Narnia
Mr. Tumnus is Finished…Feeling Like Some 221b Baker Street Next!
Sorry for the glare, the ointment gives a nice reflection. Waiting a few weeks and then bringing in the Sherlock Holmes ink I want done so they can draw it up for me.
On another note, I have many, many book reviews coming up. Stay Tuned!
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It’s Official; I Have a Book Addiction. Or Is It a Tattoo Addiction?
Okay; it is both.
Yesterday was my 1st of 2 appointments for my latest tattoo. Okay; my 10th tattoo. But is is actually my first tattoo (of more to come) that will be based on the stories I have cherished for as long as I have been reading. Which is a really, really long time.
I wanted to start with Narnia, and I knew it had to be Mr. Tumnus and the lamppost. I also wanted to include my favorite Bible verse (Psalm 119:105), so this was the perfect tattoo to start with.
It had to be old-school; an image that was in the original book. A little searching had many great ideas. Luckily my long-time tattoo artist is fabulous at drawing what I ask for, so I literally had no idea what this tattoo was going to look like when I walked in yesterday for my appointment. I had absolutely no concerns about how it was going to look.
I got the outline and shading done yesterday, and have an appointment in 3 weeks to get the light coloring added in. These are the best pictures I could get, being the only person home and the tattoo reaching from the top of my shoulder to my elbow.
Do you have any tattoos that show your love of books?
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Books Versus Their Movie Counterpart…
…great idea, or did they kill the story?
I find myself in my own personal argument about this, because although there are books I have read, and thought the movies were terrible; I also know that so many people decided to pick up and read that book because they saw the movie.
Some easy ones for me that should have never been made? Any Romeo and Juliet movie; ever. Honestly, I never enjoyed the story, so there was zero chance I would like any movie based on this story.
This is strictly my personal-non-scientific-I-watch-too-many-movies opinion; so we will just go with it.
I read Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone when the movie was done at the theater, but not released on dvd. I read it in a day, and by that time, the next two books were already out. So it took a while before I got caught up to the book releases and had to wait in line for the remaining books. I loved the movies, as much as the stories.
I absolutely love the Twilight series. The movies were painful to watch because I think Kristen Stewart is the worse actress ever; but I loved the stories. So yes, I did watch, and own, each dvd.
The Hunger Games. I loved the books, but as each successive movie comes out, I find it more unbearable to sit through.
Inkheart. Oh. My. Goodness. I love this story, and the movie. I watch it all the time. I do not know why, but I love watching Brendan Fraser in any movie. Goofy; serious; I just like him. But Inkspell and Inkdeath never made it to film. Journey to the Center of the Earth? Loved him in that. Yes; I own that too.
And Narnia. Oh my favorite, glorious Narnian world. I have heard rumors about The Silver Chair being next to be produced, but the actors are grown, and can no longer fill the roles as they left them.
What movie have you loved that you wish was written in a story?
Me? Stephen King’s From a Buick 8.
One of my favorite stories, as you all know, and I would love to see this made into a movie.
What about you?
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Prince Caspian – The Chronicles of Narnia – C.S. Lewis
One of my favorites from the Narnia series, this story had me laughing out loud, angry, and sad, all in one setting. The thing I enjoy most about C.S. Lewis and his writing is how he just puts it out there. Right there; yes, for you to see, and contemplate, and enjoy.
Okay, enough reminiscing.
There are some great lines in this story, as well as the others, that make me remember them long after I read them.
Chapter 3: “The worst of sleeping out of doors is that you wake up so dreadfully early.”
The Pevensies wanted to go back to Narnia, but they did not know what that would cost them. Prince Caspian is the rightful heir, being denied his throne by his uncle. It is a quick story, with all of the allegories you come to expect from Mr. Lewis. And I have to honestly say; Reep-a-Cheep is likely my favorite “character” out of all of them! Well, except for Aslan, of course!
If you have seen the movie, I have to say it is quite different from the story, but I do enjoy the movie as well. How did you feel about this installment in the Narnia series?
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The Horse and His Boy – The Chronicles of Narnia – C.S. Lewis
Book number three in the Narnia series, by the numbering on the books I have, is “The Horse and His Boy.” This is also the only book I seem to have missing from my collector’s box that holds all 7 of these books. I haven’t the slightest idea where it went, who may have had it last, or how I managed to lose a book!
With that being said, this is actually my least favorite book out of the 7 in the series. This is a novel that can stand alone, and there is no need to read, or have read, and of the other books to enjoy this one. I did like this story, I just did not find it as interesting as the other 6 stories. This story is set in Narnia for its entirety, and focuses on a boy running away from home, who meets a horse who is also running away from home.
Shasta discovers his adoptive father is going to sell him as a slave, and learns from Bree, a horse at the stable, that Bree has been treated badly by this same adoptive father. A plan gets underway, and soon both Shasta and Bree are on the run, trying to get to Narnia and the High Kings and Queens there; yes, the Pevensies. (And yes, of course the horses talk, it is Narnia!)
They also meet a girl and her horse who are running away from home; she being a Princess forced to marry against her will. Once they reach their destination, they both learn things about themselves that will change their lives forever. These two eventually get married, and have a son who becomes the most famous King of Archenland.
