All posts by
Anna

Strange Tales from a Chinese Studio: Eerie and Fantastic Chinese Stories of the Supernatural

by Pu Songling | Translated by Herbert A. Giles

**Please note that there are about 2 versions of this book with same title but different content: the Penguin Classic version and the Tuttle Publishing version. The one we should be reading is by Tuttle Publishing. I put an image here for your view.

Long considered a masterpiece of the eerie and fantastic, Strange Tales from a Chinese Studio is a collection of supernatural-themed tales compiled from ancient Chinese folk stories by Songling Pu in the eighteenth century. These tales of ghosts, magic, vampirism, and other things bizarre and fantastic are an excellent Chinese companion to Lafcadio Hearn’s well-known collections of Japanese ghost stories Kwaidan and In Ghostly Japan.
Some of the stories found in these pages include:

• The Tiger of Zhaocheng
• The Magic Sword
• Miss Lianziang, the Fox-Girl
• The Quarrelsome Brothers
• The Princess Lily
• A Rip Van Winkle
• The Resuscitated Corpse
• Taoist Miracles
• A Chinese Solomon

How to get this book:

• FREE – in iPhone (don’t know about Android). If you have an iPhone and the app “iBooks”, you can find the book for free! I have it on my phone. The stories are not ordered in the same exact way in this printed version, but most of the stories are there. Let me know if you need help.
• Click here for Amazon
• Click here for Barnes & Noble online

Book Master of the Month: Anna Yang (MissLibrarianTimeLord)

Meeting Place/Time: March 30, 2018 12:00 PM – 1:00 PM | Conference Room 3

Activities: This is a potluck! I’ll make some type of “Chinese food” in honor of this pick. You do not have to.  I deeply encourage EVERYONE to bring something (anything) to share, food-wise. As this book is very thick, I am not going to ask everyone to completely finish the book (but please try to read as many stories as possible out of this book. pick the ones that jump out at you). In regards to the meeting, please come planned to talk about a few of your favorite tales from the book. Questions to come!  A separate activity that I encourage all of you to do (not required) is write a short strange tale/story (1-3 pages) to bring and share with the group. If you do not get a chance to read the book, you can still bring food and participate in our exchange of strange tales. It’s always better when more people are there.

-MissLibrarianTimeLord

Do you read something every year, around the same time? It’s almost habitual, if not religious. During Christmas, I always reread Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen. I’ve been doing this for about 8 years now. It’s so interesting how the story always changes for me or I catch something new within the familiar words. I remember rereading it the year I saw the 2007 Keira Knightly and Matthew Facfadyen’s Pride and Prejudice. The images of the Colin Firth and Jennifer Ehle (I had to look her up) were replaced by two modern characters (or at least I thought they were more modern looking – maybe it was the way the video was being filmed). I started to see Mr. Darcy as more “befuddled” and less “stoic”, and more “aloof” then “standoffish”. I’m going to blame the video production for this but it affected how I read Pride and Prejudice that year. The same thing happened when Pride and Prejudice and Zombies came out. I kept picturing Mr. Darcy as Batman since Sam Riley kept speaking in that dark-undertone-of-I’m-Batman-and-thus-must-huskily-whisper-with-my-black-cape. He just seemed frustrated and constipated during the whole movie, which affected my reading of Mr. Darcy’s lines in the book. Every now and then, he would say “I’m Batman” in the book, even though no such words existed.

I suppose the whole point of this is to ask, “is there anything you read on an annual basis? regularly?” If so, what is it and why?

~MissLibrarianTimeLord

In the almost-exact-words of Wikipedia: Alchemy is a philosophical and protoscientific tradition practice throughout Europe, Africa, and Asia. It aimed to purify, mature, and perfect certain objects. Common aims where chrysopoeia, the transmutation of “base metals” into “noble metals”; the creation of an elixir of immortality (I believe a bit more common); the creation of panaceas able to cure any disease; and the development of an alkahest (a universal solvent). The perfection of the human body and soul was thought to permit or result from the alchemical magnum opus and, in the Hellenistic and western tradition, the achievement of gnosis. (Wikipedia)

