The Spiritual World of The Hobbit Book Review.

Title: The Spiritual World of The Hobbit.

Author: James Stuart Bell.

Genre: Christian, Nonfiction, Companion Book, Spiritual.

Plot: With the recent Hobbit movies, interest in Tolkien's world has been re-sparked and with it comes new books such as this one that gives a better glimpse into the enchanting world of Middle-Earth. My husband and I were just talking about the spiritual world of Tolkien's books and how they aren't like an allegory at all {like The Chronicles of Narnia are}. Our conversation hit a bump when we couldn't decide if Gandalf was a prophet or an angel.

This new book from Bethany House answers that question {he's technically a guardian angel - I win!} and more. It gives a brief history of Middle Earth, provides character profiles on main people/groups like Gandalf, the eagles and the dwarves. And we get a chapter by chapter look at how Bilbo grows and matures throughout the book, with insights into Tolkien's life and viewpoints. It's all highly fascinating.

Likes/Dislikes: I didn't really think this book would be very interesting but after the first chapter, I found it to be wonderful. I couldn't put it down for very long. It was beautifully written with hardly any repetition and jam-packed with interesting tidbits. My only objection is that there wasn't any additional information on Beorn. He's such an interesting, mysterious character. Oh well.

Rating: PG- 12 and up, for reading level. Highly recommended for all ages.

Date Report Written: May 27th, 2014.

I received a copy of this book free from the publishers in exchange for an honest review. I wasn't required to write a positive review. The opinions expressed in the above review are my own.

The Desolation of Smaug Movie Review

Title: The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug.

Starring: Martin Freeman {Bilbo Baggins}, Ian McKellen {Gandalf the Grey}, Richard Armitage {Thorin Oakenshield}, Benedict Cumberbatch {Smaug the Dragon}, Orlando Bloom {Legolas the Elf}, Evangeline Lilly {Tauriel the She-Elf}, Luke Evans {Bard the Bowman}, and others, including the remaining twelve dwarves.

Release Date: To theaters, December 11th, 2013. To DVD, April 8th, 2014.

Genre: Classic, Fantasy, Sequel, Epic, Action/Adventure.

Plot: Bilbo Baggins, now in possession of the mysterious ring, continues his perilous journey with the thirteen dwarves toward the Lonely Mountain. Pursued by vicious Orcs bent on killing them, the little party is driven to seek shelter from a potentially very dangerous person. Even Gandalf is wary of asking him for help. With no choice but to risk it, he leads them to the home of Beorn, a mighty wild man who can take the form of a giant black bear. Described as the Beast, even the Orcs are scared to challenge him. With his help and protection, the dwarves make it to the edge of Mirkwood.

It is there that Gandalf, finding evidence of his worst fears. Leaving the dwarves to face the dangers of the wood alone, he sets off to investigate the potential return of Sauron in the form of the mysterious Necromancer. Not feeling too opitmistic, Bilbo follows the dwarves into the forest where they encounter hideous giant spiders and dangerous wood elves, including Legolas. Finally escaping and making it to Laketown, the dwarves seem to be at their journey's end. They have no idea that their adventure has just begun.

Likes/Dislikes: The first Hobbit movie moved so slowly and tried to be too many different things that I didn't like it as much as I wanted to. This sequel, while jam-packed with lots of new material that isn't in the book, moved with a fast pace and kept my interest. Up until they got to the mountain and popped in to wake the dragon, that is. From there, it slowed way down as the dwarves wasted time and gold trying to stop Smaug. They only succeed in making him made. And the whole classic conversation with Bilbo and the dragon is all botched and chopped up. That really disappointed me. However, I did enjoy all the epic fighting scenes and the return of Legolas. The addition of the girl elf just made me laugh though. Also, the orcs are a lot more hideous this time around than they were in the original trilogy. I really liked how they beefed out Bard's storyline, but {as is typical with guys}, they didn't do much with the mysterious Beorn. He was a lot cuter in the book than in the movie. *winks*

Rating: Official Rating: PG-13. My rating: PG-14 and up, mainly for violence that includes lots of beheadings and blood. Not recommended for young children under ten.

Date Report Written: March 6th, 2014.

Mythmaker Book Review

Title: Mythmaker: The Life of J.R.R. Tolkien.

Author: Anne E. Neimark

Genre: Biography, Nonfiction, True Story, Historical.

Plot: Tolkien's famous works, The Hobbit, The Lord of the Rings, The Silmarillion, etc., have captured readers' attention for decades now, but few know about the man behind the myths. This little book, numbering only one hundred thirty-six pages, weaves the pieces of Tolkien's life into a easily digested story that hints at the much bigger even more impressively illustrated tale that is J.R.R. Tolkien.

Beginning in the hot dusty Continent of Africa, three year old Tolkien first starts exploring the world around him and unconsciously, unknowingly, forming the friends and foes that would decorate the pages of his stories that would be birthed so many years later when he was older and wiser. But for now, he gleefully ran away from his nurse, hoping to climb that one little tree beckoning to him, and instead finds himself opposed by a fearsome tarantula spider that bites his little foot. As he and his younger brother grow up in a harsh world, enduring the loss early on of their father and then, eight years later, their mother, Tolkien's imagination lies in wait, gathering information and inspiration then storing it away for when the time to use it would come. And when that perfect time did come, oh how unprepared the world - and Tolkien himself - were for the depth and width of his creation.

Likes/Dislikes: This was a beautifully written biography in wonderful story form, not at all boring. It made me further appreciate the author of one of the greatest literary works that will grace our bookshelves for years to come. I especially found the accounts of how his widowed mother came from a Protestant background to convert to Catholicism {my husband is Catholic}, the difficulties Tolkien and his sweetheart endured before they could finally marry, and the little interesting fact that his wife, Edith, converted to Catholicism prior to their marriage. All very interesting. Their were parts of the story that moved me very deeply - such as the eighteen years of grueling work to give birth to The Lord of Rings, ending in wild triumph. But the best part was that after his wife's death, Tolkien still wore his wedding ring. When one friend advised him to take off the ring to lessen his grief, "he flatly refused. 'I am still married,' Ronald said. On Middle-Earth, he told his friend, Sauron's One Ring had been filled with negative power, exhausting the strength of Frodo, Gollum, or anyone wearing it - but the gold band on his own finger, worn for fifty-five years, contained the eternal powers of goodness and love." That kind of love is a beautiful thing.

Rating: G- Recommended for all ages. Highly recommended!

Date Report Written: April 27th, 2013.

Lord of the Rings Music Videos.

Here are a couple lovely videos that I couldn't resist sharing with you! Enjoy! ;)



This one is my favorite!



This last one wouldn't embed so you'll have to click the direct link. :)
http://youtu.be/ZPbL91ANwPs

This one featuring our two heroes Aragorn and Legolas. ;)


This one is hilarious!


This one is really cool though the quality isn't the best and the singer has a scratchy voice. ;)