Books

[AlidaART]

Weirdly, I've always heard such wonderful things about Charles DeLint from people who have (in my opinion) wonderful taste in books, and yet I've never read a DeLint book that I particularly liked. In fact, I've only read half of two of his books (The Blue Girl and my advance copy of Little (Grrl) Lost). I did finish The Riddle of the Wren, and found that marginally more interesting but can hardly remember the plot.

It's not that the writing isn't good...it's just bland. It doesn't jump off the page, or sparkle, or draw me in. And the subject matter, while inventive, is often somehow cliche in ways that I can never quite explain, but definitely react to (usually by putting the book down and never returning).

(Unfortunately, I actually have to finish Little (Grrl) Lost so I can write a review for Sharon November, who gave me the advance copy for free.)

Anyway. Lately I've been spending a lot of time in the basement of the city library, where they keep the YA books. I've steadily gone through most of their collection of Margaret Mahy novels (The Tricksters and The Changeover are my favorites thus far), and am also starting in on the Joan Aiken that they've got. I still can't believe that the Wolves chronicles are out of print--they're fantastic! Though often rather grim.

[Elder Math]

There should be absolutely nothing wrong with liking Rudyard Kipling. My favorite is called like Kim, or Kip. It's about a boy in the desert.

The biggest volume I ever carried around with me, or read would probably be one of Victor Hugo's books, either Les Miserables or The Hunchback of Notre Dame

[William]

I can't believe I just read that whole thread...

Anyway, Asimov wasn't mentioned often enough. Foundation is awesome, as are all the robot books.

Also, I really liked Myst. The largest single volume I believe I've ever carried around was the three in one Myst.

Life of Pi is incredible. I've read it like, four times and own two copies. "Water without a hippopotamus was so much more manageable than water with one."

Other books I liked include at least half of what has been mentioned here. My reading list (ok, my 'titles that will catch my eye next time I browse the library' list) is now much larger as well.

Oh yeah, I also really liked the Jungle Book. Really.

[Garrett Fitzgerald]

Originally posted by kli6:
I had this great experience once where I was at a party that Neil Gaiman gave after World Fantasy convention...

Kathy, have I mentioned lately that I hate you? :-) I have to get by with things like meeting Adam Baldwin at a signing in Seattle, or holding the door for Stephen Hawking...

[Kathy Li]

Originally posted by Elder Math:
Has anyone here read any Charles DeLint?

I haven't read much, but what I've read, I've really enjoyed. I had this great experience once where I was at a party that Neil Gaiman gave after World Fantasy convention, where Charles Vess (aka Charles Light) showed myself and Maggie Thompson copies of the paintings for an illustrated book that he'd just done, which had been written by Charles de Lint (aka Charles Dark). And Charles Dark was sitting in the corner, just sort of silently observing as Maggie and I were in tears over the artwork and the story. Gorgeous stuff.

The book is called A Circle of Cats. Highly recommend it. It's about a girl who's changed into a kitten. It's the prequel to Seven Wild Sisters.

[Dragon Writer]

at the moment, i'm reading L.O.S.T series and TRYING to clear enough out of my reading list from the lirary to read the arthur series by kevin corssly holand (not sure when i'll get around to it though, even though i dived half way into it before realizing i had books about to be do!) and i'm also working my way through a reading list a mile wide! and half of them are series, and authors, so that one entery can me half a dozen or more! *would faint from all that i want to read but admits that i actually LIKE having a reading list constantly awaiting me*

[Elder Math]

Has anyone here read any Charles DeLint?

I think he's an incredible writer with a very unique perspective on modern fantasy and on life in general. His books flow like modern fairy tales but have the twist of being in an urban environment and his characters have alot of depth.

On the other hand I fear some might not like his method of not always keeping with an antagonist or a normal adventure. Most of the time his tales have to do with dealing with amazing things in a somewhat real environment. From ghosts to faery, to imaginary friends turned real due to alternate reality and magic, his tales really are something different.

If you've already checked him out or if he's been mentioned here before, that's fine. I'm new. I have just been reading a lot of his stuff recently and was really getting into them waiting for the next wizards book.

