Kkunker's 2014 Tolkien Category Challenge

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Kkunker's 2014 Tolkien Category Challenge

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1kkunker
Editat: maig 22, 2014, 8:04 pm

Hello everyone!
This year I decided to have a Tolkien theme to the names of my categories. I’ve noticed that over the past couple of years I have been doing an even number of books per category. At the end of the year I always have some categories which are filled and overflowing and some which have one or two. For 2014 I’m going to stack my categories to better fit my reading preferences. So here’s the list as it currently stands:

The Hobbit (2)
Quest of Erebor (4)
Red Book of Westmarch (6)
Tolkien's Beowulf (8)
Letters of J. R. R. Tolkien (10)
Annals of Valinor (12)
Smith of Wooten Major (14)
Notion Club Papers (14)
Unfinished Tales (12)
The Istari (10)
The Lost Road (8)
The Monster and the Critics (6)
Tales from the Perilous Realm (4)
Hobbitus Ille (2)

2kkunker
Editat: des. 18, 2014, 10:50 pm

2014 Yearly Statistics

Books Acquired: 89
Gifts: 25
Purchases: 59
Giveaway: 4

Books Removed from library: 134

Books Read: 85
Personal: 40
Public Library: 14

3kkunker
Editat: nov. 4, 2014, 11:54 pm

The Hobbit



Classics and Young Adult

Category Completed

1. Wind in the Willows ROOT 8/2/14
2. The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe 8/29/14

4kkunker
Editat: nov. 25, 2014, 9:37 pm

Tolkien's Beowulf



New and Notable in 2014

Category Completed

1. Honor Among Thieves: Star Wars (published in March) 5/14/14
2. Beowulf by Tolkien (May) 8/19/14
3. New Dawn: Star Wars by John Jackson Miller (September) 9/30/14
4. The Advocate by Randy Singer 11/25/14

5kkunker
Editat: des. 8, 2014, 11:44 pm

Red Book of Westmarch

Freebies (ARC and gifts)

Category Completed

1. The Empire Striketh Back by Ian Doescher (February 2014 ER win) 4/7/14
2. The Jedi Doth Return by Ian Doescher (April ER win) 6/9/14
3. One Realm Beyond by Donita Paul (January 2014 ER win) 7/9/14
4. The Traitor's Heir by Anna Thayer (June 2014 win) 9/6/14
5. Pictures by J. R. R. Tolkien (birthday present) 9/17/14
6. Defending the City of God by Sharan Newman (March 2014 win) 12/8/14

6kkunker
Editat: ag. 30, 2014, 11:30 am

Quest of Erebor

Alternate History/Speculative Fiction

Category Completed

1. InterWorld by Neil Gaiman and Michael Reaves 1/1/14 ROOT
2. The Silver Dream by Neil Gaiman and Michael Reaves 1/22/14
3. Dies the Fire by S. M. Stirling 3/7/14 ROOT
4. Protector's War by S. M Stirling 5/23/14
5. Meeting at Corvallis by S. M. Stirling 6/1/14
6. The Sunrise Lands by S. M. Stirling 7/5/14
7. The Scourge of God by S. M. Stirling 8/11/14
8. The Sword of the Lady by S. M. Stirling 8/27/14

7kkunker
Editat: gen. 1, 2015, 12:54 am

The Letters of J. R. R. Tolkien



Inklings
Books by or about the Inklings lives and works. Includes their predecessors and inspirations, such as George MacDonald, G. K. Chesterton, and William Morris.

Category Completed

1. The Ring of Words: Tolkien and the Oxford English Dictionary 1/19/14 ROOT
2. The Children of Hurin by J R R Tolkien 1/20/14 ROOT
3. The Intellectual World of C. S. Lewis by Alister McGrath 4/23/14 ROOT
4. Studies in Medieval and Renaissance Literature by C. S. Lewis 5/23/14
5. The Making of Middle-Earth by Christopher Snyder 6/20/14 ROOT
6. Of Other Worlds by C. S. Lewis 9/5/14
7. Paved with Good Intentions by C. S. Lewis 10/30/14 ROOT
8. Mr. Bliss by J. R. R. Tolkien 12/3/14
9. 3 Minute J. R. R. Tolkien 12/28/14
10. The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug Chronicles: Cloaks & Daggers 12/31/14

8kkunker
Editat: des. 23, 2014, 5:23 pm

Annals of Valinor



History/Religion
chronicles, biography, Christianity

Category Completed

1. The Norman Conquest: A Very Short Introduction by George Garnett 3/16/14
2. Tolkien: a Biography by Michael White 3/25/14
3. History: A Very Short Introduction by John Arnold 3/27/2014
4. Yeshua: A Guide to the Real Jesus and the Original Church by Ron Moseley 6/28/14
5. Paul the Jewish Theologian by Brad Young 7/11/14
6. Revolutionary Summer: The Birth of American Independence by Joseph Ellis 7/14/14
7. I am in Fact a Hobbit 9/24/14
8. Our Father Abraham: Jewish Roots of the Christian Faith by Marvin Wilson 10/29/14
9. Surprised by Joy by C. S. Lewis 11/28/14
10. The Real Story of Chanukah 12/6/14
11. The Parables: Jewish Tradition and Christian Interpretation 12/22/14
12. Hanukkah: The Family Guide to Spiritual Celebration 12/23/14

9kkunker
Editat: gen. 1, 2015, 12:55 am

Smith of Wootten Major



Fantasy
Faerie, elves, swords, sorcery

Category completed

1. The Royal Ranger by John Flanagan 1/10/14
2. Heir of Novron by Michael Sullivan 1/16/14
3. The Light of Eidon by Karen Hancock 3/18/14
4. Shadow Within by Karen Hancock 3/26/14
5. Shadow over Kiriath by Karen Hancock 4/7/14
6. Return of the Guardian King by Karen Hancock 4/14/14
7. The Ocean at the End of the Lane by Neil Gaiman 7/24/14 ROOT
8. Hero's Lot by Patrick Carr 8/9/14
9. Draw of Kings by Patrick Carr 8/12/14
10. Magician's Nephew by C. S. Lewis 10/19/14
11. Mouse Guard: the Black Axe by David Petersen 10/22/14
12. Mockingjay by Suzanne Collins 11/26/14
13. The Fatal Tree by Stephen Lawhead 12/27/14
14. Slaves of Socorro 12/29/14

