Meanwhile, in Rivendell . . .

I usually find myself conflicted when I write these year-end posts.  (Don't we all, right?)  The problem with making top ten lists, for me, is that I often experience a sense of dissonance, torn between what I see as two different 'types' of candidates.  There are the stories that I think deserve a spot on their own merit, for their own technical excellence; and then there are the stories that I want to include because I personally enjoy  them so much, even if they aren't of the highest caliber. This year, I'm happy to report, that's not as much of a struggle!  2021 wasn't a great year for new-to-me movies, to be honest, but the silver lining there is that most of the films that  did stand out to me did so because they were both exceptionally well-made (in my opinion) and intensely satisfactory on a personal level.   Of course, there were exceptions:  films that were so good that I can't not  spotlight them, even if they weren't that "fun"

In my early teens, I adopted a reading motto.  C.S. Lewis had said that, "It is a good rule, after you finish a new book, never to allow yourself another new book until you have read an old one in between" — and by golly, if it was good enough for Clive, it was good enough for me.  So, I implemented that practice.  I alternated faithfully between books I'd never read before and books I had  read before.  After finishing a new-to-me book, I'd begin a reread; after I finished a reread, I'd begin another new-to-me.  I followed this "rule" fairly religiously for several years, if I recall correctly, balancing old and new in a straight 1:1 ratio.  (As I was already in the habit of rereading quite a bit on a regular basis, it wasn't that difficult; it simply became a strict formula rather than a flexible inclination.) Now, over time, I've realized how dogmatic that rule is and how silly it is to impose any kind of ironclad restriction upon my leisure r

Character-driven vs. plot-driven.  It's an almost ubiquitous dichotomy in the debates and discussions that thread their way through the online story community.  When you read a book — or watch a movie, for that matter — is your opinion of it more likely to be influenced by the strength of its characterization or by the strength of its plotline?  In other words, are you a  character-driven or a plot-driven reader (or viewer)? For myself, I've never felt able to satisfactorily answer that question.  Because the real answer, in my own case, is neither.   When it comes to books and movies, I'm neither character-driven nor plot-driven.  (What I'm looking for differs slightly from one medium to another, but in general, and in somewhat oversimplified terms, my priorities are writing style, theme, and aesthetic.) However!  I have realized in recent months that, while I can't parse my story preferences quite so distinctly when it comes to literature and film, I can give a he

My friend Rachel has created the perfect tag for this autumnal season — one dedicated to the books that inspire gratitude in us.  She's also kindly tagged me to fill it out!  Thanks, Rachel! 💛 The Rules 1. Thank the person who tagged you.  2. Fill out the tag. 3. Share the tag graphic in your post. 4. Tag four friends. 5. Provide a clean copy of the tag for easy copying. The Questions G -- A book you're Grateful to a friend for recommending Greenwillow (by B.J. Chute)!  I can't recollect exactly which bloggers talked about it — I think perhaps Heidi and Natalie? — but however I first became aware of it, I am eternally grateful I did.  And that I had the extraordinary good fortune to find a copy at a thrift store one day.  It's one of my top favorite books ever, now.  I -- A book that fires your Imagination The Forgotten Beasts of Eld  (by Patricia A. McKillip).  This book was my introduction to McKillip, and it's still (so far) my favorite of her works.  Extraord

Surprise! I decided to make that fancast after all. 😉 Rachel's question got the ball rolling in my head, and pretty soon I realized that I did, in fact, want to assemble a full dream cast for a new adaptation of The Princess Bride . For those of you who don't know, the original novel by William Goldman is my favorite book ever.  I do love the 1987 adaptation — not taking anything away from that film; it's wonderful — but it contains none (or virtually none) of the elements that make the book my G.O.A.T.  I don't fault the '87 for that; the themes that captivate me on the page would be tricky to translate to the screen.  (If you're curious, you can read a little more about what those themes are here .) For that reason, my stance on a new adaptation has always been, "Probably not a great idea."  True, there's a lot of depth in the novel that the '87 adaptation did not preserve, but in light of how difficult it would be to preserve a lot of tha