Welcome to Litsy!

I had just purchased this tagged book for my brother when I read this in A Letter for Mary.As a very young precocious reader,my brother was wild for Tolkien & owned many first editions.He lost everything in a fire when wild fires in CA burned down his house,garage, brewery.His family got out;he suffered burns on his arms. Fortunately I had borrowed his letters from Father Christmas, so he has this original book.We sibs celebrate #Jólabókaflóðið

Any other Android users having issues with the Litsy app?? It's been acting odd for the past couple of weeks. When I try to find it on the Google Play store, it doesn't come up, so I can try to update the app. The add text function is working but not like it normally does.

#help

Such an interesting look at how CS Lewis and JRR Tolkien‘s experiences in WWI and their friendship influenced their writing. It also talked about the rise of the fantasy genre post-WWI. The time spent discussing Christianity did surprise me but that‘s my fault for not reading the subtitle.
Finished 10/13/2022

Getting some reading in while I wait for fifteen minutes. My county has expanded the essential workers group to include clergy. The gravity of this moment is not lost on me. The weight. The history. I‘m so thankful.

I live on the Oregon coast, so summer is pretty awesome. I think the highest temperature we've had so far was about 75. After 15 years in Texas, I ❤ summer again!

I'm enjoying the tagged. There's a little obligation to read it, since it's work-related, but I'm finding it more interesting than I anticipated.

Thanks @MoonWitch94 for the tag!

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
This audio book was even better than expected! I love the storied friendship of Lewis and Tolkien. Neither author would have penned their most beloved books without their friendship. I had no idea how much the war had effected both men. Their tremendous losses and sacrifices haunted them and it‘s evident in their writing. I will be rereading both authors soon in light of these revelations. I highly recommend this book!

“In the throes of one of the most destructive and dehumanizing wars in world history, something extraordinary occurred, never to be repeated. It happened on Christmas Eve, December 24, 1914.”

#FirstLineFridays
@ShyBookOwl

This book ended up being not what I expected. I liked it, but it felt like it was more about the history of the time and how it influenced their writing, not necessarily about their friendship. For some reason I went into the book thinking it would be more about their friendship. 🤷🏻‍♀️

This is my book haul from my visit to the WWI Museum and Memorial in KC. I couldn‘t walk empty handed from it and actually restrained myself and only got 2 books ☺️

1. See tagged book. I‘m hoping to finish it this weekend.
2. All the studying! (And I‘ll make an effort to get to church on Sunday.)
3. Yes.
4. Jack, Miranda, or Morgan
5. ❤️❤️❤️

#friyayintro

Tonight I went to hear Joseph Loconte speak at the National WWI Museum in Kansas City. Since I recently listened to the audiobook, most of what he said was familiar but also still fascinating. I appreciate this perspective on how the war and their faith likely influenced both Lewis and Tolkien‘s writing. He also shared that he is working on a related documentary series, and the trailer is available at http://hobbitwardrobe.com.

#YearofTolkien

St. Patrick‘s Day seemed an appropriate day to try the green tea matcha creme frappuccino (delicious) on my drive home while listening to this book about J.R.R. Tolkien & C.S. Lewis (who was born in Ireland). I‘m revisiting this interesting book in preparation for hearing the author speak in a couple weeks.

#audiobook #nonfiction #reread

Sharing an event I just heard about in case any other Kansas City area Littens are interested. Joseph Loconte, author of A Hobbit, a Wardrobe, and a Great War, will be speaking at the National World War I Museum on March 28, 2019. I really enjoyed the book and might even listen to it again before this event.

#JRRTolkien #YearofTolkien

It always blows my mind that J.R.R. Tolkien and C.S. Lewis knew each other!

Letting my family socialize while I wait in the car with my latest audio book 😉

"He [Owen Barfield] persuaded [C.S.] Lewis to abandon his 'chronological snobbery,' the assumption that the dominant intellectual fashion of the day makes every mode of thought from the past either suspect or irrelevant."

