Ⓐ - Ⓩ S - Susan

Hver dag klokken 12 kommer der et A-Z indlæg. Temaet er ekkoer, de løse ender, halve projekter, nye begyndelser, gyldne løfter og lokkende udsigter. Men jeg ville ikke være Uglemor, hvis ikke der sneg sig nye projekter og ideer ind i denne omgang A-Z også.

Ⓐ - Ⓩ

Every day at noon a new A-Z post goes live. The theme is Echoes, finishing touches, half done projects and endings. But I would not be me if these posts would not contain more than a fair share of new beginnings and plans.

S for Susan

     En af de ting, der fylder rigtig meget her på Uglemors blog er Susan og hendes meritter både på Enhjørningegården og i den virkelige verden.

     Olga Godim, der deltager i årets  A-Z Challenge skriver charmerende og spændende historier om magi, sværd og fantastiske mennesker på sin blog. Som tema for årets A-Z har hun valgt fiktive bogforsider.
     Jeg tog mod til mig og foreslog hende Susans historie - Enhjørningegården, og søreme om ikke hun har lavet en forside til min bog. Det er da fantastisk.
     Man kan se en masse af hendes andre flotte og spændende forsider på Deviantart: HER.

Det her er da ret fortryllende!
Bemærk at det er Susan, der står som forfatter - Uglemor foretrækker anonymitet indtil videre.

One of the things that really take up space and words on MotherOwl's blog is Susan and her adventures at Unicorn Farm and in the real world.

One of the participants in the A-Z Challenge this year is Olga Godim, who writes really well written fantasy and speculative fiction on her blog. As she says herself, she writes about "magic, swords, and the wonderful folks of her imagination."
For the challenge she is making up covers for books. I pulled together all my daring and suggested Unicorn Farm as a possibility for a cover. As Olga Godim had already covered "U" she kindly made a cover just for me - how lucky can you be!
Look up her collection of fabulous covers at Deviantart: HERE

Isn't this just fantastic!
Please notice that the author is Susan, MotherOwl prefers to remain anonymous for some time yet.

European Reading Challenge

  Last year stumbled over an exciting reading challenge: The European tour. 
  Then life happened, and I did not read a single of these books, nor did I write a review of anything at all. So here I go again.

   The rules for participation are simple. Commit to the challenge, link up, read one or more books by authors from, or happening in different European countries. Only one book per author and country.
   If you want to compete for a prize at least five books must be read and reviewed. The prize winner is the one with the most books read and reviewed between 1 January 2021 and 31 January 2022 - an extra month of grace given ;) 

List of countries:

Albania, Andorra, Armenia, Austria, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Belgium, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Georgia, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Kazakhstan, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Moldova, Monaco, Montenegro, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Republic of Macedonia, Romania, Russia, San Marino, Serbia, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Turkey, Ukraine, United Kingdom, and Vatican City.

I think I can do this and go for the glorious FIVE STAR (DELUXE ENTOURAGE): Read at least five books by different European authors or books set in different European countries.

Tentative list - subject to changes, supplements, augmentations and re-postings without notice: 

United Kingdom: Screwtape Letters by British C. S. Lewis, I think it happens in England as well, or maybe Brideshead Revisited. (Evelyn Waugh)
Sweden: Pippi Longstocking - love her!
Poland: Dolina Issy or another book by Czesław Miłosz - I have to brush off my Polish.
Italy - Don Camillo - I just found a new one.
Norway: Sigrid Undset's Olav Audunssøn i Hestviken - but in Danish not Norwegian.
Germany: Das Glasperlenspiel by Hermann Hesse.
Denmark (Is this charting as I am Danish?): Any book I happen to read and like during these 13 months.

Laura Ingalls Wilder 153 år

Man taler normalt ikke om en danes alder, men når damen er Laura, er det uden betydning, for hun er tidløs.

Tillykke med fødselsdagen og tak for bøgerne.

You never ask a lady's age, but a lady like Laura is surely ageless. 

Happy birthday and thanks for the books.

The Dragon and the George - Review.

This book was written by Gordon R. Dickson in 1976

  It is a fantasy novel set in a parallel England, where dragons, magic creatures, magicians, bowmen, outlaws and knight errants roam the lands. Dragons call all human beings a George, from Saint George and the Dragon.
  It is a story of good versus evil, honour versus cowardice and avarice. Where virtues and vices are part of the daily pattern of life, and life is harsh, yet more colourful.

