Friday Face Off : The earliest fantasy you recall reading
14 May 2021
Filed under Book Reviews
Tags: Books by Proxy, Friday Face off, JRR Tolkien, Lord of the Rings
Here we are again with the Friday Face Off meme created by Books by Proxy . This is a great opportunity to feature some of your favourite book covers. The rules are fairly simple each week, following a predetermined theme (list below) choose a book (this doesn’t have to be a book that you’ve read), compare a couple of the different covers available for that particular book and choose your favourite. Future’s themes are listed below – if you have a cover in mind that you’re really wanting to share then feel free to leave a comment about a future suggested theme. I’ve also listed events that take place during the year, that I’m aware of, so you can link up your covers – if you’re aware of any events that you think I should include then give me a shout. This week’s theme:
The start of Wyrd and Wonder. A month long celebration of fantasy. The earliest fantasy you recall reading – or the first fantasy book you really loved, maybe the book that kickstarted your love of fantasy
May is the month of Wyrd and Wonder so for the FFO themes I’m choosing fantasy books:
This is an easy one for me I did read a few fantasy books that I recall quite young, The Wizard of Oz, The Borrowers and The Wind in the Willows spring to mind immediately. But, without doubt the book that sealed my love of fantasy fiction was Lord of the Rings by JRR Tolkien, I’m pretty certain I read this when I was about 15 and I’m also fairly confident that I formed a huge crush on Aragorn. Here is a small selection of covers.
My favourite this week: I can’t really choose but I like these three because : Gandalf/Epic/Ring:
I’ve updated the list now to include themes for next year. If you know of an event that’s coming up let me know and I’ll try and include covers that work for the event itself so that you can link up to the Friday Face Off and, as always, if you wish to submit an idea then leave me a comment – or if you’d like to host a week then simply let me know. Also, I would just mention that it’s very possible that some of these might be repeats from previous FFOs although I have tried to invent more ‘open ended’ prompt that can be interpreted differently and also prompts that relate to emotions. Finally, don’t struggle with any of these, this is meant to be a fun way of highlighting books. If you can’t come up with a book you think fits for a particular week use a freebie – perhaps a recent read for example:
Next week – The start of Wyrd and Wonder. A month long celebration of fantasy : The Top Hat
2021
May
Month of Wyrd and Wonder
21st – The Top Hat
28th – The Hood
June
4th – The nose boop – any animal, or human, with a close up shot.
11th – A cover that annoyed you and why
18th – Out of Perspective, or make you feel a bit dizzy
25th – Upside down, back to front or topsy turvy
July
2nd – A book with a landscape you’d like to visit
9th – A Wicked Grin
16th – Books with ‘book’ in the title
23rd – A Black Hole – could be in the universe or going deep into the ground
30th – Chaos – maybe too much going on in this one
August
6th – “They cluck their thick tongues, and shake their heads and suggest, os so very delicately!” – The Motel
13th – A favourite holiday read
20th – Dressed to kill (could be literally someone dressed to kill, or someone dressed up for a big night out
27th – Sunbathing or on the beach
September (RIP event)
3rd – 1920s feel, noir detective
10th – I’m Henry the Eighth I am – let’s look at Kings or other Emperors/rulers
17th – Books with ‘Murder’ in the title
24th – A favourite thriller
October
1st – A Halloween read
8th – Chills – anything at all that almost makes you too scared to pick up the book (your own pet hate)
15th – Your favourite book of magic
22nd – Books with ‘Queen’ in the title
29th – Must be gothic
November – Sci Fi Month
5th – Your earliest sci-fi read or the first sci-fi you reviewed
12th – A book with ‘star’ in the title
19th – Futuristic vista
26th – A Black Hole – in the universe or going deep into the ground
December
3rd – Windswept, the classic figure, stood majestically, with wind blowing out in a fetching way
10th – A fairytale retold
17th – Winter Solstice approaching – anything cold and seasonal
24th – All things fire – red hair, red covers, fire breathing dragons, simply fire?
31st – What’s your catnip – if it’s on a cover you have to pick it up
December Countdown, Day 30 : Family and Friends – a book with great characters
30 December 2020
Filed under Book Reviews
Tags: December meme, family and Friends, JRR Tolkien, Lord of the Rings
December book meme (details here). Family and Friends – a book with great characters :
Friday Face Off : ‘A horse, a horse, my kingdom for a horse’
22 March 2019
Filed under Book Reviews
Tags: Books by Proxy, Friday Face off, JRR Tolkien, The Lord of the Rings #3, The Return of the King
Here we are again with the Friday Face Off meme created by Books by Proxy . This is a great opportunity to feature some of your favourite book covers. The rules are fairly simple each week, following a predetermined theme (list below) choose a book, compare a couple of the different covers available for that particular book and choose your favourite. Future week’s themes are listed below – the list has been updated to help out those of you who like to plan ahead – if you have a cover in mind that you’re really wanting to share then feel free to leave a comment about a future suggested theme. I’ve also listed events that take place during the year, that I’m aware of, so you can link up your covers – if you’re aware of any events that you think I should include then give me a shout. This week’s theme:
‘A horse, a horse, my kingdom for a horse’ – A cover featuring a king
Mmm, I didn’t have an easy week with this theme. I considered using a book with ‘King’ in the title which would have increased my book choices but then decided to go with a trusty favourite. The Return of the King (The Lord of the Rings #3) by J.R.R. Tolkien. As you may imagine there are a lot of covers for this book – a lot – I’ve restricted myself to just a very small selection:
The covers:
My favourite this week is:
This is a lovely special collector’s edition cover produced by Harper Collins.
