Books Read in 2017

I kept a log of all the books I read in 2017. I enjoyed most, with a few filler books that were okay. I wish I had read more, but I guess I will just have to try this year!

1. Deluge, by Lisa T. Bergren
2. Rise of the Wolf, by Jennifer A. Nielsen
3. Wrath of the Storm, Jennifer A. Nielse
4. A Series of Unfortunate Events #1, by Lemony Snicket
5. Lodestar, by Shannon Messenger
6. The Runaway King, by Jennifer A. Nielsen
7. The Fellowship of the Ring, by J. R. R. Tolkien
8. The Shadow Throne, by Jennifer A. Nielsen
9. Season of Wonder, by Lisa T. Bergren
10. Season of Fire, by Lisa T. Bergren
11. The Weight of Glory, by C. S. Lewis
12. Season of Glory, by Lisa T. Bergren
13. Is That Really You, God?, by Loren Cunningham
14. A Wrinkle in Time, by Madeleine L’Engle
15. The Shadow Throne, by Jennifer A. Nielsen
16. Janette Oke: A Heart for the Prairie, by Laurel Oke Logan
17. Where Trust Lies, by Janette Oke and Laurel Oke Logan
18. Origin, by Jessica Khoury
19. The Last Ride, by Mark Cahill
20. Harry Potter, Narnia, and the Lord of the Rings, by Richard Abanes
21. The Scourge, by Jennifer A. Nielsen
22. Invincible Louisa, by Cornelia Meigs
23. You Have a Brain, by Ben Carson, MD
24. Jane Eyre, by Charlotte Brontë
25. Peter Pan, by J. M. Barrie
26. To Kill a Mockingbird, by Harper Lee
27. Hospital Sketches, by Louisa May Alcott
28. Pride and Prejudice, by Jane Austen
29. Where Hope Prevails, by Janette Oke and Laurel Oke Logan
30. The Magician’s Nephew, by C. S. Lewis
31. The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, by C. S. Lewis
32. The Horse and His Boy, by C. S. Lewis
33. Gilgamesh, by Homer
34. Prince Caspian, by C. S. Lewis
35. The Voyage of the Dawn Treader, by C. S. Lewis
36. The Silver Chair, by C. S. Lewis
37. The Art of War, by Sun Tzu
38. The Last Battle, by C. S. Lewis
39. Little Men, by Louisa May Alcott
40. Jo’s Boys, by Louisa May Alcott

I can’t say that I had a favorite out of all of those books, but there were a few that I enjoyed more than others.

I read a quote once by C. S. Lewis that said, “For every new book you read, you should read two classics.”

I have tried to follow this rule, but as you may be able to tell, it wasn’t always put into practice.

My current list of new reads for this year are as follows (it will probably grow)…

• Sherlock Holmes, by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle
• Priceless, by for KING & COUNTRY
• The Legend of Sigurd and Gudrún, by J. R. R. Tolkien
• Ranger’s Apprentice, by John Flanagan
• Wuthering Heights, by Emily Brontë

Re-reads I would like to accomplish include…

• Finish The Lord of the Rings Trilogy, by J. R. R. Tolkien
• Love Comes Softly Series (again), by Janette Oke
• Mark of the Thief Series and The Ascendance Trilogy, by Jennifer A. Nielsen
• The River of Time Series, by Lisa T. Bergren, including her new sequel to the series
• The King’s Gold, by Lamplighter Theater (Cheney)
• Read the Silmarillion, by J. R. R. Tolkien again
• Wars of the Realm Trilogy, by Chuck Black
• Swipe Series, by Evan Angler
• Little Women, by Louisa May Alcott
• Anne of Green Gables Series, by L. M. Montgomery

I am definitely excited to read all of these books!

Have a wonderful 2018, friends!

My question for You: Did you have a goal to read a certain amount of books?

–Me

LOTR Characters – the Books vs. the Movies – Legolas

Click here for Part 1 of LOTR Charcters – The Books vs. The Movies, here for Part 2, and right here for Part 3.

Now… let us begin with Part 4!

Legolas

As a young girl, Legolas was my favorite in LOTR. Not for the reasons you may suspect. I thought his skill with the bow and agility were amazing. Never once did I think about his good looks (in the movie)!

I soon learned that most people didn’t understand, “My favorite character is Legolas!” coming from the mouth of a 12-13 year-old girl, and that girl not actually having a crush on him.

I watched the movie with a group, and as soon as Legolas appeared in The Fellowship, all of the girls began “Ooing” and “Ahing”. I decided after that that I needed to pick a different favorite character. 😂

Please remember that all that is said is only my opinion. Please do not take offense to anything I say. If I ever state something as fact that is truly false, feel free to let me know!

Legolas in the books… I feel like he is somewhat of he comedic relief, but he also is a very serious character. In the movies, he sticks more on the serious melancholy side. I also feel like you don’t often hear a lot coming from him, and then when he says something, you’re kind of left thinking, “Wait… where did he come from?”

