The Spirits of Christmas

A ghost story for Christmas?

 

Now, that is my kind of book.

The Wizard of Words

I was initially drawn to the luxurious texture of the cover.  Then I heard an interview with the author on NPR. He was so intelligent and witty (in the very best sense of the word), I said "If this man writes the way he talks, then I want to read everything he has ever written."

 

 

That being said, this book is a story, not a conversation, but intelligent and thought provoking all the same.   However, I was very  dissatisfied with the ending.

 

A stranger appears in the sultan's court claiming to be the child of the sultan's great aunt. Improbable and impossible, but the sultan is charmed and amused by the stranger so he allows him to spin out his tale.  The stranger takes too long and ultimately falls out of favor.  The sultan proclaims that man was a liar and proceeds to make up his own explanation of the tale which was studded with grains of truth amidst the lies.  I found the sultan's conclusion to be as unsatisfactory as the strangers.  It bothered me greatly at first but then I decided that I too would disregard both versions  offered up and imagine my own explanation.

 

If I ever get a chance to talk to Salman Rushdie, this is what I would ask him about.

 

*On another note, I first heard the term 'memory palace' in this story which contains a very beautiful illustration of concept.  Just recently, I heard the term mentioned on a BBC episode of Sherlock and my thoughts immediately flashed back to this book.*



Of Dwarves and Dragons

 The Hobbit, J.R.R.Tolkien 

The first time I read The Hobbit, I didn't really care for it.  I was probably too young, between ten and twelve.  In my teens, after I discovered and fell in love with the romance, chivalry and adventure of The Lord of the Rings trilogy, I came to appreciate the charm of the prequel.

I've read and read the entire set so many times the bindings have cracked and corners are missing from a few pages here and there (thanks to a literary cat).   It's ok, I know what the missing words are.

Following the Peter Jackson movies, fancy new editions proliferated and I thought about getting a shiny new set.  But there is something about the soft vellum feel of the worn pages, the gentle browning of the paper, and the suppleness of the cover, that makes me feel as though I am reading a ancient tome found in a forgotten corner of a historian's library.  I think I will keep my ragged set, after all "all that glitters is not gold".