV, Eve learns that Adam, the male form, is superior and "How beauty is excelled by manly grace/ And wisdom which alone is truly fair." Led by his gentle hand, she yields, a woman without individual purpose, destined to fall by "free will." Idolatry Milton's 17th century contemporaries by and large criticised Milton's ideas and considered him as a radical, mostly because of his well-known Protestant views on politics and religion. One of Milton's greatest and most controversial arguments centres on his concept of what is idolatrous; this topic is deeply embedded in Paradise Lost. Milton's first criticism of idolatry focuses on the practice of constructing temples and other buildings to serve as places of worship. In Book XI of Paradise Lost, Adam tries to atone for his sins by offering to build altars to worship God. In response, the angel Michael explains that Adam does not need to build physical objects to experience the presence of God. Joseph Lyle points to this example, explaining "When Milton objects to architecture, it is not a quality inherent in buildings themselves he finds offensive, but rather their tendency to act as convenient loci to which idolatry, over time, will inevitably adhere." Even if the idea is pure in nature, Milton still believes that it will unavoidably lead to idolatry simply because of the nature of humans. Instead of placing their thoughts and beliefs into God, as they should, humans tend to turn to erected objects and falsely invest their faith. While Adam attempts to build an altar to God, critics note Eve is similarly guilty of idolatry, but in a different manner. Harding believes Eve's narcissism and obsession with herself constitutes idolatry. Specifically, Harding claims that "... under the serpent's influence, Eve's idolatry and self-deification foreshadow the errors into which her 'Sons' will stray." Much like Adam, Eve falsely places her faith into herself, the Tree of Knowledge, and to some extent, the Serpent, all of which do not compare to the ideal nature of God. Furthermore, Milton makes his views on idolatry more explicit with the creation of Pandemonium and the exemplary allusion to Solomon's temple. In the beginning of Paradise Lost, as well as throughout the poem, there are several references to the rise and eventual fall of Solomon's temple. Critics elucidate that "Solomon's temple provides an explicit demonstration of how an artefact moves from its genesis in devotional practice to an idolatrous end." This example, out of the many presented, conveys Milton's views on the dangers of idolatry distinctly. Even if one builds a structure in the name of God, even the best of intentions can become immoral. In addition, critics have drawn parallels between both Pandemonium and Saint Peter's Basilica, and the Pantheon. The majority of these similarities revolve around a structural likeness, but as Lyle explains, they play a greater role. By linking Saint Peter's Basilica and the Pantheon to Pandemonium-an ideally false structure, the two famous buildings take on a false meaning. This comparison best represents Milton's Protestant views, as it rejects both the purely Catholic perspective and the Pagan perspective. In addition to rejecting Catholicism, Milton revolted against the idea of a monarch ruling by divine right. He saw the practice as idolatrous. Barbara Lewalski concludes that the theme of idolatry in Paradise Lost "is an exaggerated version of the idolatry Milton had long associated with the Stuart ideology of divine kingship". In the opinion of Milton, any object, human or non-human, that receives special attention befitting of God, is considered idolatrous. Interpretation and criticism The writer and critic Samuel Johnson wrote that Paradise Lost shows off "[Milton's] peculiar power to astonish" and that "[Milton] seems to have been well acquainted with his own genius, and to know what it was that Nature had bestowed upon him more bountifully than upon others: the power of displaying the vast, illuminating the splendid, enforcing the awful, darkening the gloomy, and aggravating the dreadful." Regarding the war in the poem between Heaven and Hell, the Milton scholar John Leonard writes: Paradise Lost is, among other things, a poem about civil war. Satan raises 'impious war in Heav'n' (i 43) by leading a third of the angels in revolt against God. The term 'impious war'. . .implies that civil war is impious. But Milton applauded the English people for having the courage to depose and execute King Charles I. In his poem, however, he takes the side of 'Heav'n's awful Monarch' (iv 960). Critics have long wrestled with the question of why an antimonarchist and defender of regicide should have chosen a subject that obliged him to defend monarchical authority However, the editors at the Poetry Foundation argue that Milton's criticism of the English monarchy was being directed specifically at the Stuart monarchy and not at the monarchy system in general. In a similar vein, C.S. Lewis argued that there was no contradiction in Milton's position in the poem since, from Lewis' point of view, "Milton believed that God was his 'natural superior' and that Charles Stuart was not." Others, like literary critic William Empson argued that "Milton deserves credit for making God wicked, since the God of Christianity is 'a wicked God.'" Leonard places Empson's interpretation "in the [Romantic interpretive] tradition of Blake and Shelley." As the poet William Blake famously wrote, "The reason Milton wrote in fetters when he wrote of Angels & God, and at liberty when of Devils & Hell, is because he was a true Poet and of the Devil's party without knowing it." And this quotation succinctly represents the way in which the 18th- and 19th-century English Romantic poets viewed Milton. However, Empson's view is more complex. Leonard points out that "Empson never denies that Satan's plan is wicked. What he does deny is that God is innocent of its wickedness: 'Milton steadily drives home that the inmost counsel of God was the Fortunate Fall of man; however wicked Satan's plan may be, it is God's plan too [since God in Paradise Lost is depicted as being both omniscient and omnipotent].'" Although Leonard calls Empson's view "a powerful argument," he notes that this interpretation was challenged by Dennis Danielson in his book Milton's Good God (1982). Iconography The first illustrations to accompany the text of Paradise Lost were added to the fourth edition of 1688, with one engraving prefacing each book, of which up to eight of the twelve were by Sir John Baptist Medina, one by Bernard Lens II, and perhaps up to four (including Books I and XII, perhaps the most memorable) by another hand. The engraver was Michael Burghers (not 'Burgesse' as given in the Christ's College website). By 1730 the same images had been re-engraved on a smaller scale by Paul Fourdrinier. Some of the most notable illustrators of Paradise Lost included William Blake, Gustave Dore and Henry Fuseli. However, the epic's illustrators also include John Martin, Edward Burney, Richard Westall, Francis Hayman, and many others. Outside of book illustrations, the epic has also inspired other visual works by well-known painters like Salvador Dali who executed a set of ten colour engravings in 1974. Milton's achievement in writing Paradise Lost without his sight inspired loosely biographical paintings by both Fuseli and Eugene Delacroix.	Paradise Lost
What was the name of the horse that won the 1990 English Grand National?	Paradise Lost Study Guide - Course Hero Genre: Allegory Perspective and Narrator: Paradise Lost is told by a third-person omniscient narrator. Readers learn that the narrator is the author, John Milton, when he inserts references to himself, as he does in discussing his blindness in Book 3: "these eyes, that roll in vain/To find thy piercing ray." Tense: Paradise Lost is told in the present tense. About the Title: Paradise Lost refers to the expulsion of the first humans, Adam and Eve, from the Garden of Eden after they commit sin by eating from the forbidden Tree of Knowledge. Characters	i don't know