  Our protagonist, the George, named  Jim Eckert, and who is doctor in medieval history is together with his fiancee, another George, named Angie Farrell, magicked into this world, and into the body of a dragon, Gorbash. The story tells of Gorbash/Jim's quest to find Angie, and return to his own body and his own world.
  During this journey he makes strange friends and meets even stranger foes. He learns a lot about himself and about the true meaning of courage. The book ends on a happy note, speaking of an armistice if not more between the dragons and Georges of this realm. How it all ends for Jim Eckert, I won't reveal.

• Read for fun, from my Christmas gift pile.
•  For the European Reading Challenge this should count as United Kingdom even though it is an alternative England, The wolf Aragh at least keeps insisting that he is indeed an English wolf.

 

Back to the Classisc - My tentative list -- January

  As always my trusty D12 with one face for each month of the year, will play a prominent role.
  I'll let it roll it on the first (or close to) of every month, letting it decide which book to bring with me on train rides and elsewhere in the month to come.
  January's roll gave me a 7: Classic with a Person's Name in the Title. I'll choose The Dragon and the George from my Christmas gift of old, second hand Science Fiction and Fantasy books.

 The categories and my ideas 
          - to be extended, supplemented, updated and re-posted from time to time:

1. 19th Century Classic.  Through the Looking Glass A long time want to read
2. 20th Century Classic. Glasperlenspiel (Glass Bead Game).
3. Classic by a Woman Author. Pilgrimage: The Book of The People
4. Classic in Translation. Almost any books I read in Danish or German ;)
5. Classic by a Person of Color. Katitzi og Swing (Name in English?) by Katitzi Taikon - I hope a Roma count as non-white (they are, according to me) and I have long had this childrens' auto-fiction on my to read-list..
6. A Genre Classic. Time to peruse my Christmas gift.
7. Classic with a Person's Name in the Title. Pippi Longstocking, Moreta, The Dragon and the George, Screwtape Letters, Surprised by Joy ... Too many ideas, I hope this category will be repeated for years to come,
8.  Classic with a Place in the Title. The Clocks of Iraz, 
9. Classic with Nature in the Title. The Wind in the Willows, also a long time want to read.
10. Classic About a Family. Brideshead Revisited? Nope it sure belongs to 12. Off to the library and second hand stores, when I get a 10.
11. Abandoned Classic. Dr. Zivago, or maybe Marts 1970 - I tried both too many times. 
12. Classic Adaptation. Brideshead Revisited fits here for sure, but on a second thought so does Dr. Zivago. I loved the film, when I saw it. I dreamed of living in Russia, even going to the extreme of teaching myself Cyrillic letters and handwriting - I can't read my diary from way back then any more ;)  

 So many books ... so little time

European Reading Challenge

I stumbled over an exciting reading challenge: The European tour.  

The rules for participation are simple. Commit to the challenge, link up, read one or more books by authors from, or happening in different European countries. Only one book per author and country.
If you want to compete for a prize at least five books must be read and reviewed. The prize winner is the one with the most books read and reviewed between 1 January 202 and 31 January 2021 - an extra month of grace given ;) 

List of countries:
Albania, Andorra, Armenia, Austria, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Belgium, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Georgia, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Kazakhstan, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Moldova, Monaco, Montenegro, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Republic of Macedonia, Romania, Russia, San Marino, Serbia, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Turkey, Ukraine, United Kingdom, and Vatican City.

I think I can do this and go for the glorious FIVE STAR (DELUXE ENTOURAGE): Read at least five books by different European authors or books set in different European countries.

Tentative list - subject to changes, supplements, augmentations and re-postings without notice: 

United Kingdom: Screwtape Letters by British C. S. Lewis, I think it happens in England as well, or Brideshead Revisited.
Sweden: Pippi Longstocking - love her!
Poland: Dolina Issy or another book by Czesław Miłosz - I have to brush off my Polish.
Italy - Don Camillo - I just found a new one.
Norway: Sigrid Undset's Olav Audunssøn i Hestviken - but in Danish not Norwegian.
Germany: Das Glasperlenspiel by Hermann Hesse.

