Past Watchful Dragons
Off the Shelf: The Charlatan’s Boy
You will certainly laugh. You might possibly cry. And undoubtedly you will find The Charlatan’s Boy speaking to your own heart and life. Jonathan Rogers’ latest novel is a story that combines charm, humor and insight in such a way as to make a unique impression upon the reader. You almost get the sense ...
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Off the Shelf: The Fiddler’s Gun
This story is about life This story is about love. This story is about redemption. But I would imagine that this story is not quite like any story you have read before. Despite the familiar themes, they cut across one another in such a way so as to give the book a grainy texture that ...
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Off the Shelf: The Graveyard Book
Winner of the John Newbery Medal, Neil Gaiman’s The Graveyard Book is a carefully spun yarn with a beautiful melancholy about it. The beginning is nothing short of chilling, and that chill lingers upon the reader throughout as the story of Nobody Owens is told. The setting of the book is primarily a graveyard, which ...
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Influences of Author Neil Gaiman
After having Neil Gaiman’s Newbery-winning work, The Graveyard Book, recommended to me by a couple of different sources, I picked up a copy at the Hutchmoot in August. Although I am in the thick of this unique read, my curiosity about the author was sufficiently piqued, so I did some rummaging on his website. Under ...
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Stories and Your Children
In past posts I have recommended children’s stories, and given a brief analysis of the content. On his new blog, Jonathan Rogers has written an excellent post that touches on the ways in which we can help our children understand a story and what it may be teaching them. Toward the end of the post ...
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Off the Shelf: Raven’s Ladder
Jeffrey Overstreet has done it again. Raven’s Ladder, the third installment in The Auralia Thread, is another tale full of twists and turns that will keep you delightfully off-balance, but also reflective. Since fiction is often a more able and accurate mirror of reality, the grittier nature of this volume challenges you on a personal ...
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A Taste for Imagination and Maturity
Posted this quote as a note on Facebook last year. However, having just come across it again, it is has left a fresh impression.
“It is usual to speak in a playfully apologetic tone about one’s adult enjoyment of what are called ‘children’s books’. I think the convention a silly one. No book is really worth ...
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Off the Shelf: Phantastes
In an effort to become better acquainted with the writings of George MacDonald, I decided to read his Phantastes, a work highly acclaimed by C.S. Lewis. I have to confess it was not what I was expecting, nor, shall I say, always an “enjoyable” read. At times the story felt quite cumbersome, and beyond my ...
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Off the Shelf: Cyndere’s Midnight
Cyndere’s Midnight is the second book in the Auralia Thread by Jeffrey Overstreet, and is another thoroughly enjoyable read that I heartily recommend. The plot and pace of the book makes it difficult to put down, and you will probably find yourself wanting to sneak away to a quiet room in the house or a corner ...
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Off the Shelf: Auralia’s Colors
Last night I finished Jeffrey Overstreet’s book, Auralia’s Colors. It is an engaging, beautifully descriptive, and masterfully woven tale. This is a story with layers. In fact, I am finding myself tempted to pick it up and start over again to see what else I can glean from it’s pages. The climax and ending were not ...
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