BookLikes, Goodreads, and Social Network Censorship

I have decided to remove the Goodreads widget from the right hand column of this blog, because I am going to delete my Goodreads account, and move all my books, reviews, and data to BookLikes, a rival book/networking site.

The move will mean a lot of extra work, adding covers, adding data on self-published books and books not found on conventional book seller sites, etc., but it will be worth it to be able to freely express my opinions of books to friends, and shelve/tag my books as I see fit without interference (read: censorship) from the website owners.  I have been a member of Goodreads for many years, with over 900 books listed, (virtually) met lots of fellow pagan readers, and was a librarian: editing covers; inserting book summaries; inviting fellow authors I admired to join groups and enter into discussions about their work; and adding books from obscure publishers, many of which were pagan and/or occult related, to the ever-expanding database.  I am not the only librarian to leave under protest and, this appears to have resulted in a slower response time to requests from members of Goodreads to make amendments to books, as many super-librarians - those who have made thousands of edits or more to the Goodreads database - depart.

Normally, I detach myself from spats between authors, readers, fans, and member but when Goodreads decided to edit its policy on reviews and how their membership named bookshelves without informing their membership of the same, and then began deleting personalised shelves without rhyme, reason or informing infringing members first (to provide them with time to amend or save the content), I felt it was time I moved on – being a believer in self-censorship, but little beyond that. 

I was taken aback when I learned one member’s shelf, innocuously titled "Tain", relating to Táin Bó Cúailnge was deleted without warning.  Perhaps Goodreads staff felt they were able to read the mind of the member, and came to the conclusion that the name "Tain" was a comment on the behaviour of the authors – as this is the only reason for deleting shelves according to the scant comments from Goodreads staff on the unannounced policy change?[1]  Where is the logic in deleting a shelf entitled “bad authors” but leaving another shelf, belonging to the very same member account, called “cool authors”?  

It all seems hypocritical: instigating a policy supposedly to end the targeting of authors, only to bully their own members by saying that staff know what a member is really thinking when naming a shelf “authors I want to avoid”, i.e. it’s a comment on the author’s behaviour.[2] 

Oddly, the policy change, censoring of book shelf titles, ensuing furore, and mass exodus of members occurred during Banned Book Week.

For now, it seems BookLikes are keen to hear the suggestions of their new members, and have promised to provide lots of new goodies including a private messaging system, and groups function for socialising, and will be developing apps for those of us who read on the go, but like to update our progress.

I’m pretty hopeful my celtic myth shelves will be at BookLikes for a long time to come.

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[1] Like Goodreads staff, I am also a mind reader ... actually, I’m not but I’m speculating based on the many reports I’ve read from other members.

[2] It would never refer to the poor writing style, unsavoury content of the author’s books, etc.

Dr. Anne Ross

It seems that Dr. Anne Ross, celtic scholar, and author passed away last month.

A small notice can be found at BMDS Online.

Song of the Sea, an upcoming production

 

birdsofrhiannon:

Song of the Sea is the new project of Cartoon Saloon (the same company that created The Secret of Kells) and it’ll be coming out in 2013.

“The story of the last Seal Child’s journey home. After their mother’s disappearance, Ben and Saoirse are sent to live with Granny in the city. When they resolve to return to their home by the sea, their journey becomes a race against time as they are drawn into a world Ben knows only from his mother’s folktales. But this is no bedtime story; these fairy folk have been in our world far too long. It soon becomes clear to Ben that Saoirse is the key to their survival.”

Selchie Productions: A Gaelic charm from Coll against drowning and deaths in wars, noted down in 1874

A reblog from selchieproductions:

An t-seun chuir Moire mu Mac
’S a chuir Brighid ‘na brat
’S a chuir Mìcheal ‘na sgéith
’S a chuir Mac Dhé roimh chathair neòil,
Seun thu roimh shaighead,
Seun thu roimh chlaidheamh,
Sian thu roimh pheilear na sgrìoba ruaidhe;
Eilean thu air muir,
Carraig thu air tìr—
Guma motha eagal...

See  selchieproductions for the full charm and translation into English.