Which chemical element is represented by Zr on the Periodic Table?	Zirconium - Element information, properties and uses \| Periodic Table Chemistry in its element: zirconium (Promo) You're listening to Chemistry in its element brought to you by Chemistry World, the magazine of the Royal Society of Chemistry. (End promo) Chris Smith Hello and welcome to our tour of the unusual, exciting and deadly aspects of the elements that make up the world around us. We're kicking off our journey through the Periodic Table with a chemical that sometimes masquerades as diamond but is equally at home in the core of a nuclear reactor or even in an ironworks. To tell the story of this mysterious entity which is otherwise known as zirconium, here's chemist and award winning author John Emsley. John Emsley Zirconium. Wear it flashing on your finger, or unseen within your frame, it holds the key to nuclear energy, and it's got a gem-like name. It's zirconium. The name zirconium comes from the Arabic word zargun which refers to a golden-hued gemstone known since Biblical times called zircon. Today artificial gems are made from Zirconium oxide known as cubic zirconia and they sparkle with more brilliance than diamond although they are not as hard. What distinguishes them from real diamond is their higher density of 6.0 g cm-3 compared to diamond's 3.52. Zirconium is abundant in S-type stars in which heavier elements are formed by neutron capture. Traces are also present in the Sun. Rock brought back from the moon was found to have a surprisingly high zirconium content. Down here on Earth zircons has shown that life might have started much earlier than once thought. These were found in Australia in the year 2000 were 4.4 billion years old, and their oxygen isotope ratio of O16/O18 showed they could only have been formed when there was liquid water on the surface of the Earth, and this was nearly 500 million years earlier than previously assumed. In the Middle Ages colourless gemstones of zircon were thought to be an inferior kind of diamond, but that was shown to be wrong when a German chemist, Martin Klaproth (1743-1817), analysed one in 1789 and discovered zirconium. Klaproth was unable to isolate the metal itself. That was achieved in 1824 by the Swedish chemist Jöns Jacob Berzelius but there was little use for it or its chemical compounds, and so it languished for a century or more. Today this element is widely used, as zircon, as Zirconium oxide and as the metal itself. Zirconium is to be found in ceramics, foundry equipment, glass, chemicals, and metal alloys. Zircon sand is used for heat-resistant linings for furnaces, for giant ladles for molten metal, and to make foundry moulds. Mixed with vanadium or praseodymium zircon makes blue and yellow pigments for glazing pottery and tiles. Zirconium oxide is used to make heat resistant crucibles, ceramics and abrasives. A red-hot crucible made from it can be plunged into cold water without cracking. Zirconium oxide is to be found in ultra-strong ceramics that are stronger and sharper even than toughened steel and are used for knives, scissors and golf irons. Production of pure zirconium oxide is almost 25 000 tons per year, and it also goes into various chemicals that end up as cosmetics, antiperspirants, food packaging, and even fake gems. The paper and packaging industry is finding zirconium compounds make good surface coatings because they have excellent water resistance and strength. Equally important is their low toxicity. Zirconium metal has an oxidised surface which is both hard and impervious to chemical attack making it ideal not only for chemical plants but for body implants such as hip replacement joints. Zirconium-aluminium alloy is used for top of the range bicycle frames because it combines strength and lightness. Zirconium metal had some hidden assets which suddenly brought it to prominence in the late 1940s; it was found to be the ideal metal for inside nuclear reactors and nuclear submarines. It does not corrode at high temperatures, nor absorb neutrons to form radioactive isotopes. Even today the nuclear industry buys almost all of the metal that is produced and some nuclear reactors have more than 100 kilometres of zirconium tubing. Zirconium is used to make the cladding for uranium oxide fuel elements. As mined, zirconium contains 1-3% per cent of hafnium, which is chemically very similar, and although it is difficult to separate the two elements this has to be done for the metal used in the nuclear industry because hafnium absorbs neutrons very strongly. Finally, we have two zirconium materials with extreme properties, one which it displays when very cold, the other when it is heated to high temperatures. The first is a zirconium-niobium alloy which becomes superconducting below 35 Kelvin (- 238oC) in other words it will conduct electricity with no loss of energy. The second is zirconium tungstate (ZrW2O8) which actually shrinks as you heat it up, at least until it reaches 700oC when it decomposes into the two metal oxides. Chris Smith John Emsley unlocking the secrets of element number 40, zirconium. And you can find out some more about John's favourite elements in a series he has written for the RSC's Education in Chemistry which is online at rsc.org/education . Next time on Chemistry in its Element, life's a gas with Mark Peplow. Mark Peplow Little did those humble cyanobacteria realize what they were doing when two and a half billion years ago, they started to build up their own reserves of energy-rich chemicals, by combining water and carbon dioxide. Powered by sunlight, they spent the next two billion years terraforming our entire planet with the waste product of their photosynthesis, a rather toxic gas called oxygen. Chris Smith So join us next week for a breath of fresh air and the story of oxygen. I'm Chris Smith, thanks for listening, see you next time. (Promo) Chemistry in its element is brought to you by the Royal Society of Chemistry and produced by thenakedscientists.com . There's more information and other episodes of Chemistry in its element on our website at chemistryworld.org/elements . (End promo)	Zirconium
‘Timen of…..’where’? is a play by William Shakespeare?	Alphabetical list by Name of the chemical elements of the periodic table For chemistry students and teachers: The tabular chart on the right is alphabethically listed. The first chemical element is Actinium and the last is Zirconium. Please note that the elements do not show their natural relation towards each other as in the Periodic system. There you can find the metals, semi-conductor(s), non-metal(s), inert noble gas(ses), Halogens, Lanthanoides, Actinoids (rare earth elements) and transition metals.	i don't know
What is the staff called carried by rulers on ceremonial occasions as a symbol of imperial authority?	sceptre - definition of sceptre in English \| Oxford Dictionaries Definition of sceptre in English: sceptre An ornamented staff carried by rulers on ceremonial occasions as a symbol of sovereignty: ‘imperial regalia of orb and sceptre’ figurative ‘a blue worker's smock is his robe of office, his sceptre a venerable hoe’ More example sentences ‘The roof is ornamented with three cherubs, representing England, Scotland and Ireland, supporting the royal crown and holding the sceptre, sword of state and ensign of knighthood.’ ‘Room after room of the Armoury reveals incredible riches, including the imperial crown, mace and sceptre of the Tsars.’ ‘In her left hand she carries the sceptre of state; in her right the orb.’ ‘Each was swathed in robes of black, and all carried the sceptre that befitted their station.’ ‘As an act of humility, before a mass to which she had invited the poor, she gave the royal scepter to the most indigent and had the royal crown placed on his head.’ Synonyms View synonyms Origin Middle English: from Old French ceptre, via Latin from Greek skēptron, from skēptein (alteration of skēptesthai) lean on. Pronunciation: Matching verbs to collective nouns Which of these sentences is correct? Each band perform three songs. Each band performs three songs. Which of these sentences is correct? The band are the best singers I've ever heard. The band is the best singers I've ever heard. Which of these sentences is correct? People needs to be aware of the dangers. People need to be aware of the dangers. Which of these sentences is correct? Every family owns a TV. Every family own a TV. Which of these sentences is correct? The interview panel comprises three women. The interview panel comprise three women. Which of these sentences is correct? Which team is going to win? Which team are going to win? Which of these sentences is correct? We believe the jury have reached their verdict. We believe the jury has reached their verdict. Which of these sentences is correct? More people are shopping online. More people is shopping online. Which of these sentences is correct? The gang has escaped. Which of these sentences is correct? Some people hates technology. You scored /10 practise again? Retry Most popular in the world Australia	Sceptre
