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Nangijala

Lions and Lambs wrote:I enjoy youthful fantasy stories, and really any children's literature that can also be aimed at adults.

In that case, have you ever tried the Armitage short stories by Joan Aiken? Joan Aiken is best known for her The Wolves Chronicles series of novels; first book in that series: The Whispering Mountain. The Serial Garden short story collection is a lovely introduction to Aiken's quirky humour. The siblings Mark and Harriet Armitage are its protagonists.

From the blurb: '...As a result of their mother's honeymoon wish, Mark and Harriet Armitage have a fairy godmother, a pet unicorn, and are prepared for anything life can throw at them (especially, but not always, on a Monday): hatching griffins in the airing cupboard, Latin lessons with a ghost, furious Furies on the doorstep, and an enchanted garden locked inside a cereal packet.'

Would you like to reciprocate with some recommendations?

The Peaceable Kingdom of Lions and Lambs

I have not heard of the Armitage stories, thanks for letting me know about them. The author sounds like they have a good sense of humor.

Nangijala wrote:Would you like to reciprocate with some recommendations?

I would be glad to, though I suspect you may have heard of most. I don't think I've read any little-known gems. And most are the older classics of the genre.

I've placed each beneath a spoiler, as it had become quite a wall of text.

I really loved the Redwall series by Brian Jacques. They're delightful, cozy books about peaceful societies of woodland creatures, such as mice and moles and squirrels and otters and hares and badgers, who are often besieged by rather less peaceful bands of vermin, such as rats and foxes and weasels and ferrets and stoats and snakes and ravens. Adventure stories, mostly. The author originally started writing them for blind children he worked with, so the descriptions of food and music are quite notable...the way he describes food is especially renown, and are really mouth-watering to read. Also there's like 20 of these books, I think I read 12 or 15.

A classic in children's fantasy: The Neverending Story, by Michael Ende. A German book from the 70s that was adapted into two quite well-known movies back in the 80s. The movies are great, but the book is even better. A boy finds a book that is an account of a magical land, and becomes ever-more engrossed in the world. High adventure, where the protagonists must battle the devouring force known as The Nothing. Truly touching, very creative and riveting, and quite funny. The characters are phenomenal, the creatures outrageous and believable, the adventure wholly-engrossing, and the narrative masterful and innovative.

Mrs. Frisby and the Rats of NIMH. Also from the 70s. A group of rats are experimented upon by a scientist, resulting in their gaining very high intelligence and going on a mystical quest to discover the secrets of their circumstances and world. Really captivated me growing up, and holds up well. Strange and exciting. Was also made into a well-known animated movie, The Secret of NIMH.

A Wrinkle in Time by Madeleine L'Engle. 1962. A brother and sister are visited by three "witches" who take them on great cosmic adventure to save the world from the forces of evil. This book blew my mind as a kid. Lots of bizarre science and surreal encounters. This is the first book in a five-part series. Then other characters get their own branching series. There's a lot of these books. I've only read the original.

The Wind in the Willows by Kenneth Grahame, 1908. The purest of pure pleasures to read. Whimsical, humorous, adventurous, outrageous, mystical, wistful, nostalgic. Mole, Rat, Badger and Toad go about their daily woodland existence in a pastoral old England together, depicting their friendships and trials and misfortunes. Toad is a well-known character from the book, his escapades speeding about in motor cars and defending his manor from invading weasels and stoats, being stand-out scenes. A sweet and moving portrayal of life. I have never made it through a read without shedding a tear.

Neil Gaiman has written some interesting books in the genre. Stardust is quite well known, as it was made into a movie. A star falls from the sky, in the form of a young female faerie, and a boy must go on a quest to return her to her enchanted realm before outside forces can take her for their own purposes. Extremely quaint and delightful. Consciously old-fashioned fantasy. A pleasure to read.

Gaiman also wrote Neverwhere - a bit more "mature" than Stardust, this is urban fantasy, where a man discovers that there is an otherworldly London existing below and invisible to the more familiar London he knows above. A strange and wonderful quest then takes place as he forsakes his old world to help the denizens of this new, alternate world. Can't say much more without spoiling. But Gaiman is a fantastic writer and it really shines through here.

Nangijala

Nangijala

This is an amazing list, thank you so much, Lions and Lambs. I have heard of most but many of them I haven't read yet.

Neil Gaiman's Coraline has been adapted as an opera. I've read his American Gods (liked it) but not the two you've mentioned.

The Peaceable Kingdom of Lions and Lambs

Ah, glad you appreciated them :)

I've not read Coraline, nor have I seen the film. Had no clue it was going to be made into an opera...that's pretty cool. Might have to finally give it a read.

I enjoyed American Gods. Couldn't bring myself to watch the series.

I also highly recommend his Sandman comic books series. It's pretty dark, and it's not always consistent, but when it's good it's great. Especially the shorter, one-off issues -- I think he really shines with shorter stories.

