Books?

[Treerose]

Well, it's against my principles not to have a book topic going... if not all the time, at least as much as possible. ;)

So....the usual questions: What have you been reading lately? What's the best book you've read recently? What's your favorite book(s) of all time?

Tree

~~~~

"The flute is not an instrument which has a good moral effect. It is too exciting."

~Aristotle~

::chuckles:: :D

[Martin the Warrior]

I'll let you know when I have time to read more. ;)

[Lyrian Aryns]

I've been reading The Plague Dogs by Richard Adams. I discovered last Saturday that my library actually did have it... they just put it in a different section than what they said in the computer... :\ Hate it when they do that.

Anyway, I find it more interesting than I found Watership Down, which I have never actually finished to be honest... maybe it's something to do with the fact that I like dogs more than I like rabbits... Oh well.
Unfortunately, that's pretty much the only book I've been reading recently... school. Yuck.

[Airemia]

Right now I'm reading 'In The Wake of the Plague', which is a nonfiction book about the black plague. Verrry interesting.

And I'm reading Return of the King. I'm *always* reading Return of the King. Always. :cool:

[Martin the Warrior]

The Plague Dogs? I actually bought that a few months ago. It's been sitting on my shelf, though, as I slowly work my way to it. Nice to hear it's good, though.

[MoonShadow]

I have read Triss, but at the moment, I'm not really reading any books.... Well, I was reading a Magic School Bus book yesterday night out of lack of books to read.... :o Now you can all laugh at me. :\

[dandin1]

I didnt read triss yet :( still waiting for the library to buy it.
Right now I am reading the science fiction serie that is out of print since about 10 years, and has 23 books in it. My freind got them 50¢ (took me a while to find that character!) each.

[Lyrian Aryns]

Ehich reminds me... I've got to get around to finishing The Two Towers before the movie comes out. There's just so many other books that I have to read..! *sigh*

[Airemia]

I know how that feels... I want to read TTT again before the movie comes out, but I can't find it! Argh! I've got The Hobbit, Fellowship, ROTK, and Silmarillion sitting around, but no TTT!

[The Red Badger]

Come on, this thread is one of the few legitimate discussions (expect no less from the Charter). Let's keep it up!

Me, I've been researching Der Fliegende Holländer a bit. The opera/legend BJ based Castaways off of, not his book. Really interesting stuff that differs, slightly, from BJ's recounting. It WASN'T an angel, for example, that cursed the Dutchman's crew. :cool:

[Red Draco]

It's funny, because my mother also found Watership Down to be very boring. On the other hand, it's one of my favourites. :) I can never find The Plague Dogs, but one of my friends says she'll lend it to me.

One thing I read lately was "The Legend of Rah and the Muggles." Yes, none other than that book by NK Stouffer, who claims that Rowling ripped her off. The book, besides being HORRIBLE, is the furthest thing from Harry Potter. In Harry Potter, fun things actually happen sometimes.

[Lord Servone]

I've been a bit busy lately thus my lack of reading progress, thusly, I am still reading "The Long Patrol"... The most recent book I finished before that was "Pearls of Lutra" :\

Best book...lessee...can't think of the best book as pretty much all the books (save the ones that were required of me to read and some of the unparticularly memorable stuff I read in my youth) were good. I quite liked "Hunchback of Notre Dame"...read it thrice, I believe...though it was a long time ago and it was an Illustrated Classics book... still good.

[MoonShadow]

I am totally lost on what I should be reading at the moment.... I don't feel like reading any "new" books, but yet I don't feel like rereading books. That's a good mix. :rolleyes:

I really want to read Shonen Jump *remembers something*, despite what martin says about it. ;)

[Goozy]

Shounen Jump has good CONTENT. (i.e. One Piece, Shaman King, and Naruto), but I hate how Viz is handling it. I heard the translation was okay, but the way they're publishing it is horrible!

DBZ does not matter to me and I only have seen the anime Yu-Gi-Oh in raw Japanese from a friend. I really love One Piece. The style is unique, great storyline, and really well done characters. One Piece being my current fav. anime and manga. *gazes at calendar she got in the mail and little Zoro figure*

Shaman King is really fun too. I heard they didn't do much on it, but.. bah. Whatever. Naruto is really good too. Nice style, creative storyline... you don't run into stuff like that everyday.

[Cale Yin]

No... No anime... Please... The Horror... :eek:

I am doing a paper on Jane Eyre, and until that's done, I can't read anything else or I'll do badly on my paper. Next we're reading a book called something like "1984." Nineteen-eighty-something. I'm still sometimes working on The Crystal Cave trilogy. (Mary Stewart.)
I have Why Cats Paint and Dancing With Cats but I really want Why Paint Cats. People really paint their cats. It's cool.

[Lyrian Aryns]

1984? By George Orwell? I've heard of that... saw an advertisment for it in Animal Farm, actually. I was planning on checking it out from the library one of these days...

Argh, I am so good at losing books. And I can never keep them on my shelf... most of my Redwall books are all scattered around my desk. I just grab them to look something up, and then I'm too lazy to put 'em back... :\

[Darkhood_343]

What's the problem wit anime Caleyin? Got somethin' against us anime lovers? Well theres nothin' you can do about it.*walks off whisteling*:D

[Cale Yin]

No, but this is a Book Discussion. :p

Well, I have no idea who it's by, but I've read Animal Farm and I liked it cause I don't like pigs and I generally, overall, and with exceptions, don't much like people. :o

[Glenner]

Well right now I'm not reading any new books, just ones I've already read like Tailchaser's Song.
What I really wanna read now though, is The Sight by David Clement-Davies.

[Glenner]

Red Draco: I heard about that woman and her books. Honestly..the things she accused J.K. of. They were really quite ridiculous.

And who here has read the new Lemony Snicket book? Is it as good as the others? That book is second on my must read list.

[Treerose]

Me, I've been researching Der Fliegende Holländer a bit. The opera/legend BJ based Castaways off of, not his book.

Interesting, Reds. Are you reading the libretto, or watching the opera? (Nah, I suppose not. <g> I'd take this one over the Ring cycle, certainly, but even so... Wagner operas...:eek: ) Or reading whatever tales Wagner used to base his opera off of?

Watership Down: here's another fan of it. ;) Plague Dogs = on my shelf, but sadly unread as of now. Has anybody read Shardik? (Another Adams book.) Also among my books, but also unread. (The crime!! A book unread! It's too awful!! It ought to be a law that everybody have an hour a day to read for fun! :()

Speaking of animal books, I don't think anyone's ever mentioned James Herriot's books before. Anyone read them/like them? I've always loved them, especially the funny/happy ending ones, but the sad stories....aw... ::grabs a hankie:: ;)

Tree (<-- who is, as can be imagined, intensely suffering because of the Jamaican steel band that's practicing outside her window...and yes, the window is closed, and yes, she has music of her own on...<g>)

~~~~

"The man who disparages music as a luxury and non-essential is doing the nation an injury. Music now, more than ever before, is a national need."

~Woodrow Wilson~

A politician said that... Gone are such days...

[Lyrian Aryns]

Hey, I was wondering, has anyone heard of Time Stops for No Mouse? Or better yet, does anyone know who wrote it? I forgot... Anyway, it's another little anthropomorphic novel. Pretty good. There's also a sequel called The Sands of Time...

I've only read two of Lemony Snicket, the first one, and the third... my library never has them in, so I consider myself fairly lucky to have gotten that far... :\

And I've never heard of James Herriot... I'll look for him the next time I go to the library, though...

[dandin1]

I've read watership down. I think there both great nooks. I wish the auther made another book.

