On My Bookshelves #8 (11/12 - 11/14)

This new weekend feature highlights the books

that we have purchased, and put off reading

until we finished our current ones...

except that we somehow never did get to them!

This book meme will also highlight

those wonderful books we have already read,

and would love to re-read!!

If you'd like to join in, write your own post,

grab my meme button (or create your own),

and add your post link to the list!

Have fun hopping over to other blogs to see what

books others want to either read or re-read!

Here's my list for this week!

The Sword of Shannara

(The Original Shannara Trilogy #1)

Terry Brooks

Trade Paperback, 736 pages

Orbit

January 3, 2006

(first published in 1977)

Genre: Fantasy

From the Goodreads Synopsis

 Long ago, the wars of the ancient Evil had ruined the world and forced mankind to compete with many other races--gnomes, trolls, dwarfs, and elves. But in peaceful Shady Vale, half-elfin Shea Ohmsford knew little of such troubles.

Then came the giant, forbidding Allanon, possessed of strange Druidic powers, to reveal that the supposedly dead Warlock Lord was plotting to destroy the world. The sole weapon against this Power of Darkness was the Sword of Shannara, which could be used only by a true heir of Shannara. On Shea, last of the bloodline, rested the hope of all the races.

This book's cover was created by

the Hildebrandt brothers, who also did

a lot of Tolkien LOTR calendars,

so of course it pulled me in right away!

Then I postponed reading the novel because I thought

it sounded too much like Tolkien's

great fantasy trilogy.

Well, it's probably time for me to

give this author the benefit of the doubt,

since this was the start of a very succesful series!

Once Upon a Time

Editors: Lester del Rey, Rita Kessler

Hardcover, 336 pages

Del Rey/Ballantine Books

(compilation by Random House)

October 23, 1991

Genre: YA Fantasy

From the Amazon Synopsis

This collection of 10 well written stories nicely illustrates the concept that fairy tale themes are universal, and that modern fantasy writers can give them a sophisticated, psychological and realistic approach while still providing a sense of wonder for all ages. In Barbara Hambly's Changeling, a hard-working Marchlord slays the dragon devastating his countryside and brings home to his wife and children what he finds in its lair: a mute child with two unusual companions. Anne McCaffrey's "The Quest of a Sensible Man" features a prince who seeks a suitable mate for his flying horse.

The eponymous "Thistledown" in Susan Dexter's tale is a unicorn colt saved from from predatory hounds by a mute boy suspected of witchcraft. The spoiled princess in "The Fairy Godmother," by Lester del Rey, learns the rudiments of wise rule when she is taken in by an old couple after an attempted abduction. In Wayland Drew's "The Old Soul," an old woman's tale of the fall of a powerful city jolts three travelers out of their self-important lives.

This is another treasure I have yet to read!
How could I have postponed this one?
It's a collection sure to delight
the heart of every fantasy lover,
among which I proudly count myself!!
Maybe if I wave my Harry Potter wand around,
I will magically have more time to read
all the wonderful books I have in my
personal library....

Woman On the Edge of Time

Marge Piercy

Mass Market Paperback, 384 pages

Fawcett

November 12, 1985

Genre: Science Fiction

From the Goodreads Synopsis

Connie Ramos, a woman in her mid-thirties, has been declared insane. But Connie is overwhelmingly sane, merely tuned to the future, and able to communicate with the year 2137. As her doctors persuade her to agree to an operation, Connie struggles to force herself to listen to the future and its lessons for today....

From an Amazon Editorial Review

The novel shifts between the horrible conditions in psychiatric wards and the year 2137, as Connie at first talks to, then time travels with Luciente, a person from that future time. Luciente lives in a non-sexist, communal country where people's survival is ensured based on need, not money. A sense of freedom, choice, and safety are part of Luciente's world; Connie's world is the complete opposite. Though Connie struggles to stand up for herself and others in the treatment centers, she knows that the drugs she is forced to take weaken her in every way. She knows she shouldn't be there, knows how to play the game...But she knows she is stuck. Connie spends more time "away" with Luciente, trying to develop a way out of her hell. Ultimately Connie makes her plan of action, and the book leaves us with our own questions about Connie's insanity and decisions. -- From 500 Great Books by Women; review by Holly Smith

It really bothers me that I haven't

gotten to this novel yet!!

The plot sounds absolutely rivetiing,

not just because there's a lot of conflict,

but because this is a novel of ideas

as much as it is one of action.

The status of women in society is a topic

dear to my heart,

and I love reading novels that include

psychological themes.

So I have to promise myself that

this book will soon be in my "already read" pile...

What wonderful books are waiting

for you to read them?

What beloved books would

you like to re-read?