More Fun with Librarian Movies

I do indeed love books. Don't you?

The Fellowship of the Ring by Tolkien

The first thing that struck me while reading this was that it is truly part of a whole book; there was a reason why Tolkien wrote (what we know as) The Lord of the Rings (Trilogy) as one book – the stories seem to flow and ebb together nicely. The second thing that struck me is that there is no religion in these stories. Really. If you really root around in the books, you could argue that the characters (especially the Men of Gondor and the Elves) have a kind of ancestor-worship. In his introduction (I believe it was written for the 196? edition), Tolkien explains that he never intended for his books to be viewed at as or made into allegory (I am reminded of Twain’s similar attempt to forbid anyone to take his Adventures of Huckleberry Finn seriously : “Persons attempting to find a motive in this narrative will be prosecuted; persons attempting to find a moral in it will be banished; persons attempting to find a plot in it will be shot.”). Tolkien seemed to describe Middle Earth and the people in it so effortlessly that the reader believes that there is so much more to Middle Earth than this small (in comparison) story about a ring and some Hobbits. As we discovered after this Trilogy’s original publication, there were many other stories to be told from Middle Earth.

Other than the fact that this book is excellent in its dialogue, pacing, plot, and descriptions, Tolkien did not write very strong female characters (which Peter Jackson tried to achieve in his fantastic movies). I also especially like Tolkien’s way of juxtaposing plot and setting – of going against what is usual and expected in literature. For example, Frodo and Gandalf discuss the ring at length for the first time in the morning, with the sun shining and Sam outside the window, whistling.

Overall, I am very happy I’ve finally read this book, and I look forward to completing the trilogy.

If you enjoyed this book, please consider one of the following :
Fiction Recommendation : The Two Towers by Tolkien. The adventure continues in the second book of the trilogy.
Fiction Recommendation : The Hobbit by Tolkien. Here is where Gandalf and Bilbo’s adventures begin.
Nonfiction Recommendation : The Languages of Tolkien's Middle-Earth by Ruth S. Noel and J.R.R. Tolkien. This is the book on all of Tolkien's invented languages, spoken by hobbits, elves, and men of Middle-earth -- a dictionary of fourteen languages, an English-Elvish glossary, all the runes and alphabets, and material on Tolkien the linguist.

Attempting to be a Student Librarian

I'm sure most of you will forgive the lack of posts. This one isn't long, but is rather important. I would like to share with you a wonderful movie which I first learned about almost two years ago when I started my MLS and read this article. When I heard that the world Premiere of this wonderful documentary, Hollywood Librarian, would be this summer at ALA, I was very tempted to attend. In the end, I've decided to put my meager funds towards Rare Book School, but I wait eagerly for my chance to see it. Please take the time to view the trailer for this film (added below), and also read the director's (Ann M. Seidl's) blog. Please share your thoughts and comments, and pass this information on to your other Librarian friends. (And here is some fun footage of behind-the-scenes). Thank you for stopping by.

Twilight by Stephenie Meyer

This book is deep, intense, and teetering so close to the edge of melodrama that it can only involve High School Students (with all their intense, dramatic, and misunderstood issues in life). Isabella Swan (Bella, please) is just the average American teenager. She was living in Phoenix but when her mother remarries and moves to Florida, Bella goes to live in Forks, Washington with her father, Charlie. Bella is absolutely miserable. Trying to not stick out in the tiny town of Forks with its even smaller High School, she soon finds herself the object of attention by one of the most beautiful human beings creatures she’s ever met, Edward Cullen. There are five Cullens in the school, and their history is shrouded in mystery. After Edward saves her life but is uninjured himself, Bella begins to wonder about what he could possibly be. After a talk with a member of the Native American tribe of Forks she comes to realize what The Cullens are. Vampires.

This wonderful book is a twist on a centuries-old theme, but it only adds to the powerful characters and passionate emotions that fly (yes, indeedy) through the air. I eagerly await the third book in this series. One of the most fascinating anecdotes about this book is how the idea came to Ms. Meyer. According to her website, she saw scenes between Edward and Bella, complete with dialogue, in her dreams. Upon waking, she wrote down everything she remembered, but it took her months to figure out what it all meant.

If you enjoyed this book, please consider one of the following :
Fiction Recommendation : New Moon by Stephenie Meyer. In this sequel to Twilight, Bella and Edward’s adventures continue and relationship deepens.

