"Farmer Giles Of Ham" by J. R. R. Tolkien || Book Review

This is a book I read back in the summer, but for a reason I cannot fathom I completely forgot to write a review about it. I only just realized this and decided to write a review now, on the last day of the year, even if it's been quite some time since I read it. So here's my last post of 2023 and my last book review of the year...

This was not my first contact with Tolkien's work. I have tried reading some of his books in the past and while admittedly he's a masterful author and his works deserve credit and admiration, there's no doubt about their worth, I still couldn't quite get into them. Sometimes I thought they were boring, or weird, or I simply couldn't "dive" into the story, so his books I'd tried so far, while amazing in their own right, simply were not my cup of tea.

So, when I picked up this book I was reluctant, to say the least. When I finally started reading, I quite liked it and it sucked me in quickly. I bought myself flipping the pages and only pausing when my son - whom I was reading it with - couldn't follow, and by the end, I was so unexpectedly and pleasantly surprised by how much I enjoyed it!

"Farmer Giles of Ham" is something completely different compared to Tolkien's other works (the ones I'm familiar with, at least). It's a particularly unique and well-written novella. It's a fun little tale aimed at younger and older audiences alike, which stars knights, dragons, giants, and other magical creatures. Don't expect epic battles and endless action, but an enjoyable, entertaining, light-hearted adventure with a fairy tale atmosphere, as well as a subtle sense of humor.

Giles is far from your typical hero/protagonist and while he's brave, he's also smart and cunning. He has an interesting way of dealing with his problems. Instead of taking the predictable direction of immediate action and bloody fighting, he tries to use more careful and smart approaches that border between genius and hilarious. This in itself leaves the tale going in unexpected directions which, in my opinion, is the main clue that makes his character memorable and worth reading.

The story, while short, is still rich in content. It's fast-paced, reads very easily and the ending is satisfying, fun, and pays off. There's a unique atmosphere and worldbuilding, which I couldn't tell you if it's part of some wider Tolkien universe - I suspect it might be - because I don't know for sure but I can tell it stands very well on its own in this story.

My favorite character was Garm the dog who I found hilarious and I loved every scene he was in.

Long story short, I really enjoyed this book, and I rated it 4/5*. Out of the books I read in 2023, this was the one that positively surprised me the most and left me with unexpectedly good impressions. 

My 2023 Reading Wrap-Up || Or "How I completely failed the reading goals I set for myself"

As the title states, this post will be My Reading Wrap-Up for 2023. Unfortunately, though, this has not been a very good reading year for me, and while it was a great year in all other aspects of my life, I barely got any time to read. This has consequently resulted in me failing all of my reading goals 😂. Here's how it went...

• My reading goals for 2023:

1. Read at least 20 books ✘
   
   I only managed to read 12 books this year and I'm now halfway through the 13th, but I don't think I'll be able to finish it within the year. 
   
   
2. Read at least 2 classics ✘
   
   I read 1 classic book this year; "The Christmas Carol" by Charles Dickens, which was a first-time read for my son and a very exciting re-read for me, since we read it together.
   
   
3. Listen to at least 2 audiobooks ✘
   
   I listened to 1 audiobook this year and it was "The Art of Always Being Right" by Arthur Schopenhauer.
   
   
4. Read at least 2 non-fiction books ✘
   
   Only one non-fiction book made it to my list this year and it's the same one I listened to as an audiobook.
   
   
5. Read at least 2 Stephen King books ✘
   
   Nope, not even one... 😂
   
   
6. Keep reviewing the books I read ✘
   
   Did I? I can't even remember, I think I may have written about 1 or 2 reviews this year...

So is there any point in me even making a post like this when I haven't made it with my goals? I do feel a pinch of guilt, especially since I was the one who set the goals for myself and I purposely set them so low so that they would be achievable. However, I still feel happy for the few books I read this year and I enjoyed some of them very much. Some of these books I expected I would enjoy, while some others were an unexpected pleasant surprise. I have concluded after the years that love of books and of stories is not necessarily measured in the number of books or pages you consume, but rather in what you get from reading. So, I'd say that there is always a point in doing a small review of your reading year however impressive or disappointing it might have been, and trying to motivate yourself to do even better - which is something I really hope to achieve next year.

