Hello readers!
In my last post, I hinted that I would be talking about a series which is my absolute favorite and is, sadly, coming to an end. If you have never heard of Bryan Davis, then I suggest you stop reading this post, and go find some of his stories to read. He is by far the best fantasy author I have read to date. But before I forget where I'm going with this, let me tell you about this particular series that has become my second home (for those of you who regularly escape to the worlds between pages, you know what I am talking about :-) ). I will be waxing poetic about this story, so there is a good chance this can get lengthy, so grab a mug of something hot to drink and get comfortable. Even so, I will do my best not to give any important spoilers. ;-)
This story actually takes place over the course of three different series, with four books each, but each series is a continuation of the last. The first series, Dragons in Our Midst, opens up with a young teen named Billy. He is your average teen living the life of a normal American high schooler: he has a best friend, he is picked on my the school bully, and is very talented. Only, his life is not very normal. He learns an age old secret that his parents, specifically his father, have kept from him. He discovers that he has an unusual trait that belongs to the descendants of a species long thought to be extinct: dragons. But, obviously, this race of creatures has indeed lived for centuries, since the days of Noah, in fact, and Billy's father is one of them, preserved in human form by the great wizard Merlin himself. There are only a few of the original dragons left alive, and an old enemy is still hot on their trail. The children of these dragons are called anthrozils, since they are part human and part dragon. Another anthrozil, named Bonnie, also a teenager, is searching for the son of the great dragon Clefspeare, following her mother's final request. Unlike Billy, she has known about her heritage most of her life. She has what she describes to others a deformity on her back. So as to not give spoilers, I won't tell you what the deformity is, but I will say it saves her life, and the lives of others, many times. Eventually, Billy and Bonnie meet, and together they fight off the dragon slayer. Throughout this first series they must join with friends, both old and new, family, and even a supercomputer to save the world from a powerful force that has been terrorizing the world since Creation. Their adventures take them everywhere from the foothills of West Virginia to the mountains of Montana to England to other dimensions. Together, this team of heroes must rely on each other, steel, dragon fire, and, most importantly, faith in order to forgive, heal wounds both on the heart and on the skin, and save the world and each other.
The second series, Oracles of Fire, actually begins centuries before Dragons in Our Midst. Eye of the Oracle, the first book in this series, introduces Mara, an underborn who has lived underground her entire life and is curious about the world; Acacia, Mara's twin sister; Elam, the son of Shem, who was taken from his family as a young child; and Mardon, an evil genius and the son of King Nimrod and Semiramis, a sorceress. This book begins in the days leading up to the great Flood of Noah. Morgan and her sister Naamah are scheming to gain passage on Noah's ark in order to survive the coming deluge and to complete the evil work set for them by Samyaza, a fallen angel and Morgan's husband. It is in this book that we are introduced to the first dragon, Arramos, and the two dragons chosen to sail on the ark with Noah, Makaidos and Thigocia. The story takes us throughout history from the days following the Flood and the fall of the Tower of Babel, to Joseph of Arimathea, to the days of King Arthur and Camelot, to the present day. Along the way, these new characters experience the changing of the times, Mara chooses a new name for herself and becomes Sapphira Adi, dragons find a new purpose, Elam realizes where he needs to be to fulfill his destiny; all of this comes together and brings us to the end of the book and the end of Dragons in Our Midst. From the second book onward, we see familiar faces mixing with new faces: Billy and a few of our friends meet Sapphira, Makaidos finds his long lost father in a new form, Bonnie is guided by the prophet Enoch to know where she should go, and all of our characters join forces in a place called Second Eden to battle Satan and his army from hell and keep them from penetrating Heaven's door. This adventure concludes with a climactic battle that quite literally leaves your heart pounding in your chest as if you are standing right there with Billy, Bonnie, Sapphira, and the others. And the ending is exactly as you would expect it to be, and all of our characters live happily ever after.