HP is making so much noise... People sue JK and say they invented it, and J.K. sues pirates making illegal copies and fake sequels of the book...

[Lyrian Aryns]

Actually, Dandin, Richard Adams did write other books... The Plague Dogs being one of them...

You know, I just wish she'd hurry up and get number five out there... :\

[dandin1]

You mean JK? From what we see, I think she lost interest... She's happy with her gazilion dollars and her big mansion...:mad:

[Goozy]

I've read all of Lemony Snicket's A Series of Unfortunate Events series as far as it's been released. It's really enjoyable and Snicket's sarcasm factoe is just priceless.

Currently I'm reading Neil Gaiman's Stardust. Neil Gaiman is postively one of the best authors I've ever encountered. He really knows how to handle characters and plotlines.

[Mackinsie]

In the latest article on HP5, J.K. Rowling claimed that she never gave a timeframe for the publication of the fifth book. She claims to be halfway finished. :rolleyes: The publishers are ready to get the book out within 4 months of J.K. submitting it. The earliest date I've seen is November 2003.

Lyrian: Time Stops For No Mouse by Michael Hoeye (I had to search 3 book sites for it. :) )

[MoonShadow]

Well, I have to pay a visit to the library soon.... If the library has the 9th Series of Unfortunate Events book, then I'm definitely taking it out. And I'll also take out Broken Sky if they have the books and if I remember. Well... I would also like to go to a Chinese Bookstore and get some Chinese manga to help improve on my Chinese (we hardly learn anything in Chinese school!).

With HP... I sadly agree with dandin....

[Cale Yin]

What does James Herriot write, again? *feels stupid for the... fifth time since this forum opened*

[Lyrian Aryns]

Thanks, Mackinsie... that was bugging me. oo often, I just grab a book that looks good, and never even look at the author's name... :\ And I'm sure you all know why I didn't go looking for it myself... ;)

Uhg. I'll probably read #5 when it comes out, but I'm sadly starting to lose interest in the series with this huge delay...

[Glenner]

Don't be so quick to judge Mrs. Rowling and say that worldwide fame has corrupted her. She loves writing, loves it so much, that she wants the book to be good . She cares about the fans and doesn't want the book to be rushed. She even admitted in an interview "I'm a perfectionist." I understand were shes coming from.

And do you know what shes doing with her position? Instead of sitting on her mound of money cackling with glee, she does fund raisers for charity. In fact she just did one a couple of days ago.
I'm sorry, its just I get very defensive when people insult Mrs. Rowling. The delay of book 5 has gotten her intentions very misunderstood.

Lyrian- I own both the The Sands of Time and Time Stops for No Mouse . They're both pretty good books.

[MoonShadow]

I'm sadly spending too much time with Animes and less time with books. :\ I'm also losing interest in HP as well... I used to go online and look continuously for decent Harry Potter sites and... I don't know what I did there. :\

And guess what? I was reading Magic School Bus again at lunch from the lack of decent books to read!

[Treerose]

The James Herriot books are really great, Lyrian - they're about a country vet's experiences in Yorkshire County, England. You name it, he did it - he worked with animals from puppies to horses. They're based on true stories, although he changed the names ("James Herriot" isn't a real name, either), and such. I think the first book is "All Creatures Great and Small".

My favorite stories are the ones about Tricky Woo... an extreeeeemely pampered lap dog, who bets on horses and writes with canine pen-pals in China...according to his owner, an eccentric rich widow, who frantically calls "Uncle Herriot" over every time her little darling goes "flop-bott" or "crackerdog", etc... ;)

Tree

~~~~

I felt like Robert Frost all of a sudden, so.... "The Road Not Taken." ;)

Two roads diverged in a yellow wood,
And sorry I could not travel both
And be one traveler, long I stood
And looked down one as far as I could
To where it bent in the undergrowth;
Then took the other, as just as fair,
And having perhaps the better claim,
Because it was grassy and wanted wear;
Though as for that the passing there
Had worn them really about the same,
And both that morning equally lay
In leaves no step had trodden black.
Oh, I kept the first for another day!
Yet knowing how way leads on to way,
I doubted if I should ever come back.
I shall be telling this with a sigh
Somewhere ages and ages hence:
Two roads diverged in a wood, and I-
I took the one less traveled by,
And that has made all the difference.

[Cale Yin]

OOoooo!!! OOOOO!!! "The Christmas Cat" guy?!?! I LOVE that book!! I read it with my mommy when I was little. :)

[Treerose]

Yup. :D He has a whole book of cat stories, too, I think. ;)

Tree

~~~~

“I guess you thought I was conducting, but I wasn’t.”

~Eugene Ormandy~

Now that is one honest conductor. ;)

[Slagar the Cruel]

Originally posted by Treerose
I felt like Robert Frost all of a sudden, so.... *hss* I don't like that poem... because I had to memorize it in 7th Grade... so... bad connotation. ;)

[Treerose]

Aw... But what about Robert Frost in general? He's definitely one of my favorite poets. I love Mending Wall, Stopping by the Woods on a Snowy Evening, etc. :D He has great subjects in his poems, and he rhymes! (I'm not a fan of blank verse.)

