n  n   

“All that is gold does not glitter,
Not all those who wander are lost;
The old that is strong does not wither,
Deep roots are not reached by the frost.

From the ashes a fire shall be woken,
A light from the shadows shall spring;
Renewed shall be blade that was broken,
The crownless again shall be king.”

n  n

As someone who’ve read more than three hundred fantasy novels, it may come as a surprise to many people that this is, in fact, the first time I managed to finish reading The Fellowship of the Ring. Honestly, there’s nothing new I can offer here; for several decades, there have been many analysts and heavy devout of The Lords of the Rings, Middle-Earth, and pretty much everything related to Tolkien. My knowledge of Middle-Earth contained only what I’ve read from The Great Tales of Middle-Earth, Silmarillion, this book, and from watching the movie adaptations of The Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit trilogy. Matched to these experts, my knowledge is just a drop in a sea of diligence. What I will write here, instead, is my personal experience; mainly on why it took me this long to finally finish reading this legendary novel for the very first time, and how much I disagree with the illusionary ‘required’ reading surrounding this series.

Picture: The One Ring by Donato Giancola


For many readers, The Lord of the Rings is responsible for being their gateway into the fantasy genre; for me, it was the one that pushed me away for years. The last time I pushed myself to read The Fellowship of the Ring was all the way back in 2012 when The Hobbit movie came out; I DNFed it because I was mindlessly bored, and before that, I have tried reading this book so many times but ended up DNF it every time Frodo met Tom Bombadil. Now now, don’t unleash your Gurthang on me yet, let’s put things into perspective first. Same with many readers, I absolutely love The Lord of the Rings movie—extended, of course—adaptations; it probably will always be my favorite fantasy movies of all time. I have watched it so many times that I lost count now; last year I re-watched the trilogy only to find myself in awe by everything about it, again. I personally think the movies did a great job of rearranging/cutting content for watching enjoyment; in comparison to the novels, they are also so much more fast-paced relatively. Obviously, it’s not fair to compare them like that because they’re different mediums of entertainment; movies will always be faster-paced than the books. However, try putting yourself in the shoe of someone who wasn’t keen on reading novels—I haven’t found my gateway into fantasy novels yet back then—and have known about the main plot of the series from watching the movies so many times, being put into reading The Fellowship of the Ring that’s verbose; it was the opposite of enjoyment, it was boredom. Back then, I found that the forming of the Fellowship of the Ring brotherhood and their adventure took way too long to reach because I’m much more used to the pacing of the movies.

Picture: The Fellowship in Hollin by Donato Giancola


Then, I kept hearing from many fanatics that “you’re not a fantasy reader/fans unless you’ve read and loved The Lord of the Rings!” and not gonna lie, it pushed me off the genre for years; I thought reading epic fantasy novels wasn’t for me because of this statement. I will disagree with this notion that you’re required to read a specific series to be considered as a fantasy reader. Not only this is incredibly disrespectful to countless fantasy authors and readers, but it also speaks heavily of elitism and childish behavior that the world seriously doesn’t need. If you want to feel superior or powerful for having read this series and be condescending towards other people, you should raise your hand to your back and pat your asses three times, because what you just pat is what you’ve become. There’s an unlimited number of amazing fantasy books out now in the whole world, it’s outrageous to gatekeep a gate that doesn’t exist just because they don’t follow your Tolkienism. I love sushi, do I have to fish and eat the first fish that popularized sushi as a popular food so that I can be considered as someone who loves eating sushi? What if I had listened to this garbage statement back then? What if I had completely given up back then because of my sour experiences with this book and the fandom? I would be missing on so many grand and unforgettable adventures I received from reading other fantasy books. It may be shocking, but The Lord of the Rings isn’t the only available fantasy books to read.

There is no ‘required’ reading—other than to read ANY fantasy book—to become a fan of a fantasy; it is an illusion made up by elitists who should not be listened to. Also, this is kinda related, I consider Malazan Book of the Fallen one of my favorite series of all time. For years, I’ve been hearing many angry complaints towards Malazan fanatics, and to be fair, some of them can indeed be annoying when they keep on recommending the series even when the series doesn’t fit the reader’s request for a recommendation. This situation, however, is not exclusive to this series. Any popular and famous series will always have a large fandom filled with passionate readers that’s sometimes transformed into fanatics. I’ve had my share of dispute and grievances with some Malazan fans due to their seniority, elitist, and spoilers galore that ended up taking me a long time to plunge myself into the series. Unfortunately, speaking from my experience, the same can be said for those who worshipped The Lord of the Rings and Tolkien, maybe even much worse due to their tendency for gatekeeping.

n  n   

“Deserves it! I daresay he does. Many that live deserve death. And some that die deserve life. Can you give it to them? Then do not be too eager to deal out death in judgement. For even the very wise cannot see all ends.”

n  n

This rambling has gone on much longer than I expected now, and I haven’t even begun talking about what I loved and disliked about The Fellowship of the Ring. That being said, because The Lord of the Rings is technically one big tome divided into three, I prefer doing a full spoiler-free review on The Lord of the Rings when I have finished reading The Two Towers and The Return of the King as well. For now, let me just briefly say that I enjoyed reading The Fellowship of the Ring so much more now than all of my previous attempts. With relatively many fantasy books read now, I was able to tolerate Tolkien’s verbose writing style. If you’re one of those who struggle through reading this book, my advice—if you want to push yourself—is to persevere until Frodo reached the village of Bree and meet Strider. In my opinion, this was the checkpoint where the novel started being engaging. Before that, even reading it now, many parts felt super sluggish; Tom Bombadilo’s singing and sections were pure nonsense that I wouldn’t mind skipping. There aren’t enough praises I can give to Tolkien for the depth of his world-building (remember, this was published more than 60 years ago) and creating some of the most iconic scenes in the fantasy genre that led to a myriad of beautiful fan art like this:

Picture: The Shadow and the Flame by Anato Finnstark


And speaking of iconic scenes, what we read in The Fellowship of the Ring is merely a small taster of what’s to come in The Two Towers and The Return of the King. Although I’m not a huge fan of Tolkien’s prose—the singing was a bit too much, and he uses third-person omniscient narrative which I’m not too keen of—there’s this sense of being transported into another world by reading his writing. Plus, let’s not forget that he wrote some of the most memorable quote; this one is timeless:

n  n   

“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.”

n  n

I am not denying the importance of Tolkien’s role in the fantasy genre; it would be insane to deny that. The Fellowship of the Ring and the next two parts of The Lords of the Rings were and still some of the most important fantasy novels that shaped and made the fantasy genre popular. However, I personally wouldn’t recommend this series as a fantasy-gateway series for people who are looking to get into reading adult fantasy for the first time. Same with all books I reviewed, my rating is based on reading enjoyment, not on a technicality, achievement, or any other external factors. Unlike the existence of The One Ring to Rule Them All, there isn’t one fantasy series to rule them all as a foolproof recommendation. This is also what makes fantasy fantastical and wonderful; it’s truly a favorite genre of mine that is filled with boundless and infinite imaginations. Instead of banishing fantasy readers for not reading/loving The Lord of the Rings, I definitely prefer to welcome them with recommending other fantasy books that, in my opinion, would work for them more. Let’s do better.

n  n   

“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 grows perhaps the greater.”

n  n

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3,5 stars

This book took me much longer to finish than I would have expected based on the page count; thankfully, my slower reading doesn't say anything about my enjoyment of the book.

I'll be honest, I am not one who quickly picks up non-fiction, I like it when my books involve people who I follow on a journey (so I guess biographies would still work), and so a book on the evolution of the English language is not much like my usual reading. That being said as a reader and someone who likes to write, I think the topic was incredibly interesting.

Bryson has a funny writing style and sense of humor which were right up my alley. The way he presents information made me laugh at multiple occasions, which I think is quite a feat when presenting an abundance of facts on a topic which could easily be explained dully. Thankfully Bryson knows how to write, and has found many funny examples and anecdotes to present his book, including a chapter on the development of Swearing in English, which I found really funny.

