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Chatterbox: Down to Earth
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-The Horse Group- (Jaybells, Artemis, and me - we were grouped together on the MaF thread).
I'm back on the CB at last, and ready to chat! I have a vacation from school right now, which is... relaxing. I
spent some of my time looking for potential AE names in a book about
wildflowers. I got a couple of ideas, but some of the names were
hilarious - I found myself contemplating the names "Rough Bedstraw,"
"Hatpin," and "Stinking Benjamin." Those are literally flower names?!
My family and I have also been opening Christmas presents and talking virtually or by telephone with my relatives. My great-uncle, whom I've never met, called up yesterday, and my sister and I got to talk with him for a bit. It was really nice because I've heard a lot about him and always wanted to get to know him, and he's also a very interesting person. And we had turkey for dinner, of course. @Jaybells, in Britain/Ireland, is turkey usually eaten at Christmas? I just realized that maybe it's only a Canadian/American tradition.
Anyway, how've your holidays been?
I'm so excited to talk with you guys! :)
submitted by Poinsettia, age immortal, Narnia
(December 26, 2022 - 4:22 pm)
(December 26, 2022 - 4:22 pm)
Argh, I'm replying so late - I'm so sorry!!
Don't worry about tangents, I do that too; and it makes the conversation more interesting!
I do read some poetry; not that often, but I always enjoy it. One of my favorites ever is "The Song of Sherwood" by Alfred Noyes. It's rather like Tennyson's poems, but more stirring, I think. As for a favorite poet in general... I like Robert Frost, and Sara Teasdale. I also love the poetry of Juan Ramón Jiménez, because it's so beautifully written.
Hmm, maybe anime is where everyone's interest in Japan comes from. Come to think of it, I'm not quite sure what anime is. I've literally never read any...
Ooh yes, originality is really important to a story! Personally, one of the things I like best about Momo is that it's so relevant to modern life - it seems like everyone's forgotten how to relax and enjoy life. In my neighborhood, for instance, after the Fourth of July fireworks show, everyone leaves at top speed, instead of standing around talking or having fun. And then of course employers make a huge fuss over making sure their workers are as productive as possible, without considering the quality of life or working conditions that the workers have - all to save money, and time. The book's message that trying to save time actually just makes you unhappier is what makes the book so important to me, and that's why I go around recommending it to everyone :) Of course, I like the characters and the magic too.
I haven't read The King of Elfland's Daughter, but I saw somewhere that you had mentioned it and I looked it up in the library's online catalogue - it looks interesting! I'll have to read it one of these days, once I get through all the other books hanging around the house waiting to be read...
Speaking of books, have you read any of those ultra-famous fantasy series, like Keeper of the Lost Cities or Percy Jackson? If so, what's your opinion on them?
(March 17, 2023 - 11:57 am)
I never used to read much poetry, but recently I've been getting more into it. I looked up "Song of Sherwood" and it does have a Tennysonic cadence to it... nice imagery. I know Frost, of course, but I haven't heard of Sara Teasdale or Juan Ramón Jiménez, but maybe I'll check them out.
I'm fairly sure anime is just the Japanese word for "animation" (or something), and so it's come to mean the distinctive Japanese style of animation that's become popular in America. Manga is the Japanese comics that're also popular. I don't know too much about it, but that's what I've gathered. I am very fond of Studio Ghibli, as I've mentioned, but other than that I haven't seen any anime, and I haven't read any manga(s? I don't know).
true! every good book should have a deeper layer to it, I feel, even if it's quite subtle. Momo's message was very transparent, of course, but sometimes that's a good thing.
yeah, I've talked about The King of Elfland's Daughter a bit... It is good, although it's old and closer to a fairy tale or an epic than modern fantasy. it's the bridge between straight-up mythologies and Tolkien, basically.
I read the first book of KotLC once, and didn't enjoy it. I remember finding Sophie annoying and the writing mediocre, but it was a while ago. And I started The Lightning Thief, and it was okay, I guess, but it didn't hold my attention. I have read Harry Potter, and I do like that one. It's not the Greatest Book Ever Written, but it's a good story, and I think J.K. Rowling portrays children/teenagers very well -- neither too young nor too old. also, it's fun that it has such a fandom.
the only other series I can think of that fits into this category of very popular children's fantasy is Wings of Fire, which I liked a lot when I was slightly younger. I've read everything except the last two books.
hbu? if i recall correctly, you posted a thread about how you read KotLC and weren't fond of it...
(March 17, 2023 - 7:16 pm)
Well. I seem to be replying way too late again... sorry!!
I've heard of manga, and I know a couple of people who are semi-into it, but I've never read any myself. I like other comics, though, like the Tintin comic books by Hergé, because they're quite funny and exciting, and a lot more true to real life than many other comic strips. Have you ever read any?
