A bookish linkup!

Cait and Mime, over at the Notebook Sisters (which looks like a rather fantabulous blog, by the way, even though I haven't full explored it yet) are having an end-of-the-year bookish linkup!

Basically you have to answer the following questions and then link up your own post to their post. I'm doing the reading one... but there's a writing link-up too, which I might or might not do. I haven't decided yet.
Without further ado... the questions!

1. What was your overall favourite book this year? (Yes. Pick one.)
Hmmm... I'm going to go with Mansfield Park by Jane Austen. I really, really enjoyed that one.

 2. Favourite debut(s)? (Author must have been first published in 2013.)
Can I pick myself? :P Because I haven't read any books by newly published (in 2013) authors. I can get close, though! Miss Jack Lewis Baillot was first published December 14 of last year.

 3. Which books did you reread this year?
A lot.
To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee (actually, I'm hoping to start this one again soon because IT'S AMAZING).
Ruby Holler, Replay, and Bloomability by Sharon Creech.
The American Girl Samantha series (which is technically 6 books, but I'm counting them as one, since they're so short).
Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen.
The Princess Bride by William Goldman (also an amazing book - and movie).
The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald (does this count? 'Cause I read it... and then a few days later re-read it).
A Long Way From Chicago and A Year Down Yonder by Richard Peck (x2. I re-read them twice this year).
The Old Man and the Sea by Ernest Hemingway (though I don't really remember the first time...).
Ecclesiastes by Solomon (?).
The Penderwicks, the Penderwicks on Gardam Street, and the Penderwicks at Point Mouette by Jeanne Birdsall.
The Last of the Really Great Whangdoodles by Julie Andrews Edwards.
The Two Towers and The Return of the King by J.R.R. Tolkien.
The Swiss Family Robinson by Johann Wyss.
Journey to the River Sea by Eva Ibbotson (I love this book).
and
The Hobbit by J.R.R. Tolkien.
Phew!

 4. Favourite cover(s) this year!
I'm guessing this is favorite covers of the books I've read this year...?

 5. Worst cover(s)?
I don't really have any worst covers... If I have to pick, though, I guess I could go with the cover of Leviathan by Scott Westerfeld. It's an alright cover, but I prefer the one with the gears. And the Canterbury Tales Penguin classics version. That one has the author on the cover (to be fair, though, he is in the book as well).

 6. What self-published books did you read this year?
Kat and Kadet by J. Hammond (AKA Hailey Jenkins).
A Stretch of Loyalty by Miss Jack Lewis Baillot.
Abolished Impracticality by Miss Jack Lewis Baillot.
Sew, It's a Quest? by Kendra E. Ardnek.
and
Do You Take This Quest by Kendra E. Ardnek.

 7. Which book(s) gave you a massive hangover?
I'm not really familiar with book hangovers (or any hangovers for that matter...) but Abolished Impracticality left me going:

 

(I'm the one on the right. The one on the left is The Author, who can't comprehend my frustration)

 8. Best standalone you read?
I read a lot of great standalones. I'll go with one I haven't mentioned yet... Crater by Homer Hickam.

 9. Biggest book(s) you've read this year?
Moby Dick by Herman Melville is a clear winner! Followed up by Canterbury Tales by Geoffrey Chaucer and the Return of the King by J.R.R. Tolkien.

 10. Book(s) you followed the hype for and then loved!
The books my friends write I eagerly follow the hype of, and then love their books.

 11. Most disappointing book(s) you read this year?
The No Place Like Holmes books I was expecting more from.

 12. Favourite leading-female character?
Fanny Price from Mansfield Park by Jane Austen. You can read why on my review of Mansfield Park a few posts back.

 13. Favourite leading-male character?
Atticus Finch from To Kill A Mockingbird by Harper Lee. Beware future-firstborn-son-that-I-will-have-eventually—your name will be Atticus. It will!
I also really like Bilbo from The Hobbit by Tolkien... and Mr. Satterthwaite from The Mysterious Mr. Quin by Agatha Christie was pretty cool too.