This book is full to the brim with facts and information, something which is probably partly to blame for the slower read, because I need more time to process it, but it also means that I learned an awful lot from this book; and not just about Language Development. I learned some facts about History, I learned about crazy American town names, English words I had never heard of and many other things.

As someone for whom English is not my first Language, this book made me wonder why it is I find writing in English easier than my first Language, and also confused me at times with the terms describing words; I know Adjective, adverbs etc. but many others I never learned or have since forgotten since my English classes, which made certain passages slightly harder to read.

But overall, this book was funny and informative, and although I do not think I will read this book again, I enjoyed it a lot, and can recommend it to anyone who loves writing, reading and language.

Reading "What to Expect the First Year" while pregnant is kind of like drinking from a firehose. There is just so much information, and all of it makes so much sense that it's hard to absorb it all. It's probably my fault for trying to read this before the baby comes, but I was thinking that once I'm a milk-feeding, sleep-deprived zombie, I wouldn't have time to read it.

With all that said, I do feel like there's a lot of great information in here, and I have bookmarked entire sections as reference for the future.

One thing I will also say is that I'm happy that a lot of the information is aligned with what I've been reading in other books. I think I'm finally learning what I need ... or at least, getting all the theory ingrained into my brain.... now for the practical hands on... *sweat*

It's been many years since I read this for the first time and what struck me is that I had completely forgotten it was written for children. Tolkien addresses the young reader directly several times, reminding them of something he's told them in an earlier chapter and that sort of thing. He never forgets the child reading the book. There are trolls and massive spiders and other scary creatures but they aren't dwelt upon and they are always quickly defeated. It's very much a child's story in which bad things happen but good wins in the end. The films are a different thing completely.

I love the Peter Jackson Hobbit movies, though even I think it was a stretch making three of them out of one little book. In true movie fashion, the scary parts are scarier, the spiders bigger and uglier and the trolls more disgusting. The battle of the five armies took about 20 minutes to read in the book and three hours to watch on screen. The movies exaggerate everything, (what else would one expect?) bringing in characters that Tolkien didn't put in the story and even adding a romance. It seems every film must have a romance.

Fili and Kili are made more of in the movies than the book, and along with their uncle Thorin are turned into handsome Hollywood swashbucklers, which Tolkien probably never intended. (That's not a complaint - I appreciated Thorin Oakenshield's majestic swagger as much as anyone.) The book overall has a light touch appropriate for children that the movies discarded completely. There is lots of comic relief in the films, but they are weighty stories dealt with in a much more serious tone than that taken by the book. I have read that Tolkien's family dislikes the movies because they stray too far from the intent of the books. I can understand their point of view, but whether it's even true or not, who knows?

All I can say is I love the book for certain reasons and I love the movies for other reasons. I can't choose which I like better because I really don't see them as things that can be compared. They are different stories in many ways, different characters and types of characters, different tones and different target audiences. Both are wonderful and I love them all.

It's a genuinely good series. Very inventive and original. The reason I gave it 2 stars is because it was so god damn boring. Descriptions were tedious, fight scenes were tedious. I couldn't wrap my head around the story in general. Sometimes I skimmed whole paragraphs and pages and understood everything that was happening just fine! Honestly, I'm still wondering where the hell I got the patience to sit down and read the whole thing. Especially with so few female characters (thank god for Eowyn). I recommend it for people who like fantasy and don't mind unnecessary content.

Picked it up on a whim, knowing Bryson was easily digestible and I needed something light between courses of Bleak House. As the top reviews of this book can attest, the book is certainly wrong in a number of ways -- since I'm more familiar with Irish than Cree, I know he was certainly wrong about a number of things as Gaeilge. At first I thought his characterisation of Irish as dying in its native land as an outdated perception -- sure, I'm not fluent, and loathed the language in secondary school, but it's not at all dying, though it might've seemed so in the 90s -- but, continuing, I understood he was simply misinformed.

Since Bryson is the kind of writer that doesn't hold much scrutiny to a Google search, I can't really recommend this book, as most of the trivia I enjoyed could well be wrong. I don't regret reading, as often we can learn more from bad books than good, and this is a great example of a deceptive, entertaining, persuasive, bad book.

I am an English teacher. I like grammar. It fascinates me. I like knowing big words and little words and word histories and word games. Being at a computer with access to the online version of the OED (Oxford English Dictionary) can provide me with endless hours of amusement. So, this book was a treat for me. Bill Bryson writes with an exuberance and excitement about what English (and language in general) is capable of that is infectious and uplifting. Though it is not a comprehensive history of the English tongue, it does drop in at key moment and point out some of the really interesting, weird, trivial tidbits. At the same time, he recognizes some of the strange idiosyncrasies of English that make it ridiculously difficult for non-native speakers to learn. Unlike other pieces on English I've read that are uncomfortably superior sounding, this one points out some of the places where other languages can easily express concepts that English speakers don't have precise words for. I also learned that a lot of the rules we hapless grammar teachers try to impart to our students have somewhat dubious origins. For instance, I learned that using a preposition at the end of a sentence, as I have just done a couple of sentences before, is only considered improper because a fellow who wrote an influential book on grammar in England decided HE thought it sounded common and ungraceful. I was also fascinated by all of the words that were once common in Britain that have fallen out of use there, are still in use here, and are now viewed as "Americanisms." In fact, the section on the "drift" between various English speaking countries was very neat. I knew a lot of the Brit-speak already (thank you, year in London and Age of Sail fandom...) but I really liked the argument that British English, Australian English, and American English aren't drifting apart as fast as they might because of the ease of communication and the media shared between the countries. It made a lot of sense to me.

Anyway, I found this to be a useful, witty, fun collection of facts and oddities concerning English.

I read this because I liked What to Expect When You're Expecting. I liked this one even better. It's packed with facts and practical advice. As a first-time dad, I found it especially useful.

The chapters on illness and first aid are overwhelming; I quickly gave up on trying to take notes. I skimmed the chapters to become aware of what could happen, but I'd rather rely on advice from the pediatrician or medical staff in the event of serious sickness or injury.

I found the section on baby sign language interesting because someone recently told me how she used sign language with her daughter, and it made communicating much less frustrating.

Notes

Feeding
Bottles
• Introduce bottle around 5 weeks, after breastfeeding is established. Introduce 1st bottle 1-2 hrs after breastfeeding and gradually build up by swapping bottle for breastfeeding.
• 1st bottle shouldn’t be offered by mother.
• Feed until baby stops eating.
• Start with 1-2 oz formula at each feeding and gradually increase.
• Start with 1 bottle feeding per day for 1 week before switching to 2/day.
• Boil bottles and nipples before 1st use. After that, dishwasher or hand-washing is sufficient.
• Discard milk or formula remaining in bottle after feeding.
• Start weaning from bottle at 8-11 mos; may take 1-2 mos. Finish by 1 yr.

Storing breast milk
• Refrigerate as soon as possible.
• Room temperature up to 6 hrs.
• Refrigerate up to 48 hrs.
• Chill for 30 mins, then freeze 1-2 weeks in single-door refrigerator (3-6 months for models that freeze foods solid).
• Thaw in fridge and use within 24 hrs, or thaw under lukewarm tap water and use within 30 mins.

Solid foods
• Introduce solids at 4-6 mos, depending on doctor’s orders.
• Introduce foods 1 at a time, 3-5 days apart.
• Iron-enriched cereal is the easiest source of iron for non-formula-fed babies.
• You can freeze homemade baby food in ice cube trays.

Early foods
• 4-6 mos: rice cereal.
• 6 mo: barley cereal, oat cereal, applesauce, bananas, pears, peaches, peas, carrots, green beans, sweet potato, squash.
• 7-8 mos: chicken, turkey, lamb, beef, avocado, egg yolk.
• 9 mo: yogurt (whole milk), cheese (Swiss, Cheddar), pasta, beans, tofu

Cups
• Start teaching to use cup at 5 mo.
• To motivate switch from bottle to cup, use bottle only for water, and cup for other drinks.
• Sippy cups have many negatives, so avoid if possible. Start with spoutless cup and use sippy later if necessary, but limit sipping to meals and snack times.

