All has been pretty quiet on the nerd war front. Sue lost book 4 behind her bookcase (she has since found it again and probably started it over for at least the 3rd time). I decided after finishing the first two books I would watch the movies to get a better handle on things and perhaps be able to visualize things in "Middle Earth" a bit better. What does that mean? Is it supposed to be in some untapped area of the planet? Just wondering. This took a large amount of time mostly because I decided to just rent them from the library instead of using my Netflix account. That meant I had to wait an extraordinary amount of time on a waiting list, which didn't make sense since I was able to renew them 3 times each. (Yes, that's right, I didn't jump on them the second I got them.) They are really long!
If you will remember, I watched the first movie in the theater and was prepared to like it since I saw imagery from the movie earlier and found it stunning. It didn't work like that. For me, the imagery was not enough to pierce through the severe bordem that I was feeling. I believe B's favorite part about this story is my clapping when I saw the first credit roll (I clapped because I was so happy it was finally over). Anyway before starting the books last fall, the only thing I could recollect from the movie was two little flashes. Hobbits in little cave things with little round windows and doors and a ring being thrown in a fire, and also I remembered Gandolf falling down some cave hole. THAT IS IT. I thought reading the book might jog my memory a little. Nothing doing. Then I thought for sure watching the movie again would have to jog something out. Nothing. I swear not one thing besides those few things I said looked familiar at all. I was mostly surprised that Sean Austin didn't make a bigger impression on me what with my Encino Man roots. Ok, that was just a weird little side note I thought I would share. Turns out, when you know the story -and perhaps get to watch the movie in your dunglees- the movie is pretty good. I alotted 3 different nights to break the movie up into one hour segments and ended up watching half in the afternoon, and the other half that same night. That is a pretty good compliment. I watching wilst sorting cds in the afternoon and watched the rest in the wee hours of the night (Emily's dinner and a movie, if you are my facebook friend- you know what that means). Rivendell and it's "elven council" wasn't as boring this time around, that was good. Anyway it was nice to watch it and get some visuals and brush up on my plot points. I didn't like getting a visual on hobbit feet. Hobbit feet creep me out.
It took me another month to get around to the 2nd movie. I came away from that movie with a better appreciation of the men on quests doing stuff. They aren't nearly as boring to watch as to read, and wars are MUCH better to watch then to read. There really is no comparison.
The best part about the second movie was the ent's feet. I liked their feet. A lot. So, I am glad I watched them, I feel better armored to start the 3rd and final book. It is on my nightstand as we speak, lets see how long it takes me to pick it up.
Sue and Amy- it's time to declare. Get reading Sue, I am on the home stretch.
Showing posts with label The Harry Pot Pots Vs. The Fro Baggs. Show all posts
Showing posts with label The Harry Pot Pots Vs. The Fro Baggs. Show all posts
Saturday, February 21, 2009
Thursday, December 11, 2008
My Experience Reading the Two Towers
It is no secret that I had a wee hard time getting through The Two Towers. It took me over two and a half months to finish it. This is not a reflection of how much reading time I have had, I took a bit of a break in the middle of the book and read 6 books before I picked it up again. I didn't hate the book, in fact I liked probably 65% of it. There are just certain characters I am having a hard time getting into and caring about their journeys. The characters are as follows: Aragorn, Legolas and Gimli.
I think I have figured out why. They kind of encompass my preconceived ideas I have of fantasy novels. Just like men on quests doing stuff. I don't know how to further explain that, but I think that is it. I realize that my experience with Fantasy stuff is fairly limited, therefore most of my ideas about it are perhaps misconstrued. In past posts I have explained a little about what I like about fantasy "magical objects, etc." So maybe I will explain a little about what I don't like about fantasy -men on quests doing stuff. My brain just naturally shuts off. Having magical powers or senses doesn't help at all (they don't hurt, just don't help.) Having a noble reason for the quest also doesn't help. Anyway, for whatever reason, that is what I think of when I think of fantasy and I just go -blah.
I also don't have a lot of concern with "the ring" I know it is powerful, I know it has some bad guy's spirit in it or something and if it falls into the wrong hands, life as all of these people know it in Middle Earth will be destroyed. I also know that it is the crux of this series. I care that Frodo has to destroy it and I am totally with him there, but the whole idea of the ring isn't that interesting to me.
Ok, now that that is done, I really like Frodo and Samwise. I liked all of the story with them and Gollum traveling to Mordor, that was good stuff. Shelob was freaking cool and I wasn't expecting her. It had a good ending too, cliff hanger-ish. I also am liking Pippin and Merry too. They are funny and hold my interest nicely. Treebeard was really cool and I found his whole part really interesting. Rohan was boring to me and gave me flashbacks of Rivendell. But that was the three people I was talking about before, so perhaps my brain inadvertently shut down.
