Tag Archives: classic literature

On the Same Page: Howl’s Moving Castle

by

Title: Howl’s Moving Castle

Author: Diana Wynne Jones

Publishing Information:  April 22nd 2008 by Greenwillow Books

Genre: Young Adult, Fantasy, Fiction, Romance, Magic, Adventure

Series Information: Book one in the Howl’s Moving Castle Trilogy

Format: Paperback, 429 pages

Source: Borrowed from my public library

Recommended For: Readers looking for a fun and quick read that will bring them back to their childhood.

Related Reviews: Check out Amy’s post and Brittany’s post

Hi friends! Here again for our On the Same Page post! This month we read a classic that we had all neglected to read while growing up! Howl’s Moving Castle is one of those books that I have always regretted not reading, not to mention the fact that people keep telling me that I absolutely needed to see the movie – and we all know that I can’t watch it before reading! So that is just what I did, I set out to read Howl’s Moving Castle and I devoured it in a day! I loved this book so much, it reminded me of growing up reading The Enchanted Forest Chronicles, which I think is my go to highest compliment! Okay so let’s get into the comparison…

castle

The first thing that I should tell you is that I am finding that those who watched the movie prior to reading the book enjoy the movie a lot more, and vice versa. Actually, multiple people have told me that they were unable to even finish the book because they were not enjoying it as much as the movie! I read the book first and found that I enjoyed the book so much more than the movie. I don’t really see how I can write this post without ruining some of the plot so, spoilers ahead! Continue reading →

Beyond Books: Lost in Translation

by

I am afraid I am going to get all English Major on you guys today. I have to say that one of my favorite things about my current position as a Librarian are the research questions that I get to assist with every day. We often have a lot of trouble in the library when trying to find novels for bilingual patrons. Although there is a definite need in the library for novels that have been translated into different languages, due to budget constraints this rarely happens.This got me thinking about the value of literature, language and their working relationship. What resources are there for those who need things such as websites translated? As a research librarian, I clearly embarked on a journey to find answers to this question! I found many resources but was especially impressed by the translation software provided by Smartling. From what I can gather, based on the needs of the customer, Smartling uses human translation and the translation software platform so that the best quality and accuracy is provided. I am sure you all have experience using Google translate, and I am sure that you have found that sometimes their translation just doesn’t make sense. Smartling strives to preserve and carry over the original intent and purpose of the text, without losing anything in translation. Continue reading →

Happy Birthday, Mr. Shakespeare! (Giveaway)

by
william shakespeare
William Shakespeare
April 23, 1564 – April 23, 1616
Good frend for Iesvs sake forbeare,
To digg the dvst encloased heare.
Bleste be ye man yt spares thes stones,
And cvrst be he yt moves my bones.

You all might remember that I wrote a post dedicated to the Bard on his birthday last year. Well this year I thought that I would make it a little more fun! Since part of my focus on the Classics Retold project is dedicated to Shakespeare, I thought that it would be fun to offer a giveaway to my readers to celebrate William’s birthday, and to remind you all how fun retellings are!

Therefore, to wish Mr. Shakespeare a happy birthday and deathday: one winner will receive their choice of any Shakespeare retelling! Here is a link to a Goodreads list of retellings but I will of course take additional suggestions!!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Classics Retold

by
 
 
 
ClassicsRetold
 

 

Classics Retold is a fun event that was born from Project: Fairy Tale , which was originally hosted by Alison @ The Cheap Reader. This project will essentially work the same except we will be taking a classic novel or tale, instead of a fairy tale, and blogging about its adaptations. It works great for those of you who have wanted to read a classic, but haven’t had the time or for those of you who missed out during Project Fairy Tale.

The What:

For a classic to be usable for this project, it should have at least 2 adaptations, spin-offs, sequels, or retellings.