 14. Best romance(s)?
Alek and Deryn from the Leviathan series by Scott Westerfeld!

 15. What book(s) hit the DNF list? (Did not finish)
Hmmm... lots, probably. The only one I can remember, though, is The Princetta by a French lady. I started it when we were visiting family across the country, and then never finished it when we came home.

 16. What book(s) did you read out of your comfort-zone?
I'll say Heist Society by Ally Carter. I don't normally read YA books and I tend to be a little wary of them...

 17. Which author did you read the most from?
Agatha Christie! I started reading her in the spring and have read seven of her books now. Second place is J.R.R. Tolkien, of whom I have read five books this year (The Two Towers, The Return of the King, The Father Christmas Letters, The Hobbit, and Sir Gawain and the Green Knight).

 18. Top 5 books you'd recommend from all the books you've read this year?
Oooo, hard question!
Probably...
To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee - because I love love love that book.
The Princess Bride by William Goldman - because I also love love love that book and any fan of the movie will be equally impressed with the book.
Crater by Homer Hickam - this is a great space adventure with amazing world building.
And Then There Were None by Agatha Christie - every fan of mystery should read this. Any fan of amazing writing should read this. Only, don't do it while you're camping on an island.
aaaannndd...
The Clockwork Three by Matthew J. Kirby - this was a really fun adventure-read. I really enjoyed it.

 19. How many books did you read this year all up?
66, so far! That's amazing! I don't know if I've read that many books in a year before. And I know for a fact that I will be finished one or two more before the year is up.

 20. What's a book you're hugely excited for coming out in 2014?!
The fourth Penderwicks book!

Live long and prosper.

Beowulf

The Common Man Should Read Beowulf Essay

By Abbey

Oct. 3 2013 

   Writing comes in many different modes: novel-writing, newspaper articles, email, essays, poetry, and more. Poetry, like writing, has many forms. There are the juvenile poems such as the writing of Dr. Seuss or Shel Silverstein, designed to educate and entertain children. On the other end of the spectrum there are epic poems from hundreds of years ago. One such tale is that of Beowulf, who must defeat several monsters which threaten lives and property. Scholars like J.R.R. Tolkien have studied this heroic story; but Beowulf is not only for the learned. The common man should read Beowulf.

   Opposition to reading this poem starts with the argument against all classics: the book is too difficult to read. Admittedly, because Beowulf was written before the tenth century, the language is different than today’s language. This is not a bad thing, nor is it a reason to forgo reading this epic. On the contrary, Beowulf’s extensive vocabulary and awing use of alliteration challenges the reader’s word-hoard and word choice. Not only could this help in every day conversation, or when writing a story or paper for school, but when filling out college or job applications.

   Beowulf, in addition to expanding vocabulary, also teaches about history. The poem is set during the first few hundred years of the Anglo-Saxon nation; 500 or 600 AD. It gives insight into the life of upper-class Saxons. The men were brave warriors, while the women provided food, drink, and gifts for conquering thanes. At celebrations, mead flowed generously and a bard was always on hand. “They sang then and played to please the hero, words and music for their warrior prince, harp tunes and tales of adventure.” (Beowulf, translated by Seamus Heany, page 71).

   Just as the bards in the book repeated bygone tales, Beowulf itself was passed down orally for centuries. It’s age-old theme of good vs. evil captivated audiences centuries ago and still does the same today. The plot of Beowulf pits the hero against several evil monsters. The first is beast Grendel, followed by his equally terrible mother. Finally, Beowulf must slay a dragon. In each instance, there is an epic struggle between the two parties, but good always prevails. Though the common man doesn’t often face such villains as the ones Beowulf has to contend with, man often has to battle between good and evil.

   Even the common man should read Beowulf, for it is not just for scholars. It encourages better word choice, which everyone can benefit from. Additionally, the reader can learn what life was like for the upper-class Anglo-Saxon. Finally, Beowulf’s timeless theme of good vs. evil will always appeal to man. Though there are many types of writing, and many types of poetry, Beowulf is a prime example of both.

And now my review:

Title: Beowulf

Author: Unknown. The translation I read was by Seamus Heaney.