I have a bit of a beef with Mr. Tolkien about something. Why in the world did he name his two bad guys, "Sauron" and "Saruman" this confuses me greatly! They are so similar in spelling and sound, I have great difficulty telling them apart and figuring out who we are talking about at any given time. What is up with that?
I have one more point to bring up, which doesn't have to do with plot or storyline. Sue, in your review of "Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets" under your dislikes category, you state:
The line in the book "celebrity is as celebrity does". I think Lockhart says it to Harry. When I read the line I almost threw the book across the room in disgust. The Forest Gump people should sue her.
Is this on account of plagiarism or something? If so, I would like to draw your attention to Pg. 624 of my copy of The Two Towers (the last few pages of The Window on the West) : "You've spoken very handsome all along, put me off my guard, talking of Elves and all. But handsome is as handsome does we say."
So, should Tolkien's people sue the Forest Gump writer first? Or is this a legitimate saying that has been tossed around for centuries where you throw in the proper word for the situation?
So in conclusion, all in all, I liked the book. I struggled a bit through parts, but am left with a desire to read the last book so I can see how it all works out. I think I am going to attempt to see the first two movies first. Sue watched a few Harry Potter movies and it may do me some good. Maybe I will understand or care more about the three I am having a hard time picturing. Plus, I must say I am curious to see some of the things I read about come to life. It will also be interesting to see the first movie again and see if anything comes back to me.
Sunday, September 21, 2008
The Fellowship of the Ring (A Review and an exploration of Emily's Psyche)
Well, I am not sure I am ready to glue hair on my feet, but I kind of liked it!
(That was a reference to Spock ears in case you missed it).
SPOILERS BEWARE
I was sucked in pretty good at the start. Was interested in Frodo getting the ring from Bilbo, then the forming of his Hobbit fellowship, the start of his journey, I liked Bree (yes, I skipped over the songs, thanks for the permission Sue. I probably would have skipped them anyway, but I was saved the guilt), then was happy in the reuniting with Gandolf. Then came Rivendell, that was my interest's demise for about 100 pages or so. The elves and the "Council of Elrond" was very, very, hard for me to get into and follow and care about. I knew while reading, it was information I should pay attention to, and I tried, but I am afraid I took little away from what I had read. I hope I am not messed up because of this later. If so, maybe someone can give me the highlights. The only interest I had during that time was Bilbo peculiar behavior. I don't know if he was weird for a reason that I will find out later or perhaps missed, or if only I found him weird.
The book picked back up again when the troops were back on the road. Given my history of Elves (the Rivendell ones) I was surprised that I found the chapters where they are with the wood elves in Lothlorien probably my favorite part of the book. Then, more journeys and it is done.
Now for some random thoughts, musings and psyche explorations.
-Rob and I briefly lived in (and managed) an apartment complex called "Rivendell". We heard one or two people say something like "someone sure likes the Lord of the Rings" when they heard where we lived. That went over mine and rob's heads. Not anymore! Our Rivendell was a horrid place. Not only was it where I lived through most of my horrible pregnancy, I had to do it whilst living in a place that faced the rear of many greasy fast food places, so stinky waifs of onion ring grease and other things littered the air and I had a hard time walking outside most days (I held my breath A LOT while walking to my car, and walked slowly as not to gag). Not only did I have to walk outside, I had to clean the laundry room (laundry rooms are dirty and stinky places and I had major hangups about that room, having to psych myself out every time I had to enter it for any reason). I also had to pick up garbage around the complex and I don't know about the elves, but our people of Rivendell were slobs and not too proud to throw their bottles of beer off of their balcony after they had drained them. The thing that went through my head while doing this chore over and over was George Castanza yelling, "we are living in a SOCIETY!" NOT my happiest memories.
- I have some weird bigotry of dwarfs. I don't like them. I don't like their looks, their attitude or their demeanor. I wonder if that is what was mostly wrong with the Hobbit? Too many dwarfs.
There are significantly less dwarfs in The Fellowship, but it was whilst reading that book where I discovered my prejudice. I don't know where it comes from. Certainly not their stature, as other little people don't have this effect on me. Who knows.
-I have learned something about myself. I really like magical objects. I read with rapt attention every time a magical object is introduced. Every time the wood elves presented their gifts, I was enamored. I think that is a little of the pull Harry Potter had on me. Those books are silly with exciting magical do dads. They make me giddy and bring out the kid in me as few things can do. This was an interesting thing to realize about myself and I shall explore it further.
-I didn't realize it until half way through this book, but I had a remarkably similar experience with my movie watching as Sue had with the Harry Potter movie. Reading the book rang pretty much no bells with me and I know I sat through the movie. I have a brief memory of Frodo and Gandolf at his house at the beginning with the ring and throwing it in the fire and then of Gandolf falling to his demise and then I remember the credits very well. NOTHING else. I don't remember Dave from Encino Man being Frodos right hand man, I don't remember fairly land, nothing of that at all retained in my brain. Weird.