That is, until the third and final *sniff* series, Children of the Bard. Song of the Ovulum, the beginning of the end, is set fifteen years after Bones of Makaidos, the final book in Oracles of Fire and my favorite of the entire story world. Billy, Bonnie, and Ashley, another anthrozil, are imprisoned in a military compound; their children have been stripped from them and raised apart, never knowing their identity or heritage. Matt, their son, grew up in foster care, and has spent the last few years in military training; he also has unique traits. He is withdrawn from training by a stranger who seems to know everything there is to know about him, plus things that not even he knew. The stranger, who turns out to be Walter, his father's best friend, takes him on a mission to rescue his parents. Lauren, Matt's twin sister, was raised by loving foster parents; she, too has an unusual trait, one which gives the catty girls at her school ammunition to cruelly tease her. Her world is turned upside down when a demon named Tamiel kills her best friend and foster parents and sends her to places unknown. Before long she stumbles upon a military compound and two men, Walter and Matt. Together they stage a rescue mission to break the teens' parents and Walter's wife Ashley out of the compound. Along the way they meet a few unexpected allies, as well as a few enemies. They are successful in getting all three captives out, only to have Bonnie abducted by Tamiel, who then exploits her gentle and compassionate nature to force her to help him achieve his goal. Eventually she finds Matt and, with his help, heals the people of Second Eden. Lauren is reunited with her father and sets out with him to find her
mother in Second Eden. Along the way, however, they are separated, and
she alone can find Second Eden. She finds the portal only to find that a terrible disease has struck the former dragons, leaving them weak and threatening to kill them. They have been transported to Second Eden where they can receive as much care as is possible. A cure has been found but can only be administered with extreme heat, and the only source of heat that extreme is the volcano just outside the village. But, the only way this particular volcano will erupt is if someone falls into its mouth. Lauren knows what she must do, but before she gets a chance to carry out her sacrificial act, a Second Edener named Eagle takes her place and gives his life in place of hers. Lauren is left to flee the oncoming lava, and is saved in the nick of time by Walter and Ashley. In the end, the former dragons and Lauren are saved, Billy is captured by military thugs, and Matt and Bonnie are once again in the clutches of Tamiel, and are sent on a long journey with Matt's former foster sister Darcy to find seven keys. Each key is located at a "door", or a location that is permeated with evil. This journey is designed to kill Bonnie's salvation song, the song of the ovulum. They find all seven keys, but not without mishaps along the way. Bonnie is captured by Satan and forced to watch Matt struggle through one of the doors on his own, without her wisdom to guide him. However, through circumstances that are of the supernatural and are the culmination of faith, she is able to break her bonds and fly to meet Matt at the final door. It is while she is en route that she meets Lauren and Roxil, one of the dragons still in dragon form. Together they make their way toward the seventh door, where they find Billy, Walter, Ashley, Matt, Darcy, and Tamiel. All of our friends must face down the devil himself and try to save humanity. Despite their best efforts, a catastrophic force is unleashed, and Matt, Lauren, and Darcy are plunged into yet another adventure that will bring them even closer to the end of the world as they know it. The third book ends with our heroes preparing themselves for one final epic battle between the forces of good and evil.
I will have the final book in this amazing story world in my hands within the next few days. This will be the most emotional, heart pounding, gut wrenching adventure I have been on in this world. There are so many conflicting emotions that I cannot begin to describe exactly how I feel about it. The characters have been my friends throughout these eleven books, and it will be hard to let them go and to know there will be no new adventures to experience with them. All the same, I am anxiously awaiting this final chapter, the final showdown between the army of God, and the army of hell. It will be one of courage, faith, friendship, humility, and sacrifice. There will be no turning back. As dramatic as that sounds, it is true. Once I have read the final word in this book, and have had time to process the journey I will have completed, I will do my best to describe my thoughts and feelings about it. For now, though, go find a Bryan Davis book to read!
Whew. That has almost left me breathless. I told you it would be lengthy. ;-) I can't really help it though, I absolutely love these books, and cannot say enough about them.
If you are familiar with Bryan Davis, I want to know your thoughts on his works. Let me know what they are in the comments! If not, I encourage you to check his books out and see if you like them or not.
I will be back in a few days writing about this new book, so check back soon!
Happy reading!
March 15, 2015
February 18, 2015
Ordinary? I think not!
Hello readers! I hope y'all had a great Valentine's Day, filled with love, laughter, friends, and just all around fun. I know I did. My sweetheart surprised me by preordering the next, and final, book in one of my favorite series, but I'll tell you more about that book in my next post ;-)
A couple of weeks ago, I had the pleasure of picking up a long time favorite of mine from the library. If you have never read Star-Crossed by Linda Collison, I would highly recommend that you make an effort to in the near future. Yes, it is a teen fiction work of literature, but it is a wonderful adventure. One might deduce from the title that all it will be is a love story, which in a round-about way it is, as the main character falls in love with life, but it is far more than that. It is full of lessons and adventure and discovering oneself.
This book follows a young girl named Patricia Kelley, who is an illegitimate daughter of a well to-do plantation owner in Barbados, raised in the heart of British society. However, her only contact with her father is through letters, one of which promises her the rightful ownership of his estate. As fate would have it, her father dies, leaving her without a legitimate claim to any funds, and so she sets off to claim her land. She stows away on a merchantman, and before long is discovered, as any good story will provide. Without giving too much of the story away, she finds herself forced to choose between the world of gentlefolk, of petticoats and slippers, and the world that she has come to love, the world of sailors and ships officers, of tar and sweat. By the end of the story, she discovers exactly who she is and who she wants to be.
There is one quote at the end of the book that I found very deep, with a poignant lesson contained therein. It is Patricia's realization of just how important each individual really is.
"I wondered how living beings could be at once so delicate, so easily destroyed, yet at the same time indomitable. I had said I could never be an ordinary woman but it occurred to me there were no ordinary women, or ordinary men. We're all extraordinary. And no matter what else it was, life was rich in possibilities."
At this point, Patricia has been through loss and heartache, happiness and sheer joy. She has been through battles, experienced first hand how merciless fever can be, and also seen the miracles that can be enjoyed through life. She understands the way life can be. Life is fleeting. No one is immortal, free from hurt. Yet, humanity as a whole has a will of iron; it refuses to be defeated, to be brought down. It may be worn down and exhausted at times, but it can never be obliterated.
