Zoe: Uh huh. River, honey? He's putting the hair away now. River: It'll still be there... waiting.

'Jaynestown'


Literary Buffistas 3: Don't Parse the Blurb, Dear.

There's more to life than watching Buffy the Vampire Slayer! No. Really, there is! Honestly! Here's a place for Buffistas to come and discuss what it is they're reading, their favorite authors and poets. "Geez. Crack a book sometime."


Megan E. - Dec 27, 2006 7:00:13 am PST #1727 of 28160

I've never read Nora Roberts before but I guess from what I knew of her previous books I should have expected the hooking up of all of the characters with one another and the snog-age and not much with the fightage. I did like the ending where it's revealed that Cian is the narrator of the story.


Jesse - Dec 27, 2006 7:38:40 am PST #1728 of 28160
Sometimes I trip on how happy we could be.

By the end of the first book, I could tell it was going to have to be Moira and Cian (those are the right names, right) in the last book, and I absolutely could not see it working. Luckily, Moira basically had a personality transplant.


sumi - Dec 27, 2006 7:22:43 pm PST #1729 of 28160
Art Crawl!!!

Is there an issue with the title of the next HP book? I mean, what do I know about adverbs and their uses compared to any other buffista!

Then there are those for whom the word "deathly" was cringe-inducing for a different reason - the readers who thought Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince was in dire need of a strong editing hand. "Deathly" is an adverb. In the title of the book. How lazy can you get?


Nutty - Dec 27, 2006 7:33:35 pm PST #1730 of 28160
"Mister Spock is on his fanny, sir. Reports heavy damage."

Is there a rule against adverbs in titles? This is news to me. Best American Essays ? "Best" is an adverb, right? (Adjectives modify nouns, while adverbs mofidy verbs and adjectives.)

Also, the L-Y construction doesn't have to be an adverb, does it? I mean, Jennifer was always a sickly child. "sickly" modifies "child", and so is an adjective. I think the L-Y construction is usually a signal of an oncoming adverb, but may instead be, as in this case, an archaic abbreviation of "like".

the Deathly Hallows are hallows that are deathly, i.e. death-like, i.e., nouns modified by adjectives. By all means, criticize J. K. Rowling for boring use of adverbs, but, criticize the right adverbs, you know?


Laga - Dec 27, 2006 7:35:45 pm PST #1731 of 28160
You should know I'm a big deal in the Resistance.

I like adverbs! But I must admit the author of that article has a point, Harry Potter and the Hallows of Death has more of a ring to it.


Gris - Dec 27, 2006 7:57:11 pm PST #1732 of 28160
Hey. New board.

"Best" is an adverb, right? (Adjectives modify nouns, while adverbs mofidy verbs and adjectives.)

Only if it's essays by the best Americans. Otherwise, "best" is modifying "Essays" and is thus an adjective. I think. In fact, I'm not sure that "best" can ever be an adverb - certainly, I'm having trouble thinking of a case.

I do think that adverbs are allowed in titles, however. And as you say, "Deathly" is not an adverb in that title, I would think, since the "the" definitely implies that the hallows, whatever they are, are at least a noun.

I still hate the title, though.


DebetEsse - Dec 27, 2006 11:35:46 pm PST #1733 of 28160
Woe to the fucking wicked.

Best is an adjective in that case (and in most). It would be an adverb if you didn't hyphenate "best-laid plans", not that I'm sure that wouldn't be incorrect.

If "deathly" is not the adjectival form, I'm not sure what is. "Deathy" is not a word, nor "deathous". It can be an adverb: "deathly pale" (pale being an adjective describing something), but I see no issue with using it as an adjective, as well.

In conclusion, blog-writer-whose-page-will-not-load, if you use an incorrect example to make a point (in this case about her over-use of adverbs), it will make me think you do not know what you're talking about.

Laga, Hallows of death, to me, means something else. Those would be, in my head, ghosts that are going to kill you (synonymous with deadly hallows). Deathly hallows are...well, really dead ghosts...or something like that.


Laga - Dec 28, 2006 1:01:41 am PST #1734 of 28160
You should know I'm a big deal in the Resistance.

Topic!Cindy - Dec 28, 2006 2:47:44 am PST #1735 of 28160
What is even happening?

Or death-like saints?


Am-Chau Yarkona - Dec 28, 2006 3:16:40 am PST #1736 of 28160
I bop to Wittgenstein. -- Nutty

Doesn't any one else think that 'Hallows' could be a place-name or place-name element? That's the other meaning I'm familiar with for it.