The Once & Future King | 
pickArthur's story is very much not my thing and probably why it took me from February until now to finish. That being said, there are hints of humor and philosophical topics that lend it merit. Just be warned there is some pretty tough animal cruelty in the second segment.
#BookReport
Absolutely loved the book I finished this week! Unfortunately I'm making slower progress with my non audio books.
#WeeklyForecast
My goal this week is to try and finish Black Cake as I need to read it for work. I also want to try and get closer to finishing part 2 of the tagged but it's hard knowing there are two more instances of animal abuse I have to get through.
Doing some backyard reading while the hummingbirds come and feed. I am also excited that I‘ve made it to part two in the tagged.
Doing some porch reading with Rolo today. Hoping to do a fair chunk of the tagged today because it feels like I‘ve been trying to read this forever.
#DogsOfLitsy
#Two4Tuesday
@TheSpineView (thanks for the tag; you, too, @Eggs! 🤩😘🤗)
1. My mom. When growing up in the 70s, she raised four daughters on a meager income and only $35 a week in child support. And we all turned out okay. 😃
2. There are four books in the tetralogy TOaFK, but Wart as Arthur in THE SWORD IN THE STONE is my favorite--one of the most selfless characters I have ever read. 🗡️
Play? @AmyG @TheLudicReader @Aimeesue
#ItTakesAllKinds
#WithMap
@Eggs
@Alwaysbeenaloverofbooks
This map was for the 1st book in this tetralogy: THE SWORD IN THE STONE. 💚
#LuckyInLove
#candelit
@Eggs
@Alwaysbeenaloverofbooks
THE ONCE AND FUTURE KING remains in my top five favorite books of all time. Book 4 is titled CANDLE IN THE WIND (way before Elton John's song, btw). 🕯️🕯️🕯️
pickWhat a lovely romp through the Arthurian legend. I liked the tongue in cheek delivery and philosophical tangents. And although you know how it‘s going to end, it still hurts. Poor Arthur at the end. And now I‘ve got Camelot on the TV because it‘s been in my head throughout. Thanks to @AvidReader25 for hosting the #oafkingalong and spurring me to take this off my TBR!
pickJust beautiful! I loved how each book is so different in tone. They work in concert to create a powerful picture of a monarch creating a new form of government. There were scenes that had me on the edge of my seat. When Guenever is scared Mordred is outside the door & when she & Lancelot see the handle start to move, the tension is perfect. I loved the depth of Arthur's sorrow as he realizes what his flaws have led to. Continued... #OAFkingalong
Anyone read this one?
pickSuch a fascinating & rewarding book! The first section was delightfully playful & lighthearted, and the subsequent sections were darker and more thought-provoking (also slower going). I wanted a bit more development of Arthur in the later sections, and more development of Guinevere outside of her relationship with Lancelot, but I loved the depth of Lancelot‘s character and the reflectiveness of the ending. #ChunksterChallenge2023 #OAFKingalong
pickA King Arthur story written in 1958 for a post-WWII audience, I left the OAFK sitting on my shelf for over a decade until @AvidReader25 suggested the #OAFKingalong. I felt the times in the references to bombers, the realities of war, and various adorable anachronisms. Witty and tongue-in-cheek, this incredible brick of a novel deals with loss, tragedy, justice, love, and the futility of it all. 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟
“You will find,” he explained, “that when the kings are bullies who believe in force, the people are bullies too. If I don‘t stand for law, I won‘t have law among my people.”
#OAFKingalong
bailedApril was full of distractions- great weather, garden🪴centers, and absolutely zero interest in reading. 😔 I did not get the book finished…
Big kudos and applause for my cohost who took on most (99%) of hosting duties for #oafkingalong readalong!! 👏🏆🗡️ @AvidReader25 Melissa is such a wonderful person and book friend. ❤️ Thank you everyone who participated!!
And it had pie! 🍎 🥧 #iLovePie #litpie
pickIll-Made Knight: This section was huge, but I love that we saw a deeper character arc with Lancelot. He travels the spectrum from hero to lover to madman & finally penitent & proud father. There‘s a lot to process, but 1 thing that stood out was Arthur's realization that forcing people into peace through violence sends the wrong message & isn't sustainable. It‘s interesting he continues to ignore his wife's infidelity at all costs.