10kkunker
Editat: des. 4, 2014, 9:28 am

The Notion Club Papers

Science Fiction
Time travel, space travel, futuristic

Category Completed

1. Stargate Atlantis: Exogenesis by Sonny Whitelaw 2/7/14 ROOT
2. Kenobi by John Jackson Miller 3/31/14 ROOT
3. Stargate SG-1: Transitions by Sabine Bauer 4/18/14 ROOT
4. X-Men: Days of Future Past 5/21/14
5. Finding God in a Galaxy Far, Far Away 5/27/14 ROOT
6. Stargate SG-1: Oceans of Dust by Peter Evans 5/31/14 ROOT
7. Star Wars Darth Bane Rule of Two by Drew Karpyshyn 7/20/14 ROOT
8. The Shadow Lamp by Stephen Lawhead 7/25/14 ROOT
9. Stargate Atlantis: Homecoming by Jo Graham 8/5/14 ROOT
10. Stargate Atlantis: The Lost by Jo Graham 9/2/14 ROOT
11. Stargate Atlantis: Allegiance 9/2/14 ROOT
12. Stargate Atlantis: The Furies 10/4/14 ROOT
13. Stargate Atlantis: Secrets 11/29/14 ROOT
14. Stargate Atlantis: Inheritors 12/3/14 ROOT

11kkunker
Editat: des. 11, 2014, 1:10 pm

Unfinished Tales



Mythgard Institute at Signum University
because the greatest stories never end

textbooks and extra readings for my online courses

Mythgard Institute (graduate courses)
Spring Chaucer I: Visions of Love The Riverside Chaucer, Troilus and Criseyde, The Story of Troilus
Summer: Chaucer II: The Canterbury Tales The Riverside Chaucer, The Decameron by Boccaccio
Taking Harry Seriously: entire Harry Potter series, Tales of Beedle the Bard
Fall: Lewis and Tolkien: The Hobbit, The Lion the Witch and the Wardrobe, The Dawn Treader, Til We Have Faces, The Tolkien Reader, The Silmarillion, Sauron Defeated, Of Other Worlds, Perelandra

Mythgard Academy (free open lectures)
January-March: Unfinished Tales
April-May: Ender's Game
May-June: Book of Lost Tales Part 1
August-October: Dune
October-November: Watership Down

Category Completed

1. Unfinished Tales by J. R. R. Tolkien
2. The Story of Troilus by R. K. Gordon 3/13/14
3. Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone 4/6/14
4. Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets 4/20/14
5. Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban 4/30/14
6. Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire 6/9/14
7. Book of Lost Tales Part 1 6/28/14 ROOT
8. The Hobbit 9/15/14
9. Voyage of the Dawn Treader 9/16/14
10. Til We Have Faces 10/6/14
11. The Last Battle 11/17/14
12. Farmer Giles of Ham 11/19/2014

12kkunker
Editat: des. 24, 2014, 2:59 pm

The Istari

Urban fantasy and Steampunk
wizards, magic, gears, and wheels

Category Completed

1. The Glass God by Kate Griffin 2/1/14 ROOT
2. Dawn's Early Light by Pip Ballantine 4/28/14
3. Slashback by Rob Thurman 5/4/14 ROOT
4. Midnight Riot by Ben Aaronovich 6/17/14
5. Moon over Soho by Ben Aaronovich 8/18/14
6. Whispers Under Ground by Ben Aaronovich 9/8/14
7. Broken Homes by Ben Aaronovich 9/19/14
8. Hidden by Benedict Jacka 9/24/14
9. Clockwork Angel by Cassandra Clare 10/16/14 ROOT
10. Ministry Protocol: Thrilling Tales of the Ministry of Peculiar Occurrences by Pip Ballantine 12/24/14

13kkunker
Editat: des. 15, 2014, 8:40 pm

The Lost Road



Orson Scott Card
Science fiction and fantasy

Category Completed

1. Seventh Son 2/21/14 ROOT
2. Ruins 3/7/13
3. Ender's Shadow 7/30/14 ROOT
4. Ender in Exile 8/30/14
5. A War of Gifts 9/6/14
6. Shadow of the Hegemon 10/2/14
7. Shadow Puppets 11/4/14
8. Shadow of the Giant 12/15/14

14kkunker
Editat: des. 18, 2014, 2:29 pm

The Monsters and the Critics



Non-fiction
essays, academia, books about books

Category Completed

1. The Discarded Image by C. S. Lewis 2/22/14
2. Used and Rare by Lawrence Goldstone 6/17/14 ROOT
3. Image and Imagination by C. S. Lewis 8/25/14
4. An Experiment in Criticism by C. S. Lewis 9/1/14
5. Ender's World edited by Orson Scott Card 1/29/14 ROOT
6. A Life Observed: A Spiritual Biography of C. S. Lewis 10/31/14

15kkunker
Editat: nov. 14, 2014, 9:58 am

Tales from the Perilous Realm



Catch-All

Category Completed

1. How to Like Paul Again by Conrad Gempf 1/30/14
2. Celebrating Biblical Feasts by Martha Zimmerman 5/21/14
3. The Baker Street Brothers by Michael Robertson 10/24/14 ROOT
4. Why? Trusting God when you don't Understand by Anne Graham Lotz 11/14/14 ROOT

16kkunker
Editat: des. 11, 2014, 1:09 pm

Hobbitus Ille



Non-English
books read in translation

Category Completed

1. Troilus and Criseyde by Geoffrey Chaucer 3/17/14
2. Prose Edda 8/8/14

17.Monkey.
nov. 20, 2013, 11:17 am

Fun categories! :)

18DeltaQueen50
nov. 20, 2013, 2:10 pm

Looks like a well designed challenge with a place for all your reading.