Back to the Classics 2020

Yay! Books and Chocolate did it again. She has put up the the Back to the Classics list for 2020. Thanks!!
   I already have some ideas, and some aversions.
  Ideas: Brideshead Revisited most certainly is going to make it to the list this year (family, adaptation, place ...).  Pippi Longstocking as the name in the title one, maybe. My family and other Animals, not that book , but one of the others he wrote, and that I have not read (nature, family, genre ...), Glasperlenspiel either in the unfinished or the according to writing year-category.
  One of my Christmas presents was a big package of old, second hand Science fiction and fantasy books. I'm sure that some of them fits one or more of these cartegoies. Examples include: Moreta, for a name or genre, The Clocks of Iraz, for a place-name (fictional), or maybe a translation as I read it in French.

  Aversions: I'm not going to search for books by female or non-white authors - numbers 3 and  5 on the list. For two reasons:
1. That kind of thinking goes against what literature as an art - a thing of merit, beaty and pleasure - stands for in my head. I want to read a book because it is good, talks to me or shows me something new, not because it was written by Mrs. or Mr. So-and-so.
2. And most improtant to me: It is not possible to see what gender or colour the author has, by looking at the book. For a longish time I thougth Evelyn Waugh was a woman and Enid Blyton a man ;) P.G. something is even worse. I buy many books second hand, where the dust cover - the normal place for photos and info about the author  - is often not there. I'd have to write down title and author, go home and read up on the author's bio, taking the risk of it being grasped by someone else in the meantime. 
  In short. Things pertaining to the book is a fun game, finding out whether the author belongs to the rigth group is not.


And as always the D12 with one face for each month of the year, will play a prominent role.
  I'll roll it on the first (or as close to) of every month, letting it decide which book to bring with me on train rides and elsewhere in the month to come.

-- 📚 -- BOOK LIST -- 📚 --

Some of the General rules:
  Classics are defined as books written more than 50 years ago (also books that were published posthumously but were written at least 50 years ago) That means until the end of December 1970.
  Furthermore they should be still read and somewhat known.
- Books in translation are acceptable in all categories.
- One book can not count for 2 categories.
- Childrens' books are fine, but not more than 3.


 The categories:

1. 19th Century Classic. Any classic book originally published between 1800 and 1899. ...
2.  20th Century Classic. Any classic book originally published between 1900 and 1970.
3. Classic by a Woman Author.
4. Classic in Translation. Any classic originally written in a novel other than your native language. You may read the book in your native language, or its original language (or a third language for all you polyglots).
5. Classic by a Person of Color. Any classic novel by a non-white author.
6. A Genre Classic. Any classic novel that falls into a genre category -- fantasy, science fiction, Western, romance, crime, horror, etc.
7. Classic with a Person's Name in the Title. First name, last name or both. Examples include Ethan Frome; Emma; Madam Bovary; Anna Karenina; Daniel Deronda; David Copperfield, etc.
8. Classic with a Place in the Title. Any classic with the proper name of a place (real or ficitonal) - a country, region, city, town, village, street, building, etc. Examples include Notre Dame de Paris; Mansfield Park; East of Eden; The Canterbury Tales; Death on the Nile; etc.
9. Classic with Nature in the Title. A classic with any element of nature in the title (not including animals). Examples include The Magic Mountain; The Grapes of Wrath; The Jungle; A High Wind in Jamaica; Gone With the Wind; Under the Volcano; etc.
10. Classic About a Family. This classic should have multiple members of the same family as principal characters, either from the same generation or multiple different generations. Examples include Sense and Sensibility; Wives and Daughters; The Brothers Karamazov; Fathers and Sons; The Good Earth; Howards End; and The Makioka Sisters.
11. Abandoned Classic. Choose a classic that you started and just never got around to finishing, whether you didn't like it at or just didn't get around to it. Now is the time to give it another try.
12. Classic Adaptation. Any classic that's been adapted as a movie or TV series. If you like, you can watch the adaptation and include your thoughts in your book review. It's not required but it's always fun to compare.

Back to the Classics -- A not-wrap-up post

  Well since my last Back to the Classics-post in February, nothing happened on the Classics front. I can repeat my list from back then, and say well that was it.

  I think I'm going to try once more, if Karen K. at Books and Chocolate hosts the challenge again, that is. I'll stay with the die 12 randomness and try to find books that I really want to read.