Change of Address

As readers of this blog may have noticed, the url address has changed.  It is now located at http://www.ancestral-gael.com/  So, why the change?

Over the last few years, I have been refining my polytheist leanings and focussing on one particular area, more particularly polytheist traditions of the highlands of Scotland.  Also, I continued to undertake genealogical research, discovering the majority of my ancestors originate from the south-west of Ireland, but also, it seems there are links to Scotland and the Northern Ireland plantation settlers.   In light of this, I felt I better understood the pull that the north-west, particularly Wester-Ross, has on me. 

I also attempted to learn Scots Gaelic, was forced to take a break shortly after I started, but I hope to return to it.   I also started reading blogs and books by Gaelic Polytheists and felt this better suited me, too.  To that end, I still  read around Irish and other related myths, and I continue to learn more about Irish witchcraft traditions as there is very little on the polytheist and magical practices of Gaelic Scotland, presumably because it is thought the language, and culture(?) originated with northern Irish settlers/invaders some time in the fourth century [correct me if I am wrong].

In all this, I learned that the word "celtic" was generally applied only to the languages, and not necessarily the modern cultures most people refer to when they use the word.  So, I decided "gael" was a more appropriate word to apply to my user name.   It has taken some time to make the change - it's never as easy as you think - and change links, domains, email, etc.  The look and appearance of this blog have not changed because that is simply too technical for me, and I'm just not that creative.

My hope is that this doesn't inconvenience readers, and followers of this blog too much; and I hope, too, that the change is understandable.

The Seasons Turn

I've encountered many a blog, and online chatter about the change of season.  People seem to have noticed it more this year, and I must admit I am one.   I'm including a few - I feel appropriate - snippets of what I've seen today.

May the rains sweep gentle across your fields,
May the sun warm the land,
May every good seed you have planted bear fruit,
And late summer find you standing in fields of plenty.

Source:  Island Ireland.

~~~***~~~

Autumn's Arrival
by Starlight the Fox 

~~~***~~~

Her breath mists the twilit air, frost and pearl, as she mounts her horse, a steel grey beast of taut muscle and lean limbs, built for speed.


Pulling the collar of her cloak around her, she gazes out at the surrounding landscape. She owns it all, in a way which will never be written on parchment, never be lodged in the minds of men.

In the Realm of the Lady Winter ~ Ina.

The Gnome and Mrs Meyers - Review

Author: Susan Klein
ASIN: B005D4Y77U


Why did I Read It? It came up as a recommendation over at Podio Books and the idea of a modern fairy tale appealed.

Synopsis: Mrs Meyers sleeps, eats and lives on the couch in her den. Though afraid of confrontation, Mrs Meyers works as a paralegal, and she enters sweepstakes in the hope of some luck to give her relief from the pressure of debt accrued after the prolonged illness and the death of her husband. Then, one morning, Mrs Meyers discovers she is the winner of the Expect the Unexpected sweepstake, and a mythical creature has come to stay with her. If Mrs Meyers can keep Mr. G. safe for the duration of his stay, riches will be hers and all her problems will be solved. But, Mrs Meyers really should Expect the Unexpected.

Short synopses of the various chapters can be read at Gnome Home Stay.

What did I like? This really is a modern fairytale. It's clear Susan Klein has thought long and hard about the story, in particular the make-up of the Gnome Nation from which Mr. G. hails. The audio version, in podcast format, to which I listened moved along at a fair pace. It's amusing, downright funny at times and I can truly hear the empathy Susan Klein has for her main character, Brenda.

This book could have been over-sentimental, but it's not. Mourning, loss, timidity and mild depression are explored within The Gnome and Mrs. Meyers, but with a level of (almost) understatement.

What didn't I like? I preface this with the statement that I work with Texans, and other Americans, but I was raised within a British household. It is a truly personal thing, but Susan Klein's accent when narrating was unpalatable - to begin with. After I while, I found her accent and her odd pronunciation of some words amusing, mostly because I came to equate her voice with that of Mrs. Meyers.