This is where the “brief” part of this “history of alchemy” starts. The first time I came across the term “alchemy” was in fifth grade. I had found a copy of the work Alchemy by Eric John Holmyard at a library book sale. I thought the term “alchemy” was cool at the time and bought it for $0.25. Of course, being so young, I had no idea what I was reading. I spent a good two days trying to be interested in Holmyard’s book but found more interest in tree climbing and dragonfly hunting. We moved several times before I re-found it as a sophomore in high school. At this point in my young life, I had already read some of the genre novels about alchemy and love-things (you know, that mushy stuff that’s written for teenagers). I realized at this point that I had to read it. I stuck the book in my back-pack and carried it around as a “when I’m bored, I’ll read it” book. I think I had good intentions, but by high school graduation, I had only read about 25% of the whole book (it’s not that thick). There were so many other things that were happening in my life that took me away from this book (other books took me away as well too, but don’t tell this book). It wasn’t until first year of grad school that I saw it again. The book was hidden among my other books. Its pages were brown and stiff, stained from the fish tank flood of ’01 (my brother’s fish tank exploded and killed a lot of my books). By this time, I had forgotten the whole point of the book. I looked oddly at it, trying to remember why I had bought it in the first place. I was filled with guilt suddenly. I realized that I had destroyed this book’s destiny. As a cheeky kid, I bought it so that I could be “smarter” but never finished it, even as an adult. This book did not get to fulfill its purpose. I am someone who believes that all books have a purpose, a place, and a meaning. Since I had bought it as a child, it was my duty to make sure that its story was read. It sounds a bit dramatic and weird but I truly think that all books wait for us to read them. Only when we pick them up, turn the pages, and read their words do they feel “alive”. I had not done this book justice growing up but now, I wanted to finish what I had started. I put it on my desk and told myself to read at least a few pages a night. I vaguely remember sleeping that night and dreaming that I was an alchemist, searching for an elixir that would grant me immortality. This search for immortality caused me to be late for work. I can’t remember what I did that day, only that I had come home late. I made dinner, went for my usual three mile run, came home, took a shower, and went straight to find the book. I was almost to the 25% mark that I was on way back in high school. When I came to my desk, I realized that some of my things were missing; the book being one of them. I checked under my desk, looked through my book shelves and basically ripped my bedroom apart. I couldn’t find it. I ran to my mom and asked if she had seen my book. Her answer hit me quite hard. Apparently, my baby nephew, who’s age I can’t remember at that time, was in my room. I was in such a hurry that morning that I had left my bedroom door open and he had gotten a hold of my markers and book. He had written in it and in this process, ripped it. My mom threw it away, saying “it’s okay, you have a lot of books already”. I didn’t argue nor did I get angry at my nephew. I knew then that I didn’t have the right to finish this book. It’s a bit dramatic to say this but I deserved it. I had over 10 years to read it and each time I tried, I never made it till the end. It appeared in different parts of my life, each time, forgiving me and giving me a chance to redeem myself. Books are meant to be read, especially if you choose to take them off the shelf, away from other readers. It’s been about 6 years since this incident. I have not read the book yet, but I feel that maybe it’s time I try again.

And that, my friend, is a Brief History of Alchemy.

~Miss Librarian Time Lord

JUST FOR FUN: I was sitting at home creating chibi characters of myself for my DID YOU KNOW… alerts for the library and thought, “I should generate some characters for us!” Here is the end product accompanied by titles and description. **please understand that the generator only has so many options so I created a “look” from the best of my abilities and made up descriptions from my own fantastical musings. I would be most happy to discuss how I came to all this nonsense in any one of our impromptu conversations. Happy Readings!

 (Anna) The Time Lord. Anna, a self-proclaimed Time Lord, has the ability to teleport between different dimensions and travel into the past and future at will. She wanders from galaxy to galaxy, observing inhabitants, and helping out where she can. It was during the Chaos Wars, that The Time Lord’s true form was known in battle; the Sixth Dimensional Being. Wrapped in a burning bright light, the Sixth Dimensional Being shows up in ancient text as an immortal god (not really, she’s just a regular immortal who could still be harmed through mortal wounds) who is present at the birth, death and transition of a mortal. She is the last Dimensional Being (There were 6 total, all of whom, died in various wars).

