JRR Day

Tolkien was born this day in 1892. He did so much that was amazing - invented an entire world, for example, along with maps, languages and mythology that went with it. His books are The Classics of his genre (which he also pretty much invented!) and his characters live and breathe as much today as when he invented them.

I first read Tolkien when I was eight. I found an old copy of The Hobbit somewhere and picked it up. After that, I was lost in a world of songs, adventure, and underground caves where a creature had lived for years, looking for one Precious item.

I loved Smaug's treasure and how the Hobbit - Bilbo Baggins - evolved from a peace-loving elderly gentleman into a first-rate burglar. I loved the names - Oin and Gloin especially. And let's not forget Gandalf - a character so real, so amazing, that he has reappeared under different names in many different fantasy series and books.

It took much longer to get into Lord of the Rings. It was so solemn after the riotous Hobbit, and Tom Bombadil nearly finished me off. Plus, there was the constant lack of food ... it seemed the only thing that Sam and Frodo ever had on them was tobacco. Reading LOTR invariably made me hungry.

Plus, the lack of female characters made me itchy. Sure, there was Goldberry and Galadriel, but what did they do besides dispense high-brow wisdom and look lovely? It wasn't until the movies came out and I saw that Eowyn was a character to take my breath away that I went back and finally read the trilogy. 

Maps - glorious maps

But that was a product of the times, and Tolkien's writing is amazing. Here are a few of my favorite quotes:

"Pity? It was pity that stayed Bilbo's hand. Many that live deserve death. Some that die deserve life. Can you give it to them, Frodo? Do not be too eager to deal out death in judgment. Even the very wise cannot see all ends."

“I wish it need not have happened in my time," said Frodo.
"So do I," said Gandalf, "and so do all who live to see such times. But that is not for them to decide. All we have to decide is what to do with the time that is given us.” 

“The world is indeed full of peril and in it there are many dark places.
But still there is much that is fair. And though in all lands, love is now
mingled with grief, it still grows, perhaps, the greater.” 

“If more of us valued food and cheer and song above hoarded gold, it would be a merrier world.” 

“Still round the corner there may wait
A new road or a secret gate
And though I oft have passed them by
A day will come at last when I
Shall take the hidden paths that run
West of the Moon, East of the Sun.” 

30 Days of Books - My Favorite Series

The Frabjous wonder of a good series - of reading a book, knowing that more will follow with the same characters and fantastic writing. 

Of course Harry Potter comes to mind instantly, as well as Moomins, Tolkien - starting with The Hobbit of course - and the Dido Twite books. In each series, an adventure happens and ends rather satisfactorily at the end. JK Rowling and Tolkien went one step further and introduced a common thread, a continuing siege or adventure that kept readers returning for more. 

Kill Voldemort! 

Destroy the Ring! 

Still, each volume of the series is, of itself, a good read with a beginning, middle, and an end.

Trust me, as an author of a series, this is a very hard thing to accomplish. You want the readers to be able to pick up any book and begin to read, but usually you really have to start at the beginning.

Of the above, for sheer genius in creating compelling story arcs and likable, living characters, I must go with JK. When I started The Deathly Hallows, I thought there was no WAY she could resolve every issue, especially with all those Horcruxes to be destroyed. Yet, resolve them she did. The woman is a goddess.

On the Indie front, my favorite series is Darkness Rising by Ross Kitson. Emelia is the main character, and she begins as a lowly servant in a castle. Soon she is propelled into a series of adventures, and she discovers hidden resources of strength and bravery.

It's all very epic and fantastic. Kitson makes Emelia spring to life right from the start. He has done a lot of world building; like JK Rowling, his universe (Nurolia) has been imagined with maps, languages, and characters. Kitson, a doctor in the UK, painstakingly illustrates them all, so the book is a journey through an imaginary country. 

And - joy! Kitson has just started another series, called Infinity Bridge. This one is a steampunk read, with loads of urban fantasy. I devoured the first book and can't wait for the next. 

And then there are those books that SHOULD be a series but are not .... cough ... Jonathan Strange and Mr. Norrell ... we are still waiting...

J.R.R. Tolkien and Christmas

One of my favorite Christmas books is by Tolkien. That's right, the Eye of Sauron guy. Like many wonderful children's books, Letters from Father Christmas was written as a series of letters to Tolkien's children, as if Father Christmas himself had written them.

They started in 1920. And for twenty two more years, Tolkien sent the letters, each one illustrated and written in Father Christmas's signature shaky handwriting. In 1921 the North Polar Bear, or NDP, began to add to the letters. The Bear always got into mischief and ended up being scolded by Father Christmas.

In 1936 the elf secretary Ilbereth entered. He and the other elves had to ward off Goblin attacks, so Tolkien had begun to incorporate Middle Earth concepts.

Throughout you can see hints of Tolkien family life. Father Christmas explains why the children won't receive that expensive gifts they requested (the NPB switched the labels or fell down the stairs on top of them) which gives us an idea of the parents' worries. That he did so in such a creative, satisfactory way is just another testament to his imagination and genius.