There and Back Again: A Hobbit's Holiday

The Hobbit

It really was quite a pleasant tale. I have always loved the magnificent world that J.R.R. Tolkien created through The Lord of the Rings, so I decided to check out one of his other novels.The Hobbit was just as, if not more, exciting. 

The Hobbit is all about adventure and stepping out your door. It follows Mr. Bilbo Baggins, as he joins Thorin and Company to reclaim the dwarven treasure from Smaug the Dreadful, a dragon. Time and time again, Bilbo proves his worth, though he is but one small hobbit, throughout their journey. At some points, I dare say, he was more important than all the other companions. 

For those of you who have watched the recent film, The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey, I suggest you must read the book! There are many similarities and the movie somewhat keeps the same storyline as the book, but they are both executed differently. The movie sings of Peter Jackson, and it is told like a legend. The book sings through J.R.R. Tolkien and is told like a fairytale. Even in the darkest times of trouble, Tolkien writes lightheartedly. The villains even spoke with a sense of politeness and manners. When troubles are amuck, you just know that something good will happen and the hero will come out of this. 

I really loved how Tolkien weaved in little wisdoms throughout the book. He uses the most unlikely, seemingly insignificant character, a hobbit, to turn the world around. It shows that having the courage to do something greater than yourself no matter who you are is worth it. And that the first step is the hardest but once you take it, your adventure will begin! Even at the end, you learn that there are much more important things than gold. 

May your beards never grow thin,

The Perks of Being a Wallflower

The Perks of Being a Wallflower

I wasn't initially interested on reading this book at first, but I decided to because of well, Emma Watson and the funky 70's green that engulfs the book's cover. I am definitely glad I made this decision.

It's so hard to explain how I feel after reading this book. Upon finishing it, I decided to then watch the movie medium of it immediately, and that is the ambiance for which I am writing this. I don't know if the feelings of being infinite can be replicated just from reading a book, but that is the one thought that runs through my head whenever I hear Charlie's voice. Infinite.

For those of you who haven't skimmed the back flap summary, it's about an anonymous boy named Charlie (Or simply one who calls himself Charlie because he wishes to keep his true identity a secret) writes letters to someone important to himself, which are make up the bread and butter of this book. It's really about so much more than that. It's about depression, and the Smiths, and falling in love, and finding yourself, and feeling infinite. It also covers a wide variety of sensitive subjects that one comes in contact with throughout life, such as suicide and abortion. I really like how even though these things were mentioned and surrounded Charlie's life, it was something you could deal with. It was manageable. And it makes you feel like life goes on, even if you don't want it to, and things in your life no matter how awful can be dealt with.

I think this book really opened my eyes to life, in it's own strange way. It showed me how to be myself and to do what I want to because this is my life and no one else's. And that's okay. So maybe, just maybe, if you pick up this book, you'll think so too. And maybe, just maybe, you'll feel infinite.

Love always,

Do you believe?

The Host by Stephenie Meyer

 

I have to admit that I was a little hesitant about reading this book because I wasn't too fond of the plot and because of the image I had on the writer. I remembered reading twilight and how excruciating most of the book was. However, with much encouragement from my friends, I finally gave it a try.

This book was defiantly not what I had expected. I give my praise to Stephanie Meyer as she has delivered an heartwarming and loving story about a world were humans were on the verge of extinction. To be honest, the whole idea of aliens taking over our minds kinda freaked me out and I went into this book expecting to be disturbed by what I read. I, however, was pleasantly surprised to find that the book did not center on the war between alien vs. humans, but more about survival, love, and finding your home in the world.

One thing that I loved about the book was that it caught me by surprise. At first it seemed that the protagonist of The Host was Melanie, but as I read on, it is realized that the main character is actually Wonderer, the alien. It was a breath of fresh air to read a story told in the POV of someone not from this planet. To see the world how aliens would see it if they should one day invade this planet. (I desperately hope not!)

The ending was also something that caught me off guard. Usually when I'm reading I story, I have a general idea of where the story is heading and how it could possibly end however, with this story I was stumped. No matter how I twisted the story in my head, I simply could not find an ending that would suffice. I kept thinking to myself "how can there possibly be a happy ending for both Melanie, the host, and Wonderer, the alien parasite. As it reached the end, I was ecstatic on how Meyer ended the story. Sure she didn't tell us how this dwindling puny group of humans could survive against billions of parasite infested ones and only hinted at the possibility of coexistence, but who cares about that when there's love, right?

Meyer did an excellent job on breathing life into her characters. (She did have about 700 pages to do so though). Each one of the characters had a different persona and way of speaking that it seemed like they could have been someone you knew. You could see the friendships being made and the relationships that were created and strengthened. Every character in the book had their own voice and presence.

Being such a long book, the story did move a little slow. There were some sections of the story that bored me. I found myself sometimes wishing that the story would progress faster which caused me to skim over some sections but if you can overlook this pace, than it is defiantly worth the read.   

The host truly is a must read for those who love stories about a brave, courageous protagonist on her journey to find the one place that she belongs. A story about love, hope, and the strangest possibilities in the world. A heartwarming reminder that if you believe and strive for what you want, you CAN make it happen.

I hope everyone will strive to make their own dreams come true!

Till next time dreamers~