Happy Birthday to J.R.R. Tolkien! The Professor was born on this day in 1892 in Orange Free State in what is now South Africa. Thought I spent yet another holiday at home alone, it was a pretty okay evening. I made plokkfiskur again, watched The Fellowship of the Ring, and finished reading The Return of … Continue reading Sunday Sum-up, January 3, 2020
The Return of the King
Classic Remarks: How The Return of the King Film Differed from the Book
Classic Remarks is a meme hosted by Krysta and Brianna at Pages Unbound. Each week, they pose a question about classic works of literature in order for readers to engage in a continuing conversation about elements of classic literature, the literary ‘canon’, and the timelessness of story. If you’re interested in participating, you can find … Continue reading Classic Remarks: How The Return of the King Film Differed from the Book
Sunday Sum-Up: January 5, 2020
I celebrated the New Year by ordering Chinese food, watching The Lord of the Rings movies, and making bad puns. Really bad puns. Aside from my attempts at comedy, this past week was wonderfully relaxing. Though I didn't get extra time off from work for the holiday, I felt like I could just sit down … Continue reading Sunday Sum-Up: January 5, 2020
Sunday Sum Up: December 29, 2019
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
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