![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
Reviews x 3
Dec. 10th, 2008 10:43 pm1) Watch out, Beedle's a Bard
JKR's latest is a great little collection of fairy tales/fables in the traditional mould, that stand up to the best of them whilst still being very Rowling in style. Enjoyable as the Tales are, the real joy is in reading Dumbledore's footnotes (and the footnotes to the footnotes!). These include such gems as the wizarding world's version of Mary Whitehouse, and the origin of the feud between Dumbledore and Lucius Malfoy.
I can't fault what's there; it's just a shame it's so short. There are only five tales, one of which we've read before. 'The Tale of the Three Brothers' is verbatim from Deathly Hallows. The other four tales are all about the same length, so it takes no time at all to read. Since you can pick it up for about three quid, I suppose you can't complain. It's a good stocking-filler really.
I (of course) splashed out for the shiny deluxe version. This is really only worth it if you're a die-hard fan, but there's a not inconsiderable amount of fanboy delight in holding a replica of a £2 million book and reading pages reproduced from JKR's own handwriting. It's a pity that only the introduction is handled this way, although the script used for the rest of the book, and JKR's drawings (10 more than in the standard version, plus separate larger prints) give it an old-fashioned hand-written feel that makes it rather special.
2) Minarets with bells on
On a totally different note, I saw After Rome: Holy War and Conquest this week, which I thoroughly recommend checking out.
This is a two-part documentary on the history of the turbulent relationship between Christianity and Islam, written and presented by Boris Johnson of all people. It doesn't gloss over any of the bloodshed and atrocities on both sides, but it also shows how (perhaps surprisingly) the two religions have often got on quite well at various times in the past. The focus is mainly on the Middle Ages and the Mediterranean (with some stunning locations), but there's also a lot of interviews showing how this history is viewed by people today and how it is relevant to the events of recent years. It's a fascinating insight, and impressively well-balanced.
Of course, how much you like the programme will probably depend a great deal on how much you like or dislike Boris. But even if you don't like him, give it a try - You might be pleasantly surprised. It's available on iPlayer until Saturday evening, so catch it quick.
3) Bittersweet symphony
I'm happy to report that dark chocolate Twixes are very tasty :o)
JKR's latest is a great little collection of fairy tales/fables in the traditional mould, that stand up to the best of them whilst still being very Rowling in style. Enjoyable as the Tales are, the real joy is in reading Dumbledore's footnotes (and the footnotes to the footnotes!). These include such gems as the wizarding world's version of Mary Whitehouse, and the origin of the feud between Dumbledore and Lucius Malfoy.
I can't fault what's there; it's just a shame it's so short. There are only five tales, one of which we've read before. 'The Tale of the Three Brothers' is verbatim from Deathly Hallows. The other four tales are all about the same length, so it takes no time at all to read. Since you can pick it up for about three quid, I suppose you can't complain. It's a good stocking-filler really.
I (of course) splashed out for the shiny deluxe version. This is really only worth it if you're a die-hard fan, but there's a not inconsiderable amount of fanboy delight in holding a replica of a £2 million book and reading pages reproduced from JKR's own handwriting. It's a pity that only the introduction is handled this way, although the script used for the rest of the book, and JKR's drawings (10 more than in the standard version, plus separate larger prints) give it an old-fashioned hand-written feel that makes it rather special.
2) Minarets with bells on
On a totally different note, I saw After Rome: Holy War and Conquest this week, which I thoroughly recommend checking out.
This is a two-part documentary on the history of the turbulent relationship between Christianity and Islam, written and presented by Boris Johnson of all people. It doesn't gloss over any of the bloodshed and atrocities on both sides, but it also shows how (perhaps surprisingly) the two religions have often got on quite well at various times in the past. The focus is mainly on the Middle Ages and the Mediterranean (with some stunning locations), but there's also a lot of interviews showing how this history is viewed by people today and how it is relevant to the events of recent years. It's a fascinating insight, and impressively well-balanced.
Of course, how much you like the programme will probably depend a great deal on how much you like or dislike Boris. But even if you don't like him, give it a try - You might be pleasantly surprised. It's available on iPlayer until Saturday evening, so catch it quick.
3) Bittersweet symphony
I'm happy to report that dark chocolate Twixes are very tasty :o)
