Buy the Letter

[Prof. Tarma Amelia Black]

Welcome to the Book Club and a brand new activity -- Buy the Letter!

Perhaps this isn't so much a 'buying' of a letter as we are discussing books which we have read. The criteria for these books is the name of the book - and the first letter of that book name. Yes, 'by' the letter. (Okay, the time for bad puns is over ...)

Speaking of books we have read -- please give attention to HOL appropriateness while choosing the books you choose to discuss. Ideally, you should be posting about things that are suitable for even our younger members to read (the later Harry Potter Books are generally a good guide for the level of threat, language, and violence that is advisable). If you believe your book tackles darker or emotional themes then please include a disclaimer so that everyone can make an informed choice.

Back to 'Buy the Letter'. Each week, starting Saturday, November 2nd, we will give you 3 letters, for example A, D and H. You may choose one or two or three of the letters given for that week's participation.

Write a separate post for each letter that you choose. I.E. if you choose all 3 letters, A and D and H, you will have 3 separate posts featuring 3 different books.

If you choose the letter 'A', you need to come up with a book whose name starts with an 'A'. This needs to be a book that you have read. You need not have read it recently, but you MUST have read the book.

Note: For ease of participation in this activity, if the name of the book starts with 'The', 'A' or 'An', you may use or ignore, them as a part of the name of the book. IE - if you are needing to find a book that you've read for 'H' and all you can find is The Hobbit, or There and Back Again by J. R. R. Tolkien, feel free to use that name for the letter 'H', ignoring the word 'The'.

What you do is post about this book, giving us the letter you have chosen, the name of the book and the author.

What you write will be in two parts:
First you write about the book, sort of like a book review, but you are telling us what it was like when you read it. Did you like it? Was it something about which you had great enthusiasm or was it something that you finished and never intended to pick it up again ever? When did you read this book? A year ago? Ten years ago? Last week?

Second - write how you feel about the book now. Do you have a different opinion of it? Have you since re-read the book, perhaps several times, and gaining appreciation of it each time? Or do you wish you'd never read it?

The minimum number of words, total, for the first and second parts, is 100 words. You are welcome to write more, of course, but to qualify for the Award (why, yes, there will be an Award), your write-up need to be at least 100 words long (excluding the name of the book and the author).

You have 6 to 7 days to write your reviews and then the next weeks 'letters to buy' are presented. (They will be presented approximately a week apart.) When the next letters to buy are presented, the previous weeks opportunities are gone! ("Too late, it's gone, it won't come back.")

What is this about an Award? We will host Buy the Letter for 8 weeks. Each week we will offer you 3 letters of the alphabet and you find books that you have read and whose names start with those letters. (Yes, we do need to remember to keep these books HOL appropriate!) To qualify for this awesome award, you need to have read and written about at least 12 of the 24 'Buy the Letter' books. (We're completely knowing that you might not have read a book whose name starts with, for example, the letter Q, hence not insisting on you having 15 or 18 entries to get the awesome Award.)

That means you need to keep an eye on this topic, because, remember, you've only one week (more or less) to write about three books and then the next week starts with three different letters.

In addition to any Award earned (here is a sneak preview: ... ...), we will be giving 10 Beans to you for each book you discuss in this activity. So even if you don't quite manage to garner that Award, you will have more Beans in your Bean Bag!

All book discussions from everyone will be in this topic -- so be sure to click to follow it.

[Prof. Tarma Amelia Black]

This, our first week of Buy the Letter, we offer the letters A, D and H.

As it says in the first post (above) "You have 6 to 7 days to write your reviews and then the next weeks 'letters to buy' are presented. (They will be presented approximately a week apart.) When the next letters to buy are presented, the previous weeks opportunities are gone! ("Too late, it's gone, it won't come back.")"

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Here is an example of a possible post:

My first post features a book title which starts with the letter 'A' --Alanna: The First Adventure by Tamora Pierce.