Nonfiction Recommendation : The Vampire Encyclopedia by Matthew Bunson. With over 2,000 entries in A-to-Z format, this book is a one-stop reference for everything and anything to do with vampires, from books and films to the history of the vampire legend and ways to ward off these creatures.

The Pooh Perplex by Frederick C. Crews

In 1963, this light and amusing book gave the Literary Criticism world a much-needed jab in the ribs. This wonderful satire on conventional criticism is so cleverly written that I can believe that academics actually wrote this dribble (for dribble it is, if taken seriously). (Or perhaps I have simply spent too much time with Literary Critics.) In this collection of twelve essays, Crews rips poor Winnie-the-Pooh to shreds with his theories including Freudians, Aristotelians, and New Critics. In addition, he compares these works by Milne to Shakespeare and Dante. As a final act of hilarity, Crews twice looks at Pooh from a Religious angle, with different results each time (at one point, Eeyore is the embodiment of Christ, at another time, Christopher Robin is). This slim volume comes complete with ridiculous footnotes, tongue-in-cheek "questions and study projects," and hilarious biographical notes on the contributors.


If you enjoyed this book, please consider one of the following :
Fiction Recommendation : Winnie-The-Pooh by A.A. Milne. These delightful stories are wonderful in their childlike simplicity and playfulness. And the original illustrations by Shepard convey more emotion in their simplicity than Disney ever accomplished.
Nonfiction Recommendation : Pride and Promiscuity : The Lost Sex Scenes of Jane Austen by Arielle Eckstut. In 1999, two amateur Jane Austen scholars staying at an English state stumbled upon a hidden cache of manuscript pages and made the literary discovery of the century -- the lost sex scenes from Jane Austen's novels. Published here for the first time, the lost pages display Emma taking self-satisfaction to a whole new level, and reveal Henry Crawford's thorough exploration of "brotherly love" at Mansfield Park.
Nonfiction Recommendation : Postmodern Pooh by Frederick C. Crews. This sequel is, if possible, more trenchant and hilarious than the original. This is partly circumstantial, as the English Lit profession has become more self-parodying than ever. In 11 sham essays (complete with footnotes of brilliantly chosen actual texts), Crews takes on deconstruction, queer theory, gender/body studies, post colonial studies, chaos theory, etc.

The Innocent Man by John Grisham

The tagline to this book is, “If you believe that in America you are innocent until proven guilty, this book will shock you. If you believe in the death penalty, this book will disturb you. If you believe the criminal justice system is fair, this book will infuriate you.” And I couldn’t agree more. Perhaps I’ve been conditioned from watching CSI and other forensic/crime drama shows, but I became physically mad at times while reading this book. Despite the first-person pronoun in the title, Grisham introduces the reader to at least four men who were accused of, and in some cases executed for, crimes they did not commit. The main focus of the book is on Ronald Williamson, a former Minor league baseball player who, in the early 1980s, was a couch potato. When a young woman in his hometown, Debbie Carter, was brutally raped and murdered, he was implicated by one man, and for reasons that are still sketchy, the Chief of Police and the local District Attorney focused their entire investigation on Mr. Williamson, nearly to the exclusion of anyone else, including one man’s videotaped confession that he had killed Ms. Carter. Over the course of many years, the police put together a case against Mr. Williamson that was based on hearsay, shaky evidence, and prison snitches. One major piece of evidence that was used against Mr. Williamson was a dream that he told the police he had. In that dream, he had raped and killed Ms. Carter. Mr. Williamson and a friend, Dennis Fritz, were eventually convicted of the rape and murder, and Mr. Williamson was put on Death Row. After many years, with the help of The Innocence Project, both convictions were overturned and both men were freed and given a monetary compensation. While this story does have a satisfactory ending for the family of Mr. Williamson, Debbie Carter’s murder is still unsolved. By the time I finished reading the book, I was no longer angry, but I was disappointed that there are places in America where injustice is so obvious and ramped. I wasn’t surprised, which is the sad part, but I am pleased that Grisham took the time to convey this story to the American public. Perhaps the nation will soon be able to really learn from its mistakes.

If you enjoyed this book, please consider these :
Fiction Recommendation #1 : The Testament by John Grisham. This novel tells the story of Nate O’Reily, a lawyer set on a wild goose chase in order to pin down the heir of a great fortune. Nonfiction Recommendation #1 : The Dreams of Ada : A True Story of Murder, Obsession, and a Small Town by Robert Mayer. This book, published in 1987 first brought the story of the unfairness of the trials in Ada, OK, to the general public. Mr. Grisham cites it on occasion.