Just re-read Pamela Dean's Tam Lin for the umpteenth time. I dearly love that book, and I find something new every time I read it. It's been a few years, I think, so I was surprised to find how many more of the Shakespearean references I caught, having done some of the shows myself now. And I've seen a movie of The Revenger's Tragedy, which I hated, but which did make that bit of the book much easier to follow, and of course there's The Lady's Not for Burning; they reference that a few times, but don't go into much detail, so having seen the T@F production and knowing the whole story added a lot more depth to some of the places where it was mentioned. Sadly, the Annotated Tam Lin, where someone lovingly went through and noted all of the references in the book, is no longer active online, but thanks to the Internet Archive Wayback Machine, you can still see it here.

So now I'm at loose ends for something marvelous to read.  What's your favorite re-read?  What do you find more in every time you go back to it, or just enjoy picking up for comfort?

You know, if one person, just one person does it they may think he's really sick and they won't take him.
And if two people, two people do it, in harmony, they may think they're both faggots and they won't take either of them.
And three people do it, three, can you imagine, three people walking in singin' a bar of Alice's Restaurant and walking out. They may think it's an organization.
And can you, can you imagine fifty people a day, I said fifty people a day walking in singin' a bar of Alice's Restaurant and walking out. And friends they may think it's a movement.

A friend who works at the BPL tells me that the Powers That Be have decided that the library as a system does not weed enough. They want to move to a system where any book (regardless of what it is) that has not gone out in two years according to the computer will be weeded. That is an ultimate system-wide goal, but they have further decided that they don't weed enough in the children's room specifically, so they will be running reports and sending in other staff people to do it for them, STARTING THIS WEEK.

I spent a lot of time in my local library growing up.  I read a lot of the current favorites, but I also loved finding old books, unpopular books, obscure books, with stories and characters that spoke to me and helped me to believe that I was ok, that I would not be alone and friendless forever, helped me to get to be the person I am today.  I'd really like for other kids to have that opportunity too, for majority rule to not be the way the library decides which books are worthwhile.

So here's my plan.  If you can, go to the library.  Check out your old favorite books -- books that changed your life, books that make you smile to remember them, books that you'd like that special kid to be able to stumble upon even if it's not Harry Potter or Twilight.  You don't have to read them, heck, you don't even have to take them home -- you can just turn around and return them as soon as you've checked them out, if you want to. 

If you have a book you love and you can't make it in, let me know, I'll try to find it and check it out myself (and probably read it, and maybe even buy a copy for my sister's kids.)

And if you like the idea, spread the word!

I went to a reading by the fabulous Kristin Cashore at the Harvard Book Store tonight. If you like YA fantasy and have not yet read her books Graceling and Fire, I highly recommend them. And if you have, you'll be happy to hear that she's currently working on Bitterblue, although it'll probably be a while before it hits print.

Anyway, she was just lovely. I told her how that I really appreciate the fact that her characters manage to be simultaneously both strong and vulnerable, and how much I enjoy watching the process of them falling in love, which she seemed pleased to hear. And she wrote "for Gilly -- you are strong! :)" in my copy of Graceling. Squee!

Since I'm betting some of my friends have opinions on this...

What's your favorite Robin Hood novel? Never After is getting me in the mood to read one. I've read (and loved) Jennifer Roberson's Lady of the Forest and Lady of Sherwood, and of course Robin McKinley's The Outlaws of Sherwood, and as a kid I read the Howard Pyle, and I know Robin shows up in one of the Edward Eager Half Magic books. What else do you recommend?

From dietrich:

"I propose starting a meme - particularly because I kind of hate Twitter and find it useless. Express your favorite novels in fewer than 140 characters - and have people guess what they are."


Mine, which urban_faerie_ would totally get if she were reading LJ now:

Wait, what year is this? I miss my husband! Oo, what's under *his* kilt?

Guess mine, and post your own!

OK, I'm not really into audio books -- but Tor posted video files of Neil Gaiman reading Cory Doctorow’s “The Right Book” at Worldcon, and that man is well worth listening to!

The BPL has started sending out newsletters with recommendations in different genres. The April science fiction one just arrived, and it starts with the following quote:

"There's some ill planet reigns.
I must be patient till the heavens look
With an aspect more favourable."
~ William Shakespeare (1564-1616), English poet and playwright

Boy, that sounds awfully familiar…

(They list some Shakespeare in SF books in the newsletter, which I assume is why the quote. Still, nifty; I'm not really used to recognizing the more obscure ones.)

I'm betting at least one person on my flist will want to know about this...


Charles de Lint's Spiritwalk (1992) is the sequel to Moonheart, his groundbreaking novel about the people in and around a house in modern Ottawa that straddles this world and another one. Here is the same cast of characters, as they deal with a pair of very different threats to the ancient house.

Spiritwalk is currently technically out of print; there are copies in retail pipelines, but they're increasingly scarce. Tor Books has a trade paperback reissue scheduled for mid-2010. Meanwhile, and in celebration of Read an Ebook Week, we're happy to present (with the author's enthusiastic permission!) this electronic edition for you to immediately enjoy.

As always, Spiritwalk is available as a free download to registered users of Tor.com (registration is free). Grab it here!

My soon-to-be-six-year-old niece is having a pirate birthday party this year. Any of my chlit or librarian friends happen to know of a good read-aloud pirate picture book for my sister to read at the party? Thanks!

Blue Sword by Robin Mckinley
Passion, Betrayal And Killer Highlights by Kyra Davis
A Letter of Mary by Laurie R. King
Whistling In the Dark by Lesley Kagen
The Rhinoceros Who Quoted Nietzsche and Other Odd Acquaintances by Peter S. Beagle
The Unfortunate Miss Fortunes by Jennifer Crusie, Anne Stuart, & Eileen Dreyer
An Acceptable Time by Madeleine L'Engle