I do not precisely remember when I first read it; I know it was back when I started HOL Hogwarts and Cassie Butterfly (aka Cassandra Lobiesk) had told me about this wonderful series of books and I had to read them! So this was maybe around 2005. I cautiously started out with the first book of the series, and found myself galloping through it and then the rest of the 'Alanna' books. Wow. Magic and adventure and a feisty heroine and (as it turns out) someone who becomes a knight, thus shattering the unwritten rule of the realm that only those of male gender may be knights. Tortall was (and is) a wonderful place. Yes, there are difficulties there, and magic can be regarded as both a blessing and regarded as a curse. Did I like the book? No, I loved it. I have since read all of the books of the series, going from the adventures of Alanna to Kels to Daine (not necessarily in that order).

How do I feel about Alanna: The First Adventure now?
I feel a joy and a gratitude that I've read that book, and the books that followed. Tamora Pierce not only has written a series of books which grows richer and deeper with each successive book, for those stories she has created a world which is wonderful and would be a great place to live. No, it's not boring there; yes, evil does exist there. But there is also the feeling, the knowing, that with sufficient effort, good triumphs. I've not read the books recently but then, I'd read them so many times that if someone was to quote a line (or a paragraph maybe) from Alanna, I'd be able to tell you what happens next and what happened before it.

A very good read.

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Now it's your turn.

[Cassie Williams]

A - Anne of Green Gables by L.M Montgomery

I first read Anne of Green Gables as a kid, and the book itself was easy to follow but nothing about it really captured my interest or stuck with me! I remember feeling really disappointed about that as I had heard so many good things from other people about the book. When I finished it, I remember having the thought that maybe I would appreciate it more if I was a little bit older, even though looking back now I can see the subject matter really is more aimed towards kids!

I actually did end up re-reading this book as an adult, and if anything, I found it even harder to get into this time around. That said, the message of the story, and the character of Anne herself, are really beautiful and wholesome. I can't put my finger on exactly what it was that was throwing me off, and I still find it sad that I just couldn't seem to enjoy a book that has such a special place in so many people's hearts.

[Galena May]

A - The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes by Arthur Conan Doyle.

I first read this book of detective short stories at a very young age, possibly when I was 10 to 12 years old. I was possibly a seventh or eighth grader at school. Just like I don't remember the exact timeline, I also don't remember where I got the book from and how. It was either a birthday gift or something I got from a book fair that I religiously visited annually as a child and well into my adulthood. Sherlock Holmes was the first detective I was introduced to. The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes was also perhaps the first book in the Sherlock Holmes series that I read. What I loved about Conan Doyle's writing was that it was complex as well as easy to follow, let me explain. Conan Doyle provided a relatable narrator, Dr. Watson, who showed the problem in the way I aImost always interpreted it and had the same solutions as me. This made the book easy to follow. Had it all been in Sherlock Holmes's style, I would have given up on the book, finding it difficult to understand. Conan Doyle also provided the thought process of Sherlock Holmes, who kept it mysterious, doing absurd un-thought of things and only disclosing his conclusions and thought processes at the end, which turned out to be absurdly simple yet unexpected and completely different from my (and Dr. Watson's interpretations), making the book complex, mysterious, and an interesting must - read. It wasn't a page turner back then, because my younger brain would get exhausted of the complex thinking sooner, and there were parts that I didn't understand, especially when complex philosophical theories were presented to enhance the narrative. It was more like a bedtime story book, and I read at most two mysteries a day, and also found it easy to put down each day. But, getting to know Sherlock Holmes's "different" and "unexpected" solution kept it fun.

