While She Knits - What's Old?
May. 4th, 2012 06:48 pm![[identity profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/openid.png){kind=small}
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queensthiefUsually, we ask "what's new?" As in, what is the latest and greatest book you've read? *
But, after many recommendations, I'm finally reading A Countess Below Stairs by Eva Ibbotson, published in 1981. So, instead, let's talk about what's old. What older books have you read recently that you'd recommend to others?
How about if we define "older" as published in the 1900s?
(* in my case, that would be This Dark Endeavor, which had my heart pounding throughout. Not old. Latest and greatest.)
But, after many recommendations, I'm finally reading A Countess Below Stairs by Eva Ibbotson, published in 1981. So, instead, let's talk about what's old. What older books have you read recently that you'd recommend to others?
How about if we define "older" as published in the 1900s?
(* in my case, that would be This Dark Endeavor, which had my heart pounding throughout. Not old. Latest and greatest.)
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Date: 5/4/12 11:48 pm (UTC)"Older" is the 1900's? Good heavens. I was thinking of older older. Like pre-1950's at least! However, I'll cooperate with you. Except I'm stretching "recently" to its farthest limits...
Antonia Forest's books.
Margaret Irwin's four Stuart-era historical fictions: The Proud Servant, The Stranger Prince, The Bride, Royal Flush.
Jane Langton's The Diamond in the Window
Zilpha Keatley Snyder's The Velvet Room and The Changeling
Lucile Curt Morrison - The Mystery of Shadow Walk
Hilda Van Stockum - The Borrowed House
Norma Kassirer - Magic Elizabeth
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Date: 5/5/12 12:38 am (UTC)Speaking of which, for an old book, I'm going to recommend his Silverwing series (which includes Silverwing, Sunwing, Firewing and the companion-prequel-whatchamacallit Darkwing). It's a series of exciting, adventurous, thoughtful, thrilling stories about a young bat named Shade who goes in search of his missing father and saves the world from an evil bat god named Cama Zotz. The magic in the series ties into both ancient Mayan mythology and bats' echolocation ability. It's seriously cool. And the world is a little bit alternate-reality dystopia, too, once the humans show up in the second book. I would recommend it to anyone of any age who likes sheer awesomeness and talking animals.
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Date: 5/5/12 01:19 am (UTC)The Wolves of Willoughby Chase and series are amazing. So are the Green Knowe books--at least the early ones. I only read the first two, I think.
From the Mixed Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler, as well as The View From Saturday which I mostly liked because I was on a quiz bowl team, but it's also a nice friendship story.
I adore Maud Hart Lovelace's Betsy-Tacy books and always will. Also The Witch of Blackbird Pond,. Also, Homer Price.
I'm pretty much just listing all of my favorites at this point. I read a lot as a kid, and mostly older books. Lois Lenski, Elizabeth Enright (LOVE HER!), Noel Streatfeild. I was also pretty L.M. Montgomery mad for several years.
And, of course, Rosemary Sutcliff.
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Date: 5/5/12 01:37 am (UTC)no subject
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Date: 5/5/12 03:06 am (UTC)And, while we're on the subject of Regency/Napoleonic wars, I've recently been reading some of the Hornblower books and the Aubrey/Maturin books. Fun!
Also, the Peter Wimsey books.
Also, Ellis Peters, including the Brother Cadfael books, the other mysteries, and the non-mysteries she wrote as Edith Pargeter.
(stretching 'recently' quite a bit here...)
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Date: 5/5/12 03:22 am (UTC)Right now, I'm starting on Dreams of Joy by Lisa See (the sequel to Shanghai Girls). I guess it's not usual Sounis fare (not much of what I read seems to be XD), but I'm hoping it'll be awesome.
I'm trying to work my way through Riddlemaster of Hed by Patricia McKillip, but so far it hasn't gripped me. :(
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Date: 5/5/12 03:32 am (UTC)I also recently read Bradbury's novella "Somewhere a Band Is Playing" for the first time.
And now I'm reading the clock, and it says "Get to bed already!"
("That's ME you're hearing, Boss!"