19christina_reads
nov. 20, 2013, 3:22 pm

LOL at Hobbitus Ille. I love Latin translations of modern works. :) I have Quomodo Invidiosulus Nomine Grinchus Christi Natalem Abrogaverit somewhere...

20lkernagh
nov. 20, 2013, 3:42 pm

Looks like you have lined up a good challenge for yourself!

21rabbitprincess
nov. 20, 2013, 5:26 pm

Aaaa! I have to get a copy of Hobbitus Ille. Fantastic! Great theme :D

22mamzel
nov. 21, 2013, 3:03 pm

I read the Alvin Maker series BK (before kids) and really enjoyed it. Glad to see someone revive it. Have a fantastic (!) year.

23-Eva-
nov. 22, 2013, 12:13 am

Great theme! Had to giggle at Hobbitus Ille as well!

24kkunker
Editat: des. 16, 2013, 9:49 pm

The first Mythgard Academy class of 2014 has been announced: Unfinished Tales by J. R. R. Tolkien.

For anyone who is interested in getting a deeper look at Tolkien's world but may have been intimidated by The Silmarillion this class could be a great intro. Unfinished Tales includes the draft of one long heroic tale, some details about Galadriel, the Rohirrim, and the wizards, and Gandalf's perspective on the beginning of The Hobbit, called "The Quest of Erebor."

The course is completely free, and will start in early January. It will run for roughly 10 weeks, with one 1.5-2 hour session each week. Information should be available soon at www.mythgard.org

25kkunker
des. 24, 2013, 2:28 pm

Just received a great book as a Christmas gift from a friend, The Ring of Words: Tolkien and the Oxford English Dictionary by Peter Gilliver. It's been on my amazon wishlist for a couple years, but I never got around to it. I think that now is the perfect time to read it after my philology course. Will definitely get to it early in 2014.

Looking forward to seeing what else I find tomorrow, including my SantaThing items.

26kkunker
des. 28, 2013, 2:22 pm

I received a pretty good haul this Christmas. In addition to Ring of Words I also received:

Image and Imagination by C. S. Lewis (Santathing)
The Making of Middle-earth: A New Look inside the World of J. R. R. Tolkien
The Ocean at the End of the Lane by Neil Gaiman (Santathing)
The Intellectual World of C. S. Lewis by Alister McGrath
The Atrocity Archives (SantaThing)
and I purchased Ender's World with a Barnes and Noble giftcard. I have $25 to spend at Amazon, so there will be several more books to round out the holidays.

My sister got me a translation of The Hobbit when she was in Taiwan this summer. So now I have The Hobbit in Spanish, Latin, and Chinese. She also got me a paperback copy of Through the Looking Glass.

Can't wait to start the 2014 challenge in just a few days.

27kkunker
Editat: gen. 1, 2014, 4:16 pm

First book of the year!

Interworld by Neil Gaiman and Michael Reaves
This YA book follows the adventures of Joey Harker as he is pulled from his quiet life on Earth into an inter-dimensional conflict. Young Joey accidentally discovers he is an Walker when he travels to a parallel Earth. He sets in motion actions which cannot be reversed, and which lead to his rescuers death. Joey has an especially strong talent for traveling between worlds in the Altiverse; and he finds himself thrown into Base Camp school alongside hundreds of varieties of Joey Harker (including some with wings, robotic enhancements, or werewolf attributes). While feeling overwhelmed by the magic and science if these extra dimensions Joey must decide where his true loyalties lie. When a training exercise results in several of his classmates being captured Joey reaches his crisis point. He must decide whether to return to his "normal" Earth life or attempt a rescue.

Nice YA book, good plot, with an interesting science vs. magic viewpoint. Emphasizes the importance of loyalty and friendship even in the face of great personal risk.

Felt to me a bit like Harry Potter combined with Stargate, in that it involved youngish people at school learning about their various abilities, the most important one being the ability to travel to parallel universes though some sort of time/space rift.

28kkunker
gen. 2, 2014, 2:52 pm

I just received my copy of The Riverside Chaucer which I ordered from The Book Depository. This book will be the main textbook for my spring and summer Mythgard courses. It's one massive textbook, around 1300 pages of Middle English texts and notes/glossaries. I've never studied Chaucer before so this will be a new experience. Class starts in about 2 weeks.

29christina_reads
gen. 2, 2014, 3:00 pm

@ 28 -- I think I have The Riverside Chaucer! Or at least the Riverside edition of The Canterbury Tales...it was very comprehensive, if I remember correctly. Good luck with your classes! Middle English isn't really so bad, once you get the hang of it.

30kkunker
gen. 2, 2014, 6:55 pm

29. Thanks. I don't think I will have a problem with Middle English, last semester I took a course on Tolkien through Philology. We did overview sessions on a bunch of languages, with a focus on Old Norse and Old English. It was an intense course but I learned so much from it. I'm actually looking forward to seeing some Middle English and thinking about how it developed and evolved from Old English.

31christina_reads
gen. 2, 2014, 9:23 pm

Well if you can do Old Norse, I'm sure you will have NO problem at all! :)

32kkunker
gen. 3, 2014, 10:03 am

31. Thanks. I skimmed a few pages of the Chaucer, it looks fun. I can do basic Old Norse and Old English translations with a glossary, and I'm decent at understanding word order, but in reality I'm just a beginner. I struggled in philology, half the material was way over my head, but everyone in the class enjoyed learning about Tolkien's academic side and how he developed his languages.

33kkunker
Editat: gen. 3, 2014, 11:44 am

A toast to the Professor! J. R. R. Tolkien was born 122 years ago today, in South Africa. I'll be reading some of Unfinished Tales today in his honor. Cheers.

34casvelyn
gen. 3, 2014, 12:50 pm

Unless you believe the On This Day module on the LT homepage, in which case Tolkien is only 32. :)

35kkunker
gen. 11, 2014, 8:37 am

re 34: I hope someone fixed the author page.