I think that is all, except that I can't imagine Gandolf is gone forever, that was too soon. Sue couldn't love him so much for his dinky part he has had so far.
(That was a reference to Spock ears in case you missed it).
SPOILERS BEWARE
I was sucked in pretty good at the start. Was interested in Frodo getting the ring from Bilbo, then the forming of his Hobbit fellowship, the start of his journey, I liked Bree (yes, I skipped over the songs, thanks for the permission Sue. I probably would have skipped them anyway, but I was saved the guilt), then was happy in the reuniting with Gandolf. Then came Rivendell, that was my interest's demise for about 100 pages or so. The elves and the "Council of Elrond" was very, very, hard for me to get into and follow and care about. I knew while reading, it was information I should pay attention to, and I tried, but I am afraid I took little away from what I had read. I hope I am not messed up because of this later. If so, maybe someone can give me the highlights. The only interest I had during that time was Bilbo peculiar behavior. I don't know if he was weird for a reason that I will find out later or perhaps missed, or if only I found him weird.
The book picked back up again when the troops were back on the road. Given my history of Elves (the Rivendell ones) I was surprised that I found the chapters where they are with the wood elves in Lothlorien probably my favorite part of the book. Then, more journeys and it is done.
Now for some random thoughts, musings and psyche explorations.
-Rob and I briefly lived in (and managed) an apartment complex called "Rivendell". We heard one or two people say something like "someone sure likes the Lord of the Rings" when they heard where we lived. That went over mine and rob's heads. Not anymore! Our Rivendell was a horrid place. Not only was it where I lived through most of my horrible pregnancy, I had to do it whilst living in a place that faced the rear of many greasy fast food places, so stinky waifs of onion ring grease and other things littered the air and I had a hard time walking outside most days (I held my breath A LOT while walking to my car, and walked slowly as not to gag). Not only did I have to walk outside, I had to clean the laundry room (laundry rooms are dirty and stinky places and I had major hangups about that room, having to psych myself out every time I had to enter it for any reason). I also had to pick up garbage around the complex and I don't know about the elves, but our people of Rivendell were slobs and not too proud to throw their bottles of beer off of their balcony after they had drained them. The thing that went through my head while doing this chore over and over was George Castanza yelling, "we are living in a SOCIETY!" NOT my happiest memories.
- I have some weird bigotry of dwarfs. I don't like them. I don't like their looks, their attitude or their demeanor. I wonder if that is what was mostly wrong with the Hobbit? Too many dwarfs.
There are significantly less dwarfs in The Fellowship, but it was whilst reading that book where I discovered my prejudice. I don't know where it comes from. Certainly not their stature, as other little people don't have this effect on me. Who knows.
-I have learned something about myself. I really like magical objects. I read with rapt attention every time a magical object is introduced. Every time the wood elves presented their gifts, I was enamored. I think that is a little of the pull Harry Potter had on me. Those books are silly with exciting magical do dads. They make me giddy and bring out the kid in me as few things can do. This was an interesting thing to realize about myself and I shall explore it further.
-I didn't realize it until half way through this book, but I had a remarkably similar experience with my movie watching as Sue had with the Harry Potter movie. Reading the book rang pretty much no bells with me and I know I sat through the movie. I have a brief memory of Frodo and Gandolf at his house at the beginning with the ring and throwing it in the fire and then of Gandolf falling to his demise and then I remember the credits very well. NOTHING else. I don't remember Dave from Encino Man being Frodos right hand man, I don't remember fairly land, nothing of that at all retained in my brain. Weird.
I think that is all, except that I can't imagine Gandolf is gone forever, that was too soon. Sue couldn't love him so much for his dinky part he has had so far.
Thursday, September 18, 2008
Time to Declare!
Calling all members of Camps Fro Bags and Harry Pot Potts! I would like a declaration of where you all stand. Ami called me a day or two ago and we discussed our curiosity on where we all were. So, I have decided to call for a surprise declaration every few weeks, and here is your first. Think of it as your "weigh in" if we were all on weight watchers. It will keep you motivated. I don't care if you haven't even started, take your lumps and declare it to the world! Would the following please state your place in your series:
Camp Harry Pot Potts
Sue
Haley
Amy
Camp Fro Bags
B
Ami (honorary member)*
*This is my friend that decided to read along with us, even though she is very familiar with both series, loves LOTRs so much wants to read along with us anyway! Yay!
Emily: I am on book 2 (The Fellowship of the Ring) Page 626, with 220 pages yet to go. Plugging along!
Did I miss anyone of either camp? Let me know, or it's not to late to join, if you haven't yet!