I realise it is difficult to narrate, and produce your own book for broadcast, but there were some hiccoughs: paper rustling; odd pauses as pages were turned; words missed; and doubling back on the text. These could be overlooked, as they didn't really spoil the story, and are only relevant to the audio edition.

I would have preferred if the author hadn't spent so much time on the backstory, and the expounding on the nature of the Gnome Nation; some of it felt superfluous, and only snippets were really required to move the story along. I would have preferred a bit more mystery, as found in older fairy tales when the reader is not always sure of motivation of various supernatural characters.

Would I recommend it? You bet. A great story with memorable characters, and creatures and, I suspect, an easy read; it is certainly an easy listen being only 22 (very short) chapters long. I certainly hope Susan Klein continues to write another modern fairy tales.

Rating: 6/10.

Book Give Away - Moon Mysteries

Red Moon Designs are giving away two copies of "Moon Mysteries: Reclaiming Women's Menstrual Wisdom". Go to the website of Red Moon Musings for details.

"Moon Mysteries is a unique and beautiful combination of breathtaking images, ancient matriarchal teachings and personal stories. Sims and Seeds boldly address the menstrual disconnect that women have been undergoing for centuries, but not without offering remedies to heal this split. Moon Mysteries invites all women to reclaim the wild and inherent menstrual wisdom that is their birth right."

And a tempest cleared the path

I don't know about anyone else, but for me in the south-east of the country, the winds and driving rain that appeared earlier in the week appear to mark the first signs of Autumn.

At first, I thought summer had gone, but driving out today, I noticed the grassed areas scattered with lights of yellow as various flowers seemed to bloom.   Aside from which, a lovely set of taller-than-a-man sunflowers graced the yard of a terraced house along the A13, and there were dark red roses in bloom along one particular drive near to home.   Summer is just holding on it seems, but those gales did their best to clear the way for Autumn's arrival. 

For me the cool, crisp air of the nights over the last few weeks have been a signal of Summer's End, but this week as some of the leaves start to change colour, and this change in atmosphere combined with the recent storms have been akin to a flashing billboard with the announcement Autumn isn't coming; it's here.

Many bloggers I follow have already been harvesting mushrooms and have been since the beginning of August; our yew tree has already displayed its first crop of berries.  All the signs of Autumn appear to have started early, long before summer's blooms have finished their display.

So, with the last vestiges of summer being blown away with the winds and driving rain, I, too, will undertake my annual Autumnal clear out.  Anything not used in the last year, or that will not be used in the next year will be recycled, either through freegle, charity or sale.   My home will be reorganised and made comfortable for the coming cold months.   My short-term plans will be assessed and adjusted accordingly, including my reading.   In other words, I plan to have a stock-take and clear-out of my life and this will include all aspects of my spiritual life.

It will take some time, as I cannot work as quickly, or as quirkily as a gale force wind.

Jonathan Strange and Mr. Norrell

Author: Susanna Clarke
ASIN: B002SQ6U0I

Why did I read it? Because it had wonderful reviews. I enjoy magical, historical and fantasy fiction and, it has been lauded extensively. In the end, I did not read it, but listened to it, unabridged.

My Opinion? Let me preface this review by saying: I am a fan of Austen; I am a fan of Dickens; and I am a fan of Tolkien.

I am not a fan of Jonathan Strange and Mr. Norrell.

I purchased two copies of this book, one on my way to Australia, which I promptly handed to my grandmother before a single page was read, the second on my return for my own use. I ended up purchasing an audio copy which was over 32 hours long.

Several times I stopped listening because I found it boring, despite the wonderful efforts of Mr. Prebble in voice characterisation. After a while, I knew which character was speaking simply by their voice. Mr. Prebble was also very adept at handling the footnotes in that I always knew when they had ended and he had returned to the main story. Mr. Prebble really tried to breathe life into this book. Alas, he was unsuccessful.

I probably took 15 hours before I discerned any sort of plot. Though it is said that in an Austen book, "nothing ever happens", it's not exactly true, whereas in the case of Jonathan Strange and Mr. Norrell, I'm afraid that it's not until section 2 of the book (around the 15 hour mark on the audio) before matters progress and some semblance of a plot emerges.