Miscellaneous feeding notes
• Powder formula is least expensive.
• By 4 mo, babies don’t need to eat during night.
• No nuts or honey until doctor okays, around 1 yr.
• It’s OK to let baby eat food dropped on house’s floor.
• Try to hold off on sweets for at least 1st year.
• Limit sugar and salt.
• Don’t forbid foods; allow occasional treats when child understands the concept of rare treats.
• When doctor okays cow’s milk (around 1 yr), give only whole milk until age 2.
• Don’t push food on baby. If she likes only one food for a week or more, let her eat it. However, try to sneak other foods into or onto it.
• Don’t laugh at or scold high chair antics, or baby will be encouraged. Don’t comment on manners except for praising good behavior.
• Brush and wipe baby teeth with washcloth after meals and at bedtime.
• Don’t use fluoridated paste.

Sleeping
• Don’t try to implement a sleep schedule until baby is several months old.
• Breastfed babies don’t usually sleep through night until 3-6 months.
• You won’t spoil a baby by consistently responding to crying within a couple minutes. Studies show these babies cry less as toddlers. But, if you’ve met baby’s needs, it’s OK to let her cry for 10-15 mins.
• By 6 mos, OK to let baby cry it out at night.
• Feed baby a while before intended nap or sleep time so she doesn’t fall asleep during feeding. Put to bed when drowsy.
• Teach baby to fall asleep without breast or bottle at 6-9 mos, but you can try earlier. Put to bed when drowsy.

Schedule
• By 3 months, some babies have a regular rhythm, but many don’t.
• Don’t try to use a schedule before 2-3 mos; let baby eat and sleep on demand.

Playing
• Limit baby swing to 30 mins, twice daily. Move her to crib before she falls asleep.
• Children don’t understand that items can belong to someone else until 2.5 yrs, and don’t understand sharing until 3.

Talking to baby
• Avoid pronouns; say “mommy”, “daddy”, and baby’s name.
• Use simple words some of the time.
• Talk about here and now.
• Imitate baby’s sounds.
• Raise your pitch; babies prefer high pitches.
• Start pronouns around age 1.
• If teaching a 2nd language, start at 2.5-3 yrs.

Baby sign language
• Baby sign language doesn’t impede spoken language skills.
• Begin as soon as baby shows active interest in communicating, by 8 mo or earlier. Most babies sign back by 10-14 mos.
• Develop your own signs by using simple gestures for words or phrases.
• Speak and sign simultaneously.
• Encourage others who spend time with baby to sign.
• Use signs that baby invents.

Discipline
• With each “no”, try offering a “yes” in the form of an alternative, to avoid frustrating baby.
• Correction and reward work better than punishment.
• Your anger triggers baby’s anger; avoid angry outbursts.
• Research shows spanking promotes violence, aggression, and antisocial behavior. It also teaches to settle disputes with force.
• Alternatives to spanking: consequences such as time-outs, and positive reinforcement.
• A spanking or hand smack may be warranted when a child who’s too young to understand words does something dangerous.

Walking
• Children may first walk at 9 mo, or after 15 mo.
• Walking barefoot helps baby learn best. When she walks outside, choose shoes that are closest to bare feet (simple and flexible).

Medical care
• Keep baby calm for 30 mins before taking temperature so crying doesn’t elevate temp.
• Call doctor if baby under 2 mo has rectal temp over 100.2° (105° for over 2 mo).
• Don’t give aspirin to children. Acetaminophen (Tylenol) is OK under 6 mo; acetaminophen or ibuprofen (Advil) OK over 6 mo.

Miscellaneous notes
• Pair short last names with long first names (and vice versa). 2-syllable first complement 2-syllable lasts.
• Keep nursery above 72° in summer, 68-72° winter days, and 68° winter nights.
• Wean from pacifier between 3 and 6 mos.
• You don’t need to wash baby’s clothes separately or with different detergent.
• Most experts agree that there’s no evidence that intense early learning (such as Baby Einstein) provides a long-term advantage.
• It’s OK for baby to suck fingers until age 5.
• A woman’s body takes at least 1 yr to fully recover from pregnancy and childbirth. Ideally, wait that long to conceive again.

"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 grows perhaps the greater."

The first volume of the epic Lord of the Rings novel, The Fellowship of the Ring, basically focuses on the formation of the Fellowship - the group that will become responsible for the fate of the One Ring. After having been lost for centuries, the One Ring is passed from Bilbo Baggins to the young hobbit Frodo and as Ringbearer, the future of civilisation in Middle Earth rests upon his shoulders as he must travel to Mount Doom in order to destroy the ring in the fires in which it was forged.

Reading The Lord of the Rings is like coming home. I came late to the Harry Potter series, I wasn't one of those children who grew up with Harry and co., so often people will ask me, "What were you doing when everyone else was dreaming of going to Hogwarts?" and I will say, "I was dreaming of going on an adventure in Middle Earth".

I grew up with The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings, probably reading the latter at an age where I really didn't understand a lot of what was going on and yet I still fell in love with these books. Going to see the movies in the cinema with my brother and uncle became a tradition, even if my uncle was one of those annoying movie-goers, whispering in my ear at every opportunity, "In the book, they actually..." WELL, now I'm proud to say I'm one of those annoying people! So I have quite strong feelings for these books and have reread them numerous times. As is evident quite often in my stories on instagram, I watch these movies all the time as well - they are timeless classics to me. It's been a while since my last reread, therefore I decided 2017 would be the year of my great Hobbit/LOTR reread, and it's been an absolute joy so far.

It's hard to write a review for one of the greatest series ever written. How dare I insult a genius like Tolkien by giving my meandering thoughts... In all honesty, I don't have many negative things to say about these books. My only criticism is the songs that are sometimes included that go on for too long. I quite enjoy these songs in the movies, but reading through them is an entirely different experience.

Reuniting with the Fellowship again is always a treat - Aragorn has always been and will always be my favourite member of the Fellowship. He is heroic, strong, determined, a leader, a King. Gandalf is also one of my main men. I remember when I read these books and watched these movies years ago, Samwise Gamgee was always just "Frodo's friend" to me, but over the years and as I grow older, it's only now that I can really see just how amazing Sam is. He is irreplaceable in terms of the support and friendship he provides for Frodo, he is so selfless and courageous. We all need to be a little more like Samwise Gamgee. His loyal traits only start to bear fruition in this first volume.

My favourite aspect of this book is the togetherness of the Fellowship, they move as one group, before splintering off in subsequent volumes. It's nice to see them all interact with each other, with one shared aim. I always considered this book to be my least favourite out of the three, and yet I still loved every minute of it. That says a lot for the books to follow. This is an epic fantasy tale, one that will continue to live on through the ages, and I'm really excited to delve into The Two Towers again (once I finish the monster that is IT). This one gets 5 stars out of 5 from me - Tolkien is a genius.

Reread June 2022.

8/10.

Bryson has written a fun and irreverent book about the English language, its variations, and its history. Linguistics has to be written entertainingly, for no one wants to plow through a dictionary to learn of the transformations of his language. Instead, one needs a pithy exposition of word changes, pronunciation differences, humorous uses of English in foreign lands, proper nouns, and idioms. With these, one can get a better understanding of the speech and writing one uses so often. And that is what Bryson provides. Some various insights:

To "atone" is descended from the word "at-one", e.g. to at-one one's self with God after sinning. It used to be pronounced "at-one" and I think it makes a lot more sense if one still pronounces it that way again.

The derogatory term for a herdlike mass, "mob", is descended from the Latin term mobile vulgus, which means "fickle crowd". A fitting term.

The saying "the exception proves the rule" does not mean that an exception is a proof of the rule. The verb "proves" is used in the sense as it is in "proving ground", i.e. a ground which tests one's abilities. So the saying "the exception proves the rule" actually means: the exception tests whether the rule is actually true.