There a few things in the books that Legolas does that make me want to laugh out loud. For example…

1. When they are crossing the Mines of Moria, and they are just beginning to climb the Bridge of Khazad Dûm. Legolas turns, looks into the flames of fire with his far-seeing elf eyes, and exclaims, “Oy!”
2. When the Fellowship is climbing Caradhras, and then they decide to turn back, as the weather is too difficult to beat, Aragorn and Boromir begin drifting through the snow, shoving it aside, and having a difficult time of it. Meanwhile, Legolas jumps to his feet, and bounds over the snow with elf-like agility, hardly leaving a foot print and leaving Aragorn and Boromir behind.

Either way, I love Legolas in the Lord of the Rings Trilogy, both movies and books. It seems to me that you are almost more able to build a relationship with him in the movies, though. He is not as pivotal a character in the books… maybe.

Let me know what you think in the comments!

My question for You: Would you ever want to be an elf?

–Me

Quote of the Day

“Many that live deserve death.

And some die that deserve life.

Can you give it to them?

Then be not too eager to deal out death in the name of justice, fearing for your own safety.

Even the wise cannot see all ends.”

–The Two Towers, by J. R. R. Tolkien

Photo credit: N3PO

A Few Jokes

I don’t feel the need to add any explanation. If you love LOTR, you will understand.

My question for You: Do you enjoy reading comics?

–Me

LOTR Characters – The Books vs. The Movies – Samwise Gamgee

Click here to see LOTR Characters – The Books vs. The Movies – Frodo Baggins.

Alright, here we go for Samwise Gamgee!!!

Samewise Gamgee

I actually believe that Sam in the book and Sam in the movie are pretty similar character wise (no pun intended). Tell me if you have a different opinion!

One of the main differences to me in the book compared to the movie is that Sam was actually spying on Frodo and telling the rest of his gang what was going on, and he seemed a lot… I don’t want to say smarter, but that is the only word I can come up with, in the book when it came down to Frodo’s “secret” business.

In the movie, he was completely oblivious to what was going on with Frodo and Gandalf. It isn’t a huge difference, and in the movie, they had to cut the time shorter, so it does make more sense… but still, is there anyone out there who is like me and would have preferred a completely true to the book movie, even if it was 20+ hours?!

Other than that, there isn’t a whole lot of differences in Sam, because he is the usual loving companion of Frodo.

Sam is my favorite Hobbit in The Lord of the Rings. He is such a lovable character in my mind, always sticking with Frodo and caring for him—all the way to Mount Doom!

“I can’t carry it for you, but I can carry you!”

If there are any other differences you can think of, please share!

And let me just say…

My question for You: Which do you prefer—LOTR the books, or movies?

–Me

Books About Tolkien Related Things

You can never have too many books about or written by Tolkien. You just can’t.

Here are some awesome books that I have—A Dictionary, and an Atlas. The third one (red cover) is one that I would like to get.

My question for You: Do you enjoy reading biographies?

–Me

LOTR Characters – The Books vs. The Movies – Frodo Baggins

I thought it may be fun to do a post on the characters of LOTR, but the books vs. the movies.

Sit back, grab a cup of tea (or any other hot beverage), and enjoy LOTR Characters – The Books vs. The Movies – Frodo Baggins.

Frodo Baggins

Frodo Baggins

The Books —

Frodo begins as an innocent Hobbit who enjoys his books, being with Bilbo and his friends, and as any other Hobbit does, eating. He begins to notice changes in Bilbo, and knows that Bilbo will be leaving soon for a permanent vacation. Gandalf then goes on to explain to Frodo after Bilbo’s departure about The One Ring—but not much. He just tells him to keep the ring hidden while he—Gandalf—is gone for some time. Frodo is then left by Gandalf for many a year.

Gandalf then reappears a few more times over a few years, and in those short meetings, Frodo and Gandalf create a plan for Frodo to leave the Shire and head North toward Rivendel.

Frodo waits for Gandalf until the last minute, then leaves without him.

The Movie —

Frodo is practically just a happy-go-lucky guy until Biblo’s 111th birthday, where the latter disappears, and Frodo then has to take on the burden of the One Ring and travel to Rivendel, what seems to be directly after Biblo’s departure.

Throughout the movie, Frodo appears to be a bit weak… he does not come off as the strong willed Hobbit that he is in the books. He seams a little more gullible.

Thank you all for reading this post… I hope to do more in the future!!!

Please tell me what you think in the comments below! And please remember that this is only my opinion.

My question for You: What is your opinion of Frodo—in the books or movies?

–Me

Comebacks

Just recently, I was texting in a group chat, and I said something that made everyone want to disown me. They began throwing Harry Potter insults at me, which I know nothing of, so I started throwing Lord of the Rings insults at them!

Mostly, I just quoted this:

And then I found these!

If you are a Lord of the Rings fan, use these!

Me question for You: What weird thing do you like to quote from books?

–Me