Finished my second books of the year
The Royal Ranger by John Flanagan
This book concludes the Rangers Apprentice YA series, by bringing the main characters full circle. Will Treaty who started out the series as a new apprentice is now an experienced and famous King's Rangers. His old friends Horace and Cassandra ask him to help them out with their teenage daughter Maddie who is a headstrong and adventurous princess. Will agrees and after some struggles Maddie starts to excel as the first female ranger. After several months they head out on their first real mission together. Things don't go as planned and Maddie has to step up and improvise in an attempt to save Will's life when he is captured. Her training and friendship is put to the test as she risks her life for her mentor.

36kkunker
gen. 16, 2014, 8:44 pm

Just finished book number 3 for the year, this one a solid 900 page fantasy.

Heir of Novron by Michael Sullivan
This volume contains the final two parts of the Riyria Chronicles. Hadrian, Royce, Arista, and Modina all face immense struggles in their efforts to restore their unstable society to peace. Modina the puppet Empress is faced with a coup/assassination attempt from her advisors who want power; Arista the Princess and witch starts the book in prison facing execution, Hadrian is blackmailed into accepting a deal to kill a knight at court where one false step could get him killed; and Royce must face the heartbreak of seeing his fiance abducted and then killed before his eyes. On top off all this the new Empire is invaded by a seemingly unstoppable army of Elves and the heroes are sent on a quest following riddles and legends. The quest to find the true heir and an ancient artifact become a race against the clock as the Elves march towards the capital.

37kkunker
Editat: gen. 19, 2014, 5:43 pm

Just finished my first Inklings book of the year.
The Ring of Words: Tolkien and the Oxford English Dictionary
This was a great book to read after taking "Philology through Tolkien" last semester at Mythgard. The book discusses a section of Tolkien's life which is frequently just glossed over, the 2 years he spent on the OED staff after he returned home from service in WWI. Tolkien considered those years to be some of the most educational times in his whole life. He was able to utilize his Germanic and Old English education on a very practical and important project. The first half of the book covers Tolkien's actual work, he helped edit many "W" words. The second half of the book is a listing of word studies, primarily of words which Tolkien either invented or recovered from history for use in his creative writings. A brief sampling includes: Arkenstone, elf, eucatastrophe, hobbit, ent, warg, orc, Faerie, and eored.

38kkunker
gen. 20, 2014, 9:01 pm

Finished off my second Inklings book of the year.
The Children of Hurin by J. R. R. Tolkien

I purchased this one right when it came out, but didn't get around to it til now. I'd read the version in Unfinished Tales last fall and I read the alliterative version a year ago. Though the tale is very dark and tragic I enjoyed reading the "finished" prose version. Plus it had illustrations by Alan Lee which makes everything better.

39kkunker
gen. 22, 2014, 9:34 pm

The Silver Dream by Neil Gaiman and Michael Reaves

This book is the sequel to Interworld in which Joey Harker must face an unseen threat, a traitor at Base Town. When a routine training exercise goes horribly wrong Joey's team is under suspicion from the Captain. Joey must team up with his friend Hue and decide whether to trust the mysterious Acacia, a TimeWatch operative who can travel to any point in time. In order to discover the truth Joey's physical endurance is tested as he is travels through time to both escape an assassin and to try and warn Base Town before it is too late.

40electrice
gen. 24, 2014, 4:25 am

>37 kkunker: Hi this one seems very interesting. Is it accessible for the layman ?

41Hanneri
gen. 24, 2014, 5:00 am

Love the categories!

42kkunker
gen. 24, 2014, 8:41 am

>electrice: I think the Ring of Words is accessible for the layman, as long as you have a casual interest in Tolkien or the history and development of words. The first 90 pages provide bibliographic background and an explanation of how the OED dictionary entries were written. The word studies section is the bulk of the book, and it covers a wide range of examples. The editors did a nice job of providing informative entries without making them too complicated or detailed. In many of Tolkien's words he took numerous Old English and Old Norse words and "modernized" them and reintroduced them to his readers. He invented a philological history in order to blend world history with his myth.

>Hanneri: Thanks, I had fun coming up with my categories.

43electrice
gen. 25, 2014, 2:05 am

>42 kkunker: Thanks, it's going then on the BB list :)

44hailelib
gen. 25, 2014, 7:33 pm

The Ring of Words does look interesting.

45kkunker
gen. 30, 2014, 8:32 pm

Finished How to Like Paul Again today. I had the author, Conrad Gempf as my Bible instructor during my semester abroad in London. This is Conrad's third book, and it focuses on exploring the career and writing style of the Apostle Paul. He uses Galatians, I Corinthians, and Philemon as the case studies.

46kkunker
feb. 1, 2014, 8:58 am

January stats time.

Books read: 7
personal collection: 4
public library: 3

books acquired: 14
purchased: 10
gift: 4
giveaway: 0

I will try to cut back on buying new books this year, I know I'm not off to a good start. In my defense 4 of the purchased books were BBC Sherlock items which were 60% off, I just couldn't resist a good deal.

All of the books read from my library were ROOTs, so I am off to a good start on that challenge. The way my categories have started to fill is pretty much what I expected. In February I hope to start on some sci-fi and history.

47rabbitprincess
feb. 1, 2014, 10:49 am

Purchasing BBC Sherlock items is totally justified, especially at 60% off! I also have the BBC tie-in editions of the books and they are lovely.

48lkernagh
feb. 1, 2014, 4:27 pm

When a deal is available, I say take advantage of the deal while you can!

49kkunker
Editat: feb. 1, 2014, 5:54 pm

I got the four books from the Book Depository, when I saw the good deal I just went for it. I bought Hound, Scarlet, Adventures, and Four; a grand total of about $18. Last Bow was full price, probably because it's new, so I'll wait on that one. I love the tie-in covers and the special introductions.