I re-read it several times, sometimes during teenage and adulthood. As a result of these re-reads, I began to understand and notice a few extra things in addition to my childhood understanding. These contributed to the new things that I think about the book now. The first of these is the understanding of Holmes as a person. I realised that Holmes was absurdly theoretical, yet his theories were always practically confirmed by himself, leading him to outwit extraordinary criminals and oust out-of-the-way crime tactics which the more practical detectives like Inspector Lestrade of the Scotland Yard miserably failed at. Second, Dr. Watson has become far more relatable, owing to my own adult profession. Little did I know as a child that I would have the same profession as Dr. Watson when I grew up. Third, as a child, I had failed to solve the mystery of why Holmes needed Lestrade at all, since it was Holmes who always dominated the scene of action, but now as an adult I realise that Lestrade was an invaluable cover for whenever the criminal was physically too powerful for Holmes, because Holmes was not physically of the strong build of Lestrade, and the eventual purpose of arresting could only be effected with a government-hired professional detective's help. I also noticed that Holmes solved crimes for the love of his art and let Lestrade take the credit, except when Dr. Watson wrote it down for him. As an adult, I envy being an amateur who can afford to work without taking credit, for the sake of the art. Fourth, as an adult, I appreciate the philosophical theories that Conan Doyle put forward through Holmes and Watson, appreciate the strong rapport between them despite the fundamental differences in their personalities and basic viewpoints which is a lesson in comraderie, feel inspired by Holmes's way of thinking (as a child, I loved Holmes's way of thinking but couldn't make out how to think that way), and appreciate Holmes's talent outside of solving crime and love the way his varied unrelated talents culminate in a profession that uses and brings together those scattered unrelated talents in a practical and useful way. I also noticed when Holmes said that life was mundane without a case to solve, that the most simple cases at appearance had the most complex solutions and the most complex appearing cases had the simplest ones, and that the brain had only so much of a capacity and needed to oust unnecessary things to make place for the necessary. I could go on and on about the new things that I noticed as an adult and carry with me now. Most importantly, now that I understand Sherlock Holmes better and love to analyse his weird quirks such as sudden bouts of unusual spry energy during interesting crimes followed by unusual sloth-like lethargic periods in the absence of interesting crimes, I find the Sherlock Holmes series a page -turner, and if I picked up the book once again, say, right now, I wouldn't put it down till I read it all.

[Cassie Williams]

D - Divergent by Veronica Roth

I read Divergent for the first time in middle school, and absolutely enthralled from the get go. Dystopian fiction was on the rise at the time, and this was one of my favourites that came out then. Despite the somewhat shallow premise of archetypes in society, this book was packed enough with action, daring and loveable main characters, and some fantastic world building that made it really easy to fall into the story.

I have reread Divergent several times and I find I still enjoy it on every read. In particular, I really love reading scenes where Tris is proving herself, such as the capture of the flag section, or scenes where the relationship between Tris and Four is slowly unfolding. This book is definitely my favourite from the series it is part of.

(Also The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes was one of the first Sherlock books I read too - loved your write up Galena!)

[Galena May]

H - The Hound of the Baskervilles by Arthur Conan Doyle.

Okay, so this is a novel rather than a book of short stories, and I hadn't heard about it until it turned up as the "part B - Reader" of my two-part English Literature syllabus in my eleventh grade. This, I have to admit, was even then a page turner for me. I was mesmerized by the book and forget needing to incorporate it into my study time, I couldn't do anything else other than read the book. With its gothic elements, an interesting countryside story rife with superstition, love, romance, a historical feel, and mystery, and set in the nostalgic moors of the English countryside, I forgot for a while that it was a detective story featuring Sherlock Holmes. I was either 15 or 16 years old back then, and being a fan of mystery, romance, and drama, it became my favorite book that year. The criminal, as I still remember, was someone I hadn't suspected at all since the beginning of the story, until Holmes brought out the unexpected connection between him and the victim. Again, it was Holmes alone who first suspected him. Neither I nor Dr. Watson had the slightest guess towards him. It was someone who had no apparent motive for the crime and seemed unrelated to the victim. The criminal was only one of the typical weird and/or brutish country characters that are found in most moor-side stories of the English countryside and didn't stand out in any way. To be honest, I loved how Conan Doyle made sure to make the end a plot twist that entertains the reader by being a brutally unexpected blow. In all other detective series, I could predict the criminal at least by intuition, but, in Conan Doyle's stories including this one, I simply could never. Perhaps Conan Doyle deliberately leads his audience off the real criminal's track by adding elements to decriminalize him until the twist. I was in awe of this writing style, which I had safely stowed away in my mind as the signature-mark of Conan Doyle's mysteries. I knew I could tell that he had written it, everytime my speculations about someone's innocence came out wrong in the most unexpected ways.

