#BookReport #DaiseysReadingWeek
📖 The Return of the King #LotRChapterADay #FellowshipOfTolkien
🎧 The End of the Affair

#CurrentlyReading
🎧 Don Quixote
🎧 The Godfather
📖 Dinged
📖 Advent
📖 Mrs. Dalloway
📖 Letters from Father Christmas #TolkienChristmas (forgot to add it to the image)

#WeeklyForecast
📚Continue current books

Happy December! Revisiting this book each year has become a holiday season tradition for me, although how I read it varies. Some years I read it quickly and sometimes, like this year, I look forward a few pages per day through the month. The illustrations are wonderful!

#FellowshipOfTolkien #TolkienChristmas

November was a good reading month. I finished #DraculaDaily, which was a fantastic long read. It was one of 5 #1001books completed this month, along with starting Don Quixote. I also especially enjoyed Sovietistan.

#BookSpinBingo #ReadingStats #MonthlyStats

I enjoyed listening to Colin Forth read this, but I didn‘t particularly care about the story.

#1001books #audiobook #Roll100 book 94

For just over 20 years, Tolkien wrote and illustrated letters to his children about life at the North Pole from Father Christmas. Through December, we will be reading these letters and invite anyone that‘s interested to join us. We have a schedule, but it‘s a very relaxed readalong. Feel free to join, share your thoughts, and use the tag #TolkienChristmas.

#FellowshipOfTolkien #Christmas #Readalong #ReadingSchedule

This is my current book to read while my students have independent reading time. Tommy Greenwald describes the intensity of football games well and doesn‘t shy away from the serious aspects of sports culture either. In this one, Caleb is a young and impressive quarterback for his high school team while also beginning to realize the after effects of playing professional football on his father. 🏈

#YA #TRS2023

Spending some time this evening catching up on the individual readings for this Bible study before tomorrow‘s meeting. We started before the actual start of Advent so we could finish ahead of the very busy days the week before Christmas.

“And let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called in the one body. And be thankful.”
- Colossians‬ ‭3‬:‭15‬ ‭NRSV‬‬

#Christian #BibleBuddyRead

#BookReport #DaiseysReadingWeek
📖 Small Town Pride
📖 Sexing the Cherry
🎧 The House of the Spirits #Chile #FoodAndLit #ReadingTheAmericas2023
🎧 A Glass of Blessings

#CurrentlyReading
🎧 Don Quixote
📖 The Return of the King #LotRChapterADay #FellowshipOfTolkien

#WeeklyForecast
📚Continue current books

I‘m really not quite sure what I read. This is a strange novel that includes different timelines, mostly in the 1600s but also the 1990s, as well as a fairy tale retelling. We get this story mostly through the alternating perspectives of Jordan, a boy rescued from the Thames, and Dog Woman, the woman who rescues and raises him. Their stories include sex, violence, humor, and some quotable lines.

#1001books #Reading1001 #TBRTakedown

This was a family saga with magical realism and South American politics. There are stories of love but plenty of violence as well, and it does not end with a very hopeful outlook. I enjoyed the variety of characters in the family.

#1001books #audiobook #FoodAndLit #Chile #ReadTheWorld #ReadingTheWorld #ReadingTheAmericas2023

Catching up and possibly reading ahead in the Appendices tonight. I read some more carefully than others, and one of those is “The House of Eorl.” I always find the history of the Rohirrim especially fascinating, including the story of Felarof, the ancestor of Shadowfax.

#LotRChapterADay #FellowshipOfTolkien

I didn‘t get to read this as a chapter a day read this month, but I listened to it today and enjoyed it, although not quite as much as Excellent Women. Pym provides a detailed slice of life look at these characters‘ world of 1950s England. Even though I didn‘t particularly like most of the characters, there was just enough humor to keep me invested in the description of their daily lives.

