BW4: Bingo Quest: Dragons

 

“No dragon can resist the fascination of riddling talk and of wasting time trying to understand it.”

― J.R.R. Tolkien, The Hobbit, 

Happy Sunday! Let's dive into L.E.S.T.E.R's Bingo Quest with Dragons!  Whether they are good or bad, we enjoy reading about dragons, experiencing them through the eyes of the characters such as the personable Temeriare ridden by Captain Laurence during the Napoleonic wars in Naomi Novik's series, or the fear they generate such as Smaug in The Hobbit.   Dragons or similiar creatures appear in every culture, universally symbolizing transformation,  yin and yang, or guardianship.  In eastern culture they symbolize control and power, whilst in western culture evil and chaos and heroism.  

I have several books on my TBR related to dragons including: James Rollins epic Moon Fall trilogy, Samantha Shannon's Root of Chaos, Richard Knaak's Omnibus Legends of the Dragonrealm, and others.  Including Stephen King. 

Did you know he wrote a book about dragons called The Eyes of the Dragon published in 2016.  

"Once, in a kingdom called Delain, there was a king with two sons…

​Thus begins one of the most unique tales that master storyteller Stephen King has ever written—a sprawling fantasy of dark magic and the struggle for absolute power that utterly transforms the destinies of two brothers born into royalty. Through this enthralling masterpiece of mythical adventure, intrigue, and terror, you will thrill to this unforgettable narrative filled with relentless, wicked enchantment, and the most terrible of secrets…"

Bronson Pinchot (remember the tv show Perfect Strangers back in the 90's) is the narrator of the audiobook.  I'll let you now how it turns out. 

30 Fantasy Books Featuring Dragonriders which includes Temeriare as well as the Eragon Series. 

11 Books + Fantasy Series with Dragons to Read if Your Suffering From an Onyx Storm Book Hangover.  And if you weren't into the Empyrean series, no matter. The list includes The Hobbit and The Natural History of Dragons  and more so it's well worth checking out. 

Epic Dragon Books for Tweens and Teens

Dragons For Young Adults

Happy Reading! 

BW14: Lord of the Rings - Fellowship of the Ring

This week we start our read of J.R.R. Tolkien's The Fellowship of the Ring, the first book in the Lord of the Rings trilogy.

"In ancient times the Rings of Power were crafted by the Elven-smiths, and Sauron, the Dark Lord, forged the One Ring, filling it with his own power so that he could rule all others. But the One Ring was taken from him, and though he sought it throughout Middle-earth, it remained lost to him. After many ages it fell into the hands of Bilbo Baggins, as told in The Hobbit. In a sleepy village in the Shire, young Frodo Baggins finds himself faced with an immense task, as his elderly cousin Bilbo entrusts the Ring to his care. Frodo must leave his home and make a perilous journey across Middle-earth to the Cracks of Doom, there to destroy the Ring and foil the Dark Lord in his evil purpose."

Take your time. Read it fast or slow, by yourself or aloud with your family. We have the whole quarter, April through June to read it.

Redditor Finds Rare 1st Edition Copy of The Fellowship of The Ring…in a Doritos Box

Owlcations discussion questions and perhaps try out the scone recipe.

Consider watching the movie or if you've already seen it, rewatch it with an eye to the differences with the book.

Gorge of the Rings: Eat your way through the book or movies.

George R.R. Martin talks about Lord of the Rings

Youtube audiobook narrated by Steven Garnett or listen to Audible's Rob Inglis

Happy Reading!

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BW4: The Wind was on the Withered Heath

"They sat long at the table with their wooden drinking bowls filled with mead. The dark night came on outside. The fires in the middle of the hall were built with fresh logs and the torches were put out, and still they sat in the light of the dancing flames with the pillars of the house standing tall behind them, and dark at the top like trees in the forest.  Whether it was magic or not, it seemed to Bilbo that he heard a sound like wind in the branches stirring in the rafters, and the hoot of owls.  Soon he began to nod with sleep and the voices seemed to grow far away, until he woke with a start.

The great door had creaked and slammed. Beorn was gone. The dwarves were sitting cross legged on the floor round the fire, and presently they began to sing.  Some of the verses were like this, but there were many more, and their singing went on for a long while: 

The wind was on the withered heath,

but in the forest stirred no leaf:

there shadows lay by night and day,

and dark things silent crept beneath.

The wind came down from mountains cold,

and like a tide it roared and rolled;

the branches groaned, the forest moaned,

and leaves were laid upon the mould.

The wind went on from West to East;

all movement in the forest ceased,

but shrill and harsh across the marsh

its whistling voices were released.

The grasses hissed, their tassels bent,

the reeds were rattling—on it went

o'er shaken pool under heavens cool

where racing clouds were torn and rent.

It passed the lonely Mountain bare

and swept above the dragon's lair:

there black and dark lay boulders stark

and flying smoke was in the air.

It left the world and took its flight

over the wide seas of the night.

The moon set sail upon the gale,

and stars were fanned to leaping light."

The Hobbit:  Queer Lodgings

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BW2: Hero's journey - The Hobbit

“As they sang the hobbit felt the love of beautiful things 

made by hands and by cunning and by magic moving through him, 

a fierce and a jealous love, the desire of the hearts of dwarves. Then 

something Tookish woke up inside him, and he wished to go and

see the great mountains, and hear the pine-trees, and the waterfalls,

and explore the caves, and wear a sword, instead of a walking-stick”  

Happy Sunday!  Did you know January is National Hot Tea month?   Please join me for a delicious hot cup of your favorite tea while we go on a hero's quest!  A few weeks ago, I watched The Lord of the Rings Trilogy with my son who hasn't read the books yet. He prefers to see the movies first which is the opposite of me as I like to read books first, then see the movie and have much more fun comparing the two. It has been ages since I’ve seen the movies so most was long forgotten and it was interesting experiencing them through his eyes. It had also been decades since I read the books and in trying to answer all his questions, it put me in the mood to reread the series and where better to begin than with Bilbo Baggins in the prequel The Hobbit by J.R.R. Tolkien

"Bilbo Baggins is a hobbit who enjoys a comfortable, unambitious life, rarely traveling any farther than his pantry or cellar. But his contentment is disturbed when the wizard Gandalf and a company of dwarves arrive on his doorstep one day to whisk him away on an adventure. They have launched a plot to raid the treasure hoard guarded by Smaug the Magnificent, a large and very dangerous dragon. Bilbo reluctantly joins their quest, unaware that on his journey to the Lonely Mountain he will encounter both a magic ring and a frightening creature known as Gollum."

Speaking of Bilbo's pantry, if you want to eat like a hobbit, be sure to dip into An Unexpected Cookbook: The Unofficial Book of Hobbit Cookery, then join me for elevenses while we read.

Both The Hobbit and the Unexpected Cookbook are available to read or listen to free on Kindle Unlimited right now.

If you'd would like to learn more about the Hero's journey, check out Joseph Campbell's Hero's Journey and/or Hero with a Thousand Faces, or follow another fictional character as they are put to the test.

Are you ready to answer the call to adventure? 

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Please share your book reviews and link to your website, blog, Goodreads, Google+, Tumblers, or Instagram page. If you do not have a social media account, please leave a comment to let us know what you are reading. The link widget closes at the end of each book week.

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