Saturday, June 6, 2009

A week in the shire

I've been in the mood for some serious Tolkien action over the past week. First, my love and I decided to begin a Lord of the Rings movie marathon, which we finished tonight. And in the midst of our marathon, I decided that I really need to read the books. I have never read any of J.R.R. Tolkien's work before, but I hear he's a phenomenal author. And I love to read fantasy, so I figured this series is a must. I'm starting with The Hobbit and working my way to the end. Even though I have only just begun, I can already tell that I'm going to fall in love with his style. For example, he doesn't just mention a group of dwarves singing a song. He actually lists the lyrics of the song and describes the melody. Here is a sample of a song sung by the dwarves in the beginning of The Hobbit:

On silver necklaces they strung
The flowering stars, on crowns they hung
The dragon-fire, in twisted wire
They meshed the light of moon and sun.


Isn't that just magical? Sometimes I like to read passages like that aloud just to hear what they sound like.

To celebrate my deeper study of this wonderful series, I have gathered some of my favorite Lord of the Rings themed items from etsy. I found some really creative things, but that doesn't surprise me much since etsy sellers never cease to amaze me. First up is this adorable felted hobbit hole playset by Evergreenivy. It even comes with a little bunny!



And while we're on the topic of hobbit holes, this print from Arams Eyes completely took my breath away. From the item description: "This picture was taken in New Zealand where 'The Lord of the Rings' was filmed. Some of the hobbit holes were left after filming. Unfortunately no hobbits were around that day, only a bunch of grazing sheep." What a fascinating scene!



This pouch features an uplifting quote from J.R.R. Tolkien reading "Little by little, one travels far." It was made by Beesnetta.



I adore the dwarves, so these lego earrings made by Cosmic Fun Palace are pretty much a dream-come-true. Aren't they cute?



This one made me laugh, I'm a sucker for funny baby shirts. You can find this, as well as lots of other funny designs, at Apple Creek.



I just love this hand-sewn wizard brooch. What a wonderful way to carry around a little bit of magic with you! It was made by June bugs in July.



The last item on my list is a very innovative idea fromLuluMagoo. It's a notebook made from a recycled VHS copy of The Fellowship of the Ring.



I'm really excited about diving into this series. I know that the book is always better than the movie, but I must admit- I find it difficult to believe that even my imagination could compete with this:



I can't decide who I have a bigger crush on. Hero guys are so sexy!

What series of books do you consider a must-read?

14 comments:

thom said...

TLOR and Harry Potter are DEFINITE must reads.

Anonymous said...

I adore the books. I've read them all at least 5 times. *nerd* Make sure you read the Hobbit too! It was the first book :)

Stela said...

Those are awesome finds on etsy! I think the travel pouch is cool and that baby onesie is hilarious!

Audrey said...

My oldest has read most of the books and both boys have seen the movies. Not my kind of thing to read or see, but they loved them.

I BLEED PINK said...

Oh wow, how neat. I am digging those earrings!

Lemon Shortbread said...

I absolutely loved the movies so this feature is very tempting! I would say LOTR series are a must-read, hope you have a blast with the 3 novels!

Lemon Shortbread said...

oh yes and the Narnia series by CS Lewis too!

Jennifer Juniper said...

You have to read the books, for sure. You will be transported :)

Vanessa said...

Awww ty for the comment I feel bad because I have not been on long enough to show my followers much LUV. Ty for dropping by I am sore to the point I can't sin in this chair long so only check in once a day lol.... I can't wait till back in action :).
PS
I LOVEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE
your blog :) Lord Of The Rings is my all time Fav. :)

Rheea said...

Is it better than Twilight saga??! I better not watch then.. my book shelf has got no space left after my Twilight came in. lol.

I love the pic of New Zealand! It looks more like a painting.. so unreal yet so beautiful.

Rheea

cabin + cub said...

The felted hobbit house is so cute! I love little felted things!

Rheea said...

Thanks for the bit of info Holly. I don't want to be the traitor as well.. Twilight will always be special in my heart! :D

Oh btw, I've seen the trailer of NEW MOON!!! I'll post it in my blog soon! Can't wait to see it on the big screen! WoohoooOOOoOOoO~ Lalalalaaa~~~

Insane Rheea

Country Mouse, City Mouse said...

Oh my word I love Lord of the Teething Rings!

http://countrycitymouse-pam.blogspot.com

Drop by and enter the Etsy giveaway that I am hosting.

Karin Schueller said...

I read the books before the movies.. and was still impressed with the movies. I can't tell you what that says about Peter Jackson. Have you read much yet? They are phenomenol. I might just go read them again....