The Heir of Mistmantle

In my first two reviews of the Mistmantle Chronicles (Urchin of the Riding Stars and Urchin and the Heartstone), I mentioned that I was surprised and delighted by Urchin and his adventures. I said that the openings were interesting (they are), that the writing was elegant (absolutely so), that the characters were delightful (they are),…

The Borrowed House

“[Hilda van Stockum] says, ‘It is light that creates beauty in nature. Without light we can’t see, and all form is lost, whereas the most common and despised objects can be made beautiful by the light that plays on them. You don’t have to paint heroic scenes or idealized goddesses . . . a common…

Hobbit Club Recipes & Links

These links and resources are a support to our “Building A Hobbit Club” series. July & August: The Hobbit Lake Town Cram: check out this interesting discussion Beorn’s Honey Cakes Bilbo’s Tea Cake September – Bilbo’s Journey by Joseph Pearce I have a review of Bilbo’s Journey – coming soon October – The Fellowship of the Ring,…

Hobbit Club Discussion Questions

Hobbit Club Discussion Questions (July & August) The Hobbit Tolkien, a master of words, uses the word ‘burglar’ to describe Bilbo. What does that mean? How are Bilbo and Gollum alike? How is Beorn like Lewis’s Aslan? Isn’t it interesting that after their stay with Beorn, Gandalf tells the party that he will be leaving…

Building A Hobbit Club

In the Spring of 2018, almost 2 dozen hobbits from a variety of parishes and walks of life came together to begin a monthly book club adventure into Middle Earth. We continue to meet and each month we discuss the literature as well as the Catholic themes we see. At our gatherings, we pray, laugh,…

Hobbit Club: January 2019

This is part of the Hobbit Club series This month we opened our book club with what we understand was J.R.R. Tolkien’s favorite prayer: The Litany of Mother Mary. We Catholics love our litanies. They are so soothing while also inviting contemplation. Our Lord despises vain repetitions, but He did not object to repetition. In…

Hobbit Club: December 2018

This is part of our Hobbit Club Series At our December meeting, I was sick. I got sick in October and have been in and out of doctors’ offices since then. At the time of writing this (February) I am preparing for a surgery which should cap off a nearly five-month ordeal. In fact, I…

The Book of Three Book Club

Last month I had the pleasure of reading The Book of Three by Lloyd Alexander with almost twenty young readers. It was a tremendously good book club because, after a year and a half of reading together, we have developed a common vernacular and culture. It isn’t enough to discuss the story arc or character…