September Revisited: End of Month Wrap-up with Art!

So - I wrote half of this post and then went to work, and after that, I went to ArtPrize.* 

Art was viewed, streets were walked (lots and lots of walking), and I didn't get home until 11pm, so no writing happened. So I am doing my wrap up on the first day of October. Happy October everyone!

September is over (*sniffles*) which means it's time for the Monthly Wrap-Up with Nicole at Feed Your Fiction Addiction. If you'd like to read more about it or link up (and read the other posts!), here's the link.

September wasn't as crazy as August, but I only managed 9 posts. It seemed like more work than that . . .?
September was also the beginning of fall (my favorite season), and contains Hobbit Day, but more on that later.

I finished with the intensive reading/reviewing program I was doing. I got to talk/chat with some authors via the internet, which was awesome, and I discovered a few really great books. My favorite one, Jakob's Colors, didn't make the final list (despite my lobbying and flag-waving), but I plan on plugging and reviewing it here soon.

Also, Fall TV is officially upon us. On that note, did anyone else watch the Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. premiere last night? I think the show is off to a strong third season start, and Leo Fitz is still the best.**

In other random news, I am almost finished reading all the way through Naruto.*** It will probably take me about 20 years to finish the anime though. Especially since I found out that Doctor Who season 8 is now on Netflix (and DW trumps everything). The BBC is much more logical about season lengths, I my opinion. They'll have 12-15 episodes, tops, and they're all 45 min (at least) long. It's like a miniseries every time. (Note, this does not apply to Sherlock, which needed more episodes to begin with).

So, other than ArtPrize (promise to take pictures when I go back on Friday!), and catching up on my reading, I didn't do much of note in September. So here's a quick post recap for you:

Tolkien Tribute:

In honor of Hobbit Day (September 22nd) I wrote about why I love Tolkien so much (limited myself to 10 coherent points). There were many quotes, and much sharing of feels. 

Beautiful People And Book Stuff:

I introduced Orlando, the secondary protagonist of my upcoming YA fantasy novel, Knight of the Blue Surcoat. And I drew a picture of him. He's a lovable fellow who likes horses and food, and accidentally makes enemies. He has devoted most of his life to bettering his older brothers at everything in hopes that his father will *finally* notice him.

For Beautiful People, I featured Luc, a secondary protagonist (and one of the main antagonists) of my WIP, The Last Coffee Shop. I think I can conclude that Luc's roguish ways and lying habit were not a turnoff, and we established that he is actually one of my favorite characters to write about. (To read about the Beautiful People meme, click here)

Book Reviews:

Wolf by Wolf by Ryan Graudin was only my second 5 star review of the year. The book is fabulous and you should check it out.

Orbiting Jupiter by Gary D. Schmidt was soul-crushing but beautiful. 4.5 stars.

I actually finished a lot of books in September, I'm just behind on reviewing them.

Top Ten Tuesdays:

Top 10 Characters I Couldn't Connect With (I had some unpopular opinions here, for sure, but I made sure to include funny gifs as a peace offering).

Top 10 Books You Should Read if You Like . . . where I made book mixes. I mean, recommendations.

Tags:

The Sisterhood/Siblinghood of World Bloggers - I was tagged by E. Rawls and Bogdana the Booknerd, and combined the post. Part I was a fun "Would You Rather?" and Part II was about "Reading Habits." I had fun answering all the questions, and added lots of gifs because I have a gif problem.****

I delved deep into the fires of my TBR pile for the TBR tag, also courtesy of Bogdana. More gifs ensued.

Since that is it for posts and since I have been in the art mood for weeks, I'll leave you with my (now) monthly collection of art discovered on my internet rambles: 

Disclaimer: All art is posted with full links and credits to the artist. It is used only to promote their fabulous artwork and I am making zero profit :) Cheers.

We'll start with this fantastic Little Red Riding Hood piece by Swiss artist Jade Mosch (ELK64 on Deviantart.com). It's called The Wolf and Me, and you can view it full size here.

Copyright Elk64 on Deviantart.com

I feel alone in the woods just looking at it! Mosch used watercolor and gouache. Stunning.

The next piece is by Burdge. Her art is a staple on Tumblr and Pinterest, and for good reason. She captures characters so well, and her art is just fantastic. And it's often adorable. That's a killer combo, so applause for her. This one is called "London Below," and it is fanart from Neverwhere by Neil Gaiman.

Didn't Burdge capture them perfectly?! Copyright Burdge

And here is one that made me laugh. And I am really in a Star Wars mood: It's "all about that base" by Desiree Surjadi ( Shorelle on Deviantart.com). Be sure to check our her shop for more great SW art, Game of Thrones, and more.

Copyright Shorelle

Shorelle has a complete series of these (including this one of Anakin that is hysterical) in her Star Wars Gallery.

I will finish off with some of the cutest LOTR fanart I have ever seen. Korean artist Harmonia3784 manages to make the hobbits look like cuddly E. H. Shepherd illustrations.

Copyright Harmonia3784

See? So. Cute. It's like something you'd have framed on a nursery wall.