"Goodbye" used to be "God-be-with-you", "daisy" used to be "day's eye" (an apt description), and "hello" was probably "whole-be-thou".

"Most surnames come . . . from one of four sources: place-names (e.g. Lincoln, Worthington), nicknames (Whitehead, Armstrong), trade names (Smith, Carpenter), and patronymics, that is names indicating a familial relationship (Johnson, Robertson)". Surnames came into being in the 14th and 15th centuries, when England passed laws requiring the government to collect peoples' names, their occupation, and their place of residence. They needed to distinguish between people with the same first name, hence the need for surnames. The reason why place-name surnames from big cities (e.g. London) are so rare is that names must identify a particular person. If there are 400 Johns in London, then the surname "London" will be useless. Therefore, most English place-name surnames came from small localities.

There's little to say about this classic and informative book that hasn't been said many times before. This is a definitive work on raising a baby through its first birthday. It may not answer every question you may have, but it certainly tries. This is the first place you should go if you have questions or concerns about your baby, and reading it through gives you a solid grasp of your baby's development and possible problems and solutions. You probably don't have to do what I did and read every word; reading the first section of each chapter—which is general information about that month's development—and then skimming the headlines in the "What You May Be Wondering About" sections, and only reading about those potential problems which interest you is probably sufficient.

One caveat, however. Like many informational books, some of the best stuff is at the end. If you plan to only read about each month as you reach it, don't wait until your baby is a year old to read over the last few chapters, especially the First Aid section, which has lots of good information you will not want to wait until you need it to read for the first time.

Unsurprisingly, the book is geared to be read by mothers, not fathers, but it's not too grating if you're a father reading it. If it bothers you, I recommend The New Father, which covers the same subject from a dad's perspective. Frankly I recommend reading both; there's surprisingly little overlap, given the identical subject matter.

Tonight on Anderson Cooper 360, we find ourselves in Murfreesboro, Tennessee and at The Green Dragon Public House and Brewery, a Tolkien inspired pub. Our special guest tonight is none other than THE Hobbit, Mr. Bilbo Baggins, formerly of the Shire. We’ll have a moment to get to know the individual that has meant so much to generations of literary fans and then to a new generation of movie going fans in this last decade. Bilbo, how are you tonight?

Bilbo Baggins: I’m well; thank you, Anderson, and how about yourself?

Anderson Cooper: I’m fine, thanks. Tell me, what was it like working with Peter Jackson?

BB: What’s not to like? He’s a consummate professional, with great attention to detail and a heart for our story.

AC: How was he different than working with J.R.R Tolkien?

BB: Ronald was a wonder, a finer man this world has never known. He was sensitive, but not in the way this generation uses the term; he was a real man, he could chop wood and build a fire, but he had in mind the celestial, he was a Godly man. Peter is more worldly, but spiritual in his own way.

AC: Was Hollywood different than England in the 1950s?

BB: My word, yes! But mostly in the scale of things, not so much the substance. When Ronald first published our story in your time of 1954, there was some fuss and attention but nowadays there is another level of fame and fortune altogether, I cannot wrap my mind around it! I wanted to pay for a breakfast of some eggs and sausages and the innkeeper said, “your money is no good here, Master Hobbit” but I’ve never had so much coin as I have now and no one will take it! The world has gone topsy-turvy.

AC: And your nemesis, Sauron, how has he changed over the years?

BB: Well! Now there is a query, yes sir! Let me just say that he was a pain the arse in the distant past and remains so today. His kind will always be a ticklish spot on the mattress if you get my meaning; I was not at all surprised to see him get involved with your politics.

AC: What about that, Bilbo – is it alright if I call you Bilbo?

BB: Please do.

AC: Thank you, what about Sauron’s entry into local politics?

BB: Let me speak candidly, Anderson, Sauron is a self-serving lot. His foray into your politics is all about what is best for him.

AC: Were you surprised that he has adapted so well to our political climate?

BB: Not at all! Oh my goodness, no! He was made for the arena, as your Mr. Nixon would say.

AC: Bilbo, has fame changed you at all?

BB: Anderson, I’d like to think not, but maybe in some small ways.

AC: Example.

BB: Fair enough, I like to get the top of my feet waxed. Back in the Shire, forget about it, but around here, it’s just a matter of getting it done and who to do it.

AC: The top of you feet waxed?

BB: A mild vanity, I assure you, a simple pleasure for me to preen and pleasure.

AC: Well deserved, I’m sure.

BB: Well, there are the simple ways to be enjoyed.

AC: Bilbo, what would you like to convey to our audience before we sign off?

BB: Thank you, Anderson. I’d just like to say to our audience, to our fans, both of the books and the more recent films, I think our story is about decency and doing what is right. It’s not always about slaying dragons or defeating an evil tyrant – more often it is the small things – paying a fair wage to your gardener or the village grocer, and observing the common courtesies. If we can win the small battles at home, then the larger wars will take care of themselves.

AC: Thank you, Bilbo, it has been a pleasure.

BB: The pleasure is all mine, Anderson, and won’t you enjoy some fine craft ales while we’re here?

AC: Why not? Thanks again to Mr. Bilbo Baggins, this is Anderson Cooper reporting from Murfreesboro, Tennessee with the Hobbit, Bilbo Baggins. Take care, America.

2015 reread:

My first impressions after rereading this wonderful story is that at its heart it is a travel book, from the departure from the Shire , through Bree, and all the way along the dangerous paths, down through Moria and visiting Lorien this is a story about a journey.

This also made me even more appreciate the fine work of director Peter Jackson and his crew for a magnificent job filming Tolkien’s great vision. However, I do miss the exclusion of Tom Bombadil from the films as he is a testament to how, as good as the films are, lacking they are when it comes to the fullness of Tolkien’s story, the films are martial and about armed conflict. Jackson must sell tickets, I understand that. But Bombadil, poetry and song are also an integral part of Tolkien’s Lord of the Rings and part of this template for high fantasy.

One thing Jackson got right was the importance of Sam Gamgee, his simple straightforward approach to life perhaps mirrored Tolkien’s own English countryside manner.

Finally, the scene between Boromir and Frodo is classic in literature. Well done, Professor Tolkien.

My education as a young German continues. I have been able to read children's books easily for some time, but books for grown-ups are still challenging. I thought that reading The Lord of the Rings in translation might be helpful, since for me it's intermediate between children's literature and adult literature. The vocabulary and grammar are more like adult literature; but the writing is concrete and straightforward as children's literature tends to be, with little of the abstractions, generalisations and complicated narrative structures that characterise adult fiction. I think it's worked well, and I could positively feel the book stretching my vocabulary. But most importantly, it's increased my appreciation for the poetics of the language. The text was many times able to reach me emotionally, and I could recapture the magical effect it had on me when I first read it at age ten: the comic interlude in Bree, the horror of the Barrow-wight and the Balrog, the glimpses of the vast shadowy history of the First Age.

The part that affected me most was the sequence in Lórien, which, to my surprise, moved me to tears. I couldn't quite understand why, but when I looked through some of the other reviews it became clearer. Readers of my generation were able to enter the enchanted world of Middle Earth and make it part of our own reality. But now I glance at Khanh's review, which has attracted 500 votes and a depressing number of positive comments, and see that for many people it is no longer possible. They understand nothing. The Elves have departed over the Sea, and left only a nostalgic memory behind them. It is desperately sad, and it is just this ineluctable tragedy of the passing of time that Tolkien captures so perfectly.

n  Ai! laurië lantar lassi súrinen,
Yéni únótimë ve rámar aldaron!
Yéni ve lintë yuldar avánier
mi oromardi lissë-miruvóreva
Andúnë pella, Vardo tellumar
nu luini yassen tintilar i eleni
ómaryo airetári-lírinen.
Sí man i yulma nin enquantuva?

An sí Tintallë Varda Oiolossëo
ve fanyar máryat Elentári ortanë
ar ilyë tier undulávë lumbulë
ar sindanóriello caita mornië
i falmalinnar imbë met, ar hísië
untúpa Calaciryo míri oialë.
Sí vanwa ná, Rómello vanwa, Valimar!

