Of Good Report, 1 | Fablehaven

So when CJane posted a series of posts highlighting the good and praiseworthy in her life (starting here), I was inspired to christen it a meme — and to join in the fun. Based loosely on the 13th article of our faith, her posts encouraged us all to dwell — even for only a short while — on the beautiful. So I decided to follow suit…

Tonight, I'd like to post about the Fablehaven books for young adults. It's not world peace or a cure for cancer… but good stories — especially good stories for children — can inspire the next generation. And I've found the Fablehaven books to be remarkable.

I had seen the books a few times, but their covers (a little too… much) didn't really invite a closer look. And then, out of the blue, I connected with a friend from college… Brandon Mull. "So, Brandon", I asked: "what's going on in your life?" … "Oh, I'm writing! Like I've always wanted" … "Writing? Does that treat you well?" … "Well, I've got a couple of books that have been on the New York Times Bestseller list".

And that's when I decided to read Fablehaven.

I was a little apprehensive, really… what if I didn't like them? What would I say to Brandon? But, as luck would have it, I needn't have worried. The stories are engaging; the prose is tight, well-edited, and doesn't shy away from the occasional 25¢ word; the characters are multi-dimensional; and there are consequenses to poor decisions… not to put too fine a point on it, they are solid contenders for Harry Potter's crown. Solid.

So that, my friends, is today's good report.

This post is part of a week-long series focusing on the good and praiseworthy in my life… please consider reading all seven: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7.

Charing Cross Road & The History Boys | Part V of Driving to London

So after a trying and equally delightful first day back in England, I was ready for a solid night's sleep… which is exactly what I got. So I got up bright and early, and lazed about the flat for an hour or so — eating breakfast, catching some of the odder moments of English television programming, and showering — before hitting the streets of London.

The plan for the day?

A cruise up and down Charing Cross Road and where ever else my feet my take me. The road divides the Covent Garden area to the east and SoHo to the West neatly, and snakes through the theater district and Chinatown… and it's famous for it's myriad bookshops. The last being my main attraction to the road, and the thing which first brought me here many years ago during my first visit to London.

So with a little breakfast in my gut, I headed-out. The day was cool and bright — perfect for a walk — and the stones were damp and clean from an evening's rain. I wandered back up to where Mihaela and I had walked the evening before and snapped some photos, then followed a number of small alleys over to Leicester Station. It was early, and everything was shuttered, and only a few shop keeps were out getting their displays ready for the day's business. So I did a lot of window shopping (my favorite kind!), and walked and re-walked most of the paths that criss-cross the neighborhood.

I noticed, early-on, that The History Boys was showing in the neighborhood, and decided to grab a ticket when the box office opened at eleven. In the mean time, I wandered… going into book and curio shops as they opened one-by-one, finally returning to the theater at 11 and snagging a ticket for the night's show.

From the theater, I walked a few steps down to St Martin's Spice and had a delightful lunch of curries and papadams… and then my walk up Charing Cross began in earnest, and I visited every book seller that caught my interest. Somewhere along the way, I called Mihaela, and we met-up at her school office, and spent a little while together before I headed to the theater.

The show was heart-breaking, thought-provoking, and amazing… and I purchased a theater edition of the book and headed out around the back of the theater to take one of the alleys back to the flat. It was a fortuitous choice, and I saw the cast exiting the backstage door. But I was too shy to ask for any autographs, as I didn't have a pen. I vowed to return.

The evening ended with dinner in the flat, and a little television while I wound-down from the day's excitement.

Next Stop: A Dinner Party!
__________________

Photos from this leg of the trip can be found at my flickr account... starting with this photo I took of a mail truck.

A little Amazon Goodness...

So. Paul Bausch of all sorts of fame rolled-out an update to his amazing Amazon feed-builder.

What's the big deal? Well, I'm a big fan of Wendell Berry and Craig Thompson, of Naguib Mahfouz and books about New Urbanism... and now, with the help of PB's delicious feed-builder, I'll be notified whenever something new comes from any of these authors or meets the "New Urbanism" search criteria, so I can add them to my Amazon wish list... and I think that's pretty darn cool. Add that to Amazon's pre-existing wish list feeds, which let you monitor other people's wish lists for additions ( you can find a wish list's feed on its "home" page ), and I'm in heaven.

Thanks, PB!

Author's note: So, as a direct result of the feeds I subscribed to this weekend, my Amazon wish list has grown from 1600 to more than 1800 items. Good heavens!

Why?

So The New Yorker has a review of Charles Tilly's Why, which sounds like a fascinating book... a highlight from the great review:

The husband who uses a story to explain his unhappiness to his wife—“Ever since I got my new job, I feel like I’ve just been so busy that I haven’t had time for us”—is attempting to salvage the relationship. But when he wants out of the marriage, he’ll say, “It’s not you—it’s me.” He switches to a convention. As his wife realizes, it’s not the content of what he has said that matters. It’s his shift from the kind of reason-giving that signals commitment to the kind that signals disengagement. Marriages thrive on stories. They die on conventions.

Something new, I guess, for my wishlist.

David O. McKay and the Rise of Modern Mormonism

Greg Prince's book, David O. McKay and the Rise of Modern Mormonism is on my Amazon wish list as a priority-one buy... so it's a delight to see that he's blogging about his book over at Times & Seasons.

Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince

* sigh *

Well, word has come through the grapevine that my mother is saving my copy of Harry Potter (which she mentioned she had picked-up on the day of its release) for an extra-special Christmas present.

Yeah, I know... Mom doesn't understand my mania.

But I love her, so I'll wait.

Guess I'll have to wait until I get back from Cairo to read this (certain to be) fine discussion of the book.

Good thing Eldest is coming out, soon.

Meme: The Book Baton

Well, King Cosmonaut has turned me onto the latest meme: the Book Baton. So here's my entry:

Number of Books on the Shelf:

I haven't finished cataloging my library, so I can't say for certain... but I'd guess that I have around 600 books. I do, however, know how many books I have in my Amazon wishlist (that's supposed to be a link that goes just to my books... it may not work, here's a link to my whole wish list).

Last Book Purchased:

The last book I purchased was Allan B Jacobs' "The Boulevard Book : History, Evolution, Design of Multiway Boulevards"

Book Reading Right Now:

I'm not reading a book right now... I'm waiting for a care package from my mom that contains Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince.

Last Five Books Read:

• Wendell Berry: "That Distant Land: The Collected Stories"


• Craig Thompson: "Carnet De Voyage"


• Paul Stewart: "Curse of the Gloamgozer (Edge Chronicles Book Four)"


• Ron Schow's "Peculiar People"


• Lynne Truss's "Eats, Shoots and Leaves"

Passing it Along to:

• Rusty Clifton


• Matt Kingston


• Bryan McEntire