Hi, everyone! Welcome to the course blog for ENGL 443, The Writings of JRR Tolkien. I will post links and announcements here for the course. Let's get some practice with using a blog!
Turgon's Bookshelf will give you some idea of the books currently published on Tolkien. Go to the page, and look over at the box on the right. That lists his previous posts, many of which are reviews. I'm not necessarily recommending him as a reviewer, but you can use this as a quick overview of recent work.
For now, let's try commenting on a blog post to respond to it. Comment on this post and tell me what you read this summer (not necessarily by Tolkien) that you recommend to your classmates! Clink on the "comments" link below the post to get to the comment page. If you do not have a blogger account, please set one up now.
13 comments:
I'll start so you see how comments work. Aside from all the reading I did to prepare for classes, I read Louis Bayard's *The Pale Blue Eye*, a detective novel set in West Point in the 1830s. Edgar Poe (who attended West Point during that time) is the detective's sidekick. Can't recommend it highly enough--if you like mysteries, check this one out!
I did do some reading for Tolkien; "The Hobbit," "The Silmarillion," and Daniel Grotta's biography "J.R.R. Tolkien: Architect of Middle Earth". I also found a copy of "The Children of Hurin" which was published this past year. It extends the tale of Turin Turumbar, from "the Silmarillion," to a 200+ page novel.
Earlier in the summer, I read the complete Harry Potter series including "The Deathly Hallows" when it came out.
I reread "The Hobbit" and started on "The Simarillion". I mostly read for pleasure this summer: Marian Keyes and Nora Roberts, with a little Stephen King added to the mix. I also read "The Deathly Hallows" and wasn't disappointed.
elaina--
I have a Nora Roberts novel that I haven't read yet--it's set in medieval Ireland but it's definitely a fantasy novel (the goddess Morigan is recruiting heros to help her fight against the goddess Lillith). Do you recommend Roberts? I'll confess that I mostly bought the book to tease a friend of mine who was grimacing at the use of the phrase "dark minions" on the jacket blurb.
prof. B
Well, actually I have that book and I couldn't get into it as easily as some of the others. If you're interested in fantasy romance, I have a few of her books that may suit you. I, personally, have no love for the J.D. Robb pseudonym she uses for her murder/mystery/romance books, but if you like mysteries (didn't you mention in class that you did?) you may enjoy those. So, yes, I recommend her. haha
This summer I mainly read nonfiction... but I did read two notable fictions. "Coraline", by Neil Gaiman is good 'dessert' reading, but it is one of the creepiest children's books I've read; required for a Gaiman fan. I also read an interesting collection of "Mongolian Folktales" which give unique insight into a little understood culture. Sadly, I think I'll have to pass on the fantasy romance.
For the most part, I dedicated my summer break to reading a few novels that I have had on my shelves for months but have neglected to read. I read "The Bell Jar" for the first time, and I really enjoyed it. I also read a small collection of poetry by Plath as well. I also read: "1984", "the Medieval Castle", "the Hobbit", "Cat on a Hot Tin Roof", and I reread "Fahrenheit 451"--to name a few. All of which I certainly recommend.
I commend the other posters who diligently read throughout the summer. I, on the other hand, planned the finishing touches of my wedding while working at Upward Bound. I did get the opportunity to read a fantastic book by some refugees from Sudan, "They Poured Fire on Us From the Sky." I was fortunate enough to meet a few other refugees at a retreat last January who left a huge impression on me.
This summer I read the literacy textbook for the class I was taking. I also read a lot of Junie B. Jones with my second grader.
This summer I read J.D. Salinger's "Franny and Zooey," "Slaughter House Five" by Kurt Vonnegut, various bits of philosophy (mostly the Greeks) and "the Power of Myth" by Joseph CAmpbell and Bill Moyers (I strongly recommend that one; Cabpbell is incredibly insightful!). I was right in the middle of "The Subterraneans" by Jack Kerouac when the semester started.
I read *The Meaning of Everything* and I'm half-way through *The Professor and the Madman*, both by Simon Winchester. If you like to play with words and want to know more about the making of the OED, I recommend them. This intense project was compared to "herding cats." I have two cats, and it would be impossible to get both of them moving in the same direction. I admire those that persevered and finished the project. I say finished...It is still being added to today with the explosion of technological words, modern slang, and changing meanings.
I also read Harry Potter 7 like most of the known universe, along with "Hell's Angels" by Hunter S. Thompson, "Let Me Tell You A Story" by Red Auerbach, and started "House of Leaves" by Mark Z. Danielewski shortly before the beginning of the semester.
i just listed a ton of stuff but tried to post and it erased it all because i didn't sign in. i'll tell whoever's interested in class, because i can't remember what i typed.
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