Namárië! Nai hiruvalyë Valimar!
Nai elyë hiruva! Namárië!n

'Ah! like gold fall the leaves in the wind, long years numberless as the wings of trees! The long years have passed like swift draughts of the sweet mead in lofty halls beyond the West, beneath the blue vaults of Varda wherein the stars tremble in the song of her voice, holy and queenly. Who now shall refill the cup for me? For now the Kindler, Varda, the Queen of the Stars, from Mount Everwhite has uplifted her hands like clouds, and all paths are drowned deep in shadow; and out of a grey country darkness lies on the foaming waves between us, and mist covers the jewels of Calacirya for ever. Now lost, lost to those from the East is Valimar! Farewell! Maybe thou shalt find Valimar. Maybe even thou shalt find it. Farewell!'

Varda is the name of that Lady whom the Elves in these lands of exile name Elbereth.

First Read: September 2018, Rating: 4.5/5 stars
Second Read: September 2021, Rating: 5/5 stars

It is such an odd experience to read a book when you are so familiar with its movie adaptation. Peter Jackson's films are legendary and whilst they do an incredible job of recreating these fantasy classics, there are certain inconsistencies. Totally my own fault for watching the films before reading the books they were based on, but I spent a lot of my time, during my first reading, thinking 'that's not how it goes!', so sure was I in the sequence of events this would follow.

I felt more immersed in the story, during the second time consuming it. I remembered that certain events differed slightly and so just let myself experience the adventures featured, purposefully not giving much thought to the details of them cemented into my brain from so many repeated rewatches.

Regardless, both reading delivered an immersive and atmospheric read, full of wonderful character who will stay in my heart forever, and I am so glad to have finally read this legendary fantasy novel! It is the perfect cosy and autumnal read and I had a silly smile on my face during the entire 300 pages. Events get increasingly darker, and this continues into the second two series instalments, but this remained a mostly pleasant exploration of one of the best fantastical lands ever invented.

Subtitled, ‘English and How it Got That Way’, this is typical Bryson wit and erudition at his best. I confess, I was tempted initially to disagree with some of his numbers on the speaking of English, but a quick gander at Google soon put me right on that issue.
The book is divided into 16 chapters plus an extensive bibliography and a very full index. Bryson tackles some diverse subjects, covering ‘The World’s Language’, ‘Where Words Come From’, ‘Good English and Bad’, and ‘Swearing’, amongst the many topics. With his usual good humour and in-depth research, he explains how language came about, how it developed and how English became the most widely-spoken tongue in the world today. He also looks at its future and, as usual, is optimistic about this in spite of the many commentators who seem intent on predicting decline, chaos and ultimate death for the language.
There were many places where I laughed out loud when reading. I learned things of which I was previously ignorant, had some of my most heartfelt beliefs brought into question, discovered things every writer and reader should know relating to the grammar police, and generally came away from the reading experience both enthused and educated.
It’s a great book and one everyone who declares an interest in their home language should read. I especially recommend that writers get hold of a copy and actually read it. It will be far from a waste of time, I promise you. Thoroughly enjoyed it!

Being a huge Lord of the Rings nerd, having written my senior college Capstone on the linguistic merits of Quenya and Sindarin Elvish, I think I'm pretty qualified to rate this book in accuracy. All in all, it made detailed reference to the Silmarillion lineages of Gil-Galad and Elendil of the Numenorean line really well. It mentioned the sundering of many nations existing only in the Silmarillion and known only to the avid LotR "scholar".
However, much of this was undermined by the fact that there were consistent references to what happened solely in the movies. For example, the author makes reference to Arwen coming to the Hobbits' aid, when she did no such thing in the original source material, and there was no reference of Glorfindel. No reference to Tom Bombadil, either in that regard. Many grammatical errors ensued as well, which annoyed me. It makes the author sound like he hasn't read any of the books, but rather tried to listen to a friend who did all the research. Author cannot correctly differentiate between "Rohan" and "The Rohirrim", often saying "The Rohan", or even things like "The Barad-dur."
My favorite part about this book though was that despite having a lack of knowledge of the original book's lore, Smith has an in-depth knowledge of smithing and leather crafting, giving extravagant and well detailed descriptions of what went into the armor described in the books and represented in the films. That alone is why you pick this book up.

“The slight evolutionary change that pushed man’s larynx deeper into his throat, and thus made choking a possibility, also brought with it the possibility of sophisticated well-articulated speech.”

This is the most enjoyable Bryson book I have come across in years, and I learned a lot of really, really interesting facts, but again I’m surprised by some of his lapses and inaccuracies that can render him and his editors looking a bit amateur.

“Not until 1979 did a poll show for the first time that Italian was the dialect spoken at home by more than 50% of Italians.”

He makes a really good point about no language really being better as such, but instead concentrates on highlighting the myths, flaws and origins of English compared to many other languages. This was often hugely entertaining, and I got a few good laughs and I also learned a great deal too, which was great, but there were a few niggles in there.

To be fair calling Bryson out on his factual inaccuracies is a bit like shooting fish in a barrel, but keeping in mind he's made his name through travel writing and the English language, so he and indeed his editors/publisher etc should be aware that Holland is not and should not be interchangeable with the correct term of The Netherlands. Holland is an area within the Netherlands, as in North Holland and South Holland. You don’t hear Dutch people calling the US Texas or California.

At one point he describes Wales as being a hundred miles to the south of Scotland?...That’s just lazy and plain wrong. Elsewhere he claims that English has nothing to match the Danish word, Hygge – “instantly satisfying and cosy”. Well I’d argue that “cosy” covers that quite nicely, though “coorie”, a Scottish term, captures it even better. But all told this has to be one of the better Bryson books I’ve read and there's a lot of good stuff in here.

"All that is gold does not glitter. Not all those who wander are lost. The old that is strong does not wither. Deep roots are not reached by the frost”.

(4.5)

En este punto de mi vida ni siquiera sé cómo justificar que no hubiera leído antes este libro. No sé si llamarle terquedad o tontería, pero vaya que me arrepiento de no haberle dado una oportunidad antes a esta historia. ¡Por fin leí el primer libro de El señor de los anillos! Y, contrario a lo que pensé que pasaría, no me aburrí ni un segundo y lo disfruté un montón.

Por si, al igual que yo, han estado metidos debajo de una roca, les voy a contar un poco de qué se trata The Fellowship of the Ring. Cuenta la historia que hace muchísimos años se forjaron unos anillos de poder, pero Sauron, el Dark Lord, decidió forjar uno infinitamente más poderoso para controlar a los demás anillos y expandir su poder. Sin embargo, eventualmente le arrebataron ese anillo y, a pesar de que lo buscó por toda la Tierra Media, nunca lo volvió a encontrar. Sin saberlo, ese anillo acabó en manos de Bilbo Baggins, un hobbit de la Comarca. Bilbo ha vivido un montón de años con aquel tesoro maldito, pero llega el momento en el que debe legárselo a Frodo, su heredero. Y, a partir de ese momento y con Galdalf guiándolo, Frodo tendrá la misión de destruir el anillo antes de que su poder lo corrompa, pero no será fácil, pues tendrá que atravesar casi toda la Tierra Media para hacerlo mientras lo persiguen los aliados del Dark Lord.

Antes que nada, quiero advertirles que The Fellowship of the Ring es, evidentemente, un libro de fantasía bastante antiguo, así que una de sus principales características es que los personajes están constantemente en un viaje para ir de un punto A hacia un punto B. Ahora, si bien hay momentos de ese viaje en los que los están persiguiendo dark riders o están atravesando cavernas con enemigos que no pueden ver, hay algunos puntos en los que la trama se centra exclusivamente en su travesía, sus paradas en posadas y momentos bastante tranquilos. En un día normal, a mí me chocan este tipo de estructuras en los libros de fantasía porque siento que no pasan muchas cosas y le falta acción a todo, pero, curiosamente, esto no me molestó en The Fellowship of the Ring y estuve enganchada todo el tiempo.