50kkunker
Editat: feb. 2, 2014, 10:30 am

Glass God by Kate Griffin
This urban fantasy is book 2 in the Magicals Anonymous Series. The protagonist, apprentice shaman Sharon, finds herself way over her head when problems arise in London. The Midnight Mayor, magical lord protector of the city, goes missing, leaving behind a spatter of blood and some magical residue. Before he disappeared he named Sharon his deputy, which means she's in charge of the investigation. Old Man Bone, the god of the plague pits, is getting restless from not having enough sacrifices and is starting to open old graves. And as if finding the mayor and stopping an outbreak of plague were not enough for Sharon to deal with, someone has been killing people left and right in an attempt to create a new glass god to destroy the city. Sharon and her magical misfits must work with the Mayor's aldermen to try and save the city and find the Mayor before elemental forces are unleashed.

51kkunker
feb. 8, 2014, 10:40 am

Finished my first sci-fi of the year Stargate Atlantis: Exogenesis.

I think I have around 10 Stargate books left in the two series to read (out of about 45 total) the rest of which I've read in the past couple of years. Thankfully there have been about 2-3 new books each year, I hope Fandemonium keeps publishing. I'm glad they've kept the stories alive.

52kkunker
Editat: feb. 22, 2014, 5:41 pm

Finished my third book this month, the first item for my Orson Scott Card category.

Seventh Son book one in the Alvin Maker series
Really enjoyed Card's alternate American history; the use of magic and the twists and turns from reality were quite cool. I'm hoping to read more of the series later in the year.

I have books from two different Card series (Ender and Pathfinder) out of the library which I'm excited to get to in the next few weeks.

53kkunker
Editat: feb. 22, 2014, 9:29 pm

Finished my fourth book of the month The Discarded Image by C. S. Lewis.
This one was a bit tough to get through, but I enjoyed it. Turns out it was very useful background information for my online Chaucer class.

54kkunker
març 7, 2014, 1:19 pm

Finished my first book for March Ruins by Orson Scott Card. It is the second book in his Pathfinder series. The three time traveling heroes, Rigg, Param, and Umbo, must travel to several different Wallfolds in order to learn more about their world Garden and attempt to save it from being destroyed when a delegation from Earth visits in the near future. Lots of time traveling occurs as do lots of discussions of the mechanisms of each team members "gifts." This is my second book in my OSC category.

55kkunker
març 8, 2014, 5:15 pm

Managed to finish a second book yesterday.
Dies the Fire by S. M. Stirling
This is the first book in The Change World or the Emberverse series, a post-apocalyptic America alternate/speculative fiction series.

The world is changed when an electrical storm knocks out all electronics and firearms, which immediately thrusts the globe back to pre-Industrial development. This book centers around two protagonists Mike Havel, an ex-Marine turned commericial pilot, and Juniper Mackenzie, a musician. Mike and Juniper form their own very different types of communities in Oregon as they gather various groups together. They each start out with a small band but as isolated groups join together they are faced with many issues. The folks who survived the immediate violent fallout of The Change are faced with a sharp learning curve if they plan to have long term food and safety.
I enjoyed the book quite a bit. Personally I like the combination of cultures and societies which emerged in the different groups. I enjoy medieval history so reading about the re-development of swords, archery, and chain maille along with forts and trebuchets was rather fun. I've got the second book on hold at the library.

56kkunker
març 13, 2014, 6:34 pm

The Story of Troilus by R. K. Gordon
I read this book for my online class on Chaucer, I'll probably finish a second textbook this weekend. We read Chaucer's translation of Boccachio's Il Filostrato before we read Chaucer's greatly expanded version of the poem. This collection included four medieval versions of the Troilus story.

57kkunker
març 17, 2014, 5:09 pm

Finished my first history book last night, a quick fun read.

The Norman Conquest: A Very Short Introduction by George Garnett
Nice overview of the changes which occurred in England after the Norman invasion of 1066. Covered several topics including law, architecture, and the Church.

58rabbitprincess
març 17, 2014, 6:09 pm

I have some longer books about the Normans on the to-read list, but a very short introduction sounds appealing as well! That series has a lot of interesting titles.

59kkunker
març 17, 2014, 8:44 pm

I've read a few of the history/biography books and I've enjoyed them.

I just finished my second textbook for my Chaucer class.
Troilus and Criseyde
The Norton Critical Edition is one of the only side-by-side English editions with both Chaucer and Boccaccio's versions of the poem. It also has some nice literary criticism essays at the back, one of which is by C. S. Lewis.

60kkunker
març 19, 2014, 6:22 pm

Finished a re-read of The Light of Eidon a couple of days ago. I love Hancock's Christian fantasy series, I've read all four books at least half a dozen times. It's probably the most read series on my shelves other than Tolkien's works. It deals with so many good themes.

61kkunker
Editat: març 24, 2014, 7:12 pm

Finished my second history/biography book tonight, Tolkien: a Biography by Michael White. A very book which fits quite well with my theme.

62kkunker
març 26, 2014, 7:40 pm

Finished another Christian fantasy book today.
The Shadow Within by Karen Hancock
Book 2 in the Legends of the Guardian King series. I love the character development and the plot expansion as Abramm returns to Kiriath and takes his place as king. He must face both spiritual and physical enemies in order to come into his destiny.

63kkunker
març 31, 2014, 5:17 pm

Finished Kenobi by John Jackson Miller today.
This book picks up right after Obi-Wan arrives on Tatooine with baby Luke Skywalker. He tries to fit in and keep a low profile as a moisture farmer/herbit. He is not on Tatooine as a Jedi, his only mission is to protect Luke. He finds it hard to pull back from a community in danger but he can't give away the secrets of his past. When Tusken Raiders attack a nearby settlement and Ben uncovers a human plot for scamming people into paying protection money, he must find creative ways to help resolve the conflict.

64kkunker
abr. 7, 2014, 8:41 am

Finished Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone for my online audit "Taking Harry Seriously." The course doesn't start for about a month but I'm trying to get a head start on re-reading the books before I have to jump back in and focus on the Canterbury Tales which I'm taking for credit.

65kkunker
abr. 8, 2014, 7:54 am

Finished my first ARC of the year, The Empire Striketh Back by Ian Doescher. I really enjoyed the second book in his Shakepeare/Star Wars mash-up. So much fun to see how close some of the iambic dialogue is to the original.