Every human being on the face of this earth, past, present, and future, is extraordinary in their own way. They each have their own unique gifts to offer the world, whether they are scientific breakthroughs, a beautiful work of art, or even something as simple as a good word for someone in need. Nobody is insignificant, no matter where they come from. Nobody. It doesn't matter who you are or where you come from, life is as full as you make it. You just have to find the courage to find what makes it full, just as Patricia did.
Whoever says that books cannot offer relevant lessons for every day life, was wrong. Just look at what is taught through one simple quote from one page in a book.
I hope this sparked your interest in this amazing book, but more importantly, I hope you see what wonderful lessons can be learned from the pages of a novel, and you now know just how important every one truly is.
If you do decide to give this book a chance, let me know what you think of it!
Happy reading!
A couple of weeks ago, I had the pleasure of picking up a long time favorite of mine from the library. If you have never read Star-Crossed by Linda Collison, I would highly recommend that you make an effort to in the near future. Yes, it is a teen fiction work of literature, but it is a wonderful adventure. One might deduce from the title that all it will be is a love story, which in a round-about way it is, as the main character falls in love with life, but it is far more than that. It is full of lessons and adventure and discovering oneself.
This book follows a young girl named Patricia Kelley, who is an illegitimate daughter of a well to-do plantation owner in Barbados, raised in the heart of British society. However, her only contact with her father is through letters, one of which promises her the rightful ownership of his estate. As fate would have it, her father dies, leaving her without a legitimate claim to any funds, and so she sets off to claim her land. She stows away on a merchantman, and before long is discovered, as any good story will provide. Without giving too much of the story away, she finds herself forced to choose between the world of gentlefolk, of petticoats and slippers, and the world that she has come to love, the world of sailors and ships officers, of tar and sweat. By the end of the story, she discovers exactly who she is and who she wants to be.
There is one quote at the end of the book that I found very deep, with a poignant lesson contained therein. It is Patricia's realization of just how important each individual really is.
"I wondered how living beings could be at once so delicate, so easily destroyed, yet at the same time indomitable. I had said I could never be an ordinary woman but it occurred to me there were no ordinary women, or ordinary men. We're all extraordinary. And no matter what else it was, life was rich in possibilities."
At this point, Patricia has been through loss and heartache, happiness and sheer joy. She has been through battles, experienced first hand how merciless fever can be, and also seen the miracles that can be enjoyed through life. She understands the way life can be. Life is fleeting. No one is immortal, free from hurt. Yet, humanity as a whole has a will of iron; it refuses to be defeated, to be brought down. It may be worn down and exhausted at times, but it can never be obliterated.
Every human being on the face of this earth, past, present, and future, is extraordinary in their own way. They each have their own unique gifts to offer the world, whether they are scientific breakthroughs, a beautiful work of art, or even something as simple as a good word for someone in need. Nobody is insignificant, no matter where they come from. Nobody. It doesn't matter who you are or where you come from, life is as full as you make it. You just have to find the courage to find what makes it full, just as Patricia did.
Whoever says that books cannot offer relevant lessons for every day life, was wrong. Just look at what is taught through one simple quote from one page in a book.
I hope this sparked your interest in this amazing book, but more importantly, I hope you see what wonderful lessons can be learned from the pages of a novel, and you now know just how important every one truly is.
If you do decide to give this book a chance, let me know what you think of it!
Happy reading!
January 27, 2015
Inconceivable!
Happy New Year everyone! I hope your January has been a fun one and full of grand adventures. I for one have already been on several journeys, and am embarking on yet another. Let me tell you about the first adventure I had this year.
As you may have already guessed from the title of this post, I went to Florin and explored the Cliffs of Insanity, the Fire Swamp, shark-infested waters, and everything in between in the Princess Bride. Some of you may be saying "Wait, there was a book?" Yes, there was a book before the movie. I didn't know until a couple of years ago. This is my first time putting my hands on a copy, which I decided to pick up before a new years trip to the mountains. William Goldman, the author of the book and screenwriter of the movie, presents the book as an abridged version of the original Florinese story by S. Morgenstern. He does a very good job convincing the reader that it is indeed merely an adaptation of the original book, when in fact the entire story is out of his own mind. (As you can probably guess from this, I was one of the readers who actually believed the story was the way he presented it. In my defense, the layout and presentation of the book was such that it had every appearance of not being the original work...) He paints an elaborate picture of his fictional life an experiences with this particular story. As a young boy, the son of a Florinese immigrant, he is introduced to the book as he is recovering from a bout of pneumonia. His fascination with the book carries over into adulthood, when he attempts to give his own son the gift of reading the story that carried him through his dark days. However, after his son receives the book, and he asks him about it, Goldman realizes that his father only read the good parts aloud to him, skipping over the boring narratives. It was then and there that he decided to condense the book to only the "exciting parts" so as to make it appealing to all ages and levels of interest in reading.
