Story Fest 2017: Favorite Story/Book Moments

[Dar'Jen Ab Owain]

We have all read a story or book and had those moments that gripped us and we've kept them with us even long after we finished reading. Perhaps the moment made us cry because it touched us so deeply. Perhaps we laughed out loud or gave some triumphant shout, which others around us did not understand. Perhaps we found comfort or inspiration from the words we read.

 

For me, one favorite moment was from a children's book about a struggle between the few remaining unicorns and dragons. There had been much fighting and numbers on both sides were few. The unicorns knew a spell to turn enemies into friends, but they needed so many adult unicorns. They had the numbers, but Star had only a nub of a horn because she was still seen as a child. As the dragons were creeping up on them, Star made a daring lunge forward, and in the act of bravery in defense of her family, her horn grew and they were able to perform the spell. The moment Star decided to make a stand, even when she was seen as only a child, has always remained with me. I can find courage and hope in that even now that I am grown with a child of my own.

 

So, what moments from stories and books are your favorite? Come gather around and share with us.

[Ryrin]

Well, mine was really personal. Basically it was about a woman who did not have a good relationship with her mother. She had a son, late in life, and pondered what her relationship would be like with a granddaughter she likely would not live to see.

[Dar'Jen Ab Owain]

Some literary moments that affect us the most can be the ones that we can, in some way, see ourselves in.

 

Many of the greatest fantasy stories are of "normal" folks who are brought to a decision of "do I go on an adventure or not". Surely there has been those moments in our own lives, and so, to see it reflected back at us can bring memories of deciding to step forth, or encouragement of when the next opportunity presents itself, to take those first few steps down the road.

 

Does anyone else have a favorite moment from a story or book to share?

[Ryrin]

I like stepping into other people's shoes, and time, so to speak. One of my favorite books was "Cutting for Stone." The book had been on the NY Times best selling list for 2 years. It's initial setting is at a hospital in Ethiopia and is the story of twin boys born and raised there by their adopted Indian parents. It's weaves in the politics of the time and the beauty of Ethiopia in both the setting and people.

[blank]

One of my favourite books is The Time Travellers Wife by Audrey Niffenegger. I still think of it often.

 

The main character is a woman named Clare and her husband travels through different times roughly within his life span, always without intent and he always arrives sans clothes.

 

The book mainly deals how difficult and dangerous it is for him and how painful it is to know your spouse has gone missing. It deals with painful real life things at the same time and it manages to make time travel seem like another ordinary, difficult thing to deal with. 

[Elgee]

One book that has remained in my memory since reading it as a prescribed book in school, was actually quite risque for its time and place (South Africa was incredibly conservative back then). It's about a couple who live in Greece (though I don't think they're native to the country). A male friend from the Netherlands comes to visit them, and a love triangle ensues. The story is very cleverly written so that one doesn't realise right up to the end that the person whom the male visitor is in love with is actually male, not female. For a book written probably 40 years ago, this was quite daring. It was definitely an eye-opener.

[Dar'Jen Ab Owain]

Some stories give us the opportunity to view life from a different perspective, and thus can help us develop our views on various topics. Maybe they can change our minds about things or insist that we question what we think we know.

 

Thank you all for sharing these stories. They all sound intriguing for different reasons.

 

Does anyone else have a story or book moment to share?

[Ryrin]

One of my favourite books is The Time Travellers Wife by Audrey Niffenegger. I still think of it often.

 

The main character is a woman named Clare and her husband travels through different times roughly within his life span, always without intent and he always arrives sans clothes.

 

The book mainly deals how difficult and dangerous it is for him and how painful it is to know your spouse has gone missing. It deals with painful real life things at the same time and it manages to make time travel seem like another ordinary, difficult thing to deal with.

 

:-/ I did not like that book. Lol. The going back and forth gave me a headache. Plenty of my book club members liked it.

