MSGID: 1:153/757.0 42148c57   
   REPLY: 2:221/1.58@fidonet fb880d63   
   TZUTC: -0700   
   CHRS: LATIN-1 2   
   > My first Xanth novel was "Board Stiff".  I loved the opening   
   > chapter.  The puns were exellent.   
   >> I like Piers -- he personally connects with the reasder..   
   >> ..his puns in Xanth gets lame & expected  after awhile,.   
   >> but his attachment & 4th wall usage in using them is   
   >> funny.   
   > 4th wall?   
      
   As in theatre: when the characters address the audience directly. (There's a    
   presumed "4th wall" besides the 3 you see wheb looking forward, between the    
   stage & the audience.  To break this wall is to address the audience directly    
   (in or out of character, scripted, or adlibbed)   
      
   > In Board Stiff, he made the punnery part of solving the mystery   
   > that the character encountered. That was clever.   
      
   He does that in many of his books in that series -- I love it! Each pun is a    
   clue that leads to the next & ultimately provides everything needed to do the    
   task/quest.   
      
   I'vesent himas few puns -- haven't seen my name mentioned yet, but I think   
   I'm  behind on the Xanth series now.   
      
   > I still get a chuckle at this part at the beginning:   
   > "... I'm actually a smart girl who would make any man an   
   > excellent wife. But no man sees that. No man is interested in   
   > my mind or personality, just my whatevers. So here is my wish:   
   > I'm board stiff. I want Adventure, Excitement, and Romance."   
   > Now the ripples made her reflection shimmer. She definitely had   
   > the wishing well's attention. "I searched all over for a   
   > suitable offering," she continued. "It occurred to me that how   
   > you look is governed by the sand on your bottom. It is frankly   
   > sort of dull. So I found a pretty colored stone that should add   
   > interest. Here it is: my offering, and I hope you like it." She   
   > brought out the stone, which was like a faceted blue diamond,   
   > sparkling all over. She dropped it into the well. Something   
   > happened. A sudden whirlwind surrounded her, lifting her up and   
   > ripping off her clothing. She was changing, somehow. Then she   
   > fell flat on the ground. Literally. She had been transformed   
   > into a flat, stiff board with two knotholes for eyes."   
      
   Was this one who later became a Princess, through a Sorceror's     
   ntervention/powers?   
      
   Ui do recall that scene.   
      
   I get a kick asrt how he maintains his G-rating by invoking The Adult    
   Conspiracy in such a way, olderfolk have no interruption in understanding    
   what's happening, & younger ones will just get peeved at this Conspiracy!   
      
   I one of his latter books in the series, he began creeping into PG territory,    
   but sly & subtly & punnily(of course)   
      
   Some of his series are meant to be more adult in concepts & language, 'though    
   he's not one for gratuitous vulgarity.   
      
      
   > I find that people who say that they don't read CAN be made   
   > interested in non-fiction: biographies, history, politics,   
   > books on medical topics, cookbooks, etc..   
   > Same thing with kids. Kids who can't seem to bear struggling   
   > with Harry Potter, can be fascinated by the Guiness World   
   > Record books, encyclopedias, game manuals, field guides, maps.   
      
   My son went straight to encyclopedia type books, & still hasn't gained much    
   interest in Fiction. He read a couple series wshen younger & would giggle   
   like  a Luna's Tick while reading them (one was the Dog Man series, IIRC)   
      
   I read both equally voraciously as a child -- usually had 6+ books open &   
   going at once -- as my mood changed, I'd switch to another (like thinking of   
   a  question I had abnout the next step/chapter)   
      
   This taught me well to absorb multiple data points & keep exch straight in   
   its  own context. Ten years later, I could quote any book I'd read to that   
   point,  name the characters & plot, too.  In grade school, I read my textbooks   
   in the  first couple weeks, then never opened them again, unless commanded to,   
   in  class, & I still got straight As.  Yup, I was not Mr. Popular for that!   
      
   Fifty years of life's distractions & chemical abuses (only in the first 20 or    
   so) and a major stroke has killed off that skill among others. :'(   
      
   I miss them! Oh well, luckily along the way I've learned how to fake some of it   
   & get acceptable results within a desired range.   
      
   For my job, I've talked with doctors for long phone calls, multiple times &    
   they are all surprised to learn I'm not a doctor or any kind of medically    
   trained person, when something came up that triggered then to ask.   
      
   In earlier times, before the guilds, I'd've been a doctor just fine. . .   
   Surgeries I'd refer to my buddy the barber for a referral fee. . .  :D    
      
      
   --- BBBS/Li6 v4.10 Toy-6   
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