The Dark is Rising
I didn’t enjoy The Book of Three very much, so I decided that our next bedtime book had to be something I’d love. Not taking any chances. It’s too grim to end the day reading something I’m not fond of. It occurred to me that, since Henry just turned eleven, and he loves dark fantasy stories, and he’s interested in Merlin and King Arthur and ancient British mythology, that The Dark is Rising series would be perfect. So tonight we started book 2 (The Dark is Rising), my favorite. I’ve read it many times to myself (at a guess, I’d say at least ten times, but probably more).  Reading the first chapter aloud made me realize just how awesome it is (reading aloud makes me slow down and savour the story, and notice all the little details that I might miss when reading to myself). It was a 35-minute chapter (I’m recording it so H can listen all over again later on his iPod) but it flew past and I was sorry to reach the end. The writing is so rich, the atmosphere so vivid. The dialogue and characters in The Book of Three were flat; but in The Dark is Rising they are incredibly realistic and believable. I can hardly wait to read the next chapter to Henry tomorrow!