Monthly Archives: August 2019

Robert Browning’s “Childe Roland to the Dark Tower Came” read by George Guidall

Posted on August 14, 2019 by Brenton Dickieson

There are few short pieces in literature that have generated as many new stories as Robert Browning’s 1855 poem, “Childe Roland to the Dark Tower Came.” The story itself comes from an old folktale that inspired a moment in Shakespeare‘s King … Continue reading →

Posted in Fictional Worlds, Memorable Quotes | Tagged A.S. Byatt, Alexander Theroux, Childe Roland to the Dark Tower Came, George Guidall, Gordon R. Dickson, Harper Lee, John Connolly, King Lear, Neil Gaiman, P. G. Wodehouse, Robert Browning, Roger Zelazny, Shakespeare, Stephen King, The Dark Tower | 11 Comments

The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe is the UK’s Favourite Book

Posted on August 9, 2019 by Brenton Dickieson

According to a OnePoll survey of 2,000 UK adults, The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe is Britain’s most popular book. It is an intriguing find, but not inconsistent with other surveys and with research by people like Stephanie Derrick (see … Continue reading →

Posted in Reflections | Tagged Anne of Green Gables, Arthur Conan Doyle, C.S. Lewis, Charles Dickens, Charlotte Brontë, Emily Bronte, Harry Potter, Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone, Life of Pi, lion the witch and the wardrobe, Robert Louis Stevenson, Stephen King, The Da Vinci Code, The Handmaid's Tale, The Hobbit, The Lion, The Lord of the Rings | 19 Comments

A Brief Note on the N.K. Jemisin’s Broken Earth Trilogy

Posted on August 8, 2019 by Brenton Dickieson

The Broken Earth Trilogy by N.K. Jemisin My rating: 4 of 5 stars I have just finished reading N.K. Jemisin’s Broken Earth Trilogy, which has the distinction of winning the Hugo Award for Best Novel in three consecutive years for … Continue reading →

Posted in Fictional Worlds, Reviews | Tagged Broken Earth Trilogy, CliFi, J.G. Ballard, Larry Niven, N.K. Jemisin, Octavia Butler, Science Fiction, The Fifth Season, The Obelisk Gate, The Stone Sky | 2 Comments

“This Year of the Atom”: A Poem on the Anniversary of Hiroshima, by Joy Davidman

Posted on August 6, 2019 by Brenton Dickieson

At 8:15 local time on Aug 6, 1945, American airship Enola Gay dropped an atomic bomb on Hiroshima, killing about 100,000 people, most of them civilians. On Aug 9th, the American military would reassert their ability to waste the countryside by … Continue reading →

Posted in Reflections | Tagged A Naked Tree, American politics, Animal Farm, Anna Santamaria, Atomic Bomb, C.S. Lewis, George Orwell, Hiroshima, Japan, Joy Davidman, Nagasaki, That Hideous Strength, war, WWII | 6 Comments

Writing Tips by Stephen King: Infographic and Video

Posted on August 2, 2019 by Brenton Dickieson

I know that this post is less than a year old, but I still think the infographic is pretty cool. Plus, I found a funny short video from the Late Show with Stephen Colbert that is worth sharing. No matter … Continue reading →

Posted in Memorable Quotes, On Writing | Tagged Danse Macabre, L.M. Montgomery, Lucy Maud Montgomery, Octavia Butler, On Writing, Robert Heinlein, Stephen Colbert, Stephen King, The Late Show with Stephen Colbert, writing | 7 Comments

When in Rome: A Letter to the Editor on Language, Immigration, and Culture

Posted on August 1, 2019 by Brenton Dickieson

Note: Nearly four years ago, one of the regular local Letter to the Editor writers complained of a phenomenon at our largest grocery store. He spoke about how a group of “Asians” were speaking loudly to one another in “Chinese” … Continue reading →