After the long "history" behind his decision to practically rewrite the book, we finally get to the story. It is much as you would expect if you have seen the movie, as I have countless times. The movie itself is set much like Goldman would have been with his father reading The Princess Bride to him, recovering from pneumonia, only there is a boy with his grandfather, but that is a minor detail. The rest of the book is interspersed with Goldman's opinions on the "original" story, and why he left something out, or what he would have added in. For me personally, before I realized that it was merely a setup or fabrication that the story was what it was, it did get a little annoying. Although I am one for wanting to know history behind certain events in a book; otherwise I just don't know what in the world is going on. Goldman intentionally decided to not write about the historical aspect of the story, or include certain descriptions, although considering the whole supposed premise behind the book I think I can forgive him ;-) Overall, the book was great. Everything that I expected to happen, happened, plus some. It is a story that I am very familiar with, and I even found myself quoting along with the characters, but all the same it never gets old and is always exciting to experience. This is one of the few instances where the movie is true to the book. Granted the screenplay was adapted from the book by the author, but still, it is rare that you find a movie so true to the original story, if there is one.
Those are my thoughts on the book. Have any of you read it? I'd love to hear your thoughts! Let me know in the comments.
Happy reading!
As you may have already guessed from the title of this post, I went to Florin and explored the Cliffs of Insanity, the Fire Swamp, shark-infested waters, and everything in between in the Princess Bride. Some of you may be saying "Wait, there was a book?" Yes, there was a book before the movie. I didn't know until a couple of years ago. This is my first time putting my hands on a copy, which I decided to pick up before a new years trip to the mountains. William Goldman, the author of the book and screenwriter of the movie, presents the book as an abridged version of the original Florinese story by S. Morgenstern. He does a very good job convincing the reader that it is indeed merely an adaptation of the original book, when in fact the entire story is out of his own mind. (As you can probably guess from this, I was one of the readers who actually believed the story was the way he presented it. In my defense, the layout and presentation of the book was such that it had every appearance of not being the original work...) He paints an elaborate picture of his fictional life an experiences with this particular story. As a young boy, the son of a Florinese immigrant, he is introduced to the book as he is recovering from a bout of pneumonia. His fascination with the book carries over into adulthood, when he attempts to give his own son the gift of reading the story that carried him through his dark days. However, after his son receives the book, and he asks him about it, Goldman realizes that his father only read the good parts aloud to him, skipping over the boring narratives. It was then and there that he decided to condense the book to only the "exciting parts" so as to make it appealing to all ages and levels of interest in reading.
After the long "history" behind his decision to practically rewrite the book, we finally get to the story. It is much as you would expect if you have seen the movie, as I have countless times. The movie itself is set much like Goldman would have been with his father reading The Princess Bride to him, recovering from pneumonia, only there is a boy with his grandfather, but that is a minor detail. The rest of the book is interspersed with Goldman's opinions on the "original" story, and why he left something out, or what he would have added in. For me personally, before I realized that it was merely a setup or fabrication that the story was what it was, it did get a little annoying. Although I am one for wanting to know history behind certain events in a book; otherwise I just don't know what in the world is going on. Goldman intentionally decided to not write about the historical aspect of the story, or include certain descriptions, although considering the whole supposed premise behind the book I think I can forgive him ;-) Overall, the book was great. Everything that I expected to happen, happened, plus some. It is a story that I am very familiar with, and I even found myself quoting along with the characters, but all the same it never gets old and is always exciting to experience. This is one of the few instances where the movie is true to the book. Granted the screenplay was adapted from the book by the author, but still, it is rare that you find a movie so true to the original story, if there is one.
Those are my thoughts on the book. Have any of you read it? I'd love to hear your thoughts! Let me know in the comments.
Happy reading!
December 9, 2014
Lesson from Thorin
I know it's been a while since I last posted. It has been one crazy semester. I have finally found a few minutes to sit and write about the Hobbit. So, without further ado, I'll tell you about a lesson from Thorin. It'll be short and sweet, but still important.
For those of you who have not read the book, Thorin is a dwarf prince without a home. In his childhood Smaug the dragon took over his home in Erebor. During the attack, the elves living nearby brought their army, but turned away when they saw it was a hopeless endeavor. Thorin's heart hardened toward any elves after that day and as a result will have nothing to do with any elves. This hatred is further incited when Thorin and the rest of the company are captured by the wood elves of Mirkwood, the very same elves who refused to help his grandfather in the attack on the lonely mountain.
Whenever Thorin is approached with the idea of wielding an elvish blade or seeking refuge with elves, even if they are not woodland elves, he refuses. Gandalf recognizes this and chastises him, saying that he is not his grandfather that the past is in the past and he needs to just let it go. Okay, so I may have pulled that last little bit from Disney, but who's counting ;-) The rest of it is what he said in a nutshell.
We can learn from Thorin's hate and unwillingness to forgive. He has the stubbornness of his people ingrained within him. For us, if there is someone who has wronged us in the past, we should be willing to forgive them and let bygones be bygones. Thorin slowly realizes this as the story comes to its climax. It's easier to hold a grudge and stay angry at someone for the rest of your life, but does that really make you happy? Thorin's pride and stubbornness kept him from gaining valuable allies; the hate he kept inside made him bitter and cold. Forgive and forget. You will be all the happier for it.
