What a weekend! Mary and I taught our Friday evening/all day Saturday, three classes, meals and cooking classes “Way of Communion” seminar at the Episcopal Church of the Mediator here in Allentown. I really enjoy writing and talking with friends about Harry Potter, but I live to eat and talk about good food and eating as an extension of the Eucharist. It was a delight and enlightening, as always (and I think the folks who joined us got a lot out of it, too).
Anyway, prepping for that intensive course left us pretty light on posts here last week. I’ll try to catch up this week, which, except for a trip to New Haven to talk at Yale Divinity School on Wednesday, is a “stay-at-home-and-update-Unlocking” week.
I’ve read about a fascinating Reading Challenge on Dr. Sturgis’ site, at Sword of Gryffindor, even at its point of origin. Let me add my voice to this chorus of thoughtful readers recommending the Mythopoeic Award Challenge for calendar year 2008. Simply choose seven titles from the Mythopoeic Society’s list of Award winners and read them all by midnight 31 December. There’s an edifying, mid-February not-quite-so-New-Year’s resolution.
I ask for your recommendations to put on my list or thoughts about the books you’d like to read. And be sure to tune in to Dr. Sturgis’ interviews this month! The first one is tomorrow…
Thanks so much, John! Best wishes with your work and talk this week!
Just a tip for those considering taking part in the Mythopoeic Awards Reading Challenge: a great way to find good quality used copies of these books for very little cost is Bookins. I’ve been using this site for almost a year to trade books, and I highly recommend it; moreover, you can search under Books, Award Winners, and then Mythopoeic Awards to go directly to the relevant titles available.
Also, the final list of this year’s award nominees and winners will be announced by the Mythopoeic Society in August, so more books will be a part of the challenge soon! (Who knows, perhaps even another Harry Potter title…!)
I found quite a few favorites on the complete list and even own several, so I guess I’m good for a couple years!
I was happy to see Robin McKinley, Connie Willis, and Jane Yolen’s exquisite, shattering Briar Rose on the list, also Lois Lowry’s The Giver (which has two sequels). I love Bujold’s Verkosigan books so should give her fantasy books a chance.
A fantasy/sf suggestion–How Like a God and it’s sequel, Doors of Death and Life, by Christian writer Brenda W. Clough are excellent. Anyone interested in reimagined fairy tales will enjoy Donna Napoli’s YA books, Beast (listed), Spinners and Zel. Also, Zenna Henderson’s People stories (there is ia compendium called Ingathering) are favorites, especially with their biblical verse themes.
I’ll be checking into some authors on this list. Thanks, John.
The kitties want to know why Lloyd Alexander’s The Town Cats and Time Cat aren’t on the list along with The Misadventures of Sebastian…