Synopsis: The warrior Beowulf must face three beasts.

My rating: 8 out of 10 stars.

What I didn't like/things you should know: There are some somewhat descriptive battle scenes, but nothing too graphic... I can't really think of anything else.

What I liked: The language! Oh my word! There is so much alliteration in this story... It's absolutely brilliant. And just the way it's translated - it's great! Wonderful.
I've said before that I'm not a fan of poetry... but I really liked Beowulf. I think my mind is slowly being changed.
The story was pretty cool... It had a very Lord of the Rings feel to it. Although, really, I should say that Lord of the Rings has a very Beowulfish feel to it because Tolkien studied Beowulf and wrote an essay on it. He even added a nod to Beowulf into The Hobbit.
Compare:

...until one began
to dominate the dark, a dragon on the prowl
from the steep vaults of a stone-roofed barrow
where he guarded a hoard; there was a hidden passage,
unknown to men, but someone managed
to enter it and interfere
with the heathen trove. He had handled and removed
a gem-studded goblet; it gained him nothing,
though with a thief's wiles he had outwitted
the sleeping dragon; that drove him into a rage,
as the people of that country would soon discover.
-Beowulf (pg. 151 of the Seamus Heaney version)

He gazed for what seemed an age, before drawn almost against his will, he stole from the shadow of the doorway, across the floor to the nearest edge of the mounds of treasure. Above him the sleeping dragon lay, a dire menace even in his sleep. He grasped a great two-handled cup, as heavy as he could cart, and cast one fearful eye upwards. Smaug stirred a wing, opened a claw, the rumble of his snoring changed its note.
-The Hobbit (pg. 206 of whichever version I own... It's during the Inside Information chapter)

Something super cool about the Seamus Heaney translation is that it actually has the Old English version on one page, and the modern-day English on the other... Here is what the Old English looks like:



Plus, the cover is super cool! The chainmail.

Would I recommend Beowulf? I would! Especially to fans of Lord of the Rings. And especially the Seamus Heaney translation.

Live long and prosper!

Jerusalem and Minas Tirith.

My mom and I were doing our Bible Study this morning, and we were reading in 2 Chronicles (and 2 Kings) about King Hezekiah, of Judah.
He did what was right in the eyes of the LORD, but the Assyrians still invaded Judah during his reign. Sennacherib, King of Assyria, did lots of horrible things to the people of Lachish, and then continued on to Jerusalem. But King Hezekiah, prayed to God (2 Kings 19 - it's a really great prayer, go check it out) and an angel went out and put to death 185,000 of Sennacherib's soldiers, and Sennacherib withdrew to Nineveh and stayed there (and proceeded to draw the whole thing on his palace wall - except for the part where all his men get killed).

 

The Siege of Lachish, as depicted on Sennacherib's palace walls.

 

While we were studying this, I got to thinking...

I'm reading The Return of the King and I'm trying to pick out allegories, because some people say that they are there, and some people say that they aren't. I've found one or two plausible ones, and then I got to thinking about Minas Tirith, in relation to the Jerusalem of Hezekiah's reign.

 

Both Jerusalem and Minas Tirith were major cities. You could say that they are the capitals of their region (Jerusalem of Judah, and Minas Tirith of Gondor).

 

Both Jerusalem and Minas Tirith have guard cities, which were taken out by the enemy.

Jerusalem had several cities, on different sides, that served as 'guard' cities. One such example was Lachish. It protected the valley that lead to Jerusalem. If Lachish fell, there would be an open passageway to Jerusalem.

In Lord of the Rings, Osgiliath served much the same purpose as Lachish. It used to be the capital of Gondor, but was abandoned for Minas Tirith. During the War of the Ring, Gondor and Mordor fought many times over the city, with Mordor eventually prevailing for a short time.

In the same way, Sennacherib took over Lachich, killing most of the inhabitants, and leading the survivors back to Assyria by rings pierced through their lips.

 

Both cities are relatively near water... Lachish is near the Via Maris, and though Jerusalem is a bit father away, they still show on the same map together (at least in my book). Also Jerusalem is very near the Dead Sea.