Here's my 2019 list in its sad state. 3 out of 12 is bad, isn't it:

-- 📚 -- updated list -- 📚 --

1. 19th Century Classic:  Alice in Wonderland
2. 20th Century Classic: READ - Trapp Family Singers.
3. Classic by a Female Author: ?
4. Classic in Translation: ?
5. Classic Comedy: Don Quijote
6. Classic Tragedy. The Odyssey or The Iliad.
7. Very Long Classic: ?
8. Classic Novella: ?
9. Classic From the Americas: Huckleberry Finn or Tom Sawyer.
10. Classic From Africa, Asia, or Oceania (includes Australia):  READ - 7 Years in Tibet
11. Classic From a Place You've Lived: READ - 3 Hearts and 3 Lions
12. Classic Play: Jedermann. 

Back to the Classics ... Musings.

It seems this is going to be a reading season of serendipity.

January 1st I rolled a 2, telling me to read a 20th Century Classic. I read The Trapp Family, not because it fit the category, but because I kept on being reminded about it.

Then - having read the book early, I rolled a 7 - a Very Long Classic. But hunting for a long book, I stumbled upon Seven years in Tibet, a book I always wanted to read. It was not super long, but fit category 10 - Classic From Africa, Asia, or Oceania (includes Australia).

I then followed my own rule of rolling the die whenever I had read a book, and written about it. The die showed me a 1, a 19th Century Classic. Hunting for such a book, I found instead Three Hearts and Three Lions by Paul Anderson. Once again not suitable for the chosen category,  but for another one. Classic From a Place You've Lived as parts of the book is placed in Elsinore.

Today, following my new rule, I rolled a 4 - Classic in Translation. Maybe the category it's easiest to find a book for. Now I'm off to search, I'm curious as to what I'm going to find this time.

-- 📚 -- updated list -- 📚 --

 1. 19th Century Classic:  Alice in Wonderland

 2. 20th Century Classic: READ - Trapp Family Singers.

 3. Classic by a Female Author: ?

 4. Classic in Translation: ?

 5. Classic Comedy: Don Quijote

 6. Classic Tragedy. The Odyssey or The Iliad.

  7. Very Long Classic: ?

  8. Classic Novella: ?

  9. Classic From the Americas: Huckleberry Finn or Tom Sawyer.

10. Classic From Africa, Asia, or Oceania (includes Australia):  READ - 7 Years in Tibet

11. Classic From a Place You've Lived: READ - 3 Hearts and 3 Lions

12. Classic Play: Jedermann.

Back to the Classics -- Three Hearts and Three Lions

Well, I did roll a 1 - telling me to read a 19. century classic. But looking for such a book on the shelves I stumbled across Three Hearts and Three Lions written in 1961 by Poul Anderson. Well it is strictly speaking a science fiction book, but written in the 20 century.That category was taken by Sound of Music. Well then as crucial parts of the book takes place in Helsingør (Elsinore) where I lived for many years this could count as

11: Classic From a Place You've Lived. 


Link to the Back to the Classics Challenge.

The theme of the book is the eternal fight between Law and Chaos. Holger, a common dude from Elsinore is fighting in the resistance during the Nazi occupation of Denmark. One night, on the beach near Kronborg (Yes Hamlet's castle) he is with a group trying to secure the passage to Sweden for a boat with a supercargo refugee. Fighting for this end, Holger is hit by enemy bullets, and suddenly he's somewhere else. Transported through space and time, not knowing who or where he is, but with a great warhorse and equipment suitable for a knight of noble ilk, he tries to find his way back. His coat of arms Three Hearts and Three Lions, and his name, Holger, gives off to all but him, that he is Ogier le Danois, the Defender, the Holy knight sleeping in the dungeons of Kronborg to appear in times of peril.
He fights his way through realms fair and foul with unlikely allies and grim foes. In the end he discovers who and what he is in a rather unexpected way.
Wikipedia told me that "The novel influenced the role-playing game, Dungeons & Dragons, especially the original alignment system, which grouped all characters and creatures into "Law" and "Chaos". The game drew on the novel's depiction of the troll, which regenerated when wounded, the swanmay, and the nixie. The novel also inspired the paladin character class."
As I played Dungeons & Dragons for many year, always yearning to be a Paladin, and always twarted by my chaotic co-players, this spoke to me.
It is excellently written with many jokes and puns, and I think it is even funnier for me, because Poul Anderson knew Danish, had lived in Denmark for some years, and in this book he accurately describes a Dane seen from an American point of view. Also his use of Danish pronunciation and words makes this even better.