As an adult, I've re-read it only once. Needless to say, the story had been so impactful during my reading it as a teen, that as an adult I well remembered who the real criminal was. In this light, I re-read the book and ironically this time the incidences showed me that there were subtle and easy- to-miss indications about the real criminal all along, if only one remembered to avoid the deliberate ornamentations by Conan Doyle that are meant to lead the reader's suspicions off-track. As implied by Holmes himself, one must fish out what is important and learn to figure out what is unimportant. As an adult, I also researched more about spectral hounds (the main element of the story) and their history in England, and discovered that gytrashes actually exist in Muggle lore. I also now find it interesting how Doyle brought the story full circle by reversing the story of superstition through the story of the modern crime by making the victim family and the criminal family reverse their roles, established Holmes as the ultimate protagonist fighting on the side of good and a mortal contender against the apparent Devil, and through this also showing the folly of blindly believing in superstitious persecution of descendants removed by several generations. Now, I think that this book wasn't merely a romantic mystery drama but had an indirect deeper societal purpose of Conan Doyle being fulfilled through the story. Through this story, I think, Conan Doyle attempted to delve deeper into the old English countryside superstitions and how they are harmful because they can mislead one from decoding the real logical explanation behind the spectral phenomena. This, I think, is the real moral of the story, which I didn't fully appreciate as a teen. I realize that as a teen I had taken the story at face value and seen it as an entertainer rather than as a novel with a social purpose. Doyle used the moor, I think, as a setting, to use its treacherous landscape to fuel the purpose of the moral of the story, rather than just to build the mysterious mood. I still love the story for both the romance and the socially inclined moral and am in awe of Conan Doyle's writing style. Also, now that I am also a Harry Potter fan, I am ironically inclined to dissolve the whole mystery by explaining it away as a gytrash and calling Holmes a Muggle, although since Holmes wounded and killed the spectral hound and satisfactorily explained its Muggle breed and the Muggle science behind its phantasmical appearance without a single loophole, the only way I can refuse to accept Conan Doyle's moral and hold on to the gytrash theory is by saying that both the criminal and the detective were Muggles, and the criminal never knew about or thought of a gytrash.

[Galena May]

D - The Diary of a Young Girl by Anne Frank.

This time, it is a book that I haven't re-read. Again, I don't remember my exact age when I first read it or how I got it. I don't even remember if it was a gift or something I bought myself.But, I can roughly recall being 12 or 13 years old. Aha! it just struck me. I was 13, because I just remembered in a flash that I had noted out loud to myself that I was the same age when I read about Anne turning 13. This had the unique effect on me, of Anne's teenage mind and emotional struggles becoming more relatable. I had already had a fair idea of what to expect from the book even before reading it, because I was no stranger to the atrocities of Hitler on the nazis in concentration camps, thanks to my History syllabus in school. I was only slightly disappointed, though, but it was also me pleasantly surprised, because I had expected to see concentration camps right from the beginning of the story. Instead, it started with Anne's normal life and then into the transition into hiding and then finally into a concentration camp, and during the hiding phase it also explored the vestiges of their family's last connections with the freer Germany before the atrocities began. This only made the story more painful. Having a normal life which is then stripped away at such a tender age, and struggling to maintain normal pre-teen and teen connections in an abnormal setting and with limited social contact, made even more difficult by superimposing on the normal transitions we already undergo and find difficult to bear at the age Anne was, is something that shines through the pages of the diary and brings the reader to tears. Yes, I remember being in tears when reading it, and I remember giving up on it twice because I couldn't bear to continue reading it, and then only picking it up again for the sake of finishing the book and out of curiousity for more. The Diary of Anne Frank was more of a painful experience for me rather than the very important history lesson that I had imagined that it was going to be. I had hoped that no one would go through the trouble and suffering of reading it.

I haven't re-read it since. But, now, as an adult, I realised that I completely missed Anne Frank's writing style and her personality, by being lost in the pain of transition, both normal and politically-induced. I didn't appreciate it for the piece of literature that it was. Now, I think, that although the pain was a natural reaction, the diary was an invaluable tool that taught more about the deeper effects of the atrocities on nazis by focusing on the effects on one family, rather than the superficial heinous and none the less gruesome acts that the history lessons offer. I also think that instead of focusing only on the political strife the period was in, I should have celebrated Anne for who she was and attempted to dissect her personality and speculated what a valuable adult citizen she could have been if she was allowed to grow up and thrive. I now think that Anne has had enough of political atrocities, her diary deserves to be treated as the diary of a normal person with feelings and her achievements during her short life ought to be celebrated by readers. After all, it's not the length of life that matters, but also the love one receives however short their life may be. Having lived in a period of turmoil, Anne's memory can only be done justice by seeing her as a normal girl and celebrating her normalcy as a person of her age reacting to life within an abnormally short life.