Which one is your favourite?
Like last week I’ve added a Mr Linky here so that you can leave a link if you wish or please leave me a link in the comments so we can all visit and check out each others covers. Thanks
I’ve updated the list and included themes through to the end of 2019 – I’ve also included events that I’m aware of so that you can perhaps link your themes up where possible (if you know of an event you’d like to share that let me know in the comments). I also have a list prepared for 2020 and so will set up a separate page soon for forthcoming themes. As always, if you wish to submit an idea then leave me a comment.
Next week – A cover featuring a unicorn
Future themes: (if you’re struggling with any of these themes then use a ‘freebie’ of one of your favourite covers)
2019
29th March – “I thought unicorns were more . . . Fluffy.” – A cover featuring a unicorn
5th April – ‘nomad is an island’ – A cover featuring a desert landscape
12th April – ‘Odin, Odin, send the wind to turn the tide – A cover featuring a longboat
19th April – ‘It was the best of times, it was the worst of times – A cover featuring a school
26th April “The sunrise was the colour of bad blood” – A cover featuring a sunrise/sunset
(May is the month of Wyrd and Wonder – details here, Twitter: @wyrdandwonder)
3rd May – “How sweet to be a cloud, floating in the blue” – A cover that is predominantly blue
10th May – “As full of spirit as the month of May” – A cover featuring a festival/party/celebration
17th May – “The dark fire will not avail you, flame of Udûn. Go back to the Shadow!” – A cover featuring a fantasy beast
24th May – “bibbity, bobbity, boo” – A cover that features ‘magical things’
31st May – “simples” – A favourite fantasy cover
7th June – “One swallow does not make a summer” – A cover that makes you think of Summer
14th June – “Coraline opened the box of chocolates. The dog looked at them longingly.” – A cover featuring something sweet
21st June – Summer Solstice – the longest day of the year – Pagan rituals/standing stones/blazing suns – a cover with your own interpretation
28th June – “And who decided which people wore the striped pyjamas” – A cover that is striped
5th July – “The question of whether or not we are alone in the universe… has been answered” – a cover featuring something/somebody historic
12th July – A wrap around cover
19th July – “You can’t choose between life and death when we’re dealing with what is in between.” – A cover that is grainy or looks like ‘white noise’
26th July – “Ludo ….. down” – A cover that is Upside Down
2nd August – “There are children here somewhere. I can smell them.” A cover featuring children
9th August – “I’m disinclined to acquiesce to your request.” – A cover featuring Pirates
16th August – “The haft of the arrow had been feathered with one of the eagles own plumes” – a cover featuring feathers
23rd August – A cover that is a movie tie in
30th August – “I wandered lonely as a cloud” – a cover that is predominantly yellow
6th September “Warm September brings the fruit” – a cover that is seasonal for Autumn/Fall
13th September – Friday the 13th – unlucky for some! A cover with ‘curse’ in the title
20th September – “Your hair is winter fire,January embers.” – A cover featuring hair
27th September – Freebie
4th October – “Feed me Seymour” – A cover that is 60s horror
11th October – ““And, though there should be a world of difference between the smile of a man and the bared fangs of a wolf, with Joss Merlyn they were one and the same.” – a cover featuring an Inn
18th October – “It’s your favorite scary movie, remember? He had on the white mask, he stalked the babysitters.” – A cover featuring a scream
25th October – for Halloween – pick any scary cover you like
(I’m hoping that November will once again bring to us SciFiMonth – Twitter @SciFiMonth)
1st November – A cover that is predominantly grey
8th November – “big badda boom” – a cover that features an explosion
15th November – “No thinking thing should be another thing’s property, to be turned on and off when it is convenient.” – a cover featuring a robot
22nd November – A cover that is Futuristic
29th November – “When a day that you happen to know is Wednesday starts off by sounding like Sunday, there is something seriously wrong somewhere.” – a cover that is 60s sci fi
6th December – Now is the winter of our discontent, Made glorious summer by this sun of York” – a cover that puts you in mind of winter
13th December – A cover that features a temple/or religious icon
20th December – Longest Night – a dark and foreboding cover
27th December – the festive season – a cover that is glittery or sparkling
(2020 – January is Vintage SciFi month so I’ll be including possible themes to take that on board.)
The road goes ever on and on….