Minas Tirith is near the Great River, Anduin.

 

Both cities have two walls.

In 2 Chronicles 32: 5, it says,

Then he (King Hezekiah) worked hard repairing all the broken sections of the wall and building towers on it. He built another wall outside that one and reinforced the supporting terraces of the City of David.

Similarly, the city of Minas Tirith has it's outside wall, and also the wall/fence surrounding the Pelennor (which is a big field).

 

Both cities were laid siege to, but won their battles.

Jerusalem did so by the Grace of God, and solely with His help.

Minas Tirith did so with the help of Rohan, it's neighboring kingdom, and with the men following Aragorn.

 

I don't know if Tolkien was influenced by this particular part in the Bible, but I thought it was cool to find the parallels.

 

Live long and prosper!

VICTORY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I FINISHED THE TWO TOWERS TODAY!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Top Tuesdays: Top Hobbits.

That's right, folks! My top five Hobbits! Hobbits are a race of beings that inhabit the Shire, which is in a corner in Middle Earth. They are generally under four feet high and have a lot of hair. They can disappear when they don't want to be seen, because they are stealthy (it also helps if they have a magic ring that makes them invisible).

5. Frodo.

 

Don't get me wrong, I love Frodo, the main player in the Lord of the Rings trilogy... He's just never been my favorite. He's heroic and saves Middle Earth... and... he's a main character. I've never been overly fond of the heroic, humble main character (Luke Skywalker is another example).

4. Merry.

 

Merry's pretty cool. And he has some nice lines in The Fellowship of the Ring. That's about it....

3. Pippin.

 

Come on, it's Pippin. You HAVE to love Pippin! He and Merry are best buds who have not yet reached adulthood (33 in Hobbit years). They are happy-go-lucky and grow a lot over the course of the books (because, of course, they have been Taken To Isengard and take part in a battle or two and have all sorts of adventures).
Pippin has the majority of good lines. "It comes in pints?" That line has been in my head all day because of Thinkgeek.com. They are selling Doctor Who pint glasses and I was just waiting for someone to post in the comments "it comes in pints?"

2. Sam.

 

Sam. Frodo's loyal gardener. He follows Frodo literally to the end of the (Middle)earth at risk to his own life because he promised Gandalf to watch over Frodo. He's like a puppy, except better. Sam is an amazing friend and just an amazing guy all around.

1. Bilbo Baggins.

 

Bilbo is not typically your typical hero. Gandalf basically signs him up for an adventure without his consent and because of Bilbo's Tookish curiousity, he can't help but go along with the Dwarves to take back their home.
Bilbo likes the fine things in life: his pipe, food, a clean hankerchief, food....
Through his adventures, he finds courage that I'm sure he didn't know he had. He isn't driven by necessity like Frodo and ends up being very brave. He wants to show off his burgaler skills which gets him in more trouble than it's worth.
Bilbo is one of my favorite characters in the Tolkien world, and, indeed, in the literary world. And he doesn't have to swear every other world, take revenge for the death of his brother, or sleep with every girl on the block.
Plus, he's got hairy feet. You gotta have a hero with hairy feet every once in a while.

Live long and prosper! And who is YOUR favorite Hobbit?

Top Tuesdays: Top Tolkien books (that I've read).

J.R.R. Tolkien is my favorite author so I thought I would do a Top Tuesdays with my favorite books (that I've read) from him!

7. The Tolkien Reader.

 

A collection of short stories by Tolkien... Including one about Tom Bombadil!
Also, Farmer Giles of Ham. It's a great story about a farmer who has to go kill a dragon.
The reason this book is on my last list is because I haven't read it for awhile and don't remember anything about it... Other than that is was good!

6. The Return of the King.
Again... I don't remember this book because it's been a long time since I read it. I'm sure it's still as good as when I first read it, though!

