The Library of Surochek

Even though I emphasize that there are no fairies in Russian folklore, and therefore, there can't be any "fairy tales", this is the book I use for my courses on Russian culture and folklore, and for my own reference when I need a quick English translation.

"Fairy Tales" is the older, generic designation for Folk Tales, and Russian Folk Tales are varied and often surprising. Some of them will be (almost) familiar, and good old Baba Yaga does appear in a few, but probably not in the way you'll expect.

Russian folk tales fall into three general categories: magic tales, i.e. the adventurous quests with magical helpers and objects and the obligatory happily-ever-after ending (but no fairies); the animal tales, closer to fables or cautionary tales, in which animals talk and occasionally interact with humans, and generally behave with human traits; and finally everyday anecdotes about ordinary people and ordinary lives, or soldiers returning from war; these are usually about outwitting the powerful (socially or magically) or illustrating the absurdity of human existence.

Afanasyev's collection is a classic, and still the only really good one available to the English-speaking public.

For many, varied, and sometimes silly reasons, I suffered from a rather long hiatus in my crafting progress.

 

On the downside, there were shelves full of unused materials.

 

On the plus side, now that I'm back at it, I'm rediscovering old friends.

 

Card Weaving - by Candace Crockett  is one of them. Ms Crockett got me started with card weaving when I was first interested in it, and her clear style, lucid explanations, and neat illustrations provide a complete and thorough introduction into the craft.

 

It's a deceptively easy skill to learn, and like many old-fashioned and folk crafts, there are infinite layers to it. The combination of color and black-and-white sketches and photographs in Card Weaving make it not only a good instructional book, and a good beginner's introduction, but also a fun and pleasant reference to keep on your shelf even when you become proficient at tablet weaving.

  

There's something about the artistically-creative mind that sets it apart from the businesslike-creative mind. Oh, we get the need for the formulas and structure and documentation that business classes and workshops try to instill in us.

But we resist them.

Not consciously. Not even purposely. It just happens. Our crazy-creative minds do not want to bend to the sleek order of the business world. Instead we want to instill creativity and art into the business model.

Seems unproductive and contradictory? I thought so.

Enter Kari Chapin.

Not only does she make a strong argument in favor of organizing your artsy business and running it professionally, she makes it fun. She gives you the freedom to do it in a creative and artistic fashion. She gives you options that take into consideration your nature, your lifestyle, your business -- she gives you the tools to make the dreary number-crunching -- well, fun.

And while the title of her book (and the design of the cover and layout) underscores its emphasis on crafting businesses, and especially small, sole-proprietor enterprises, almost every thing she explains applies to writers, bloggers, and any kind of creative business person.

And last but not least? It's fun to read.

Gogol is not only "recognized as one of the greatest Russian writers", he is also considered to be the first Realist. His works mark the boundary between the Romantics who preceded him (Pushkin, Lermontov in particular), and the heavy hitters Dostoevksy and Tolstoy.

Village Evenings Near Dikanka is a collection of mostly comedic short stories. One notorious exception is "The Terrible Vengeance." In these stories, Gogol revisits the Ukraine of his youth, in fact the very district where he was born. In the original text, the narrative is delightfully seasoned with Ukrainian words and expressions, which sound somewhat alien, and yet understandable to a Russian reader. The English translations usually homogenize the language... but not the names.

But beyond the regional color and the humorous characterization of the Dikanka villagers, Gogol establishes in this early collection the themes that will haunt his fiction throughout his life: everyday good and evil, mediocrity, kindness, and especially absurdity.

Reality and imagination blend easily in the world of the Dikanka denizens, whether under the effect of too much drink, or superstition, or maybe the actual, direct influence of chaos-inducing devils and witches. It's not always clear where prosaic reality ends and the supernatural begins -- nor is it ever entirely clear what the supernatural is: a state of things independent of humanity, or state of (often shared) confusion induced by life, fears, and beliefs.

It's up to the reader, quite often, to draw the line between reality and imagination, between this world and whatever else is out there (if indeed there is something else). All the while, Gogol invites us to the fireside at the farm near Dikanka. Pull up a chair, grab a cup for something, and listen to some tall tales.

Like all the Leandros Brothers books, it was an engrossing read. The relationship between Cal and Niko is further tested -- and strengthened, and Rob Thurman continues to explore the question of what it means to be human and what it means to be a monster, and is it all about genetics?

One of the first fantasy books I read, long before I could read English. I'm still reading (and writing) fantasy -- that should tell you how much I loved this book.

One of my favorites re-reads, and I usually dislike time-travel stories. But Delilah Devlin presents it as a story of culture shock, adaptation, and of course, love. Not to mention that the action scenes are amazing, too.

Delilah Devlin is one of my favorite authors. All of her books have ended up on my "to-be-re-read" list. I particularly love it when she takes a classical folktale/mythology theme and twists it into her own brand of fantasy. And her stories always leave me smiling.

Note: Delilah writes steamy stories, even when they're tame.

Rob Thurman delivers yet another mesmerizing, twisted, entertaining story in the Cal and Niko series. Dark and brooding, with demons and hell a plain reality lurking just around the corner of the visible world, the universe of Madhouse is almost like our everyday lives -- if we woke up and discovered that our worst nightmares didn't stop when we opened our eyes.

But Madhouse isn't a horror novel. Brothers Cal and Niko are not random and helpless victims of mindless violence. They are prepared to deal with whatever the darkness sends their way.

It is the relationship between the siblings, and their slow and grudging acceptance of others into their circle, that make Rob Thurman's novels real and powerful. And of course the amazing descriptions of monsters and the great fight scenes.

One of my all-time favorites. Simply a pleasure to read. There is no need to search for a lesson in a novel, or to try to find parallels between oneself and any of the characters. It is enough that a story is perfectly told, perfectly paced, with excellent irony, and an incisive look at the author's peers.

It was a summer read for me, a return to classics and a surprising discovery of genteel, unhurried reading delight. Recommended to anyone who appreciates good books and good writing.

Wen Spencer takes you on a voyage you won't forget any time soon. Any book by her is a promise of a great read and amazing characters. Endless Blue didn't disappoint me, and I must say I was wary of future-Russians appearing in a non-Russian's novel. But Wen Spencer did her research carefully, and made no mistakes when sprinkling her story with Russian expressions, or adding some cultural color to her main character -- even though they were Russians of the future, and not quite human at that.

As always, she creates a powerful emotional bond between the reader and the characters. Wen Spencer builds an entire universe in which her characters navigate, and where the reader seem able to help solve the mysteries the heroes encounter.

This a classic that will remain forever on my shelf. A book I recommend to all fans of science-fiction and a great example of masterful world-building. For more, see my blog post at http://alienplaces.blogspot.com/2009/06/book-review-left-hand-of-darkness.html