66BookLizard
abr. 8, 2014, 9:10 am

65> I'm on the waitlist at the library for the first one. Glad to hear you liked the second one.

67mamzel
abr. 8, 2014, 2:23 pm

I won a copy through ER but haven't received it yet. The next one is offered this month, The Jedi Doth Return.

68kkunker
abr. 17, 2014, 5:26 pm

I've entered in for Jedi Doth Return. I hope I win it, if not I'll be sure to buy it when it comes out.

Finished another sci-fi book last night Stargate SG-1: Transitions

69kkunker
abr. 20, 2014, 6:21 pm

Finished Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets in my attempt to read at least part of the series before my summer audit starts in May.

70kkunker
abr. 24, 2014, 4:46 pm

Finished The Intellectual World of C. S. Lewis last night. enjoyed it, made me curious to read McGrath's biography of Lewis.

71kkunker
abr. 28, 2014, 8:25 pm

Finished my second urban fantasy/steampunk book today.

Dawn's Early Light by Pip Ballantine and Tim Morris
This third book in the Ministry of Peculiar Occurrences series finds the dynamic duo, Agents Eliza Braun and Wellington Books, whisked away from London to America. They assist their American counterparts in unraveling an electrifying plot hatched by none other than Thomas Edison. The agents enlist the help of Nicola Tesla and begin a cross-county race in an attempt to stop Edison from using his lighthouse powered "death ray" to destroy San Fransisco.

72kkunker
abr. 30, 2014, 3:46 pm

Found out yesterday that I got lucky in the April Early Reviewer giveaway. I managed to snag The Jedi Doth Return. Can't wait for it to arrive.

73rabbitprincess
abr. 30, 2014, 7:04 pm

Nice! Enjoy :)

74kkunker
abr. 30, 2014, 9:35 pm

Finished my re-read of Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban tonight, another book for my Mythgard Institute category.

75kkunker
maig 5, 2014, 4:47 pm

Finished another urban fantasy.
Slashback by Rob Thurman
Finished my first book for May last night. Book 8 of the Cal Leandros urban fantasy series. In this adventure Cal and Niko must come face to face with the consequences from some of their 12 year old actions. When Spring-heeled-Jack shows up in New York and starts targeting the brothers they find themselves struggling for a way to stop Jack before he kills them. When they finally come to terms with the vendetta Jack has against them for taking out his apprentice when they were teenagers the brothers must come to terms with the guilt they've been holding on to. They can't take too long though because they are next on Jack's target list.

76electrice
maig 12, 2014, 4:24 pm

>65 kkunker: Well it seems like my kind of fun, I've added William Shakespeare's Star Wars (Part the Fourth) to the BB list :)

77kkunker
maig 17, 2014, 9:54 am

Finished off my first 'new and notable' book this week, Star Wars: Honor Among Thieves published this March. This one was an in-between book post-Yavin but before the Rebel Alliance picks Hoth as their new base. Features the original trio and a couple of new characters.

78kkunker
maig 22, 2014, 8:04 pm

Finished two books so far this week, just updated my categories.
X-Men: Days of Future Past and Celebrating Biblical Feasts.

In honor of today marking the publication of Tolkien's Beowulf I am going to change my new and notable category, since Fall of Arthur has now been trumped by a newer work. I pre-ordered my copy of Beowulf from Amazon and it should be here in a couple days, I can't wait to add it to my collection

79kkunker
maig 24, 2014, 2:59 pm

Finished two more books for the challenge yesterday.

Studies in Medieval and Renaissance Literature by C. S. Lewis

The Protector's War by S. M. Stirling
The second book in The Change series is set 9 years after the first book. The Mackenzie Clan and the Bearkillers are well established communities surviving as farmers and warriors. They begin to feel pressured by Protector Arminger in the north with border skirmishes. Once they receive a stolen copy of his coded battle plan they realize they have to step up their defenses and prepare for a full scale attack in the near future.

80kkunker
maig 24, 2014, 10:34 pm

Just received my ER copy of The Jedi Doth Return today. I was pleasantly surprised to see two small posters included in the envelope, one each for parts 5 and 6, which feature Yoda and Jabba respectively. Can't wait to see how Doescher handles the trilogy's conclusion.

81kkunker
maig 29, 2014, 7:23 pm

Finished another sci-fi a couple days ago, Finding God in a Galaxy Far, Far Away by Timothy Paul Jones.

This book was a gift I've had sitting around for a couple of years. A decent read, geared for a middle school audience. Uses Star Wars are a medium to show Christian themes. Had a number of Tolkien and C. S. Lewis references which were an unexpected bonus.

82kkunker
juny 2, 2014, 12:01 am

Finished two book in the past 24 hours.
Stargate SG-1: Oceans of Dust a fun adventure for the sci-fi category.

A Meeting at Corvallis by S. M. Stirling, book 3 in the Emberverse/Change series. This book brought the reader up through the first 10 years in the Changed world and the challenged faced by the protagonists.

83kkunker
juny 2, 2014, 5:21 pm

A Barnes and Noble store in my area is going out of business soon. The good news is that they currently have a lot of items 40-50% off. The bad news is I wanted to buy tons of stuff. I managed to limit myself pretty well. I purchased 16 items yesterday (only 3 of which were books). I spent $109 instead of the regular price of $215. I'm not sure what the full price would have been on a couple of items, I certainly would not have paid it. I purchased mostly stationary, journals, bookmarks, and notepad type items. I finally picked up a hardcover copy of The Yard, which I have wanted to read since it came out. I couldn't pass it up at only $3.25. The other two books I got were George Washington on Leadership by Richard Brookhiser and 3 Minute J.R.R. Tolkien since they both looked fun.

84christina_reads
juny 3, 2014, 5:52 pm

>83 kkunker: I am sad (and alarmed!) that a B&N is going under...hope it's not the start of a trend! But I'm glad you got some good books out of it.