Sauternes wine comes from which country?	The Crook and Flail in Ancient Egypt Contact Us About us Tour Egypt aims to offer the ultimate Egyptian adventure and intimate knowledge about the country. We offer this unique experience in two ways, the first one is by organizing a tour and coming to Egypt for a visit, whether alone or in a group, and living it firsthand. The second way to experience Egypt is from the comfort of your own home: online. The Crook and Flail in Ancient Egypt The Crook and Flail in Ancient Egypt by Jimmy Dunn The crook (heka) and the flail or flabellum (nekhakha), are two of the most prominent items in the royal regalia of ancient Egypt. Actual, very fine examples of both survive from ancient Egypt, as do statues and various wall reliefs, paintings and papyrus with representations of these objects. The crook and flail, though different scepters, could every so often be depicted separately, though usually paired with some other type of scepter, but they were most commonly represented together, held across the chest of the kings , Osiris , or other gods identified with them. They were insignias of kingship, and while other deities could proffer them, they never kept them. Both insignias derived from the iconography of Andjety , who was the local god of the Delta town named Djedu. He was represented in human form with two feathers on his head and holding the crook and flail in his hands At a very early date in Egyptian history, Andjety, who had a close relationship with kingship from the earliest of times, was absorbed into Osiris of Busiris, who became a national god known simply as Osiris . Osiris, of course, was regarded not only as a god but also as a deified deceased king and consequently his insignia, and particularly that of the crook and flail, were treated as symbols of royalty. Sacred models of them were kept in Heliopolis . The crook was a cane with a hooked handle, sometimes gold-plated and reinforced with blue copper bands. It probably derived from the shepherd's crosier. Its hieroglyphic value was "rule". The earliest example of a crook or heqa scepter comes from Abydos and the tomb listed as U-547, dated to the late Naqada II period. This scepter, made of limestone, was found fragmented, but a complete scepter made of ivory was found in another Abydos grave, the one listed as tomb U-j. This is the largest tomb of Abydos found to date. The earliest representation of a king carrying the crook is a small statue of Ninetjer from the 2nd Dynasty . The flail was a rod with three attached beaded, strands. The strands could very considerably, using different types of beads and the lengths between the beads could be broken up into several segments. The flail appears alone on some of the earliest representations of royal ceremonies, as shown in the example from a label of King Den in the 1st Dynasty , sitting under a canopy or in some ritual structure, waiting to run the Sed-festival . It possibly derived from a shepherd's whip or a fly whisk. However, some scholars prefer to regard it as a ladanisterion, a flail-like instrument used until the present day by shepherds in the Mediterranean region and elsewhere for collecting ladanum, a gummy substance excreted from the leaves of the Cistus plant. According to classical writers, it was used in the preparation of incense and unguents. This suggestion, proposed by the late Professor P.E. Newberry who helped in the clearance of Tutankhamun's tomb , is plausible, but, as yet, there is no clear evidence that the Cistus plant grew in Egypt during pharaonic times, but perhaps it could have been used to harvest other gums. Mysteriously, a flail is sometimes depicted floating above the upraised hand of Min and other ithyphallic deities. Certain sacred animals carried the flail on their backs. Although the crook and flail were most often represented as emblems of the god Osiris , they were also carried on some ceremonial occasions, besides the coronation, by the reigning pharaoh. Very occasionally, the crook was held by viceroys of Nubia and also by viziers. A painted scene of tribute from Asia in the tomb of Tutankhamun's viceroy of Nubia, Huy, depicts the king holding both the crook and flail in his left hand and the sign for "life" in his right, while the viceroy holds a crook, but no flail, in his left hand and a single ostrich plume in his right. Only very rarely is the flail shown in the hands of priests or officials and such instances are limited to scenes of royal jubilee festivals. The crook and flail did not die out altogether with the end of the Pharaonic Period of Egyptian history . At least visually, these objects wee carried over into Roman times . In silhouette, the flail resembles the fly-whisk, a stick with three pendant animal pelts, but despite their similar appearance, they are not interchangeable. References:	i don't know
A ‘Fresh Breeze’ is what number on the Beaufort Scale?	Beaufort Wind Scale Beaufort Wind Scale Developed in 1805 by Sir Francis Beaufort, U.K. Royal Navy Force Sea surface smooth and mirror-like Calm, smoke rises vertically Scaly ripples, no foam crests Smoke drift indicates wind direction, still wind vanes 2 Small wavelets, crests glassy, no breaking Wind felt on face, leaves rustle, vanes begin to move 3 Large wavelets, crests begin to break, scattered whitecaps Leaves and small twigs constantly moving, light flags extended 4 Small waves 1-4 ft. becoming longer, numerous whitecaps Dust, leaves, and loose paper lifted, small tree branches move 5 Moderate waves 4-8 ft taking longer form, many whitecaps, some spray Small trees in leaf begin to sway 6 Larger waves 8-13 ft, whitecaps common, more spray Larger tree branches moving, whistling in wires 7 Sea heaps up, waves 13-19 ft, white foam streaks off breakers Whole trees moving, resistance felt walking against wind 8 34-40 Gale Moderately high (18-25 ft) waves of greater length, edges of crests begin to break into spindrift, foam blown in streaks Twigs breaking off trees, generally impedes progress 9 41-47 Strong Gale High waves (23-32 ft), sea begins to roll, dense streaks of foam, spray may reduce visibility Slight structural damage occurs, slate blows off roofs 10 48-55 Storm Very high waves (29-41 ft) with overhanging crests, sea white with densely blown foam, heavy rolling, lowered visibility Seldom experienced on land, trees broken or uprooted, "considerable structural damage" 11	5
‘The Clockwork Orange’ is the nickname of which British city’s underground railway system?	Online calculator: Beaufort scale wind speed: <1 knots (<0.3 m/s) wave height: no waves sea: Flat, like a mirror land: Smoke rises vertically Beaufort number 1 - Light air wind speed: 1-2 knots (0.3-1.5 m/s) wave height: 0.33ft (0.1 m) sea: Ripples without crests. land: Direction of wind shown by smoke drift only Beaufort number 2 - Light breeze wind speed: 3-6 knots (1.5-3.3 m/s) wave height: 0.66ft (0.2 m) sea: Small wavelets. Crests of glassy appearance, not breaking. land: Wind felt on exposed skin. Leaves rustle. Beaufort number 3 - Gentle breeze wind speed: 7-10 knots (3.3-5.5 m/s) wave height: 2ft (0.6 m) sea: Large wavelets. Crests begin to break; scattered whitecaps. land: Leaves and smaller twigs in constant motion. Beaufort number 4 - Moderate breeze wind speed: 11-15 knots (5.5-8.0 m/s) wave height: 3.3ft (1 m) sea: Small waves becoming longer, fairly frequent white horses. land: Dust and loose paper raised. Small branches begin to move. Beaufort number 5 - Fresh breeze wind speed: 16-20 knots (8.0-10.8 m/s) wave height: 6.6ft (2 m) sea: Moderate waves taking more pronounced long form. Many white horces, chance of some spray. land: Branches of a moderate size move. Small trees begin to sway. Beaufort number 6 - Strong breeze wind speed: 21-26 knots (10.8-13.9 m/s) wave height: 9.9ft (3 m) sea: Larger waves begin to form. Spray is present. White foam crests are everywhere. land: Large branches in motion. Whistling heard in overhead wires. Umbrella use becomes difficult. Empty plastic garbage cans tip over. Beaufort number 7 - Near gale wind speed: 27-33 knots (13.9-17.2 m/s) wave height: 13.1ft (4 m) sea: Sea heaps up and foam begins to be blown in streaks in wind direction. land: Whole trees in motion. Effort needed to walk against the wind. Swaying of skyscrapers may be felt, especially by people on upper floors. Beaufort number 8 - Fresh gale wind speed: 34-40 knots (17.2-20.7 m/s) wave height: 18ft (5.5 m) sea: Moderately high waves of greater length.Edges of crest begin to break into spindrift.Foam is blown in well-mark streaks along the direction of the wind. land: Twigs broken from trees. Cars veer on road. Beaufort number 9 - Strong gale wind speed: 41-47 knots (20.7-24.5 m/s) wave height: 23ft (7 m) sea: High waves (6-7 m) with dense foam. Wave crests start to roll over. Spray may affect visibility. land: Larger branches break off trees, and some small trees blow over. Construction/temporary signs and barricades blow over. Damage to circus tents and canopies. Beaufort number 10 - Storm wind speed: 48-55 knots (24.5-28.4 m/s) wave height: 29.5ft (9 m) sea: Very high waves. Large patches of foam from wave crests give the sea a white appearance. Considerable tumbling of waves with heavy impact. Large amounts of airborne spray reduce visibility. land: Trees are broken off or uprooted, saplings bent and deformed, poorly attached asphalt shingles and shingles in poor condition peel off roofs. Beaufort number 11 - Violent storm wind speed: 56-63 knots (28.4-32.6 m/s) wave height: 37.7ft (11.5 m) sea: Exceptionally high waves. Very large patches of foam, driven before the wind, cover much of the sea surface. Very large amounts of airborne spray severely reduce visibility. land: Widespread vegetation damage. More damage to most roofing surfaces, asphalt tiles that have curled up and/or fractured due to age may break away completely. Beaufort number 12 - Hurricane wind speed: ≥64 knots (≥32.6 m/s) wave height: ≥46ft (≥14 m) sea: Huge waves. Sea is completely white with foam and spray. Air is filled with driving spray, greatly reducing visibility. land: Considerable and widespread damage to vegetation, a few windows broken, structural damage to mobile homes and poorly constructed sheds and barns. Debris may be hurled about. Note: Beaufort number images source: National Weather Service web site (http://www.crh.noaa.gov)	i don't know