(Kathryn) Minister of All Things Magic. Kathryn is a Magical Being, often times confused for a “witch” or “wizard”. She identifies as neither. She was present at the Birth of Magic and is one of a few remaining true Magical Beings in the universe. As Minister of All Things Magic, Kathryn uses her abilities for healing and is considered one of the more “stable” Magical Beings. During the solstice, Kathryn shuts herself in the cave of the Old Ones, sealed by her own magic. It is told that when a Magical Being is exposed to the solstice, they explode into a hundred planets. The Nerazim Region was the product of an exposed Magical Being from a thousand years ago.

 (Julie) Inspector J. Julie is a shape-shifting inspector of Royal Blood from the Cabinet Region. Her shape-shifting skills is unparalleled, which is not surprising as she is a direct descendant of the First Shifter. Heir to the throne on her home planet Kemp, Julie is a powerful Royal with many ties to ancient families across the Cabinet Region. Couple her shape-shifting abilities with her deathly techniques, Inspector J. is considered a legend among Inspectors in the universe. She will be Queen of Kemp, once the Sundrop is returned to the Garden of Everything.

 (Anitha) Keeper of the Garden of Everything. Anitha is one of three Keepers, guarding the Garden of Everything. Of the three, Anitha is known for her kindness and intelligence. But don’t let her easy-going attitude fool you. If you cross into the Garden without permission, she will suck your very Essence into her Staff of Fire, where you will be imprisoned for all eternity.Although she is not confined to the Garden, if she leaves, her powers will evaporate, leaving her a mortal.

 (Kathleen) Prime Minister of the Order of the Table. The Order seeks to bring peace, love, and warmth to war-stricken planets. At the helm of the Order is Kathleen, a True Chef of the Last Kitchen. Many say that she is a thousand years old but was gifted the serum of long life, which retains her youthful looks. Blessed with the healing powers of the Last Kitchen, Kathleen can cure any illness and save a dying planet from starvation.

(Charles) The Traveling Magician. Not much is known about Charles, The Traveling Magician (we’re not even sure if this is his name). He appears in different galaxies, all across the universe doing tricks for children. He can make things disappear with the snap of a finger and reappear with the wink of an eye. It is speculated that he may be a Controller, a survivor from the Dune Galaxy. It was absorbed by a black hole 500 years ago. Again, not much is known.

 (Joseph) Commander J. The sole survivor from the Black Sea War, Commander J. traverses the galaxy as a Consultant for the Rio Tinto Nation. Submerged in acidic water, only those born and raised in the Rio Tinto Nation can withstand the acidity, which has caused most of the inhabitants to develop rock-like skin. Commander J. is known for his care-free attitude and bottomless stomach, just avoid being at the end of his sword. Gifted from the Black Sea Goddess during the war, the Sword of a Thousand Loss Souls is one of a few swords forged from the Tears of the Eldar.

 (Jordan) Sir J. Head of Mischief. Don’t let this movement, known as the Mischief, fool you into thinking they are a band of mischievous bandits. Mischief is a group of rogue individuals from all over the universe, who have collected together to keep the Chaos at bay. Their leader, Sir J., is known for his two-sword style technique. Many who have fought in combat with Sir J., swear that his two swords, known as Negi and Yoshi, sing the grieving song of Empress Saimei. (it goes like this: Imaki naru omure ga ue ni, Kumo dani mo shiruku shi tataba, Nani ka nagekamu).

 Vinayak. Knight of the Garden of Everything. Vinayak is a Sage, one of seven, born from the Tears of the Eldar. He chooses to take on the form of a “mortal” and protect the Garden as a Knight (more so to protect Anitha, a Keeper of the Garden, as he has been in love with her since their initial meet during the solstice where he almost destroyed her). Patrolling the edge of the Garden of Everything, Vinayak fends off those from the outside who would seek to harm or enter the Garden. Once every solstice, Vinayak takes on his true form, a Sage cloaked in gold and emerald jewels (he cannot control this). As a Sage, his Essence absorbs energy from living things, basically destroying them. During this time, Vinayak is away for the duration of the solstice, hiding in the regions of the Abyss. No life lives there.

