I always feel a bit like I just want to get through this book. However, so much happens in it, you can’t just skip it. I’ve read it enough times and I still mix up what happens in each book.
It isn’t the first and it isn’t the last. It’s like the middle child who can’t quite get enough attention…
I enjoyed this rendition of the book. I’ve read it a few times now and I enjoyed the audiobook. It was much quicker and still enjoyable. However, it did skip a good deal of the details.
The story itself keeps you engaged throughout the story. The whole series is the classic hero’s epic of how Hobbits saved all of Middle Earth.
Recommendation
Read it rather than watch the movies. They are good but the book is better.
The Hobbit is the first book which kicked off the “Lord of the Rings” trilogy by J. R. R. Tolkien over 80 years ago. It is the tale of a halflings, or Hobbits, or rather, one Hobbit and an adventure he hadn’t planned on taking. This is a fantasy story of dwarfs, elves, dragons, goblins, trolls, and others… The book was originally a children’s book before it was taken and made into 3-PG-13 movies.
The Hobbit
My Thoughts
I’ve read this book several times and this go around was the most unique. I was scheduled for 2 teeth which were in need of root canal re-treatments and was facing at least 3 hours in a dentist’s chair. I wanted something to take my mind off of the drama and felt this was a good way to go.
For the most part, it worked. I still enjoyed the book, which is saying something as I was literally being drilled during it. Particularly, I enjoyed the BBC radio version. All the characters had their own voices and it really made it come to life.
The last book of the Narnia Series is the Last Battle. It is the seventh novel in the series and was published in 1956. The story starts many years after the last visit to Narnia with King Tirian now leading the country. There has been peace throughout the years and no one has seen Aslan for so long… Narnia is fooled by a false Aslan and is soon overrun by enemies. The Last Battle is indeed the last battle for Narnia.
The Last Battle
My Thoughts
So much Christian symbology… Aslan even sets up the analogy of Christ and Satan when he sets himself opposite of Tash. It really was an odd story when you back away from it. The notion all the Narnians could get so worked up over a false prophet… There is precedent enough in history I suppose. Still, it seemed too easy. They were too trusting…
I enjoyed some of the off moments such as when Aslan demonstrates the dwarves wouldn’t allow themselves to be helped. Also the description of Susan, to paraphrase, ‘she was in such a hurry to get to the silliest part of life and then tries to stay there as long as possible.’
The Silver Chair was published in 1953 and Decades have passed in Narnia since the Voyage of the Dawn Treader and now King Caspian is an old man. Eustace Scrubb, now in boarding school and having learned not to be such a selfish jerk, finds his way back to Narnia with his school mate Jill Pole. They quickly find themselves on a quest with a “marshwiggle” named Puddleglum.
The Silver Chair
My Thoughts
The marshwiggle character was interesting. Why not make up your own creature and put him in the middle of everything. Part mud, part Eeyore, part superhero, Puddleglum is interesting to say the least. He would be a much more fun character if it wasn’t for his worldview. I found I couldn’t connect with the humans very well as neither were that likable.
The story seemed to have a lot of inspiration from Jack and the Beanstalk. (There is a whole giant section…) The whole story seemed to meander around. When we finally meet the missing Prince, the story seems to go very quickly.
Recommendations
Though I enjoyed it more than the last and it was still a good read, it is not my favorite.
A Horse and His Boy was written after several of the Narnia books were released and chronologically occurs after The Lion the Witch and the Wardrobe. It is largely the tail of Shasta, a boy who is raised as a slave and ends up on an adventure.
The Horse and His Boy
My Thoughts
I quite enjoyed this book though it wasn’t the epic which was The Lion the Witch and the Wardrobe. I also hadn’t read it before or at least I didn’t remember it… It was like reading a new book either way and I really enjoyed it.
It is a quick read and it took a while to get moving. However, it had a lot of C.S. Lewis hallmarks; the horse was arrogant and humbled toward the end, the boy thought he was nothing but turned out to be the lost prince and later the king and so on… It had plenty of the archetypal stories we love to hear.
Recommendations
Great book. I would recommend it to anyone and my boys are reading it now.
CS Lewis’s classic “The Lion the Witch and the Wardrobe” came out in 1950 and has been a classic and required reading in schools all over the world. It has reached every medium (written, video, audio, theater) and has even sunk into the mainstream culture.
The Lion the Witch and the Wardrobe
My thoughts
Loved it! It was even better than I remembered though it has been a number of years. I listened to it as an audiobook read by Michael York which was fantastic. Particularly after the last read I was so happy to have a short fun novel.
The first time I read this story was in 3rd grade which would put me at about 8 to 9 years old. I didn’t understand the strong Christian overtones or really even think about what was being said. It was a good story and that’s all I cared about.
It is still a good story but the allegories are very apparent. The sinless sacrifice, the humiliation before such, the rumor of his return and so on. It is my understanding that CS Lewis denied it being intentional but it seems pretty heavy handed when you read it.
Recommendation
I really enjoyed the story and will be coming back. I would recommend it to just about anyone. In fact, it is on the shelf in my living room if you need a copy….
This is the first book of the Chronicles of Narnia. It shows us; how Narnia begins, where the “witch” came from, the wardrobe and even explains the origins of the lamp pole at just outside the wardrobe.
The Magician’s Nephew
My Comments
What a fun book! Not my favorite of C.S. Lewis but I still enjoyed it. The last time I read the story, I was in 3rd grade so I don’t remember much of the story. So, it was like experiencing it new all again.
Recommendations
Great book and worth the time to read it. I would recommend it to everyone!
Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them is a follow on to the very popular Harry Potter series of books. It isn’t really much more than a list of creatures from the Wizarding World of Harry Potter.
Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them
My Comments
The last book I read was such a downer, I wanted to read something a little more lighthearted. One can never go wrong with J.K. Rowling! While the topic was tiresome after plowing through cover to cover, there was always a bit of her playful humor in the pages. I particularly loved the introduction.
I read the wrong Harry Potter series at least 4 times during a particularly hard year in graduate school. The books I was assigned were dense reading so I found myself wanting something light and silly. These books always fit that bill and were always a pleasure to read. I’m glad to say this book was no different.
Recommendation
It’s a good book and I had a great time reading it. However, I don’t know if that would be true of many others. Read the Harry Potter standard works before you try this. That will make it all make more sense…
