tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20806366.post903719889131729865..comments2023-10-18T08:23:50.831-04:00Comments on Endless Books: Shannon Hale on StoryBethhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08589856495993730380noreply@blogger.comBlogger4125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20806366.post-1427981291081120432008-10-28T09:00:00.000-04:002008-10-28T09:00:00.000-04:00Becky, thank you for stopping by! It was so funny ...Becky, thank you for stopping by! It was so funny yesterday...I was on a blog that had a link to the "giveaway" sites. I was scrolling through seeing what people were offering as giveaways and when I saw "Book of a Thousand Days" I think my pulse quickened! I thought "woo-hoo, could someone really be doing a giveaway with a Shannon Hale book?" and of course hopped right over to check! :-)<BR/><BR/>As a former English major, there's a part of me that does love to "analyze" books...but only if it's done in a way that really helps to open my eyes and give me a way to think about deeper meanings. If it's just "symbol chasing" -- well, I'd much rather just go back and read the story again, especially if it's one I love!<BR/><BR/>I do hope you'll come back and visit. I'm sure I'll be checking in at your blog again too! Blessings!Bethhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08589856495993730380noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20806366.post-68026260401504544952008-10-27T21:05:00.000-04:002008-10-27T21:05:00.000-04:00Thank you for coming by my blog and inviting me he...Thank you for coming by my blog and inviting me here!<BR/><BR/>What an insightful post! I didn't have a <I>lot</I> of education revolving around literature, but my reading preferences definitely seem to be in tune with yours. I was in a book club a couple years ago, but ultimately quit attending because of the way each book became analyzed to death. I would read the books - and <I>enjoy</I> them, but my brain just didn't want to pick them apart. I just wanted to talk about things I enjoyed/didn't enjoy. Analyzing a book kills the joy for me.<BR/><BR/>I will definitely go read the piece you linked to, "How Reader Girl Got Her Groove Back". It sounds like a great read.<BR/><BR/>Anyway, thanks again. I can't wait to read more of Shannon Hale's books, after "Book of a Thousand Days". I will definitely be coming to visit your blog in the future, I think! :)Becky N.https://www.blogger.com/profile/08189400116228254926noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20806366.post-11848642397562436482008-10-27T13:34:00.000-04:002008-10-27T13:34:00.000-04:00It's interesting, isn't it, how so much of contemp...It's interesting, isn't it, how so much of contemporary literature in the modern era seemed to lose its way in terms of story-telling. I think there are real correlations between that and shifts in theological beliefs. We don't always connect the dots, but when people cease to feel certain about the authorship and purpose of their own lives, perhaps it's no wonder they begin to have a hard time seeing or creating stories with any pattern or structure that makes sense. Or that they don't know how to write about love in ways that feel real and resonate with our hearts. The health and vitality of children's and young adult literature (at least some of it) today gives me hope that people are recognizing their story hunger and looking for pattern and meaning again.<BR/><BR/>And how wise you are, Erin, about the importance of reading what nourishes us! <BR/><BR/>*Goose Girl* would be a great place to start with Hale. I couldn't find the next Bayern book at our library, but other libraries in the system had it, so I've put a hold request on it. I can always tell when I'm really "into" an author, because I'm so eager to go back into their fictional world again!Bethhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08589856495993730380noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20806366.post-15683159032474163292008-10-27T09:34:00.000-04:002008-10-27T09:34:00.000-04:00Great essay, by her and by you! My college classe...Great essay, by her and by you! My college classes really kinda burned me out too. There were a few novels I loved - <B>Huck Finn</B>, <B>Sense and Sensibility</B>, <B>Robinson Crusoe</B> - but so much of it, especially the more modern books, left me feeling flat, and there were a couple of years when I pretty much stopped reading just for the fun of it. I also got tired of all the derisive undertones in class discussions about mainstream and genre fiction. I guess the main thing is to read what nourishes us, whether or not it's highly regarded by the literary elite. And there are so many wonderful books out there for children and young adults. I need to read one of Shannon Hale's books soon...Erinhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07191855305749074736noreply@blogger.com