Creo que, además del hecho de estar descubriendo una historia tan famosa por primera vez, algo que hizo que la disfrutara un montón más fue que iba comentando mis progresos con un amigo que es fan acérrimo de Tolkien. De verdad, inténtenlo, es súper divertido. No se imaginan sus reacciones cada que yo le escribía cosas tipo: “¡APARECIÓ GANDAAAAAALF!”, “OMG, ¿CÓMO QUE PEPITO ES MALO?”, “¡YA LLEGARON A RIVENDELL!”, “NO PUEDE SER, PEPITO ERA EN REALIDAD ARAGORN” y así. Y sí, los Pepitos los usé para evitar spoilers en esta reseña. Aunque, ahora que lo pienso, es un libro tan viejo que ni siquiera deberían poder molestarme por spoilers, jajaja. Anyway…

Siento que The Fellowship of the Ring es un libro súper introductorio, pero que sabe enganchar a los lectores. Desde el principio, cuando conocemos a los hobbits de la Comarca, ya es imposible dejar de pensar en qué va a pasar después; en cómo es que Frodo va a embarcarse en una misión tan peligrosa si nunca ha salido de su región; en cuándo aparecerán los personajes que conoces por nombre, pero que no tienes ni idea de realmente quiénes son porque ni has visto la película; en qué pasará si uno de esos black riders los alcanza; en por qué Galdalf está desaparecido; en qué querrá ese misterioso Strider; en cuándo llegarán a la mítica Rivendell y cómo se formará el grupo más grande que intentará escoltar a Frodo para que destruya el anillo; en si lograrán ocultarse durante más tiempo de todos los ojos espías que tiene el Dark Lord… En fin. Es todo un viaje y la tensión narrativa está muy bien lograda, pues no solamente te van contando toda la travesía, sino que todo se entrelaza con historias del pasado, leyendas y canciones.

Definitivamente, mis partes favoritas del libro empiezan a desarrollarse cuando el grupo se va de Rivendell y se encamina hacia la segunda parte de toda la travesía. Es en este último tramo del libro cuando más están en peligro, cuando más cosas descubren y cuando el poder malvado del anillo va metiéndose por las grietas de las personalidades de cada uno de los personajes… ¡y eso me encantó! Y el final… ay, madre mía, ya veo que los personajes tomando decisiones estúpidas no son cosas exclusivas de la literatura más contemporánea, jajaja, pero ¿qué sería de las tramas sin esas elecciones que precipitarán mil peligros más? Conclusión: necesito leer pronto The Two Towers.

Actual Rating: 3.75/5

A great guide to the ever growing unstable wet squish that is your baby!

I didn't find this book as important as the first one (which was my savoir having known NOTHING about babies!), though it is still very well written. It's incredibly informative and a great guide for following the development of your baby during his first year of life.

My rating isn't indicating anything wrong with this book. There's nothing wrong. It's perfect. But I found it to be more of a fun guide - like keeping track of milestones, excited to see which one's were on the mark, which needed improving and which he was 'excelling' at - than a lifesaver and any book after this, I'm 99% sure I won't bother with. The only reason this one even ended up in my paws is because I got it in great condition at my local Charity Sale for $.50 so *shrug*

Overall, I would recommend this one but I won't shove it in someone's face like I might the first one. Because honestly, if the women in my life who had already raised their babes didn't, I would have ignored this series altogether. I thank those ladies and these books for getting me through my first year being a new mommy and helping me not accidentally kill begin the process of raising my little squish!

Rare are the books that put me in my special happy place; books that give me that fuzzy, comfy feeling and just, well, make me happy to be in that world. The Fellowship of the Ring does just that; the magic of the story was such that being part of Frodo’s journey was nothing short of wonderful, as in full of wonders, and it left me with that sense of wonder long after I finished reading for the day.

To be honest, I never expected to love this that much, especially since my previous attempts had failed. I‘m now glad that I didn’t force myself to finish this book ten years ago, or worse, twenty years ago. I was not ready then and I couldn’t have appreciated it.

What I‘ve always loved, however, is this poem Bilbo recites, so much so that I‘ve learned it by heart:

n  "All that is gold does not glitter,
Not all those who wander are lost;
The old that is strong does not wither,
Deep roots are not reached by the frost.
From the ashes a fire shall be woken,
A light from the shadows shall spring;
Renewed shall be blade that was broken:
The crownless again shall be king."n

I also feel I need to point out that a large part of my enjoyment came from the magnificent Andy Serkis reading the audiobooks. He just does a marvelous job, especially with making a large cast of characters sound distinctive with pitch of voice and different accents. I tried listening to the Rob Inglis audiobook years ago, but was just so put off by his reading. So if you haven’t listened to Andy Serkis yet, you should absolutely remedy that!

You might wonder why I felt obliged to try enjoying LotR again and again, and, yes, it’s partly because of what Tolkien has done for the fantasy genre, but mostly it’s because I‘ve always loved the movies ever since I saw them at the theater way back when. I actually still watch them all religiously at least once a year, so the plot was naturally familiar. But that didn’t mar my enjoyment at all; if anything it was helpful to be somewhat familiar with Middle-earth. It was also fun to see what was changed and to realize once again with how much care to detail Peter Jackson made these adaptations.

It‘s very possible that I need to add re-reading LotR once a year to my growing list of books that I just need to experience again and again. But I‘m getting ahead of myself; I really should finish reading LotR for the first time!

Onward!

————————

n  "Some who have read the book, or at any rate have reviewed it, have found it boring, absurd, or contemptible; and I have no cause to complain, since I have similar opinions of their works, or of the kinds of writing that they evidently prefer.“n

Touché, Grandpa Tolkien, touché.

n  “I cordially dislike allegory in all its manifestations, and always have done so since I grew old and wary enough to detect its presence. I much prefer history, true or feigned, with its varied applicability to the thought and experience of readers. I think that many confuse ‘applicability’ with ‘allegory’; but the one resides in the freedom of the reader, and the other in the purposed domination of the author.“n

(excerpts from the author’s foreword)
———————————



So excited to finally tackle this! Third time‘s the charm! Listening to Andy Serkis reading it is already an amazing experience.

n  CONTENT DISCLAIMER:n I was feeling very muppet-y when I wrote this. Please bear with me :D

This book is not for the faint-hearted.
I've never known a book to come with so much baggage, I swear. So first things first.

n  YOU &YOUR BOOKn
In situations where you find yourself entangled with a book like this, the things you have to ask yourself are:
☑ Am I ready for this?
☑ Do I have the time and strength for this?
☑ Am I ready to accept the outcome of this? Because chances are things won't work out at all.

▶ n  I'VE GOT A MUPPET A LOT LIKE KERMIT LIVING IN MY HEADn
SHYLOCK: And this is starting to sound like a dating column. Let's stick to what we know, shall we Annie?
ME: Yes. Yes, let's do that.


n  n    RAMBLING n  n n  REVIEWING n

▶ n  WELCOME TO MIDDLE EARTHn
Home to Hobbits, elves, dwarfs, orcs, and creatures of a darker and grotesquely, nefarious nature.
Throughout the land of shire, it's a known fact among the hobbits that old Bilbo Baggins is queer, and well preserved-as some would say(a rumor facilitated by his perpetual youth). It was also said that the tunnels of Bilbo's home were stacked full with treasures and riches amassed over time from his many adventures. To Bilbo, there was only one true treasure-a shiny golden ring. On his 111th birthday, Bilbo passes on his treasured ring and fortune to his younger cousin, Frodo, who happens to share the same birthday with him. But the ring holds more power than neither Frodo nor Bilbo could ever have imagined. Soon Frodo, along with his very loyal friends(Sam, Pippin and Merry) are on the run from dark riders sent by the rising dark lord, Sauron, who covets the ring's power.

