“I Can’t Believe I Haven’t Read That Yet” #9 (Help Me Choose!)

August’s Result – The King of Elfland’s Daughter by Lord Dunsany

I added this book to my TBR in December 2012 because it’s a fantasy novel that Tolkien enjoyed. The King of Elfland’s Daughter also influenced Gaiman, another favourite fantasy author of mine who diverges a lot from Tolkien. So I was curious to see what it was all about!

Within the first five pages, I thought “Ah, I can see how this might have influenced Tolkien and Gaiman”. Dunsany’s prose challenged me. I enjoyed it for the most part, but I think I struggled because of the thin plot which differed significantly from what I expected. I thought it was going to be about a mortal man journeying into Elfland with the goal of marrying the King’s daughter, but it’s actually about what happens after she comes to Earth. The majority of the story takes place in our world and focuses on Alveric (mortal man) and Lirazel’s (King of Elfland’s daughter) son Orion. Orion is seriously into hunting, particularly unicorns, which I imagine doesn’t sit as well with contemporary readers as it might have with readers in the 1920s.

I found this book to be one of the slowest reads I’ve ever had. An entire chapter is dedicated to a troll discovering pigeons (Chapter XXIII “Lurulu Watches the Restlessness of Earth”). I would have enjoyed the writing more if the overall narrative had been more to my taste. One of my Goodreads updates, at about 75% through, states “Reading this book is a serious test of my focus and patience”. I did finish it, though! And I’m glad I did. Here is a passage I marked that I think gives a good impression of what a single sentence of Dunsany’s feels like:

Over hamlet and Castle of Erl, and through every nook and crevice of it, Spring passed; a mild benediction that blessed the very air and sought out all living things; not missing even the tiny plants that had their dwelling in most secluded places, under eaves, in the cracks of old barrels, or along the lines or mortar that held ancient rows of stones.

The King of Elfland’s Daughter, p. 188

September’s Selection

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September’s theme is librarianship. I have been adding books to a Goodreads shelf with this title. Since I’ve finished library school, I feel I should start making my way through some of these titles in the name of professional development, lifelong learning, etc. (Disclaimer: I don’t only have books about reading on my librarianship shelf, but those are the books I am in the mood for :P)

• The Book Whisperer: Awakening the Inner Reader in Every Child by Donalyn Miller – A popular title written by a teacher.
• From Cover to Cover: Evaluating and Reviewing Children’s Books by Kathleen Horner – I’m not exactly an amateur when it comes to evaluating and reviewing children’s books, but I’m curious what this has to say. Apparently the new edition contains a section on “children’s literature blogs”.
• Reading Picture Books With Children: How to Shake Up Storytime and Get Kids Talking About What They See by Megan Dowd Lambert – I think my library school program did a great job at exploring how to read picture books with children. We definitely referenced this book multiple times, so I feel like I should read it through sometime.
• Readers’ Advisory Service in the Public Library by Joyce Saricks – A classic that sounds dated but could still have some valuable tips.

Which book should I read in September? Vote on the poll below or by leaving a comment on this post. (I can’t tell who voted on Twitter, so if you’re really keen you can vote in the comments AND on Twitter ;P) Voting closes on 3 September. Voting is now closed.