So, how has your reading year been? Did you reach all of your goals or some of them? Which were your favorite books for 2023? Feel free to comment down below...

Spooky Would You Rather || Book Tag

 Hello, book-friends!

October is almost over and Halloween is just around the corner so I decided to do a fun book tag for this post. I found this tag over on The Sassy Book Geek's blog so you can go and check her out because she has some amazing content!

1. Thrillers or Supernaturals?
   I've read plenty of both and I love both so I'm having a bit of a hard time choosing, but I'll pick thrillers for this one...
   
   
2. Ghosts or Zombies?
   That was an easy one since I'm not really a zombie fan. Plus, ghosts can have many different interpretations and many different ways to be written and executed. It could be good ghosts, bad ghosts, ghosts you can see, ghosts you cannot see but only hear, ghosts from 1000 years back or ghosts from 50 years back, ghosts that can or cannot affect the protagonist's reality, ghosts that can or cannot be resurrected back to life and the list goes on... So, to conclude, I'll easily pick ghosts over zombies. 👻👻👻
   
   
3. Vampires or Werewolves?
   That one is a bit complicated since we've seen many different kinds of vampires and different kinds of werewolves, so I would say that it depends on the type of werewolf/vampire.
   
   
4. Witches or demons?
   I'm not very much into demons and demon stories and I really like witches, so witches any day.
   
   
5. Would you rather read a book with 13 chapters or a book with a black cat on the cover?
   I'm not superstitious in general and neither of these two bothers me, but I'll pick the black cat cover because I really like black cats!
   
   
   
   
   
6. Would you rather read a spooky book in the dark with only a candle for light or by yourself in a locked brightly lit room?
   I don't really mind the darkness and being locked in a room seems pretty scary by itself. And if I had to be reading something spooky in one of the two settings I'd easily pick an open room - even if it was dark - rather than a closed space, because then I could easily get out of the room 💃 to get fresh air and feel less scared, whereas if I couldn't escape it would feel even scarier.
   
   
7. Would you rather face your worst fears or be trapped in the mind of a killer?
   I mean... being a writer... I have to accept that being in the mind of a killer would be rather interesting... 😇 And it could probably give me ideas for a story or two... 😅 And it still doesn't feel remotely as scary as being trapped in a room with cockroaches (which is one of my biggest fears) so I'll pick the killer. Besides, it wouldn't even have to necessarily be a bad killer, it could be like an avenger type of killer, or maybe a killer that kills rapists and criminals, right? 😅😂 And I'd so dig this... 😂
   
   
8. Would you rather watch a scary movie or read a scary book?
   Either one is fine for me, I like them both.
   
   
9. Would you rather read spooky books during the fall time or all year?
   I would rather read them any time of the year I feel like it. I'm kind of a mood reader and I want to read whatever I feel like reading at a given time, not specific things at specific times...
   
   
10. Would you rather read 10 spooky books in October or 10 spooky books all year?
    I doubt I would have time to read as many as 10 books any given month. My time is limited in general and I'm a slow reader on top of this so I couldn't read 10 books of any genre in a month, so I'll say I'd like to read 10 spooky books spread throughout the year...

I really enjoyed this tag and I hope you enjoyed it as well. If you did, then feel free to tag yourselves and do it as well or comment your opinions down below... I'd love to read them all.

The Last 3 Childrens' books that I Read || Reviews

Hello book friends!

I'm back with some more reviews of children's books. This time I'm going to give you a brief review of the last three children's books that I read with my son, hoping to help you pick the next read for your kids. So, without further ado, here we go...