Tree

~~~~

"Please, my dear sister, something is biting me - please scratch me."

~Line from one of Mozart's letters~

[Airemia]

How can you guys be so quick to assume that J.K Rowling has lost interest in the books? I seriously doubt that. Anyway, the last thing I heard, which was something she herself said, was that the book was finished, and you could read it through, but she wanted to make sure everything was perfect. She also said that it shouldn't be 'too long' before it's out, so November 2003... seems a little unlikely.

And I defintely agree with Glenner. Just because she's actually using her money, and buying a mansion and stuff, doesn't mean she's corrupted. She's doing a lot of charity work. She even said that she might write an HP encyclopedia and donate ALL of the profits to charity! And now seriously, think about it, if you suddenly had TONS and TONS of money, what would you do with it? Nothing? Come on.

And I don't really mind that she's taking so long on the book. She has to make sure it's right. If she just said 'yeah whatever' and published it, people would be complaining that it wasn't as good!

Look, I know, because I'm a writer myself, that writing is NOT easy work. Not at all. Yeah, it's extremely fun, but it's hard, especially when you're writing for millions and millions of people, and you're writing 7 novels. Think about the stress. Put yourself in her shoes. She just got married, and is expecting another child. Don't begrudge her for concentrating on her personal life.

This Rant was brought to you by the letter A. ;)

[Gabool the Wild]

Of course I've read the recent Series of Unfortunate Events book, they are my favorite! I just love them , but I don't really know why.

As to Harry Potter, even though I really want the next one, I guess I can wait until whenever. After all, I do want it to be good.
Besides, I have a whole bunch of other books to read in the meantime.

My mom really likes James Herriot and I like his stories too, even though I've only read the short stories.

Now, I am reading Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck, and like I've said in another thread, I am only at the second chapter and it's already sad. It's good, but it's sad. I like depressing books though, so I have no problem with it.

I'm also reading 1st to Die by James Patterson. This is a good book too even though I'm only in the beginning. But as I've said before, DO NOT READ JAMES PATTERSON BOOKS IF YOU ARE YOUNG. They are full of things unnesscecery for younger audiences.

Another book I am reading is Firesong by William Nicholson. Even though I am only I few chapters into it the story is still good. This is another favorite series of mine and I really enjoy this book. If you decide toi read these books, make sure you read them in order because they go chronologically.

The final book I am reading is, coincedently, Time Stops for no Mouse. I only read the first two chapters so I can't really say anything, but from what I have read, it seems like a good story and is written well.

[Lyrian Aryns]

Heh... what do you know. I was actually able to check out numbers two and five of Series of Unfortunate Events from the library yesterday. And I just knew that evil sadistic man would do that with the notebooks... Hmph. I was just wondering, in the later books, perhaps, has he ever actually revealed who Beatrice was? I hate not knowing things. :\ I also hate my library at times.

[Glenner]

Amen Aire.;)
And good news for all us Potterheads- book 5 is 1 chapter longer than book 4 (which basically means its gonna be as long) and JK's gonna send it to the publishers in a few weeks. So we might be looking at an early spring release.

[The Red Badger]

Are you reading the libretto,

I've no idea if that's what I'm reading, but, yeah, I'm reading, not watching. I've found a few books that outline the story of it and provide a little commentary (amidst numerous other operas). Haven't begun looking for the legend that existed prior to the opera, but I find it interesting enough. :cool:

How can you guys be so quick to assume that J.K Rowling has lost interest in the books?

I don't think she's lost interest in the book, but I don't think it's that high of a priority for her. There's a difference.

She also said that it shouldn't be 'too long' before it's out, so November 2003... seems a little unlikely.

She's also "said" that the book would be out summer '01. . . whoops. :rolleyes: Another delay was recently announced. Frankly, I *will* be surprised if HP5 is in stores next summer.

She even said that she might write an HP encyclopedia and donate ALL of the profits to charity!

Very noble. What would be even more noble is if she'd donate all the profits of an ACTUAL HP book, which is bound to sell better than something only die-hard fans would be interested in (as an added bonus, it wouldn't be another project to distract her from writing. And I point out that any encyclopedia would fast become outdated if it was released before the series was over.)

Look, I know, because I'm a writer myself, that writing is NOT easy work. Not at all. Yeah, it's extremely fun, but it's hard, especially when you're writing for millions and millions of people, and you're writing 7 novels. Think about the stress. Put yourself in her shoes. She just got married, and is expecting another child. Don't begrudge her for concentrating on her personal life.

I've dabbled in writing, actually. And, it is easier than you make it sound. Regardless, I could easily have something produced in three years.

This counter-argument brought to you by the color red. :redsy

Look, JK's a good writer, she's entitled to a personal life, and to make a living. But she's not entitled to be given a free ride when she decides to neglect her writing while licensing HP out the wazoo. At that point it is an entirely legitimate claim to say that perhaps she doesn't consider what *made* her famous a high priority anymore. Perhaps she's succumbed to the allure of the almighty dollar. *shrugs* Who can say? We can only offer our opinions.

book 5 is 1 chapter longer than book 4 (which basically means its gonna be as long)

Sorry to disagree once more, but compare the first page of the Music thread on this board with, oh, I dunno, the Inuyasha thread. Exact same number of posts. Maybe it's just me, though, but I'd say Music is easily twice as long, even longer. Yet, both have fifteen posts. Which makes using "posts" as a means of measuring a thread's length rather inconclusive. The same applies to measuring a book's length by the number of chapters. I can grab a Star Wars book that has far more chapters in it than HP4 but doesn't even come CLOSE to matching Goblet's length.

So, that's a little misleading. :D

Again, counter-arguments brought to you by the color red. :redsy

[LadyBeelze]

Don't Laugh...lately i've been reading R. L Stine's Fear Street Books, like i just read one called "Bad Moonlight" I enjoyed it even though its bellow my reading level. I have only got to the 9th book in the redwall series unfortunately because my libary does not contain them and i am buying the books off of money i earn from babysitting brats once in a while.

now it is dark and i should be getting of the computer

*falls asleep*

[The Red Badger]

What's the difference between "Fear Street" and "Goosebumps" (which I never read) anyway, besides the title?

[LadyBeelze]

fear street is a little better than goosebumps, don't laugh at me for reading them though. "Bad Moonlight" is cool, its about this girl in a band that is turning into a werewolf and she starts killing people and at the end ......oh thats the best. oh i'll shutup now

i've reread mariel of redwall a couple of days ago

oh and i am reading How To Kill A Mockingbird

i've been too concerned with anime lately to do much reading like i used too

[Glenner]

I don't think she's lost interest in the book, but I don't think it's that high of a priority for her. There's a difference.
Hmm...Have you ever thought that the fact she taking so long on it might point out that it is a high priority for her? She can focus on her personal life and still have that as a high priority.

And well, at least she's giving any money at all. It doesn't have to be an actual Harry Potter book.

But I respect your opinions reds. If thats what you think, thats cool. :cool:

[Goozy]

Two smaller books have been published and written by J.K. Rowling. One about monsters in the HP world and Quidditch. I think over a million of these little books have been sold and all the proceedings have gone to charity.

Should JK Rowling have it come out... sheesh... in another 5 years or some out there date, I won't mind. I love Harry Potter, but complaining about dates isn't going to get you anywhere.

[Lady Terra]

to get back on topic....i'm having to read 2 books right now...one i'm readinf for pleasure The Blue Adept by Piers Anthony and the other Ethan Frome by Edith Wharton for school. I really haven't had much time to read The Blue Adept lately but i really wanna get back on it. My fav books of all time are all of the Piers Anthony books.....the best book by him that he did with Julie Brady is Dream A Little Dream

[Airemia]

Actually, Reds, I think she meant that if she were to write an Encyclopedia it would be after she's finished all the books.

And about writing being easier than I make it sound... Well, I guess it's different for different people. :)

[LadyBeelze]

writing stories comes to me naturally but i have a hard time wrapping up the end ..anyway :rolleyes:

I seen the book watership down in my school libary and i looked at it for a minute because on the cover of one of my redwall books it said "In Tradition Of Watership Down" or something like that. eck but i thought better to pick it up.

its morning and its raining nonstop outside......okayyyyyyy

[VanessaNB]

I've been reading...mostly animal books. The Sight , along with the more Redwally stuff like The Welkin Weasels . Yeah, the title kinda sounds funny, but if you're a weasel/stoat lover (or critters in general), it's good.
