My Favorite Books: The Lord of the Rings

Today I'm launching a new feature, My Favorite Books. This may wind up being a weekly post, but don't hold me to it. In the short time that I've been writing this blog, I've mentioned a bunch of books that I like. I'll be talking a little bit about what makes these books so special to me.

I'm kicking this off with my favorite book, The Lord of the Rings, by J.R.R. Tolkien. This book has always had a special place in my heart. I read The Hobbit first when I was about 12 or so, and read LOTR immediately after. After that, I don't think any fantasy has ever measured up.

The thing I like most about the book is that it's about a group of ordinary people (okay, hobbits) that are called upon to put an end to evil and save the world. The tale is truly an epic tale of good vs. evil.

The book is so big, that you get lost in the story and the world of Middle Earth. My favorite character is probably Samwise Gamgee, the faithful friend of Frodo Baggins. I think I relate best to him. He's a common, everyday person. I admire his loyalty, and his down to earth common sense. In many ways, he's as responsible for the success of the quest as Frodo.

When I first read the book, it sparked my imagination, and I hoped that one day I'd be able to write a book as good as that. Now that I've written a book, part of that dream has been realized. I know my book isn't as good as LOTR, no book can be, but I'm proud of what i've accomplished.

Every time I read LOTR I'm transported back to the first time I read it. I love to travel back and visit the places it takes me. The great thing is, I always find something new that I hadn't noticed before. That's what makes a favorite book such a great thing.

What's your favorite book?

Tag, I'm It--Who's Up for a Game of Book Tag?

Yesterday, just before going to bed, I checked out my Facebook page to see if anything was happening. Turns out my friends Fairday annd Lizzy from The Secret DMS Files of Fairday Morrow shared a link to their fantastic blog. They wanted to play a game--book tag.



What is book tag, you ask? Excellent question. I have no idea. It's just a bit of fun. Oh wait, I do know--there are even rules. Here they are:

THE RULES

1) You must post the rules.

2) Answer the questions the tagger set for you in their post and then create eleven new questions to ask the people you’ve tagged.

3) Tag eleven people and link to them on your post.

4) Let them know you’ve tagged them!

Here are the questions posed by Fairday and Lizzy:

1. When did you start blogging? 



I'm fairly new. I started in the middle of October last year.

2. What is your favorite food?

My wife would tell you everything, and that would be pretty close to the thruth! Really, it's anything sweet.

3. What is your favorite book from childhood?

Again, another tough question. I'd have to say, My Brother Sam is Dead, because it was a historical novel based on events that happened in my area, and I met one of the authors, Christopher Collier, when he visited my school.

4. Best concert you have ever attended or what concert would you like to attend?

Any of Jethro Tull's concerts are good, although Ian Anderson's voice is shot. I have a friend who has a band called The Jody S. Cipot Band that plays in New Milford, CT from time to time. They always put on a great show!
  


Jethro



Jody

 
5. PC or Mac?

Definately PC.

6. Where do you buy or get most of the books you read?

These days I'm buying a lot of Kindle editions of books, but only if they're under about $8. I can't believe the prices publishers are charging for an electronic version of a book. I also like to check out any small out of the way independent bookstores when I have the chance. Some good ones: R.J. Julia in Madison, CT, and the Hickory Stick Bookshop in Washington, CT. I also go to our town library quite often. The kids love going and they have a great selection of books, audio books, and videos. The price is right, too.

7. If you could be friends with any character from a book, who would you be friends with?

Gandalf, the wizard from The Hobbit and Lord of the Rings. He'd be an interesting guy to hang with, and I might even have a chance to get caught up in an adventure or two!

8. Favorite holiday?

I would have to say it's Christmas. It's still the one time of year that's downright magical for me.

9. A book you think everyone should read?

What, besides my own? Let's face it, The Deliverers: Sharky and the Jewel is a fun, exciting book for kids, but apart from that, I'd have to say The Giving Tree by Shel Silverstein. Just a great book, with a great message.

10. If you could have one wish, what would it be?

I'd like to have a time machine so I could go back to see what things were like 100, 200, 300 years ago. That's my secret, selfish wish. If I only had one wish, though, I'd do the right thing and wish that there was no poverty or war, and that everyone was happy. Who knows, if that ever happened, maybe someone would have enough money and time to invent a time machine!

11. Favorite beverage?

Ice cold, unsweetened iced tea. Nothing better when you're thirsty!

Okay, now it's time for me to give a shout out to some of my favorite blogs and say:

TAG, YOU'RE IT!!!!!!

And here are the blogs that have been tagged:

Ro--Always Inspired

My Life, One Story at a Time

Dragonscale Leggings

The Perfect Herald

In the Clouds

Skeletica

She Writes Again

Paranormal Goddess

Under My Apple Tree

Books Are Magic

Morgen Bailey's Writing Blog

Here are my questions for all of you who were tagged:

1. If you could go back in time, what event would you most like to witness?

2. What is your favorite childhood memory?

3. What is your favorite movie?

4. What do you like to do best on a summer's day?

5. Coke or Pepsi?

6. What is your favorite guilty pleasure?

7. What is your favorite book? (I know others have asked it, but how can i not?)

8. Who do you think was the most important person in the 20th century?

9. What's your favorite kind of candy?

10. What book makes you laugh most?

11. Rock, paper, scissors?



Writing--It's Fantastic!

So, how did I get started writing fantasy, and writing it for tweens? I've always loved to read. Reading has been a staple ever since I read my first book on my own about a farmer who takes a big wheel of cheese to the market in town in a wheelbarrow, and loses it. It rolls up hill and down with the farmer chasing after it.

But that's kind of beside the point. My mother was (and is) of the opinion that a love of reading should be cultivated at a young age, and nurtured through those "difficult" middle grade years. In an effort to do this, she started reading to myself and my four siblings at the dinner table.

Every night when dinner was over, and the dishes had been cleared away, my mom would read a chapter of a book. The first book she read to us was "The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe" by C.S. Lewis, the first in the Chronicles of Narnia series. I must have been 12 or 13 and I was entranced by the book. It let my imagination take flight, and took me to places I'd never known existed. Here's a picture of the edition she read to us from:

It's the 70's version. Kind of harkens back to the Beatles' Yellow Submarine. There's something a little Paul and Ringoish about Peter and Edmund.

I'd always been a fan of fantasy to some degree. In addition to my love of "Where the Wild Things Are" when I was younger, I also loved "Charlie and the Chocolate Factory" and "The Phantom Tollbooth", among others. But on some level, I connected more deeply with this book.

Mom read the whole book over the course of a couple of weeks. Then, she moved on to book 2 of the Chronicles, "Prince Caspian". She read one or two more, but by the time she'd finished with book two, I'd raced far ahead. In no time, I'd devoured all seven books of the Chronicles and was looking for more.



That's when my mom suggested I check out "The Hobbit" by J.R.R. Tolkien. That was well and truly it. I was hooked. From there it was on to "The Lord of the Rings". Things haven't been the same since.



This started me on my way. I knew what I was going to do. I was going to write fantasy novels for children. I started right away. I made the mistake of trying to write an 8th book of the Chronicles of Narnia--not a good idea. Then, I started a fantasy epic of my own inspiration, complete with a map and everything.

Unfortunately (or maybe fortunately) I don't think anything has survived from that ill fated manuscript. After that I bided my time. Something else grabbed my writing attention around this time and on into high school and college--comedy. But that's a story for another day.