tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28103455.post7730111734353637696..comments2024-03-09T05:53:59.542-05:00Comments on Oz and Ends: Remembering the Stories of Diana Wynne JonesUnknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger6125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28103455.post-40209841172504995512011-04-14T13:57:06.779-05:002011-04-14T13:57:06.779-05:00I have read everything by DWJ that I can get hold ...I have read everything by DWJ that I can get hold of. Since some of her work is out of print already (cannot understand why) I've scoured used book stores and have done some shopping for used copies on the web. <br />I am a big fan of children's lit in general, with my favorites being L.Frank Baum, C.S. Lewis, P.L. Travers, E. Nesbit (This is getting crazy...why does everyone have initials in their names?). I still have my childhood copy of The Marvelous Land of Oz with the John R. Neill illustrations and those gorgeous color plates. I particularly loved the one of Glinda. I thought she was so beautiful. But I digress.<br /><br />For me, no one catch match Diana Wynne Jones for pure crazy originality, flawed but admirable protagonists, deep insight, and delightful British humor. <br />I urge you to read Howl's Castle if you haven't done so already, and follow that with Deep Secret and The Dark Lord of Derkholm. There is nobody else like her.<br /><br />Jackie<br />My blog is gently-read.blogspot.com/Jackie Scheidlingerhttp://www.gently-read.blogspot.com/noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28103455.post-41568039054857459832011-03-29T13:23:37.199-05:002011-03-29T13:23:37.199-05:00I’ve got a copy of Howl near my desk. But I just f...I’ve got a copy of <i>Howl</i> near my desk. But I just finished <i>Enchanted Glass</i>, and have been partway through <i>Dogsbody</i> for years, so it’s in a queue.J. L. Bellhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15405157000473731801noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28103455.post-62015344349548935662011-03-29T07:16:38.163-05:002011-03-29T07:16:38.163-05:00Am thinking of forcing Howl's Moving Castle on...Am thinking of forcing Howl's Moving Castle on you -- except that it is currently lent out elsewhere. :)Mordenanoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28103455.post-47512845954801462132011-03-28T08:21:27.044-05:002011-03-28T08:21:27.044-05:00I was expecting this news because I had heard she ...I was expecting this news because I had heard she wasn't well. I didn't become a fan until last year, but I definitely admire and appreciate her work.Gail Gauthierhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01673131515563387968noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28103455.post-55255621029132168852011-03-26T18:08:51.455-05:002011-03-26T18:08:51.455-05:00I was introduced to The Lives of Christopher Chant...I was introduced to <i>The Lives of Christopher Chant</i> by a friend when it first came out -- a decade before Harry Potter came along. I was already well into my twenties by then. I'm glad to have encountered the Chrestomanci so late in my development; if I'd read those books earlier I'd have taken them for granted. I couldn't have appreciated just how good they were without some life experience under my belt. And for that matter, Jones had a lot to say about how one becomes an adult -- and especially how childhood pain shapes the kind of adult you turn out to be, but <i>you get to decide which way it turns out</i> -- that adults need to learn even more than younger readers do. I'm just glad those books were around when I needed them most, and that they'll stay around for a very long time to come.<br /><br />For ages now I've kept my copy of <i>The Tough Guide to Fantasyland</i> close to hand next to my computer for literary inspiration and cheering up whenever I need it…and that's where it's staying.<br /><br />And from what we know about the disability and illness Jones was living with in these last few years, at least we can be glad her body isn't hurting her any more.Richardhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01714171897239398438noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28103455.post-17127058377504056842011-03-26T14:54:40.748-05:002011-03-26T14:54:40.748-05:00I didn't get around to reading the Dalemark Qu...I didn't get around to reading the Dalemark Quartet until earlier this year (having exhausted most of the other easily accessible DWJ books.). Once I settled in for the ride and just trusted her, I found the whole series wonderfully dense and layered. They might not be as accessible as anything where Howl pops up, but they were really quite good. And oh, it is not the best of years for iconic British children's writers.dothttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09869916754189318115noreply@blogger.com