85kkunker
juny 9, 2014, 9:04 pm

Finished my re-read of Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire today and I also finished my most recent Early Reviewer, The Jedi Doth Return. I really enjoyed Doescher's mash-up trilogy, and the conclusion was no different. There were some good additional monologues which really let you see more of the characters. He also added some details to minor characters, and as always R2 and 3PO provide the comic relief.

86kkunker
juny 17, 2014, 8:29 pm

Finished two books recently.

Midnight Riot
Urban fantasy, set in London. Peter Grant, a new constable finds himself headed for a desk job when he discovers he can see ghosts. Peter is surprised to learn that the London police have a "magical" department, and he is immediately whisked away by Detective Nightingale. Upon formally entering his apprenticeship program Peter begins to learn about magic and the mystical forces which protect and guard London.

Used and Rare
I received this book as a birthday present last year and finally got around to reading it. A fun read about the world of book collecting.

87mamzel
juny 18, 2014, 8:55 am

Are you going to continue with the Rivers series?

88kkunker
juny 18, 2014, 11:03 am

I'd like to, I enjoyed the first one, but my library system doesn't have the second one in the catalogue yet. One library has it on order, and a couple have the third book. I'll just have to wait and see.

89kkunker
juny 23, 2014, 10:29 am

Finished another Inklings book the other day, The Making of Middle-Earth by Christopher Snyder.

90kkunker
juny 28, 2014, 10:28 pm

91kkunker
jul. 12, 2014, 4:40 pm

Just got back from a camping trip with my family. I managed to work through 3 books:
One Realm Beyond an ARC from earlier in the year
Paul the Jewish Theologian Christian/history and
The Sunrise Lands speculative fiction

92kkunker
jul. 24, 2014, 8:26 pm

Finished a few books this week:
Revolutionary Summer by Joseph Ellis
Star Wars Darth Bane Rule of Two and
The Ocean at the End of the Lane by Neil Gaiman

93kkunker
jul. 25, 2014, 10:48 am

Finished one more this morning: The Shadow Lamp by Steven Lawhead. This is the fourth book in his Bright Empires series which focuses on a time travelling quest.

94kkunker
ag. 6, 2014, 7:52 pm

Finished three books in the past week:
Ender's Shadow
This book follows the story arc of Bean, who ends up being Ender's second in command.

Wind in the Willows
I never read this as a kid, and I'm glad I finally got around to it.

Stargate Atlantis: Homecoming
The first book in the Legacy series (which currently has 7 books). The story picks up right after the tv series ended, with Atlantis back on Earth. The team must struggle with the news that they are grounded, and reassigned to new positions. They are all waiting to head back to the Pegasus Galaxy but don't know how they will get approval.

95kkunker
ag. 9, 2014, 9:32 am

Finished off two more books, my first translated item, The Edda, and another fantasy, The Hero's Lot.

96-Eva-
ag. 9, 2014, 1:32 pm

I read the Poetic Edda many years ago, but I do want to read the Prose Edda as well. A coworker kindly gave me a copy of it, but there's no sense in me reading an English translation... :)

97kkunker
ag. 18, 2014, 6:47 pm

Finished three more books this past week, lots of fantasy at the moment.
Scourge of God for alternate history/speculative fantasy
Draw of Kings for fantasy and
Moon over Soho for urban fantasy/steampunk

98kkunker
ag. 30, 2014, 11:37 am

Finished three books while I was on vacation in the Adirondacks
The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe for my fall Lewis and Tolkien class

Ender in Exile
another book for the Orson Scott Card category, which is now at the halfway point

And The Sword of the Lady which gives me my first finished category (alternate history/speculative fantasy, 8 books). Most of the other categories are at halfway or better, nothing is really lagging behind which makes me happy.

99kkunker
set. 2, 2014, 1:55 pm

Yesterday I finished An Experiment in Criticism by C. S. Lewis for my online class.

Just finished off Stargate Atlantis: The Lost, another sci-fi.

100kkunker
set. 6, 2014, 11:59 am

Finished Of Other Worlds yesterday, for my online class.
Interesting book, I never knew that C. S. Lewis had several sci-fi short stories nor that he had started a retelling of the Trojan War. Fun book.

Today I finished A War of Gifts by Orson Scott Card, another book for his category.

101kkunker
set. 25, 2014, 9:52 am

I started a second job two weeks ago, so I've been working 60 hour weeks. Things have gotten a bit hectic. Here's a few of the books I finished before things got crazy.

Traitor's Heir by Anna Thayer
An LT Early Reviewer, book one in a new fantasy series.

Whispers Under Ground
Book 3 in the Rivers of London urban fantasy series.

The Hobbit
re-read for my online class

The Voyage of the Dawn Treader
re-read for my online class

Pictures by J. R. R. Tolkien
My folks got me a first edition of this book from a used book store for my birthday. Its in pretty decent shape, it's a large format book so the artwork is nice and big.

102lkernagh
set. 25, 2014, 9:42 pm

60 hour work weeks would kill me..... I just don't have that kind of stamina anymore. ;-)

I totally understand the "Things have gotten a bit hectic" bit!

103-Eva-
set. 26, 2014, 9:20 pm

60 hours isn't fun, but hopefully you're enjoying the job!

104kkunker
set. 26, 2014, 11:33 pm

My new job is great. I'm working as a processing archivist on a 15 month grant project for a local university. It's part time but will be good experience for my resume. This next week I only have 45 hours, so I might be able to fit in some reading.

105-Eva-
set. 30, 2014, 11:41 pm

That's great to hear! Fingers Xed that the reading you manage to fit in is good! :)

106kkunker
oct. 6, 2014, 5:01 pm

Finished these books at various points in the past couple of weeks.

Broken Homes and Hidden
two for the urban fantasy/steampunk category

I am in fact a Hobbit
a biography of Tolkien

Star Wars: New Dawn
the newest Star Wars books, a tie in for the new cartoon series, Star War Rebels

Shadow of the Hegemon
the second book in the Ender Shadow series

I did manage to finish off a couple of books this past weekend, mostly because I went out of state for a wedding and had multiple short flights during which to read.

