Favorite Books 1

So I have a lot of different books I like so I’m going to do several blogs on this topic. How many posts? I have no idea! We will see how many I decided to do. J

So the two I’m going to do today is two I have already mentioned in other blogs, “The Chronicles of Narnia” and “The Lord of the Rings”. Though my fantasy stories that I am working on right now might be most influenced by “The Lord of the Rings”, The Chronicles got me thinking of my own fantasy story. I’ve made up stories all my life, but I think growing up most were still set in our world. Maybe not realistic at all, but not truly fantasy. I think it was after reading about C.S. Lewis’s Narnia, that I started making up my own “out of this world” stories. My brother introduced me to “The Chronicles of Narnia”. He had read the books and got the BBC live action movies when I was still quite young. I was interested in the story, but the movies scared me. (It’s not hard to scare me. I don’t do scary. I think it’s because I over think things.) When I got older he (my bother) encouraged me to read the books. I already knew the premise of four of the stories and was not so scared any more. I loved the books. (Still do)

I recently have started reading them again; I do that every few years. I’m struck by how simple they can be (they are children’s stories), and yet they can be profound. The Christian values and lessons that shine through can still grab me and even convict me. I have a plaque on my wall that I made that has a quote from Prince Caspian. It’s when Lucy is asking Aslan if she will never know what would have happened if she had stuck to her guns rather than giving in to the other. Aslan tells her she can never know what would have happened. BUT she can find out what will happen. Meaning she can go forward from that point and be faithful to him no matter what the others say. It’s a reminder to me not to dwell on past mistakes but to move forward in obedience now.

In a way one could argue that there is not a whole lot of character development in these stories. Newer movies have tried to do that more, to varying (and personal opinions) of success or failure. It does lead the stories away from the original. Personally I think the stories work well as they are. They serve their purpose without diving into characters too much. In “The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe”, C.S. Lewis does a great job of making you love and care about this Lion (Aslan) when you barely know him. They are simple, profound, and well written.

With “The Lord of the Rings,” I was introduced to the movies first. They scared me some at first too, but I learned the stories from them. It was after college that I decided to try reading the books, and loved them. They are not what I would call a children’s story. The story is safe for kids I think though. I read it to my little brother. I love the detail and creativity of the world of Middle Earth. As a writer and creative person, it speaks to me. The beauty and grace of the elves I think especially stands out to me.

Also I truly love some of the characters. The character development still may not be as much as some stories, and I do love some of the characters in “The Chronicles of Narnia,” but I think I love many of the characters in Lord of the Rings more. I especially love Aragon. I like Sam too. I feel more sympathetic for the Frodo of the books then the Frodo of the movies.

For the last several years I have been listening to the books online in the winter. I may yet again this year. I try to make my stories unique but there is no denying they have been heavily influenced by the Lord of the Rings. The Hobbit isn’t bad, but I don’t like it nearly as much as I like these others. These two series are responsible for opening up my eyes and mind to fantasy in many respects. As a result I am writing my own fantasy stories now.

I don’t feel like this describes well enough why I love these books, but I will be honest, that’s what I’m going with this week. I’m tired, I worked all day, and I’m getting sick. If you have never read these books, go get them or you can likely find them at a library. Go read them and discover for yourself why these are some of my favorite books.