5. The Two Towers.
Great book - although it kind of drags in some parts.... And I can't seem to get through it! Argh!

4. Mr. Bliss.

 

Tolkien used to write stories for his children and Mr. Bliss is one of them. Mr. Bliss decides to trade his bicycle (which can only ride downhill) for a car. He then proceeds to run down a few people and wreck their modes of transportation... Mr. Bliss offers them rides and they go through a dark scary forest where they meet some bears. Then they go to someones house for dinner and the bears make trouble.
It is a very, very cute read and surprisingly long for a children's book. Tolkien illustrated it himself as well which is super cool. It's a great book.

3. Roverandom.
When one of Tolkien's sons lost a toy on the beach, Tolkien wrote a book about it!
Rover was a dog... until he bit the bum of a wizard, when then turned Rover into a toy. Rover runs away from home and has all sorts of adventures (he goes to the moon and to Atlantis on the bottom of the sea).
It's another very cute children's book. Tolkien also did some illustrations for this book.

2. The Fellowship of the Ring.
I re-read this last summer and really enjoyed it; more than I thought I would. I enjoyed it much more than I remembered.

1. The Hobbit!

 

Of course. =) The Hobbit is one of my favorite books. It is filled with fun and adventures and Hobbits!

So there you have it - my favorite Tolkien books that I have read.

In other news.... I rescued a book from the thrift store yesterday.

 

This copy is by Elinor M. Buckingham and was published in 1905 - that's over 100 years old!
I rescued it. The people at the thrift store put a big sticker over the front! Of a rare 1905 book!! I was outraged, so I rescued the book. Plus, you can't have too many copies of Robin Hood (since they're all different - based on the same legend)!

I also found this at the thrift store....

 

The Star Trek Magazine was run by Paramount and ran from 1999-2003. They were $8 a copy and were filled with cool Trek stuff - interviews, ship layouts, stuff you could buy, inside looks at how the writers write, bios on aliens.... stuff like that.
Well, before the the magazine came out in 1999, Paramount did four test editions in 1998. They only sold in two cities: Seattle and Columbus.
This magazine is one of those magazines (I feel like Randalf from Veggietales: Lord of the Beans).
Here's the best part, I got this rare copy for only 49 cents!
Of course, I doubt it's worth very much today, even though it is rare. But it means a lot to me. I get to see pictures from the "new" movie Insurrection (of course, if I really wanted to, I could just pop it into the TV and watch it instead). And how about that new Dax? And the DS9 and transporter technical briefings are super cool too!

Live long and prosper!

'Tis the Season.....

'Tis the season of what?? Our pastor asked the congregation this question on Sunday morning. People shouted out, 'Peace!' 'God!' 'Stress!'
Our Pastor's answer was, 'tis the season of waiting!
How true. Mary had to wait nine months for Jesus. And today we still wait. We wait for stores to open on Black Friday so we can get the best deals.... We wait in traffic, this year we wait for The Hobbit movie (more on that later) and, just like Mary, we are waiting for Jesus to come back.

As well as the season of waiting, December is also the season of extreme business! There's Christmas shopping, and the tree, and decorations, and parties, and recitals! On top of regular schoolwork and eating and sleep.
December is, perhaps, the busiest month of the year this year around. Every weekend I have some sort of recital or concert (except the last because I will be in Canada).
This past week I had a choir concert, piano recital, and our church Christmas program! It was a very busy weekend.

Here is a video of me playing "Let It Snow! Let It Snow! Let It Snow!" arranged by Phillip Keveren.

Without further ado... I am going to go back to the subject of waiting. Mainly, the subject of waiting for The Hobbit!
My dad has bought us tickets to see The Hobbit in IMAX 3D on Saturday morning. I AM SO EXCITED!!! We are seeing it in IMAX 3D because at select IMAX 3D theaters across the globe, the first 9 minutes of the next Star Trek movie will be playing (only in front of The Hobbit)! Our movie theater is one of them! Which makes me even MORE EXCITED!!!
And because I'm so excited I am going to do something Hobbit-ish.
On one of the blogs I follow (Story Girl) posted a Hobbit Blog Party thing. (Here is the link to the blogger's blog who is putting it on. HERE!)

 

Now, I have never taken part in a blog party before..... From what I gather I just answer a bunch of questions. Soooo... Here are the questions!