1.  "Stories From Around The World", by Heather Amery and Linda Edwards
   
   
   

   First, we have this big book that contains a collection of stories from many different parts of the world. More specifically, it shares 22 stories from the following locations: Australia, Persia, Greece, France, South America, New Zealand, Germany, Mexico, India, Scandinavia, Italy, Holland, Morocco, China, Chech Republic, Spain, Africa, Russia, Britain, North America, Japan, Cambodia. All the stories are unique in their own way, as they carry not only the myths and fairytales from various countries but also the essence of the cultures they came from, and part of their philosophy. The stories are interesting and they're painted in their own beautiful colors - literally and metaphorically. The stunning illustrations show beautifully the different origins of the stories and the variety of ideas and values that created them. Most of the stories contain a nice message at the end, and a moral conclusion, so they are educational as well as entertaining. This is a good, solid contribution to literature that develops cultural awareness. My son loved it and we both gave this book 5/5*.

   
   
   
2. "Newton and Curie": The Science Squirrels", by Daniel Kirk
   
   
   

   Newton and his little sister, Curie are two adorable little squirrels that explore the world and learn new things about it. In this book, science is given in a simple way that is easy and enjoyable for kids to understand. The two squirrels are named - as you may have guessed - after scientists Sir Isaac Newton and Marie Curie. While I loved the premise and the idea behind the book, I wasn't too excited about how the two siblings were portrayed. While Newton (the older brother) is curious and actually interested in science and the mechanics behind it, Curie - his little sister - doesn't seem to care much about most of it, and instead, seems to only be interested in playing games and having fun. Not only is she not interested in much of it and doesn't get to do much as her older brother does, thus failing to live up to her namesake, but she also repeatedly dismisses her brother's interest in those things. I can't tell if she was portrayed like that because she is the little one, or because she's the girl. In any case, and even if it was done entirely unintentionally, I didn't like it, because not only it doesn't respond to the truth either way, but it also helps perpetuate wrong and harmful stereotypes. This was the main reason I could give this book the highest rating was 3/5*.
   
   
   
3. 
   "The Story of Space: A First Book About Our Universe": Catherine Barr, Steve Williams, Amy Husband
   
   
   This book was given to my son as a gift and I was excited for it from the moment I saw it. It talks about the universe and the creation of the earth and planets in a beautiful and simple way. The illustrations are stunning, I loved looking at the images and my son loved them as well. This book was both educational and entertaining and it's a book I'd definitely recommend and pick as a gift for young kids to help stir their interest and love for science. My son loved it and his rating was 5/5*. On the other hand, I thought it was more like a 4/5*.

Overall, my son and I both really enjoyed all three of these books, and we want to recommend them all to anyone else who might be interested. We would love to hear your opinions of these books if you have read any of them as well as your own book recommendations.

Until the next time,

Keep reading...

"Rita Hayworth and Shawshank Redemption" by Stephen King - Book Review

 

“It always comes down to just two choices. Get busy living, or get busy dying.”

Hello book friends,

So... 2023 started with a book I've been meaning to read for a long time. I have wanted to read this book ever since I first saw the movie adaptation and absolutely loved it.

The movie itself succeeds on many levels; the acting is on point, the directing is fitting, and, most importantly, the storytelling is flawless. This is the reason this story always has always stuck out to me and still ranks amongst my favorites of all time and which is also the reason that led me to want to read the book so much.

It was a short and easy read. It's written simply but not simplistic or shallow in any way. It reads very enjoyably and it has all the suspense and depth in storytelling and character development that this genre needs. The narration (from Red's POV) is vivid and believable, and, the way it's written, makes you feel like you can really hear his voice and get into his head.

This book is a simple and eloquent depiction of endless hope, friendship, and redemption. It is a story about the durability of the human spirit. A story about managing to maintain dignity and humanity even through the toughest of circumstances... A story about patience and endurance... A story about justice and how it's found or, on the other hand, often lost.

Andy is an amazing character overall, and one of my favorite characters in fiction generally. But in this story Andy is not just a character, no, it goes way beyond that. Andy is a symbol. He is a symbol of hope, dignity, and freedom for Red - and probably the other prisoners as well - but he can also become a symbol of hope for the readers as well. A symbol of hope for life in general and how to go through hardships unbroken and... clean... even if you had to get through some stinky situations. Andy's character is so pivotal, that even though this is Red's narration of his own life, it's all about (or mostly about) Andy. 