Thoroughly enjoyed that last book! Surveying my bookshelves, I see that I've collected a lot of fantasy to read, but I don't want to overdose on it, so I've decided on a reading pattern (at least for now): fantasy (book or series), other fiction, non-fiction, then back to fantasy.
Anyway! Time for a non-fiction choice regifted to me by my mother-in-law (who received it from a cousin but didn't wish to read it). 😂

She‘s in the crook of my arm. It was so hard to get this photo. #catsofitsy

I misplaced my copy of Practical Magic, so now I‘m reading this until I find it. #catsoflitsy

Loconte‘s book may not have the erudition of a Tom Shippey or a John Rateliff, but This book may be my favorite work on Tolkien. It is a slim book with a tight focus. Loconte zeroes in on their experiences in WWI and especially their reaction—a reaction at odds with that of the European literati, but one much more meaningful & lasting. https://everydayshouldbetuesday.wordpress.com/2018/07/26/tolkien-101-hobbit-ward...

“For all the accusations of ‘medieval escapism,‘ Tolkien comes closer to capturing the tragedy of the human condition than any postmodern cynic.”

An absolutely brilliant book. I listened to it, but I‘m definitely going to get a physical copy to add to my collection.

Great book!!!

Perhaps, in a sense, Tolkien has written a kind of war diary after all

Is it not plain that we must call them simply Human?

It‘s been a little while since I read a book about books, so I‘m enjoying reading about Tolkien and Lewis.

#MyHero #90sinJuly

For today's prompt I first thought of Frodo and Sam. Because there are many kinds of heroes & because "small" people can make big differences.

From the tagged book: "Explained Tolkien: 'The Hobbits are just rustic English people, made small in size because it reflects the generally small reach of their imagination—not the small reach of their courage or latent power.'"

A great and informing read about how WWI, their faith, and their friendship shaped Lewis and Tolkien's works. I didn't know a lot about WWI going into this book but those who do may find themselves bored. Interesting but I found myself wanting to know more than was offered about Lewis and Tolkien's friendship and how their faith influenced their writing.

Reading this makes me want to reread LOTR and Narnia now 💕

“The unpayable debt” he owed to Lewis, he said, was his “sheer encouragement”—over many years—to keep on. “He was for long my only audience,” Tolkien explained. “Only from him did I ever get the idea that my ‘stuff‘ could be more than a private hobby. But for his interest and unceasing eagerness for more I should never have brought The L. of the R. to a conclusion.”

And we all thank you, Lewis ❤️

"Tolkien‘s view was exactly the opposite: myths did not originate with man, but with God. They are his means of communicating at least a portion of his truth to the world. Because men and women come from God, Tolkien argued, their highest ideals and longings come from him as well. It is not only man‘s abstract reasoning, but also his imaginative inventions that find their origin in God. As such, they suggest an aspect of divine truth."

#riotgrams #day5 #somethingmagical
I started the tagged book today and it's really making me want to reread both of these fantasy classics. 🐉🦁

I enjoyed this book. I love the writings of both Tolkien and Lewis even taking several classes about finding the hidden symbols within their writings. I found the historical analysis of their motivations interesting; this book expanded my knowledge. It was well-written and organized flowing almost like a story. I loved the focus at the end of book on rethinking life.

If you turn hell upsidedown, you'll find 'made in Germany' stamped on the bottom. Billy Sunday.

After the war, Tolkien and Lewis made their way to Oxford University, where they took up their vocations as instructors in English literature. They met for the first time in 1926, and a bond of friendship was established that would transform their lives and careers. Tolkien would play a crucial role in Lewis's conversion to Christianity, while Lewis would be the decisive voice in persuading Tolkien to complete The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings.

This is an interesting, comparative look at the experiences of the two authors, the influences these had on their work, and the similarities in their writing. It's not quite what I was hoping for, but it is making me want to reread some of their novels with a more analytical perspective. 📖

#audiobook #nonfiction

"I am in fact a Hobbit (in all but size)"

"Tolkien and Lewis offer an understanding of the human story that is both tragic and hopeful: they suggest that war is a symptom of the ruin and wreckage of human life, but that it points the way to a life restored and transformed by grace". ? #Tolkien #Lewis

A girl's got to have plans 😍

On the signing of the armistice that ends WWI.

"War must be, while we defend our lives against a destroyer who would decor all, he explains. But I do not live the bright sword for its sharpness, nor the arrow for its swiftness, nor the warrior for his glory. I love only that which they defend."