[Cassie Williams]

H - The Hawthorne Legacy by Jennifer Lynn Barnes

This is one I have read more recently, it is part of the Inheritance Games series and is a fun mystery and romance book filled with intelligent characters who are interesting to follow. I definitely still enjoyed it, but I found compared to the first book it did feel like it dragged on a little longer in parts. At first the premise of the series reminded me of The 39 Clues, but the story takes some very different turns away from that, especially in this sequel. The mystery itself is not the most exciting, but the action that takes place as the characters are trying to solve the mystery mostly makes up for it.

As I have read this one recently, it's a bit harder to look back, but I will say one thing that has changed since I have read the book is my mindset on the love triangle in the book. I really don't think it added anything special to the plot, and really just felt like something that had been added to fit some kind of checklist for creating a young adult book. Avery's budding romance with the male lead was exciting enough in my opinion without throwing another person into it.

[River Fenwick]

A - After the End by Amy Plum

I believe I read this book when I was around 15, just a few years after it was published. I've always loved the dystopian genre, but this one turned out to be much more science fiction than I initially thought when I started the book, which stood out to me. It's the first book in a series, so the ending was more of a cliffhanger to allude to the next book in the series, but overall, it was a great book with interesting characters and plot.

I haven't reread this book, though I might pick it up and read it in my free time after writing this unlocked my memory. Looking back on the book, I don't believe I truly appreciated the story enough when I read it. I don't think I fully processed the feeling the main character must've had from what happens in the book, reading it as just a book and not immersing myself in it and viewing things the way the characters would have.

[Prof. Amy Lupin]

D - The Dragon’s Banker by Scott Warren

I read this book earlier this year and really enjoyed it.

It follows Sailor Kelstern, a merchant banker, and his dealings with different members of society in his official (and unofficial) capacity, including dragons (who live in secret, for the most part).

I enjoyed that Sailor Kelstern wasn’t your typical hero and that the book wasn’t your typical fantasy book either. It was refreshing experiencing a world that usually recedes into the background in other stories. There was a lot of humour too, which added levity to tense situations.

Reflecting back, I'm definitely glad I read the book. It had been on my to-read list for a few years. It reminded me of Orconomics by J. Zachary Pike, which combines typical fantasy fare with the (mis)adventures of “background” characters. I hope this becomes a sub-genre of its own.

I'm not sure if I'd necessarily reread the book as a lot of the enjoyment came from the little surprises along the way. That said, it is an interesting setting, and I hope the author revisits it (as I'd certainly like to, just in a different story).

[River Fenwick]

D - The Death Cure by James Dashner

As part of the Maze Runner series, I vividly remember reading all the books in 8th grade when the movies were coming out. It was a series I couldn't put down as I was so intrigued, and I had read all of the published books in a few days of after-school determination. I immensely enjoyed this book in particular, with it being the most gut-wrenching one of the series, in my opinion.

I've reread the book a couple of times, the last time being around 2 years ago. It's always as great as I remember, despite how tragic it can be, and it is an excellent reminder of why I love dystopian books so much. I'll likely be rereading this book and the others in the series over and over for a very long time, as it is a series that stuck with me from my early teenage years.

[Emily Spencer]

A-Arabella of Mars by David Devine

This Steampunk fantasy book follows the exploits of Arabella Ashby as she travels to Victorian England with her mother, who is trying to teach Arabella to be a proper young lady instead of a tomboy tinkerer. For her part, Arabella would much prefer to stay on her home planet of Mars and go on adventures with her father and brother. When intergalactic trouble brews, she takes to the skies (disguised as a young man) in order to save both her family and home planet.

I first read this book about 3 years ago, and I really enjoyed it. The Steampunk genre is one I really enjoy, and when it popped up on my Bookbub suggestions I decided to give it a try. It was a bit more light-heartened and whimsical than I usually prefer, but it had enough action to keep my interest. In fact, I ended up reading the whole trilogy! I enjoyed the adventure enough that I didn’t even mind the shades of romance scattered throughout, which for me, is a big deal. Romance heavy books and Emily are not friends!