-- 📚 -- updated list -- 📚 --

 1. 19th Century Classic:  Alice in Wonderland

 2. 20th Century Classic: READ - Trapp Family Singers.

 3. Classic by a Female Author: ?

 4. Classic in Translation: ?

 5. Classic Comedy: Don Quijote

 6. Classic Tragedy. The Odyssey or The Iliad.

  7. Very Long Classic: ?

  8. Classic Novella: ?

  9. Classic From the Americas: Huckleberry Finn or Tom Sawyer.

10. Classic From Africa, Asia, or Oceania (includes Australia):  READ - 7 Years in Tibet

11. Classic From a Place You've Lived: THIS ONE

12. Classic Play: Jedermann.

Back to the Classics - Extra

Well, this year I'm not behind in my reading of the classics. I choose a book - The Trapp Family Singers - on J.R.R. Tolkien's birthday, and now; less than a week later, I have already read it and written about it.

Now do I really have to wait until February before I find a new book? Well It's me reading, It's my blog, I make the rules, and I re-make them to suit me now.

Whenever I have finished a book and written the blogpost about it, I get to roll the die anew. 

The die was thrown, and I got a 7. Now I've got to go hunting for a very long classics.

Back to the Classics - January.

Today - on J.R.R. Tolkien's 127 birthday I rolled my die 12 and got a 2.

2 means: A 20th Century Classic. Any classic book originally published between 1900 and 1969. 

Actually any of Tolkien's books would do, but I have been haunted by The Trapp Family Singers by Maria Augusta von Trapp for the last 14 days or so. I've been desperately searching the internet for the title of this book in Danish - I know I have it somewhere - and now I found it: Familien Trapp. A photo will follow later, as the Sun has set now.

Books and Chocolate

I think we all know The Sound of Music. This is the book - the real story - behind the musical. As I've told before, I too had been sitting on the green benches in Salzburg, looking up at kloster Nonnberg, the nunnery over the city, wondering if my future lay there. I hope to find much both  known and new in the book. 

Tak -- Thank you

All that is gold does not glitter,
Not all those who wander are lost;
The old that is strong does not wither,
Deep roots are not reached by the frost.

From the ashes a fire shall be woken,
A light from the shadows shall spring;
Renewed shall be blade that was broken,
The crownless again shall be king.

     -- 🔥 --

Ikke alt af guld kan glitre,
Hver den, der vandrer, forvilder sig ej;
Gamlingens styrke vil ikke forvitre,
Ikke til roden vil frost finde vej.

Op af asken ild skal vækkes,
Mørket føder lys som brand;
Atter smedes sværd, der knækkes,
Konge igen bliver kroneløs mand.

     - 🎆 - 🎆 -


Tillykke med de 127 år til J.R.R. Tolkien.
Happy 127th birthday, J.R.R. Tolkien.

Back to the Classics - Den brændende busk

A Classic written by a female author,

The Burning Bush by Sigrid Undset and published in 1930 fits the category, even if the protagonist of this book is a man.
 
The Burning Bush  is the second part of Gymnadenia. And in this book the mysteries and puzzles of Gymnadenia come to their solutions.
These solutions are like real life, not what you expected, but something bigger and better. The persons, we met in Gymnadeina grow and develop, maybe they even mature. The historical times -- we go from the roaring twenties into the bleak beginning of the thirties -- are a realistic backdrop to the story about Paul Selmer and the journey of his life.

I warmly recommentd this book  and its prequel to all who is remotely interested in human and spiritual development.


And this is the 6th and final of my Back to the Classics 2018 series.

Back to the Classics - The Battling Prophet

A classic crime story, fiction or non-fiction.

The Battling Propthet by Arthur W. Upfield was one in a bag of old Penguin books, I purchased during a clearance sale in a second hand bookstore. Lots of Upfield's book were in that bag. Some of them has since been lost when moving, some I have read several times, some only once. Among those this one, which was one of the first I read from that bag in the beginning of the 1980ies. Now I re-read it, and it was way better, than my memory of it.  