So that's it for September. October is one of my favorite months, so I hope it seems longer! I've got books to read, art to see, leaves to chase (I still do that), and a costume to plot (I work on Halloween=I'm allowed to wear a costume!). What are some of your October plans?

Footnotes:

*ArtPrize is a giant public art competition that takes place in Grand Rapids, MI. People from all over the world (and at all different skill levels) enter to win thousands of dollars. Half is popular vote, half is critic's choice, but there's not really anything quite like it. And it makes GR feel like a giant festival.

**Iain De Caestecker's (Spelling-Google) acting keeps getting better. And I love his character evolution! And the accent doesn't hurt anything. Just saying.

***At 72 volumes, it's no joke. And I think the inter-library loan people are scared of me now.

****

Top Ten Tolkien Tribute for Hobbit Day 2015 (Quotes, Feelings, Fanart, and More!)

“The Road goes ever on and on

Down from the door where it began.

Now far ahead the Road has gone,

And I must follow, if I can,

Pursuing it with eager feet,

Until it joins some larger way

Where many paths and errands meet.

And whither then? I cannot say”

J. R. R. Tolkien - The Fellowship of the Ring

(All quotes and images are copyrighted to Tolkien's estate, unless credited otherwise)

Have you ever heard a beautiful melody or song, forgotten to note it down, and then tirelessly searched for the half-remembered piece? Maybe you find it, or maybe you find other lovely songs that distract you momentarily. But eventually, if you look hard enough, you stumble across that first piece you were looking for, and it's like losing something and finding something all at once. Because the searching was half of what you were chasing.

Maybe that doesn't make any sense, but it's as close as I can come to putting my feelings about The Lord of the Rings (and all of Tolkien's works), into words. Which is a strange place for a writer to be! But regardless, every time I pick up The Lord of the Rings, it's like coming home while catching an even worse case of wanderlust. But maybe I should clarify - it isn't just LOTR that does that to me - I feel the same way every time I come back from a trip to someplace exciting.

You see, I'm a wanderer by nature. I don't like to sit still, and as much as I love my home and my kitchen, I am endlessly fascinated by the thought of what might be outside my door. And Tolkien understood that feeling, and put it into words, better than I ever have:

“He used often to say there was only one Road; that it was like a great river: its springs were at every doorstep, and every path was its tributary. 'It's a dangerous business, Frodo, going out of your door,' he used to say. 'You step into the Road, and if you don't keep your feet, there is no knowing where you might be swept off to.” The Fellowship of the Ring - J. R. R. Tolkien

But a love for wandering isn't the only writer's legacy that Tolkien left us. In fact, some of the things that I love best about him are just the things that get him criticized in modern circles. He wrote about the pure and the good, the truly evil, the morally complicated, and he had a deep understanding of the importance of all of those things. In other words, he was quite old-fashioned. And frankly, anyone who says that he had little variation/representation of female characters is only partly right - they've obviously never read The Silmarillion.

So to celebrate Hobbit Day (Bilbo and Frodo's birthday) here are my 

Top Ten Favorite Things About Tolkien's Writing (with quotes and illustrations)

1. Middle Earth

I dare anyone to make it through his books and not be in love with Middle Earth. From Hobbiton to The Lonely Mountain, to Ancient Númenor, Middle Earth is the mythical place I "miss" the most. And I confess that New Zealand is on my top 5 places I must go, because of the movies.

“He is a great enough magician to tap our most common nightmares, daydreams and twilight fancies, but he never invented them either: he found them a place to live, a green alternative to each day's madness here in a poisoned world. We are raised to honor all the wrong explorers and discoverers - thieves planting flags, murderers carrying crosses. Let us at last praise the colonizers of dreams.” ― Peter S. Beagle, The Tolkien Reader

2. Elves

People who know me were probably surprised that this isn't the first one on the list.

©2012-2015 daLomacchi Brothers in Beleriand by daLomacchi on Deviantart.com

I want to be an elf. Specifically, one of Tolkien's elves. Wise, deadly, gracious, elegant, enigmatic - I think you get the point. A little bit of the Celtic fay folk, a little bit of every wise but dangerous counselor in fairy tales, and a dash of danger make Tolkien's elves THE BEST. Even when parts of The Silmarillion practically had me shouting at them in anger (I'm looking at you, sons of Fëanor!), it was only because I loved them so much.

'And it is also said,' answered Frodo: 'Go not to the Elves for counsel for they will answer both no and yes.'
'Is it indeed?' laughed Gildor. 'Elves seldom give unguarded advice, for advice is a dangerous gift, even from the wise to the wise, and all courses may run ill.” The Fellowship of the Ring

3.  Tolkien's Quiet Wisdom

I'll let him speak for himself here:

“There is more in you of good than you know, child of the kindly West. Some courage and some wisdom, blended in measure. If more of us valued food and cheer and song above hoarded gold, it would be a merrier world.” The Hobbit

“I wish it need not have happened in my time," said Frodo.
"So do I," said Gandalf, "and so do all who live to see such times. But that is not for them to decide. All we have to decide is what to do with the time that is given us.” The Fellowship of the Ring