Stargate Atlantis: The Furies

Til We Have Faces
read for my online class

I've been making good progress on my categories. Once again I have an almost normal work week, so hopefully I can both keep up with my online class and do some fun reading as well.

107lkernagh
oct. 6, 2014, 5:41 pm

I love the reading time that air travel provides. My family always wonders why I like to get to the airport super early. They haven't quite grasped the uninterrupted reading time I can get in while sitting in the departure area. ;-)

108hailelib
oct. 15, 2014, 9:21 am

Did you like Til We Have Faces? It was an interesting book that I still occasionally think about four years later.

109kkunker
oct. 15, 2014, 4:22 pm

It was interesting, and not what I expected. This was my second time reading it, as part of an online course on Tolkien and Lewis, so it made more sense going over it in detail. On my first time around I was rather confused. I definitely have a more positive reaction after the re-read.

110kkunker
oct. 22, 2014, 7:08 pm

Managed to finish off three books in the past week.
one steampunk/paranormal: Clockwork Angel
one fantasy favorite, re-read for my online class: Magicians Nephew
and one fantasy graphic novel: Mouse Guard The Black Axe

111kkunker
Editat: oct. 31, 2014, 10:59 am

Finished off four books in the past week or so.
one mystery for the everything else category: Baker Street Letters
two history/biography: Our Father Abraham and A Life Observed: A Spiritual Biography of C. S. Lewis
and one Inklings: Paved with Good Intentions: a Demon's Road Map to your Soul by C. S. Lewis

112kkunker
nov. 17, 2014, 4:58 pm

Finished off four books so far for November
A Life Observed: A Spiritual Biography of C. S. Lewis by Devin Brown

Shadow Puppet by Orson Scott Card
one more need to finish off the Card category

Why? Trusting God When you don't Understand by Anne Graham Lotz

The Last Battle by C. S. Lewis
This finishes off my Unfinished Tales category, on Signum and Mythgard text books.

113kkunker
nov. 25, 2014, 9:40 pm

Just finished off another category, New and Notable.

I read The Advocate by Randy Singer, historical fiction which has the Roman citizen Theophilus as present at the death of Christ as one of Pilate's legal advisers. Years later Theophilus is working in Rome and meets the Apostle Paul, and agrees to defend him against Emperor Nero.

114BookLizard
nov. 27, 2014, 10:30 am

Congratulations on finishing another category!

115kkunker
des. 4, 2014, 9:29 am

Finished off my sci-fi category last night with Stargate Atlantis: Inheritors.

116kkunker
des. 8, 2014, 11:46 pm

Finished off another category last night, Freebies (ARCs and gifts) by reading Defending the City of God.

117kkunker
des. 15, 2014, 8:41 pm

Finished off my Orson Scott Card category tonight, by reading Shadow of the Giant. I only have a few more categories, hope I can finish them all off.

118BookLizard
des. 15, 2014, 9:02 pm

Good luck! I have 16 books to read in 17 days. Luckily most are children's books and I'll have a few days off this month.

119kkunker
des. 18, 2014, 2:35 pm

I'm getting so close to finishing. I just need 7 more books in a few categories; I'm working my way through 5 right now. I just need to pick out my last couple and squeeze them in over the holidays.

120BookLizard
des. 20, 2014, 8:00 am

Keep going! You can make it!

121rabbitprincess
des. 20, 2014, 12:45 pm

Cheering you on as well!

122kkunker
des. 22, 2014, 11:37 pm

Finished off one for History/Religion tonight. 6 left to meet my goal.

123cammykitty
des. 23, 2014, 1:14 am

Looks good! You can do it!

124kkunker
des. 23, 2014, 5:24 pm

Just finished my final history/religion book, so there is one more category completed. Down to 5 books left to meet my goal.

125kkunker
des. 24, 2014, 2:59 pm

Finished off Ministry Protocol: Thrilling Tales of the Ministry of Peculiar Occurrences by Pip Ballantine today. That's one more category to mark off. I just have 2 categories left with 2 books in each.

126paruline
des. 24, 2014, 3:07 pm

You can do it!

127christina_reads
des. 25, 2014, 12:55 pm

Go go go! I'm in a similar boat...still have a few more books left to complete the challenge, but really hoping to finish them before the 31st!

128lkernagh
des. 26, 2014, 12:25 am

Stopping by to cheer you on to the finish line!

129kkunker
des. 27, 2014, 10:20 pm

Finished off one more fantasy, The Fatal Tree by Stephen Lawhead. I just need three more books to meet my goal.

130BookLizard
des. 28, 2014, 1:28 am

129> You can do it! I have 8 left myself, but they're mostly children's or YA books, so I'm hopeful.

131kkunker
des. 28, 2014, 10:27 pm

BookLizard: Good luck to you too.

I just finished off an Inklings books tonight, so I'm down to 2 more to meet my goal. I'm about halfway through 2 books, so I'm almost done.

132kkunker
des. 30, 2014, 1:13 pm

Finished off one more last night. Just need one final book.

133paruline
des. 31, 2014, 11:41 am

You can do it!

134hailelib
des. 31, 2014, 1:34 pm

Let us know how it goes. And, a Happy New Year!

135BookLizard
des. 31, 2014, 6:32 pm

You can do it! I have 2 left. I'm almost finished with a long book and I plan to read a children's book. Off the computer and back to the books!

136kkunker
gen. 1, 2015, 12:56 am

I finished off my challenge just under the wire. My final Inklings books is completed!
Happy New Year to everyone, and happy reading in 2015.

137christina_reads
gen. 1, 2015, 2:08 pm

Congratulations, and Happy New Year!

138lkernagh
gen. 1, 2015, 5:43 pm

Congratulations on completing your challenge and Happy New Year!

139-Eva-
gen. 1, 2015, 11:18 pm

Woo-hoo!! Congrats on finishing and happy new year!

140paruline
gen. 2, 2015, 9:52 am

Congratulations on finishing!

141BookLizard
gen. 2, 2015, 5:29 pm

Yay! I knew you could do it! :-)