n  Three Rings for the Elven-kings under the sky, Seven for the Dwarf-lords in their halls of stone, Nine for Mortal Men doomed to die, One for the Dark Lord on his dark throne In the Land of Mordor where the Shadows lie. One Ring to rule them all. One Ring to find them, One Ring to bring them all and in the darkness bind them In the Land of Mordor where the Shadows lie.n

To those who enjoyed this book as much as I did, I know like me you just had to try it once, didn't you? Don't tell me after reading this, you didn't hug your copy to your chest and say

Don't lie! I won't accept such blasphemy. Admit it, I just know



▶ n  NOT ALL RELATIONSHIPS START OUT ROSY AND BRIGHT n
The writing was exquisite. Exquisitely painful and difficult to get through at first. And the truth is, I did get used to the writing style, it did grow on me- but, that feeling never ceased. That I-love-you-but-I-hate-you-for-all-the-misery-you-put-me-through feeling never went away.
The prologue alone gives a heavy download of information, basically about the history of the hobbits: Their background information, geographical and regional distribution, their way of life. For those, like me, who haven't read the preceding novel The hobbit, this introduction-though tedious to read-proves ultimately helpful. You know what I loved most of all, was how Tolkien took moral themes such as greed, over ambition, thirst for power-some of the easiest downfalls of man-and wove them into a magnificent story of great mythology and fantasy. I can't help but feel wonder.

▶ A word of caution to the wise: please don't start out reading this novel while lying in bed, lest you wake up 2 hours later asking yourself how. Believe the testimonies of those who have walked that road.

▶ n  I CRIED ADVENTURE!!!n
Yes. You know me, adventure is like crack to me(not that I would know what crack feels like O.o). This book is fantastical! It's epic! Just brilliant! Follow Frodo and his gang as they travel across different lands, through the Old forest, Barrows-downs, The town of Bree and Prancing Pony, as they try to make their way to Rivendell. Experience their many adventures and trials, and dangers they encounter -all the while being pursued by the dark riders, and fall in love with the various characters they meet along the way(Tom Bombadil was the character that I, personally, view as the most spirited and endearing, I think.) I loved the scenes where they were in mortal peril the most, I could feel my pulse quicken everytime they were in danger. I and shylock were just like

The whole time.

▶ n  MY. FAVORITE CHARACTER :n
Hmph. I am not Frodo's biggest fan. To be honest, I really expected him to...I don't know, dazzle me? I grew up with the names: Frodo, Smeagol, Gollum and Gandalf. My older brother used to sing them like songs. He loved Frodo. So I guess I expected someone extremely valiant and strong and daring when I set out to read this book. Frodo is so ordinary he makes my nose crinkle in disapproval. But no, I'm not disappointed, if that's what your thinking. I'm only disillusioned and I'm in mourning, so never mind me. My favorite character is Sam. He is loyal. So freaking loyal and lovable. I like Pippin too though, he tickled all my funny bones and had me laughing right out loud. Aaaaand I really love Gandalf too, he reminds me so much of Gaius from the Merlin series. So in the end I loved a lot of characters. Guess I'm capable of spreading the love. Now this is going to sound funny, but, I didn't know Merry was a Man until I had gotten towards the end. I'm not joking. I don't know how, I just thought Merry was a she. I can only say that sometimes we choose to be blind to the way things really are because we wish them a certain way.

▶ n  THE TERROR NEVER ENDSn
To be honest, reading this never got easier, per se. Throughout the book we're fed lots of historical facts about the events which highlighted the previous ages of Middle-earth, information which relates significantly to the tale of the ring of power. We only get little breaks now and then from this bombardment of information. But I'd say it's all worth it. The world building is PHENOMENAL.

▶ Soooooo there are some who would chicken out because they're afraid of the complexity and gravity of this book, and so consequently, they end up missing out on one of the best relationships they could ever have because they're too scared to commit.

No. But seriously though, this book n  is not for everyone.n I honestly believe it's something of an acquired taste. It requires a good amount of patience and time investment. At the end of the day, after all the time spent, it still might not be your cup of tea and you'll end up pouring it all down the sink, you might even want to throw the tea cup at me. Please don't.


I, myself, wasn't truly captivated by the story until the history of the ring and all it's allure started to come to light. And then I found it hard to drop the book. I read meticulously and quite sluggishly-a consequence which should be expected from a combo which uses the two words: read and meticulously. I took notes, I played trace the dots and draw the story with the notes I made, drawing lines from character to character/event to event, just so I wouldn't lose important information I might need later on. I think I'll frame my notes and hang my suffering on the wall next to my bed so I'll never forget.
WHY FOUR STARS? I THINK YOU ALREADY KNOW. AND RIGHT YOU ARE.

n  END OF REVIEW n

n  THIS NEXT PART CONTAINS QUOTES I LIKED AND THOSE WHO QUOTED THEMn

n  But it does not seem that I can trust anyone - Frodo Baggins

What has it got in its pocketses?
-Gollum

The wide world is all about you: you can fence yourselves in, but you cannot for ever fence it out
-Gildor

The Road goes ever on and on
Down from the door where it began.
Now far ahead the Road has gone,
And I must follow, if I can,
Pursuing it with eager feet,
Until it joins some larger way
Where many paths and errands meet.
And whither then? I cannot say
-Originally quoted by Bilbo Baggins.
Quoted again by Frodo Baggins.

It all depends on what you want, put in Merry. You can trust us to stick to you through thick and thinto the bitter end. And you can trust us to keep any secret of yours closer than you keep it yourself. But you cannot trust us to let you face trouble alone, and go off without a word. We are your friends, Frodo. Anyway: there it is.
-Merry

Clothes are but little loss, if you escape from drowning. Be glad, my merry friends, and let the warm sunlight heal now heart and limb! Cast off these cold rags! Run naked on the grass, while Tom goes a-hunting!
-Tom Bombadil

All that is gold does not glitter, Not all those who wander are lost;The old that is strong does not wither, Deep roots are not reached by the frost. From the ashes a fire shall be woken, A light from the shadows shall spring;Renewed shall be blade that was broken, The crownless again shall be king.
-Gandalf.

All we have to decide is what to do with the time that is given us.
-Gandalf

Many that live deserve death. And some that die deserve life. Can you give it to them? Then do not be too eager to deal out death in judgement
-Gandalf

May it be a light to you in dark places, when all other lights go out

A part of his tale was known to some there, but the full tale to none, and many eyes were turned to Elrond in fear and wonder as he told of the Elven-smiths of Eregion and their friendship with Moria, and their eagerness for knowledge, by which Sauron ensnared them.n

NOW I'M OFF TO WATCH THE MOVIE! I CAN'T BELIEVE HOW MUCH I'VE GROWN. MY BROTHER WILL BE SO PROUD. I WILL NO LONGER BE AN OUTSIDER. **SNIFFS**

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 grows perhaps the greater."


W-O-W! I'm completely blown away..This is the kind of story the word epic seems to have been invented for. J.R.R Tolkien didn't just make up Middle- Earth,he infused every aspect of it with life. The great depth of work Tolkien put into producing his creation involved inventing landscapes, languages, beasts and beings that have influenced many other fantasy worlds.  Nothing quite like this had ever been done in literature before! It is undoubtedly a spectacular fantasy tale, one that will continue to live on through the ages. 5 stars out of 5 from me - Tolkien is a genius..

Pros: excellent source of concentrated information, arranged month by month. Probably the most useful of the books I've read so far.

Cons: I hated reading it every month. Boring, boring, boring, preachy.

And there's an added zinger to families during the pandemic. There are so many "this is the time to ask for help! it takes a village! parents can't do this alone!" sections that I wanted to scream. NO ONE CAN HELP. The best they can do is bring dinner and/or Grubhub cards, because it's not safe to help.

And then add in the repeated admonitions to "take baby out and about! he needs to be meeting new people, getting exposed to new germs, being mentally stimulated with new experiences for his brain to grow!" It's winter in a pandemic, the baby hates the cold, we have nowhere to go and he can't wear a mask. Great to have the continual reminder of the permanent damage this is probably doing to our kid's development! How wonderful to know that babies of his age should be able to wave bye-bye when our kid has not had an opportunity to say goodbye to anyone in months.