Miss Able and Miss Baker, the first living creatures to return alive to Earth from space, aboard the flight Jupiter AM-18 in 1959, were what type of animals?	After 50 Years, Space Monkeys Not Forgotten : NPR After 50 Years, Space Monkeys Not Forgotten Embed Embed After 50 Years, Space Monkeys Not Forgotten After 50 Years, Space Monkeys Not Forgotten Embed Embed Miss Baker, a squirrel monkey, is tucked inside her capsule and ready to launch into space aboard a Jupiter missile. She traveled into space on May 28, 1959, along with Able, an American-born rhesus monkey. NASA hide caption toggle caption NASA Miss Baker, a squirrel monkey, is tucked inside her capsule and ready to launch into space aboard a Jupiter missile. She traveled into space on May 28, 1959, along with Able, an American-born rhesus monkey. NASA Able is extricated from the nose cone after it was recovered from the ocean. NASA hide caption toggle caption Able is extricated from the nose cone after it was recovered from the ocean. NASA In Huntsville, Ala., there is an unusual grave site where, instead of flowers, people sometimes leave bananas. The gravestone reads: "Miss Baker, squirrel monkey, first U.S. animal to fly in space and return alive. May 28, 1959." Fifty years ago, when Baker made her famous flight, she had some company in the nose cone of the Jupiter ballistic missile: a rhesus monkey named Able. Able and Baker were shot about 360 miles up into space and experienced about nine minutes of weightlessness. Their safe return occurred two years before any humans flew into space, and it made them huge celebrities. The monkeys appeared on the cover of Life magazine, and at a press conference, news correspondents "pushed each other and clambered over chairs to get closer," reported The New York Times. Meanwhile, the newspaper noted, "the monkeys were far less excited than the humans. They munched peanuts and crackers." Early Space Travelers Able and Baker were not the first living creatures to return to Earth alive from space, although that myth seems to be out there, says Chris Dubbs, co-author of the book Animals in Space: From Research Rockets to the Space Shuttle. Article continues after sponsorship In 1947, the United States sent up fruit flies, which were the first living things to travel into space, Dubbs says. "And then they started sending monkeys." America's first attempt to send up a monkey was in 1948. For over a decade, all monkey flights failed for one reason or another, Dubbs says. In one case, the rocket exploded. Another monkey died on impact when its parachute failed. After another parachute failure, a monkey plummeted into the sea and was never recovered. One monkey mission saw the animals return home safely, but their vehicle hadn't traveled high enough for them to actually reach space. Meanwhile, the Soviets were sending up dogs and having success bringing them back alive from suborbital flights, Dubbs says. At least 30 of those animals returned alive. The first animal who actually orbited the planet was a dog named Laika, though she did not survive the entire flight. She was launched in 1957 in Sputnik 2. "Americans were aware of this," Dubbs says, "and the space race was clearly on by the time that Able and Baker came on the scene." Two Tiny Astronauts Able was a rhesus monkey, and Baker was a much smaller squirrel monkey. Because the rhesus monkey is revered by some in India, U.S. officials stressed that Able had been born not in India, but in Independence, Kan. The monkeys' missile blasted off in the early morning hours from Cape Canaveral and traveled 1,700 miles in 16 minutes, reaching an altitude of about 360 miles. The bright missile lit up the dark sky, says Joseph Guion, who commanded the Navy vessel USS Kiowa that retrieved the monkeys. "You could read a newspaper on the bridge of the ship, it was so bright," he says. "The nose cone arced down, almost like a shooting star, down toward the water. It just came down very rapidly and — boom — it was gone." He and his crew at first thought it had sunk. But then a lookout spotted the nose cone bobbing in the water, and they struggled to get it on board. Military personnel on the ship checked on the monkeys and then sent out a message: "Able Baker perfect. No injuries or other difficulties." Guion says he was floored to see how tiny Baker's capsule was. "It was about the size of a large thermos bottle," he says, recalling that Baker was "extremely easy to talk to and hold. She was like a little doll. Able was just the opposite. You could not get near her." The two monkeys were taken to the officer's wardroom, where air conditioning had been installed for their comfort. Later, they were flown to Washington, D.C., under military escort, for the press conference. A Hundred Letters A Day Unfortunately, Able died just a few days later, during a medical procedure to remove an electrode. Her stuffed body is on display at the Smithsonian's National Air and Space Museum. But Baker lived another 25 years, mostly at the U.S. Space and Rocket Center in Huntsville, Ala. "She would get 100 to 150 letters a day from schoolchildren," says Ed Buckbee, a former director of the center. Children read about her in textbooks and wanted to say hello. "She was very prominent in the story of our early spaceflight ventures." The pioneering monkeys weren't forgotten, even after the first humans reached space in 1961. More than 300 people attended Baker's funeral service when she died of kidney failure in 1984, Buckbee says. And, he says, often at her grave at the entrance to the rocket center, "you'll see a banana or two laying there. You know, some youngster brought it or somebody heard the story and wanted to leave something in memory, kind of like leaving flowers over a person's grave." Watch monkeys Able and Baker get prepped for takeoff and launched into space. Source: Universal-International News	Monkey
Which scientist was appointed as Chemical Assistant at the Royal Institution by Humphrey Davy in March 1813?	Test . Their names were taken from a phonetic alphabet. In 1959, Sam, a rhesus monkey flew on the Little Joe 2 in the Mercury program to 53 miles high. Miss Sam, also a rhesus monkey, followed in 1960, on Little Joe 1B although her flight was only to 8 mi (14 km) in a test of emergency procedures (Ham and Enos also flew in the Mercury program but they were chimpanzees). Goliath, a squirrel monkey died in the explosion of his Atlas rocket on November 10, 1961. A rhesus monkey called Scatback flew a sub-orbital flight on December 20, 1961 but was lost at sea after landing. Bonny, a pig-tailed macaque, flew on Biosatellite 3, a mission which lasted from 29 June to 8 July 1969. This was the first multi-day monkey flight, but came after longer human spaceflights were common. He died within a day of landing. Spacelab 3 on the Space Shuttle flight STS-51-B featured two squirrel monkeys named No. 3165 and No. 384-80. The flight was from 29 April to 6 May 1985. The Russian space program in the Bion program satellites used only the rhesus species. The first Soviet monkeys, Abrek and Bion, flew on Bion 6. They were aloft from December 14, 1983 - December 20, 1983. Next came Bion 7 with monkeys Verny and Gordy from July 10, 1985 - July 17, 1985. Then Dryoma and Yerosha on Bion 8 from September 29, 1987 - October 12, 1987. After returning from space Dryoma was presented to Cuban leader Fidel Castro. Bion 9 with monkeys Zhakonya and Zabiyaka followed from September 15, 1989 to September 28, 1989. They hold the monkey in space endurance record at 13 days, 17 hours in space. Monkeys Krosh and Ivasha flew on Bion 10 from December 29, 1992 to January 7, 1993. Lapik and Multik are the last space monkeys to date. They flew aboard the Bion 11 mission from December 24, 1996 to January 7, 1997. For the first time since the early days of the space program, in the early 1950s, the American space agency, NASA, will be conducting a series of tests on monkeys. The goal of the experiments will be to test and see whether their complex physiology, which is very similar to our own, could endure the rigors of a long-term, interplanetary voyage. The research is relevant when considering the obstacles and unknowns facing Martian exploration, but some people and groups question the validity of this research, in