Monday 13 February 2012

Passing on a Meme from Mulier Fortis

Ttony of The Muniment Room has tagged me for Mulier Fortis’s "meme" about books to put on Kindle. I don’t have a Kindle, but our house is groaning with real books. I imagine some of the books I would recommend aren’t available in Kindle editions, but here is my attempt at a Fantasy Kindle list. I’ve kept to fiction, and a balance of heavy-ish and light.

C S Lewis: That Hideous Strength. A near-futurist novel about totalitarianism in post-World War Two Britain, the sinister powers behind it, and the small group of people who are drawn into the battle against them.

R H Benson: Lord of the World. This is a fascinating mixture of a novel. I love its Edwardian futuristic imagination, especially the author’s descriptions of flight. There is one such passage, set in the Alps, which is tremendous. An interesting feature is the things Benson assumed would still be in place: the glory of the Church’s worship; the royal houses of Europe; Palestine as a peaceful, forgotten backwater. Some of the scenes, in particular those involving the main female character, are very powerful and moving. All this, wrapped up in an old-fashioned Ripping Yarn.

Finally, as a busman’s holiday for a busy teacher, Miss Read’s Chronicles of Fairacre, comprising her first three Fairacre novels: Village School, Village Diary, and Storm in the Village. A pleasant escape into the rural world of the 1950s.

I think I’ll tag The Reluctant Sinner, Pastor Emeritus, and Fr Henry of Offerimus Tibi Domine.

Apparently I have to include Mulier Fortis's rules, which are:

"You post the rules and a link back to the person who tagged you.
You also tell them that they've been tagged on their own blog, rather than just hoping they'll discover it for themselves.
Then you decide what three books are essential reading for anyone with a Kindle. Reasons would be good, but not essential.
Then you tag five people."
However, I’m sure I have already broken them, and in any case I am finding them a bit complicated for my non-technical brain.

3 comments:

Anonymous said...

Good idea. I already posted one book on MulierFortis before reading your blog. I do not know how to link back.

I can think of several that she could download to her kindle. I have downloaded lots of John Grishom novels as well as the Bible and the Breviary, and many other items of specifically Catholic interest.
I find the kindle great benefit. It can download 3500 books!

Ben Trovato said...

Is it worth having That Hideous Strength without the previous two: Out of the Silent Planet and Perelandra? I'd make the trilogy the recommendation (and very good it is too!)

Dorothy B said...

Thanks, BT. Yes, all three, certainly. I have read them all. I think there are enough back-references in the third book to make it pretty well capable of standing on its own. I have read the first two books just once, but "That Hideous Strength" a number of times.