Tolkien Birthday Toast 2017

It is the 3rd of January, and among Tolkien fans that means only one thing: a toast on the author’s birthday is in order!

Books I’ve Read in 2016

It being New Year’s Eve, this post feels appropriate for this time of year.

Indeed, another 12 months have passed since I last compiled a list of books read, and I’m very proud to say that I have increased the number of works from last year.

Merry Christmas!

Whether you celebrate Christmas or any another religious feast, or simply celebrate none, here’s my best wishes to you all!

Spread the love and share this moment with family and friends, over a hot cup of tea and a copy of The Hobbit  in your hands, whilst marathon-watching The Lord of the Rings trilogy.

Thank you for all your constant support and here’s to a fantastic day! 😀

#LOTR15 -A Life-Changing Day …

It can often be frustrating trying to comprehend the impact of watching The Lord of the Rings for the first time.

How do you explain something as monumental, powerful, personal and life-changing as this to someone else?

From Gondolin to Trollshaws: Glamdring, Orcrist and Sting

© Warner Bros. & MGM Studios

Three Elven swords were forged in Gondolin during the First Age, and presumably lost after the fall of this city as recounted in The Silmarillion. Glamdring, Orcrist and Sting make their proper appearance in The Hobbit in the lair of the three trolls, some 6,462 years later and just under 1,900 miles away from their original place of forging.

How and when could these swords have been carried such a long distance through three ages of wars, plunder and cataclysmic events?

Fun Post: Scatha the Worm (Smaug’s brother?)

Image by Jeff Murray (JeffMurray.com)

Between Tolkien’s three major Middle-earth works, there is a small number of references to dragons, but even less so have been attributed with particular names or involved in specific events.

Scatha the Worm is one of those rare named dragons about whom we know almost nothing, but this presents an excellent opportunity to analyse and speculate briefly.

Approaching Tolkien: The Lay of Aotrou & Itroun

Tolkien’s poetic skills are undisputed: eloquent, beautiful, moving.

I am in no way an expert on poetry. However, I like to read the odd verse or two every now and then. So what I look for in a poem is a consistent rhyming pattern, the clever construction of words and meaning in a restrictive format, and all this through an easy and clear read.

This is why I have enjoyed Tolkien’s poems above any other author’s. He is capable of saying so much, in such a beautiful way, without reverting to the abstract or metaphorical that is typical of so many poems. His pacing is progressive and the content itself is both meaningful and straight to the point.

Why I keep reading The Lord of the Rings over and over again

… as well as The Hobbit, The Silmarillion and his other works.

This applies pretty much to any kind of book and book lover out there.

What really compels one to read the same book time and time again, when they already know the outcome?

Since this post also serves as a kind of self-reflective examination, I thought best to write it down as a monologue between myself, to try and understand what moves one to re-read a favourite piece of literature over and over. It reminds me of Galileo Galilei’s Dialogue Concerning the Two Chief World Systems, in which three individuals discuss differing views on the orbit of the Earth and the Sun.

Raising a cup of tea to Peter Jackson

In keeping with tradition, I decided to write another brief blog post in honour of Peter Jackson’s birthday.

Last year I wrote a short letter dedicated to the director, praising his work and thanking him for introducing me to cinema and Middle-earth.

In this quick post, I’d like to talk about the individual himself.

The Sunshine Blogger Award

A big thanks to Olga from Middle-Earth Reflections and Lisa from Tolkien Read Through who have nominated me for this cool award – the Sunshine Blogger Award. The most rewarding part of blogging about Tolkien is communicating with fellow fans and readers, and sharing our love for the books. So thanks once again Olga and Lisa! 🙂

Now on to the official procedure.