Tigana, let my memory of you be like a blade in my soul. ~ GGK

I’ve been on a Guy Gavriel Kay marathon lately, catching up on his books that I haven’t read yet. Last night, after I finished reading The Sarantine Mosaic duology, I headed over to Bright Weavings to check out what the brilliant people there were talking about. My eyes strayed over to the Tigana forum, and click! My utter and absolute love for Tigana, which I reread for the nth time recently, eclipsed anything I had planned to say about Sarantine. It is by far my favorite book by GGK, and if other fans would disagree, I’d say we are lucky to have more than one masterpiece by this wonderful author to choose from.

Tigana. It has made a mark upon my soul, though it is one of wonder and not loss like Alessan’s. I realized just now how very fortunate I’ve been — the first fantasy books that I ever read were The Lord of the Rings, followed by Tigana. After such brilliant first encounters, how can I not love the genre? Since then, I’ve gone on to explore its different forms, from the Christian allegories of C.S. Lewis and the “psychomyths” of Ursula K. Le Guin to the anthropomorphic adventures of Richard Adams and the dark urban fiction of Neil Gaiman. But I always come back, again and again, to where I began.

Peter S. Beagle once said of The Lord of the Rings that it “bears the mind’s handling”. The same can be said of Tigana. My pleasure in it grows after every rereading, and it is with a strange wistfulness that I turn the last page. Every time, there is always something new to discover: an exhilarating turn of phrase, a perfectly rendered moment where one can pause for a while and drink in the mood, a subtle hint about a character’s motivations that previously went unnoticed. Kay respects his readers and writes with the belief that they are more intelligent and thoughtful than pop culture suggests, and this assumption results in a rich, multi-textured work that not only delights but challenges as well. It not only bears, but invites and rewards the mind’s handling.

Some  GGK fans have gotten together online to discuss actors they would like to cast in screen adaptations of Tigana and the others.  It is with both excitement and apprehension that I wait to see if this will happen. On one hand, Robert Lieberman’s disastrous television adaptation of Le Guin’s Earthsea series is a cautionary tale, but on the other hand, Peter Jackson’s masterful handling of the LOTR has shown us that it can be done. It will be a gift to the world if they do it right, so that another generation of readers can discover the joy and the heartbreak of Tigana.

This isn’t a real review. This is just my undisguised attempt to get people to read books that I would like to talk about with them. So go. Read it. I’ll wait. 😉

The real review, by the way, is here. 🙂

You’re far away, beside me

In the silence that followed Devin felt a sadness come over him…. A sense of the terrible spaces that always seem to lie between people. The gulfs that had to be crossed for even a simple touching.

~ From Tigana (Guy Gavriel Kay)

Click here to read my new review of an old favorite book on this new page. 🙂

Top Ten Hottest Male Fictional Characters

This list of daydream-worthy characters actually started with an idea that has the potential to land me on failbook.com if I ever carry it out:

But since I haven’t found the perfect picture to represent a composite of all my fictional lovers yet, this will have do for now:

Top Ten Fictional Characters Who Melt Me

10. Buzz Lightyear of Star Command – You might say a cartoon character is out of place on this list, but I’ve loved him forever (this is Buzz Lightyear from the Disney Channel series, not from Toy Story), so I can’t leave him out. And why should I? He’s brave, heroic, and he saves the universe on a daily basis. Plus, he has the best catchphrase ever: To infinity and beyond!!! Beats Superman’s “Up, up, and away,” if you ask me.

9. Westley – He’s a pirate. In a black ninja mask.  That right there is ten different kinds of awesome already, but there’s more. He also has kickass sword fighting skills, a sharp wit, and a superb intellect. Plus he responds to Buttercup’s every whim with “As you wish.” Learn, gentlemen, learn. (The Princess Bride movie adaptation is hilarious, but it’s got nothing on the book. If you haven’t read it yet, you’re missing out on one of the best comedic experiences in fantasy literature.)

8. Hector – He’s just the most all-around decent guy in The Iliad. No womanizing, arrogance, or war-thirst here — he’s just a guy forced to fight a war he didn’t want to defend the country his irresponsible younger brother jeopardized.  But as mighty as he was on the battlefield, he was also incredibly loving to his wife and child. Both strength and tenderness in a man — who could resist that? It also doesn’t hurt that the gorgeous Eric Bana played him in Troy (a.k.a The Beautiful People Go to War, which is less an adaptation of The Iliad and more of an excuse to show as many bare, oiled muscles as possible outside of a wrestling match). I have a weakness for guys with deep, rough voices, and that man has a voice so manly he could probably make a drag queen grow ovaries.