It's just one more week until the final installment in this saga comes to theaters. I hope y'all are planning to see it at some point.
Let me know what you think, if you agree or disagree. I would love to hear your thoughts.
Happy reading!
For those of you who have not read the book, Thorin is a dwarf prince without a home. In his childhood Smaug the dragon took over his home in Erebor. During the attack, the elves living nearby brought their army, but turned away when they saw it was a hopeless endeavor. Thorin's heart hardened toward any elves after that day and as a result will have nothing to do with any elves. This hatred is further incited when Thorin and the rest of the company are captured by the wood elves of Mirkwood, the very same elves who refused to help his grandfather in the attack on the lonely mountain.
Whenever Thorin is approached with the idea of wielding an elvish blade or seeking refuge with elves, even if they are not woodland elves, he refuses. Gandalf recognizes this and chastises him, saying that he is not his grandfather that the past is in the past and he needs to just let it go. Okay, so I may have pulled that last little bit from Disney, but who's counting ;-) The rest of it is what he said in a nutshell.
We can learn from Thorin's hate and unwillingness to forgive. He has the stubbornness of his people ingrained within him. For us, if there is someone who has wronged us in the past, we should be willing to forgive them and let bygones be bygones. Thorin slowly realizes this as the story comes to its climax. It's easier to hold a grudge and stay angry at someone for the rest of your life, but does that really make you happy? Thorin's pride and stubbornness kept him from gaining valuable allies; the hate he kept inside made him bitter and cold. Forgive and forget. You will be all the happier for it.
It's just one more week until the final installment in this saga comes to theaters. I hope y'all are planning to see it at some point.
Let me know what you think, if you agree or disagree. I would love to hear your thoughts.
Happy reading!
November 6, 2014
In a hole in the ground, there lived a Hobbit...
Hello readers!
I know it's been a little while since I last posted. This past month has been hectic, between Midterms and Halloween and work. I'm ready to get back in the groove.
So, in case you haven't already figured it out, I love reading fantasy. It's my favorite genre to read. So it should come as no surprise when I tell you that, in honor of the new movie coming out in December, I'm going to talk about one of the best classic fantasy novels, the Hobbit. I will give a warning to those who have not read this book: this post may contain spoilers, so if you want to read it first, go read the book (it'll only take a couple of hours) and then come back. :-)
In a previous post, I talked about why I choose fantasy as my favorite genre, and why others choose it. One of the books I mentioned was the Hobbit. It is, in my opinion, the book that any fantasy reader should learn to read fantasy with, and the one fantasy adventure they should have on their bookshelf, no matter what.
So what is the Hobbit? Well, it is the story that kicks off J. R. R. Tolkien's most famous work, the Lord of the Rings. With fantastic (no pun intended) prose and magnificent imagery, we are introduced to the One Ring and how it came to be in Bilbo Baggins' possession.
It begins with the classic "In a hole in the ground, there lived a Hobbit...", hence the name of this post. It is, perhaps, one of the most oft quoted lines by fantasy fans. Not too many pages past this line the reader is audience to an amusing exchange between Bilbo and Gandalf the Grey, discussing the logic behind wishing someone a good morning. For me, personally, it just introduces the reader to the sassiness that makes up part of Gandalf's personality.
In a sense, this story can be taken as a fable, or a story which contains a moral lesson. In fact, if you look at it with that view, there is more than one lesson to be learned from this adventure. The first lesson, and perhaps the main lesson to be taken away, is to be willing to step out of your comfort zone. The Hobbits of the Shire were a peaceful, nonadventerous people, and Bilbo was one of the most respectable Hobbits. So you can imagine that when he decided to go adventuring across Middle Earth, the rest of the Hobbits shook their heads and muttered about it for the entire year he was gone. They said, in not so many words, that he had lost his mind, that he was no longer respectable. This perception followed him into his later years, which you can read about a little in Fellowship of the Ring. But on this journey, he realized that a Hobbit can go on adventures and come home perfectly fine. In fact, he surprised himself and the dwarves he accompanied. It is constantly implied that those who come into contact with Bilbo are continually amazed at the courage of Hobbits. In essence, the take away is if you believe in yourself, you can surprise even yourself with what you can accomplish.
Well, that's all I have for now about this amazing book. As I was writing this, I was inspired to write about the different lessons that can be learned from this story until the movie comes out. So, check back every week or so until December 17, which is the date the final installment in the trilogy (I know, a trilogy out of one book?) is released in theaters.
In the meantime, I want to hear your thoughts about this book, or any of Tolkien's other works. Tell me what you think about this lesson to learn.
If you haven't experienced this story yet, stop what you're doing, turn the computer off, go find a copy of The Hobbit, and sit down in a comfortable chair with a cup of something hot and read. You won't be disappointed.
Happy reading! :-)
I know it's been a little while since I last posted. This past month has been hectic, between Midterms and Halloween and work. I'm ready to get back in the groove.