The characters in the book are physically described differently than what the actors look in the movie, and I don't really mind this change, because both depictions are good and bring something different to the story. Each character's voice however is very accurate to the source material and that was very satisfying. The actors did a great job portraying their respective characters and transferred their voices and distinct characteristics very well to the screen, so much so, that while reading I could hear the actors' voices reciting the words. 

The book leaves the ending more uncertain and open, while the movie gives us a glimpse of the future, which is actually something that I loved about the movie and preferred to the book. I find the movie ending to be more fitting to the story as it gives a sense of optimism and hope.

This is an absolutely beautiful story that I would recommend to anyone as it has so much to offer not only in terms of enjoyment but also in terms of themes, meaning, and messages. This is the significance and beauty of a timeless work. Few stories are so memorable and at the same time so well-crafted. A very well-deserved 5/5* rating! 

Thanks for reading!

Harry Potter And The Deathly Hallows || Book Review & Book to Movie Comparison

 

My long journey with the Harry Potter series has come to an end - I've finished the Deathly Hallows and I can't help the sense of accomplishment rising inside me. This series and I go a long way back - to the ancient times when I was a kid and tried my best to avoid it due to the hype of the time, to when I became a teen and started feeling curious about it, to then growing older and feeling mad I couldn't participate to conversations about it because I had not read it, to later, when I grew up even more and finally decided to get into it - even if I considered myself too old for it. I guess you could say it was a complicated, love-hate relationship that has come to a happy end.

The "Half-Blood Prince" was my favorite book in the series so far, and I think it's safe to say that I got into the "Deathly Hallows" with high expectations - maybe even unfairly high for the book. I expected a more spectacular conclusion to the series but ended up feeling underwhelmed. Not that it was bad, by any means! No, it wasn't bad, but it wasn't great either - overall, I think it was fine. I thought it was disappointing in the bits that were supposed to be the strongest and most impactful, yet unexpectedly good in parts that weren't or didn't seem as important. The first half of the book seemed better written and more spread out, while the second half seemed a bit more rushed and a bit abrupt. It felt like the ending didn't get the time or space it needed and lost some of its impact along the way.

***SPOILERS AHEAD***

The build-up was very interesting and I enjoyed following the heroes in their quest for the Horcruxes and the Deathly Hallows. Their journey was amazing and I really enjoyed seeing their clashes and reconciliations. I felt like I got to know them very deeply and saw their growth and evolution throughout the story. In this book I got a whole lot of new respect for Harry - I think that in this final book, he was at his best, I enjoyed his every scene.

Since I started the series I had anxiously been waiting to read the entirety of Snape's story. He had always been one of my favorite characters and his story always fascinated me, so I was looking forward to reading the chapters about him. He's not a nice or likable character and I'm not even sure if he's redeemable, but he still has been one of my favorites, because he's realistically deep and layered. He's a character that is walking a very thin line between the real and the fantastical element - he's a wizard, yet he feels as real as your next-door neighbor. And he's one of the characters in fiction that - if I were a writer - I wish I'd have thought and written about.

Anyway... While I love his story's plot twist and I absolutely loved how it was portrayed in the film, I didn't enjoy it as much in the book. Not because of the - admittedly - more sympathetic portrayal of his character in the movie, but because of the way that it was written. I expected that reading his memories about Lily would be heartbreaking and sad. Instead, it felt a bit awkward and even though it gives you more of an understanding of the characters, it didn't feel as emotional as I expected. I got a whole lot of new respect for Lily and she became more likable to me. Yet, the chapter lacked the feeling that the movie successfully created - maybe it was the montage, maybe it was the directing, or maybe it could just be me, but it was how I felt.

The scene of his death was absolutely heartbreaking and I liked it more in the book than I did in the movie. It was still very sad in the movie too and I liked how they changed his final words, but how he tried to avoid Voldemort, to run back and warn Harry, tell him the truth, reveal what he knew, even in the last moment, even if he knew his end was near... He was about to die and he still struggled to complete his mission and his promise to Dumbledore. Not so much to save Harry, which would have been noble if it were the case, but I think more out of respect and loyalty to Dumbledore, but, even more than that, I think that he did it all in a desperate attempt to try to redeem and forgive himself, to try and take back the bad he had done.