7. Noah Calhoun – He loves nature, reads poetry, writes love letters, plays the guitar, and loves faithfully and forever. The Notebook should probably come with a warning: High Risk of Causing Female Frustration. I hate you, Nicholas Sparks, for making me fall in love with someone who doesn’t exist!

6. King Mongkut – I know he’s not exactly fictional, but I just loved how Chow Yun Fat portrayed him in the film Anna and the King. All that restrained passion and sexual tension between him and Anna was absolutely delicious to watch. Sometimes a glance is more potent than the most poetic avowals of love. And sometimes glances are all that can be shared. King Mongkut kept himself from promising Anna a future that he knew was impossible, no matter how much they both longed for it. That’s integrity even when it’s most difficult, and it separates the men from the boys.

5. Barney Snaith – The town outcast who turns out to be the best friend a girl can have, Barney is my favorite L.M. Montgomery hero. (You can keep your Gilbert Blythe, Anne.) In The Blue Castle, he introduces Valancy to the magic of woods and hills and fields, and she blooms under his care. They go wandering around the gorgeous Canadian outdoors, or they read together in front of the fire with their two cats, or they just sit on the porch watching the twilight in contented silence. This is the kind of life I want to have, and a man like Barney Snaith is the perfect someone to share it with. A girl can dream, right?

4. Captain Von Trapp* – Again, not quite fictional, but there’s something about stern, masterful men that women find fascinating. Still waters run deep, they say, and we just can’t resist wanting to see the warmth and passion beneath that cool, controlled exterior.  So when the proud captain turns to Maria in that moonlit garden and tells her that he loves her “whether or not [he] should,” you just know that he would turn the full force of his nature into loving her. And  that, ladies and gentlemen, marked my entrance to puberty — when I started watching The Sound of Music not only for the songs but for the drama between the rigid Captain Von Trapp and the impetuous Maria.

3. Alessan di Tigana bar Valentin – An exiled prince, a desperate revolutionary, a brilliant strategist, a gifted musician — the central character of G.G. Kay’s fantasy novel Tigana commands attention from both comrades and enemies alike. And can you blame them? He is both poignantly human and larger than life. And no woman, fictional or otherwise, can possibly resist being told that, “You are the harbor of my soul’s journeying.” Excuse me, I have to swoon.

2. Jesse – I have never seen so much chemistry between two leads in a modern love story as there is between Ethan Hawke and Julie Delpy in Before Sunrise and Before Sunset. The way that Jesse looks at Celine — it’s as if he’s trying to figure out how in the world he happened to come across someone so beautiful. Jesse himself is beautiful: witty, articulate, intelligent, spontaneous, sensual. They captivate each other in the most bittersweet, poignant love story I have ever seen on the screen, and they convince us that it’s possible: On the most ordinary day, something unusual might happen and you might end up meeting the love of your life. And when that happens, don’t let go. (Or *spoiler alert* at least get a freaking phone number, for heaven’s sake. Jesse, I would totally have given you mine.)

1. Aragorn – There are so many sides to this Man of the West in J.R.R. Tolkien’s The Lord of the Rings: a scholar, a poet, a healer, a vagabond, a warrior, a king. Also, a lover to Arwen Evenstar, for whom he must win his kingdom back so that he could gain her father’s approval. Elrond played the part of demanding, reluctant potential father-in-law with uncommon relish. Basically, he said to Aragorn, “Sure, you can marry my daughter, but only after you go on a suicidal mission almost forty years from the time you met.” To which Aragorn replied, “Whatever you say, Dad.” So, yeah. I’ll take this scruffy, grimy Ranger over those debonair Prince Charmings any day.

There you have it. A fabulous female friend of mine once quipped, “Honey, if he’s too good to be true, then he probably isn’t.” Well, happy daydreaming anyway. 🙂

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* Mr. Darcy has the same appeal, but Captain Von Trapp can actually play the guitar and sing, so more sexy points for him.

Books I will always remember

Some books are read and then easily forgotten. But there are those that, after many rereadings, still spend more time on the bedside table than on the shelf.  Here are a few of those rare ones (in random order) that have stayed with me no matter how many other books I read.