Camp Harry Pot Potts
Sue
Haley
Amy
Camp Fro Bags
B
Ami (honorary member)*
*This is my friend that decided to read along with us, even though she is very familiar with both series, loves LOTRs so much wants to read along with us anyway! Yay!
Emily: I am on book 2 (The Fellowship of the Ring) Page 626, with 220 pages yet to go. Plugging along!
Did I miss anyone of either camp? Let me know, or it's not to late to join, if you haven't yet!
Saturday, September 6, 2008
The Hobbit (A Review)
Entry #2
Harry vs. Frodo
I finished The Hobbit today. I am trying to grapple with what to say. I can't say I totally enjoyed it, but it wasn't bad. Mainly, I was kind of disappointed that there wasn't more to it. It was an adventure tale, but that was it. It reminded me of stories I liked as a child where three brothers set off on a journey and one of them turns out to be the most clever (the youngest inevitably) and in the end it is a life lesson/morality tale. Yes, Bilbo changed as a person (a hobbit), and discovered he was more clever, lucky, and brave then he knew himself to be, but not by a lot, or enough to make it too powerful. Maybe I just don't know my hobbits. It was essentially a march across the Forest, encounters with various creatures, then a fight with a dragon, which they didn't even participate in. Then we did get a short lesson in greed, then it was back home for ol Bilbo.
I am not looking for life lessons in all of my books, but I guess because of the premise, I was expecting one. Here is the good thing: I talked to two friends of mine at work, (Richard and Don, my resident RCC book dude) both of whom have read both series. Neither had a real great opinion of The Hobbit, but both love the trilogy. So, they figure I was to read the Hobbit to become familiar with the world (or that was Sues plan) That's cool and well, the ring makes an appearance, I am sure it does more then make the wearer invisible, so that will be interesting to see. I am holding out hope that the other three have more "meat" to them and stronger story lines and what not.
My favorite part of the book and the one that held the most interest to me was the chapter where Bilbo discovers the ring is lost in the cave and we meet Gollum. The one of least interest was the warring at the end. I have a feeling that there is a fair amount of wars to come and I just hope they hold more interest to me then that one did. Another thing I enjoyed was Tolkien's writing style. I felt his sense of humor and care for his world very much and "voice" in novels is something I have always held in high esteem.
To sum up, I was not totally enamored with this book. I am going to have to say, I look forward to the other books, and have high hopes that they will bring a little more mutton to the table.
To read Sue's review of the first Harry Potter book, click here
Harry vs. Frodo
I finished The Hobbit today. I am trying to grapple with what to say. I can't say I totally enjoyed it, but it wasn't bad. Mainly, I was kind of disappointed that there wasn't more to it. It was an adventure tale, but that was it. It reminded me of stories I liked as a child where three brothers set off on a journey and one of them turns out to be the most clever (the youngest inevitably) and in the end it is a life lesson/morality tale. Yes, Bilbo changed as a person (a hobbit), and discovered he was more clever, lucky, and brave then he knew himself to be, but not by a lot, or enough to make it too powerful. Maybe I just don't know my hobbits. It was essentially a march across the Forest, encounters with various creatures, then a fight with a dragon, which they didn't even participate in. Then we did get a short lesson in greed, then it was back home for ol Bilbo.
I am not looking for life lessons in all of my books, but I guess because of the premise, I was expecting one. Here is the good thing: I talked to two friends of mine at work, (Richard and Don, my resident RCC book dude) both of whom have read both series. Neither had a real great opinion of The Hobbit, but both love the trilogy. So, they figure I was to read the Hobbit to become familiar with the world (or that was Sues plan) That's cool and well, the ring makes an appearance, I am sure it does more then make the wearer invisible, so that will be interesting to see. I am holding out hope that the other three have more "meat" to them and stronger story lines and what not.
My favorite part of the book and the one that held the most interest to me was the chapter where Bilbo discovers the ring is lost in the cave and we meet Gollum. The one of least interest was the warring at the end. I have a feeling that there is a fair amount of wars to come and I just hope they hold more interest to me then that one did. Another thing I enjoyed was Tolkien's writing style. I felt his sense of humor and care for his world very much and "voice" in novels is something I have always held in high esteem.
To sum up, I was not totally enamored with this book. I am going to have to say, I look forward to the other books, and have high hopes that they will bring a little more mutton to the table.
To read Sue's review of the first Harry Potter book, click here
Thursday, August 28, 2008
Standing on the Threshold of Nerd-dom
Entry #1
Harry Vs. Frodo
(If you haven't read The Gauntlet yet, read it first so this will make more sense.)
I checked out the Hobbit yesterday and before "diving into it" (hee hee B), I thought it would be a good idea to record my feelings about the JRR Tolkin books, so we have a record of them, clean and pure before they are muddled with me actually reading them.
