FriendsThat Are Family

Ok, so these last couple weeks have been super rough and to be honest it is probably not gonna improve for at least a couple weeks more.  That being said I have this amazing group of friends that have become my family.  After coming home from work and sobbing and blubbering to Hubbin (who was f*%#ing amazing by the way) I immediately contacted my friends...who in all honesty are not my friends, they are my family and boy did they come through and help pull me out of my funk.  Being of the literary minded I was eventually led to think of all of the awesome friendships in my beloved books (who also work as friends and family lol).  Here are some friendships that I feel bring the vibe that I have with my peeps.

Samwise Gamgeee - After mentioning this one to Hubbin, he made the point that I really did not need to look any further, and he is probably right.  Sam from J.R.R. Tolkien's Lord of the Rings series, embodies true friendship to the point of family.  He takes his duties as Frodo's best friend very seriously. He keeps Frodo fed, clothed and in all honesty grounded in reality.  I still maintain without Sam, Frodo would have perished...or at least given up very early on.  This guy embodies everything one looks for in a true best friend.  Loyalty, helpfulness, intelligence, resourcefulness...seriously this guy is the ultimate best friend!

Jill and Eustace - At the outset this mismatched pair from C.S. Lewis Silver Chair don't seem like friends at all.  Over the course of the book however the two learn to not only work together, but to trust each other in a way that ensures an enduring life long friendship.  This friendship is proven in later books as the pair are brought back the to magical world of Narnia once again to help it.  This is a case of circumstances leading to the choice of becoming mortal enemies or best of friends and these two decide on the bond of friendship, much to their mutual benefit.

A Through L - After being brought to a world of pure awesomeness, our favorite heroine, September meets up with the wavery A-L and forms a lifelong friendship that can never end.  Through out the series we see just how tight these two are and just how valuable the friendship is.  This is a case of truly mutual beneficial a friendship can be, as both parties rely on each other, help each other, depend on each other and come through for each other no matter the situation.  Even though both parties meet other entities the truest friendship is with each other and that is awesome.

Piemur - This lovable scamp is the friend that all of need.  When Menolly arrives friendless, familyless and pretty much nothingless (that's a word right?), this guy steps right in.  Through his cleverness and ability to manipulate almost anybody, Piemur helps Menolly go from a friendless oddity to one of the most valued members of Harper Hall.  This friendship continues as both parties grow older.  This is a friendship that is shared until death, this is a friendship that causes children to call them auntie and uncle, this is a friendship that can never end as it is so tight that the bonds of family and friend are irrevocably blurred.

The Hogwarts Trinity - We can't really mention bestest friends without mentioning Harry, Ron and Hermione.  This trio's ability to maintain the tightest of friendships regardless of insane circumstances is utterly amazing.  I kind of feel like my firehouse family has a bond like this...given a bit expanded as there are more then 3, but still a super tight bond that is able to endure hardships, squabbles, boy/girl troubles and pretty much anything else life has to throw at us.  The author imagines this trio enduring well into adulthood and beyond and to be honest my boys and girls are there for me in the same way.  It is nice to know that friendships like this are real.

Ok, I'm done gushing now, but seriously I feel that friendship is very important, in both a real and literary sense.  I am always rooting for the friends, I always want the friendship to endure and a large part of this is my amazing luck at having people like this in my own life.  My boys and girls who get me through this sh*t...you know who your are ( I know at least two of you read this on at least a semi-regular basis lol).  I love you all so very much and am glad to have these legendary friends in my life.  Happy Reading Everybody!

Gandalf's Fireworks

Happy Fourth of July to those of you who live in the US.  Here are some of my favorite literary fireworks (I know there from the movie...but that's ok)  Here are Gandalf's Fireworks from The Fellowship of the Ring

"squibs, crackers, backarrapas, sparklers, torches, dwarf-candles, elf-fountains, goblin-barkers and thunderclaps. They were all superb."

Happy Reading Everybody!

Lego Legolas

If my last couple of posts have not clued you in, I am a super dork :-)  My dorkiness knows no bounds and extends even into my video games.  I have recently acquired the Lego Lord of the Rings Game and it is AWESOME!

The best part is that while it follows the movie, even using the voices, it also puts back in some of the stuff from the books.  My favorite addition is the character of Tom Bombadil who was sadly not in any of the movies.  Like the other Lego game installations, this one adds a lot of humor to the proceedings, making it ideal for the younger crowd.  I would recommend this game for lovers of the books and movies.

Snow In A Globe

With all of the snow that has been flying around I feel like I have been stuck in a snow globe.  Here are some of our favorite literary moments that feel the same way.

Time Turner Snow Globe

I guess this is less a snow globe and more a sand clock, but still pretty cool.

Narnia Snow globe

I love how the whole thing is set on a book

Lord of the Rings Snow globe

The giant guardian statues was always one of my favorite parts of the story

Alice in Wonderland Snow Globe Bookends

Snow globe AND bookends, what could be better?

