Tag Archives: J.K. Rowling

2022: My Year in Books: The Infographic

Happy New Year, everyone! I am once again assembling the “reading nerd data” in an upcoming post. I love charts. And behind every chart is a great spreadsheet. I guess I just love spreadsheets. Meanwhile, as is my tradition, I … Continue reading

Posted in News & Links | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 20 Comments

2021: My Year in Books: The Infographic

Happy New Year Eve everyone! I will have some fun putting together the “nerd data” in an upcoming post–including more charts! Gotta have charts. And behind every chart is a great spreadsheet! Stay tuned for 01/10/22. Meanwhile, I wanted to … Continue reading

Posted in News & Links | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , | 6 Comments

The 2021 Mythopoeic Awards Winners

At the virtual Mythcon 51 earlier in the fall, there was a good bit of buzz about the Mythopoeic Awards. As readers will know, I pay attention to the awards–so much so that this year they have stimulated a limited … Continue reading

Posted in News & Links | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 7 Comments

“The Once and Forgotten T.H. White: Lessons from Obscurity” by G. Connor Salter

Terence Hanbury White was one of the founding fathers of fantasy in the twentieth century, producing nearly twenty-five novels, including the beloved modern Arthurian retelling, The Once and Future King. Still, much of T.H. White’s life remains a mystery and … Continue reading

Posted in Thoughtful Essays | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | 49 Comments

The Other Reasons I Became a C.S. Lewis Scholar

An intriguing, fun, and occasionally perverse part of being a scholar in areas where there is a lively fandom is that I am often asked to tell my “encounter” story. This can be a bit strange in that in the … Continue reading

Posted in Reflections | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 8 Comments

The Thieves of Time and Waking Wonder: Writing as Discovery and the Stone-Carver’s Art

After weeks of too little sleep, I have had two terrible half-nights awake. These torturous midnight hours of hazy, half-insomniac puzzles and quandaries and obsessions, the darkness that infuses weariness into the bone-soul of life… I would purchase a single … Continue reading

Posted in Reflections | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | 9 Comments

Susanna Clarke’s Piranesi, Owen Barfield, Language, Childlike Faith, Joy, and the Inklings

I have just begun reading Susanna Clarke’s weighty novel, Jonathan Strange & Mr. Norrell. I mean “weighty” in the literal, physical sense: I am finding this 1,000-page wonder, a book I did not believe could be written in this century, … Continue reading

Posted in News & Links, Reflections | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | 43 Comments

2020: My Year in Books: The Infographic

Happy New Year everyone! I will have some fun putting together the data in an upcoming post, including some new charts. I love charts. Meanwhile, I wanted to share the Goodreads “My Year in Books” infographic. I’m pleased to say … Continue reading

Posted in News & Links | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Tolkien’s “I am in fact a Hobbit (in all but size)” in Context: A Note on Books and Their Authors (#hobbitday)

I don’t know that there is any more famous J.R.R. Tolkien quote than his claim to, in fact, be a hobbit. It’s really quite a delightful statement and worth quoting more fully: I am in fact a Hobbit (in all … Continue reading

Posted in Memorable Quotes | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 26 Comments

Harry Potter at Home and at the British Library Online

Last week I talked about some Audible learning resources –including “Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone” by Stephen Fry in English, but also in many other languages–and how J.K. Rowling opened up copyright restrictions for teachers and parents to help … Continue reading

Posted in Fictional Worlds, News & Links | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | 11 Comments