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The narrator’s encounter with a young fairy woman with a globe that emitted music, reminded me of a romantic encounter experienced when one is engaged in only physical delight. Thus his shadow despoils the maiden’s globe. Like a man who dabbles with the precious quality of a girl’s heart. I doubt MacDonald saw it that way.

The old woman’s text describing the omnipresence of darkness is so common in current thought. It is chilling!

The family in which the father is an unbeliever of the fantastic but is good-natured and hearty and the daughter and mother who do believe in fairy and look on him with gentile tolerance is an interesting contrast.

The repeat of the beautiful large woman first in the form of his fairy grandmother and then the tender beach tree seem to come up often. Even here we encounter the breadth of Mother Earth in his consciousness.

Turin’s relation with his grieving mother reminds me of Ulysses’ son, Telemachus as,I got his mother about his missing dad. I’m sure Tolkien knew this. His storyline however is much darker.

The culmination of “Of Tuor and his Coming to Gondolin", with his arrival and and passing through its mighty gates brought to mind Mussorgsky’s “Pictures at an Exhibition,” it’s final portion “The Bogatyr Gates (In the Capital in Kiev)”. Good soundtrack if anyone is interested.

Telepathic communication that covers interstellar distance is an nuclear superpower. I’m concerned that no one talks in offensive fleets. The heroes are scientists and engineers. Frustrated old man. I tire of the general agreement…but genius agree don’t they? (Sarcasm)

I've just reached the more civilized portion of the history which of course leaves behind the Spanish and brings in the English.

I just learned the author, John Bellaird, was not nay a Catholic but that he had hoped to be a priest.

The moral impetus of this boy inspired by this hymn is important!

The hymn “Once to Every Nation” would confuse most young readers unless like me they tracked it down on YouTube, The hymn is by ames Russell Lowell

1 Once to every man and nation
comes the moment to decide,
in the strife of truth with falsehood,
for the good or evil side;
Some great cause, some great decision,
off'ring each the bloom or blight,
and the choice goes by forever
'twixt that darkness and that light

Tabby’s moral failure Lewis heaviness is brought to the forefront.

The poverty of Tarby’s family and the exhaustion and indifference of his mother are telling.

A mad wizard who wants to bring about the end of the world. Why would one want this? The return of God and the raiding of the dead.

The Amazonian guide is the only feminist element n this novella that suggests the attitudes that would be revealed the author of “Mists of Avalon”. Bradley is first and foremost an excellent writer Good plot complications and interesting characters. The utterly repressed side of the main character is not explained as well as I’d Ike, but interesting variety. It’s good that she likes the hero too.

An interesting situation with a man who has a repressed personality forced to rely n it to possibly end the spread of a plague Tharp discourage Earth Brady is a good writer praying with different perspectives.

We are the thick of it as Toad, Ratty, Mole and Badger prepare to take back Toad Hall. I cannot but help think of “The Scouring of the Shire" and the reclaiming of one’s home does seem to be part of both the stories.

It s clear why Disney zeroed in on Toad, whose absurd confidence gets him in one mess after another. The names he gives himself remind me of the much more sensible Bilbo. Smaug reminded him who he was talking to and Fate gives Toad a good dunking as well in a rivet!

Interesting that it is the act of writing poetry which eventually exercises the spirit of wandering that the sea faring rat had passed on to Ratty.

Once again the adventures of Toad are interrupted. This time there comes the early stirrings of migrating animals. Again it’s almost mythic but then Ratty meets a sea fairing rat who mesmerizes him with his stories of his journeys.

This is an interesting part of this narrative. Animals and humans live in the same plane. Yet animals exhibit very human abilities like going down the river in boats or driving a motor car (and getting in trouble eith the law). And yet there is also this line of thought that an animal could also be a pet. In fact, Toad himself mentions wistfully cats purring in a domestic bliss but clearly in the role of a pet.

In the midst of Toad’s discomforts, we get the story of a lost child in the woods and the intervention of the divine. I’m not sure what to think of it,

The optimism of Sam in face of Frodo’s realistic assessment that they’d probably never see the rest of the Fellowship again is notable. He’s not being blind, but exemplifies the quality of Christianity that sees beyond the darkness.

The first chapter is filled with horrible description of the cruelty involved with the Spanish expedition towards the natives.

The possession of Boromir is the saddest moment in the first book. And then there is the despairing vision of the ring. The willingness to go alone is do profound choice made by Christians

We have reached the creepiest stuff, including a describe machines whose only purpose is to inflict pain in order to open portals to Hell.

After the amazing narrative of the doomed attempt for intervention over Toad and his incarceration in the local castle the sudden abandonment of Toad to Otter’s troubles is an amazing switch