Too fun.
12.11.10
9.11.10
1.11.10
The Thirtieth One
I can't believe it's taken me almost three years to blog thirty times.
At any rate, continuing on from post #28:
The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings by J.R. Tolkien
These books were probably the most ambitious books my mom chose to read to us. In these books, Tolkien created an entire world, multiple cultures and societies and mythologies that sucked me in and left we with the same awe of elves that Gimli had. I treasured these stories, although to be honest I went many years thinking I had only ever heard The Hobbit and Fellowship of the Rings. In my memory we got to the end of Fellowship and Mom needed a break, so we read something else and never returned to them. Mom maintains, however, that she made it through all three books of TLoTR. She may be right, but when the movies came out, I was still surprised by the second and third.
Even as a youngster, aside from the elves, my absolute favorite character was Boromir. I related to his weakness and admired his strength and fortitude (not surprisingly, my favorite apostle is Peter). Personally, I believe that Sean Bean was perfect as Boromir in the movies, no other character or actor moved me like he did.
Mrs. Piggle-Wiggle by Betty MacDonald
I don't know how Mom found these stories, but they thrilled us kids to the extent that my younger brother Charlie actually requested them as a present one year. Each book consists of short stories divided into different chapters, and each chapter focuses on one child or group of children who have a specific problems (usually with their parents). My personal favorite is the "I-thought-you-said" kids who had problems listening. Inevitably trouble at home would lead the parents of these delinquent kids to give Mrs. Piggle-Wiggle a callMrs. Piggle-Wiggle is the beloved old lady that lives in the upside-down house or on the wacky farm depending on which book you read. She loves and understands children, they in turn love her, and their parents (if you can believe it) love her even more.
At any rate, continuing on from post #28:
My Childhood in Stories
pt. 2
All the books mentioned in this post were part of "Story Time" in my house. My parents boldly home-schooled us all which meant we could move at whatever pace we (they) wanted or needed. Often in the morning we would begin with Story Time. Mom would gather us in the living room, during the winter we would fight over the heating vents, and then when we were all settled she would read to us.
Little House on the Prairie by Laura Ingalls Wilder
We read through all nine books in the series. These series probably began my love for all things western, even if the books themselves are not technically westerns. I delighted in hearing about the country before it was settled, the traditions of the families that first settled the area and the hardships they faced. It was fascinating to me that the place I was living at the time was roughly the same place that Laura and her family lived in the books.
Every year for a few years we had the opportunity to spend a day living like the settlers lived. One year we celebrated Christmas as they would have, another we spent a day in a one-room schoolhouse. For me, this experience did not make the past come alive, it made these books come alive. The books had already made history real for me.
The Chronicles of Narnia by C.S. Lewis
My list of stories is teeming with different series, but no book list of mine would be complete without these. They are delightful. They inspired my imagination and appealed to the part of me that still believed in fairytales. They brought Biblical stories and principles alive in ways that only truly vivid and thorough allegories can; at the same time Lewis created stories that exist and live on their own, allowing people of all backgrounds to be just as inspired as I was.
We read through these books as a family at least once, and I read through them myself at least twice. We had this set books, which are apparently sort of collectors items. My personal favorites are The Voyage of the Dawn Treader and The Magician's Nephew (because I have always been a sucker for an origin story). My mom, however is partial to The Silver Chair about which I cannot remember a thing despite having it read to me and reading it myself.
We read through these books as a family at least once, and I read through them myself at least twice. We had this set books, which are apparently sort of collectors items. My personal favorites are The Voyage of the Dawn Treader and The Magician's Nephew (because I have always been a sucker for an origin story). My mom, however is partial to The Silver Chair about which I cannot remember a thing despite having it read to me and reading it myself.
The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings by J.R. Tolkien
These books were probably the most ambitious books my mom chose to read to us. In these books, Tolkien created an entire world, multiple cultures and societies and mythologies that sucked me in and left we with the same awe of elves that Gimli had. I treasured these stories, although to be honest I went many years thinking I had only ever heard The Hobbit and Fellowship of the Rings. In my memory we got to the end of Fellowship and Mom needed a break, so we read something else and never returned to them. Mom maintains, however, that she made it through all three books of TLoTR. She may be right, but when the movies came out, I was still surprised by the second and third.
Even as a youngster, aside from the elves, my absolute favorite character was Boromir. I related to his weakness and admired his strength and fortitude (not surprisingly, my favorite apostle is Peter). Personally, I believe that Sean Bean was perfect as Boromir in the movies, no other character or actor moved me like he did.
Mrs. Piggle-Wiggle by Betty MacDonald
I don't know how Mom found these stories, but they thrilled us kids to the extent that my younger brother Charlie actually requested them as a present one year. Each book consists of short stories divided into different chapters, and each chapter focuses on one child or group of children who have a specific problems (usually with their parents). My personal favorite is the "I-thought-you-said" kids who had problems listening. Inevitably trouble at home would lead the parents of these delinquent kids to give Mrs. Piggle-Wiggle a callMrs. Piggle-Wiggle is the beloved old lady that lives in the upside-down house or on the wacky farm depending on which book you read. She loves and understands children, they in turn love her, and their parents (if you can believe it) love her even more.
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