The Fireside

Wow. What an incredible book! This, to me, falls into that 'grey area' between historical fiction, and fantasy. But bear with me. If you enjoy 'grounded' fantasy with a rich background lore (The Lord of the Rings, A Song of Ice and Fire) you will definitely enjoy this. However, if you also enjoy historical fiction, you will enjoy this as well. I actually heard of this, because at the time that "A Dance with Dragons" (A Song of Ice and Fire Book 5) came out, my national bookstore had a table set up with other titles, with a sign saying "Like This? Try These..." and the warlord books were on that table. This book 'strips away' the fantastical elements of Arthur, Camelot and Merlin we are used to hearing about and sets it in history. From the sound of the names, it appears that Arthur and the lands are Welsh, but I could be mistaken. Also, the Author's Note is worth reading [found at the back], and can be read either before ...

So, some of the editions of my primary Tolkien books I own that I've shown you can be a bit pricey, hard to get, etc. Or, maybe you're not the biggest Tolkien fan. Or, you dislike hardbacks. Or maybe you're thinking of getting some into Tolkien. This time, I'm going to recommend some great all-around editions of Tolkien's books to you . Content wise, design wise etc...these are the paperback 'mirror' equal to my hardbacks. And, to the deluxe editions, as well. I may not have mentioned this till now, but I see the Tolkien books on a scale, from 'lowest to highest', in terms of price, quality and other factors: ~ paperback ~ hardback ~ deluxe So this week I'm going to examine the 'definitive' paperback editions. Next week will be the same, but with the deluxe editions. Below, find the cover artwork, the book's title, and the ISBN: which is what you should REALLY be using to look them up to buy them (tolkien.co.uk, amazon.co...

It’s finally out. Well, released in the manner that I would like. A video game I’ve been hearing nothing but great things about since it was released.  The Witcher 3, but the Game of the Year Edition. Now, I hardly ever buy or play computer video games when they’re brand new. Especially if I have a feeling, or if it’s likely that future content will be coming somewhere down the road (great examples is The Elder Scrolls series). For starters, my hardware is never not quite up to snuff to run the game ‘properly’ (all settings maxed out!). So, when it comes to computer games I’m used to sort of waiting. What I do, is wait for the deluxe / game of the year type package to arrive before I get it. Or, if there is no ‘package’, I’ll buy everything related to the game in one shot. Once the company and developers say “that’s it, we’re finished on __. No future content will be coming.” I think “OK, now I can get it!” or shortly thereafter. That way, I get the ‘complete’...

In some of my earlier Tolkien Tuesday posts, I mentioned how I own some Tolkien books that are not 'on the shelf'. Of course, I have no desire to 'hide' them, but a) 'the shelf' is reserved for the MAIN books. and b) If I would put everything by Tolkien on the shelf, I fear it may get too full, or too heavy for everything. So I keep them in another area, yet still all together. Please note that this post will be the last of "things I own" in regards to Tolkien Tuesday. If I obtain another Tolkien book, I'll most likely do a post just about it.  This post will list them all: - The Annotated Hobbit (Revised Edition) "Seldom has any book been so widely read and loved as J.R.R. Tolkien’s classic tale, The Hobbit. Since its first publication in 1937 it has remained in print to delight each new generation of readers all over the world, and its hero, Bilbo Baggins, has taken his place among the ranks of the immortals: Alice, P...

My my, how time flies! August is nearly at an end! I don’t know why time has seemed to flow quicker than usual as of late. I haven’t been keeping myself too busy. It may be time to finally shut off the air conditioning. I don’t put it on when it gets unbearably hot or humid, but more to keep the temperature at a specific level so it won’t get hot in the house. September is nearly upon us, which means Labour Day long-weekend is coming up for us Canadian folk. That also means that fall is nigh. Now, I really like it when it’s ‘cool’ or ‘warm’. Ideally, my preferred temperature is 20 celsius, either end of the thermometer. I also like winter. I just dislike how long we have ‘winter weather’ here up in Canada. Towards the end, it feels like it overstays its welcome. And the barren stretch of Jan & Feb is never fun either. Bit by bit I’ve been working on the book. The plot (not my work, but the story progression) is advancing at a glacial pace. I mean, of course, the...

"Books are meant to read !" I hear some of you crying aloud. I definitely agree. However, there are certain editions of certain books that appeal to collectors. Whether we want a nicer edition beyond a possibly spectacular hardback editions for our own reading, or for 'holding on to', collecting books, especially Tolkien books is definitely a popular thing. What initially attracted me to collecting them, is that I saw some of the prices the original editions (first edition, first print, first impression...) are going for. It's crazy to see how much some are worth, and how much they sell for. Also, look at other items over the years. Namely, Star Wars action figures still in the box, etc. I own two 'sets' of Tolkien books. There are my hardback editions for reading and using (although taking care of them as best as I can), and there are my 'do not read editions'. These, as you've guessed are not reading, and were purchased with ...

So lately you may have been hearing about a band in the news or on social media called The Tragically Hip. Also known as "Canada's Pearl Jam". Let me tell you why. Earlier this year, the band's singer, Gord Downie, had been diagnosed with terminal brain cancer. Shortly after the news broke, the band announced a (potential) farewell tour. I phrase it like that, because, really, the future of the band is dependant on Gord's health as time goes on. Apparantly, he has received treatment, and it's gone well, but there's no cure for his particular case. This past Saturday, as the band's (potentially) final show, of that tour, in their hometown of Kingston, Ontario. Oh yes - they're Canadian! I'm unfamiliar with the band, for the most part. Since they are Canadian, I've heard a good number of their songs throughout the years - music videos on much music, on the radio, etc. Outside of that, I haven't paid that much attention. I only ...