The thing I liked best about this story was the cat who seemed to follow Shasta all through his journey. Sometimes a lion chasing him, and sometimes a cat comforting him; Aslan always makes his presence known.
Which Narnia story did you like the least? I know it’s hard to choose when they are all great stories, but they can’t all be your favorites, or are they?
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The Lion, The Witch, and The Wardrobe – The Chronicles of Narnia – C.S. Lewis
Since I reviewed my favorite Narnia book, I thought I may as well just work right through the series. Probably not consecutively though. I will keep this review light and simple, since so many are familiar with this story.
This is the story where we meet Digory Kirke again, except now he is Professor Kirke, and he is who the Pevensie’s go to stay with while the war is happening. The wardrobe that Lucy steps through to find Narnia? That wardrobe is made from the first tree that was planted in Narnia in book one, “The Magician’s Nephew“.
Lucy has a hard time convincing her siblings of this wonderful world she found, and even Edmund lies to Peter and Susan about it after he went there himself. Older brothers, right?
While trying to hide from the housekeeper, all 4 of the Pevensie’s climb into the wardrobe, and step in Narnia. Edmund gets an earful for lying, Susan wants to return to the professor’s home, and Peter and Lucy want to explore. They meet the Beaver’s, who are one of my favorite parts of this story!
Edmund decides to go find the White Witch, because she promised to make him a King. Since he is tired of being bossed around by Peter and Susan, this is just the ticket for him. But of course, it’s not. He manages to get all four of them in a heap of trouble, and it takes Aslan to get them out of it.
This is the first story that was made into a movie, although I used to watch this as a cartoon when I was growing up. It must have been in the late 70’s, and it was shown once a year, kind of like The Wizard of Oz was shown. It was always on a weekend, and it was a big deal to watch this cartoon movie. Maybe that is why I never read the books when I was growing up!
If you would like more information about this series of books, be sure to visit the Narnia website here: https://www.narnia.com/us
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The Magician’s Nephew – The Chronicles of Narnia – C. S. Lewis
Out of all 7 of the stories in The Chronicles of Narnia series, I think “The Magician’s Nephew” is my favorite one! I never read these stories during my childhood (I have no idea why!) but I have read them several times in my recent past. This is a series that I get to share with my girls, and they like it as much as I do.
Well, maybe not as much, but they like it none-the-less!
The Magician’s Nephew takes you through how Narnia came to be, along with Aslan, the White Witch, and Professor Kirke, or Digory Kirke in this story. The first tree that gets planted in Narnia has significance in future stories as well.
Digory is staying with his Aunt and Uncle, due to his mother having a severe illness. Extremely upset by this situation, he goes in the backyard, crying, and meets the neighbor, a girl his age named Polly. It does not take long for them to decide to start exploring the attics of the townhouses they live in. They are all connected through the roof, so they can get from one end to the other.
Leave it to Digory to sneak right into his own townhouse, and right into his Uncle’s secret room. This is where things get really interesting.
His Uncle sees Digory and Polly as the perfect pair to test out his magic rings. And let me be clear on this; these are real magic rings. As soon as Polly puts a ring on and disappears, Digory quickly sees what a coward his Uncle really is. Digory has no choice but to put a ring on himself and see if he can find Polly and bring her back.
Digory finds Polly, and they begin their amazing adventures into many different worlds. One world holds the White Witch, whom Digory and Polly end up bringing right back into their world.
The uncle is thrilled, Digory is furious, and someone had better figure out how to fix this mess, and quick!
I will not go further into the story with spoilers, but this is indeed how we got our Narnia. There are many situations that will test Digory’s morals, and with the help of Aslan, he attempts to put things right again. Or as right as possible considering he has unleashed the White Witch unto the world.
This is just the beginning of one of my very favorite series, and I have read these books to my girls until they were able to read them themselves.
Do you have a favorite Chronicles of Narnia book?
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The Narnian : The Life and Imagination of C.S. Lewis – Alan Jacobs
I am a huge fan of the Narnia books, and all books by Clive Staples Lewis. The Narnian is a great overview of C.S. Lewis and his life, and how that in turn brought us the wonderful world of Narnia, and the adventures of the Pevensies.
You will learn about his youth in Ireland. The games he played with his brother Warnie, and how this was the beginning of what would become Narnia. Clive loved to create worlds with fantastic creatures and settings even from a very young age.
Taking part in World War I, being in the trenches fearing for his life would have even more profound effects on his beliefs, and his writing. C.S. Lewis was also friends with J.R.R. Tolkien, and they were members of a writing group known as “The Inklings.” Could you imagine sitting in a room with C.S. and J.R.R.? Oh my goodness, I do not know if I would be speechless, or unable to shut up with never-ending questions I would love to ask both of these great writers!
This is a thorough, extensive biography of the life of C.S. Lewis, and even if you have extensive knowledge of him already, you are bound to learn some new things in this book as well. A wonderful read for fans of C.S., his stories, or great writers in general. This is a book I will read again!
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Tuesday’s Thought For The Day!
booksandopinions.com 