After the busy madness in the lead-up to Christmas, I was finally able to breathe a sigh of relief and relax on Christmas Eve. I had an easy drive to my sister's house where I hung out with her family and our parents until the last of us went to bed around midnight. Christmas morning … Continue reading Sunday Sum Up: December 29, 2019
The Lord of the Rings
Sunday Sum Up: December 22, 2019
It was the last full week before Christmas and a lot of the stress of the season has fallen away, although I still feel like I don't have enough time to get things done. This weekend, though, I have no obligations, so I can get All The Things done! Last night, for example, instead of … Continue reading Sunday Sum Up: December 22, 2019
November Summary, December Preview
November was a good month overall, though work kept me busy. We've had snow and rain and beautiful days, and Mina continues to be completely adorable. It's weird to think that both a year and a decade are coming to an end. In my mind, the 90s were still last week, but we're staring … Continue reading November Summary, December Preview
LotR Reread: You Can’t Go Home Again
Chapter VIII: The Scouring of the Shire Of all the things that Peter Jackson left out of his Lord of the Rings films, I've heard the most complaints about the exclusion of 'The Scouring of the Shire'. I get it. This is where we see just how much the four traveling hobbits have grown during … Continue reading LotR Reread: You Can’t Go Home Again
I Want to Start Reading Adult Fantasy, But Where Do I Start?
At a recent meeting of my book club, one of my friends told us about how a guy friend was teaching her how to play Dungeons and Dragons and had suggested that she read Robert Jordan's Eye of the World, the first installment of the Wheel of Time series. I refrained from rolling my eyes … Continue reading I Want to Start Reading Adult Fantasy, But Where Do I Start?
LotR Reread: The Road Home
Chapter VI: Many Partings Time has passed. It's after mid-summer and things are great. Aragorn is king, Arwen is queen, and the world is rebuilding and making itself anew. But Frodo and the hobbits want to go home. I can't blame them. Who wouldn't want to go back to the Shire? But Frodo wants to … Continue reading LotR Reread: The Road Home
LotR Reread: A Whole New World
Chapter IV: The Field of Cormallen Frodo and Sam have saved Middle-earth, with a little help from Gollum. The Ring has been destroyed and Sauron has fallen. We come back to the Black Gate where the armies of the West are making their last stand, and Gandalf suddenly notices that the Eagles are coming. These … Continue reading LotR Reread: A Whole New World
LotR Reread: “Here at the end of all things…”
Chapter III: Mount Doom This installment is early. Why, you ask? Well, it's March 25th. For Tolkien fans, that means it's Tolkien Reading Day! And why is Tolkien Reading Day on March 25th, and not on September 22nd (Frodo and Bilbo's birthdays) or on January 3rd (Tolkien's birthday)? Tolkien Reading Day occurs on March 25th … Continue reading LotR Reread: “Here at the end of all things…”
Lotr Reread: The One Where Sam Simply Walks into Mordor
Book VI Chapter I: The Tower of Cirith Ungol So. There Sam was, below Cirith Ungol having knocked himself out by flinging himself against the orc door in a desperate attempt to get into the tower to rescue Frodo, who wasn't actually dead, just comatose from a massive dose of monster-spider venom. Fortunately for everyone … Continue reading Lotr Reread: The One Where Sam Simply Walks into Mordor
LotR Reread: Once More Unto the Breach
Chapter IX: The Last Debate Legolas and Gimli are walking through Minas Tirith on their way to the Houses of Healing. Gimli thinks the place needs improvements in its stonework, and Legolas thinks it needs more gardens. Both vow to send their people to improve the city, assuming they win the hopeless war, but in … Continue reading LotR Reread: Once More Unto the Breach