#OAFkingalong
pickNot the sentence I expected to write, but this book would have been a solid 5 stars for its extraordinariness, peculiarity, & postmodern pastiche (before postmodernism was even a thing), but the last book in this edition, The Book of Merlyn, misrepresents Karl Marx's arguments & that stuck in my craw. So yes, one star knocked off for an incorrect representation of Marxism. But otherwise, a book that held me under its strange spell. #OAFKingalong
One explanation of Guenever, for what it is worth, is that she was what they used to call a "real" person. She was not the kind who can be fitted away safely under some label or other, as "loyal" or "disloyal" or "self-sacrificing" or "jealous". Sometimes she was loyal and sometimes she was disloyal. She behaved like herself.
We‘ll that started off dark! #oafkingalong
The best thing for being sad… is to learn something. That is the only thing that never fails… That is the only thing which the mind can never exhaust, never alienate, never be tortured by, never fear or distrust, and never dream of regretting.
#OAFKingalong
#oafkingalong
@TheAromaofbooks @AvidRead25 @BkClubCare @Clwojick @rubyslippersreads @Clare-Dragonfly
I hope I'm not overstepping: I taught this tetralogy for a number of years and have compiled some goodies in the link below (yep to the missing Mim, ant, and geese chs. as well as a pdf of the ENTIRE 1958 version (all 4 bks). Hope it helps. 🤗
https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1858nKFtv0kAvEoER0mjPgVXnqppbcDlRc2fAiPO5...
I finished the 1st section and I‘m loving it so far. I wasn‘t expecting it to be so playful. It‘s full of adventure, wisdom, & characters we all know and love. I can‘t wait to see Wart continue to grow and become a leader. I think its place as a classic comes from its unique take on the famous King Arthur tale. The book humanizes him & shows his coming of age. What do you all think so far? Favorite parts? I‘ll list 1 of mine below. #OAFkingalong
“The best thing for being sad... is to learn something. That is the only thing that never fails. You may grow old & trembling in your anatomies, you may lie awake at night listening to the disorder of your veins, you may miss your only love, you may see the world about you devastated by evil lunatics, or know your honour trampled in the sewers of baser minds. There is only one thing for it then, to learn.” #OAFkingalong
As I lay about, procrastinating about the various things that need to be done, I come across this passage. Is this why I‘ve lived my life thinking it‘s wrong to lay about procrastinating? 🤣🤣 Was I raised believing it was wrong to do nothing for a bit?
On another note, this short section about experiencing the life of an ant was entirely too claustrophobic and a bit depressing! #Oafkingalong
He did not like the grown-ups who talked down to him, but the ones who went on talking in their usual way, leaving him to leap along in their wake, jumping at meanings, guessing, clutching at known words, and chuckling at complicated jokes as they suddenly dawned.
#OAFKingalong
“Couldn‘t send them to Eton, I suppose?” inquired Sir Grummore cautiously. “Long way and all that, we know.”
It was not really Eton that he mentioned, for the College of Blessed Mary was not founded until 1440, but it was a place of the same sort. Also they were drinking Metheglyn, not port, but by mentioning the modern wine it is easier to give you the feel.
😆 I love the playful little aside here—such fun! #OAFKingalong
Just settling in on the couch for some reading and realized this pile next to me might be a little… excessive. Count of Monte Cristo, Once and Future King, and Amari & the Night Brothers. When I start Once and Future King, I‘ll be in the middle of 7 books. I don‘t have a problem, right? Nah. (But maybe I need to finish some books.) #OAFKingalong #rereadtheclassics #ChunksterChallenge2023
Straightening up my shelves today, I came across this one, which a lot of you are reading now. This is a pretty battered, dust-jacket-less first American edition, with the lovely, lovely endpapers by Robert Lawson and illustrations done by White. I‘m not sure why they leave them out of other editions because they‘re quite wonderful, although they‘re much simpler line drawings. #TOAFK #OAFKingalong
Was persuaded by @batsy to hop into the buddy read for “The Once and Future King,” a book that‘s been on my TBR for a while. And thus begins this cautionary tale and a word of advice: Don‘t wait too long to read the books you buy. Because that portable, pocket-sized book with the tiny print you bought when you were younger will not be your friend if you wait until you are middle-aged to attempt to read it. #TheMoreYouKnow #YoureWelcome
repost for @AvidReader25
Welcome to the #OAFkingalong. Our loose schedule follows the book's 4 parts. In between those books & questions, please to post & tag us!
April 7: The Sword in the Stone- Memes/Quotes/What do you think makes this book a classic?
