Luke > Recent Status Updates

Now that I have a full week before the next Knicks game, I think it’s finally time to get my brain into reading mode again. Especially because this book is so good that every time I read a few pages I think to myself “damn, I wish I was still reading as frequently as I was back in February and March”. The goal is to finish this by the end of the month (I will fail this goal).

I’m not giving up on my other book and will probably keep reading that one more frequently, but I needed to start this to help my Reader’s Block. Rob Cesternino is my favorite survivor player of all time and I have loved his podcast for so many years, so I was very excited when I heard he wrote a book. It’s a shame I couldn’t meet him and get it signed, but I’m enjoying it a lot so far.

The human brain is an enigma. Like a month ago, reading 20 pages felt like such a small, quick task. Now, it feels much more arduous and like it takes twice as long. This book rocks btw.

Slowly getting back to my quicker reading pace. This book is getting so goddamn good, and the story just keeps building all of these different layers. Williams reintroduces characters from earlier that I completely forgot about but they’re clearly very important, and the world is so expansive that I’m still having a little trouble keeping track of all the geography and sub-cultures. I am excited to read more.

I can feel my brain finally starting to normalize and get back in the reading mood again. In this chapter Simon (the protagonist) met a Funny Little Guy in the woods, so I know that means it’s about to get even better. Hopefully I return to my pre-Boston reading pace soon, but sleeping earlier definitely makes that tough.

So I have barely been reading ever since I got back from my trip to Boston, but I gotta get back in the reading mindset cause this book is getting so damn good. I hate his my brain just decides to do this sometimes. I need to lock in.

This is slowly but surely building up to something. Or to many things. It seems like Tad (what a cool name Tad is) is planting the seeds of a million different threads and I can’t wait to see where they all lead. A lot of places I haven’t got the hang of and names I don’t know how to pronounce, but I’m having a great time.

I’ve wanted to read this fantasy series for a few years, so I figured now was the time to get into it after I finished my Tolkien deep dive. Apparently these books were a big inspiration on George R.R. Martin’s song of ice and fire, and I know very little about the story. It starts at a slow pace, which I expected and don’t mind, and the world and characters have been set up very well. I’m excited to read on

I’m thinking that reading this so soon after The Silmarillion may have been a mistake, because there are a few chapters that are struggling to hold my attention. But on the other hand, if I waited a while to read it, all of the names and places would be way more confusing. Regardless, I think I’m moving on from Tolkien (for now) after this. Still a great story but my headspace has shifted unfortunately.

So far it’s cool to see this story expanded upon the version found in The Silmarillion because there’s more depth to the characters, but I’m not sure yet if it really feels necessary. It’s too bad Tolkien never finished the novel-length version of Beren and Luthien, because that story is incredible. This one is great too, but it’s so much more depressing than anything else that Tolkien wrote.

So this is an expanded version of one of the longest and best stories found in The Silmarillion, so I already know everything that’s going to happen, but I’m excited to get more depth to the characters. Aside from The Hobbit and Lord of the Rings, this is the only other fully completed novel in Tolkien’s Legendarium, so it definitely seems like a must-read to me.

Well I finished reading all of the poems. Now there’s over 100 pages of Commentary, which I believe is just a bunch of information about how Tolkien came to write each poem, so I will probably just skim through it all.

While reading Lord of the Rings, I came to love the oft-derided poems that Tolkien throws in every now and again, and I also came to love the even more oft-derided character of Tom Bombadil, so I decided to read this book of poetry (Tom is sadly only in the first two poems). But I also learned some interesting information. Tom was based on a toy, and he, Goldberry, and the Barrow-wight all existed long before LOTR.

So, marking this on Goodreads is kind of just me shamelessly stat-padding my reading challenge count, because it’s basically just a children’s book. It’s a Poem about Bilbo’s journey to the Grey Havens with a bunch of nice illustrations. But I don’t care, I’m logging it and I consider it part of Tolkien’s Legendarium in its own way!

I’m technically finished with The Silmarillion proper, all I have left is an epilogue of sorts that sums up the Third Age of Middle-Earth and the events of Lord of the Rings. This book is challenging at times for sure, but I’ve enjoyed the whole thing. I have never been so interested in a fictional world’s mythology and lore. But Tolkien was in a class of his own, there will never be anyone like him again.

This chapter was the story of Turin Turambar, which was expanded into the book Children of Hurin. This is definitely the most depressing story in The Silmarillion so far, it’s almost like a Greek tragedy. It even reminds me of Oldboy. I unfortunately knew the ending before I read, but I don’t think that being spoiled really ruins things when it comes to Tolkien.