Might I also note, Animorphs. I've still got all of mine, even if KA Applegate stopped writing them. I think there's about 50 odd of them.

I've also tried to read the first HP book. I can understand why it's so popular, and I was intending to read the second one, but I was, uh, sidetracked by, uh, summer! Yeah, that's it summer. Actually, my oldest cousin (who is in college) brought the third and fourth books, and we tormented his brother (who also intends to read it) with stuff like "Ah, those craaazy Dursleys" for a full weekend in our all to short vacation.
I suppose it would be nice if J.K. actually releases her new book, even though she donates her money to charity, and has a personal life to live. But so do a lot of other authors, and they manage to release a new book annually. *coughsneeze*BJ*coughhacksnort*

[Cale Yin]

Animorphs... I used to read those... They started getting really bad around the late 20s or early 30s. And she cranked one out every month, if I remember correctly. :P

[The Red Badger]

Hmm...Have you ever thought that the fact she taking so long on it might point out that it is a high priority for her? She can focus on her personal life and still have that as a high priority.

Absence of a book does not equal it being low-priority, you're right. Abesence of a book WHILE there are two companions, two movies, and a plethora of licensed products being released, however, does suggest it.

And well, at least she's giving any money at all. It doesn't have to be an actual Harry Potter book.

Yeah, and I applaud that. I just have a problem with making the assumption that BECAUSE she's giving money to charity that anyone who suggests she's a little preoccupied with cashing in is wrong. Thousands of movie stars, politicians, and millionaires give money to charities. A lot of them don't really care about the charities and see it as either a tax write-off or a good PR tool. It does not necessarily reflect positively upon their character.

I think over a million of these little books have been sold and all the proceedings have gone to charity.

Again, that's very noble. But what would benefit a charity more? The profits of a $4 paperback book that sells a million copies or the profits of a $23 HP book that will sell multi-million copies worldwide? If she's as unconcerned about money as is being argued, then why not do the thing that would help more?

Look, I'm not saying she's a heartless, uncaring woman. I AM saying that money IS an issue to her. It'd be an issue to ANYONE. To say otherwise is a lie.

I love Harry Potter, but complaining about dates isn't going to get you anywhere.

I'm not complaining. Just providing running commentary. But, you're right, complaining will yield nothing. Which is why I stopped caring about HP5's release date after the first two delays.

Actually, Reds, I think she meant that if she were to write an Encyclopedia it would be after she's finished all the books.

So, what happens to the people who need charity before 2009? :rolleyes:

And about writing being easier than I make it sound... Well, I guess it's different for different people.

Indeed it is. And JK proved with the first four books she has it in her to crank them out at a timely pace. Going from yearly to every-three-years is quite the leap to make as a writer, even WITH personal distractions.

But so do a lot of other authors, and they manage to release a new book annually. *coughsneeze*BJ*coughhacksnort*

Hear hear! I mean, the guy had a STROKE and managed to keep on schedule. Anyone here want to try arguing that a STROKE is less debilitating than a marriage? :p

[MoonShadow]

Nope, I won't argue about the stroke vs. marriage thing.

Well, I read the first story in Jacque's 7 Strange and Ghostly Tales, and it was good, but the end was disturbing... I also took at Fire Bringer (again) from the library in hopes that I was actually get past the first few chapters without getting sidetracked.

[Slagar the Cruel]

I don't have too much time for casual reading any more... *sigh* I've been skimming through old Redwall books lately, though.

Animorphs... I used to read those... They started getting really bad around the late 20s or early 30s. And she cranked one out every month, if I remember correctly. :PHere, here! At one point, I was an Animorph maniac... an "Animaniac", if you will... ;) But then she decided to give EVERYONE morphing powers, kill off the Animorphs, and otherwise destroy the series. Her reason for killing the Animorphs was less than satisfactory, too... "I wanted the Animorphs to go out like they came in - fighting! Yeah, K.A., they REALLY went into that construction site fighting... *sigh* I still look upon the earlier ones fondly, though. Especially the Hork Bajir chronicles. Possibly because it had next to NO morphing in it. Something I never liked about Animorphs is how they were being marketed. The people in adverstising obviously thought that morphing was the ONLY reason why people liked the books. So, they had all kinds of stupid un-fitting "catch phrases" on the front of every book that were basically morphing puns. Like, "change is necessary", or "everybody changes" or "he's only human. When he wants to be...", or... you get the point. Once I got some kind of Animorph "honorary fan club" booklet for ordering one of the Andalite Chronicles books... I think it was WRITTEN by the advertisement people. "Join us! We can MORPH! Don't you love MORPHing? What am I saying... everyone loves MORPHing! Let's MORPH! That was the strangest MORPH yet! MORPH, MORPH, MORPH, MORPH, MORPH, MORPH, MORPH, MORPH, MORPHITY MO-ORPH! MORPHITY MO-ORPH!" Not to mention that EVERY morph was the strangest morph ever... uh-oh. I've gone off on a tangent again. ;)

[Lyrian Aryns]

A few years ago I was crazy about those books, too... but I always hated the covers. :\ As Slagar mentioned, stupid chatchphrases, and they didn't do the morphing on the covers right... and the titles were annoying. I never paid attention to them, though... I seem to remember reading somewhere that they were from the publishers, all the "The ____"s...

I remember when I only had enough money to get numbers 21 and 22? Or was it 20 and 21?... the first two in the 'David' trilogy, anyway... and I read them both in an afternoon, and then spent the entire week on that evil cliffhanger... :\ I also remember the bookstore in my city having only number one and two of the Andalite Chronicles, and spending a few months before I could finally get my hands on number three...

Thinking back, I don't think I even remember what happened in the thirties and fourties... except for the two all-together ones.. the It's a Wonderful Life-ish one, and the time travel one... those weren't bad...

But that irritating "Ram the Bladeship!" ending... Oy. Although I rather felt something like that to happen, seeing all the loose plot going on, with so few pages left... :\ I'll stop boring you with this largely reminisciencish when-I-was-younger post now...

[Chesk Otter]

I'm not gonna bother reading all those posts, but Dark Portal by Robin Jarvis is cool. See, the rats eat the mice and live in the sewers but there is some strange force drawing the mice towards the sewers and they're all disappearing and there's this big plot and stuff. Robin Jarvis lives in Liverpool. Coincidence?

I read something on the first page of this topic I think.
Do you mean people paint pictures of their cats, or that they actually literally paint their cats :slagar ?

[Cale Yin]

They paint their cats. Go look at it at a Barnes & Noble. It's reelee cool.

Paragraph by Slagar about general MORPHdom.

I KNOW!! Agh!! I actually still read the Hork-Bajir chronicles once in a while. It's a great story, or at least in my mind. And Tobias always made me come back. He was my favorite. :)
And then the TV shows, which were so much nothing like the books, AND THEY DIDN'T EVEN MORPH INTO THE RIGHT ANIMALS SOMETIMES, AND THEY EVEN MADE UP PARTS, WHICH REALLY ANNOYED ME...

[Red Draco]

Wow, I'm having major deja vu with this whole Harry Potter business, Reds. ;) And I still stand by my old opinion. Rowling's fallen out of love with her characters. Being a writer myself (though not published on nearly so grand a scale), I know that authors are only human. If I couldn't go two steps outside of my house or even drink a Coke without being bombarded by wall-eyed images of my own creation, my character would lose a *lot* of meaning to me. Honestly, who could argue that Harry Potter doesn't mean to Rowling what he did two movies, five playsets, and three Lego collections ago? If HP were only moderately popular, the fifth book would've been out long ago.

That being said, I'm not a giant Harry Potter fan, so I don't care that much. :) I can take HP or leave it. I've only read up to the third book, in fact, and I can't recall many of the series' details. I'm just repeating what I've observed.

[Chesk Otter]

I think she's still writing. The only thing is she probably spends a lot of time with the movie.

[Airemia]

Well I respect all of your opinions about J.K Rowling and Harry Potter, and I think you all have good points. I'm giving her the benefit of the doubt. I have no reason to believe that she's lost interest in the books or anything like that, so I won't. ;)

Has anyone read His Dark Materials? I read about five pages into the first one, and it was kind of confusing, but good. Then my mum stole the book from me, so I couldn't read it. But she's done now, so I'm taking it back from her. :D

[Cale Yin]

I have all three! I LUB THODE BOOKL!! Ther grat. I lodt Dubtle Kjife thoujh. I can;t fing it. :(
Thode are goos bookl. Make sure you read all of them. They ar goos.

[Martin the Warrior]

Originally posted by Airemia
Has anyone read His Dark Materials? I read about five pages into the first one, and it was kind of confusing, but good. Then my mum stole the book from me, so I couldn't read it. But she's done now, so I'm taking it back from her. :D

I checked The Golden Compass out from the library once, made it twenty-five or thirty pages into it. It never caught my interest, gathered dust on my shelf for the remainder of the time I had it checked out, and rather than pay a late fee for a book I didn't really care if I finished or not, I returned it.