First off, I have never been a big fan of Science Fiction, a little more so as a kid, but steadily declined as I grew older until I don't want anything to do with any of it. I have never seen any of the new Star Wars, I have never sat through an episode of Star Trek, you get the idea. Fantasy has NEVER appealed to me that I can remember. At least not since I was a little girl and thought unicorns were cool. I would look at the covers of the books that my friends were reading and it was all about some quest and a magic sword and I would be like, yeah, where's my Nancy Drew?
I have however always had a love for juvenile literature. I loved it as a juvenile and continue to love it as an adult. There is something about reading a children's book and being brought back to that era through the characters and also through being the reader again and how exciting it all was. That is what got me to read the Harry Potter books while I was in New York. My friends Ami and Alex gave me the first book to read and I remember one of Alex's friends saying, "I am so jealous of you, being able to read all these books for the first time!" (this was a Cornell graduate student, mind you) he had read them all a few times I guess. So needless to say, from that point on, I was hooked and I decided that I supposed a little fantasy is ok and fun.
With that being said, the Tolkin books are not a little fantasy. They are a lot! Rowling did create a new little world for her characters to live, but it is my impression that Tolkin created a huge giant world one where I am afraid to be. Like languages and everything and it all makes me sigh and think, I don't think I am up for this. I make fun of the people that speak hobbit or cling-on (wow, that is sure not how you spell that, but happily, I have no idea).
I am sure the books are great to people that like that stuff I am sure they are well written, it's just not my bag baby (yeah). I went to the first Lord of the Rings movie in the theater. I saw the previews and thought the imagrey was stunning and I swear! I was all set to love it and maybe then read the books and enjoy them. Well, this didn't happen. I was absolutely bored to tears. I was kind of surprised, I really did think I would like it. I kept waiting for the credits and waiting and when they FINALLY popped up I actually clapped. I gave up after that and have just had a good time making fun of them. Now, here I am, about to start the books. I will promise to try to have an open mind. Sue, I expect the same from you!
I am going to give Sue a brief testimonial of the Harry Potter books now.
Thanks Ami and Alex for introducing me! I read the first one and thought, well that was a very cute children's book, imaginative and interesting. The second, kind of the same, good kids book, I could see why this series had gotten a lot of kids reading that don't normally. Cute enough to go on and find out what happens next. The third book was a turning point. Upon finishing I was sucked into the whole Harry world by now and just had to know what was going to happen next. The fourth was so good and you could tell Rowling was becoming a better writer and the books got more interesting and darker. Yes, darker is a good thing in my eyes! So, anyway, it was a lot of fun and excrutiating at times waiting for the next one to come out.
All and all, they are a great collection of childrens stories, a fun fantasy world to get lost in. Harry is very likable, Snape is my favorite person to hate (I love Snape, LOVE that Alan Rickman portrays him in the films, not a better actor on the planet for this role), Haggrid is funny (and very different from Coltrane's persona in the films).
Sue, try not to compare them to The Lord of the Rings, just read them with these things in mind, and I gotta say, I'm jealous that you get to read these all for the first time!
Harry Vs. Frodo
(If you haven't read The Gauntlet yet, read it first so this will make more sense.)
I checked out the Hobbit yesterday and before "diving into it" (hee hee B), I thought it would be a good idea to record my feelings about the JRR Tolkin books, so we have a record of them, clean and pure before they are muddled with me actually reading them.
First off, I have never been a big fan of Science Fiction, a little more so as a kid, but steadily declined as I grew older until I don't want anything to do with any of it. I have never seen any of the new Star Wars, I have never sat through an episode of Star Trek, you get the idea. Fantasy has NEVER appealed to me that I can remember. At least not since I was a little girl and thought unicorns were cool. I would look at the covers of the books that my friends were reading and it was all about some quest and a magic sword and I would be like, yeah, where's my Nancy Drew?
I have however always had a love for juvenile literature. I loved it as a juvenile and continue to love it as an adult. There is something about reading a children's book and being brought back to that era through the characters and also through being the reader again and how exciting it all was. That is what got me to read the Harry Potter books while I was in New York. My friends Ami and Alex gave me the first book to read and I remember one of Alex's friends saying, "I am so jealous of you, being able to read all these books for the first time!" (this was a Cornell graduate student, mind you) he had read them all a few times I guess. So needless to say, from that point on, I was hooked and I decided that I supposed a little fantasy is ok and fun.
With that being said, the Tolkin books are not a little fantasy. They are a lot! Rowling did create a new little world for her characters to live, but it is my impression that Tolkin created a huge giant world one where I am afraid to be. Like languages and everything and it all makes me sigh and think, I don't think I am up for this. I make fun of the people that speak hobbit or cling-on (wow, that is sure not how you spell that, but happily, I have no idea).