Holy shit, the story of Beren and Luthien is incredible. I think it’s worth reading this book just for that chapter alone. How the hell has nobody made it into a movie yet? Huan the hound is one of my new favorite Tolkien characters, and if I ever get my own dog in the future, it’ll be hard not to name it after him. I now understand Aragorn and Arwen’s relationship a lot better as well.

This is so unlike any other book I’ve ever read, but it’s so awesome. It’s basically like reading a history book of Middle-earth, except the stories are being told as legends and myths so there’s an epic feel to the words. The next chapter is the story of Beren and Luthien, which is one of Tolkien’s most famous and most personal tales, so I’m excited to read it.

Man, Galadriel had been through so much by the time she met Frodo and the rest of the Fellowship. Being immortal is crazy. Also, I wonder if Valinor ever gets overpopulated. Like what if there are too many elves in Middle Earth and they all wanna cross back over the sea? How big is this place? The geography of Tolkien’s world is hard to follow, someone’s gotta make a Silmarillion movie trilogy to help me out here

Ok, this isn’t as hard to read as everyone says it is. Sure, it’s got a lot of names and places, but the stories themselves are not too hard to follow, and there’s a helpful glossary at the back. Everything has a cosmic, biblical, mythic quality to it that I’m really loving. I can’t get over how brilliant Tolkien’s mind was, how the hell did he come up with all of this stuff? I can feel my brain growing.

I decided to read this next instead of Children of Hurin. For years and years, I’ve heard that The Silmarillion is an extremely challenging, almost biblical read. But I’m so obsessed with Tolkien right now that I just need to read more about Morgoth and the First Age. And so far, I’m thankfully not having much trouble following along as he writes about the creation of the world by Illuvatar (God, basically).

Finished the first (and longest) Appendix. It was pretty interesting learning about the history of all the kings of Numenor, but I didn’t retain most of it. I’m definitely more interested in the next couple of appendices.

Well, I’ve finished the actual book. All that’s left now is the Appendices, which I will try to read but I may skim some parts. The Scouring of the Shire was a great chapter and it’s a shame that Peter Jackson left it out of the movies, though I understand why. The ending made me very sad. The friendship between Sam and Frodo is one of the best I’ve encountered in any book, so it hurts to read their goodbyes.

Unbelievable. Sam and Frodo made it all the way to Mt. Doom and they didn’t even have to use the bathroom once. I totally understand why Peter Jackson moved the Shelob stuff from Two Towers into the third movie, because otherwise Frodo and Sam would have nothing to do but walk across Mordor for the first half of the film. I’m excited for the Scouring of the Shire, I don’t know what to expect from it!

Normally when I read fantasy books, the battle scenes tend to bore me. But these chapters about the siege of Minas Tirith and the Battle of the Pelennor Fields were absolutely unbelievable. Tolkiens mystical language elevates action into something more profound and engaging, and the moment where Eowyn faces off against the King of the Nazgûl brought real tears to my eyes. Wish I could call out of work to read more.

Well, this is it. My fingers hurt for some reason so I only read one long chapter so far. I love the camaraderie between Pippin and Beregond, a soldier of Minas Tirith. It’s so nice to see such a positive sort of multiculturalism between Man and Hobbit, and an example of some of the beautiful magic of Tolkien’s world. I did not realize that we once again don’t get any Frodo/Sam until the second half of the book

Man Faramir is so damn cool. I also feel so bad for Sméagol. I know he’s a weird little freak but it’s not his fault. He makes me think of my dog for some reason. She’s kind of a weird little freak in her own right. Aren’t we all tbh

I finished the first half, and now I’m up to the Frodo and Sam (and Gollum) half. I love how important nature is to Tolkien’s writing. It’s like he sees something majestic in the grass and the mountains and the trees (god I love the Ents) that connects our world to the fantastical world of Middle-Earth. Some call him over-descriptive, but I just think his universe feels lived-in. These books are perfect.

This is even better than the first one, and I haven’t even read any of the Frodo chapters yet! The first half is all Aragorn/Gimli/Legolas and Merry/Pippin, whereas the second half will be all Frodo/Sam. I honestly don’t fully remember what happens to some of the supporting characters like Eomer or Theoden, and I don’t remember most of what Frodo does in Two Towers, so I have a lot to look forward to.

Last time I watched the movies, Two Towers was my favorite of the three, so I’m very excited to continue reading. As amazing as Fellowship is, I think that splitting up the group allows the characters to shine even brighter, and the world of Middle Earth opens up to an even greater scale. The page count continues from where the last book left off, so I will have to do a little bit of math with each update here.