And this season I felt like reliving some old favorites!
Terry Pratchett has given my mind such a release from the worries of the season, or even of my conditions. I have almost all of his books. Certainly enough to read for a month, while coming up to eat on occasion.
These are the first, The Light Fantastic, and The Color of Magic.
Do you know when Harry Potter appeared in bookstores? Yep, 1986.
Seems like a "fortuitous time" for books about wizards and magic.
Pratchett died a couple of years ago of Alzheimers. He wrote many books in those 2-3 decades...and I've read most of them. Of course not being British, I've had to extrapolate to understand some of the satire about the institutions like banks, postal service, communications, and especially the police force. But even an American can be laughing out loud at the hi-jinks these characters get into and out of!
And the witches! Oh they are much better than the wizards, I think!
The title "The Light Fantastic" reminded me that I once explored the "trip the light fantastic" phrase years ago and discovered this: This phrase evolved through a series of usages and references. The phrase is typically attributed to Milton's 1645 poem L'Allegro,[2][7][8] which includes the lines
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On the light fantastick toe.
So long ago, and still around! Hope all is well there. Wishing you a Merry Christmas!
Robin. Thanks for the source of the saying. Very interesting! Barb
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