Nangijala

Nangijala

If you liked reading American Gods, did you by any chance read Neil Gaiman's short story collection Fragile Things? The last story in that collection is a novella length tale set in the same world. The Monarch of the Glen is a kind-of sort-of Beowulf inspired tale set in Scotland, with a nice twist.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fragile_Things

Edit:
A pacifist, we'd be happy to see you reappear, if you have time! To rejoin your region Peace, either
a) go to the regional admin panel and remove the password, then move your nation to the region again, or
b) send me a telegram for the regional password, if you prefer to keep it.

The Peaceable Kingdom of Lions and Lambs

Nangijala wrote:If you liked reading American Gods, did you by any chance read Neil Gaiman's short story collection Fragile Things? The last story in that collection is a novella length tale set in the same world. The Monarch of the Glen is a kind-of sort-of Beowulf inspired tale set in Scotland, with a nice twist.

I haven't read it, but it sounds great. Thanks for pointing it out! The novella sounds especially interesting.

--------------------

I hope everyone's Christmas was a good one, however you chose to mark the day. And may the days ahead be filled with cheer for you and yours.

Nangijala

Nangijala

Lions and Lambs wrote:The Wind in the Willows by Kenneth Grahame, 1908. The purest of pure pleasures to read. Whimsical, humorous, adventurous, outrageous, mystical, wistful, nostalgic. Mole, Rat, Badger and Toad go about their daily woodland existence in a pastoral old England together, depicting their friendships and trials and misfortunes. Toad is a well-known character from the book, his escapades speeding about in motor cars and defending his manor from invading weasels and stoats, being stand-out scenes. A sweet and moving portrayal of life. I have never made it through a read without shedding a tear.

I've got this one now. Even though it's a classic, somehow I had never got around to reading it. This will be a pleasure indeeed. :)

The Peaceable Kingdom of Lions and Lambs

Nangijala wrote:I've got this one now. Even though it's a classic, somehow I had never got around to reading it. This will be a pleasure indeeed. :)

Hey, great to hear! I hope it lives up to the high expectations I likely created with my description.

I keep meaning to find a copy of The Brothers Lionheart, but have such a backlog of books to be read that I have trouble justifying it...I guess this isn't that bad of a problem to have :P

Nangijala

Nangijala

Hey, Tel fyr mora, when your nation is restored, send me telegram about the regional password.

Lions and Lambs, I have a backlog of unread stories too, but... Let's not think about it as a backlog (which sounds like a chore) but as a stash of unopened treasure chests. :)

The Peaceable Kingdom of Lions and Lambs

Nangijala wrote:I have a backlog of unread stories too, but... Let's not think about it as a backlog (which sounds like a chore) but as a stash of unopened treasure chests. :)

You're right, that is a much better way of looking at it. Now the sight of the unread books on my shelves don't so much fill me with guilt but with the excitement of possibility :)

Hope everyone has a peaceful day, and can spend it with family if still able.

Nangijala

The Peaceable Kingdom of Lions and Lambs

“One man practicing kindness in the wilderness is worth all the temples this world pulls.”
― Jack Kerouac, "The Dharma Bums"

Nangijala

Lions and Lambs wrote:“One man practicing kindness in the wilderness is worth all the temples this world pulls.”
― Jack Kerouac, "The Dharma Bums"

That's a beautiful quote.

Yes, cultivating inner qualities is preferable to constructing physical monuments.

Never read anything by Kerouac. Have you? Amusingly, I remember an occasion when someone recommended Kerouac to me; but that individual was so obnoxious that it backfired.

The Peaceable Kingdom of Lions and Lambs

Nangijala wrote:Amusingly, I remember an occasion when someone recommended Kerouac to me; but that individual was so obnoxious that it backfired.

Yes, he is one of those artists whose fans unfortunately can be rather off-putting, at times. He has a reputation for being "cool," he writes about drinking and drug use and sex and rebelliousness, so he is attractive to some in those regards, I think. But his writing is tragic. He writes about extremely flawed individuals, from the point of view of someone with absolute empathy. He is incredibly honest in his books, all of them are autobiographical, and he holds nothing back, really grasping desperately to understand the human condition and the truth about people -- both in general, struggling with humanity, but also with the person standing right in front of him.

I've read a lot of his books. I found them quite beautiful and moving. However, that was over a decade ago...and sometimes I worry they're books that might speak best to younger men, so I haven't revisited them. I do hope they hold up, though.

His best-known work is "On the Road," where he crisscrosses the US on multiple road trips with a manic friend, encountering various counterculture icons as they run away from their problems.

The book I quoted above, "The Dharma Bums," is about a summer he spent working alone as a fire lookout in a national forest, exploring Buddhism and a life spent in solitary introspection, as well as his times with the poet and environmentalist Gary Snyder.

I also recommend "Visions of Gerard," somewhat different from his other books, as it's about his childhood, growing up in a French Canadian family, and especially about his brother, Gerard, who sadly died quite young. This book is so very beautiful and sad. I daresay it is unlikely to be read without tears. He really cuts right to the heart of what it's like to be a human being in this world.