If you haven't read him, check it out.

[Kathy Li]

Ok, here's my latest YA fantasy find. Esther Friesner's Temping Fate. It's a light-hearted comedy about a teenage girl who finds a summer job temping for the Fates. Friesner's really good with the funny.

The book I'm currently reading, though, is Rafael Sabatini's Bellarion. It's historical fiction, set in medieval Italy, with a hero who was raised in a cloister on books, who's suddenly gotten out in the world, met and fallen in love with a woman, and is now doing everything he can to help her save her country and her brother, Machiavelli-style. I like heroes who outthink their enemies.

[Rubywolf]

Books are always getting translated wrong. In a mystery book from the twenties (can't remember which) the American version didn't make sense because the solution was mistranslated.

[Dragon Writer]

books that change countries get edited, changed, messed around with...even in the SAME country it happens! it can be annoying, but what can you do about it? and anyways, when you change the country the very content changes anyways...i mean, if you direct translations of the words, there's no fluidity, and the book STINKS. if they want more fluidity they have to actually change the way they say the same things, so that the words still fit together...of course, i've never actually read a book in a different language, so they could just make it really bad, but i think i remember something about the process... when is the inkheart movie coming out, anyways?

[Peter Murray]

Now you can understand references DD has made in past blogs and comments, such as

(heh) Yes, he is a cutie, isn't he? But you ain't seen nothin' yet. Just wait till he turns up in A Wizard of Mars wearing the John Carter Memorial Loincloth. What there is of it.

(snrk) Doubtless there will also be some comment passed about what Nita winds up (somewhat) wearing. Very Dejah Thoris.

Even if they go to Mars during its summer, they'll have problems.

[Space Cadet]

I just finished reading 'A Princess of Mars' by Edgar Rice Burroughs. I was expecting it to be very bad, but actually it wasn't. Sure, there was a bit too much 'hero punches huge green monster-man on the jaw, monster-man falls down stone dead' for my liking, but on the whole I rather enjoyed reading it.

And now I am acquainted with some of the references that will no doubt be found in AWOM.

How do I get a 'first 100' icon like Worlebird? Surely I qualify.

[Kathy Li]

Yes, it would also be my guess that American marketeers got in the way, but given how extraordinary the translations have been on the Funke books, I found it a little confusing. And thanks for updating on the title change.

I find it interesting that Funke is apparently now living in Los Angeles, and that she'd always envisioned Brendan Fraser as Mo (and now he's in the flick). One does wonder how living in La-La Land's going to affect her writing.

[worlebird]

kli6:
But what I'm trying to puzzle out is how they translated the title. As I understand it, the German titles of the books are Tintenherz, Tintenblut, and Tintentod.

So, why do we have Inkspell instead of Inkblood or Inkspirit?

Ah, that's American editors at work. Not unlike "Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone", the Inkheart titles have been changed to something more "suitable" for American audiences (supposedly).

The titles of the Inkheart books in German are as follows: "Tintenherz", "Tintenblut", and originally "Tintentod", but now "Tintensaat".

The English translations of these titles would be "Inkheart", "Inkblood", and originally "Inkdeath", but now "Inkseed".

"Inkblood" and "Inkseed" were considered to be unmarketable titles in the US, and were thus replaced by "Inkspell" and "Inkdawn" respectively. For some reason, it seems that "Inkdeath" would have made it unscathed, had the book kept that title. "Inkdawn" is somewhat forgiveable, as "Inkseed" does sound a bit odd, and "dawn" conveys the same meaning of new beginnings that I believe "seed" is meant to convey. There really is no good excuse for "Inkspell", except perhaps that the word "blood" is considered a bit disturbing. Of course, so is the book, but perhaps they were afraid of scaring away young readers, or more likely, parents of young readers.

[Kathy Li]

So, I borrowed Inkspell from the public library, and I hear that Inkdeath is due out next year.

But what I'm trying to puzzle out is how they translated the title. As I understand it, the German titles of the books are Tintenherz, Tintenblut, and Tintentod.

So, why do we have Inkspell instead of Inkblood or Inkspirit?