#audiobook

Ending my day with the pets and a few pages of the Appendices at the end of The Lord of the Rings. This information can definitely be overwhelming if it‘s a first time read, but it makes me want to dive into The Silmarillion again. The depth of the history gets a little easier with each read and continues to fascinate me.

#LotRChapterADay #FellowshipOfTolkien

#BookReport #DaiseysReadingWeek
📖 Nowhere Better Than Here
🎧 Sovietistan
🎧 White Women

#CurrentlyReading
🎧 Don Quixote
📖 The Return of the King #LotRChapterADay #FellowshipOfTolkien
📖 Sexing the Cherry
🎧 The House of the Spirits

#WeeklyForecast
📚Continue current books

I so appreciated the perspective and reality of this story. Jillian lives in a small town in Louisiana where the residents are used to water. Most of the houses are on stilts and almost everyone has a boat. Yet, after a rain that floods the school and damages bridges, things don‘t go back to normal. Jillian fights to save her school and learns more history of her community, including how much of it has already disappeared under water. ⬇️

I thoroughly enjoyed this travelogue describing a Norwegian journalist‘s travels through #Turkmenistan, #Kazakhstan, #Tajikistan, #Kyrgyzstan, and #Uzbekistan. She describes some of the travel itself, basic history, political aspects, culture, and personal stories of people she met.

#nonfiction #audiobook #ReadingTheWorld #ReadTheWorld #translated

I finished the final chapter of Return of the King last night and loved this story as much as ever. The friendship between Sam and Frodo as well as Merry and Pippin is amazing. I also appreciate what Tolkien has to say about war and the consequences afterwards more each time I read it.

#LotRChapterADay #FellowshipOfTolkien

I think gloaming is a lovely word for twilight or dusk, but it‘s not at all I word I hear or use.

#WeirdWords #WeirdWordWednesday #LotRChapterADay #FellowshipOfTolkien

I‘ve got two words to share today. This one is actually from the Lord of the Rings Reader‘s Companion rather than LotR itself. Tolkien explains in a letter how Frodo‘s actions at the Crack of Doom had been foreshadowed or adumbrated earlier in the story.

#WeirdWords #WeirdWordWednesday #LotRChapterADay #FellowshipOfTolkien

I listened to the section of this book about Kazakhstan and part of the Tajikistan section this weekend on my walks and continue to find it incredibly interesting. Additionally, I needed an excuse to share this fun up close photo of Luthien enjoying her walk.

#nonfiction #Kazakhstan #Tajikistan #ReadTheWorld #ReadingTheWorld #audiobook #audiowalk #DogsOfLitsy

Not many notes for this chapter, just a lap full of pets who don‘t think I should get up to finish this morning‘s housework or get ready to leave for church.

#LotRChapterADay #FellowshipOfTolkien #CatsOfLitsy #DogsOfLitsy

Sunday morning book and breakfast with Tolkien!

I read Book 6 Chapter 7 “Homeward Bound” with breakfast this morning. After several reads, this chapter actually makes me a bit anxious as I just want them to keep moving and get to the Shire. At the same time, I love their visit to Bree and Butterbur‘s reaction to Strider as king.

#LotRChapterADay #FellowshipOfTolkien #BookAndBreakfast #BreakfastWithTolkien

#BookReport #DaiseysReadingWeek
📖 & 🎧 #DraculaDaily
📖 The Epic of Gilgamesh

#CurrentlyReading
🎧 Don Quixote
🎧 Sovietistan
📖 The Return of the King #LotRChapterADay #FellowshipOfTolkien
🎧 The House of the Spirits
📖 Nowhere Better Than Here

#WeeklyForecast
📚Continue current books

For Book 6 Chapter 4 “The Field of Cormallen”

I found this note about March 25, the day the ring was destroyed, and it‘s traditional relevance in Christian history as the date of the Annunciation and Crucifixion interesting. The note also explains its meaning as Lady Day which I had no knowledge of, other than recently noticing it in reading Tess of the D‘Urbervilles.

