Books have a way of holding magic within their pages, whether they’re the ancient tomes or the modern stories that ignite our imaginations. Some tales endure through time, for their words seem to be woven into the very fabric of our lives. I believe there is a magic in these timeless tales! As for the magic in those tears of fire, read on….

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Timeless Tales: Pages of the Past

I think that maintaining a TBR is an art, or maybe a science, or well, something more than all this! But my approach is more like chaos —lists scattered across Goodreads, my laptop, on notes on my phone, and scribbled in the closest notebook I can grab. While I cannot bring order to this, I tried to find some of the oldest books I have on these, ranging from ancient to classics I grew up with. And, staying true to myself, I couldn’t resist tossing in my newest discovery—one I discovered last night.

For this week’s TTT where everyone is looking at the oldest books on their TBR!

1. The Arabian Nights by various (age – uncertain)
2. The Odyssey by Homer (8th or 7th century BC)
3. The Itihasa-Puranas as they jointly term them – The Ramayana by Valmiki (c.300 BCE – the present form – might be older)
4. And the Mahabharata by Veda Vyasa (though they are kind of a reread; guessing the books I read as a student are only abridged versions though at the time – when I was in middle school – reading those books as part of our Hindi course seemed daunting yet a wonderful one) (c.800 BCE – the present form – might be older)
5. Kathasaritsagara by Somadeva (1063-81 CE)
6. The Tale of Genji by Murasaki Shikibu (11th century). I have read a manga version of this and definitely want to read this.
7. Much Ado About Nothing by William Shakespeare (~1598)
8. Persuasion by Jane Austen (1817)
9. A Tale of Two Cities by Charles Dickens (1859)
10. Far From the Madding Crowd by Thomas Hardy (1874)
11. The Blossoming of Rose Campbell by Louisa May Alcott (1876)
12. Anna Karenina by Leo Tolstoy (1878)
13. The Happiest Man on Earth: The Beautiful Life of an Auschwitz Survivor by Eddie Jaku (2021)

Dragon Tales of Fire

A FiReader’s Dilemma
One quiet afternoon, I happened upon
A dragon tucked away in my favorite nook.
Should have scared me off my wits
Should have made me scream,
but I didn’t flinch—and now you’re wondering, why didn’t I?

You see, she was sobbing, tears cascading down,
Enough to flood the space around—
But then, with every other sigh,
She breathed out heat—hot enough to fry.
And there she sat, steaming quite literally,
Her tears turning to vapor almost instantly.

Thus reduced to curiosity, I ventured a tad nearer
I queried,” Why so forlorn, dragon dear?”
The woebegone one looked up, teary-eyed.
“I love to read,” she softly sighed.
“But joy or sorrow, or any small glee
I let out a little breath, and it burns the page—
I can’t keep a book without setting it ablaze.”

“Oh, how do I read? How do I learn,
When every page I touch, I burn?”
I thought for a moment, then smiled.
“I have a solution, don’t worry, dear.
Take this fireproof e-reader, sturdy and strong,
It won’t burn, no matter how long
You breathe your fire, your heat, your sighs.
Now you can read without compromise.”

She beamed (from a safe distance, of course),
And thanked me with heartfelt dragonforce.

~Vidya Tiru @ LadyInReadWrites

Today Kim is hosting dVerse with a prompt on those legendary creatures – dragons!

Related Reads and More Timeless Tales

• Wonderful 21st Century Books: The Classics?
• If you want more dragon reads,
  • check out  Dragons at Crumbling Castle by Terry Pratchett, Mark Beech. It is delightfully punny!
  • Or the stunningly beautiful picture book Dragon Dancer
  • and this picture book biography too – John Ronald’s Dragons: The Story of J. R. R. Tolkien 
  • Also, Dragons Love Tacos (if you have not already discovered it)
• I will be checking out Dragonology: The Complete Book of Dragons for myself
• If you are looking at dragonish gifts,
  • then do look at Paper Flying Dragons (Klutz Activity Kit). I love Klutz kits and have purchased many for myself and as gifts.
  • And this LEGO Dragon Kit is simply a must-have!
    

And Now, the End of This Post

Dear reader, have you read any of the listed timeless tales? Which are the oldest books on your TBR? And what kind of dragons do you imagine? (Saying that means I will be listening to Believer or Radioactive now, from Imagine Dragons!)