So did you hear about Chris Paolini's books?

[charity]

42... so am I! if I hadn't've (ooh, like that? three words with one stone!  ) moved, I probably would be in a very different place right now, in my life.

And social cliques as they are, high school or surviving it teaches you how to handle those sorts of pressures... and if it doesn't college will and if it doesn't well, then you've got a problem

One of my dearest friends was home schooled, she is as normal as anyone...well okay, she does have this aversion to healthy food, but that's her mom's fault   I don't condemn the child who was home schooled, I think all teenager's go through a smelly, ugly, anti social stage... I did! (there I admitted it! your turn) But I also think that you receive things in public school that you can't at home where you are with people you are comfortable with.

Now, home schooling has taken on an entirely different meaning anymore, I think there are alot of resources and it's one of those things that people perceive as secluded (would that be the right word?) and closed off, but it doesn't have to be. If the parents are odd balls though, and they home school the poor kids don't seem to have a prayer (until they get out of the house)

I love where I live, white! I didn't know he lived up here till we moved here and then I started seeing things from the book. Paradise Valley is enclosed in mountains on two sides, high peaked ones that bring lots of wind in winter and then you come out through this gap into these wide open fields of grass land, where the wind kind of breaks free and picks up speed (this is where my town is...in the gap, it's very windy here). In the right time of year everything is a sea of golden grasses, but not as much so as say the midwest... we still have the mountains.

Anyway whenever we drive into town I can imagine the kid and his dragon coming out of their little protected home in the mountains onto these plains and I think, "yeah, yeah, I can see it." You should all come see it here, it's magnificent, and right outside of Yellowstone to boot!

I should see if I can find a link... hang on...

http://www.ameyapreserve.com/

Okay so that's a total, 'buy a house here' site but it's got great pics. click on all the different links and you see more pics... I like the one for boundless endeavours, that's paradise valley (where we can't afford a house ) -sigh- I love where I live.

[White]

Oh my golly-gosh that's so goooooooorgeous. And there's like, *RED LICHEN* on the rock~! that's so coooooool~!

And windy places are very inspiring places to live I think~! (I always wanted to live somewhere that also had a bit more rain maybe...).

You're very lucky obviously to live in such a scenic place Charity!

[42]

Charity, what I'm getting at is that as much as you say the social difficulties of public schools can teach and streghten children, it can just as easily cripple and disable children. I work with disabled adults and a number of them probably would be more functional had they not gone to public schools. I even know people who'd still be alive had they not gone to public schools. I see the public schools a significant contributor to my case load. I guess I should be grateful that the product of public schools keeps me employed.

So while I think public schools will help develop social skills for a lot of children, for some home-schooling is a much better option. I guess I think that most parents will do a better job teaching their children.

[White]

Clearly the ultimate learning solution would be a Jedi academy 

  anyone else for that?

[charity]

Charity, what I'm getting at is that as much as you say the social difficulties of public schools can teach and streghten children, it can just as easily cripple and disable children.

I completely agree, and I agree that there are circumstances where public school is not the best choice, I'm using a generalization.

White,

I don't know about the Jedi Academy, Anakin (is that how you spell it?) didn't fair so well.... perhaps he would have been better off with a different teaching style. He clearly had some anger issues that weren't being addressed in his form of education

[White]

Yeah, the zen-yoda-garden approach didn't work too well on him did it?   
Maybe he should have gone for distance learning in a nice swampy planet somewhere. I mean, I think homeschooling or whatever probably worked for Luke.

I mean, I'm assuming Luke was homeschooled/distance educated.
Is there any definitive word?

[Phaz]

I really enjoyed these books and have been anxiously awaiting the 3rd.  Now that I also get a 4th, I am a little excited, but am disappointed I have to wait so long.

One thing I don't understand, is why these books bring so much negativity.  I don't really think that's the case.  I think if you look hard enough for a reason to dislike something, you can find it.  I read all the reviews on amazon saying this is just like star wars and LotR.  I honestly didn't find it that way. 

All stories are complex enough, that if you really look into them you can compare them to just about anything.  Especially if you are looking at things in the same genre.  There is an entire website dedicated to trashing on these books.

IMO, if you don't like them, don't read them.  What makes people think they need to go on some kind of crusade to prevent other people from reading them? 

There was one comment about the horses in these books, and how there was one seen where Eragon was riding through the desert pushing the horse to the limit.  They said that he obviously doesn't know anything about horses, and they easily would of died being pushed this hard. 

Well... this is fantasy.  It's his world.  Maybe in his world the horses can do that.  If this kind of factual issue bugs you, don't read it, but there's no reason to start a war against it.

You could do this for pretty much any book.  I could say (though I never would) that Brandon's books are completely not worth reading, because Mistborns and allomancers are just Jedi's in different clothing.  Elantris is completely unoriginal because we already read the story of the Elantrians in The Giving Tree.   Alcatraz is just a cross between Dr. Seus and Harry Potter.

Enough books have been written that you can find another book that you can compare part of another too.  That doesn't make it bad.  So what if authors were inspired by something.  If someone is able to look past that and enjoy the story, great.  If other people can't.  Great.   I just don't see the point in trying to press that viewpoint on others.

/rant

[charity]

My brother in law went off on Star wars once cause 'there's no way a crochety old yoda could drop his cane and fight like that!'

My argument (after rolling my eyes) was, 'You've seen a lot of alien's fighting have you?'

I read to enjoy it, I watch movie's for the same reason, I agree it spoils the fun to dissect it all.

[White]

Huh, oh I do like reading the books, ther'e not groundbreaking but are still an enjoyable distraction to me.

Honestly I was just making annoying, goofbal spazoid intellectual debate (and I use that penultimate word in it's loosest meaning I'm sure).

Actually suprised that someone would disparge on the horses in Eragon's world. Kind of dumb thing to nitpick about especially since it's not *absolutely* impossible. I mean, like, I currently own personally 3 horses of various ages and I mean, horses are all very different and some able able to push themselves through amazing things like a thoroughbred finishing a race with a leg compound fractured or whatever. (A strong flight instinct does certainly lend itself to the mount having a usefully strong "flee" command function).

So I hesitate to use any words like "impossible" around horses although to cover any distance of ground the pace would probably be a dog trot - I can't rememeber but as long as he didn't say the horse was cantering the whole way that's fine - although canter's only the third fastest of 4 paces it's physically more exhausting because of the way the horse moves. Galloping is in fact more energy efficient- although trot like I said, is the best for covering distances.

There have been far greater crimes against the logical capabilities of mounts than Eragon.

Like, you know, horses being drawn with *eyebrows*

doubleU-Tee-Eff, mate?

[charity]

I was following you all the way to the end there white....until we got to doubleU-Tee... oh! never mind.... trying to type it out I got it. lol! That made me feel old

[White]

yeah, (teehhehee!) wasn't sure if that acronym was hunky-dory with everyone so decided to take extra protective measures (kind of like when your dogs start being able to spell and understand what you're talking about with your "W-A-L-K" 's and your "C-H-E-E-S-E" 's   

--- when your dogs growing up include a golden retriever you have to be careful because they drrrrrrrrooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooool.