I'm currently reading David McCullough's amazing biography "John Adams" about the second US president. He was a far more interesting and incredible person than I ever gave him credit for in history class and McCullough is just the person to tell his story. It's gotten me back into my history-mania.
ShadowDancerWhen I say, "Why aye, gadgie," in my heart I say, "Och aye, laddie."London, UK
I finished the Hobbit last night and am currently on chapter four of The Fellowship of the Ring. Have to say I'm really enjoying it so far :)
I once picked up the Hobbit, but I never finished it. I do have to read LOTR as well, I even got a hardcover copy that is the size of a dictionary. :D Maybe I should have gotten the pocket version instead.
ShadowDancerWhen I say, "Why aye, gadgie," in my heart I say, "Och aye, laddie."London, UK
Heh anyone else pick up on the irony or Callie not reading the thread too well in this of all threads? :p
Indeed it is my first time reading LoTR. I've seen the movies of course, but I always knew I was missing out on a lot of the detail, so while I've got time off before term starts again I thought I'd finally correct this. I have to admit actually that this is the first real fantasy book I've ever read. Normally I only ever go for sci-fi books. Really enjoying it though, and have just reached the part where they've reach Rivendell :)
I read the Lord of the Rings books and The Hobbit before the movies came out. Overall, I think they did a good job with the movies, except some stupid and unecessary changes they made. I enjoyed the books, but they're not really my style.
i enjoyed the hobbit and the lord of the rings before the movies aswell. now i can't seem to get back into it as some of those images of places and people you get while reading have been replaced by less cooler versions that were shown in the movies.
since i have just given this book to someone as a birthday gift: if you are a cat owner then you really need to read [URL="http://www.amazon.com/Unadulterated-Cat-Terry-Pratchett/dp/0752853694/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1232360780&sr=8-1"]the unadulterated cat[/URL]:cool:
another new item on my reading list: the first 3 volumes of geralt the witcher by Andrzej Sapkowski (late christmas gift at the library, yay!)
ShadowDancerWhen I say, "Why aye, gadgie," in my heart I say, "Och aye, laddie."London, UK
I finished The Fellowship last night and started Two Towers this morning.
I agree some of the changes that I've read (so far) seem to be not as good in the movies as in the books, but I'm not having that much trouble reconciling them. I find that as long as I can always bear in mind that the movies are dramatic interpretations of anything, and are usually made for the masses with short attention spans, then I can forgive a lot. That said, I am loving the amount of detail in the books that isn't mentioned at all in the movies, or only in the most passing of ways.
I think a lot of the stuff that was in the books that never appeared in the movies just wouldn't match the pace required.
For instance, in Fellowship, the whole subterfuge of Frodo selling up Bag End and moving to Buckland, then the Old Forest and Tom Bombadil. Bombadil just wouldn't seem to fit, in fact I believe that's the point of the character, that in the book he just doesn't seem to fit in in Middle-Earth, he's so unique.
ShadowDancer, what version of the movies have you seen, the theatrical or the extended? The extended does add greatly to the trilogy with a large number of albeit minor changes that add to the flavour.
The Moria sequence was one of the best done parts in the film, especially the section where Gandalf illuminates the great hall of Khazad-Dhum and you get an idea of the scale of the place. The only major thing I had a gripe with in FOTR was that it wasn't made plain that Balin's settlement of Moria was an attempt at resettling Moria hundreds of years after it had first been abandoned.
As for myself, I'm just starting the second of the Sparhawk books, The Ruby Knight, though I've read them many times before I find the characters compelling.
ShadowDancerWhen I say, "Why aye, gadgie," in my heart I say, "Och aye, laddie."London, UK
I definitely agree with you, if they'd included half of what they left out not only would it have been even longer, but the pace would be gone. And thats an interesting point about Tom Bombadil, I hadn't thought of it like that.
I've got the extended editions of the films, so yes I am getting a lot more of the smaller references, like Aragorn being of the Dunedain, though it wasn't until I started reading the books that I've begun to understand the significance of that
I didn't like how in the movie they made Saruman be the one to call that storm on that mountain, while in the book it was that Dwarf god or whaterever it was. And how they protrayed Merry and Pippin in the first movie. It made them look too stupid.
ShadowDancerWhen I say, "Why aye, gadgie," in my heart I say, "Och aye, laddie."London, UK
I know, I felt that even before I started to read the books they seemed rather too 'simple'. Also now I know about it, I really like the idea of Saruman coveting the Ring for himself instead of for Sauron, rather than him being a straight servant of Sauron in the movie.
Saruman might well have coveted the ring for himself in the movie. We are not shown his thoughts.
As for the dwarf god? (?)
It might well have been an explanation given in the book because they did not know that Saruman did it, kinda like you blaming the banana you slip on, while you should be blaming the shmuck who placed it there in the first place.