A scene that I did not expect to be emotional, but ended up getting to me, was the scene after Harry has "died" and speaks with Dumbledoor (or his ghost, I guess?). I really loved reading about his conversation with Harry and seeing Harry finally understand some things. But most of all, I loved reading about Grindelwald and his relationship with Dumbledore - that was indeed unexpectedly heartbreaking to me.

Okay, let's address the elephant in the room (or in the book, I guess)... I had heard so many people complain about the epilogue and I couldn't understand why. The epilogue in the movie was okay; it felt nice and it was subtle enough. But I confess, reading it in the book, it was seriously bad! I hated it! I'd rather not have read it at all. Still, if it had to be there, it should have been written differently, because it felt cringy and kind of out of place. The dialogues felt off, and the characters felt different (and not in a nice way, as if they grew up and matured, no, they felt out of place).

I preferred the way that Voldemort dies in the book compared to how he dies in the movie. The whole fighting scene between Voldemort and Harry was much better in the book than in the movie, even though ideally I'd like it to be longer and more developed. Voldemort died just like any other simple person, not any different than a simple muggle, than any other human without magical abilities. He died such a simple, humiliating, and unceremonious death. He failed to defeat his biggest fear and enemy; death itself. And all because of his ignorance and his arrogance... His dying like this not only makes a lot of sense but feels very right and proper, poetic even, as his whole story, his character arc goes full circle with his self-destruction. On the contrary, his death in the movie retains a sense of mystery and mythos around his whole existence.

Doby's death was really sad and it was interesting to see Harry's reaction to it. He was really brave and saved everyone, but he couldn't save himself in the end.

Fred's death was sad, but not nearly as heartbreaking as I had expected, or as it should be - at least for me... I understand that it all happened in the middle of the battle so we could not spend too much time with it at the moment, but still, I think it could be better. On the other hand, when we later see his family mourning him, that lived up to my expectations...

I was really mad at Lupin and Tonks, not only for their whole story when they were alive, but also for their death! The fact that they died and how they died made me mad!

I thought that Kriecher's character was quite interesting in this book and I really liked his character arc and how he "changed", but I wish that we'd seen a bit more of him afterward.

I loved seeing Ron and Hermione's relationship evolve and progress throughout the book. All of it; their ups and downs, their fights, and their reconnections, it all made sense and it was all nice and wholesome. In my opinion, these two were made for each other and there couldn't possibly be anyone else for either one of them. I don't understand the people that didn't like them together and support that they should have ended up with other people.

Do I even need to talk about Harry and Ginny? I think it's universally accepted that the films absolutely butchered their relationship dynamic and Ginny's character. I also think it's widely accepted that in the books Ginny is a lot more interesting and their relationship is more realistic, cute, and natural. Again, just like Ron and Hermione, to me, it's pretty obvious that they were made for each other and are supposed to end up with no one else but each other. 

It was also heartbreaking to see Draco's decline and how he fell into his own trap. I felt sad for him and for Narcissa. I think that all of them realized that they had been on the wrong side and that, in the end, the only important thing was their family. Their redeeming quality was their love for each other and their willingness to fight for each other. Narcissa's final act of defiance against Voldemort (not revealing that Harry was alive) for the sole purpose of protecting her son, her daring to lie to Voldemort in his presence was impressive.

***END OF SPOILER SECTION***

Overall, it was an okay conclusion to the series and a nice read. It left me mostly satisfied and I had only a few complaints about it. While it was a nice book overall, it was by no means my favorite from the series. That's why I gave this book 4/5*. Now, having read all of the books in the series, if I had to put them in order of preference, I'd put them as follows:

• From most to least favorite:

1. "Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince"
2. "Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire"
3. "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows"
4. "Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix"
5. "Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban"
6. "Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets"
7. "Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone"

I'd love to hear your thoughts about the book and how much you liked/disliked it. Please, feel free to share your opinions and tell me how you'd rank the books/movies according to your own preference.