[Chesk Otter]

Someone needs to learn how to type properly...

Everyone's read His Dark Materials. They're awesome.

[Cale Yin]

*laughs* Chesk, I did that on PURPOSE. :rolleyes:

I can see why they would be disinteresting if you only read the first 30 pages but that is the most boring part of the series. It gets a lot better.

[Slagar the Cruel]

A few years ago I was crazy about those books, too... but I always hated the covers. :\ As Slagar mentioned, stupid chatchphrases, and they didn't do the morphing on the covers right... and the titles were annoying.[ I never paid attention to them, though... I seem to remember reading somewhere that they were from the publishers, all the "The ____"s...Yeah, they made it seem as though the morphing was a gradual shift... when in all acutality, different body parts were supposed to change in bizzare, unexpected ways. They portrayed morphing as gradual on the (terrible) show, too... oh yeah, the "The _____" titles. Heh, how many of those made sense?
I remember when I only had enough money to get numbers 21 and 22? Or was it 20 and 21?... the first two in the 'David' trilogy, anyway... and I read them both in an afternoon, and then spent the entire week on that evil cliffhanger... :\The David trilogy was great. It realistically showed what would happen if the publicly demanded "new Animorph" was added. The Animorphs had been through a lot together - but David was just a normal, inexperienced kid (kind of a jerk, actually) who got morphing powers - and that inexperience, combined with his lack of tried-and-true group loalty, almost destroyed them. The David trilogy might've been my favorite Animorph books of all... then again, my memories of the other books are getting a bit fuzzy, so... ;)
Thinking back, I don't think I even remember what happened in the thirties and fourties...Thank your lucky stars.
And then the TV shows, which were so much nothing like the books, AND THEY DIDN'T EVEN MORPH INTO THE RIGHT ANIMALS SOMETIMES, AND THEY EVEN MADE UP PARTS, WHICH REALLY ANNOYED ME...The show... ugh... don't remind me... puppet Andalites? Ugh...

[Glenner]

I'm actually in the process of reading The Golden Compass. Its pretty good so far, and I'll probably check out the others.

[VanessaNB]

Yarg. I never thought much of the Animorphs show. And I only saw about two episodes. I loved the David trilogy, and I literally freaked when I thought Tobias was.. nevermind. Me no spoil. Some of the 30's weren't half bad, but it kinda lost it from there. I also liked some of the "companion" books, like the Hork Badjir Chronicles.

For some reason, I never really got that far into the Golden Compass either. It's on my shelf, completing my dustbunny collection.:p

Red Draco, that's precisely why Bill Watterson didn't liscence Calvin and Hobbes (which I love). He knew people would get tired of his cartoon if people saw it every time they turned around.
I've seen everything from Harry Potter undies to the Harry Potter toothbrush.
Say, do the Calvin and Hobbes collections/treasuries count as books?

[MoonShadow]

Well.... I was a moderate Animorphs fan (at least I think I was :\ Can't remember :\), and I read whatever books the library had, or at least most of them, since some were rather... er... uninteresting.

I have to say that I sort of lost interest in the mid-30s I think, and I just couldn't get myself to read anymore of them as I sank into reading Nancy Drew. Well, I'm really glad that I remained a fan until the very end, because I had several people tell me about the end of the series, and it was HORRIBLE AND INCREDIBLY STUPID!

And plus, the TV series was too scary for me to watch, so I have no opinion on it right now except they could have chose characters that look closer to what they are shown on the book covers. Hm... I think I read one of those Hork Bajor thingies (yes, very bad spelling, but I think you'll figure it out), but... *mind is currently in a muffled state*

My overall opinion on Animorphs at the moment: Some books were good (like #26), while others gave me headaches along with their covers.

[Lyrian Aryns]

I was actually kind of excited when Nickeldeon first started showing previews for the Animorphs TV show... but the only episode that I really sat down to watch was the first one. It never really appealed to me. That reminds me... quite a while ago, Scholastic had a little contest, about identifying shots from the TV series... I just kinda guessed, sent it in, and I actually won a hat, a shirt and... the first few episodes of the show on video. Whoo.

About the books, I think it would have been better if they used the second cover scene thing underneath as the actual cover... and got rid of the stupid head-hole things.

I read both the Golden Compass and the Subtle Knife a few years ago... I also checked out the last one from my library, too, but I didn't have time to read it before I had to return it. And when I ever remember it, someone always manages to have it checked out. :\ But I did enjoy them.

[MoonShadow]

Woah that's pretty cool Lyrian... Probably the best thing I won anywhere was a signed basketball that I gave somebody for their birthday present because I didn't know that it was special. :\


I've got to sit down one day and make a to-read booklist....

[Chesk Otter]

All of you who have the Golden Compass collecting dust: read it! It's a great book with a great plot!

[Cale Yin]

And the other two.

The only things I've ever won are $10 and an Autumn treat basket.

[Lyrian Aryns]

And I've still got them... somewhere... *views surrounding junk heap with dismay*

Oh, hey, has anyone here read The Jungle by Upton Sinclair? We were talking about it in my history class recently, and it sounded interesting. I was just curious to hear if it was as good as my teacher said it was...

I've got to make a list of books that I want to get from the library, and add to it whenever I think of something. Otherwise, I always forget every single book that I had wanted to check out by the time I get to the library... :\

[Airemia]

I'm wondering if anyone's read 'I Capture the Castle' by Dodi Smith. It's an excellent book. Definitely one of my favourites of all time.

[Red Draco]

I have little desire to check out The Golden Compass, because Pullman (I think that's his name) thinks very little of CS Lewis, an infinately good author, and one of my all time favourites. I hate egotistical writers. It's part of the reason I refuse to pick up the Pern series.

[Cale Yin]

I'd rather judge the bok by the book, not necessarily the author. Of course, if the author was into sacrifices and animal cruelty, it'd be a different story... But me being one person that buys one book by an egotistical author doesn't matter much in the long run, if he's really good and sells so many books. Not that you asked, or that you care... :rolleyes:
I don't pay much attention to authors usually. I just make sure to get their names and read their little biography on the back cover.

[Red Draco]

It's just a personal thing. I figure if a writer is doing so well that they feel comfortable putting down other authors and/or suing their fans for writing fanfiction or drawing fanart, they don't need my support. I can find something else to read.

[Airemia]

Pullman sued people for writing fan fiction? Seriously? I hate it when people do that...

[Red Draco]

I don't believe Pullman did, but Anne McAffey and Anne Rice have, and made it clear they will do it again.

Art archives like Elfwood are forced to take down any Pern art they recieve as submissions. And yeah, I hate it when authors do that too.

[Gabool the Wild]

Update:

Well, after almost two years, I have finished the Hobbit. I kept reading it on and off because it kept getting boring. One day however, I was almost done with it so I decided to just finish thelsat few chapters. It took me a while but I managed to do it. The book was ok in my opinion, but not the greatest. It made me cautious about reading the Lord of the Rings, but I watched the movie again this weekend and I became excited and decided to read it after all. So far I've only read the first chapter and its pretty good. Hopefully it will remain so. It will, won't it?

I also finished Of Mice and Men. The ending was very sad, but pretty good. I repeat however, if you do not like sad books, you won't like this book.

Another book I started reading recently is Left Behind by Tim Lahaye and Jim Jenkins. I have been curious about this series of books for a while so I decided to start reading them. I'm glad I did. Even though I've only read four chapters, it is pretty good, and I think it will get even better.

[Cale Yin]

I would say that I just started 1984 by George Orwell, but I finished it 2 weeks early. :P All I have to say about it is that it's a good book but I hated it. So... depressing. -.- No hope left for he human beings. I love Big Brother. So now I have to die. Yay.

[Treerose]

The book was ok in my opinion, but not the greatest. It made me cautious about reading the Lord of the Rings

Well, The Hobbit is intended for a different audience, and is much more of a children's tale than LotR is. Unfortunately, due the popular idea that one should read TH before LotR, disappointment with the book has turned many people away from reading LotR... Personally, I adore TH, but I always tell people to read LotR first, and then if they like it, to go back and read TH. But I'm glad you're going to go ahead and read LotR anyway - you won't be sorry. ;)


but I watched the movie again this weekend and I became excited and decided to read it after all. So far I've only read the first chapter and its pretty good. Hopefully it will remain so. It will, won't it?

Absolutely. ;) It'll just get better and better til you can hardly sleep with wondering what's going to happen next. :D It's vastly different from TH - no more author addressing the young readers, plot complexity jacked up a lot more, etc. It's...well, I don't have the right words to describe it. It takes a Tolkien to describe it adequately. <g>

Tree