I am sure the books are great to people that like that stuff I am sure they are well written, it's just not my bag baby (yeah). I went to the first Lord of the Rings movie in the theater. I saw the previews and thought the imagrey was stunning and I swear! I was all set to love it and maybe then read the books and enjoy them. Well, this didn't happen. I was absolutely bored to tears. I was kind of surprised, I really did think I would like it. I kept waiting for the credits and waiting and when they FINALLY popped up I actually clapped. I gave up after that and have just had a good time making fun of them. Now, here I am, about to start the books. I will promise to try to have an open mind. Sue, I expect the same from you!
I am going to give Sue a brief testimonial of the Harry Potter books now.
Thanks Ami and Alex for introducing me! I read the first one and thought, well that was a very cute children's book, imaginative and interesting. The second, kind of the same, good kids book, I could see why this series had gotten a lot of kids reading that don't normally. Cute enough to go on and find out what happens next. The third book was a turning point. Upon finishing I was sucked into the whole Harry world by now and just had to know what was going to happen next. The fourth was so good and you could tell Rowling was becoming a better writer and the books got more interesting and darker. Yes, darker is a good thing in my eyes! So, anyway, it was a lot of fun and excrutiating at times waiting for the next one to come out.
All and all, they are a great collection of childrens stories, a fun fantasy world to get lost in. Harry is very likable, Snape is my favorite person to hate (I love Snape, LOVE that Alan Rickman portrays him in the films, not a better actor on the planet for this role), Haggrid is funny (and very different from Coltrane's persona in the films).
Sue, try not to compare them to The Lord of the Rings, just read them with these things in mind, and I gotta say, I'm jealous that you get to read these all for the first time!
Tuesday, August 26, 2008
The Gauntlet
This post is aimed at you Sue.
This is something I have been thinking about for a long time, and all this talk of books has pushed it to the fore-front. What would you say to a little challenge?
We all know by now that I am a fan of Harry Potter and Sue is a fan of The Lord of the Rings, and we have both expressed disinterest/distaste for the other series.
My challenge to you or the gauntlet I am throwing down is that I will read the Lord of the Rings and you, dear sis, will read Harry Potter.
After we have done this, one of two things will be able to happen. Either we will gain an appreciation or (gasp) end up liking the others preference, OR we will be able to knock the others series with more knowledge and vigor then ever before.
VS.
Harry Vs. Frodo was going to be the title for this blog, but heaven help me, I just couldn't handle being that nerdy.
I am also wondering if anyone else wants in (are a fan of one and not the other) we could extend the challenge into 2 camps. These camps would not be large, as my fan base (or people that read my blog) is not a big one (fan base! I like that, it's a nice way to refer to the few members of my family and one or two friends that actually read this!).
If Sue excepts this challenge, I will be tracking my progress of the books on this blog, and how I am doing with them, and I encourage Sue to do the same. I will warn you though, it may take a while as I am in the middle of two books right now and I am sure Sue has books too. But, I can always start a 3rd.....................................
Monday, August 18, 2008
I Like Books
Apparently, the National Endowment For the Arts has decided that Americans have read an average of 6 books on this list of a hundred and people are posting it on their blogs to show that they are not part of that statistic. I was kind of hoping I had read over 50%, but I fell short at 42 (I think). I need to take up Charles Dickens and Thomas Hardy to raise my percentage. I probably should anyway.... Anywho, here is my list, the yellow ones are read by me and I did one in pink because I am in the middle of it right now. Feel free to copy the list and put on your own blog.