April 14: The Queen of Air & Darkness- How's it going?
April 21: The Ill-Made Knight- Character Analysis of your fav character
April 28: The Candle in the Wind- Pick/So-So/Pan/Bail review
"It was nice for the dogs to have their god with them, in visible form." Some lovely, unexpected images, ideas, and turns of phrase so far and I've only just started! #OAFKingalong
@AvidReader25 @BkClubCare
Snuck in a few pages during a break in my virtual conference. #oafkingalong @AvidReader25 @BkClubCare
Prepped my copy for the #OAFKingalong 🙂 -- excited to find out if this really is the world's greatest fantasy classic!
Welcome to the #OAFkingalong. Our loose schedule follows the book's 4 parts. In between those books & questions, please feel free to post & tag us! We are starting on tom!
April 7: The Sword in the Stone- Memes/Quotes/What do you think makes this book a classic?
April 14: The Queen of Air & Darkness- How's it going?
April 21: The Ill-Made Knight- Character Analysis of your fav character
April 28: The Candle in the Wind- Pick/So-So/Pan/Bail review
I finally decided to clean out our office (where all of our “teacher“ stuff has been since retirement), and I came across this. After reading THE ONCE AND FUTURE KING with my freshmen honors students years ago, a student made me a Merlin statue in her ceramics class. It's now my proudest object on my desk. Plus, I now actually have a desk to work on!❣️ #asweetteachingmemory
Thanks so much for the tags, @TheSpineView and @Read4Life!
This was a toughie!
1️⃣ I love the Pongos from 101 Dalmations. 🦴🐾❣️
2️⃣ I know Disney made The Sword and the Stone, the 1st book in White's tetralogy The Once and Future King, but I think all 4 books would be fabulous if made by Disney (or even Peter Jackson, who brought to life the Lord of the Rings in the early aughts).
Since I obviously need another buddy read 😂 @AvidReader25 and #BKClubCare are hosting the #OAFKingAlong starting in April... another classic I've been meaning to read, so why not?? #Imayneedhelp #whydoIfindbuddyreadsirresistible
Repost for @BkClubCare
A readalong announcement 📣 #OAFkingalong
Melissa (@AvidReader25) and I are hosting or, rather, planning on reading this in April and we made a button and invented a hashtag cuz that is watcha do when you buddy-read a book, right? I might find fun postcards to mail, too… (lmk you want 🐌 mail: 📧 me at bkclubcare at gmail)
Everyone welcome. Informal, maybe will be a weekly recommended page count and recap? Just for fun.
A readalong announcement 📣 #OAFkingalong
Melissa ( @AvidReader25 ) and I are hosting (?) or, rather, planning on reading this in April and we made a button and invented a hashtag cuz that is watcha do when you buddy-read a book, right? I might find fun postcards to mail, too… (lmk you want 🐌 mail: 📧 me at bkclubcare at gmail)
Everyone welcome. Informal, maybe will be a weekly recommended page count and recap? Just for fun.
Some books linger on your TBR list for way too long. Time for a readalong! I wanted to read this book since watching The Sword in the Stone a million times as a kid. @BkClubCare & I are tackling this one in April. We‘d love for you to join us! Very laid-back, just sharing thoughts as we go along. It‘s hailed as the greatest fantasy classic in history, so I‘m sure they‘ll be lots to discuss. Tag your comments with #OAFkingalong if you join!
We begin with Matt's stories from vacation and then move into his review of Sally Rooney's novel, “Beautiful World, Where Are You.“ From there we begin the selection process for our new seasonal book, and with the help of fan nominations, we land on a great choice! Enjoy!
https://open.spotify.com/episode/7DWVyVmEnsaSWwAdXrXmIs
I‘m just about to dig into February‘s double spin so I‘ll be all ready to go for #BookSpin in March. As always I kept the list the same by only replacing the drawn numbers. New editions this month are Those Who Hunt the Night and the Earthsea omnibus which is the first four.
@TheAromaofBooks
bailedI tried, I really did. Maybe it's the writing style, maybe it's the format, but the very idea of listening to ten more hours of it fills me with dread, so I'm out.
This book is just so.... odd.
It's as if it can't decide when it's set and it's making it so hard to follow... 🤔
A dear friend and I finally had a gift bag socially distant masked up gift swap today . Let‘s call it belated everything.Yes, she gets me !
so-so