~~~~

"When I see what certain people mean by love and what they look for in the creations of art, I am reminded involuntarily of pigs snuffling and rootling in the earth with their great coarse snouts at the foot of mighty oaks and among the loveliest flowers, in search of their favorite truffles."

~Hector Berlioz, Memoirs~

[yankeemb7]

Red Badger, who writes Der Fleiger Hollander (I probably spelled that wrong)? It sounds interesting. Is it in american?

Also, where can u find Legend of Rah and Muggles? I wanna see how bad that is.

I'm reading Pet Sematary by Stephen King right now. It's good, but the Shining was better.

I like the Lost Years of Merlin Series. Anybody heard of those? They're by T. A. Barron. They're really good. I'm also a fan of the Darren Shan books by Darren Shan.

I think J. K. Rowling is taking a bit long on Book 5. I'm a writer, and if I was out of school and wrote full-time, I would've been able to finish it by now.

Another Harry Potter thought: I wanna read the new Russian "parodies" of HP. People said they'r better than the HP's, though I doubt that. They're only in russian right now, though, so I can't read them.

I haven't got around to reading Triss. I'll wait 'till my library gets it.

[Airemia]

Ohh, I've got to post my LOTR timeline:

1997-1998: Airemia's father informs her of Lord of the Rings. He does an awful job explaining it. As a result, Airemia has a bad idea of it, and forgets about it.

December 2001: Airemia decides to go to the book store and pick up The Hobbit to see what all the hype is about. She gets half way through the first chapter and hates it. She leaves it in her desk over Christmas Holidays.

December 21st/22nd/23rd 2001: Airemia's family somehow manages to drag her out to see Lord of the Rings. She complains. Then she thankfully shuts up, as she's watching the best movie she's ever seen. Airemia loves Lord of the Rings from that point on. She nearly goes insane because she left The Hobbit in her desk, and she doesn't get back to school till January 7th or something. Airemia makes her dad go out to the book store and buy The Hobbit and the entire Lord of the Rings trilogy in hardcover.

January 7th 2001 - April(?) 2001: Airemia reads The Hobbit and the trilogy.

May+ 2001: Airemia takes like two months to read The Silmarillion. She has no shame. :rolleyes:

Yay! All right, for anyone who's starting to read Lord of the Rings... Don't make my mistake!! Don't get half way through the first chapter of The Hobbit, decide it's unworthy of your deity-like self, and shove it in the back of your desk. I promise you, the series gets more exciting as you go on. FOTR is good, but the most boring of the three. TTT is better. ROTK is the best. Return of the King!! YAY!! That's my favourite book in the world. I've read it like a thousand times. :D

[Dakota]

The last book I read was.... Hmm... I think it was The Carnivorous Carnival. I think. No... it was.. Well, I don't remember now. Oh well.

At any rate, I just started reading The Fellowship of the Ring this weekend so I can finish it in time for Two Towers. On Dec. 19th I'll start reading Two Towers. Yehaw!

[Airemia]

I wanted to read The Two Towers before the movie came out, but I can't find it anywhere. I think my dad lost it or something! :(

[Gabool the Wild]

I've gotten to the fourth chapter and its quite good. I'm surprised, however, at the amount of differences between the beginning of the movie and the beginning of the book. I think the books better though.

Also, I was skimming through the book and I'm quite dissapointed that Gandalf isn't in it again until the second part. He's my favorite character...so far.

[Lyrian Aryns]

*sigh* I've got to get around to finishing TTT before the movie comes out... There just aren't enough hours in the day!

I remember choking through The Hobbit in seventh grade, just so I could say that I read it... then I got about 100 pages into LOTR, and by then I never wanted to see the name "Tolkien" again. Then, sometime in early December last year, I was persuaded to give It another chance. And I actually finished FOTR. (Of course, I felt like throwing the book on the fire and watching it burn after spending two days trying to get through the Council of Elrond chapter... Yes, Martin, I know that's your favorite part ;)). And I got into Two Towers and somehow got busy and haven't touchd it since. :\ Bad me.

[Martin the Warrior]

(I can't let this slide. ;))

The Council is one of the few detailed accounts of history in LOTR. You should reread it with an open mind, Lyrian. :D

[Airemia]

Well my favourite book of the three is definitely Return of the King. And my favourite part is... Argh! I can't say!! And I can't say my OTHER favourite part either!! Because they're both huge spoilers! :mad: Well, I also like the part where they're... Oh man, I don't want to spoil it for you guys. :rolleyes:

[Gabool the Wild]

You mean The Council of Elrond chapter has even more history than the chapter when Gandalf was telling Frodo about the owners of the Ring and how they obtained it? I knew the chapter was 40 pages long but I didn't think it would be full of history. It should be great! :D

[yankeemb7]

Sorry Martin, but I'm gonna have to say I also hate the Council of Elrond chapter;it was really boring. My favorite chapters were probably the Shelob chapter and the Mt. Doom chapter. The best book was ROTK.

[Martin the Warrior]

Airemia
And my favourite part is... Argh! I can't say!! And I can't say my OTHER favourite part either!! Because they're both huge spoilers!

This reminds me.... vBulletin gives me the option of creating custom vBcodes and I've seen a few boards have "spoiler" tags which basically sticks black text on a black background, meaning you have to highlight the text to read it and won't spoil anything.

Would everyone be interested in having that option implemented?

Originally posted by Gabool the Wild
You mean The Council of Elrond chapter has even more history than the chapter when Gandalf was telling Frodo about the owners of the Ring and how they obtained it? I knew the chapter was 40 pages long but I didn't think it would be full of history. It should be great! :D

Absolutely! It and the chapter you're referring to are what I call the "lore chapters", because they give such in-depth accounts of the past and workings of Middle-Earth. It has plenty to tell us about the Ring, about the Elder Days, about Saruman's meeting with Gandalf... I think the only place to learn more about Elven history is to read The Silmarillion (which, by the way, is what gives the "your seat would be among them" line its significance). Enjoy it, Gabool!

yankee
Sorry Martin, but I'm gonna have to say I also hate the Council of Elrond chapter;it was really boring.

Try reading it again sometime, Yankee. Your opinion might change. :)

[Slagar the Cruel]

I liked the Council of Elrond chapter...

Anyways, yes, please implement Spoiler Tags! They're so useful! :cool:

Unfortunately, those three sentences are all I have to add. Oh well. They can't all be winners. ;)

[Martin the Warrior]

Okay. A spoiler tag has been implemented.

Gandalf comes back.

Feel free to use it.

[The Red Badger]

Originally posted by yankeemb7
Red Badger, who writes Der Fleiger Hollander (I probably spelled that wrong)? It sounds interesting. Is it in american?

Der Fliegende Holländer is an opera written by Richard Wagner, the story of which should be summarized in a good book about operas. It doesn't exist in true book form, to my knowledge. . . that is to say, where things are read from the character's point of view. . . but you should be able to find a good deal of resource material to glean the story from.

