Hello dear readers,
This is a mini-letter because I learned it was National Read a Book Day and just had to share!
Has anyone read any great books recently?
I just finished my third (I think?) reread of The Titan’s Curse by Rick Riordan, as I somewhat mentioned in my last letter. As you may know, I’ve ben rereading the beloved series of my childhood along with the TNO podcast since the pod began.
I have basically been great at reading along for the first four to nine chapters of each book in the series, then just finishing the rest of the book in one go… which is what happened this week 😅
Other books that I have been reading but not finished yet:
Favorite Folktales from Around the World, edited by Jane Yolen
I found this book a month or two back and was instantly intrigued. For one, I know Jane Yolen is a very famous author, whom I have not yet read. For another, it’s a collection of folktales from around the world.
I adore folktales and fairytales.
A few years back, I wrote a heavily researched project (which I’d like to eventually share with the world, so stay tuned), with much of that research involving reading original fairytales. But even for that research, I really only encountered European folktales and fairytales. So I’ve really enjoyed the chance to read tales from all different parts of the globe in Yolen’s anthology and note patterns and differences across stories.
(The “Fairy Tales” episode of Vox’s Explained on Netflix is also an interesting dive into how “original” these tales actually are!)
The Light Fantastic by Terry Pratchett
I accidentally started with this book, the second installment of the Discworld series, instead of the first in the series. However, Pratchett does a wonderful job of summarizing the important bits of plot from the first book, so I didn’t feel lost at all by starting with this one.
From what I have heard and, according to Pratchett’s website, you do not have to read all the Discworld books in order.
The book is a very fun read that has become my go-to book in my bag. (You probably know the one: the-I-shall-keep-this-in-my-bag-for-reading-in-waiting-rooms-and-in-the-car-so-I-have-something-to-do-as-I-wait.)
The character of Death has made a small appearance so far, which is part of why I wanted to read the book, given all the wonderful quotes from said character I’ve found on Pinterest.
We get to see Rincewind the not-so-talented wizard and Twoflower, the oblivious but rather sweet tourist, along with Pratchett’s wonderful writing style, humor, quotes, and shifting points of view that have made me love his work.
Hope you all have a lovely day and get a chance to read something today or this week, even if it isn’t necessarily a book! Reading is reading! 😊
Best wishes,