So, in case you haven't already figured it out, I love reading fantasy. It's my favorite genre to read. So it should come as no surprise when I tell you that, in honor of the new movie coming out in December, I'm going to talk about one of the best classic fantasy novels, the Hobbit. I will give a warning to those who have not read this book: this post may contain spoilers, so if you want to read it first, go read the book (it'll only take a couple of hours) and then come back. :-)
In a previous post, I talked about why I choose fantasy as my favorite genre, and why others choose it. One of the books I mentioned was the Hobbit. It is, in my opinion, the book that any fantasy reader should learn to read fantasy with, and the one fantasy adventure they should have on their bookshelf, no matter what.
So what is the Hobbit? Well, it is the story that kicks off J. R. R. Tolkien's most famous work, the Lord of the Rings. With fantastic (no pun intended) prose and magnificent imagery, we are introduced to the One Ring and how it came to be in Bilbo Baggins' possession.
It begins with the classic "In a hole in the ground, there lived a Hobbit...", hence the name of this post. It is, perhaps, one of the most oft quoted lines by fantasy fans. Not too many pages past this line the reader is audience to an amusing exchange between Bilbo and Gandalf the Grey, discussing the logic behind wishing someone a good morning. For me, personally, it just introduces the reader to the sassiness that makes up part of Gandalf's personality.
In a sense, this story can be taken as a fable, or a story which contains a moral lesson. In fact, if you look at it with that view, there is more than one lesson to be learned from this adventure. The first lesson, and perhaps the main lesson to be taken away, is to be willing to step out of your comfort zone. The Hobbits of the Shire were a peaceful, nonadventerous people, and Bilbo was one of the most respectable Hobbits. So you can imagine that when he decided to go adventuring across Middle Earth, the rest of the Hobbits shook their heads and muttered about it for the entire year he was gone. They said, in not so many words, that he had lost his mind, that he was no longer respectable. This perception followed him into his later years, which you can read about a little in Fellowship of the Ring. But on this journey, he realized that a Hobbit can go on adventures and come home perfectly fine. In fact, he surprised himself and the dwarves he accompanied. It is constantly implied that those who come into contact with Bilbo are continually amazed at the courage of Hobbits. In essence, the take away is if you believe in yourself, you can surprise even yourself with what you can accomplish.
Well, that's all I have for now about this amazing book. As I was writing this, I was inspired to write about the different lessons that can be learned from this story until the movie comes out. So, check back every week or so until December 17, which is the date the final installment in the trilogy (I know, a trilogy out of one book?) is released in theaters.
In the meantime, I want to hear your thoughts about this book, or any of Tolkien's other works. Tell me what you think about this lesson to learn.
If you haven't experienced this story yet, stop what you're doing, turn the computer off, go find a copy of The Hobbit, and sit down in a comfortable chair with a cup of something hot and read. You won't be disappointed.
Happy reading! :-)
September 30, 2014
Agatha Christie?
Hello readers!
I recently introduced myself to the gripping world of Agatha Christie. Some of you are probably thinking "You're just now reading her? WHAT???" And with good reason. Agatha Christie is one of the best British authors of the 20th century. She earned the title of Dame of Great Britain just by writing her stories. Both books that I have read I found at this wonderful store called 2nd and Charles. Perhaps you've heard of it? I had some time to kill, and some store credit to use, so I picked up a few books that I thought it was high time that I read. Besides the two Agatha books, I picked up a beautiful copy of Thousand and One Nights for a very good price. (That's my commercial for the bookstore ;-) ) Anyway, on to my experience of exploring the world of this British Dame.
The first book of hers for me to read was Murder on the Orient Express. I picked this one up because I had seen a lot about it (there's even a video game based on it) and wanted to see what it was all about. Now, if you've paid any attention to my first post and the previous post, you would know that I enjoy mysteries. I knew Agatha Christie wrote murder mysteries, so I figured I'd give her a whirl. Granted, her stories are very different from Carolyn Keene's heroine, but they are still very well written. Murder on the Orient Express, obviously, takes place on a train. One passenger is mysteriously murdered while the train is stopped for weather. An inspector, M. Poirot, who just so happens to be traveling in the compartment next door to the victim, accepts the challenge to find the killer. I won't give too much away in case you have not read this story yet, so I shan't tell you who the murderer is. I can tell you that Agatha Christie gives a very surprising twist to the story. The direction the story takes as Poirot solves the case is so surprising, it almost made my head hurt! But, in the end, Poirot solves the case and finds his culprit. If you are looking for a good read for a beach trip or a road trip, or are just looking for something to keep handy just in case you have a few minutes to read, then this is the book for you. Depending on your reading style, you can read this book in a few hours or a few days. It all depends on how entranced by the story you become.