[yankeemb7]

Thanks Red Badger.

Martin, the council chapter does have a lot of history in it, but it's just boring. I don't think I'll change my mind if I read it again. Re-reading something usually makes me think it was worse than the 1st time I read it.

I like the spoiler tag idea, but how do u make one of the tags? I don't see it at the reply page.

[Martin the Warrior]

The tag is [spoiler], Yankee. I've added a button on the reply and new thread pages to make it easier to use.

Airemia, feel free to post your favorite parts of LOTR now. ;)

Martin, the council chapter does have a lot of history in it, but it's just boring. I don't think I'll change my mind if I read it again.

Read it again when you're older. Trust me. ;)

[LadyBeelze]

A Harry Potter Delemia ...Intresting :D

I was listen' one day to a group of girls at church and one of them was saying that her like pen pal in germany said that the release of the 5th book would come late fall of 2003

So my thoughts were that wouldn't the english version be out earlier than that cauz it doesn't have to be translated. But of course that source could of been wrong...ahhhhhhh so confusing :p

I'm currently rereading Redwall after finishing rereading the outcast of redwall Dang i wish i had enough money to buy the rest of the redwall series (i've only got up to book 8).......i want to read them! ah theres always christmas i guess

life....oi

[Lyrian Aryns]

Well, I have to say, council of Elrond makes a heck of a lot more sense when read in one sitting rather that a few paragraphs at a time... especially those ten page monologues. Of course, my main gripe was all the eight million names that I am quite sure he never mentioned once before that chapter. Imagine, taking the time to write over one hundred pages of appendices, but neglecting to include a glossary for the lazyness-inclined among his readers. How rude! ;)
But, overall, I guess it wasn't quite as terrible as it was to me a year ago.

[Airemia]

Thanks Martin!

My favourite part is when Eowyn kills the Witch King. With the help of Merry, of course. Everyone's always like, 'Yeah! Eowyn killed the Witch King, that rocked!' But Merry helped her. I mean, Eowyn's my favourite character, but let's give Merry some credit here, eh?

I happened to like the Council of Elrond part... It was really long, but it was interesting.

Lyrian, if you had trouble with names in Fellowship of the Ring, you might want to wait a while to read The Silmarillion. I finished it almost six months ago, and it's STILL confusing me. I have to read it again... It took me about two months to read it the first time.

[LadyBeelze]

that part in the book confused me a bit too when i first read it but then i read it a couple more times and i got it down.

[Martin the Warrior]

Of course, my main gripe was all the eight million names that I am quite sure he never mentioned once before that chapter. Imagine, taking the time to write over one hundred pages of appendices, but neglecting to include a glossary for the lazyness-inclined among his readers. How rude!

There's a glossary in The Silmarillion (which I used quite often) that includes most of the characters mentioned in LOTR. Every single name has significance, which you'll find with a little research (I encourage you to do so). What Tolkien was doing was creating a mythology for Britain, and above all else he wanted it to feel real. Using Elrond's statement to Frodo at the end of the council as an example:

"But if you take it freely, I will say that your choice is right; and though all the mighty elf-friends of old, Hador, and Hurin, and Turin, and Beren himself were assembled together, your seat should be among them."

If you simply read LOTR, then you'll have no idea who Hador, Hurin, and Turin are, and would only know Beren if you'd paid attention. Now, in the real world, if you were comparing a world leader to George Washington, Abraham Lincoln, or Franklin D. Roosevelt, would you stop to explain who each one was and what they did? Not usually. Neither, then, would an elf when speaking of famous elf-friends. And that lends a very keen sense of realism to Middle-Earth.

Now, for the so inclined, they can read The Silmarillion. Suddenly, you will know exactly who Hador, Hurin, Turin, and Beren are. You will know exactly how much the elves revered them. And you will suddenly be hit by the amount of respect and admiration Elrond is granting Frodo by saying his place would be among them. (Okay, so I'm not a big fan of Turin and think the respect he was shown is undeserved, but that's not the point. ;))

It's been said many times, but it bears repeating: The Silmarillion puts The Lord of the Rings into perspective. Once you finish the trilogy, give it a try.

[yankeemb7]

I read FOTR 3 or four yrs. ago. Believe me;it'll be worse (at least 2 me).

Has anybody read Unfinished Tales? I've read the Hobbit, LOTR, and The Silmarillion and I want 2 read UF, but I wann a know if it's any good.

[Slagar the Cruel]

Thank'ee, Martin. ;)

Turin... Turin... wasn't he the elf who was all gloomy, and referred to himself as dead, and killed a dragon? I didn't like him much either. Strangely, though, Turin's tale was almost EXACTLY like one I wrote as the backstory for a weapon in certain D&D campaign...

[Martin the Warrior]

Originally posted by Slagar the Cruel
Turin... Turin... wasn't he the elf who was all gloomy, and referred to himself as dead, and killed a dragon? I didn't like him much either. Strangely, though, Turin's tale was almost EXACTLY like one I wrote as the backstory for a weapon in certain D&D campaign...

Close.

Turin wasn't an elf. He was a man. Basically he ignored the advice of everyone, married his sister, who killed herself upon finding out the truth, and then he died killing the dragon.

As near as I can recall, anyway. Tree will correct me if I got something wrong, I'm sure. ;)

yankee
I've read the Hobbit, LOTR, and The Silmarillion and I want 2 read UF, but I wann a know if it's any good.

I have Unfinished Tales, but have yet to get around to reading it in full. It has some rather interesting essays on the Istari, an extended version of the story of Turin, and another story about Galadriel and Celeborn... plus some more. It's definitely worth getting if you enjoy Tolkien, I'll say that much.

[Gabool the Wild]

Galadriel!? Ooo, I'm reading UT,after I've read The Simillarion (sp?), after I've read LOTR. She's my favorite elf, for some reason or another.

[Airemia]

I've got Unfinished Tales sitting on my bookshelf at my Dad's, and I swear I'm going to get around to reading it one day. ;)

Oh yeah, that messed up story about the guy that married his sister. I thought that was Turin, guess I was right. That was weird. I got all freaked out in the middle of class when I read that. I was like, "What?! NO! That's your sister! You can't marry her! That's wrong! Wrong!" My friend thought I'd gone crazy. That part was actually quite interesting... But... Wrong at the same time.

I quite liked the story of Beren and Luthien. I didn't really like Beren, though. I don't know why. I was kind of laughing at him, I admit. I know, I'm horrible. Luthien's probably my favourite character in The Silmarillion. Much cooler than Arwen! I hated Luthien's father, though. Blah. What an idiot. I liked that dog she ran around with, too.

Other than that... I found the part about Numenor very interesting. I enjoyed it. Well, except for...

Wasn't there some king guy who wanted to marry his first cousin or something? That was pretty messed up too. Sheesh, what is it with people marrying their relatives in this book?!

Ok, something about that just reminded me of Finduilas. Not the one from The Silmarillion (there was a Finduilas in the Silmarillion, right?), but Boromir and Faramir's mother. Sorry if that was a spoiler, I can go back and edit it if you like. She's one of my favourite characters. Along with Eowyn. I guess I can relate to these distressed women. I'm sure a lot of girls my age can. ;)

Hey, that was a pretty long post. I just kept thinking about things I wanted to say, so I typed them all up. :D

[yankeemb7]

Thanks, martin. I'll probably end up reading UF in a couple of years when I get around to it.