ARGH. Hated every minute of it. Yes, I know I'm projecting all my anger at the pandemic onto this book. But ARGH.

...And I nevertheless ordered the sequel for the second year. Because pandemic, and I'm not able to do the usual mom's group thing where I'd assess my kid's progress relative to others. So, books. And lots of crying, because no one is designed to be a fulltime parent every single hour of every single day for an entire year.

I found Bill Bryson about a month ago when I read hilarious In a Sunburned Country. I liked that one a lot and decided to try out his other book. And I liked this one too, but unfortunately not as much as In a Sunburned Country. And there are several reasons for that. Including the one that it can be at least partly my fault.

And that's what I will start with. I am not an English native speaker. I have never lived in any English-speaking country. I have been learning English at school. I manage pretty well, I can read books in English without too much difficulty. Which does not change the fact that there are a lot of words that I do not know (and I'm fully aware of that). I am also not particularly sensitive to differences in pronunciation between British and American English. I mean, I'm aware of these differences (I am usually able to recognize an American and a British when I hear them), but I do not think I can pronounce the word first according to one and then according to the other pronunciation. I read this book in English and I must admit that although it is very interesting, as a non-English speaker, I was not able to fully appreciate it and understand it.

On the other hand, as a foreigner who had to learn English (and I’m native in non-Roman language), Bryson's insight in this area was particularly interesting and accurate for me. Especially when it comes to intricate English pronunciation. So a big plus for that.

Another issue, Bryson wrote his book in the late 1980s. The world has changed a lot since then. First of all, we have internet, which, at least in my opinion, makes British and American English even closer to each other and more similar. That is why the book seemed to be slightly outdated at times. I would love to read its modernized version.

The above list of imperfections does not mean that I did not like the book. Just like always, it's easier for me to specify what I was not delighted with than what I like. And I must admit that this is a very good book. However, I think that it is directed primarily to English native speakers, because they will be able to capture and better understand all the issues that the author raises.

Anyway, this is definitely not my last book by Bill Bryson. I can not wait to read another of his books. This time may be travel related.

Did you know that drumstick was coined in the 19th century because polite society could not bring itself to utter the word leg? Or that Shakespeare gave us no less than 1700 new words including barefaced, frugal, dwindle, and summit?

Bill Bryson, an American transplanted to England, traces the history of English on both sides of the Atlantic. He explains the evolutionary accident that altered the human larynx and enabled us to speak. He traces the origins of English's naughtiest words, and offers a paean to that extraordinarily versatile American contribution to the language: O.K.

A smart, funny, irreverent overview of English. Although, I strongly feel that some parts were much more engaging than others. And, unfortunately, this book is pretty dated (pre-internet/World Wide Web), so many of the statistics are no longer accurate (in fact, that is the main reason I am giving this book 4 stars instead of 5). However, the extensive research into the history of the English language makes The Mother Tongue an asset to any reference shelf.

>>When Bryson was discussing the simplification of the English language, I couldn't help but think of the newspeak language in George Orwell's 1984...'no need for good and bad when you can just have good and n  ungoodn.'<<

>>There is a rather funny reference to the horrible orations of George Bush Sr. and Dan Quayle. I wonder what Bryson would have to say about George W. Bush's bumblings.<<

>>With all the 'real English' versus 'Americanisms' talk in the book, I kept thinking about John Cleese's Letter to America, which is absolutely hilarious.<<

For some reason I really struggled through this compared to What to Expect When You're Expecting. It seems like there are a lot more maybes and possibilities that won't turn up and less concrete advice.

I'll probably go back after my child is born for things like the good early foods for babies (peas, carrots, spinach, pumpkin and not very strong foods before moving onto avocado, meat, fruits and finally getting to the dairy section) and looking at Vitamin D supplements and iron supplements seems like a good idea. The birth section listing things that will happen such as: airway suction, cord clamping, Apgar test, antibiotic eye treatment, weight length, head circumference, allow breastfeeding, ID tag the baby and possible fingerprinting, reflexes, vitamin K injection, PKU heel prick test, Hep B vaccination or the 4in1 and make sure to record passage of urine and stools.

November 2021: Went ahead and removed my 4 star rating for this book, which I read and reviewed in 2006. It has since been pointed out, repeatedly, that Bryson is wrong in a staggering number of places in this book, and as I went on to read more of his work, I also realized exactly how racist he is. I don't read or recommend his books anymore.

Here's my original review from 2006, preserved as an artifact of how I was wrong:

Published in 1990, this book is already a little out of date. In its first pages, Bryson reports OED editor Robert Burchfield's theory that American English and British English are drifting apart so rapidly that within two hundred years we won't be able to understand each other. That was a theory made back when cell phones still required a battery the size of an unabridged dictionary, long before the internet became such a large part of the way the world communicates, in a time when you couldn't imagine downloading a British Doctor Who or an American Stargate Atlantis to your iPod. We live in a new world! Unfortunately it's also a world where the Harry Potter books are "translated" for American readers, lest we be too confused by the lingo: "What's this? Harry's eating a biscuit? And wearing a jumper? While battling Fizzolian Snargletoothed Whatsits?! This book is impenetrable!" JK Rowling aside, with communication technology becoming smaller, cheaper, and more powerful, I think we'll still be able to communicate two hundred years down the line. Bryson eventually disagrees with Burchfield for many of the same reasons, though he was unable to cite the internet as a factor.

In that way, this book is showing its age -- the chapter on online language use is, of course, conspicuously absent -- but it's got the history part down. Bryson spends most of his time looking at how we got where we are today. Where English came from, how it got to England, where it went from there. With its in-text references, footnotes, extensive bibliography and index, this book looks almost academic, but Bryson, an American living in England, handles it all with a cheerfully low-key sense of humor -- almost as if Terry Pratchett had turned his eye to grammar -- and even a refreshingly open approach to the word fuck in the chapter on swearing.

My one complaint is that, despite being loosely hung on British and American history, for the most part the book lacks a greater structure and ends up reading like a series of interesting facts. But, hell, they got my attention, and, as it happened, the attention of everyone around me: "Hey! Did you know the Romans had no word for grey?" Since English, as this book proves, is a big crazy mess, I guess Bryson can be excused for not being able to wrangle its history into a more pleasing order. Lack of structure aside, I really enjoyed reading this and will be reading more books by Bryson in the future.

Have actually read these books many, many times, first time in college, eons ago.

All four books remain enjoyable in spite of Tolkien's peculiarities, and the passage of time. (You'll find the "The Hobbit" has quite a different tone than "The Lord of the Rings"--much more humorous, and clearly more of a "children's" book.) I personally find the Sam-and-Frodo portions of LOTR a little too much, and I usually skip them when I re-read. Frodo is a bit of a prig, and Sam's devotion to his master is uncomfortable. Many will not care for Tom Bombadil. "The Scouring of the Shire" chapter in "Return of the King" is nearly unreadable, and seems to have been extracted from an Edwardian book for boys intended to improve their morals. There are very few women, and all are tall, beautiful, and queenly, with the exceptions of the foolish (and lower class) Ioreth in the Houses of Healing, and the robust but humble Mistress Rose, Sam's future wife. It disturbs the modern reader to run occasionally into phrases like "of purer blood" (not contaminated with the blood of "lesser men"). The modern reader may also find the classical black versus white theme unsettling. Is this a picture of Tolkien's own world or an example of his adherence to the historical worlds he was in effect re-creating? Probably both.

Yet I keep reading them. There is something true in them, in spite of everything. Éomer of Rohan asks the future king Aragorn how should men judge what to do in their time of strange portent, Aragorn replies "As he has ever judged. Good and Evil have not changed since yesteryear..." It is something to know how those who have been through evil times (and Tolkien had been through two world wars, fighting in WWI) made it through, or helped others to do so.

Worth the investment of time, even if you aren't particularly a fan of fantasy.