29 April 2016
Filed under Book Reviews
Tags: Books by Proxy, JRR Tolkien, The Fellowship of the Rings, The Friday Face Off
Here we are again with the Friday Face Off meme being hosted by Books by Proxy . This is a great opportunity to feature some of your favourite books covers. The rules are fairly simple and can be found here. Each week, following a predetermined theme choose a book, compare a couple of the different covers available for that particular book and choose your favourite. Simples. This week the theme is:
Like One, That on a Lonesome Road
A cover which features a road
I thought about this for a while and came up with a few choices but I’ve decided to go with The Fellowship of the Ring by JRRTolkien.
I quite like all of these to be honest for different reasons. I like the first one that clearly shows the fellowship heading off into a mysterious forest. The second one succeeds in having an epic feel with gandalf and his cloak flaring out. The third image is very peaceful and rural, a perfect picturesque countryside – just before the darkness moves in! And, finally a rather darker cover that reflects the seriousness of the Fellowship and their mission in I love the colours.
Difficult to choose this one but I would have to go for the first – I just love all the detail and the fact that the characters seem to be travelling on a road that is set to become darker!
Lord of the Rings read along, Return of the King, Part 3
27 November 2011
Filed under Book Reviews, Challenges for 2011
Tags: adventure, Fantasy, JRR Tolkien, Lord of the Rings, Return of the King
Just finished reading the final instalment of Return of the Kings, the journey has finally reached its conclusion 😦 – sad because it’s now ended.
Of course we all know the ending and these last few chapters have just been the round-ups. So, without further ado, to this week’s questions/discussion points:
What do you think Gandalf was going to speak with Tom Bombadil about?
You know, I’ve racked my tiny brain about this and genuinly don’t have the first clue (plus ‘racked my brain’ is probably a bit over the top as it’s so tiny – took me about 30 seconds!). Maybe there’s a clue in the whole ‘rolling stones gather no moss’ saying but I really can’t figure it out. Need to think on it some more. I’m sure it will all become really obvious when I read everyone else’s posts and I’ll just be like ‘Doh!’
What did you think of the two weddings? Do you think Eowyn will eventually find happiness with Faramir?
I actually do think think Eowyn will find happiness with Faramir. Initially they both seemed, to me, to be a bit slightly saddened characters, Faramir because of the way his father behaved and Eowyn because she felt a bit restricted/unhappy in the role she played and also because she had unrequited love for Aragorn (but, you know, take a ticket and get in line!) But, I’ve decidedpersonlly to give them a happy ending, in my vision they are totally enamoured with each other, they make each other feel good, their pasts are put behind them and they move on in a happy way (but I’m a sucker for a happy ending!)
What did you think of their meeting with Saruman on the road home? I was half expecting someone to just kill Saruman.
Oh, my, god, I did want somebody to kill Saruman – but I think that if one of them had done so it would have been like a blight on their own character. As it turned out, one bad soul killed the other which felt almost fair! Which sounds a bit wrong given that they both ended up dead ultimately but it was inevitable. At first I was almost thinking that if Gandalf had just sorted Saruman out then it wouldn’t have been so dire for Hobbiton but I think Tolkien was giving the Shire a chance to stand up and show it’s metal. And, I liked seeing the way Merry and Pippin came into their own like battle-hardened warriors.
Holy Cow I was not expecting the scouring of the shire. If this is your first time reading, were you surprised? And if this isn’t your first time reading, does the shock get a little easier to swallow on re-read?
Well, I’ve already probably covered this above – it was a surprise, and I have no recollection of reading this the first time (maybe I skipped it ‘oops’) – plus did this happen in the film – I can’t remember it doing so? Anyway, no the shock is no less a surprise because I genuinley had forgotten!
What did you think of the very end, of the departure of the Havens?
This is another one of those ‘grey’ areas for me and I think maybe I need to read this bit again (another 8 or 20 times!) It always feels to me that the people who leave on the boat are actually dying? But that would just make me feel so sad so I’m actually in denial about that. And, I’m fairly certain I’m wrong, but it feels like they’re on the last journey over the water with the ferryman taking them to their place of rest. *shivers*
Characters are supposed to change and develop during a story, right? Who changed more, Sam or Frodo?
Okay, my first thought was to say that Sam changed more and that Frodo couldn’t change and carry on with his life like he had before which is why he left. Then I thought, mmm, actually, no, Frodo changed the most which is why he could no longer live the same life as before. Okay, I was having a bit of internal conflict with this one but I’ve made my decision: Frodo.
And, so we’ve come to the end of our journey. I almost feel a bit footsore! Seriously, I’ve really enjoyed this read along and the discussion posts. I hope that we can all do something similar again, after all:
“the road goes ever on and on”
Thanks everyone! 😀
Other discussions at:
All Booked Up
The Blue Fairy’s Bookshelf
Lynn’s Book Blog
Book Den
Geeky Daddy
Lynn
The Return of the King
Books and travelling with Lynn 