My Bookish Goals for 2023

2022 was a nice reading year, but I really hope 2023 will be even better and I'll read even more. I will try my best to achieve it and not fall back again. However, I'm going to keep setting small and achievable goals...

1. Read at least 20 books: The same number as last year, neither higher, nor lower. If I see that I'm doing well around the middle of the year, I may raise it a bit. However, if I see I'm doing lousy, it's not being reduced! 20 books is my threshold and I don't want to accept anything lower from myself and, ideally, I'd like to do better than last year.
2. Read at least 2 classics: I've been meaning to read more classics since last year but didn't get around to it. This year I'll try to hold myself accountable and do it.
3. Listen to at least 2 audiobooks: I've come to really enjoy audiobooks and I want to keep them in my reading schedule. If I manage to read even more than 2, I'll be even happier.
4. Read at least 2 non-fiction books: Non-fiction books can be enlightening and educational and they take me out of my comfort zone. I want to keep reading all the different kinds and genres of non-fiction books.
5. Read at least 2 Stephen King books: I've been meaning to do this for a while, and this is the year, that it's getting done.
6. Keep reviewing the books I read: And writing everything book-related for my blog.

That's about it with my reading goals... A few, small goals, just to keep me motivated. Feel free to share your goals for the new year with me, you can comment below and share your thoughts.

I wish you all a great, very enjoyable, very productive, and fulfilling year!

My Reading Wrap-Up For 2022

 

Happy New Year!

I hope you had a fantastic time the past days and I also wish you all the best for 2023!

As usual, I want to start the year with a reading Wrap-Up, to see how I did with all of my reading - and not only - goals of the past year and so I can use it to help me set my goals for the year to come. If you want to see the full post on my reading goals for 2022, before you check out this one, you can find it here. I'll jump right into it...

My reading goals for 2022 were:

1. Read at least 20 books ✔
   
   I only barely reached this goal and I don't even know if it counts or if it's considered cheating since this number includes quite a few comic books and a couple of audiobooks. Nevertheless, I'm still happy and proud of myself for making it! I read 20 books and even though I wish I could have read a few more, I think it's still a good number for me.
   
   
2. Try to read every single day even if it's just a couple of pages ✘
   
   Now, this one I failed hard. Not only did I not read every day, I read even fewer days than I did last year (about 100 days down) and I also read a smaller amount of pages (smaller books).
   
   
3. Finish the Harry Potter series ✔
   
   I finally managed to finish this series! I've wanted to read these books for a long time now and I was very excited when I started a couple of years ago. When I got around to reading them, I was eager to read on and finally read them all, so that I could finally form a complete opinion. 2022 was the year I finally reached this goal and not only am I happy for making it, I'm also a bit proud of myself for not giving up and getting through with it. It's an undeniable satisfaction to have such a big and popular series on my "read" shelf.
   
   
4. Read at least 1 classic book ✘
   Hard fail. I didn't even consider reading a classic until just about the end of 2022, and by then, I couldn't even attempt it, because I knew I wouldn't have the time it needed.
   
   
5. Read 1 Stephen King book ✘
   I did think about this one a few times but never actually got around to it, so again, one more fail.
   
   
6. Read at least 1 non-fiction book ✔
   I actually read 2 non-fiction books this year, one of which had to do with political and religious consciousness and the other was about creativity.
   
   
7. Try to be more committed to the blog and consistent with my posting and improve the blog in general ✔
   I managed to reach this goal and I am very happy and proud of myself for it. Not only was I more consistent with my blog than ever before, not only did I write more than I have before, but I also got to do quite a few new things with it!
   
   
8. Listen to at least 1 audiobook ✔
   I only listened to 1 audiobook, but it was enough for me and I feel great about it!

Overall, 2022 was a very beautiful, interesting, and happy year for me. I may not have reached all of the goals I had set for myself (in fact, I achieved about half of them) but I feel good for how well I've done and how far I've come. Life has been crazy, with too many unexpected things happening all at once, and at times it was hard to keep up with everything. However, I managed to keep going and I'm grateful for all the nice things that have occurred! I only hope that this new year will be just as - if not even more - beautiful!