Rachel Kovaciny's Blog, page 79

Another LOTR Read-Along: The Ride of the Rohirrim (ROTK 5, 5)

I'm very fond of Ghan-buri-Ghan and his Wild Men. They're kind of like the Ents -- something rather unique to Tolkien that I've never really run into in other legends and mythologies. Which, granted, I haven't read nearly enough of for even my own liking, but whatever. They're kind of the like earth personified, the same way the Ents are trees personified, and I dig them a lot.

They're also the third time we encounter "forgotten beings" that have special knowledge and abilities to help in time...

"Smith of Wootton Major" and "Farmer Giles of Ham" by J.R.R. Tolkien

Awwwww, these two stories were so cute and fun!  I really wasn't entirely sure what to expect from these two short stories, but they definitely reminded me in some ways of Tolkien's Letters from Father Christmas, just whimsical and funny and with some nice bits of wisdom gently bestowed here and there.

"Smith of Wootton Major" is all about baking cakes and giving secret gifts, and since I love both those activities, I probably liked it the best of the two.  "Farmer Giles of Ham" is a...

Another LOTR Read-Along: The Siege of Gondor (ROTK 5, 4)

Isn't Denethor hideous? That description of him at the beginning of this chapter is so perfect and awful: "an old patient spider" (p. 788). Blech. It's amazing Boromir and Faramir turned out so well, with a creep like that for a dad. Probably he neglected them a lot when they were kids. Lucky them.

Should I quick mention how sweet it is that Pippin remembers liking Boromir "from the first, admiring the great man's lordly but kindly manner" (p. 792)? Yes, it seems I should. It's the fondest, n...

Another LOTR Read-Along: The Siege of Gondor

Isn't Denethor hideous? That description of him at the beginning of this chapter is so perfect and awful: "an old patient spider" (p. 788). Blech. It's amazing Boromir and Faramir turned out so well, with a creep like that for a dad. Probably he neglected them a lot when they were kids. Lucky them.

Should I quick mention how sweet it is that Pippin remembers liking Boromir "from the first, admiring the great man's lordly but kindly manner" (p. 792)? Yes, it seems I should. It's the fondest, n...

"Loving Isaac" by Heather Kaufman

I'm finally coming out of my book hangover from this book.  Four days of book hangover -- that's how powerful Loving Isaac is.

Single mom Hana moves in with her sister Kara's family in Oklahoma, bringing with her an autistic son named Isaac and a wagonload of emotional baggage.  She makes new friends, rekindles her relationship with her sister, and begins to find hope for her future.  She also starts attending church for the first time in years and finds healing and friends...

Another LOTR Read-Along: The Muster of Rohan (ROTK 5, 3)

Isn't Merry great in this chapter? He starts out feeling oppressed by all the mountains and "long[ing] to shut out the immensity in a quiet room by a fire" (p. 774). He's sad because his friends "have all gone to some doom" (p. 779), and I get kind of melancholy myself over the course of this chapter. But he doesn't let that sadness get him down -- he refuses to be left behind, and when Theoden says he can't ride to war with the Rohirrim, he says, "It is a long way to run; but run I shall, if...

"An Atlas of Tolkien" by David Day

This is an extremely cool little book if you're into the world of Middle-earth like I am.  It's a total overview of the entire history of Tolkien's fantasy world, and I wish I'd had it when I read The Silmarillion  a couple years ago, because I think it would've been really helpful for keeping people and events straight.  

I've had this on my shelf for a while, but when I sent my niece her own copy to celebrate the end of our studying The Lord of the Rings together, I d...

Another LOTR Read-Along: The Passing of the Grey Company (ROTK 5, 2)

Another looooooong chapter. Good thing there are some shorter ones ahead.

I love when Halbarad and the other Rangers arrive -- it's such a bright spot of joy for Aragorn amidst all this Very Important Stuff that's been going on. And it's so cool that Elrond's sons, Elladan and Elrohir, come too. They're quiet, but intriguing. And have grey eyes. You knew I was going to mention that, of course. And I did.

Interestingly, Aragorn says that the Men of the Mountains "had worshipped Sauron in the Dar...

Another LOTR Read-Along: Minas Tirith (ROTK 5, 1)

Here we are at Minas Tirith at last. This chapter makes me a little melancholy. First, because Boromir isn't here, returning to aid the city he loves. And second, because Minas Tirith is a very sad place. It's half empty, even before the women and children leave, a withering place filled with long grief.

Anyway, we get to learn about about one of my favorite minor characters: Prince Imrahil of Dol Amroth. Tolkien says that his folk are "tall men and proud with sea-grey eyes" (p. 734). How sea-...

"Uncommon Type" by Tom Hanks

Uncommon Type is a collection of exactly the kind of short stories I would expect Tom Hanks to write.  Charming, wry, compassionate, aggravated, humorous, offbeat, and sometimes just a bit weary.  Three of the stories are interconnected, about a group of thirty-something-ish friends.  There are also numerous "Our Town Today with Hank Fiset" editorial-column pieces that feel the most like they could be narrated by Hanks.  The rest are unconnected short stories on vario...