Fairy Revel

I say “at” Christmas because only one of these was a gift. I did receive a gift card for Barnes & Noble, so technically the gifts will happen this weekend.

The New Annotated Sherlock Holmes: The Complete Short Stories – A gift from my mother. This is a beautiful two-volume set containing all of the Sherlock Holmes short stories, and featuring the silhouette of the Great Detective himself on the spines of both books (a third volume of novels completes the image). The outside and covers of each volume are decorated with vintage color illustrations, and the text is heavily annotated, and accompanied not only by vintage black-and-white illustrations, but black-and-white photographs of actual locations mentioned in the tales, taken around the time Holmes and Watson would have seen them. This set is so gorgeous I’m almost afraid to touch it (and the designer in me is totally thrilled that they chose a lovely Arts & Crafts typeface for the titles; I will have to discover just which one it is).

Bead on a Wire: Making Handcrafted Wire and Beaded Jewelry – This book teaches basic wire working skills, starting with “Working with Jewelry Pliers” and moving on to more difficult techniques. I’m working on getting my toolkit together, in a pared-down version, and can’t wait to get started hammering, twisting and wrapping! I’m most excited to finally be able to make my own clasps and other findings, sometimes the most expensive parts of a jewelry project.

The Mind of the Maker – I’m not totally sure how to describe this book, so I’ll grab something from the back cover copy:

This classic, with a new introduction by Madeleine L’Engle, is by turns an entrancing mediation on language; a piercing commentary on the nature of art and why so much of what we read, hear, and see falls short; and a brilliant examination of the fundamental tenets of Christianity. The Mind of the Maker will be relished by those already in love with Dorothy L. Sayers and those who have not yet met her.

A mystery writer, a witty and perceptive theologian, culture critic, and playwright, Dorothy Sayers sheds new,unexpected light on a specific set of statements made in the Christian creeds. She examines anew such ideas as the image of God, the Trinity, free will, and evil, and in these pages a wholly revitalized understanding of them emerges. The author finds the key in the parallels between the creation of God and the human creative process. She continually refers to each in a way that illuminates both.

I’m resisting the urge to put other books down for that one, but I will be good and wait, hehe.

Last night I tried to start work on one half of the story that was Amaranth, pulling out the crucial pieces and renaming it Evening Primrose. I’m hoping a re-christening will give me a fresh perspective.

I shouldn’t be stressing yet. But last night a question occurred to me that is causing me some consternation. The first inklings of this novel in my imagination consisted of three elements: a forbidden love, a medieval cozy mystery with fantasy elements, and a castle full of inhabitants who all play a part in the story, including servants.

The troublesome question is this: It feels like a series to me, and I have never read a mystery that wasn’t part of a series. (As for “fantasy-mystery”, which this book is, I have no point of comparison by which to judge.) But if it’s to be the beginning of a long series, I want to pace the forbidden love element out to span the series. In otherwords, the characters involved shouldn’t marry in the first book; I want the feeling of sustained tension. However, the way I was taught to write (and the stance I generally agree with) is to never save anything “for the next book in the series”, because that next book may never be written.

So I’m in a bit of a quandary. Maybe I can resolve smaller questions about the relationship during the course of this book? But how to create the necessary dramatic tension to break the reader’s heart?

I will miss the title Amaranth, but I think it may be best to leave it behind, at least for now.

I don’t normally plan out my reading, except to frantically catch up on reading challenges, but this Winter I’m in the mood to do some comfort reading. So I’ve decided to just choose a couple of themes this snowy season:

• Cozy Mysteries
  I’ve never read mysteries much before, just one novel with Jane Austen as the detective, but since I started watching the Sherlock Holmes: The Complete Granada Television Series starring Jeremy Brett, I’ve become obsessed and will now fill that gap in my reading history. This Winter I plan to read the Sherlock Holmes stories. I also have a copy of Alone, #2 in the Valentino Mysteries (featuring film archivist detective, Valentino) that I’m going to try out, and Whose Body? by Dorothy L. Sayers has been sitting on my bookshelf forever, waiting to introduce me to her detective, Lord Peter Wimsey. Also, if I can get a copy, I’d like to read Death at Wentwater Court, volume 1 in the Daisy Dalrymple series by Carola Dunn, since I unwittingly bought volume 17 (Black Ship, because of the cover, of course) in the series a while back.
• Patricia A. McKillip
  Yes, I read her a lot so this is really nothing new. But I’m hoping to finish her Riddle-Master trilogy before the end of the year, and hopefully The Tower at Stony Wood. It really all depends on how much time I have. I’m reading Riddle-Master of Hed right now and it’s classic high fantasy, with all the usual tropes, including the farm-boy (or more accurately, farmer-prince) who discovers he’s more than he seems, but McKillip’s writing is so much better than most others who’ve attempted this plot that it makes the classic motifs feel brand-new. If you miss this kind of story and want to read an excellent example, try Riddle-Master.

I think more than that would probably be overdoing it. At my usual reading rate, this certainly is overdoing it, but if I just use it as a general guideline, no harm done, right?