terms of the methods to be used. PETA is one of these groups. The People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) say that subjecting squirrel monkeys to high doses of very powerful radiation is something that should not be a part of a modern and civilized society. The space agency plans to irradiate a group of 28 monkeys with gamma-rays, the most powerful type of radiation in the Universe, composed of the most energetic type of photons. Gamma-rays are usually formed around black holes or in supernova explosions, but their consequences on the human body are not accurately known, according to this data. PETA recently issued an information alert on its website, urging people to act up against the space agency and its experiments. “As you can imagine, we leapt to attention when we learned recently that the scientists at NASA want to blast up to 28 squirrel monkeys with a massive dose of gamma rays in order to 'simulate' the space radiation they would be exposed to if they were humans on a three-year mission to Mars (which they aren't, but apparently NASA isn't one to quibble over details),” the post says. “The monkeys will then spend the rest of their lives being forced to perform a host of 'behavioral tasks' to assess how the radiation affected their brains. Although NASA has repeatedly told the media that these monkeys won't be killed, they left out the teensy detail that earlier radiation experiments NASA has conducted on monkeys have caused the animals to suffer from fatal cancers, including brain tumors,” the statement continues. A group of protesters has already taken to the streets, wearing monkey masks, as well as small cages around them, and signs reading, “No Tax $ for Animal Abuse,” and, “Stop Radiation Tests on Monkeys,” Space reports. Associated Files:	i don't know
In the novel Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte, what is the name of Mr Rochester’s housekeeper?	SparkNotes: Jane Eyre: Plot Overview Plot Overview Context Character List Jane Eyre is a young orphan being raised by Mrs. Reed, her cruel, wealthy aunt. A servant named Bessie provides Jane with some of the few kindnesses she receives, telling her stories and singing songs to her. One day, as punishment for fighting with her bullying cousin John Reed, Jane’s aunt imprisons Jane in the red-room, the room in which Jane’s Uncle Reed died. While locked in, Jane, believing that she sees her uncle’s ghost, screams and faints. She wakes to find herself in the care of Bessie and the kindly apothecary Mr. Lloyd, who suggests to Mrs. Reed that Jane be sent away to school. To Jane’s delight, Mrs. Reed concurs. Once at the Lowood School, Jane finds that her life is far from idyllic. The school’s headmaster is Mr. Brocklehurst, a cruel, hypocritical, and abusive man. Brocklehurst preaches a doctrine of poverty and privation to his students while using the school’s funds to provide a wealthy and opulent lifestyle for his own family. At Lowood, Jane befriends a young girl named Helen Burns, whose strong, martyrlike attitude toward the school’s miseries is both helpful and displeasing to Jane. A massive typhus epidemic sweeps Lowood, and Helen dies of consumption. The epidemic also results in the departure of Mr. Brocklehurst by attracting attention to the insalubrious conditions at Lowood. After a group of more sympathetic gentlemen takes Brocklehurst’s place, Jane’s life improves dramatically. She spends eight more years at Lowood, six as a student and two as a teacher. After teaching for two years, Jane yearns for new experiences. She accepts a governess position at a manor called Thornfield, where she teaches a lively French girl named Adèle. The distinguished housekeeper Mrs. Fairfax presides over the estate. Jane’s employer at Thornfield is a dark, impassioned man named Rochester, with whom Jane finds herself falling secretly in love. She saves Rochester from a fire one night, which he claims was started by a drunken servant named Grace Poole. But because Grace Poole continues to work at Thornfield, Jane concludes that she has not been told the entire story. Jane sinks into despondency when Rochester brings home a beautiful but vicious woman named Blanche Ingram. Jane expects Rochester to propose to Blanche. But Rochester instead proposes to Jane, who accepts almost disbelievingly. The wedding day arrives, and as Jane and Mr. Rochester prepare to exchange their vows, the voice of Mr. Mason cries out that Rochester already has a wife. Mason introduces himself as the brother of that wife—a woman named Bertha. Mr. Mason testifies that Bertha, whom Rochester married when he was a young man in Jamaica, is still alive. Rochester does not deny Mason’s claims, but he explains that Bertha has gone mad. He takes the wedding party back to Thornfield, where they witness the insane Bertha Mason scurrying around on all fours and growling like an animal. Rochester keeps Bertha hidden on the third story of Thornfield and pays Grace Poole to keep his wife under control. Bertha was the real cause of the mysterious fire earlier in the story. Knowing that it is impossible for her to be with Rochester, Jane flees Thornfield. Penniless and hungry, Jane is forced to sleep outdoors and beg for food. At last, three siblings who live in a manor alternatively called Marsh End and Moor House take her in. Their names are Mary, Diana, and St. John (pronounced “Sinjin”) Rivers, and Jane quickly becomes friends with them. St. John is a clergyman, and he finds Jane a job teaching at a charity school in Morton. He surprises her one day by declaring that her uncle, John Eyre, has died and left her a large fortune: 20,000 pounds. When Jane asks how he received this news, he shocks her further by declaring that her uncle was also his uncle: Jane and the Riverses are cousins. Jane immediately decides to share her inheritance equally with her three newfound relatives. St. John decides to travel to India as a missionary, and he urges Jane to accompany him—as his wife. Jane agrees to go to India but refuses to marry her cousin because she does not love him. St. John pressures her to reconsider, and she nearly gives in. However, she realizes that she cannot abandon forever the man she truly loves when one night she hears Rochester’s voice calling her name over the moors. Jane immediately hurries back to Thornfield and finds that it has been burned to the ground by Bertha Mason, who lost her life in the fire. Rochester saved the servants but lost his eyesight and one of his hands. Jane travels on to Rochester’s new residence, Ferndean, where he lives with two servants named John and Mary. At Ferndean, Rochester and Jane rebuild their relationship and soon marry. At the end of her story, Jane writes that she has been married for ten blissful years and that she and Rochester enjoy perfect equality in their life together. She says that after two years of blindness, Rochester regained sight in one eye and was able to behold their first son at his birth.	mrs fairfax
The ‘Tennis Court Oath’ was signed at the beginning of which revolution?	Jane Eyre plot summary - Schoolbytes Schoolbytes Charlotte Bronte BACKGROUND This book was first published under the name Currer Bell. A lot of critics at that time, (19th century), thought that this Currer Bell character was a man, and they gave the book a lot of praise. When they eventually learned that the writer was Charlotte Bronte, a woman, they took back all the nice stuff they said. They claimed that it was unladylike to write about a female character in such a way. They were talking about the character Jane, and the way that she is so independent and strong-willed. ï¿½ MAIN CHARACTERS Jane Eyre: Obviously the main character since the book is named after her. She is an orphan who struggles to find her place in the world, and a family that she can be a part of. The book follows her life. Mrs. Reed: Janeï¿½s wicked aunt. She has to take care of Jane because she promised her husband she would before he died. (Her husband was Janeï¿½s motherï¿½s brother). She is a snob and hates Jane. John Reed : Janeï¿½s cousin. He is really nasty to her and always gets her in trouble and beats her up. Eliza and Georgiana Reed: Janeï¿½s cousins, Johnï¿½s sisters. Bessie: The housekeeper at the Reedï¿½s. She sympathizes with Jane, although she doesnï¿½t really act like it much. Mr. Brocklehurst: He runs the orphan-boarding school that Jane goes to, called Lowood Institution. He is a minister. He is very stingy and mean to the students at his school. Miss. Temple : She is the superintendent and teacher at Lowood. She has compassion for Jane and tries to help her out. She teaches Jane how to control her temper and become more patient. Helen Burns : Janeï¿½s friend at Lowood. She is very patient although she is always in trouble and getting yelled at. She dies from consumption, and is very calm about dying. She is really religious and knows that her real home is waiting for her in heaven. Mrs. Fairfax: She is the housekeeper at Thornfield and a distant relative of Mr. Rochester. Edward Rochester: Master at Thornfield Hall. He is sort of mysterious and odd. Jane and he have this bizarre kind of attraction to one another. Adele Varens: The orphaned child of one of Rochesterï¿½s old mistresses. Rochester is most likely her father. Rochester hired Jane to be a governess to her. Grace Poole: She is employed at Thornfield Hall, but no one is really sure what she does, we later figure out she takes care of Bertha Mason. She lives and works in the attic. She is an alcoholic. Blanche Ingram: Tall, beautiful lady whom Rochester says he is going to marry. She is a snot and is really rude to Jane. Richard Mason: Rochesterï¿½s friend from Jamaica. He is Berthaï¿½s brother. Bertha Mason: Rochesterï¿½s crazy wife that he keeps locked in the attic. John Eyre: Janeï¿½s long lost uncle. St. John Rivers: He is one of Janeï¿½s long lost cousins that she never knew about. He is a minister and plans to go to India as a missionary. He is kind of creepy and not very nice. Diana and Mary Rivers: St.Johnï¿½s sisters, and therefore Janeï¿½s cousins. They are quiet, well behaved women. ï¿½ PLOT Jane Eyre is this little girl about six years old when the book starts. She is living with the Reedï¿½s at Gateshead Hall and she hates it there. The Reedï¿½s are really mean to her and she thinks they suck. The feeling is mutual and so Mrs. Reed sends Jane to this low budget orphan school called Lowood Institution. Mr. Brocklehurst runs Lowood and he does not waste one penny on anything for the girls that live there. They are basically starving because they arenï¿½t allowed to eat much food, and it is freezing all the time because he wonï¿½t shell out for heat. Jane learns to adjust there and makes friends with Helen and Miss. Temple. Then, Helen dies and Miss. Temple leaves to get married. Jane realizes she doesnï¿½t like it there alone so she tries to get a job somewhere as a governess. Edward Rochester hires her to teach his bastard daughter Adele. Jane goes to Thornfield and pretty much her whole life changes. A lot of this novelï¿½s action takes place in Janeï¿½s head and with her emotions. For her to go out on her own to an unknown place was a big deal. At Thornfield Jane is treated like a real person by Rochester. They have a weird relationship, but they are always really honest with each other. Rochester tells her about his life and compliments Jane on stuff she cares about, like her paintings. He kind of is setting her up because he knows that he wants to marry her, but Jane doesnï¿½t know and we donï¿½t know that yet either. He messes with her a little by bringing this chick Blanche out to the house and saying he is going to marry her. This throws Jane for awhile. Jane does not like to mess around and play games. So, Rochester and Jane admit they love each other and they plan to get married. They are at the little church ready to go, and Rochesterï¿½s "friend" Mason busts in and breaks up the wedding. Rochester cannot marry Jane because he already has a wife! He keeps his wife locked up in his attic! (This is a big surprise in the book). Jane is pissed and upset so she runs away. She has no where to go, and not very much money. She travels as far as she can and gets pretty worn out from not eating or resting. She ends up at this little house, and she stops there to see if they would put her up for the night. It is the Riversï¿½ house and Diana and Mary are really nice to her. St. John is kind of shady but he gets her a job teaching at the local schoolhouse. Her uncle John Eyre dies and leaves all his estate to her. Through this she finds out that the Riversï¿½ are her cousins. (Janeï¿½s fatherï¿½s brother was John Eyre, the uncle. John Eyre was also the brother to the Riversï¿½ mother.) He didnï¿½t leave any money to them because of an argument he had with their father years ago. Jane shares the money with the Riversï¿½. St. John wants to marry her and take her with him to India to be missionaries. She really doesnï¿½t want to because she still loves Rochester and does not want to be a missionary. She tells St. John ï¿½noï¿½. One night Jane has this inspiration that she hears Rochester calling her. She is so moved that she takes off to find him. She goes to Thornfield Hall and it is in ruins. She finds out that there was a fire and that Bertha Mason is dead. Rochester was wounded and blinded trying to save her but he could not. He lives all alone in this other house near by. Jane goes to see him and their love is sparked and they live happily ever after. ï¿½ CHAPTER BY CHAPTER CHAPTER 1 We meet Jane and the Reeds. The Reeds exclude her from stuff because she is not "sociable" or "natural". Jane doesnï¿½t care and entertains herself by hiding in the other room with a book. she escapes in the world the book creates for her. John Reed busts in and starts harassing Jane. He throws the book at her and beats her up. She fights back and gets blamed for the whole thing. ï¿½ CHAPTER 2 Jane is all fired up from her fight with John. No one can really control her so they lock her up in the red room. The red room is Mr. Reedï¿½s old room and the room he died in so it is kind of freaky. Jane thinks she sees his ghost and wigs out. She gets herself so worked up that she becomes unconscious. ï¿½ CHAPTER 3 She wakes up in the nursery and a doctor has come to see her. The servants are being pretty nice to her because she has scared everybody with her tantrum. Bessie sings her this song about a poor orphan childï¿½s journey. (Jane thinks of this song often later in her life). Jane learns about her parents from listening to the servants talk. Her father was a poor clergyman, and her mother had married him against her familyï¿½s wishes. Her father cut them off. They both died within a year of typhus. ï¿½ CHAPTER 4 Mrs. Reed tells her children to stay away from Jane. The Holidays pass and Jane is not invited to participate in any of the parties or festivities. Mr. Brocklehurst comes to Gateshead because Mrs. Reed wants to send Jane to his school. Mrs. Reed tells Mr. Brockelhurst bad things about Jane, like that she is a liar, etc. Jane goes off on Mrs. Reed and basically tells her that she hates her and how much she sucks. Bessie is nice to Jane and makes her feel better. ï¿½ Jane leaves for Lowood Institution. The first person Jane sees is Miss. Temple, and jane instantly likes and admires her. Jane describes her first day at Lowood and how things work there. Jane notices Helen Burns and they talk a little bit. Jane notices later on that day that Helen gets in trouble with a teacher. ï¿½ CHAPTER 6 Jane talks to Helen again and asks her how she can stand to be yelled at so much. Helen says it is because she has faults and the teachers are only pointing them out to her. (Helen is really mature and patient). Helen does not carry grudges and Jane canï¿½t understand that because she hates the Reeds so much. ï¿½ CHAPTER 7 Mr. Brocklehurst visits Lowood and gets in an argument with Miss. Temple about the money spent on stuff for the girls, like food and clothes. He is a big cheapskate and Miss. Temple calls him on that. Jane drops her slate (little chalkboard) while Brocklehurst is talking. He makes her stand up in front of everyone and he tells them that she is a servant of the devil and a liar. He completely embarrasses her. ï¿½ CHAPTER 8 Jane is all bent out of shape that no one will like her because of what Brocklehurst said. Helen makes Jane feel better by telling her all this spiritual stuff. Miss. Temple invites Jane and Helen into her room. She lets Jane tell her story about the Reeds and why they accuse her of being a liar. She is really nice to the girls. ï¿½ CHAPTER 9 Typhus hits Lowood and many of the girls get really sick because they are starved and unhealthy. Helen is really sick but not with typhus, with consumption. Jane sneaks into the room where Helen is staying. She curls up in her bed with her and the two talk and bond. Helen dies while they sleep. ï¿½ Eight years pass and Jane decides to advertise to be a governess. She is offered a job from Mrs.fairfax and accepts. Jane sees Bessie while waiting for her coach to go to Thornfield and they catch up on old times. ï¿½ CHAPTER 11 Jane arrives at Thornfield and settles in. She is introduced to Mrs.Fairfax and the other servants, and begins teaching Adele. Jane hears a lot of loud noises and strange laughter coming from the third floor. Mrs.Fairfax yells up to Grace to be quiet. (This is the beginning of the mystery as to what is upstairs). ï¿½ CHAPTER 12 Months pass and Jane is accustomed to her life at Thornfield, although she is a little bored. One night she goes for a walk and sees a man riding his horse. The man and the horse fall and Jane is left to help them. The man asks her stuff about who she is and where she lives. Jane goes back to Thornfield and there is all sorts of stuff going on. Jane recognizes the dog that was with the