#LotRChapterADay #FellowshipOfTolkien #PemberLittens #HashtagBrigade

This was fascinating from a historical perspective and a quicker read than I initially expected. I appreciated the introductory essays describing the history of this ancient story. The story itself is interesting but becomes even more so as you consider it in comparison to other mythological stories.

I‘ve only managed to read a few pages each day this week, so I‘m starting Chapter 3 “Mount Doom” with supper tonight and planning to catch up this weekend. This is a tough section as Sam and Frodo struggle on their journey, but it‘s also so descriptive.

#ReadAndEat #FellowshipOfTolkien #LotRChapterADay

ghyll: a deep ravine; especially a wooded one (noun)

I‘ve always noticed a few unfamiliar words in my Tolkien reading, but I‘ve generally figured out the gist and just kept reading. This is the first LotR read where I‘ve taken quite a bit more time to consider and look up words. So it coordinates perfectly with sharing weird words.

#WeirdWordWednesday #WeirdWords #LotRChapterADay #FellowshipOfTolkien

This was my first time reading Dracula and I thoroughly enjoyed it. A few times it was a little difficult to keep track when there was a long break in between, but overall it was a fantastic way to experience the story. Waiting for the next entry often built up the suspense.

#DraculaDaily #1001books #epistolary

This book has been on my TBR since I first saw it reviewed here and in my Audible library for a bit. I finally started listening on a beautiful fall walk with Luthien today and enjoyed the first section on Turkmenistan.

#ReadTheWorld #ReadingTheWorld #Turkmenistan
#audiobook #nonfiction #audiowalk

Today‘s Sunday morning book and breakfast is the introductory information in this edition of The Epic of Gilgamesh.

#BookAndBreakfast #ReadAndEat

#BookReport #DaiseysReadingWeek
📖 Forgotten Five: Map of Flames
🎧 Lolly Willowes
🎧 An Artist of the Floating World #AuthorAMonth

#CurrentlyReading
📖 & 🎧 #DraculaDaily
🎧 Don Quixote
📖 The Epic of Gilgamesh
📖 The Return of the King #LotRChapterADay #FellowshipOfTolkien
📖 Nowhere Better Than Here

#WeeklyForecast
📚Continue current books
📚 Finish Dracula Daily!

I enjoyed this Ishiguro book more than some of the others of his I‘ve read. It‘s from the perspective of a Japanese father who worked during WWII as an artist promoting the Japanese cause and lost his son in the fighting. In the years following the war, he watches and reflects on the many changes in his city as well as his daughters and the other people around him.

#AuthorAMonth #audiobook #1001books #ReadTheWorld #ReadingTheWorld #Japan

I enjoyed this one, but I was also expecting a bit more. A good portion of the book is taken up with Lolly just being. Then when she does finally break free, she still just seems to exist. I was expecting to see her start making things or doing something other than just escaping to wander the countryside. Yet, I absolutely loved her individualism and the commentary on women‘s lives.

#audiobook #SpinsterLit

In all the discussion of books in chapter 6, I found this one the most interesting and amusing. The author‘s own first book is included on the shelves. According to the footnotes in my print copy, he never wrote a second part.

#SerialReader #RandomClassic

I finished Book 5 and really just want to keep reading, but I also love the chapter by chapter pace that makes me consider each chapter, or a few chapters at a time when I get a bit behind and catch up. My heart still breaks a bit for Pippin each time I read it and experience him learning Sauron knows of Frodo.

#LotRChapterADay #FellowshipOfTolkien

November #BookSpinBingo

I considered a couple words this week and settled on this one. It‘s a more specific definition than I expected just from context.

doggerel: comic verse composed in irregular rhythm; verse or words that are badly written or expressed (noun)

From Book 5 Chapter 8 “The Houses of Healing”

#LotRChapterADay #FellowshipOfTolkien #WeirdWorda #WeirdWordWednesday

I completed more books than I expected in October, including finally finishing Clarissa! I think my favorite new read this month was Wild Swans, but I also had a few great rereads.