On topic: Are banana peels really slippery, and can you slip on them if you happen to put your foot down on one?
Oh, that was it. I couldn't remember exactly, but I thought that Gimli said something about a dwarf god.
ShadowDancerWhen I say, "Why aye, gadgie," in my heart I say, "Och aye, laddie."London, UK
I believe that it was merely the Dwarf name for the spirit of the mountain
ShadowDancerWhen I say, "Why aye, gadgie," in my heart I say, "Och aye, laddie."London, UK
After an enforced lull in reading, I'm now within 20 pages of finishing The Two Towers. Have to say I prefer Book 1 about Aragorn et al more than Frodo, although he does at least have more of a spine in the books than in the films and is slightly less of a pansy. Looking forward to Return of the King now, and then rewatching the movies to see how well they tie in....or not heh :)
Yeah, like that stupid part in the movie when Frodo is three feet away from a Ringwraith on the flying thing (can't remember what those are called) and he's just standing there, and the Ringwraith doesn't just jump off and chop Frodo's head off, which is exactly what would have really happened, not "Oh no, my flying thing got shot with arrows! I better retreat!"
Im reading the Horus Heresy Novels, currently read through "The Flight of the Eisenstein". They take about two-three days to read through, so, light reading..
I would *love* an e-reader, I think they have to be in colour first though and get better reviews, and be more affordable :P
ShadowDancerWhen I say, "Why aye, gadgie," in my heart I say, "Och aye, laddie."London, UK
Yeah I'd love one too, but I'm waiting for the next generation models. But mainly I'm waiting as I want to see some more multifunctionality in them, like video play back
Well looks like you won't have to wait for long... [URL="http://www.appleinsider.com/articles/09/02/03/amazon_rumored_to_introduce_kindle_2_0_next_monday.html"]linky[/URL]
ShadowDancerWhen I say, "Why aye, gadgie," in my heart I say, "Och aye, laddie."London, UK
Not bad, but I dont think they've even announced when they're going to sell the the 1st model over here
Comments
I think that answers your question. :p
Indeed it is my first time reading LoTR. I've seen the movies of course, but I always knew I was missing out on a lot of the detail, so while I've got time off before term starts again I thought I'd finally correct this. I have to admit actually that this is the first real fantasy book I've ever read. Normally I only ever go for sci-fi books. Really enjoying it though, and have just reached the part where they've reach Rivendell :)
(btw, best books ever)
I also want to read the book at some point.
[url]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sV2Csk46Gic&feature=channel[/url]
[url]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7yjurf5d6X0[/url]
since i have just given this book to someone as a birthday gift: if you are a cat owner then you really need to read [URL="http://www.amazon.com/Unadulterated-Cat-Terry-Pratchett/dp/0752853694/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1232360780&sr=8-1"]the unadulterated cat[/URL]:cool:
another new item on my reading list: the first 3 volumes of geralt the witcher by Andrzej Sapkowski (late christmas gift at the library, yay!)
I agree some of the changes that I've read (so far) seem to be not as good in the movies as in the books, but I'm not having that much trouble reconciling them. I find that as long as I can always bear in mind that the movies are dramatic interpretations of anything, and are usually made for the masses with short attention spans, then I can forgive a lot. That said, I am loving the amount of detail in the books that isn't mentioned at all in the movies, or only in the most passing of ways.
For instance, in Fellowship, the whole subterfuge of Frodo selling up Bag End and moving to Buckland, then the Old Forest and Tom Bombadil. Bombadil just wouldn't seem to fit, in fact I believe that's the point of the character, that in the book he just doesn't seem to fit in in Middle-Earth, he's so unique.
ShadowDancer, what version of the movies have you seen, the theatrical or the extended? The extended does add greatly to the trilogy with a large number of albeit minor changes that add to the flavour.
The Moria sequence was one of the best done parts in the film, especially the section where Gandalf illuminates the great hall of Khazad-Dhum and you get an idea of the scale of the place. The only major thing I had a gripe with in FOTR was that it wasn't made plain that Balin's settlement of Moria was an attempt at resettling Moria hundreds of years after it had first been abandoned.
As for myself, I'm just starting the second of the Sparhawk books, The Ruby Knight, though I've read them many times before I find the characters compelling.
I've got the extended editions of the films, so yes I am getting a lot more of the smaller references, like Aragorn being of the Dunedain, though it wasn't until I started reading the books that I've begun to understand the significance of that
Saruman might well have coveted the ring for himself in the movie. We are not shown his thoughts.
As for the dwarf god? (?)
It might well have been an explanation given in the book because they did not know that Saruman did it, kinda like you blaming the banana you slip on, while you should be blaming the shmuck who placed it there in the first place.
On topic: Are banana peels really slippery, and can you slip on them if you happen to put your foot down on one?
As long as I work at Borders though, I'm eligible. :D