[blank]

One book that has remained in my memory since reading it as a prescribed book in school, was actually quite risque for its time and place (South Africa was incredibly conservative back then). It's about a couple who live in Greece (though I don't think they're native to the country). A male friend from the Netherlands comes to visit them, and a love triangle ensues. The story is very cleverly written so that one doesn't realise right up to the end that the person whom the male visitor is in love with is actually male, not female. For a book written probably 40 years ago, this was quite daring. It was definitely an eye-opener.

That sounds great! That would never be prescribed reading now in the UK nevermind 40 years ago!

 

 

 

One of my favourite books is The Time Travellers Wife by Audrey Niffenegger. I still think of it often.

 

The main character is a woman named Clare and her husband travels through different times roughly within his life span, always without intent and he always arrives sans clothes.

 

The book mainly deals how difficult and dangerous it is for him and how painful it is to know your spouse has gone missing. It deals with painful real life things at the same time and it manages to make time travel seem like another ordinary, difficult thing to deal with.

:-/ I did not like that book. Lol. The going back and forth gave me a headache. Plenty of my book club members liked it.

 

That's ok 

 

To be fair, time travel is a trope I absolutely adore. The amount of trashy books I've read just because it said time travel on the front would be scary if I didn't love them so much 

 

Still I adored the book.

 

There are some very emotional shattering parts of the Robin Hobb books, especially containing the characters of Fitz and the Fool. They are over three different trilogies and honestly, it's the most beautifully painful stuff I've ever read. However I cannot expand because I refuse to give spoilers. They're wonderful books. 

[Ryrin]

I'll take that as a recommendation and get them.

[blank]

I'll take that as a recommendation and get them.

oh I always feel nervous about giving book recommendations when the books are so close to my heart! I hope you like them Ryrin.

[Ryrin]

I'll let you know, Blank. It sure sounds like I will.

 

When I was young, I very much enjoyed the "Little Women" series and I've read it many times.

 

Do you think that sometimes your age and/or where you are in life can effect either your interest or taste in stories/books?

 

I was in my early twenties when someone recommended the "Clan of the Cave Bear" series. I hated it.

 

Fast forward many years later and it is one of my favorites.

[thehumantrashcan]

I still remember the first time my dad read the Hobbit to me.  That was amazing.  But the first time I had ever felt truly transported to another place was when he read the Chronicles of Narnia.  I still constantly think of those books.  It has a very spiritual meaning to me as well as C.S. Lewis was a christian theologian and wrote the stories as an allegory about a christian's relationship with Jesus.  It had and still has everything I could want for me; adventure, a character with my actual name (Peter), a world so well written and fleshed out I can easily immerse myself in it, and a deep spiritual meaning and lesson in each book.  C.S. Lewis is still my favorite author, with his sci-fi series Out of the Dark Planet, as well as his other allegory called The Great Divorce, and his dark fiction about demons writing to each other about how they affect their human assignments called the Screwtape Letters.  He also has other non-fiction books like Mere Christianity based off of a radio series he gave during World War II that was consider a huge moral booster during the war and bombing of England and his book on grieving after he lost her in A Grief Observed.  Whether you consider yourself religious or christian or whatever, he's an amazing author and I have yet to read a book of his that hasn't impacted me greatly.  His works of fiction alone are well worth reading.

[thehumantrashcan]

I must also throw in a little about Charles Dickens as well.  I know so many people don't like his books but oh I love how descriptive he is.  He can reveal so much in each sentence and gives such deep and visceral character sketches.  And his endings, his real endings, the one where Scrooge and Tiny Tim actually die and it isn't a dream, the ones where the worst outcome is the true outcome, so good!  When I learned that he really intended to have Scrooge die flipped me for a loop.  He had to rewrite all of his stories endings because they were too sad for people.  That was a very influential author and story for me.  His stories were always a scathing rebuke or satire of the upper class at the time and how removed they were from the true plight of the common people and the effect of the start of the industrial revolution had on them.  Another one of his short stories called The Bells about how superficial people can be when they "help" the poor was very very influential on how I viewed helping others and how important it is to actually get your hands, and sometimes your elbows and your whole self dirty.

[Dar'Jen Ab Owain]

We have a wide array of literature represented in this discussion. It is great that something in each of these pieces have caught our attention and we have kept that with us.