  1. Choose a classic  that you want to read.
  2. Sign up via the Google doc below and I will place your name and link back to your blog on a sign-up page. Additionally, I will give you a list of possible adaptations that I have found – you will not be limited to this list, of course, it is only meant to be helpful.
  3. Write a “sign-up” post on your own blog before May 25 just telling the blogosphere which “classic” you are choosing and any other info you want to include (for example, here is my sign up post for Project: Fairy Tale) I know that it is MONTHS away so no pressure, just let me know as soon as you do!
  4. Read your classic, and then read or watch as many retellings, spin-offs, sequels or adaptations of the classic as you can.
  5. Post reviews or your thoughts on your blog for each one during September.
  • To participate in this project, you only sign up for one classic and its adaptations.
  • 1-4 bloggers can work on a “main” text. You can work independently or work together, and you’re allowed to all read/watch the same things or split the work up
  • Optional: If you’d like to work on another classic or adaptation in addition to your main choice, find the bloggers “in charge” of that text and ask to do a guest review/post.
  • I will be hosting a giveaway on my blog for those of you participating in the Ancient – Renaissance Literature Classics Retold section. The details aren’t final yet but just know that each review (etc.) that you post will be  one entry! More details will follow as we get closer to the end of sign-ups!

Have fun with this! In lieu of classic reviews, write a character analysis, talk about the culture of the book, or use it in a meme! Get creative! As long as it links back to your classic in some way, it works toward the project!

The When:

  • Sign-ups will run from April 11 – May 25
  • September 2013 will be our month to post!

The Who:

Since this project is so HUGE, we have split up the co-hosting duties! It’s all one big project so you only sign up once for one main text (not once on each blog).

Ancient to Renaissance Literature Sign Up

I took the liberty of brainstorming some ideas for Ancient to Renaissance Literature books and adaptations! Don’t feel limited by these titles, if there is another title that you are interested in just let me know and I will let you know if it’s acceptable, or if it falls under another category!

– Beowulf
– Biblical
– Faust
– Gilgamesh
– King Arthur

– The Illiad
– The Aenid
– The Odyssey

– Hamlet

– King Lear
– Macbeth
– The Merchant of Venice
– A Midsummer Night’s Dream

– Much Ado About Nothing
– Othello

– Romeo and Juliet

– Taming of the Shrew
– The Tempest

– Twelfth Night
– Tristan and Isolt

*Let it be known that I will be participating and reading Robin Hood, as well as its retellings and adaptations! I’m going to have my own intro post sometime next week so you can all see what I have planned!

 

Calling All Characters!

by

Hello readers!

Based on a random text convo between myself and friends, I realized that I really do have adoration for a particular character in literature. Meaning, if he is featured in a novel, I will most likely read it and enjoy it simply because of his existence. That got me thinking…I wonder if there are other bloggers like myself who have a go to character they always enjoy reading about?

So I put the call out on Twitter for a fun blog collaboration for anyone who wanted to participate in this mini project and was happy to find some awesome bloggers who were interested! For those of you who missed my tweet, this post will serve as a call for participation! Here is what I am looking to do…

Next Wednesday, March 20, I am going to feature a “character analysis” of a character from popular (but dated) literature. The post is going to be simple: It will consist of an analysis of the character (background, characteristics, etc.), why I adore this particular character, and where readers can find him in more recent literature.

To get involved all you have to do is write your own post on one of your favorite characters in literature and explain why they were chosen, and where we can find him/her/it in other works. I have had a few questions on how to choose a character and what stipulations there are and the answer is easy, there are none! This can be a fairytale character, someone from classic literature, a mythological god/goddess/being, etc! The possibilities on characters are endless and you can do what you want with the post, it is meant to be simple, informative and most importantly, FUN.

If you feel like joining in (and I really hope that you do) just comment on this post letting me know so I can make sure to link over to your blog, it is up to you if you want to tell us who you are analyzing or to keep it a surprise!

I kind of hate surprises so my character analysis is going to be on Robin Goodfellow aka Puck (most commonly known from Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream)

puck

I hope you will join me!