1. How did you first hear about The Hobbit and Lord of the Rings?
My dad grew up reading Lord of the Rings (and Tintin) and he always read to me when I was little, before I went to bed. I'm not exactly sure when I first became conscious of Lord of the Rings.... I remember seeing the Veggietales version, Lord of the Beans, at Costo and saying to my mom. "Look! There's Daddy's favorite book in Veggietales! Let's get it for him for his birthday!" So we did. Then, shortly after, my dad suggested that he read one of his favorite book series. We started reading The Hobbit and then moved on to Lord of the Rings!

2. How many times have you read The Hobbit and Lord of the Rings, if at all?
I have read The Hobbit and The Fellowship of the Ring twice, The Two Towers almost twice, and The Return of the King once.

3. Would you name your child after a character from it?
I don't know, maybe. I especially like the name Eowyn. Someone in my friend's church is named Galadrial (her daughter is named Eowyn).

4. What are your thoughts on Tom Bombadil? Should he have been in the movie?
I must admit, Tom Bombadil is one of my favorite characters from the book. I think Peter Jackson made the right choice, excluding him from The Fellowship of the Ring movie, but I do wish they had filmed his part in the book - as a special featurette or something.

5. Do you have a favorite piece of poetry from any of the Tolkien books?
Yes! I really like the "That's what Bilbo Baggins hates" poem/song thing from The Hobbit.

Chip the glasses and crack the plates!
Blunt the knives and bend the forks!
That's what Bilbo Baggins hates -
Smash the bottles and burn the corks!

Cut the cloth and tread the fat!
Pour the milk on the pantry floor!
Leave the bones on the bedroom mat!
Splash the wine on every door!

Dump the crocks in a boiling bowl;
Pound them up with a thumping pole;
And when you've finished, if any are whole,
Send them down the hall to roll!

That's what Bilbo Baggins hates!
So, carefully! Carefully with the plates!

 

My absolute favorite, though, is "The Road Goes Ever On and On."

 

The Road goes ever on and on

Down from the door where it began.

Now far ahead the Road has gone,

And I must follow, if I can,

Pursuing it with eager feet,

Until it joins some larger way

Where many paths and errands meet.

And whither then? I cannot say.

 

6. Have you read any other works by Tolkien?

Yes! I started reading The Silmarillion by J.R.R. Tolkien with my dad but we didn't finish it.

I have also read Roverandom which is an adorable little book Tolkien wrote for his young son who lost a toy upon the beach. The story follows the toy's adventure. It is a really sweet book.

Mr. Bliss is another book Tolkien wrote for his kids. He illustrated it as well!

 

7. Can you write in the Tengwar?

I had to look it up to see what it was! It turns out that Tengwar is the Elvish script Tolkien made up. Yes, I can write in it.

 

8. Were you disappointed that Prince Imrahil wasn't in the movie?

I had to look him up too. Even after reading a bit about him, I can't remember from the books... So I guess I don't mind he wasn't in the movie. Which movie?

 

9. What would happen if you and Denathor were put face to face?

Well, I'd grab a fire extinguisher for one....

 

10. Would you rather reside in Edoras or Minas Tirith?

Hmmmm..... That's a hard decision. Probably Minas Tirith. I'm more of a city girl than a country girl and I wouldn't want to smell like horse all the time.

 

11. What think you of Eomer's armor?

It's cool! I love his helmet.

 

12. What do you think of Boromir?

After re-reading The Fellowship of the Ring I must say that I like Boromir more than I remember. He's a good character and served his purpose well. He's not my favorite, but he's not horrible either. And he's played by Sean Bean. (No wonder he dies). And he has a cool horn.

 

13. Which is your favorite Lord of the Rings couple: Sam and Rosie, Aragorn and Arwen, or Faramir and Eowyn?

Faramir and Eowyn all the way! I have always loved them the best and I'm not even sure why. Maybe because they go together so well.

