Wednesday Reading Meme

[osprey_archer]

What I’ve Just Finished Reading

The Snow Maiden and Other Russian Tales, translated and retold by Bonnie C. Marshall, is not the most enlivening read - the tales are told in a very bare-bones, stripped down style - but I did learn some useful Russian werewolf tidbits from one of the stories, wherein a man transformed into a wolf doesn’t eat raw meat because if he does, he would remain transformed forever. This feels like a good detail to work into my Little Red Riding Hood story. (He also transforms back after someone puts a caftan on him, which may not fit in the story so well, but perhaps…)

And I finished Enid Blyton’s In the Fifth at Malory Towers! The girls are putting on a pantomime inspired by Cinderella, which sounds completely delightful. Also! The other shoe has FINALLY dropped for Gwen: at last she’s realized that the reason she’s so unpopular with the other girls is that she’s self-absorbed and petty and completely uninterested in anyone but herself. Will she manage to parlay this realization into actual behavioral changes and make a real friend??? There’s one more book to find out!

What I’m Reading Now

At last I’ve had the opportunity to carry on with The Shadowy Horses, Susanna Kearsley’s book about an excavation of a possible marching camp for Rome's Ninth Legion. It’s readable enough, but I must admit my main emotional reaction so far is a sudden burning desire to reread Rosemary Sutcliff’s The Eagle of the Ninth.

What I Plan to Read Next

Slacks and Calluses: Our Summer in a Bomber Factory is waiting for me at the library! And also POSSIBLY are my two interlibrary loans on Ilf and Petrov’s book about their American road trip (I couldn’t tell if they both contained the photographs, or if one was just photographs and the other had the text, so I requested both American editions), although they may not have made their way to my branch from the Central library yet. LET’S HOPE SO.

Comments

[redrikki]

God, I love the Eagle of the Ninth. You can never go wrong re-reading that.

[osprey_archer]

It's such a great book. And it got me started reading a whole pile of Rosemary Sutcliff novels and launched me into Sutcliff fandom, so all in all one of the more influential books in my life.

[redrikki]

For me it was The Lantern Bearers, but that whole series is gold.

[evelyn_b]

I'll be reading my first Rosemary Sutcliff book in just a short time! It's Black Ships Before Troy - I ordered it as a gift, but will be reading it first so I can put a note in the front (that's how we do things in my family). I did enjoy the movie of The Eagle of the Ninth, but haven't gotten around to reading the book yet.

I'm excited to read your Little Red Riding Hood story!

[osprey_archer]

Eagle of the Ninth the book is quite different from the movie! Which doesn't mean you won't like it too (personally I liked it better), but it's best to go in forewarned.

Black Ships Before Troy is one that I haven't read; in general I haven't read many of Sutcliff's retellings. So I'll be curious to hear what you think.

The Little Red Riding Hood story needs some serious revisions before it will be ready for public consumption, but I feel pretty confident saying that it will be ready someday: none of its problems are insurmountable. Just needs a bit of licking into shape.

[evelyn_b]

I expect it to be pretty different! And I don't really remember enough of the movie to be a purist (except that I enjoyed it) so there's nothing to worry about.

I'm glad you're feeling confident - and collecting werewolf lore!

[ancientreader]

The raw-meat tidbit *cough* is great, but the caftan boggles my mind! I can't begin to imagine what cultural associations a caftan would have, to make it have such werewolf-transforming potency.

I looked up Ilf and Petrov after your latest Honeytrap snack, and wow do I eagerly anticipate learning more about One-Storied America. I suspect it'll bring on strong Gennady Feelings.

[osprey_archer]

I thiiiiink it's not so much caftan-specific as the fact that it's a piece of human clothing (in ye olden days, Russian peasant men wore caftans), but tbf my knowledge of Russian fairy tales is not that extensive so maybe there is something special about caftans. In any case, I'm having trouble imagining why Masha might drop a piece of clothing on a wolf whom she has no reason to suspect is a werewolf.

I can only imagine that One-Storied America will be a TRIP in all senses of the word. Do not disappoint me, library!

[ancientreader]

Oh, of course, duh. I can be so literal sometimes -- though, as you say, the mystery of why someone would drop any garment at all on a random wolf remains. I suddenly got all wild-eyed and imagined dropping underwear on a wolf's head. STOP, brain, just STOP.

[marycatelli]

It's not unique to Russia, though in France -- in Bisclavret -- he had to get his OWN clothes back.

[ancientreader]

Ah, now I understand this better. Somehow this more specific closing of the circle made it more clear to me that in either case the clothing is about recovering one's human attributes. Thanks.

[thisbluespirit]

And I finished Enid Blyton’s In the Fifth at Malory Towers! The girls are putting on a pantomime inspired by Cinderella, which sounds completely delightful.

I loved that one, although my library didn't have it for a while, so I came to it a little later than the rest of the series, but it is particularly wish-fulfilling.

[osprey_archer]

There's just the sheer delight of watching them put together this pantomime ALL BY THEMSELVES and even though there are hiccups on the way the performance GOES SO WELL.

[kore]

Eagle of the Ninth is so great. I lost track of how many times I reread it.

I AM DYING FOR UPDATES ON ILF AND PETROV.

[osprey_archer]

FUN ILF AND PETROV TIDBIT OF THE DAY:

"The plot [of American movies[ is always the same: love, uninteresting monotonous American love with strictly timed kisses (in Hollywood, the censors only allow kisses of a certain length.)"

Likelihood that Gennady will refer to "uninteresting monotonous American love" at some point: HIGH.

[littlerhymes]

He also transforms back after someone puts a caftan on him

The lesson is always keep a caftan handy.

Oh, I am having such nostalgia for Rosemary Sutcliff right now. Did you ever read Simon? I have been told it is Essential but I never got around to it...

[osprey_archer]

I did read Simon! I own, in fact, a physical copy of Simon, and if you have a burning desire to fill this gap in your Sutcliff reading then I could send it to you.

[littlerhymes]

All good, I have the ebook! But thank you for the offer :)