Beowulf & Our Creative Voice

photograph by me

Then down the brave man lay with his bolster
under his head and his whole company
of sea-rovers at rest beside him.
None of them expected he would ever see
his homeland again or get back
to his native place and the people who reared him.
They knew too well the way it was before,
how often the Danes had fallen prey
to death in the mead-hall. But the Lord was weaving
a victory on his war-loom for the Weather-Geats.
Through the strength of one they all prevailed;
they would crush their enemy and come through
in triumph and gladness. The truth is clear:
Almighty God rules over mankind
and always has.
— Beowulf translated by Seamus Heaney

This passage captures everything I loved about Beowulf: the straightforward turn of phrase, the courage and steadfastness in the face of opposition and peril, and the always present acknowledgement of God's rule over earth and men. Beowulf is unflinching and vivid. It is an epic in the true sense of the word. I am now accepting any and all recommendations for other Medieval/Anglo-Saxon epics. (Seriously, if you have any recommendations please, please leave them in the comments.)

Fan girlish flailing aside however, I did actually struggle reading Beowulf at times. More often than not, I had to sit alone in a silent corner of the house in order to concentrate. This was not the poem's fault. I have never read long poems. I have never read much poetry. Period. Something I fully intend to rectify. I have decided to try putting my senior year of high school resolution of reading some type of poetry at least once a week back into practice. I also want to study poetry. I am sadly ignorant when it comes to poets and poetry. (Which brings us back to the part where I am accepting recommendations for poetry books and books on poets and poetry in the comments. Thank you. *passes out chocolate*)

In other reading, I have slowly started making my way through Show Your Work! by Austin Kleon, relishing each creative golden nugget and pondering over them. Probably the one that I have been pondering over the most is what he has to say about your creative voice.

... the only way to find your voice is to use it. It's hardwired, built into you. Talk about the things you love. Your voice will follow.
— Show Your Work! by Austin Kleon

I was reading back over posts on other blogs I had missed in the crazy shuffle of juggling that is my life right now and I ran across one by Schuyler over at My Lady Bibliophile. In her post, she talks about story elements she sees in her own writing and how they connect to beliefs she has and the stories she enjoys reading and watching in film. This has started me thinking a good deal about the elements I most often include in my own stories and the elements I have noticed in my favorite books and films. It provides fascinating food for thought and is something I would like to dig deeper into in the future.

Have any of you read Beowulf? How do you like poetry? Do you have any particular favorite poets and/or poems? And what are your thoughts on how some of our favorite elements in stories affect our creative voices?

10 Childhood Favorites: Historical Fiction

photograph by me

 It is no secret that historical fiction is my favorite genre. I devour it in pretty much any form I can get it— historically set films and television included. This deep love of historical fiction and history was sparked by my mother. Some of my favorite childhood memories are of her reading aloud to my siblings and I as we sat outside the library building waiting for book sales to open. Historical fiction was our main reading diet and the books she read to me and I read at that early age are responsible for what I write today. Many of these books are considered classics of their genre, but sadly are becoming increasingly lesser known as times passes. So, today I want to scratch the surface and tell you about ten of my childhood favorite works of historical fiction. (And just you wait, this time I plan on sticking to the afore set number.)

The Chosen Ten (In No Particular Order, Except Maybe Timeline)

The Bronze Bow by Elizabeth George Speare
No list of my favorite historical fiction would be complete without mentioning this book. This novel, the characters, and their stories are extremely near and dear to my heart. Set in Israel during the times of Jesus, this is a poignant story of revenge, grace, and forgiveness.

The Church History Series by Emma Leslie
This one entered my life as I entered my early teen years, so maybe it does not quite fit into the childhood category, but this series has firmly found a place in my list of favorites. The books follow the early days of the Christian church in Rome through the days of the Reformation. Yes, the more you read of the series the more you notice its cliches and tropes, but it shines light on sometimes forgotten but nonetheless important times in Christian church history.

The Black Fox of Lorne by Marguerite De Angeli
I do not actually remember the plot of this one in detail, just specific scenes with such great distinctness that they have never left my memory. It takes place in Scotland/England (I cannot remember which specifically) and follows Viking born twin brothers who somehow become separated. I would recommend pretty much anything by De Angeli. Another favorite is The Door In the Wall.

In Freedom's Cause by G. A. Henty
I do not believe any other book has quite influenced my childhood like this Scottish saga of William Wallace and Robert the Bruce. This book instigated a fascination with Scotland and their fight for freedom against England that carried well into my early teens. I highly recommend it!

How Sleep the Brave by J.H. Hunter
Think the Scarlet Pimpernel meets the Scottish Covenanters and you will have a fairly accurate idea of what this book is like. It is pure Scottish adventure and fun!

Johnny Tremain by Esther Forbes
This story of Boston during the early days of the American Revolution was another favorite. I remember listening to an audiobook of this almost on loop. It was another one that truly captured my imagination.

The Little Maid Series by Alice Turner Curtis
What the American Girl books were to other girls my age is what this series was to me. Young girls being a part of history during the American Revolution and generally accidentally being in the thick of things. I do not care if some of the scenarios are highly implausible. It did not matter to my imagination. All in all, this series is just pure fun.

In the Reign of Terror by G. A. Henty
Another of my all time favorite Henty stories, Harry Sandwith finds himself the champion and protector of the aristocrat family that had taken him in during the French Revolution.

Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry by Mildred D. Taylor
I remember my mother reading this aloud to us and I reread it a few years back. Set in the South during the 1930s, it vividly portrays the racial divide that has haunted America through the eyes of young Cassie Logan and her family.

