lion, the witch and the super long wait

today i read two pieces in the times about two different books/series i've read recently, a feast for crows and the chronicles of narnia.

the first article covers the song of fire and ice, my favorite series for the past few years. it definitely paints a much grimmer picture than the lord of the rings, but at the same time it is more captivating because of its realistic depictions. i may have mentioned it earlier, but i did wait three hours to get my copy signed by the author, described by the articles author as "about 100 pounds overweight, ... like a rotund elf or Santa Claus." i highly recommend this series for any fan of the fantasy genre. the only negative about it is the two year wait between books in the series...

narnia is the subject of the second article, an op/ed piece. like the author, i also didn't realize that the stories were of a christian nature. however, after picking up mere christianity (but not getting a chance to read it), and after i saw a preview for the movie series, i became intrigued and re-read the entire series. a much shorter read than tolkien (the whole 8-9 books is less than the ring trilogy). this second time around, i was amazed at how christian the series is, and how i had forgotten the crazy plot twist at the very end! if you don't remember the series, and have time to spare, i recommend picking it up if only for a light, youthful read.

while i'm on the subject of books, i'll just share what i'm reading now - straight man. jordan recommended this book to me after i remarked that i wasn't impressed by richard russo's empire falls, which won the pulitzer prize (and that i picked up for $1 at the big sf book sale). he assured me that straight man is a much more entertaining read. luckily for me, he was right. i hopped on the wrong train after work today, and by the time i realized i was deep into queens, i didn't mind because i was enjoying the book so much. i think i may have even laughed out loud in the train...