We're learning about Edgar Allen Poe in English, and he married his cousin. I also think that's gross. I don't really think his stories are that scary though. The only book that ever scared me was 'Salem's Lot by Stephen King. a lot of movies are scary, though.

[Gabool the Wild]

Well I finished The Fellowship of the Ring last night and I must say that it was pretty good. Unfortunately(since I'm a slow reader) it took me a long time to read some of the chapters (Like The Council of Elrond took me almost two hours). I also started TTT and I was a little bit confused and I want to make sure I didn't miss something:
All of sudden Aaragon hears the horn and comes down the hill and finds Boromir in his condition. Did the movie just add in the last battle just to make more action, or was the battle really in the book and I just somehow missed it?

As for the Council of Elrond chapter, I thought that it was good and interesting to have all that history in there but it was written in a confusing way and I got confused easily. The rest of the chapter was fine though.

I was surprised as to how many differences there were between the book and movie. One surprise was that Merry and Pippen were his best friends in the book and Sam was just his gardener. But in the movie, Sam was his best friend and Merry and Pippen were more like hobbits his own age that he knew. Also Tom Bombidil was an interesting character and I was kind of dissapointed that he and the adventure in the Barrow Downs weren't in the movie. A final difference I was confused about was the reversal of opinions of the path to the other side of the Misty Mountains. In the movie, Gandalf wanted to go over Caradhas (or whatever the mountain was called) and Aaragorn wanted to go through Moria, but in the book, he wanted to go over the mountain while Gandalf wanted to go under. I don't really see the necessity to change that. O(ver all though, it was a very good bok and I will waste no time continuing with TTT and getting it read before the 21st

[yankeemb7]

The battle was added onto the end. They should have left it out. It would have made a great cliffhanger. I love cliffhangers. They keep u guessing and they drive me mad.

[MoonShadow]

I hate really some cliffhangers since they drive me to insanity for a few days for wanting to know what happens.

And probably the only "real" book I read on my own was the 9th Series of Unfortunate Events book, and the series is getting quite unfortunate and bizarre.... I'm planning to start reading the Golden Compass soon after this weekend is over..... I hope that work slows down a bit.

[yankeemb7]

The Golden Compass is really good. The Amber Spyglass is the best one.

[Martin the Warrior]

Gabool
All of sudden Aaragon hears the horn and comes down the hill and finds Boromir in his condition. Did the movie just add in the last battle just to make more action, or was the battle really in the book and I just somehow missed it?

As I recall (and it's been a few years), that's pretty much how it happened in the book. The Fellowship was scattered, searching for Frodo (only Sam found him). Through narrative and speech we can surmise that the Uruk-Hai ambushed the area where Merry and Pippin were searching, Boromir tried to defend them, and was killed. I believe all members of the Fellowship had some sort of encounter with the Uruk-Hai. But, yes, the movie embellished the Amon Hen battle quite a bit. I didn't mind, though, as the results were spectacular (especially in the extended edition).

One surprise was that Merry and Pippen were his best friends in the book and Sam was just his gardener. But in the movie, Sam was his best friend and Merry and Pippen were more like hobbits his own age that he knew.

Merry and Pippin's personalities were changed, ever so slightly, to further differentiate them in the movie (I have to say a small part of me prefers the movie versions). I don't think their relationship to Frodo was changed, though. It simply didn't have the chance to be showcased because Crickhollow never occurred. (Movie) Merry and Pippin's concern about Frodo during the Nazgûl chase seemed more than a "like-age-casual-friendship" to me.

As for Sam, I wouldn't say he was "just the gardener". A master/servant dynamic was at work, sure, but it was a dynamic rooted in respect for one another. I think, even without the class/rank involved, if they were two equal hobbits, they'd still be friends. I don't think it's a stretch, either, to say that Sam is Frodo's dearest friend in the book. The movie never abandoned the master/servant dynamic, it just didn't point it out with a glaring neon sign. For my part, I think they nailed it and look forward to what Elijah and Sean have to show us in TTT.

Also Tom Bombidil was an interesting character and I was kind of dissapointed that he and the adventure in the Barrow Downs weren't in the movie.

It was disappointing, I agree. But, I see their logic-- with so much plot-centric stuff to get to, something had to give. The movie is already one of the longest I've ever seen (if not in existence), and that's just dealing with the central story. To include everything like Tom Bombadil, Crickhollow, etc. would have stretched an already long movie to an impossibly long movie.

A final difference I was confused about was the reversal of opinions of the path to the other side of the Misty Mountains. In the movie, Gandalf wanted to go over Caradhas (or whatever the mountain was called) and Aaragorn wanted to go through Moria, but in the book, he wanted to go over the mountain while Gandalf wanted to go under. I don't really see the necessity to change that.

If I'm remembering correctly, Aragorn never pressed going through Moria in the movie, nor did he speak against it. Gimli was the one who wanted to go that route. And, while Gandalf's line, "I would not risk Moria unless I had no other choice." does seem to conflict with the book at a first glance, one could argue that the simple fact that he did yield to Aragorn and try Caradhras first meant he also didn't want to go to Moria unless it was necessary.

The reasoning for the movie's change, I think, was to foreshadow Gandalf's death at the hands of the Balrog. Using the creature as the reason Gandalf was so reluctant (and rightfully so) to go into Moria. This conflicts with the book some (the Balrog's existence wasn't known), but made for good cinematics. In my opinion. ;)

[LadyBeelze]

The fellowship of the ring movie really was a cliffhanger and for the people that had never read the book, they hated the whole movie for that. I can't wait to see the two towers...wait maybe this should go into the lord of the rings post...

[Darkhood_343]

Everyone's read His Dark Materials. They're awesome.
Not me:p

[Airemia]

The fellowship of the ring movie really was a cliffhanger and for the people that had never read the book, they hated the whole movie for that.

This is not true!!! I went and saw the movie before I read the book, and I loved the ending! C'mon! It has to be a cliffhanger! Did these people not realise that there were going to be two more movies?! It has to leave you wondering! And it wasn't that bad a cliffhanger! How else could they have done it? Just wrapped everything up, and not made the other movies! Am I the ONLY person who actually liked the end of the movie before I read the book?! *Has a fit of insanity* :rolleyes:

[The Red Badger]

Beats me. I'd read the book before it was "cool" to do so (in other words, LONG before the movie). :cool:

[LadyBeelze]

i read the lord of the rings and the hobbit years before the movie came out.

Right now i'm rereading The Two Towers until the movie gets to my theater (if that EVER happens) and i'm starting to reread A Christmas Carol or whatever you call it with the three ghosts and stuff for the hols.

[Darkhood_343]

I've actually never read any of the books.

[MoonShadow]

Am I the ONLY person who actually liked the end of the movie before I read the book?! *Has a fit of insanity* It drove me crazy, but I liked it, though I sort of was in a feeling-sorry-for-Frodo daze for a week, and also wanting the next movie to come out. But the book's cliffhanger is so much more cliffhangy....

And what am I reading now..... The World at her Fingertips, a biography of Helen Keller, which I'm not enjoying that much, since her life isn't the best thing to be reading about.... I have no choice but to read it since its for a book report. *sigh*

Yeah, and I'm also reading Hikaru's Go in Chinese. I need an online translation. *goes to find one*

[Darkhood_343]

Moon-moon
The World at her Fingertips, a biography of Helen Keller
Who Helen Keller again?

[LadyBeelze]

Who Helen Keller again? \

Helen Keller was like the girl that couldn't see or hear anything. I watched a biography in a class at school once.

[Darkhood_343]

Now I remember,I wacthed a biography on her in third grade.

[Rachael_Otter 281]

Right now I am reading a book called the mystery house or somthing like that.