Yeah, I'm not too fond of KotLC... I found all the characters annoying, and the writing style was also pretty boring, and the whole plot was kind of hard to believe, and... but I explained all my opinions about it on that thread in BaB, so I won't go into it all over again. I haven't read many of the other "classic" recent fantasy series either. I did start the Cat Warriors series one time, and at first I liked it, but then it all seemed too dark and depressing, so I dropped it. The only thing I regret about not having read all these series is I don't get to be part of the fandoms! You're right that being able to fangirl about a series with other people is one of the most fun things about having read it :)
Oh right, and I was going to mention that I have now listened to some of the music you recommended wayyyy back on page 2 of this thread! You'd mentioned First Aid Kit songs, and I heard one quite by chance on the radio the other day. You're right, it did sound pretty! Although sort of different from typical country/folk music, which basically seems to be singers proclaiming the stories of their love lives to the sound of guitars :) It sounded more ethereal, I guess. Have you ever listened to any Alison Krauss songs? Idk if she'd be in your line, but she has really pretty, more ethereal-sounding music, and her voice is lovely. Daylight is very good, and Sinking Stone, and My Poor Old Heart, and I could basically just list all her songs because I like almost all of them, but I won't right now :)
(March 23, 2023 - 4:05 pm)
unfaithful have been I. sorry!
i've never read Tintin, although I've heard of it... comics-wise, I do quite enjoy Calvin and Hobbes; my family has I think all of them floating around the house, and it's gotten to the point where my brother or I can just randomly quote whole strips and the other will know exactly what we're talking about. and when i was like twelve or something I read Amulet, which was a cool graphic novel series. Not quite the same medium, but certainly related. I don't read graphic novels, really, but I love the concept. Drawing stories. I'm beating my own record for tangents, but speaking of drawing stories, have you read The Invention of Hugo Cabret?
A couple years ago I was very into Warriors, actually. I probably wouldn't enjoy it nearly so much now, but I think I liked how much there was of it -- all voracious readers like finding series that are both well-written and extensive (I can't say how well-written Warriors is, not having read a page of it in a long time, but I certainly liked it then). It does get kind of dark in places, although, for the third time, I haven't read it in centuries and I don't remember it too well. There's lots of fighting and dying and prophecies and stuff, though. I remember that much.
oh that's cool!! do you know which song it was?
you're right, First Aid Kit does have an ethereal shade... lots of the music I like seems to. I quite enjoy fantastical-sounding and/or minor music, oftentimes. I haven't heard any Alison Krauss, but I shall go do that--
okay, Daylight is pretty good. it sounds, like, layered? there's lots of harmonies and cool instrumentals and stuff. it's a little more meandering than my usual music, but it's pretty.
so here's a thing: I just finished rereading Jane Eyre. i believe you mentioned you liked that book?? and anyway it inspired me to reread it, because it'd been a while and i wanted to look at it with fresh eyes. i think i like it better the second time around; it's still very 1847, but she's good at describing wildernesses and weaving complicated plots. have you read anything else of the Brontës'?
(March 31, 2023 - 7:01 pm)
(March 18, 2023 - 6:49 pm)
(March 18, 2023 - 8:37 pm)
No problem! Anyway, I'm not too great at replying punctually myself, so I can't really judge :)
Calvin and Hobbes? I think my parents have a couple of those. I used to read them sometimes when I was younger. Yeah, drawing stories is a great idea! I'd never heard of The Invention of Hugo Cabret, but I looked it up online just now and it sounds quite interesting... I think I'd like it.
You have a brother? That's cool! do you have many siblings? (if you're comfortable sharing, of course!)
I'm not sure what the title was, but I looked up a list of First Aid Kit songs and I think it was "Emmylou." It was about Emmylou Harris, anyway. It was very nice indeed, I'll definitely have to listen to more FAK songs. I'm glad you liked "Daylight"! Alison Krauss is one of my favorite singers, although I will say her songs have to be listened to several times in order to get the most out of them - the more I hear them, the prettier they seem, at least for me. They're very good for listening to in the car, especially. I like how she's technically a country singer but she has her own style that's really quite different from most other singers. First Aid Kit does that too, I think, which is nice - they're not your usual country/folk. Although I do enjoy more typical country too, like Dolly Parton - I really like her song "Coat of Many Colors", for instance. And Peter Paul & Mary have 100% typical folk music, but they're like my Favorite Band Ever-- "Blowin' in the Wind" and "Leavin' On a Jet Plane" and "Kisses Sweeter than Wine" and - well, I could go on. Sorry for the long ramble, I tend to go a bit overboard when talking about music :)
Jane Eyre! Yes, I do like it! I'm always in awe of Charlotte Bronte's writing style; she communicates everything she needs to, and in such a vivid and direct way. Jane herself is also an amazing character - I really admire her for sticking to her beliefs and leaving Mr. Rochester when she discovers she can't marry him because he's married already. I haven't read anything else of the Brontes' - oh wait, yes I have. Years ago I read Agnes Gray, by Anne Bronte, and that one I didn't like as much. Jane Eyre was slightly too dramatic for my tastes, although I liked it anyway - but Agnes Gray was too under-dramatic, and the heroine wasn't that interesting. The man she ended up marrying wasn't too interesting either, and the plot was sort of boring. It's definitely still great literature, but not my favorite book ever. I'll probably be able to get more out of it when I'm older. (That's one of the good things about some books, each time you read them you find some hidden meaning.) Still, there are lots of other books by the Brontes, and some of them sound excellent. I'll have to read them when I have time - Wuthering Heights and The Professor, for instance. Oh, and sorry for misspelling "Bronte," I'm just not sure how to type the last letter on this computer's keyboard :/
And, changing the subject completely, it's almost Easter! Does your family do anything special then?