Nangijala

Nangijala

Hiya Tel fyr mora, would be happy to see you back in Peace. I've telegrammed you the regional password. If my telegram was pushed out by a slew of recruitment telegrams and disappeared, let me know and I'll send it again.

Thank you very much for the extensive notes on Kerouac's works, Lions and Lambs! Your perspective makes it appear much more humane and relatable. Maybe I'll try it some day. (Heh, yes, the fan I once encountered was unfortunately off-putting; conceited and arrogant.)

I actually have the impression that one of the things good novels can do for us, if we let them, is teach us something about relating to someone's death. Even before we experience someone close to us dying. Death is one of the themes in The Brothers Lionheart, a children's novel. Even though it's inside a fantasy framework, emotionally it is like in our world. Lindgren also introduced death of a beloved character towards the end of Ronja the Robber's Daughter. It's not the central theme there, but it's part of the young main characters' growing up. In the Harry Potter series I thought that it was one of the good qualities of the storytelling that the author was not afraid of building characters that the readers grow fond of, who in the course of the story have to die. (Less courageous writers prefer to kill off characters whom readers don't relate to much.)

The Peaceable Kingdom of Lions and Lambs

Nangijala wrote:I actually have the impression that one of the things good novels can do for us, if we let them, is teach us something about relating to someone's death.

That's well put. And I think I agree with you. That tracks with my own experience.

Two of the most impactful and memorable scenes from books that I read in my childhood involved the deaths of dogs. Where the Red Fern Grows and Island of the Blue Dolphins. They may have been animals, rather than humans, but reading about them struck me to the core.

Nangijala

The Most Serene Republic of Pirouettes

Dear all - I usually try to tip the balance here in favor of compassion during the Z-Day events, but it looks like it may not be enough to move the needle this year. I'll be back in about 24 hours.

----

Also, what a refreshingly lovely conversation about literature. I wonder what it is about thinking or reading about the death of a beloved animal that makes it so poignant. (The greater knowledge of the people who care for it about what is happening, combined with an inability to change the outcome?) Perhaps it's because we put our guard up when it's a person; we expect the impact and brace for it. But telling the story about the death of an animal disarms us, makes it easier to see the simple profundity of the loss.

Nangijala and Lions and Lambs

The Peaceable Kingdom of Lions and Lambs

Pirouettes wrote:Dear all - I usually try to tip the balance here in favor of compassion during the Z-Day events, but it looks like it may not be enough to move the needle this year. I'll be back in about 24 hours.

----

Also, what a refreshingly lovely conversation about literature. I wonder what it is about thinking or reading about the death of a beloved animal that makes it so poignant. (The greater knowledge of the people who care for it about what is happening, combined with an inability to change the outcome?) Perhaps it's because we put our guard up when it's a person; we expect the impact and brace for it. But telling the story about the death of an animal disarms us, makes it easier to see the simple profundity of the loss.

Thanks for trying to cure folks on Z-Day. I didn't think there would be anyone around.

As to stories involving the deaths of animals, I think the points you've brought up are good ones. Certainly the knowledge of the humans, combined with the animal's inability to comprehend the cause of its suffering, is a major reason and one that really gets me.

Most of my personal experience with animals involves dogs. The way that they show unconditional love and devotion and implicit trust is unlike anything else I've known, outside of infants. Not being able to communicate why they may be suffering or even dying is heartbreaking, and makes you feel helpless. Especially when they turn to you during such extreme moments.

That, combined with their inherent innocence, makes it feel tragic. Again, the only other related feeling I've found is in the innocence of a small baby.

Nangijala

Nangijala

I've put up some cherry blossoms at the top of the page. Hope you like them.

The Peaceable Kingdom of Lions and Lambs

I love them. Nice choice.

Nangijala

The Peaceable Kingdom of Lions and Lambs

Erik Satie - Gymnopédies
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wnacdOIoTBQ

It brings me a kind of peace, even if that peace is tinged with melancholy.

Nangijala and Playa

Nangijala

Have a happy new year 2023, everyone!

Peace

regional banner

Read dispatch

---->---->---->---->---->---->Welcome to Peace
This place is a safe haven for nations seeking peaceful sanctuary from the basketcases of the world. (Some might say this is a rather quiet region.)

"Killing for peace is like whoring for virginity."

Some Bill Watterson's philosophy:
Hobbes: "Why do we play war, and never peace?"
Calvin: "Not enough role models."

Invaders need not apply for an alliance with Peace.

Read dispatch

A nation banner with the same cherry blossoms as the region banner in Peace.

Read dispatch

The Peaceable Kingdom of Lions and Lambs

Nangijala wrote:Have a happy new year 2023, everyone!

To you and all, as well. Appreciate the reference dispatches. And the more cherry blossoms I get to see, the better!

Nangijala

The Peaceable Kingdom of Lions and Lambs

5 days ago: Nangijala ceased to exist.

:(

Rest in Peace

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