FICTION

1. THE LORD OF THE RINGS TRILOGY, by J.R.R. Tolkien – My absolute favorite! Adventure, enchantment, wonder, depth, tragedy — all these and more. One does not just read about Middle Earth, but dwells in it, and never completely forgets

2. THE BLUE CASTLE, by L.M. Montgomery – My first L.M. Montgomery experience, and one of the most vivid memories of my childhood (I read this when I was about 11 years old). She enchanted me most with her whimsical and almost lyrical descriptions of nature; and her books became an unforgettable part of my childhood daydreams.

3. VERONIKA DECIDES TO DIE, by Paulo Coelho – A beautiful young woman who has everything except the desire to live finally finds it while she is waiting to die. A wonderfully fulfilling story.

4. TIGANA, by Guy Gavriel Kay – Brilliant, satisfying, and lyrical. The characters are wonderfully complex, tragic, and unforgettably real. There is no lack of depth, intelligence, and intensity here. You’ll want to read it again and again.

5. WATERSHIP DOWN, by Richard Adams – An unexpectedly fast-paced, thrilling book combining epic fantasy, adventure, and ecological themes. There are moments of profound insight, heart-stopping suspense, and intense sadness. The emotions are raw, pulling you into the world of creatures with a fierce desire to live. All in all: a first class, fascinating read.

6. STATE OF WAR, by Ninotchka Rosca – A dreamy, intricate, poetic novel of the beauty and the heartbreak of a wartorn country’s history. Every Filipino seeking to find his or her national identity should read this book.

7. THE WIND’S TWELVE QUARTERS, by Ursula K. Le Guin – A collection of seventeen short stories from award winning F&FS writer Ursula K. Le Guin. I especially like “Semley’s Necklace”,  “Darkness Box”, “Direction of the Road”, and “The Ones Who Walk Away From Omelas”.

8. THE COMPASS ROSE, by Ursula K. Le Guin – Also an anthology of short stories by Le Guin. My favorites are “The New Atlantis”, “The First Report of the Shipwrecked Foreigner to the Kadanh of Derb”, “The Diary of the Rose”, “The Pathways of Desire”,  and “The Wife’s Story”.

9. THE CHRONICLES OF NARNIA, by C. S. Lewis – A classic series beloved by generations of both children and adults all over the world. It’s a timeless masterpiece whose message never gets old.

NON-FICTION

1. I KISSED DATING GOODBYE, by Joshua Harris – A sincere, inspiring call to genuine romance and real purity in a time when the call to wait for true love is seldom heeded. I encourage every young person to look beyond the title and give this book a chance.

2. BOY MEETS GIRL, by Joshua Harris – A refreshingly honest, biblical look at relationships and how to avoid the heartaches and regrets of careless dating. A must-read.

3. WHERE IS GOD WHEN IT HURTS?, by Philip Yancey – All of us, at one time or another, have been haunted by this profound question. This book is an honest, straightforward look at the seeming paradox of the goodness of God and the presence of suffering in this world. A masterpiece, complete and moving without being sentimental. Where is God when it hurts? The same place He was when His Son was on the cross.

4. WHAT’S SO AMAZING ABOUT GRACE?, by Philip Yancey – Significant, compelling, powerfully convicting. This book explores the depth of love and sacrifice found in the word “grace” and emphasizes the responsibility of all Christians in spreading the message.

5. EVIDENCE THAT DEMANDS A VERDICT, by Josh Mcdowell – A must-read for every skeptic who is honestly investigating the claims of Christianity. Clear, precise, and factual – this book is an important defense of the faith. It explains how Christianity is not a “blind leap into darkness”, but rather a “step into the light”.

6. HE STILL MOVES STONES, by Max Lucado – Stories about hurting people who are changed by an encounter with the Savior. Stories of healing. Stories of hope. Stories of grace. They tell us that He really does understand, and He cares more than we dare to imagine. This is a book that will open our eyes to miracles.

7. CAN MAN LIVE WITHOUT GOD, by Ravi Zacharias – A brilliant and compelling defense of the Christian faith using a logical and philosophical approach. Recommended for all Christians who want to present an intellectual argument for the hope that we have, and for every skeptic who is honestly seeking answers.

8. CAPTIVATING, by John and Stasi Eldredge – Delving into the mysteries of the feminine soul, this memorable book attempts to describe a woman’s heart, its longings, and the way for them to be fulfilled. It encourages women to ground their identity on the Creator and to live the lives they were meant to live.