Centering on a murder mystery -  who killed the so called Prophet, an uncannily accurate meteorologist - this book is so much more. It is a study in meteorology and science, drinking habits and abstinence, bull whipping, friendship and loyalty, real men and real women, heroes and villains, spies and cold war conspiracies. All the time with an eye for the Australian landscape, the bush and the people living in and off the land. 

I own and have read and re-read many of the Inspector Bonaparte books, not for the mysteries, but for the immersion in a landscape and a time that is no more, but that fostered heroes on a daily base. This is not the best of the "Bony" books in my opinion, but it may easily be the second best. 

Back to the Classics - Bjergenes datter

A classic travel or journey narrative, fiction or non-fiction

 Bjergenes datter, in English Daughter of the Mountains, is written by Louise Rankin in 1948.

It tells the tale of a Tibetan girl, Momo, who dearly wants a golden Lhasa apso dog. When she finally gets one, it is stolen from her, and she sets out to get Pempa, as the dog is called.

The first time I read this story, I was very young, 7 or 8. But the story was still good, I still felt the magical transformation of the countryside from Momo's beloved harsh mountains to the verdant lowlands, from the serenity of Tibetan mountain life to the bustle of Indian Calcutta. Also the different, and to Momo as well as to me exotic dishes are described so well you could almost taste them. And the grown up me still shivered at the thought of butter tea.

The contrast between mountains and cities are mirrored in the contrast between Momo and the people, she meet. She's steadfast, trusting,  and sure that she will eventually find her Pemba, even as almost everybody she meets are callous scoundrels or dishonourable and all of them try to make her turn back and forget about Pemba.

I love happy endings. I love this book still.

Back to the Classics - Gymnadenia

A Classic with a one word title. 

 Gymnadenia is both the name of a humble, greenish orchid, and a book by Sigrid Undset published in 1929. I read it in Danish. It was translated by Peder Hesselaa and published in 1956 by Jespersen and Pio

This book tells the story of Paul Selmer, a young Norwegian man during his formative years, which coincide with a colourful time in Norway's history, from roughly 1890 till 1916, where the war begins.

The orchid in the title is a disappointment for poor Paul, who expects a fantastic flower when hearing the name. This feeling of being cheated out of something big and beautiful runs through his life in this book. His first girlfriend and soulmate is not what she seemed, or maybe more ... you're left dangling, as this is the first book of two. His studies, his family, his friends ...

It is a really well written book, the persons are believable, even loveable with their faults and human weaknesses. The times in the book are different from now, but the eternal themes in this book - love, value of life, sin and guilt, virtue, being a human being in short - makes it a fine read today as well. The setting gives colour and a slower pace to the book, which is good. The only thing, I find a bit hard to swallow is the longish soliloquies about Christianity.

I won't tell too much about what happens in the book. I would like you all to read this book, as it is maybe even better than Kristin Lavransdatter.   

Back to the Classics - A Wrinkle in Time

A classic by an author that's new to you

A Wrinkle in time begins as a traditional "black and stormy night in a quirky family"-story; consolidating this with our main person, Meg (daughter in the family) meeting both the mysterious Mrs. Whatsit and the almost too normal Calvin O'Keefe.

But from there the story takes off into a supernatural fligth of fancy through hinted-at wonders and blatantly described virtues. It's basically a figth between good and evil book, but I did not like it. It was ... esoteric ... is the best word, I can find even if it does not fit the bill.

The persons were at the same time larger than life and one-dimensional. You just knew all along that they would do the rigth thing, like the blandest of Alcotts little ladies.

The role of the tesseract was for me not adequately explained, the children were paper thin, the Mrss. W's were too all-powerful, too mysterious and yet too set apart and self assured to become real to me. It was at places toe-curling in its description of virtues and good deeds.

I felt like a spectator all the way, never as a part of the book. 

Back to the Classics - Revised list and Wrap Up - 2018

Wrapping up the Back to the Classics 2018 Challenge. I found that I have actually read more than half the books. This will give me one entry in the prize drawing. That is if I finish in time.

The question is now, can I write a review of the missing books in time? The wrap up deadline is midnight December 31st. (PST = 9 o'clock next morning here).

UPDATE: I did it! And I've learned the lesson. In 2019 I'm going to write about the books as I read them! Promise!