 

14. Did you shed any tears when Thorin died?

No, although it was sad. I rarely cry when reading books or watching movies. I always thought Thorin's death was really really sudden though.... Along with Fili and Kili's. What was Tolkien thinking? "Oh, no one except the bad guy's have died yet... Let's kill some of the main characters so everything doesn't end completely happy!"

 

15. Which is the most terrifying of the following: Orcs nabbing you in your sleep, giant spiders crawling out of dark tunnels and forests, Nazgul standing right over you while you are hiding, or a ghost army that doesn't like you very much?

The giant spiders, most definitely. I HATE spiders.

 

16. How well would you enjoy life as a Hobbit? Would it be preferable to being something like, say, an Elf? Or a Ranger?

Being a Hobbit would be really fun! You just sit around and eat. Sounds good to me! However, if I had to pick any race in the Lord of the Rings, I would probably be an Elf.

 

And there we have it! Feel free to steal, just give credit to Arda Nessimava who is putting on this blog party. (Link above).

 

Live long and prosper!



'Tis the season....

....to torture your dog.

She hates me. But I don't care. I love her anyway. =)

Tonight I have been watching the live premier red carpet of The Hobbit in New Zealand!! It started with a band playing a bunch of music and ending with the Song of the Lonely Mountain (which their lead singer wrote). Then to the red carpet where the actors and producers and things began to appear! Peter Jackson, Andy Serkis, Martin Freeman, Elijah Wood, a whole bunch of the Dwarfs, and even John Rhys-Davies (Gimli)! They have been interviewed (some of them several times) and so far my favorite has been Sylvester McCoy who is playing Radagast the Brown wizard.

Yes, Miss Jack (and John), that IS a hedgehog! =D
Sylvester McCoy played the Seventh Doctor in Doctor Who and that is not the only reason his interview was my favorite (though he did mention Doctor Who! He said that Peter Jackson has his costume). Sylvester McCoy is quite a character. He was really funny and just sweet. He had a super cool jacket as well. It was all stars and timey wimey. And he had a fun hat. And he actually mentioned hedgehogs in his interview! I thought of you, Miss Jack (and John too!). He said something like, "I was allowed to do some improv... go save this bird! Help this hedgehog!"
I also loved the guy who played The Great Goblin's interview. He was nice and sweet as well.

And now (since it is STILL going on!) Andy Serkis is running all the way back down the red carpet (which is really long) giving people high fives. Andy Serkis is one of my favorite actors, as I've mentioned before.

Anyway, The Hobbit is going to be a fantastic movie. SO much work has been put into it and SO many wonderful actors in it. I am getting seriously excited for this movie. It will be the best movie of the year. I bet it will top even the second Twilight movie.

Sadly Benedict Cumberbatch isn't at this premier. Oh well, I suppose he doesn't have a big enough role in the first movie.
Speaking of Benedict Cumberbatch.... the synopsis for the next Star Trek movie has been released! As you may know, he plays the villain. The synopsis is very vague and really doesn't tell much at all - but it is still a synopsis!

While I'm at it, NaNoWriMo is going well. I hit 46,000 words today and it is looking like my novel will hit 50k after all! Huzzah! Huzzah!
My bad guy has finally been introduced in person.... He is now grappling with one of my main characters. I've left all my characters sticky situations tonight.... And I've accidentally told my invisible audience who my bad guy is which isn't supposed to happen until the fifth book....

It is now nearly 10:00. I have been watching this premier for 3 hours and it still isn't over! The official speeches are to start soon and I'm not altogether sure my mother will let me stay up and watch it.

None the less..... I really want to go re-read the Hobbit for the second time this year. I need to finish the Two Towers first, though.

The great Tolkien himself, with his ever present pipe.

And now the official Hobbit speeches are starting and I should really be going.

Day 7: A picture of someone/something that has a big impact on me.

This guy and his book have the biggest impact on me and my life:

I am also impacted by my piano teacher and my friend who I shall call "Ms. E" (no, she's not married to Mr. Elton). And my parents are big impacts on my life.
These guys impact/influence my writing (especially the first guy!).

I also think the TV shows and movies I watch and the books I read have a big impact on my life which I don't necessarily think is always a good thing....

