J.R.R. Tolkien
J.R.R. Tolkien: The Hobbit – Performed by Andy Serkis
Like its magnificent sequel, The Hobbit is, I think, many things to many people: the first exposition of the universe that would become Middle-earth; prelude to The Lord of the Rings; a bite-sized visit to Middle-earth whenever you don’t feel up to the full blow of the War of the Ring(s); one of the most […]
Read More
Karen Wynn Fonstad: The Atlas of Tolkien’s Middle-Earth
Blurb: “Find your way through every part of J.R.R. Tolkien’s great creation, from the Middle-earth of The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings to the undying lands of the West … The Atlas of Tolkien’s Middle-earth is an essential guide to the geography of Middle-earth, from its founding in the Elder Days – as […]
Read More
J.R.R. Tolkien: The Lord of the Rings – Performed by Andy Serkis
In another online community, we recently talked about the new Andy Serkis Lord of the Rings recordings. Well, it turns out that the pull of The Ring is still mighty strong, for however much it may have been destroyed in Mount Doom. I had barely gotten my hands on these audios and I found I […]
Read More
Festive Tasks: Door 15 – Correspondence, Tasks 1 – 3
Festive Tasks Master Update Post HERE Same approach as for Like for Doors 7 (Gifts), and 13 (Holiday Shopping): one page per task. Task 1: Do you still send holiday cards? Do you go for amusing, inspirational, or make your own? I used to love sending holiday cards and spent a lot of time […]
Read More
Favorite Rainy Day Reads
24 Festive Tasks: Door 5 – Bon Om Touk, Bonus Task: List / tell us about your favorite rainy day reads. I suppose it only takes one look at my list of read books this year to determine my favorite rainy day books, as 2020 was essentially one extended rainy day: Golden Age mysteries and […]
Read More
Favorite Fictional Societies and Ingredients of a Well-Functioning Real Society
24 Festive Tasks: Door 3 – Saturnalia, Task 2: Saturnalia was originally a celebration in remembrance of the “Golden Age” of Graeco-Roman mythology, ruled over by Saturn (Kronos in Greek), and during which humanity existed in a utopian state of innocence, living off nature’s bounty without having to work. Name a book describing / set […]
Read MoreThe Halloween Creatures Book Tag
Rules: Answer all prompts. Answer honestly. Tag 1-13 people. Link back to this post. ( For me it was SnoopyDoo!) Remember to credit the creator. (Anthony @ Keep Reading Forward)< Have fun! Witch A Magical Character or Book Terry Pratchett’s witches, particularly Granny Weatherwax. And DEATH (preferably in his Hogfather incarnation). No contest. […]
Read More
Royalty Moonlighting as Commoners in Fiction
24 Festive Tasks: Door 10 – Russian Mothers’ Day, Task 2: Towards the end of the 17th century, there was a Russian apprentice carpenter and shipwright going by the name Peter Mikhailov in the Dutch town of Zaandam (and later in Amsterdam), who eventually turned out to be none other than Tsar Peter the Great, […]
Read More
My Rainy Day Reads
24 Festive Tasks: Door 5 – Bon Om Touk, Task 1: List / tell us about your favorite rainy day reads. Any- and everything that — with or without a mug of hot tea and some chocolate or other snacks — makes me feel all warm and comfortable (while still engaging my brain cells, […]
Read More
Halloween Bingo 2019 PreParty — Question for 08/05 (Day 5): Favorite Series with Supernatural Elements
Hmmm, are we talking “series” as in “including trilogies and quartets” here, or does it have to be more than that number? Also, what about works that were intended as one (very long) book but are traditionally broken up into several parts that are published separately (like Tolkien’s Lord of the Rings) and books originally […]
Read More
My Personal Literary Canon, Part 2: “Veteran” Readership
24 Festive Tasks, Door 5, Task 3: Tell us: What author’s books would you consider yourself a veteran of (i.e., by author have you read particularly many books – or maybe even all of them)? The authors by whom I’ve read the most books don’t coincide exactly, but substantially with those that I’d also consider […]
Read More
My Favourite Trilogy
24 Festive Tasks: Door 24 – Epiphany, Task 1: Tell us: What’s your favorite trilogy? I know Tolkien didn’t actually intend this to be a trilogy, but that is how it has come to be published — and it’s occupied the spot that says “favorite trilogy” to me ever since I first read it in […]
Read More
Favorite Book Heroes and Their Nemeses
24 Festive Tasks: Door 21 – Kwanzaa, Task 1: “Africa” was originally the name of the Roman province originating from the North African empire of Carthage, which was mythologically founded by Queen Dido and blossomed into Ancient Rome’s only lasting opponent and nemesis (until it was finally conquered by Rome in the Punic Wars). So: […]
Read More
KYD Green Round: Crime Scene Card Guess, Team MbD / Lillelara / TA – Freeman Wills Crofts: The Hog’s Back Mystery for the Green Dragon Pub
Phew. [TA wipes sweating brows.] Finished this one with just over a half hour to spare until the end of this round. Anyway, the cover of a book virtually drenched in green (both in the paperback and the audiobook version — and yes, I switched back and forth between both) is way too good […]
Read More
The Twelve Tasks of the Festive Season — Task the Sixth: The Hanukkah
Reading: Let the dreidel choose a book for you: נ Nun (miracle): Christopher Paolini – Eldest (audio version read by Kerry Shale) ג Gimel (great): Arthur Conan Doyle – The Valley of Fear (audio version read by Simon Vance) ה He (happened): Ian Rankin – Even Dogs in the Wild ש Shin (there, i.e. Israel): J.R.R. […]
Read More
BookRiot: Cool Maps of Fictional Literary Places
The Land of Oz (Disney: Oz the Great and Powerful storybook, 2013) Narnia (Disney 2011) Middle Earth: The setting of The Hobbit — Thror’s Map of the Lonely Mountain (Christopher Tolkien, 1954) Source: Cool Maps of Fictional Literary Places
Read More
REBLOG: 15 authors to read based on your favorite drinks
Reblogged from: BookLikes No matter if it’s a cup of tea or coffee, lemonade or a glass of wine, books and drinks go well together. This universal truth has been discovered not only by avid readers but also writers, some of whom became as well known for their drinking habits as for their literary achievements. Taking advantage of the summer time […]
Read More
Birthday Monster Book Haul
… thanks to my mom, who gave me a bookstore gift card, my best friend, who raided my Amazon wish list (isn’t it nice to know your loved ones know just what you’ll be happiest about?) and a few odd things to which I treated myself: Die Briefe der Manns (The Mann Family Correspondence) — […]
Read More
2015 Reading Recap, Part 2: The Self-Interview
Olga Godim came up with this creative way of summing up her reading year and challenged everyone to do their own. Well, while I’m back here … I’m in! Olga writes: “Creatively, I decided to interview myself about my reading in 2015. The answers could only be book titles I read […]
Read More
2015 Reading Recap
No fancy graphics and no astounding numbers – in fact, rather average numbers for me, these days – but anyway, here we go: Total Number of Books Read: 68 – including rereads – but excluding my current read, Susanna Clarke’s Jonathan Strange & Mr. Norell (which is bound to take me all the […]
Read More