The second book, And Then There Were None, is shorter, but equally gripping. Ten people, each with a dark secret of their own, are invited to an island off the coast of the town of Devon. None in the party have met their host and hostess, but are eager to enjoy a holiday by the sea. However, once they arrive, they find only the groundskeeper and his wife. Their host and hostess are said to have been detained unexpectedly. The visitors enjoy their evening, speculating as to what could possibly be keeping their host away, and what his identity truly is. Then, after supper, the last thing anyone expects to happen, happens. One of their party suddenly drops dead while sipping his brandy. It is an apparent suicide, but the rest of the guests wonder why such a person would do such a horrendous thing to himself. Later that night, another occupant of the island is found dead in their bed, an obvious murder. Now the guests, among whom are a judge and a doctor, begin to wonder what, or whom, could have caused this person's death. The only problem is, they are the only ones on the island. Throughout the next days, they all begin dropping like flies, narrowing the list of suspects. The story continues in this manner until the last of the island's occupants dies, leaving the mystery unsolved. Agatha Christie takes a darker turn in this novel than she did with Murder. The story presents itself almost like a ghost story. She weaves a tale that is just creepy enough to set you on the edge of your seat and jump at any sudden noise or touch. But that is what makes this story so thrilling. It is only 200 pages, but you won't want to put it down. I managed to read it in an afternoon, and I regret nothing. I will say this about the book: it is not for the weak at heart or stomach. This is a story for the reader who wants to find a gripping tale that is a quick read and can provide a temporary escape from reality.
Well, that's it for now. I hope I have either reminded you of why you love to read Agatha Christie, inspired you to once again try her stories, or introduced you to a whole new story world. Either way, I feel I have done what I have set out to accomplish.
Have you had any experiences with Dame Christie? If you have, tell me! I would love to hear from you!
Until the next time!
Happy reading!
I recently introduced myself to the gripping world of Agatha Christie. Some of you are probably thinking "You're just now reading her? WHAT???" And with good reason. Agatha Christie is one of the best British authors of the 20th century. She earned the title of Dame of Great Britain just by writing her stories. Both books that I have read I found at this wonderful store called 2nd and Charles. Perhaps you've heard of it? I had some time to kill, and some store credit to use, so I picked up a few books that I thought it was high time that I read. Besides the two Agatha books, I picked up a beautiful copy of Thousand and One Nights for a very good price. (That's my commercial for the bookstore ;-) ) Anyway, on to my experience of exploring the world of this British Dame.
The first book of hers for me to read was Murder on the Orient Express. I picked this one up because I had seen a lot about it (there's even a video game based on it) and wanted to see what it was all about. Now, if you've paid any attention to my first post and the previous post, you would know that I enjoy mysteries. I knew Agatha Christie wrote murder mysteries, so I figured I'd give her a whirl. Granted, her stories are very different from Carolyn Keene's heroine, but they are still very well written. Murder on the Orient Express, obviously, takes place on a train. One passenger is mysteriously murdered while the train is stopped for weather. An inspector, M. Poirot, who just so happens to be traveling in the compartment next door to the victim, accepts the challenge to find the killer. I won't give too much away in case you have not read this story yet, so I shan't tell you who the murderer is. I can tell you that Agatha Christie gives a very surprising twist to the story. The direction the story takes as Poirot solves the case is so surprising, it almost made my head hurt! But, in the end, Poirot solves the case and finds his culprit. If you are looking for a good read for a beach trip or a road trip, or are just looking for something to keep handy just in case you have a few minutes to read, then this is the book for you. Depending on your reading style, you can read this book in a few hours or a few days. It all depends on how entranced by the story you become.
The second book, And Then There Were None, is shorter, but equally gripping. Ten people, each with a dark secret of their own, are invited to an island off the coast of the town of Devon. None in the party have met their host and hostess, but are eager to enjoy a holiday by the sea. However, once they arrive, they find only the groundskeeper and his wife. Their host and hostess are said to have been detained unexpectedly. The visitors enjoy their evening, speculating as to what could possibly be keeping their host away, and what his identity truly is. Then, after supper, the last thing anyone expects to happen, happens. One of their party suddenly drops dead while sipping his brandy. It is an apparent suicide, but the rest of the guests wonder why such a person would do such a horrendous thing to himself. Later that night, another occupant of the island is found dead in their bed, an obvious murder. Now the guests, among whom are a judge and a doctor, begin to wonder what, or whom, could have caused this person's death. The only problem is, they are the only ones on the island. Throughout the next days, they all begin dropping like flies, narrowing the list of suspects. The story continues in this manner until the last of the island's occupants dies, leaving the mystery unsolved. Agatha Christie takes a darker turn in this novel than she did with Murder. The story presents itself almost like a ghost story. She weaves a tale that is just creepy enough to set you on the edge of your seat and jump at any sudden noise or touch. But that is what makes this story so thrilling. It is only 200 pages, but you won't want to put it down. I managed to read it in an afternoon, and I regret nothing. I will say this about the book: it is not for the weak at heart or stomach. This is a story for the reader who wants to find a gripping tale that is a quick read and can provide a temporary escape from reality.
Well, that's it for now. I hope I have either reminded you of why you love to read Agatha Christie, inspired you to once again try her stories, or introduced you to a whole new story world. Either way, I feel I have done what I have set out to accomplish.
Have you had any experiences with Dame Christie? If you have, tell me! I would love to hear from you!
Until the next time!
Happy reading!
September 5, 2014
My Top Ten Books
Okay, so I was challenged on Facebook recently to post 10 books that have stayed with me from the first time I read them until now. This list was hard to come up with, because I have more than 10 books that have remained as part of my constantly read collection. But, after a few minutes of contemplation, I finally came up with a list, and have decided to not only share it with my friends on Facebook but to share it with my readers as well. So, without further ado, here is my list of 10 books which have stayed with me since the first time I read them.