“Deserves it! I daresay he does. Many that live deserve death. And some that die deserve life. Can you give it to them? Then do not be too eager to deal out death in judgement. For even the very wise cannot see all ends.” The Fellowship of the Ring

“War must be, while we defend our lives against a destroyer who would devour all; but I do not love 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.” The Two Towers

“It's like in the great stories, Mr. Frodo. The ones that really mattered. Full of darkness and danger they were. And sometimes you didn't want to know the end… because how could the end be happy? How could the world go back to the way it was when so much bad had happened? But in the end, it’s only a passing thing… this shadow. Even darkness must pass.” The Two Towers

“But I have been too deeply hurt, Sam. I tried to save the Shire, and it has been saved, but not for me. It must often be so, Sam, when things are in danger: some one has to give them up, lose them, so that others may keep them.” The Return of the King

“A man that flies from his fear may find that he has only taken a short cut to meet it.” The Children of Hurin

4. Tolkien's Love for Language and Words

Source

See #3 for examples. But what else would you expect from a philologist? The man was in love with language. And I have yet to read anyone who topped him in the invented languages department. It's more like he rediscovered something forgotten.

And speaking of languages - his translation of Beowulf is splendid (naturally). And if we're talking poetry and language, look at The Fall of Arthur, or The Legend of Sigurd and Gudrun.

And the Tengwar - so gorgeous! Source

5. HOBBITS

I personally think that Freeman is a fabulous Bilbo.

No tribute to Tolkien would be complete without mentioning the small, brave, and simple folk of the Shire. Bilbo, Frodo, Sam, Merry, Pippen - they're wonderful characters, and they have more heart and courage than most. And they really do appreciate the good things in life. I'd like to be an elf, but deep down, I know I'm more of a hobbit. I suspect that goes for all of us!

"Good morning!" he said at last. "We don't want any adventures here, thank you! You might try over The Hill or across The Water." By this he meant that the conversation was at an end."What a lot of things you do use Good morning for!" said Gandalf. "Now you mean that you want to get rid of me, and that it won't be good till I move off.” The Hobbit

6. All the Characters

From Tumblr.

I've mentioned elves and hobbits, but I haven't specifically mentioned Faramir, Eowyn, Boromir, Thranduil, Aragorn, Luthien, FINROD, Galadriel, Gandalf, Elrond, Elwing, and I could go on . . . Even the more evil characters (especially in the Silmarillion) are fascinating. And they're all epic. And epic = good.

7. The Aforementioned Values

“It is not our part to master all the tides of the world, but to do what is in us for the succor of those years wherein we are set, uprooting the evil in the fields that we know, so that those who live after may have clean earth to till. What weather they shall have is not ours to rule.” 

Tolkien had an immense appreciation for all that was great and good in the world: Courage, Honor, Duty, Fidelity. Call me Captain America, but I think we could use some more of it all. And Tolkien's characters always made me want to be noble, big-hearted, and selfless. There's a lot to be said for doing your best, being your best, and seeking the best in others.

8. Tolkien's Love for Nature

Tolkien was a self-proclaimed "tree-advocate." And all you have to do is read a few chapters of his works to see his love for the natural world. Just contrast the Elves and Orcs, and you'll see something interesting: Orcs rely on war machines and contraptions, while Elves tend and revere the earth. I don't know if I was always a nature girl, or if I can blame Professor Tolkien for that too, but it really doesn't matter. Tolkien was a great advocate of stewardship - of treating Creation with respect instead of taking it for granted. And I don't know if he really gets enough credit for that.

The leaves were long, the grass was green,
The hemlock-umbels tall and fair,
And in the glade a light was seen
Of stars in shadow shimmering. 

9. The Worldbuilding

He is the Master of Worldbuilding. See #1. In fact, I was actually thinking of Tolkien when I named this blog. He's the worldbuilder I aspire to be like.* Look at 1-8, and you'll see evidence of this. Middle Earth is so vivid and real that thousands of us are homesick for it.

“Home is behind, the world ahead,And there are many paths to tread
Through shadows to the edge of night,
Until the stars are all alight.
Then world behind and home ahead,
We'll wander back and home to bed.
Mist and twilight, cloud and shade,
Away shall fade! Away shall fade!”  

10. The Heart

I dare you to have dry eyes. One part that the movie did so well.

Again, I think this is pretty obvious from some of the other numbers on this list. But there is love for life, people, culture, history, lore, and all good things in Tolkien's writing. Don't believe me? Look at Sam Gamgee.

“Come, Mr. Frodo!' he cried. 'I can't carry it for you, but I can carry you and it as well. So up you get! Come on, Mr. Frodo dear! Sam will give you a ride. Just tell him where to go, and he'll go” The Return of the King

Honorable Mention: Tolkien's great appreciation for food. This shouldn't be undervalued, for sure.

So there you have it: My Top 10 Favorite Tolkien Things! Happy Hobbit Day! (Going to watch Return of the King now)

If you're a Tolkien fan, what's your favorite thing about him or his books? Feel free to gush away in the comments (I'll join you).

Footnotes:

*In case you wondered, the Wordsmith I thought of [when naming my blog] was Shakespeare.