How do I feel about it now?
I hadn’t thought about it, really, but now I want to read it again! I can remember the basic story, but some of the finer points have been lost. My taste in books has not changed in 3 years, so there is no reason to believe that I wouldn’t still enjoy it. I think reading the second time might even be better, actually, because I can concentrate on picking up some of the details that escaped me the first time since the basic story is already familiar. Now, excuse me, I have to go find my copy and start reading!

[Emily Spencer]

D-Dracula by Bram Stoker

THE vampire book. Period. Seriously though, ‘vampire’ and ‘Dracula’ are pretty much synonymous. I don’t think it needs explanation, but the book tells the story of Count Dracula and his many victims, including Jonathon Harker, Mina Harker, and Lucy Westenra. The book itself is evocative, disturbing, and unforgettable, at least in this reader’s opinion.

I’m sure you’ve guessed by now that I love Dracula. The first time I read it read it, I must have been about 12 or so, if memory serves me correctly. I was instantly intrigued, and by the first few chapters I was totally drawn into the story. I don’t recall being frightened by it at all, but rather drawn to it. I don’t know how to explain it actually, but it ‘spoke to my soul’, if that makes any sense at all. One thing is for certain, it began my life-long love affair with vampires and creatures things that go bump in the night.

How do I feel about it now?
I can’t even begin to tell you how many times I’ve read this book. I swear, I could probably quote most of it by heart. Though I’m all grown up now, it never fails to fill me with that same sense of awe and ‘belonging’ that happened the first time I read it. Some books that I’ve re-read pale after the first few times, but this is definitely not one of them. The antiquated language is not a hinderance as it is in some books I’ve tried to read again (Here’s looking at you CrystalCave) but rather adds to the whole atmospheric masterpiece that the author managed to capture perfectly. Time to add it to my reading list again!

[Luna Ravenlong]

A-And then there were none by Agatha Christie

I read this for the first time about 10 years ago and it was my first Agatha Christie. I loved this book, I thought it was a very well written mystery/thriller and kept me guessing the whole way through. I thought it was incredibly clever and I really enjoyed the twist at the end. I haven’t re-read this book and I’m not sure I ever will-I think as much as I enjoyed it, the impact wouldn’t be the same if a read it again.

Like I said, Ive never re read this, but I still think about the ending often. I have read several other Agatha Christie books though because of this, and though I really enjoyed them, I still think And then there were None is one of the best. I think this sets a standard for this genre of novel.

[Luna Ravenlong]

D-Days at the Morisaki Bookshop by Sotoshi Yagisawa (translated by Eric Ozawa)

I read this book a few months ago and absolutely adored it. It’s a fairly short, easy read but still had a lot of emotion and heart packed into it. I obviously loved the setting, and getting to know these characters partly through the books they read. I liked getting to see the lead character blossom, and seeing her relationship with her family and the town change and grow.

As I read this recently, I haven’t re read this yet, it I expect I will-it seems like it would be a good book to get me out of a reading slump or bad mood. I maybe don’t think about this book as much as others (possibly because it’s a fairly simple narrative) but I do still think about the characters occasionally.

[Luna Ravenlong]

H-Holes by Louis Sacher

I first read this when I was 8 or 9 and it quickly became one of my favourite books. I loved the way the three different story lines weaved together and the slow reveal of how they were all linked. The characters were really well written and very well rounded, which I really enjoyed as it was probably the first time I’d seen such complex characters. It did an incredible job of introducing racism and classism in an accessible way, and without it being to heavy handed.

This is one of my most reread books- to the extent that I eventually had to buy a new copy as it was falling apart! I have re read it several times, both as a child and an adult and still enjoy it every time. I definitely got more out of it as I got older-especially as I gained a better understanding of the justice system and the class issues within that. I still love these characters and I am always really happy when I get to the final chapters, and see the main family getting justice in the end.

[River Fenwick]

H - Hatchet by Gary Paulsen

I have no idea when I first read this book, though I remember it being in a classroom setting, so likely in middle school, given the age rating for the book. This was one of the few books I was forced to read for school that stood out and lingered at the back of my mind for years. I was fascinated by the plot, as it's about a boy who survived a plane crash, having to survive with only a hatchet.