Snow Treasure by Marie McSwigan
A group of Norwegian children find courage and bravery as they resist the Nazis by helping transport their nation's treasury out of the country. I highly recommend!

_____

 I feel as if I have left so many other favorites off this list. *deep sigh* Oh well, I hope to make something of a series out of posts similar to this: 10 Favorite something-or-other. What do you think?

Have you read any of these? What are some of your favorite historical fiction books that you read as a child?

My 2016 Autumn To Be Read Stack

photograph by me

 I will be the first to admit my reading habits have been anything but consistent this year. So, I am hoping to work on remedying that this autumn.

The Stack

The Book That Changed Your World by Vishal Mangalwadi
I first spotted this book on Goodreads when Suzannah was reading it. I remember thinking that it sounded fascinating, so imagine my excitement when a couple weeks ago my former writing class teacher gave me a chance to read it. So thrilled to dig into it!

Gilead by Marilynne Robinson
This book first crossed my radar when Lila, the third book in this trilogy, was a runner up in WORLD magazine's fiction books of the year a while back. I am very much looking forward to it, especially after hearing how much Joy and Schuyler enjoyed it.

Beowulf by Seamus Heaney
And so my journey into broadening my exposure to the great classics of literature begins...

Brave New World by Aldous Huxley
A friend told me to read this and I hope to follow it up with George Orwell's Animal Farm.

Plenilune by Jennifer Freitag
This book. I CANNOT WAIT! Enough said.

Behold the Dawn by K.M. Weiland
I am on mission read all of K.M. Weiland's books after devouring Storming earlier this year. I have read the first chapter already and I am excited!

Persuasion by Jane Austen
I have never read this or seen any of the adaptations, so I am going into this one practically spoiler free. Austen has a dear place in my heart. Do not underestimate the depth of her writing. Also, I have heard this novel is particularly suited to the autumn season.

What books are on your autumn reading stack?

Blog Updates

Please excuse the confusion, I'm currently giving this piece of the blogosphere a renovation.

What was formerly Ain't We Got Fun is now Hanna-col Writes. Welcome!

EDIT: If you follow me using the Google Friends Connect widget in the sidebar, you may need to unfollow and then refollow for the updated feed to start showing up in your Blogger Reading List.

The Return

photograph by me

It's been six months, my friends. Six whole months. How did this happen? Basically, my spring was busy with transitions at work and really hard writing struggles (that I'm still overcoming) and then it became easier just not to blog. I wanted to but with all my writing trouble, I felt guilty blogging if I wasn't really getting anything accomplished with my writing. I was afraid of feeling like a fraud.

But enough of fear. If anything, this year has been about challenging myself to forge beyond fear and know that with God's grace I can just give it my best shot and trust Him for the results.

So let's talk shop. I'm currently about to set forth on an adventure: reading all (well, most) of the books I own before buying more. How will I do this? By not setting foot inside a bookstore and avoiding Amazon like the plague (or a cliche). My personal book collection has exploded in the past year and is now overflowing into stacks throughout my room. This is what regular income does to bibliophiles. (To be honest, though, I do have a list of exceptions in case I do run across books I can't pass up or an indie author releases a new title. #SupportIndieAuthors)

I am hoping this adventure will help give me fuel for future posts and reviews. I want to get myself back into the habit of posting here weekly again. I have plans for this small corner of the blogosphere. Some of these exciting plans include a fresh look and a new name.

Now talk to me, my fellow bibliophiles! What have you been reading? Have you discovered any new favorite bookish treasures? What projects are you working on? Talk my ear off, people, because it has been far too long.

Book Review: Lost Lake House

Amazon

  “The Twelve Dancing Princesses meets the heady glamor and danger of the Jazz Age 

  “All Dorothy Perkins wants is to have a good time. She’s wild about dancing, and can’t understand or accept her father’s strictness in forbidding it. Night after night she sneaks out to the Lost Lake House, a glamorous island nightclub rumored to be the front for more than just music and dancing…in spite of an increasingly uneasy feeling that she may be getting into something more than she can handle. 

   “Marshall Kendrick knows the truth behind the Lost Lake House—and bitterly hates his job there. But fear and obligation have him trapped. When a twist of circumstances throws Dorothy and Marshall together one night, it may offer them both a chance at escaping the tangled web of fear and deceit each has woven…if only they are brave enough to take it." — Synopsis from Goodreads

  Every time I hear the news that Elisabeth Grace Foley is coming out with a new release I get excited. She is an author who has not once disappointed me and who I return to again and again for good character driven stories with a flavor of the old fashioned. In short, I devour each new release and then wait hungrily for the next. And Lost Lake House is no exception.

  Elisabeth Grace Foley brings the fairytale of the Twelve Dancing Princesses to the roaring 1920s in Lost Lake House. As others have pointed out, it is difficult to go into details without fear of giving out too many spoilers. Dorothy and Marshall are sympathetic protagonists who both need to learn to tell the truth about their secrets and own up to whatever price they will have to pay— if they don’t, the consequences will be even more destructive. I loved her handling of the child-parent relationship too. She doesn’t glorify Dorothy's deception, but instead shows how it slowly starts to destroy who Dorothy, herself, is.

  I highly recommend this to readers of all ages. It’s a fairytale retelling with a twist of the old fashioned that is sure to please historical fiction lovers, ardent readers of vintage fiction, and fairytale aficionados alike.

I received a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.