Romeo and Juliet Snow Globe

True love...before all the deadness starts :-)

Well it looks like the sun is starting to peak through, maybe I will get outside for a few minutes and maybe the feeling that I am trapped inside a snow globe will go away :-)  Happy reading

Cover Model

While I was on my Internet spree of book buying the other day, I noticed a bit of a disturbing trend. I was looking specifically for some older books and when I found them it took me a moment to recognize them because some of the covers had been updated.  Now I understand the need to update covers, especially some of those cheesy/sexist/silly old school scifi/fantasy ones, that was not what bugged me.  What bugged me was some of the beautiful artwork was being replaced with photo shopped photos of young pretty models who were probably not even alive when these books were written.  It's not just old old books either, books that have come out a couple of years ago, or beautiful hardcovers being released in paperback, all of these can be turned into photo shop monstrosities of doom.  And don't even get me started on the movie adaption book covers!  I realize that in the grand scheme of things this does not really matter, as long as the content of the book remains the same, and the cover model isn't whitewashed (the practice of putting a blah nondescript person on the cover when the story is clearly about a character of some sort of color to try and sell more books...which is not only a whole other post, but if you look up the terms you will find some great pieces already written about it) will probably not actually impede my enjoyment of the book, but I still, it's my blog and I will rant if I want too :-)  Here are some examples of what I am talking about.

Freedom's Landing

In the one on the left you have a beautiful landscape of possibilities, on the right, a generic "kickass girl" who looks to be about half the age of the main character in the book. The other problem with this is that this is the only book updated in the series so it does not match the rest which is a huge pet peeve of mine (I know first world problems)

The Two Princesses of Bamarre

On the left an artist rendition, that captures the look and mood perfectly, on the right two tweeny bopper looking girls in a princess costume (seriously the darker haired one does not even have an attempt at a medievalish hairstyle)

The Rowan

This one is not as bad as some, they at least kept the white hair, but the expression on the right...bugs me.  It makes it look much more "I am the great and powerful sorceress who is prone to shoot lightning bolts out of my eyes" rather then "I am a lonely, yet hardworking telepath who was orphaned at a young age, but can still quietly and calmly kick all of your assess" that the character is really about.

The Immortals

Again we have an artists rendition on the left, a scene straight out of the book, given the tone may be a bit dated, but still a decent cover.  Cover on the right gets the coloring of the character right, but again that expression of pained model just makes me want to laugh, the rest of the updated covers on this series are pretty much the exact same expression, just from different angles, so not only silly, but uncreative as well.

Beautiful Creatures

Here is an example of how movies ruin books (full disclosure I have not read the book yet, but it is on my shelf on the short list)  The cover on the left is haunting and sinister and just makes you want to open up the book to see what is down the road.  The cover on the right is generic pretty people who are cast in the movie because they are pretty people and now they are on the cover of my book to remind me that everything must get made into a mass media form at some point!

Updated covers are not always a bad thing, in fact I think I own at least three different version of The Lord of The Rings trilogy and who knows how many of the Chronicles of Narnia because for the most part every new update is awesome (hmmm maybe I'll do a post with a progression of awesome covers).  I am just sick and tired of every book I love and grew up with being blanded down (that's a real word/term I swear) to try and attract more readers.  I however do not want a bookshelf full of pout teenagers staring back at me, I want some creativity and thought.  This is why the publishers should allow the author more input into the covers of their own books.

What is your favorite kind of book cover?  How much does the cover play into the nostalgia factor for you? Do you prefer the pouty pretty people?  Do I have way to much time on my hands to be this upset over a stupid book cover?

I Walked Through The Desert With A Horse Who Could Talk

Continuing with the Great Narnia Re-Read I have finished The Horse and His Boy.  I like this one because it is almost entirely about people who were born and raised in this other world (with some cameo's from the Pevensie children all grown up).  It is set during the reign of Peter, Susan, Edmund and Lucy and takes place almost entirely outside of the actual country of Narnia.