1 Pride and Prejudice - Jane Austen
2 The Lord of the Rings - JRR Tolkien
3 Jane Eyre - Charlotte Bronte
4 Harry Potter series - JK Rowling
5 To Kill a Mockingbird - Harper Lee
6 The Bible
7 Wuthering Heights - Emily Bronte
8 Nineteen Eighty Four - George Orwell**
9 His Dark Materials - Philip Pullman
10 Great Expectations - Charles Dickens
11 Little Women - Louisa M Alcott
12 Tess of the D'Urbervilles - Thomas Hardy
13 Catch 22 - Joseph Heller
14 Complete Works of Shakespeare
15 Rebecca - Daphne Du Maurier
16 The Hobbit - JRR Tolkien
17 Birdsong - Sebastian Faulks
18 Catcher in the Rye - JD Salinger
19 The Time Traveller's Wife - Audrey Niffenegger
20 Middlemarch - George Eliot
21 Gone With The Wind - Margaret Mitchell
22 The Great Gatsby - F Scott Fitzgerald
23 Bleak House - Charles Dickens
24 War and Peace - Leo Tolstoy
25 The Hitch Hiker's Guide to the Galaxy - Douglas Adams
26 Brideshead Revisited - Evelyn Waugh
27 Crime and Punishment - Fyodor Dostoyevsky
28 Grapes of Wrath - John Steinbeck
29 Alice in Wonderland - Lewis Carroll
30 The Wind in the Willows - Kenneth Grahame
31 Anna Karenina - Leo Tolstoy
32 David Copperfield - Charles Dickens
33 Chronicles of Narnia - CS Lewis
34 Emma- Jane Austen
35 Persuasion - Jane Austen
36 The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe - CS Lewis
37 The Kite Runner - Khaled Hosseini
38 Captain Corelli's Mandolin - Louis De Bernieres
39 Memoirs of a Geisha - Arthur Golden
40 Winnie the Pooh - AA Milne
41 Animal Farm - George Orwell
42 The Da Vinci Code - Dan Brown
43 One Hundred Years of Solitude - Gabriel Garcia Marquez
44 A Prayer for Owen Meany - John Irving
45 The Woman in White - Wilkie Collins
46 Anne of Green Gables - LM Montgomery
47 Far From The Madding Crowd - Thomas Hardy
48 The Handmaid's Tale - Margaret Atwood
49 Lord of the Flies - William Golding
50 Atonement - Ian McEwan
51 Life of Pi - Yann Martel
52 Dune - Frank Herbert
53 Cold Comfort Farm - Stella Gibbons
54 Sense and Sensibility- Jane Austen
55 A Suitable Boy - Vikram Seth
56 The Shadow of the Wind - Carlos Ruiz Zafon
57 A Tale Of Two Cities - Charles Dickens
58 Brave New World - Aldous Huxley
59 The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time - Mark Haddon
60 Love In The Time Of Cholera - Gabriel Garcia Marquez
61 Of Mice and Men - John Steinbeck
62 Lolita - Vladimir Nabokov
63 The Secret History - Donna Tartt
64 The Lovely Bones - Alice Sebold
65 Count of Monte Cristo - Alexandre Dumas
66 On The Road - Jack Kerouac
67 Jude the Obscure - Thomas Hardy
68 Bridget Jones's Diary - Helen Fielding
69 Midnight's Children - Salman Rushdie
70 Moby Dick - Herman Melville
71 Oliver Twist - Charles Dickens
72 Dracula - Bram Stoker
73 The Secret Garden - Frances Hodgson Burnett
74 Notes From A Small Island - Bill Bryson
75 Ulysses - James Joyce
76 The Bell Jar - Sylvia Plath
77 Swallows and Amazons - Arthur Ransome
78 Germinal - Emile Zola
79 Vanity Fair - William Makepeace Thackeray
80 Possession - AS Byatt
81 A Christmas Carol - Charles Dickens
82 Cloud Atlas - David Mitchell
83 The Color Purple - Alice Walker
84 The Remains of the Day - Kazuo Ishiguro
85 Madame Bovary - Gustave Flaubert
86 A Fine Balance - Rohinton Mistry
87 Charlotte's Web - EB White
88 The Five People You Meet In Heaven - Mitch Albom
89 Adventures of Sherlock Holmes - Sir Arthur Conan Doyle
90 The Faraway Tree Collection
91 Heart of Darkness - Joseph Conrad
92 The Little Prince - Antoine De Saint-Exupery (en francais)
93 The Wasp Factory - Iain Banks
94 Watership Down - Richard Adams
95 A Confederacy of Dunces - John Kennedy Toole
96 A Town Like Alice - Nevil Shute
97 The Three Musketeers - Alexandre Dumas
98 Hamlet - William Shakespeare
99 Charlie and the Chocolate Factory - Roald Dahl
100 Les Miserables - Victor Hugo
The most haunting part of the statistic is that many of the people I know have read many of these books, far more then 6, I am sure. That just means that many people have read none of them.
Ok, THE MOST haunting thing is that my own dear husband has read only one of these books.
It's the Color Purple, if you were all burning with curiosity. I bet he has read the Bible cover to cover too. I know who would have predicted I would marry a man that didn't enjoy reading? Strange things happen all the time.
Alright, here is what I really want you all to do. Tell me the books that I haven't read that you all think I would really like, or that you all think is really lame that I haven't and I will read them.