1. The Bones of Makaidos - this is my all time favorite from Bryan Davis. It wraps up beautifully the story world of Dragons in Our Midst. I'll try to post more about this particular book and the story world in a later post.
2. The Chronicles of Narnia - if you paid any attention to my very first post on this blog, you probably will not be very surprised to see this on my top 10 list. Anyone who calls themselves a book lover has to have this wonderful series on their bookshelf. My copy just so happens to have a place of honor right in the middle of my bookshelf.
3. Nancy Drew - the Nancy Drew books are the second series for me to really read after I started reading chapter books. In my opinion, nothing beats a good mystery, which also just happens to be a quick and easy read.
4. The Witch of Blackbird Pond - I can't really find many words to describe this book other than to say that it is a classic that must be read by all who enjoy a good adventure/romance classic. Or really all in general.
5. The Magic Treehouse - ah, my first chapter books. I cannot tell you when I read my first Magic Treehouse book, but I can tell you that most of my library trips as a young girl consisted of finding the next book, or books, to read. Confession time: I still have yet to read every single one that has been published, as the author is still writing these adventures, and even now as a young adult I find myself checking bookstores and libraries just to see what the next adventure is and making plans to check out the ones I have not read.
6. The Puppy Who Wanted a Boy - this is the book that I asked my mother to read to me just about every single night. To this day I do not know why it appealed to me so much, but I loved that book.
7. The Hobbit - this is the first book by Tolkien that I read all the way through. It is somewhat of a quick read, since it was originally written for children, but it is still a great story.
8. Calico Captive- I found this book on the library's bookshelf while searching for a new story. I love to read historical fiction and historical romance, and this book combines the two wonderfully. The fact that it is written by Elizabeth George Speare makes it even better.
9. The Little White Horse - I don't think I have to explain this book very much, since I have practically poured out my heart about it in an earlier post. The only thing I can really say here is what I said on Facebook: A fairy tale set in England. What could be better?
10. White Fang- while I have not read the actual book, I have read the children's version of it, and thus am familiar with the story. I fell in love with it, and have made myself very familiar with it. It is one of my goals to read the book in its entirety at some point in my adult life.
So, that is my top ten list. I hope I have given some books that you have never read before and that I have inspired you to go find them.
Part of the challenge was to pass it along to ten other friends. Since I can't call out anyone in particular on here, I challenge everyone who reads this post to come up with their own list of 10 books and pass the challenge on to 10 (or more) of your friends.
I'd love to see what your top ten books are. Tell me in the comments!
Happy reading!
1. The Bones of Makaidos - this is my all time favorite from Bryan Davis. It wraps up beautifully the story world of Dragons in Our Midst. I'll try to post more about this particular book and the story world in a later post.
2. The Chronicles of Narnia - if you paid any attention to my very first post on this blog, you probably will not be very surprised to see this on my top 10 list. Anyone who calls themselves a book lover has to have this wonderful series on their bookshelf. My copy just so happens to have a place of honor right in the middle of my bookshelf.
3. Nancy Drew - the Nancy Drew books are the second series for me to really read after I started reading chapter books. In my opinion, nothing beats a good mystery, which also just happens to be a quick and easy read.
4. The Witch of Blackbird Pond - I can't really find many words to describe this book other than to say that it is a classic that must be read by all who enjoy a good adventure/romance classic. Or really all in general.
5. The Magic Treehouse - ah, my first chapter books. I cannot tell you when I read my first Magic Treehouse book, but I can tell you that most of my library trips as a young girl consisted of finding the next book, or books, to read. Confession time: I still have yet to read every single one that has been published, as the author is still writing these adventures, and even now as a young adult I find myself checking bookstores and libraries just to see what the next adventure is and making plans to check out the ones I have not read.
6. The Puppy Who Wanted a Boy - this is the book that I asked my mother to read to me just about every single night. To this day I do not know why it appealed to me so much, but I loved that book.
7. The Hobbit - this is the first book by Tolkien that I read all the way through. It is somewhat of a quick read, since it was originally written for children, but it is still a great story.
8. Calico Captive- I found this book on the library's bookshelf while searching for a new story. I love to read historical fiction and historical romance, and this book combines the two wonderfully. The fact that it is written by Elizabeth George Speare makes it even better.
9. The Little White Horse - I don't think I have to explain this book very much, since I have practically poured out my heart about it in an earlier post. The only thing I can really say here is what I said on Facebook: A fairy tale set in England. What could be better?
10. White Fang- while I have not read the actual book, I have read the children's version of it, and thus am familiar with the story. I fell in love with it, and have made myself very familiar with it. It is one of my goals to read the book in its entirety at some point in my adult life.
So, that is my top ten list. I hope I have given some books that you have never read before and that I have inspired you to go find them.
Part of the challenge was to pass it along to ten other friends. Since I can't call out anyone in particular on here, I challenge everyone who reads this post to come up with their own list of 10 books and pass the challenge on to 10 (or more) of your friends.
I'd love to see what your top ten books are. Tell me in the comments!
Happy reading!
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