fallen man in the house. Mrs.Fairfax tells Jane that the master is back and has just injured himself on his horse. So the man was Rochester, and that was Janeï¿½s first meeting with him. ï¿½ The next day Rochester calls Jane and Adele to have tea with him. Rochester asks Jane a million questions about herself and her life. Jane asks Mrs.Fairfax why Rochester is so strange, and she tells Jane that Rochester has family problems. We learn that his older brother has died and he has only been master of Thornfield for nine years. ï¿½ Mr. Rochester calls jane and Adele to see him again a few days later. He is intent on talking to Jane and getting her to talk to him. When he talks to her though, he talks of strange things and of times past and he often loses Janeï¿½s understanding. ï¿½ CHAPTER 15 Rochester tells Jane about Celine, Adeleï¿½s mother and his old mistress. Jane is attracted by his truthfulness and trust he seems to have in her. She also says that his face was the best that she liked to see. Jane hears someone moving around and laughing outside her door. She calls out and hears the person run away and up to the third floor. She thinks it is Grace Poole. She opens her bedroom door and sees smoke pouring out of Rochesterï¿½s room. She runs in and sees that his bed is on fire. Jane tries to wake Rochester but he is sound asleep. She dumps a bucket of water on his bed and puts the fire out. Rochester wakes up and does not know what is going on. Jane tells him everything that she knows. He goes to the third floor and comes back saying that everything is taken care of and she should not tell anyone what happened. He kind of lets her think that it was Grace Poole. Jane leaves to go back to bed and Rochester asks her to stay up with him a little longer. ï¿½ CHAPTER 16 In the morning, Jane sees Grace Poole in Rochesterï¿½s room sewing new curtains. Jane is convinced that Grace set the fire. Mrs.Fairfax tells Jane that Rochester has left and will probably be gone for weeks. He is at a friendï¿½s estate with other friends. Jane asks if there are any ladies there and learns about Blanche Ingram. Jane draws two portraits, one of herself and one of what she thinks Blanche would look like. She promises herself that whenever she thinks Rochester might like her, she must compare the two portraits and see that she is not Rochesterï¿½s type, someone like Blanche is. ï¿½ CHAPTER 17 Jane is missing Rochester and tries to remind herself that she is just the governess in his house. Mrs.Fairfax gets a letter that says Rochester will be back in three days and he is bringing all his friends with him. All the servants freak out and spend all their time getting the house ready. Rochester and his friends arrive in time for dinner on the third day. Adele and Jane are invited to join the group after dinner. Jane canï¿½t stop looking at Rochester. (Itï¿½s kind of weird that Jane thinks Rochester is so attractive because he is not described that way). The guests are pretty rude to Jane and go on and on about how governesses suck. Jane is uncomfortable and slips out. Rochester follows her and asks her what she has been up to, etc. He sees that she is upset, and he probably knows why. (Jane likes Rochester and she was just put down by his friends, and she canï¿½t really talk to Rochester about it). ï¿½ CHAPTER 18 Rochester and the guests do all this fun stuff like going outside and playing charades (hey, this is the 19th century). Rochester and Blanche are always hanging around each other and everyone knows that they are going to be married. Rochester has to go away for business. While he is gone this guy Mason shows up to pay him a visit. They invite him in and he hangs out with his other friends, basically waiting until he gets back. A gypsy woman has wandered to Thornfield and will not leave until she tells all the young ladies their fortunes. After a big argument, the ladies go to the gypsy. Blanche is kind of pissed after she comes back. The other ladies are all giggly and canï¿½t believe how much the gypsy knew about their lives. The gypsy refuses to leave because there is still one more young lady in the house. So, Jane must go have her fortune read. ï¿½ The gypsy asks Jane all these personal questions about her dreams and her feelings. Then, the gypsy asks Jane about Rochester and Blanche. Jane realizes that the gypsy is Rochester! He admits it and he and Jane hang out for awhile. Jane tells him that that guy Mason showed up and Rochester freaks out a little. Rochester is acting shady and tells Jane to whisper to Mason to come see him. ï¿½ CHAPTER 20 Jane is awakened by screams for help and loud noises coming from the third floor. All the guests are awake too, and they are all freaking out about what is going on. Rochester says that a servant was having a nightmare, but Jane knows better Rochester comes for Jane after everyone goes back to bed. Mason has a serious wound on his arm and Jane has to keep sponging the blood away while Rochester goes to get the doctor. Jane is afraid that Grace Poole is going to attack her, because she thinks that Grace must have done this to Mason. Once Mason is okay, they sneak him out of the house so that the other guests wonï¿½t be suspicious in the morning. Rochester and Jane hang out and talk. He asks her some questions that have to do with mistakes he made in his past. He wants to be sure she would not hate him for mistakes he made a long time ago. He asks Jane if she will stay up all night with him the night before he marries Blanche, and talk about Blanche. (He is testing her, her loyalty and faithfulness). ï¿½ Jane gets notice that Mrs. Reed is really sick and keeps calling for Jane. Jane leaves Thornfield to go see Mrs. Reed. At Gateshead she hangs out with Bessie. Eliza is planning on being a nun, so she is really boring. Georgiana is all into herself and being popular so she is pretty boring too. John Reed is dead, he commited suicide because he was an alcoholic and a gambler that lost all the familyï¿½s money. Mrs.Reed isnï¿½t really happy to see Jane. She tells Jane that she got a letter from her uncle John Eyre a couple years ago. She never sent it on to Jane because she didnï¿½t really like Jane. She thought Jane should have the letter. Mrs. Reed dies. CHAPTER 22 After one month, Jane goes back to Thornfield. She walks the last part of the way through some fields around the house. Rochester is sitting in these fields writing. Jane tries to avoid him but he sees her. They talk and Jane is happy to see him, but sad because she knows that he is going to be married soon. Rochester shows her the new carriage he bought for his bride. Jane thinks it is weird that Rochester and Blanche have not been spending very much time together. ï¿½ CHAPTER 23 Jane is walking around in the garden when she smells Rochesterï¿½s cigar. She tries to sneak her way out without his noticing her, but he does. They talk about his marriage and what Jane will do when that happens. Rochester offers to send her to this family in Ireland that needs a governess, and tells her he will probably never see her again. Jane is upset and tells Rochester she is really sad to leave Thornfield. Rochester admits he is not marrying Blanche and asks Jane to be his wife, she accepts. ï¿½ Rochester and Jane get ready to be married. He tries to give her all these gifts but she doesnï¿½t want them. Jane really loves Rochester, and he really loves her. ï¿½ CHAPTER 25 Jane has all these messed up dreams where everything gets ruined and she is alone. She has this other "dream" of some woman in her room trying on her wedding veil. The woman was scary and someone she had never seen before. When Jane wakes up she sees her veil on the floor torn in half. (This was not a dream. Bertha Mason did that). ï¿½ CHAPTER 26 Jane and Rochester go to the church to be married. The ceremony is interrupted with the information that Rochester is already married and that this wife is still living. That guy Mason comes out of no where and testifies to this. He says Rochesterï¿½s wife lives at Thornfield and is Grace Pooleï¿½s patient. (This is such a HUGE shock to everyone, especially Jane). Rochester gets all defensive and asks everyone to come and see the woman he was "forced" to marry and see for themselves what kind of person she is. They all go to see Bertha. She attacks Rochester like a savage. The lawyer who busted up the wedding approaches Jane about her uncle John Eyre. Jane had sent him a letter about her upcoming marriage to Rochester. Her uncle knew Mason and asked Mason about Rochester. Mason told John Eyre that Rochester was already married, and so he came on John Eyreï¿½s behalf to save Jane. Jane returns to her life of disappointment and sadness. ï¿½ CHAPTER 27 Jane decides that she must leave Thornfield. She has been in her room for almost a day, and when she finally comes out Rochester is sitting there waiting for her. He tells her how much he loves her and that he is sorry. Jane really has