Quick(ish) summary.  Shasta has spent his whole life the son of a poor fisherman in the country of Calormen.  He overhears a visiting soldier offering to buy him, when his father protests about selling of his child, the soldier points out that the fair-skinned, blond haired, blue-eyed Shasta is obviously of no blood relation and is probably not even Claormene.  Admitting that this is true, that he found the boy in a boat that drifted to shore with nothing but the dead body of his guarding in the boat with him, the fisherman starts to haggle for a price for the boy.  Shasta slips away to the stables where the soldiers war-horse is being housed, and much to Shasta's shock the horse begins speaking to him.  The horse is named Bree (short for a very
unpronounceable name) and tells Shasta that he was kidnapped from the fields of Narnia when he was a foal, Bree also points out that Shasta looks like a northerner further confirming the fisherman's story.  The horse and his boy (Ah hey this is where the title comes from) decide to run away to the north together.  Once they have made good their escape, with Shasta starting of as a hopeless rider they are soon chased  by a lion.  Neither Shasta nor Bree has ever seen a lion, but they have heard tales of the demon lion of the north, a popular tale throughout Calormen.  The lion seems to have a partner and drives Shasta and Bree into the path of another horse Hwin and her companion the Tarkheena Aravis (Tarkaans and Tarkheenas being the equivalents to nobles in Calormen).  Aravis is escaping an arranged marriage and Hwin, much like Bree wants to return to Narnia after being stolen away as a foal.  The foursome enter into the great city of Tashbaan and attempt to get through it without notice.  They agree to meet at the Tombs on the otherside if they get separated.  This being a good adventure story soon sees our group split apart.  Shasta is mistaken for a Northern Prince by the visiting King Edmund and his retinue.  Shasta is taken to their lodgings and fed and tucked in to rest.  While resting he overhears the King and his sister Queen Susan discussing her lack of desire to marry Rabadash the eldest son of the Tisroc (that is what they call there King).  They decide to make there escape while they can,
knowing as soon as the Queen refuses the marriage that they will be in great danger.  They leave Shasta alone and a boy who looks just like him climbs in through the window.  The boy, who is the real Prince Corin helps Shasta find a way out to the tombs.  At the tombs there is no sign of his companions and her curls up for the night, with a large cat who keeps him company.  Meanwhile Aravis has met up with her silly friend the Tarkheena Lasaraleen.  After she finally convinces her friend that she must leave Lasaraleen has her groom take the two horses to the tombs while she and Aravis make their way through the castle out to garden exit.  On their way out they overhear the Tisroc and his son Rabadash discussing the escape of the Narnians.  Tisroc gives his son permission to take the country of Archenland, which lays on the borders between Calormen and Narnia to prepare for the capture of Queen Susan and the eventual invasion of Narnia.  Aravis is reunited with the horses and Shasta and informs them of the Princes plans.  They ride long and hard and arrive at the Hermits dwelling, just as they are approaching they spot a cloud in the distance that is the army of Rabadash, a lion suddenly appears, spurring the horses on to even greater speeds.  Once they get into the gates of the Hermit, he sends Shasta on to warn the King Lune of Archenland.  Shasta arrives with the warning in time and is given a non-talking horse to follow the rest of the group to the castle.  Along the way Shasta gets lost and meets again a lion, turns out that their was only one lion the whole time and it was Aslan, the great lion, protector of Narnia.  Shasta continues into Narnia, carrying the news of war to King Edmund, who is joined by Queen Lucy and of course the Prince Corin.  The battle is won, Shasta is revealed to be Cor, the long lost prince of Archenland and Corins older twin who was kidnapped by a corrupt advisor many years ago.  Rabadash, refusing the mercy of the King is turned into a donkey by Aslan and sent back to his home.  He is returned to human form, but may never go more than 10 miles from the temple of Tash or he will revert back to donkey form forever.  Aravis moves into the castle and eventually marries Cor (formerly Shasta) and Bree and Hwin finally return to Narnia and they all lived happily ever after...well for the most part.
This book features children from this other world, unlike all the other books in this series in which the
children all come from our world and must go back home in the end, which gives it a bit more of a long term consequences feel (does that make sense?).  The book essentially tells us the story of Shasta's whole life, from birth to adulthood.  I like that this book uses a hero and heroine from this particular world, it is a good reminder that you can have amazing magical adventures without having to travel to a different world.  By setting the story mostly in Calormen and Archenland we have now seen almost the whole world now.  We have seen Narnia to the West, sailed the Seas to the East, been to the wilds of Etinsmoore to the North and now finally Calormen and Archenland to the South. It gives a sense of completeness to this strange flat world (remeber it is not round and you can sail over the edge).  One could argue that the way the Calormens were portrayed could be in a racist, or at least stereotypical vein, with everybody acting like what one would think Middle Easteners would act if you wrote this in the 1950's.  I give it a bit of a pass because of the time period (but just a bit mind you).  I do like that the author
created a whole culture for the Calormens, complete with their own hierarchy, religion and style of dress, also I really want to go see the city of Tashbaan.  The god Tash will come into play in a later book, and I appreciate the set up of a world where not everybody believes the same thing, nor has the same culture.  I like learning a bit about Archenland (which is mentioned in later/earlier books depending on the order you read them), but I think my favorite little tidbit is that this story was mentioned in The Silver Chair and this (to me) makes the world even richer, to have stories within stories and tales, and mythologies and folk hero's.  A lot of people like to compare these books to The Lord of the Rings trilogy and call them out for being to simple, but I think C.S. Lewis actually does an amazing job with his world building, albeit in a much subtler way then in some of the more epic fantasies.  Ok so this is a true rambling with me just typing random thoughts about this book so I will stop here and tell you that I love this book, just like all the others.  Happy Reading

Do you think things actually written in other time periods is any sort of excuse for stereotypes   Do you prefer simpler short with a straight forward story or do your prefer the more complicated epics with multiple story threads?  Do you like books that reference themselves?  Do I ever make any sense at all?