#BookSpinBingo #MonthlyStats #ReadingStats

This story has a fun premise of kids with supernatural powers going on an adventure to find missing parents in a world where they have to hide their abilities. However, it‘s also very much a setup for a series. There is a lot of build up and and quite a bit of kid drama in order to get to a big event in just the last few chapters. The results of that event set up plenty more questions for the next book in the series.

#MiddleGrade #TRS2023

The temperature has dropped dramatically in the last few days and we had a bit of wet wintry mix falling earlier. So, it‘s a hot coffee and be cozy with the pets while I read kind of afternoon.

Chapter 7 “The Pyre of Denethor” is a tough chapter, and it shows just how easily the battle without can sneak it‘s way inside.

#LotRChapterADay #FellowshipOfTolkien
#CatsOfLitsy #DogsOfLitsy

#BookReport #DaiseysReadingWeek
📖 Saga Volume 10
🎧 I Contain Multitudes
🎧 Tess of the D‘Urbervilles #PemberLittens #HashtagBrigade
📖 The Dire Days of Willowweep Manor

#CurrentlyReading
📖 & 🎧 #DraculaDaily
📖 The Return of the King #LotRChapterADay #FellowshipOfTolkien
📖 Map of Flames

#WeeklyForecast
📚Continue current books
📚 Start Don Quixote!

From Book 5 Chapter 6 “The Battle of the Pelennor Fields”

This is another place we see just how much interconnection there is between the details of the story. Comments made in Book 1 are relevant to events in Book 5, and the history within the story connects the event back to the Numenoreans.

#LotRChapterADay #FellowshipOfTolkien

From Book 5 Chapter 6 “The Battle of the Pelennor Fields”

Eowyn refers to the Nazgûl as a dwimmerlaik. What a fun word to use at the start of such a momentous scene.

#LotRChapterADay #FellowshipOfTolkien

This book was almost continually frustrating because I so wanted things to be different for Tess. She tried hard to do what she felt was right or what she had to do, and it never went her way. After recently finishing Clarissa, I didn‘t think I would soon read another book with a man that made me so angry, but Hardy managed to make me detest multiple male characters. Yet, he wrapped it all up in absolutely beautiful and descriptive writing.

Catching up on this week‘s chapters tonight and I love the epic feel of this section as we see war in Gondor.

Grond is the name of the battering ram here and was also the name of the mace used by Morgoth in his battle against Fingolfin, the King of the Noldor, in the First Age, described in The Silmarillion.

The name Dernhelm is composed of the parts dern for hidden or secret and helm as in helmet.

#LotRChapterADay #FellowshipOfTolkien

This was a very entertaining read with plenty of amusing references to gothic novels and the just plain ridiculousness of an alternate universe with evil portrayed as green bile. It was a perfect light October read!

#GraphicNovel

This is the second time I‘ve listened to this audiobook, and it was just as fascinating as the first time!

#nonfiction #audiobook #reread

Yesterday evening I started The Return of the King, and then I completely forgot to share a post. There are some amazing descriptions of Gondor and Minas Tirith as Gandalf and Pippin arrive. These include some interesting and somewhat unusual words about the agriculture of the area, so I‘m also making it an early post about weird words for tomorrow.

#LotRChapterADay #FellowshipOfTolkien #WeirdWords #WeirdWordWednesday

Having an after school snack and wishing I could just keep reading more of this book instead of prepping for the rest of the week.

#MiddleGrade #TRS2023 #TeachersOfLitsy

Looking forward to continuing our journey through The Lord of the Rings tomorrow! Also hoping I do a better job of staying with the chapter a day schedule on this section.

#FellowshipOfTolkien #LotRChapterADay #ReadingSchedule