nothing to say except that she must leave him and his home. Rochester tells Jane about how he came to marry Bertha. Here is the deal: In England at this time, all of a familyï¿½s property and money went to the oldest son. Rochester had an older brother and so he would get everything. Their dad set up this marriage for Rochester so that he would still be a member of upper class society, (Berthaï¿½s family had money). They told Rochester that she was beautiful, etc. He met her but never spent any time alone with her. After they were married he found out that she was crazy. So, he feels like he got tricked. Rochester keeps trying to explain to Jane his feelings and reasons for acting the way he did. Jane has some more weird dreams. She wakes and sneaks away from Thornfield not telling anyone she has gone. ï¿½ CHAPTER 28 Jane gets dropped off in a town called Whitcross. She wanders around that area looking for a job or someone that will help her out. She has been walking around all day without anything to eat and no luck finding a job. She sees a small cottage and knocks on the door. The housekeeper tries to turn her away but the ladies, Diana and Mary welcome her in. St. John wants to know her story right away, although Jane is too weak. They invite Jane to spend the night. ï¿½ CHAPTER 29 Jane tells them her name is Jane Elliott. She tells them the truth about her life, leaving out the part about Rochester and their wedding. They let Jane stay with them until she can find a job. ï¿½ Jane gets along well with the Rivers and she likes them. St. John offers Jane a job teaching the village children and Jane accepts. Jane leaves to start her new job in the nearby town. ï¿½ Jane settles into her little cottage, her own home. St. John visits her often because his ministry is close by. ï¿½ Jane gets settled in the town and starts to like it there. Jane and St. John become kind of close friends. ï¿½ CHAPTER 33 St. John has received an advertisement about Janeï¿½s life, to help people locate Jane. He knows all of Janeï¿½s life. The first thing that Jane says is to ask how Rochester is. St. John tells Jane that her uncle has died and left her everything. Jane becomes pretty rich. St. John tells Jane that they are related through the Eyre family name. Janeï¿½s uncle is also the Riversï¿½ uncle. Jane is so psyched to have a family that she loves. She decides to split the money with them. ï¿½ CHAPTER 34 Jane goes to live at the little cottage with Diana and Mary. Jane begins to understand that St. John is kind of a cold man, she realizes that he does not take pleasure in anything. St. John devotes a lot of his time and attention to Jane. He asks her to marry him and become a missionary with him. ï¿½ CHAPTER 35 Jane refuses St. Johnï¿½s offer. She does not love him and does not want to go to India. He is upset and angered by her answer. Jane feels a strange shock and hears her name called out. She knows that she must go to Rochester. ï¿½ CHAPTER 36 Jane takes off for Thornfield. When she gets there she sees Thornfield in ruins. She asks a local what happened and he bascially tells her that Bertha torched the place. Rochester saved everyone from the fire, except Bertha. She jumped off the roof and killed herself. Jane finds out that Rochester is blind now and living at a smaller home nearby. ï¿½ Jane returns to Rochester and he is so happy to have her near him again. They never stopped loving each other, but now they were free to love each other. ï¿½ Jane speaks directly to the reader. Jane and Rochester get married. Jane keeps in touch with her family. Rochester regains his sight in one eye. ï¿½ THINGS THAT MAKE YOU LOOK SMART The fire and ice imagery. The fire stuff represents a loss of control and anger towards patriarchal society. The ice stuff is the acceptance of that. The red room that Jane is sent to at the Reeds represents some kind of patriarchal terrors. The room is haunted by Mr. Reed, and is all red. Jane lashes out against that in search for a place for herself as an orphan and a woman. Gender roles in society are examined throughout the novel. Rochester has had to deal with establishing himself through wealth and status, because that is what males do. Jane had to establish herself through a connection with a family (the Rivers) and her independent wealth. Both, Jane and Rochester move beyond those establishments to one where they are content and can understand love. They are spiritual equals.	i don't know
‘Duck and dive’ represents which number in the game of Bingo?	Bingo and Cockney Rhyming Slang - Bingo Terms Bingo Terms Sites of Interest Bingo and Cockney Rhyming Slang In bingo, a lot of the numbers have been given rhyming nicknames that come from Cockney rhyming slang. For example, number 3 is “one little flea”, number 25 is sometimes called “duck and dive” and number 86 is “between the sticks”. Bingo callers – the people who call out the numbers – often improvise or alternate between using different nicknames for the same numbers. So even the number 8, which is usually known as the “fat lady”, may be called as “at the gate”. The number 3 may be called as “cup of tea” or even “monkey on the tree”. Origins of Cockney Rhyming Slang The real Cockney rhyming slang doesn’t use just a rhyming word in place of another word. It’s more complicated than that. It uses just one word out of phrase that rhymes. Take “use your loaf”, which means “use your head”. Originally, someone figured that “loaf of bread” rhymes with head and started using “loaf” instead of “head”. The word took, and “use your loaf” was added to the dictionary of cockney rhyming slang. Consider another example. If you “have a butcher’s”, it means you have a look. This came from “butcher’s hook”, which of course rhymes with “look”. Most recently, even Britney Spears has featured in cockney rhyming slang. Britney Spears rhymes with “beers”, so – you guessed it – “britneys” is used to mean beers. Nobody’s sure exactly why or how Cockneys started using rhyming slang, but many people think it was a way to keep outsiders from knowing what they were saying. This could obviously come in useful, whether the outsiders were coppers or naive visitors to markets. Cockney Rhyming Slang and Bingo Numbers Here are some examples of popular Cockney rhyming slang for bingo numbers. Be warned though, bingo callers may improvise! 2. Me and you, Peek a boo 3. One little flea, Cup of tea, Monkey on the tree 4. The one next door, On the floor, Shut the door 5. Man alive	twenty five
Which country won the FIFA Award for Most Entertaining Team at the 2006 World Cup?	Bingo Calling Names - GarysMomsBingoPage GarysMomsBingoPage The fascinating history of Bingo The game of bingo enjoys a [...] Everyone is welcome to join the “Jackpotjoy […] Archives Bingo Board Lingo – Traditional Bingo Call Names A list of all the known Bingo Calling Names Scroll down to the Bingo Calling Names. If you are new to the world of online bingo or traditional bingo, you may be forgiven for thinking Read MoreHide that the game is simply about arming yourself with some bingo cards, listening out for the numbers called and hoping to win. While this is the basic premise of the game, it is important to remember that bingo dates further back than the exciting, fast-paced world of today’s online bingo and, in fact, has a rich and interesting history surrounding it. Nowhere is this fact reflected better than in the old traditional calling names used in bingo halls. What are Bingo Calling Names? Calling names are traditional nicknames given to all the numbers on the bingo board, from one through to Read MoreHide ninety. These names sprung up in the United Kingdom and may vary from region to region in the country. Essentially, bingo calling names fall into two broad categories – those that rhyme with the number, and those that have a special reason to why they are associated with that particular number. In online bingo there are no calling names, but the numbers are called out clearly plus the fact that you have a visual of the ball as well as a board where all the numbers called are displayed. Many bingo calling names have one than one calling name – one of ‘rhyme’ and one of ‘reason’. This is because many rhyming nicknames can rhyme with other numbers down the list (for example, the number 25’s calling name ‘Duck and Dive’ also rhymes with all numbers on the list that end with five). This makes it difficult to remember all the rhyming names and so a ‘reasonable’ name is given as well. Multiples of 10 (ie. numbers 20, 30, etc.) have the word ‘blind’ put before the number. Knowing the lingo is just as necessary in online bingo as it is in regular bingo, however bingo games wouldn’t be the same without it. Lists of these popular nicknames can be found at some online bingo sites. How about a nice big bonus offer from Back2School Bingo? Traditional Bingo Calling Names and Some of their Explanations No.	i don't know

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