For my own part, I could have done without knowing anything of Mr. Strange's actions in the Napoleonic Wars; I have no idea what they added to the plot other than for the purposes of ridiculing the perceptions of historical characters and, indeed, Mr. Strange himself. I felt some characters were shoehorned into the story even though they did not particularly add anything. The Graysteels being one instance: Apart from receiving Mrs Strange upon her return from Faery - Mr. Segundus might have been a viable alternative - I have no idea why they were created. Mr. Norrell’s servants whom Childermass directs to assist the two magicians at the last, but then desert, were another. Did I really need to know anything about them? Surely Lascelles would have fled if left on his own anyway?

Like others, I admire Susanna Clarke's ability to recreate the Regency era in a style entirely new, wherein magic "is simply an arcane branch of learning, like medicine or physics, and its practitioners as essentially applied scientists". I can also appreciate the attempt to write a pastiche of authors such as Austen and Dickens and to imbibe it with ironic humour; for me, though, it failed in its delivery.

Would I recommend it? I know I am in the minority, the awards bestowed upon Jonathan Strange and Mr. Norrell are many, and the majority of readers can but sing its praises, but I just cannot recommend this book to anyone. I shall be disposing of my hard copy imminently.

Rating: 2/5.

One Body : One Spirit : and a Soul
Uniting these and for it's only goal
The unique expression of Unity
In this life, and then for Infinity.

Many bodies : many forms : across Time
Uniting Plurality with what is confined.
We are, all of us, here forever
But only have one life to remember.

One life, and one life only, to know
All there is to know. For Soul to grow
From Oneness of being, plurally
Formed, again and again, endlessly.

Posted, with permission from Heron, 2011

Have you ever thought that there’s something wrong with modern Druidry?

This was posted to Caer Feddwyd and I feel it may be of interest to others, so I am posting it here.

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We have reached a stage in our evolution as a ‘movement’ where we have become self-satisfied and complacent. The format of our rituals and festivals lack passion and religious insight, but of even far greater concern, they are starting to become set in stone. They have no concept of the Pagan inner mysteries and stagnate in some superficial desire to connect with the seasons and the world of nature. Our practices have become far removed from that which we pretend to honour.

We have been led to fear the words ‘religion’ and ‘dogma’, as if the ancient Druids were as unstructured, undisciplined, ill-informed and confused as we are today. So we accept the received wisdom from a handful of authors and it is leading us down a road to nowhere. We have forsaken the dying and rising sun god, within and without. We have relegated the goddess to a mere spirit of nature. It is we who would seem naive and primitive in the eyes of our ancestors.

In their time our druidic ancestors were at the cutting edge of philosophy, natural science and the understanding of the glory of the cosmos. Yet we insult these ancestors by pretending to be shamans, as if the ancient Druids had not evolved beyond the hunter-gatherers and still clung desperately to some primitive Mesolithic awareness until the arrival of the Christians.

Druidry is more than just animism, more than a counter-culture reaction to monotheism. But still we generalize with the symbolism of the gods. Where is the passion on our tongues and the fire in our bellies? Is there is no yearning in our hearts to look deeper? Do we really believe we already have all the answers we need? Where is the real belief in the gods? Where is the fire in our heads?

Can we say, before our gods, that druidry today answers those questions? No it cannot, enlightened spiritual insight remains our greatest weakness.

Many who read this may find our words offensive, and if we have hit a raw nerve, then having done so is way over due. But if you feel like we do, that it’s time for change, that Druidry today needs to be shaken out of its complacency before its too late, then you will find a way to contact us.

Our illustrious tradition deserves better of us. Together we can make a difference. Lets make it real, lets do it with passion, lets re-connect to the gods and stoke those ancient fires once again.

In Truth/\
Stefan Allen Seniuk, Head of the Albion Conclave of Druids,
and many others.

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The standard is being raised at Flag Fen on October 11th, 2008 and if enough good people come we will hold a council to determine our next steps.  This maybe the true beginning of the resurgence of the British Native Religions, something we in Brython have planned and prayed for for then last two years.