the Free Library and current novels
I mentioned in my previous post that I like how accessible Center City is. After work today, I took the 32 to the Central Branch and had the following love/hate experience:
Loved: the check-out librarian who kindly canceled my 50-cent late fee (oops! I tried to be careful, but apparently I kept Over Sea, Under Stone a few days too long) and asked me to come back to tell her the result of my conversation with the reference librarian about the location of a certain book.
Hated: the location of aforesaid book. The Charles Williams novel I want to read is in the reference section. What the HECK is a novel doing in the reference section?! And when the heck am I supposed to find, oh, a free day or two to sit in the library and read it? Bah.
All in all, I'm happy to live in Philadelphia! But NJ is still my state. :)
Speaking of reading, I'm more than halfway through The Grey King, and I have to say I'm disappointed. Sure, it's the most Welsh of the series, and I revel in the town/farm names and the short Welsh lessons; it's extra-cool because I made sure to visit Cader Idris, because The Grey King was the only one of the series I'd read. However, I can't put my finger on whether my irritations with the novel as I'm re-reading it are inherent to *this* installment of the series, or it's because I've just read the previous 3 in the series, but either way, this book bothers me. First off, the plot device of 'some HUGELY powerful magic that is beyond the control of Light or Dark' has already been used in Greenwitch -- there the Greenwitch himself and the realm of Tethys, here the High Magic and the guardians of the golden harp. Second, I'm beginning to find it just a little too convenient what Will can or can't do as an Old One. When the reader might want to know what Bran is thinking, Will can sense it -- but he can't help solve any riddles, to preserve some suspense. When Will wants to carry the harp around, he claims the Brenin Llwyd has no right to put an enchantment on a Thing of Power rightly claimed. When Will needs to fulfill his quest, he suddenly 'knows' what he has to do. His powers and limitations constantly seem to narrow down his path to one possible action. At the same time, there seems to be some inconsistency about his power -- in The Dark Is Rising, Farmer Dawson or someone hints that Will has powers those other Old Ones don't, but as he faces the Brenin Llwyd, Will is called the last and least of the Old Ones. All these issues aside, I dislike the feeling of familiarity in plot and writing style; I haven't even read these four books non-stop (I'd say it's been at least a month or two), and I shouldn't feel the author is this predictable.
I suppose that sounds nit-picky and arrogant. I *have* been enjoying the series so far, and I'm looking forward to Silver on the Tree...after I take a break and read a few other books.
Loved: the check-out librarian who kindly canceled my 50-cent late fee (oops! I tried to be careful, but apparently I kept Over Sea, Under Stone a few days too long) and asked me to come back to tell her the result of my conversation with the reference librarian about the location of a certain book.
Hated: the location of aforesaid book. The Charles Williams novel I want to read is in the reference section. What the HECK is a novel doing in the reference section?! And when the heck am I supposed to find, oh, a free day or two to sit in the library and read it? Bah.
All in all, I'm happy to live in Philadelphia! But NJ is still my state. :)
Speaking of reading, I'm more than halfway through The Grey King, and I have to say I'm disappointed. Sure, it's the most Welsh of the series, and I revel in the town/farm names and the short Welsh lessons; it's extra-cool because I made sure to visit Cader Idris, because The Grey King was the only one of the series I'd read. However, I can't put my finger on whether my irritations with the novel as I'm re-reading it are inherent to *this* installment of the series, or it's because I've just read the previous 3 in the series, but either way, this book bothers me. First off, the plot device of 'some HUGELY powerful magic that is beyond the control of Light or Dark' has already been used in Greenwitch -- there the Greenwitch himself and the realm of Tethys, here the High Magic and the guardians of the golden harp. Second, I'm beginning to find it just a little too convenient what Will can or can't do as an Old One. When the reader might want to know what Bran is thinking, Will can sense it -- but he can't help solve any riddles, to preserve some suspense. When Will wants to carry the harp around, he claims the Brenin Llwyd has no right to put an enchantment on a Thing of Power rightly claimed. When Will needs to fulfill his quest, he suddenly 'knows' what he has to do. His powers and limitations constantly seem to narrow down his path to one possible action. At the same time, there seems to be some inconsistency about his power -- in The Dark Is Rising, Farmer Dawson or someone hints that Will has powers those other Old Ones don't, but as he faces the Brenin Llwyd, Will is called the last and least of the Old Ones. All these issues aside, I dislike the feeling of familiarity in plot and writing style; I haven't even read these four books non-stop (I'd say it's been at least a month or two), and I shouldn't feel the author is this predictable.
I suppose that sounds nit-picky and arrogant. I *have* been enjoying the series so far, and I'm looking forward to Silver on the Tree...after I take a break and read a few other books.