Russellism and Russellscape Entries

All of the original Russellism entries have been posted here — read them over and leave a comment here with your favorite. The winner will be announced later today, Friday March 20! Check back to see if yours was the lucky quip. If so, it will appear in Russell X and you will be the proud owner of an advanced reading copy of The Language of Bees. Good luck!

We’ve also posted all of the Russellscapes that you’ve sent in so far as part of the Contest Results page. There’s still plenty of time to send in your best art work (deadline is May 1), so visit the Contest page to download the instructions and outline.

14 Comments

  1. Kerry on March 20, 2009 at 5:23 am

    Wow! I’ve read the Russelisms. If I were Laurie, I’d be helpless with despair trying to select among them. I certainly can’t begin to select a favorite. Y’all are brilliant!

  2. Laidee Marjorie on March 20, 2009 at 5:56 am

    How could I possibly pick a favorite out of that crop of treasures? I have no idea which one best fits into “The Green Man”, but I am delighted to have read them and to have seen mine in virtual print. Thanks for taking the time to bring them all together for us to read.

    Laurie, I think you can see how your writing inspires others. And this is a wonderful gift, as far as I am concerned. Not only do we soak up your work, but here is an example of how you bring out something creative in us. Oh, and it also reminds me, at least, of how good you are at what you do. It is hard enough to write one sentence, must less ten books!! Thank you.

    –Marjorie

  3. Roxanne on March 20, 2009 at 6:16 am

    One? We can only pick one? But there are so many good “Russellisms” listed!

    As Marjorie wrote, it is difficult to pick a Russellism that will prove most appropriate for Russell X. As I cannot pick just one, I will list a few of my favorites:

    “Holmes, only your descendant could be so profoundly irritating.” — Russell

    “It’s nice to have you resurface from time to time, husband. I was worrying that you had entirely turned legend now.”

    “One thing you can say for Sherlock Holmes, he knows how to dress a wound, or how to ignore one.”

    “It might be letters that are streaming through the veins of a scholar, and words alimenting her ever hungry brain – however, sometimes the body yearns for more substantial nourishment.”

    “I do not believe there has ever been anyone less retired, or retiring, in their retirement than you, Holmes.”

    I have enjoyed reading all of the Russellism posted.

    Roxanne

  4. Staci on March 20, 2009 at 7:37 am

    Wow. I am impressed by the amount of very creative Russellism entries. All were amazing and some had me laughing so hard that I though I might fall out of my chair!
    As for the Russellscapes, everyone is doing a great as well. My favorite so far is Emma Gardener’s with Kerry Kilburn’s two entiries coming in a very close second.
    I love how creative everyone is being and can’t wait to see what else will be created!
    ~Staci

  5. strawberry curls on March 20, 2009 at 10:08 am

    Kudo to all the Russellisms. I can only echo everyone else, they are all so well done I’m glad I don’t have to decide.

    Thanks so much for sharing them with us.

    –Alice

  6. Laraine on March 20, 2009 at 11:00 am

    Off-topic (good wishes to Russellism folks), Laurie, please do consider when you are in shouting distance of L.A. doing some appearance on the west side, such as Westwood or the great Santa Monica Library or Santa Monica’s excellent Barnes & Noble . . . I know and applaud your commitment to the independents, but Vromans is really only convenient or sometimes only possible for those who live in Pasadena, which is a lovely but very small portion of Los Angeles. It would take me an hour to get there IF the traffic gods were really on my side, much longer if not, and on weeknights, it is simply not an option at all, due to rush-hour traffic out of Santa Monica obliterating any pleasure at all in trying to get to the other side of the L.A. ‘world’. I know there are other LRK readers on the west side who would love to see you.

  7. Niki ZD on March 20, 2009 at 2:51 pm

    There were great lines to choose from, and so many of them seem pitch-perfect! My absolute favorites come down to these:

    “It’s nice to have you resurface from time to time, husband. I was worrying that you had entirely turned legend now.”

    Uncle John’s heart was as great as the Sussex Downs. His mind, unfortunately, was sometimes as woolly as its sheep.

    “Shall I whisper Norbury in your ear then?”

    In the end, truth wins out over tact.

  8. Pat Floyd on March 20, 2009 at 4:27 pm

    I enjoyed every Russellism, but I think these are my favorites:

    My work, although important, is not who I am. I work in Oxford, but I live in Sussex.

    I do not believe there has ever been anyone less retired, or retiring, in their retirement than you, Holmes.”

    “Being Holmes’ associate requires a certain ability to step outside social norms. Being his wife requires leaving those norms behind forever.” — Russell.

    Why is it returning to one’s home after a journey is always so bittersweet? There is the joy of the familiar mingled with the acceptance that something unique is over.

  9. Mary on March 20, 2009 at 7:42 pm

    Kudos to all the great Russellisms. I can just “hear” Mary saying many of these. My favorites include:

    Where Holmes had his hands, I had words. Language to me was what his hands were to him – extensions of my mind I could use to explore the world.

    “That ‘tome of mine” is not only significantly older than you, it’s also a good deal more companionable.”

    “I do not believe there has ever been anyone less retired, or retiring, in their retirement than you, Holmes.”

    Well done everyone! Great fun!

  10. Wanda on March 21, 2009 at 3:09 am

    Very enjoyable, one and all!

  11. Canzonett on March 21, 2009 at 10:42 am

    Wow – imagine all the things that can happen when one is offline for two or three days … I love the Russellisms – love them for how they all manage to evoke scenes, situations and lively contexts in my mind. Upon a first quick browsing through all of them, one of my favourites certainly is

    “London was my husband’s first mistress, one I had no cause for jealousy. After all, I had Oxford.”

  12. Ruth on March 21, 2009 at 10:30 pm

    My goodness. What an absolute treasure trove. It’s nearly impossible to choose just one — there are so many brilliant situations and character observations — but I’m voting for the following:

    “There is nothing to be mistrusted in Holmes so much as the appearance of innocence.”

    Reading this, I could just SEE Holmes putting on an air of innocence and Russell instantly knowing that something’s up.

  13. Kerry on March 22, 2009 at 5:45 am

    One of the things I notice looking through the Russelisms and Russelscapes is how diverse they are. Laurie has created a world and characters so rich that, when each of us thinks about them, we connect to different things and in different ways. Whether it’s the relationship between Russel and Holmes or the events and settings in the different books, we all perceive and respond to them differently. To me, that’s a real testament to the author!

  14. Canzonett on March 23, 2009 at 6:01 am

    Congratulations to the proud winners, and three cheers for their wonderful Russellisms! Sleep, where art thou indeed? And the “Greek god” one makes you wonder about Mycroft’s role in future books. (Were Greek gods really omniscient? I’m not so sure about that, but I like the comparison nonetheless.)

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