I've reread this book a few times, though I can't recall when the latest was, meaning it's certainly time for it again. My view of the book changed drastically from when I first read it, with the plot only becoming far more concerning to me as an adult than it was when I was more around the main character's age. It's still an incredible book, and I am grateful to that school for having it in the curriculum that year.

[Emily Spencer]

H-(The) Hobbit by J.R.R. Tolkien

I first attempted to read this book when I was in high school. Please put away the pitchforks, people, because what I’m about to say is akin to fantasy-lovers heresy. I found it incredibly boring, wordy, and after slogging my way through 3 long chapters I finally threw in the towel. Yes, yes, the Shire, Frodo, Gandalf, all are perfectly splendid, Tolkien is a literary genius, and it’s the pinnacle of fantasy writing. Many people think so, and I respect that. Unfortunately, I am just not one of them. It even sounds like a good story, and I tell myself that I should like it, but my mind never listens.

Alas, my opinion of the book has not changed. I’ve tried reading it several times sine that initial time and my feelings have not changed. Last time, which was about two years ago, I tried again. I started out with a heart full of determination and hope. This time, I would finish the darned book and find the elusive magic connection that so many of my fantasy-loving friends had with it. This time would be different! Well….middle of the book…nada, zip, zilch. I just couldn’t torture myself anymore and put it down. Truthfully, I may give it one more try, but that’s up for debate.

I think part of the problem is that while I love fantasy (dark, steampunk, retelling, etc), I just am not the biggest fan of high fantasy. Maybe that’s why The Hobbit will never hold any appeal to me.

[Prof. Tarma Amelia Black]

H-(The) Hobbit by J.R.R. Tolkien

Last time, which was about two years ago, I tried again. I started out with a heart full of determination and hope. This time, I would finish the darned book and find the elusive magic connection that so many of my fantasy-loving friends had with it. This time would be different! Well….middle of the book…nada, zip, zilch. I just couldn’t torture myself anymore and put it down.

Sorry, not sorry.

I love you, Emily!

H - So, do I write about The Hobbit, or there and back again (by J.R.R. Tolkien)? Sure .....

This book, by J.R.R. Tolkien, was recommended to me when I was a Junior in High School. I tried to read it; the recommendation was from a very good friend and I wanted to read what he'd enjoyed so much.
Alas, I could not get into it. Nope. I don't think I got even as far as you, Emily, in my first reading. Maybe two chapters into this incredibly dry and pedantic book I put it aside and 'nope'.

I do not know what changed in me but something obviously did. The next year, when I was a Senior, I tried it again.

Oh, dear. I loved it! Why? It's the same book, same very verbose writing and very dry and yes rather pedantic. But ... maybe I was 'feeling' the book this time. Maybe somehow I was transported into Middle Earth, such transporting done by some phrase? I have no idea. Then, of course, after reading The Hobbit, I read many of the rest of the books of Middle Earth.

How do I feel about it now? .... Welcome to The Hobbit, From Tolkien to Jackson. I guess one could say that my enthusiasm hasn't waned at all. I do love it.

[Viviana Kingston]

A - All In by Jennifer Lynn Barnes
This book was the third book in the Naturals series. I had picked up the first book based on a book review I had seen on social media so by the time it came to the third one, I was very excited to continue the series and see what the author does, where the author goes with the story because the first two had been books that had me stuck to the pages until they were done. I suspected that perhaps the other would focus on the other important characters as well, and it was proven true. I read this book for the first time in somewhere in August.

Right now, I still have just as much passion and appreciation for the book as I did when I first read and finished it. It’s definitely one of my favourites because bits and pieces from the previous books were building up and the characters were developing and I got to learn more about their backstories. This book definitely made me realise that every character, every fact and every plot was interconnected in some way. I haven’t had the pleasure to reread it as yet, though if someone gave me the opportunity to forget about the book, I would consider doing so just to read it again for the first time. The feeling it gave me was intense. I can’t quite describe it, but it’s like when you’re reading a part of the book and instead of continuing to see what happens next, you close the book and just sit there taking in what you just read - that’s sort of feeling this book gave me.