One grey morning the first snow began to fall in Moomin Valley. It fell softly and quietly, and in a few hours everything was white. It took me a ridiculous amount of time to read this pocket-sized, yet delightful children's book. Finn Family Moomintroll is the first Moomin book translated into English, and at only … Continue reading Finn Family Moomintroll | Tove Jansson #NordicFINDS23
To look at Miss Georgina Carter you would never have suspected that a woman of her age and character would have allowed herself to be so wholeheartedly mixed up with an Ifrit. For Georgina Carter was nearing fifty (she was forty-seven to be exact) and there was something about her long, plain face, her long … Continue reading Miss Carter and the Ifrit | Susan Alice Kerby #DeanStreetDecember
I decided to tackle Jorge Luis Borges short story The Library of Babel after reading that it was one of the influences on Susanna Clarke when she wrote her recent award winning book, Piranesi. The influence is obvious. A labyrinthine library that contains every single book that could possibly be written (even the books that … Continue reading The Library of Babel | Jorge Luis Borges #ARGshortstory
When the Moon rose in the Third Northern Hall I went to the Ninth Vestibule to witness the joining of Three Tides. This is something that happens only every eight years. I'm really not sure how I can write a review for this story that will do the reading experience justice. Piranesi was the book … Continue reading Piranesi | Susanna Clarke #WomensPrize
The run into Christmas and the silly season, leaves me tired, frazzled and depleted most years. This year I'm attempting a calmer, kinder approach. As a first line of defence I started interspersing junior fiction reads amongst my regular reads several weeks ago. I've been saving all the interesting looking ones for months now, so … Continue reading Australian Junior Fiction Catch Up
I have a vague recollection of seeing the 1984 movie version of The NeverEnding Story in my late teens. It was a bit too juvenile for my sophisticated, desperate-to-be-grown-up self at that time, so other than a shaggy white flying dragon and a boy clinging to its neck, I remember nothing. And felt no need to … Continue reading The Neverending Story by Michael Ende
I am a fan of the Moriarty sisters - Liane, Nicola and Jaclyn - they have all gone off in different directions, genres and target audiences but the one thing they have in common is thoroughly engaging stories, believable characters and the ability to suck me into their world.Jacyln's previous series that wowed my socks … Continue reading The Extremely Inconvenient Adventures of Bronte Mettlestone by Jaclyn Moriarty
Book VI in The Return of the King brings us back to the perilous journey of Sam and Frodo.Sam now has possession of the ring and Frodo is missing.Tolkien provides the reader with a quick catch up that feels natural and part of the drama (not the obvious recap that so many authors clumsily employ). … Continue reading The Return of the King, Book VI by J R R Tolkien
Ohhh, I had forgotten how much I love this book. I mean really, really love this book. I raced through Book V (The War of the Ring) so quickly because I could not literally put the book down. I knew what was going to happen next, but I wanted to be there and experience it … Continue reading The Return of the King, Book V by J R R Tolkien
I had planned to write two posts about this, the second part of The Lord of the Rings trilogy, as it actually begs to be considered in its two separate sections. In fact, Tolkien originally wrote the book as one big book with six parts. He planned to name part III The Treason of Isengard … Continue reading The Two Towers by J R R Tolkien
The books that comprise The Lord of the Rings are usually presented as a trilogy, but it was in fact designed by Tolkien to be one single book with six parts. Obviously the publishers baulked at publishing such a large tome of a book!On 29th July 1954 George Allen & Unwin published the first volume consisting … Continue reading The Fellowship of the Ring by J R RTolkien
It's time to check into the The Two Towers, and yes, I know I have yet to complete my review or wrap up post for The Fellowship of the Ring.Unfortunately I have come down with some kind of flu bug that has knocked me for a six.I promise to catch up soon, but for now … Continue reading The Two Towers – Welcome to Book
The 25th March is Tolkien Reading Day which seemed like an auspicious day to host our latest check-in post. The theme for the 2017 TRD is Poetry and Songs in Tolkien's Fiction. Therefore I will start our #HLOTRreadalong2017 business with Bilbo's Walking Song,The Road goes ever on and on,Down from the door where it began.Now … Continue reading The Fellowship – check in time.
I had LOTS of doubts about a new Harry Potter.Did we really need a new Harry Potter? Wasn't this just a crass cash grab? Was there anything new to be said about the power of love?As it turns out the answer is yes!Rowling along with Tiffany and Thorne had plenty more to say about the … Continue reading Harry Potter and the Cursed Child by J K Rowling, John Tiffany & Jack Thorne
I confess that I am one of those readers who often skips, skims or ignores prologues and introductions in my excitement to get to the story proper. I'm also concerned that the author might inadvertently reveal an important feature of the story to come.But this time, with my aim to reread the HLOTR leisurely and … Continue reading The Fellowship of the Ring – The Prologue
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