1 Pride and Prejudice - Jane Austen
2 The Lord of the Rings - JRR Tolkien
3 Jane Eyre - Charlotte Bronte
4 Harry Potter series - JK Rowling
5 To Kill a Mockingbird - Harper Lee
6 The Bible
7 Wuthering Heights - Emily Bronte
8 Nineteen Eighty Four - George Orwell**
9 His Dark Materials - Philip Pullman
10 Great Expectations - Charles Dickens
11 Little Women - Louisa M Alcott
12 Tess of the D'Urbervilles - Thomas Hardy
13 Catch 22 - Joseph Heller
14 Complete Works of Shakespeare
15 Rebecca - Daphne Du Maurier
16 The Hobbit - JRR Tolkien
17 Birdsong - Sebastian Faulks
18 Catcher in the Rye - JD Salinger
19 The Time Traveller's Wife - Audrey Niffenegger
20 Middlemarch - George Eliot
21 Gone With The Wind - Margaret Mitchell
22 The Great Gatsby - F Scott Fitzgerald
23 Bleak House - Charles Dickens
24 War and Peace - Leo Tolstoy
25 The Hitch Hiker's Guide to the Galaxy - Douglas Adams
26 Brideshead Revisited - Evelyn Waugh
27 Crime and Punishment - Fyodor Dostoyevsky
28 Grapes of Wrath - John Steinbeck
29 Alice in Wonderland - Lewis Carroll
30 The Wind in the Willows - Kenneth Grahame
31 Anna Karenina - Leo Tolstoy
32 David Copperfield - Charles Dickens
33 Chronicles of Narnia - CS Lewis
34 Emma- Jane Austen
35 Persuasion - Jane Austen
36 The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe - CS Lewis
37 The Kite Runner - Khaled Hosseini
38 Captain Corelli's Mandolin - Louis De Bernieres
39 Memoirs of a Geisha - Arthur Golden
40 Winnie the Pooh - AA Milne
41 Animal Farm - George Orwell
42 The Da Vinci Code - Dan Brown
43 One Hundred Years of Solitude - Gabriel Garcia Marquez
44 A Prayer for Owen Meany - John Irving
45 The Woman in White - Wilkie Collins
46 Anne of Green Gables - LM Montgomery
47 Far From The Madding Crowd - Thomas Hardy
48 The Handmaid's Tale - Margaret Atwood
49 Lord of the Flies - William Golding
50 Atonement - Ian McEwan
51 Life of Pi - Yann Martel
52 Dune - Frank Herbert
53 Cold Comfort Farm - Stella Gibbons
54 Sense and Sensibility- Jane Austen
55 A Suitable Boy - Vikram Seth
56 The Shadow of the Wind - Carlos Ruiz Zafon
57 A Tale Of Two Cities - Charles Dickens
58 Brave New World - Aldous Huxley
59 The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time - Mark Haddon
60 Love In The Time Of Cholera - Gabriel Garcia Marquez
61 Of Mice and Men - John Steinbeck
62 Lolita - Vladimir Nabokov
63 The Secret History - Donna Tartt
64 The Lovely Bones - Alice Sebold
65 Count of Monte Cristo - Alexandre Dumas
66 On The Road - Jack Kerouac
67 Jude the Obscure - Thomas Hardy
68 Bridget Jones's Diary - Helen Fielding
69 Midnight's Children - Salman Rushdie
70 Moby Dick - Herman Melville
71 Oliver Twist - Charles Dickens
72 Dracula - Bram Stoker
73 The Secret Garden - Frances Hodgson Burnett
74 Notes From A Small Island - Bill Bryson
75 Ulysses - James Joyce
76 The Bell Jar - Sylvia Plath
77 Swallows and Amazons - Arthur Ransome
78 Germinal - Emile Zola
79 Vanity Fair - William Makepeace Thackeray
80 Possession - AS Byatt
81 A Christmas Carol - Charles Dickens
82 Cloud Atlas - David Mitchell
83 The Color Purple - Alice Walker
84 The Remains of the Day - Kazuo Ishiguro
85 Madame Bovary - Gustave Flaubert
86 A Fine Balance - Rohinton Mistry
87 Charlotte's Web - EB White
88 The Five People You Meet In Heaven - Mitch Albom
89 Adventures of Sherlock Holmes - Sir Arthur Conan Doyle
90 The Faraway Tree Collection
91 Heart of Darkness - Joseph Conrad
92 The Little Prince - Antoine De Saint-Exupery (en francais)
93 The Wasp Factory - Iain Banks
94 Watership Down - Richard Adams
95 A Confederacy of Dunces - John Kennedy Toole
96 A Town Like Alice - Nevil Shute
97 The Three Musketeers - Alexandre Dumas
98 Hamlet - William Shakespeare
99 Charlie and the Chocolate Factory - Roald Dahl
100 Les Miserables - Victor Hugo
The most haunting part of the statistic is that many of the people I know have read many of these books, far more then 6, I am sure. That just means that many people have read none of them.
Ok, THE MOST haunting thing is that my own dear husband has read only one of these books.
It's the Color Purple, if you were all burning with curiosity. I bet he has read the Bible cover to cover too. I know who would have predicted I would marry a man that didn't enjoy reading? Strange things happen all the time.
Alright, here is what I really want you all to do. Tell me the books that I haven't read that you all think I would really like, or that you all think is really lame that I haven't and I will read them.
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