tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8181364634779383173.post3323436137639018009..comments2024-01-18T00:33:10.659-08:00Comments on All Booked Up: Two Towers Read Along Week ThreeElenahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08961035078725474747noreply@blogger.comBlogger8125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8181364634779383173.post-63456306906043133222011-10-29T18:31:04.405-07:002011-10-29T18:31:04.405-07:00That's for sure. It's what makes some of t...That's for sure. It's what makes some of the book memes out there so dangerous :)Elenahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08961035078725474747noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8181364634779383173.post-48583149058001284892011-10-29T16:12:03.558-07:002011-10-29T16:12:03.558-07:00Always love getting book recommendations, so thank...Always love getting book recommendations, so thank you. Yet another wonderful hazard of book discussion, it begets more books.Carl V. Andersonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15948764216438379394noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8181364634779383173.post-62676342824619732102011-10-29T15:59:43.938-07:002011-10-29T15:59:43.938-07:00She's written three or four books now, all of ...She's written three or four books now, all of which are very highly regarded. There' s A Question of Time, Splinters of Light, Logos and Language, and most recently Green Suns and Faerie.Elenahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08961035078725474747noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8181364634779383173.post-60650771058827657872011-10-29T14:32:16.141-07:002011-10-29T14:32:16.141-07:00No, haven't even heard of that author.No, haven't even heard of that author.Carl V. Andersonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15948764216438379394noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8181364634779383173.post-12375239926925378352011-10-29T14:27:04.291-07:002011-10-29T14:27:04.291-07:00Have you read any of Verlyn Flieger's books?Have you read any of Verlyn Flieger's books?Elenahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08961035078725474747noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8181364634779383173.post-67408726847252946652011-10-29T14:22:47.770-07:002011-10-29T14:22:47.770-07:00I've read Carpenter's bio and I've rea...I've read Carpenter's bio and I've read part of the Letters book and part of Garth's book. I read parts of each every year around this time. I've enjoyed them but they aren't books that I find myself wanting to read to the exclusion of other things. Tom Shippey's books are great too.Carl V. Andersonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15948764216438379394noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8181364634779383173.post-81448772137917648442011-10-29T14:19:07.873-07:002011-10-29T14:19:07.873-07:00That's more or less the conclusion I came to t...That's more or less the conclusion I came to too, Carl. Pippin's stone in Moria is something of the same thing too, in my mind. Would they have faced the orcs and the Balrog without that foolishly dropped stone? and without that, would Gandalf the Grey have become Gandalf the White? He needed that to do quite a bit of what he accomplished in the Two Towers and the Return of the King.<br /><br />John Garth has quite a good book on Tolkien and the First World War: <a href="http://allbookedup-elena.blogspot.com/2008/07/tolkien-and-great-war-john-garth.html" rel="nofollow">Tolkien and the Great War</a>, if you want more information on that specific time in his life. Otherwise, Carpenter's biography, and the Letters of J.R.R. Tolkien are good resources for those years.<br /><br />Yes it was a minor torment ;).<br /><br />Thanks for commenting.Elenahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08961035078725474747noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8181364634779383173.post-80539465419398379262011-10-29T13:58:59.663-07:002011-10-29T13:58:59.663-07:00I definitely think the breaking of the fellowship ...I definitely think the breaking of the fellowship was a necessary thing to happen because we see that it sends out such strong ripples throughout Middle-earth. The party ends up being much more than the sum of their parts as various members go off and make huge impacts in the concurrent events that are happening in Middle-earth. I'm not sure that would have happened without Boromir's actions and so even in his weakness he provided the impetus for so many events that followed. <br /><br />I think Faramir's truest act of heroism is allowing Frodo and Sam to go, knowing full well the risks that he is taking. He proves to be much more wise than even his father believes him to be. I'm glad the films allow us to see some brief glimpses of Faramir and Boromir's relationship. I think we get a bit of that in Faramir's speech about Boromir. <br /><br />There is a good bit of information out there about Tolkien's reactions to the first world war, including his grief over losing many of his dearest friends and his feelings that war was becoming more mechanized and less personalized and that innocent men were out fighting and dying for the machinations of political leaders. I think those feelings show both in Sam's speech about the "enemy" he sees fall dead in front of him and in the speech of the orcs. It isn't saying that the orcs are somehow nice but misdirected creatures, they are after all created perversions of other beings, but it does show that the "enemy" are not necessarily mindless evil beings. <br /><br />Man, I bet that was one agonizing trip not being able to continue on with the story! I can't wait to read Return of the King. It has been many years since I have done so.Carl V. Andersonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15948764216438379394noreply@blogger.com