I had a million things to blog about today but they've seemed to all float out of my brain.... So I'll talk about music.
In piano lessons my teacher gave be some Haydn to sight read and in saxophone lessons my homework was even easier: go onto youtube and look up and listen to some Astor Piazzolla. If I like him, I'll start an Astor Piazzolla sax book next week.
I like him!
Astor Piazzolla has strange music. Upright bass, violin, piano, and a concertina type thingy.

My sax teacher says that the boys usually hate his stuff but the girls love it. Since I fall into the category "girl" I love his music. I like odd sounding music and this is very odd! It's kind of tango mixed with jazz mixed with classical. Here is some Astor Piazzolla on saxophone (it sounds CRAZY difficult!)

Piazzolla's music sounds like a mix of the Sherlock Holmes movie soundtrack and the first song on the Tintin soundtrack to me.... and I find his music strangely Sherlocky.

Live Long and Prosper!

Day 15: Someone you admire

Before I tell you whom I admire, I want to show you what I ate for lunch:


I had a VERY orange lunch. Ham and cheese (with Doritos) on a bun, Doritos on the side, a Carmel-only Milky Way mini-candy bar, peach yogurt, carrots with ranch dressing, juice, and a mandarin orange. We also have some beautiful daffodils sitting on our counter that added to the mood. A pretty healthy lunch, and yummy to! Not to mention colorful. Lunch is my favorite meal of the day.
Don't the daffodils look like they are praising the Lord? =)


Now onto the person I admire.


John Ronald Reuel Tolkien.
More simply known as J.R.R. Tolkien.


Tolkien is most well known for the Lord of the Rings series and it's prequel, The Hobbit.


I picked up my family's copy of The Hobbit the other day because I wanted to re-read it before the movie comes out on December 14. I thought it would take a long time to read The Hobbit because Tolkien's style can be a bit confusing and descriptive at times, but I read to first two chapters in a day and I think I might have to re-re-read it sometime in the fall again before the movie comes out!
I had forgotten how wonderful The Hobbit is. I've only read it once, and technically, I wasn't reading it then. My dad read the book to me about four years ago.


(Cover picture is of Bilbo riding in a barrel. Drawing is by Tolkien.)

As I was telling a friend, reading Tolkien is like diving into a pool filled with rich chocolate. He describes things in such detail and so well; it's as if you were actually there.


I admire Tolkien (shown above - doesn't he look like a Hobbit with his pipe and smile? That's my absolute favorite picture of Tolkien) because he was able to create an entire world with a complete history and with complete languages. To create different worlds to send readers into is a dream that all authors have and Tolkien has done it beautifully.
I find it hard to believe that The Hobbit and Lord of the Rings trilogy were written less than a hundred years ago. So much stuff that has been written in recent years is so horrible.... Although I think already mentioned that in another post.
His writing style, complicated plots (which I absolutely love), loveable - not to mention believable and incredibly developed - characters, and creativity are not the only things I admire about J.R.R. Tolkien.
I absolutely LOVE it that he wrote books for his children.
Many people do not know about the books he wrote for his four children.
One of such books, Roverandom, was written for his son who lost a toy dog. The story is baed on the toy's adventures away from his master. Another book, Mr. Bliss, is a fun, not to mention colorful, book about a man and his adventures with his new car.
Something else I admire about Tolkien is that he drew as well as wrote and illustrated many scenes from the Lord of the Rings.
Perhaps the most wonderful thing about Tolkien is that he was a devout Catholic.

J.R.R. Tolkien was born in 1892 and served in World War 1 where he got trench fever and was invalided home.
Later in life he became a professor at Oxford college where he taught language and literature, among other things.
He was a part of the informal literary group called Inklings. The Inklings was a group of men who met together and discussed fiction, fantasy, and each others works. C.S. Lewis (author of Adventures in Narnia, Out of the Silent Planet, Screwtape Letters and other good books) was also a part of Inklings and he and Tolkien were good friends.

J.R.R. Tolkien is one of my favorites authors and I strive to be like him in my writing.
I greatly admire him not only as an author, but as a person.