Here is my revised list of books. Red means not read, green is read. Blue = in progress.

1. A 19th century classic - (published 1800 - 1899).
- Mansfield Park by Jane Austen

2. A 20th century classic (1900 - 1968).
- Glasperlenspiel by Hermann Hesse.

3. A classic by a woman author.
- Den brændende busk  (The burning Bush) by Sigrid Undset, just to tease.
A well turned book by a woman author ... featuring a male hero.

4. A classic in translation.
- Ivanhoe,

5. A children's classic.
-  Alle vi børn i Bulderby by Astrid Lindgren.

6. A classic crime story, fiction or non-fiction.
-The Battling Prophet by Arthur Upfield

7. A classic travel or journey narrative, fiction or non-fiction.
- Daugther of the Mountains by Louise Rankin

8. A classic with a single-word title.
- Gymnadenia by Sigrid Undset.

>9. A classic with a colour in the title.
- Valley of the Green Shadows by Poul Nørgaard

10. A classic by an author that's new to you.
- A Wrinkle in Time by Madeleine L'Engle.

11. A classic that scares you.

- Dr. Zhivago! by Boris Pasternak. Which I'm still reading - slowly because it still scares me!

12. Re-read a favourite classic
- The Lord of the Ring by J.R.R. Tolkien

Søger efter stjerner 7 -- 星探 -- Looking for Stars 7

     I sin jagt på stjerner kom Uglemor også rundt om bogfoldning. Først var der en stjerne i en bog. I dette afsnit af stjernejagten er stjernen flyttet ovenpå bogen.

-- 🎄 --

Hunting for stars, MotherOwl even practised bookfolding. It began with a star in a book, now the star is on top of the book.

     Det er ret let at forvandle en gammel bog til et juletræ, og en instruktion kan findes mange steder på nettet. Men Uglemor ville ikke være Uglemor, hvis ikke hun lavede opskriften om.
     Så her følger min allerførste (og nok også sidste) fold en bog-billedserie. 

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  Folding old books intro Christmas trees is quite easy, ant the how-to is easily found in several corners of the internet. But MotherOwl has, true to form - modified the instructions.
The result: My first (and I think last) bookfolding instruction series.

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Et juletræ består af tre foldede sider, der gentages igen og igen til man løber tør for sider.

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A Christmas tree is made by repeating the same three folds over and over again, until you run out of pages.

Her er de første tre sider foldet. -- 🎄 -- The first three pages folded.

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 FOLD 1

∗ Fold den første side diagonalt fra midten øverst til nederste hjørne.
∗ Fold the first page diagonally from the top down.

∗ Fold ud igen og fold det ind, der er i overskud.
∗ Fold back again and fold in the excess.

∗ Og fold siden ind igen. Sådan.
∗ And fold back in again. Like this.

FOLD 2

∗ Fold den nederste kant op, så kanten flugter tekstens indre kant (det er det her, der er Uglemors variation)
∗ Fold up the bottom of the page, so that the edge is flush with the text (this is MotherOwl's variation).
 

∗ Fold topkanten ind til midten af bogen.De to foler vil overlappe hinanden.
∗ Fold the top edge to the spine of the book. The two folds overlap.

∗ Sådan ser den færdige side 2 ud.
∗ This is what page two should look like.

FOLD 3

∗ Fold igen diagonalt, men denne gang nedefra og op.
∗ Once again a diagonal fold, but this time from the bottom up.

∗ Fold det oveskydende ind igen.
∗ Once again fold in the excess.

∗ Sådan
∗ Like this.

∗ Fold så toppen ned, til de to folder ligger lige oven på hinanden.
∗ Fold down the top so that the two parts of the fold are exactly on top op one another.

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Fortsæt til der ikke er flere sider. En af hemmelighederne er at folde skarpe folder. brug gerne et falseben, den anden ende af en theske eller lignende til at glatte folderne. 

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Continue until no more pages are left. Part of the secret is to make all folds crisp. Use the back end of a teaspoon or a bonefolder to aid in folding.

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Fold eller find en stjerne til at sætte i toppen af træet. Man kan også dekorere med klistermærker, glimmer, perler, pailletter ...

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Fold or find a star for the top of the tree. You can decorate with stickers, glitter, sequins ...