"I know, Loiosh."
"So stop typing this dialogue awreddy!
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Date: 5/5/12 08:36 am (UTC)I've recently had my heart broken by Gillian Bradshaw's Arthurian trilogy, that starts with Hawk in May. She uses language so beautifully, and the emotions in the story...! By the third book, I could hardly bear to pick it up, since I so very badly didn't want it to end the way it was inevitably going to end.
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Date: 5/5/12 12:29 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 5/5/12 12:31 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 5/5/12 02:05 pm (UTC)Oh, yes! I was looking at Homer Price & forgot about those.
Actually, I didn't read Little White Horse until last year. Smoky House, Pilgrim's Inn, Rosemary Tree, Scent of Water, Linnets & Valerians were some of my favorites.
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Date: 5/5/12 02:50 pm (UTC)no subject
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Date: 5/5/12 06:33 pm (UTC)(And, speaking of awesome old books... see icon.)
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Date: 5/5/12 08:39 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 5/5/12 09:09 pm (UTC)Also - I read this great book published in the 1990's calleThe Thief by Megan Whalen Turner - y'all should really read it, it's great ;P
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Date: 5/5/12 10:42 pm (UTC)So, if you haven't read it yet . . .
Seconding Dorothy Sayers' Lord Peter and Harriet Vane books. My favorite will always be Gaudy Night, but you really do need the earlier books for it to mean much.
Mirabile and Hellspark by Janet Kagan.
G. K. Chesterton's The Man Who Was Thursday.
George MacDonald. Particularly Phantastes and Lillith, but I love so many of his books. Even the non-fantastic, explicitly didactic, conversion narrative ones.
Also, I was just re-reading "The Yellow Wallpaper" the other day . . . powerful stuff.
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Date: 5/5/12 10:43 pm (UTC)(On the other hand, I put down Jonathan Strange & Mr. Norrell, and I kind of forgot to ever pick it back up again.)
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Date: 5/6/12 02:07 am (UTC)Placet.
:)
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Date: 5/6/12 06:22 am (UTC)Also, the Merlin trilogy by Mary Stewart.
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Date: 5/6/12 02:26 pm (UTC)Ages ago I read Jane Eyre and it wasn't bad. There are lots of good words in it, including my favorite word ever, conflagration! (a great fire)
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Date: 5/6/12 02:47 pm (UTC)Speaking of Emma Bull, have you read her collaboration with Steven Brust, Freedom and Necessitylove it. It's a rather hard to define epistolary novel, with faked deaths, Chartist conspiracies, wannabe Druids, and ferociously intelligent characters.
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Date: 5/6/12 03:03 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 5/6/12 04:49 pm (UTC)I've recently discovered Tamora Pierce. I think her books were published throughout the eighties, judging by the cover illustrations.
I read the Immortals quartet and then three out of four of the Lioness series, now reading the Protector of the Small. All set in the same world, love them!
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Date: 5/6/12 11:37 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 5/7/12 01:37 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 5/7/12 01:42 am (UTC)And no, I am not drooling. That is an illusion.
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Date: 5/7/12 02:26 am (UTC)I went through quite a Tamora Pierce spell--loved the Alanna books.
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Date: 5/8/12 01:40 am (UTC)And
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Date: 5/8/12 01:57 am (UTC)Ah, yes, Jonathan Strange & Mr. Norrell! It took me ages to get into that one, too, but I ended up loving it. I dragged through the first few chapters right before I went overseas, whereupon I checked it out of a library there and continued slogging through until about 2/3 of the way through. At that point, I realised the book was brilliant and spent most of an afternoon curled up in an armchair devouring it. :D I really need to reread it, but classes have put a damper on that...
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Date: 5/8/12 02:01 am (UTC)I rather like Jane Eyre though I haven't read it in ages, so I'm glad you liked it well enough. :)
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Date: 5/8/12 02:04 am (UTC)I didn't get Homer Price when I was quite young and first read it, but I've long since come to understand and enjoy those books. :)
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Date: 5/9/12 04:47 pm (UTC)