(April 3, 2023 - 8:13 pm)
oh and also, going back to Jane Eyre for a moment, I forgot to ask - did you have a favorite character? what did you like best about it?
idk why I don't think of asking these things in my first comment :/
(April 3, 2023 - 8:18 pm)
yeppity doodle! it is cool. i have four siblings, actually, two brothers and two sisters. I'm the second oldest. do you have any siblings besides Amethyst (likewise, if you're comfortable)?
ooh cool! i haven't heard Emmylou yet, but I may have to check it out. I don't listen to a lot of country/folk, although I do like some old traditional folk songs, like "Scarborough Fair" and "Shenandoah". about my sole exposure to Peter Paul & Mary is "A Soalin", which is pretty nice.
yes, Jane is an admirably principled + determined character. i'm not sure who my favorite would be... maybe Mr. Rochester. Jane is clearly the person you're supposed to emulate, but Mr. Rochester is interesting. i think my favorite overall part would be how she describes the people and places. I like this passage about Helen Burns: "Then her soul sat on her lips, and language flowed, from what source I cannot tell. Has a girl of fourteen a heart large enough, vigorous enough, to hold the swelling spring of pure, full, fervid eloquence?" I also liked the bit where she describes Ferndean, particularly well. I have a fondness for old, decrepit, once-grand manor houses. do you have a favorite character?
I did read Wuthering Heights once. It's good, I think, but a lot more intense and tragic than Jane Eyre (which is saying something, because Jane Eyre is pretty intense and tragic, even if it ends happily). Emily seems generally to be more tragic than her sisters.
also, i too, for the longest time, didn't know how to do accent marks on my laptop, and so i was cursed to say things like "pinata" and "Bronte" without their proper punctuation, which was dEePLy pAiNFul, because I'm very proper about punctuation. apparently all you have to do on Chromebooks is hold down the key of the letter you're accenting. *shrugs*
ah yes! Tuesday after by the time i'm responding :') but yeah! my family is pretty religious, so we do a lot of church on Holy Week, and Easter itself. also lots of food*, and my grandparents came to visit, which was nice :) this is when being homeschooled is useful; i can have spring break for Easter instead of whenever the public schools do it (i think the week before?) I do love Easter. how about your family? do you have any particular Easter traditions?
*because footnotes are more genteel than long parenthetical asides. we have a lot of traditional Easter foods we eat. lots of Eastern European stuff, as our particular breed of Catholics is from that area. Sausage, and horseradish, and Easter bread, and all manner of eggs, and things.
(April 11, 2023 - 10:22 am)
Oh no, I'm so sorry it took me so long to reply! I've been really busy with school, since the dreaded Exams are approaching (yikes) and I always take a while to write full length replies~
Anyway... oh yes, Scarborough Fair is beautiful! I love the version by Simon & Garfunkel - it's so plaintive and wistful.
Those Easter traditions sound really nice! I didn't know that horseradish was an Easter food, although I don't know too much about the religious traditions in Eastern Europe anyway. (In school I've been doing a lot of Russian history, and I was curious and looked up the Eastern Orthodox Churches in the encyclopedia, but that's the extent of my knowledge.)
My family doesn't have that many Easter traditions - mostly we just decorate eggshells, which I told you about before, I think, and have an Easter egg hunt. One year it was outside and very challenging :) We've hardly ever actually gone to church for Easter, for some reason. I still like the religious significance of Easter, though - the sadness on Good Friday that someone as unselfish as Jesus could have been killed, and then the rejoicing on Easter that he - or his message, depending on how you decide to interpret it - still lived on. Actually, that's kind of typical of me - I'm not that traditional about religion, but I do believe in Christianity in general. I really believe in its general message of loving and forgiving other people, which is what it's fundamentally about, I think.
Well, that paragraph turned pretty philosophical >:) What are your thoughts on religion? (if you're comfortable sharing?)
Oh, and I was going to mention that I'm re-reading the Calvin and Hobbes comics - I believe you've read them too? I'd read some of them when I was about four, and I did not, as you can imagine, really understand them at that age, so it's nice to rediscover them and properly enjoy them.
You're right, that quote about Helen Burns is great! I think probably Jane is my favorite character; Mr. Rochester is also very vivid and intriguing, but he's slightly too serious for my liking. (Of course all the characters are pretty serious, but still.)
Speaking of reading--what do you think of Gandalf's Middle-Earth Solo Write? I love how in the story we're all having adventures wtih Middle-Earth inhabitants (although Tolkien himself is probably turning over in his grave...)
Answering your question, Amethyst is my only sibling. I think you're really lucky to have four siblings :)
(April 22, 2023 - 3:13 pm)