 (Mark) Mister McMaster. Not much is known of Mister McMaster but it is speculated that he is a survivor of the humanoid race, Protoss, from the World of Aiur . An advanced alien civilization focused on the harvesting of Star Energy, his kind died out during the clash of two Stars. Reasons why it is theorized that he is a Protoss, is because of the familiar headpiece he wears, inherent to his kind and the sword he carries, made from the black mountains of the Templar, central to the World of Aiur. Although the headpiece looks like nothing more then metal gear, it is attached to his body and is the storage of his power, Psionic Mastery. No one has seen a Protoss use their psionic abilities since the End War.

~ MissLibrarianTimeLord

Who in here read this when they were younger? I vaguely remember picking this book (The Reptile Room, to be exact) when I was strolling through the rows of books in my middle school library. This was during a time when I was getting mixed up with series such as the Magic Tree House, Time Quintet, and the Chronicles of Narnia. Then there were other things like manga, poetry from Emily Dickinson and Robert Frost, and must-reads of that time such as Enchantress from the Stars, The Giver, The Little Prince, Wizard of Oz, and other tiles that get mushed up together. I guess I’m bringing this up because I remember sitting in that library and finding all of these books and along with the book we are currently reading. It’s a bit funny as I’m sitting back and trying to interpret this as an adult, only realizing how I never got the dark humor or the very fact that Count Olaf is a murderer. It’s a bit unnerving to think that one would forget that very fact and instead, focused more on all the plots Count Olaf took in order to get rid of the kids. There was even a part where Count Olaf “pretends” to marry Violet (spoiler alert). Let’s not forget that she’s 14 and he’s a bazillion years old. The words that jump out at me now as an adult is “pedophile” and everything else underneath the sun, but I didn’t feel this way when I was a kid reading it. I was more focused on how she was going to be witty and get out of it. It’s a bit unnerving, don’t you think? That as a child/youth, you weren’t able to comprehend the bigger meanings to actions and things but instead, looked forward to what happens next, when really, he’s a conniving, murderous adult who would go to any length for money? Hmm. That’s a thinker.

~MissLibrarianTimeLord

Dear Shelf Awareness Readers and Feeders,

I am quite glad that The Sandman was the first choice. I think it really set a precedent for what we had set out to do: increase our awareness of the different types of literature out there. In this case, it turned out to be a graphic novel by Neil Gaiman (who is an incredible author, though some might disagree). This book included it all; death, gore, love, confusion, satanic worshiping, half-naked people, and bad writing here and there. I didn’t particularly care for so many different stories woven into the first volume but what’s done is done. What I really like is how at the beginning of each chapter/issue, there is an image. Have any of you taken a thorough look at any of them? Some of them are beautifully done, even though most of them are “dark”. Neil Gaiman does write fairly “dark” novels or have “dark” themes, but I think the only way this can be seen is because he does have a “good” or “justifiable” character that is driving the story. Yes, Dream/Morpheus did kill some people, but it’s not as if he was “bad”, right? We discussed this a bit in the meeting: was it justifiable? And what about him dressing up in black? Does dressing up in black dictate that you are bad? Hmmmmm. I suppose the takeaway is to try to read and understand this from many lenses, not just one. Truth be told, it’s not as good as his other volumes in The Sandman series, which I hope some of you will try to look into some day. Or if not, browse the graphic novel/comic sections at the local bookstore for other stories. Let me put out a warning; yes, there is more nudity and gory scenes in the next volumes, but I’d like to think we’re all adults here. And that although this is a graphic novel and the graphics are very important, let’s not forget the story. 🙂

Today’s meeting went quite well! My apologies for being late! I appreciate that there is enough of us to fill a table and to keep a conversation going, but not too many of us that we feel drowned out. To get this blog going, please add your answer to this question in the comments box below:

If you were trapped on an island with no library, what book would you like to be stranded with? Please note that when I said “book”, I meant one book, not a series (for those of you who are sneaky and like to read between the lines).

Tootles!

~MissLibrarianTimeLord