Top Ten Tuesday: Back to the beginning

 

Welcome to this week's edition of Top Ten Tuesday which is hosted by That Artsy Reader Girl. This week's theme is a Thankful/Thanksgiving Freebie

I recently celebrated my 18th anniversary of blogging. 18!! Happy Blogiversary to me!

To celebrate, I finally decided what I am going to do about Instagram and now I have an Insta account specifically for bookish goodness. Yes, I am committing to Bookstagram. I am always very late for any trends but better late than never!

You can find me @intrepidreaderandbaker and I would love it if you added it, and I will follow back!

For this week's TTT post, I thought I would go back and share the first 10 books I reviewed here on my blog. Best not to look at the reviews themselves because let's just say those early reviews would look very different if I was to write them today.

The Red Tent by Anita Diamant - I had been thinking about starting to write book reviews, but this was the book that I had to write something about and, in effect, started it all. (link)

Sugar Cookie Murder by Joanne Fluke - Apparently this was my first review of a book I didn't love! I stopped reading this series soon after because the love triangle annoyed me. If I heard correctly it is still unresolved although I could be wrong. (link)

Chronicals of Narnia by C S Lewis - Not really reviews as such, but this kind of covers the first two books in this series (link)

Dreamland by Kevin Baker - I was trying to recall the book I first read about the Triangle Shirtwaist Fire. Maybe it was this one. (link)

The Dragon and the Jewel by Virginia Henley - I do not remember this book at all!! And I am pretty sure it is a book I wouldn't pick up these days as I can't remember the last time I read a medieval romance. (link)

Bread and Chocolate by Philippa Gregory - At the time, I really loved Phillipa Gregory's books. Wouldn't read them now, but still. (link)

Bubbles Unbound by Sarah Strohmeyer - This was a fun series that I haven't thought about for a long time. Think Stephanie Plum but with an author who knows when it is time to end the series. This was the first book in the Bubbles Yablonsky series.

Last Chance Saloon by Marian Keyes - I would still read Marian Keyes, if I could fit it in my reading schedule. (link)

Voyage of the Dawn Treader by C S Lewis - I was reading this series with my son who was 8 at the time! (link)

A Redbird Christmas by Fannie Flagg - The first second Christmas book I read for this blog, but definitely not the last. (link)

We recently had a topic where we talked about how our reading habits have changed. This post showed that again for me!

Top Ten Tuesday - Horses

Welcome to this week's edition of Top Ten Tuesday which is hosted by That Artsy Reader Girl. This week's theme is Covers with [Item] on the Cover (You choose the item! It can be anything at all.)

Today is a public holiday here in Melbourne for the Melbourne Cup. Yes, we have a public holiday for a horse race. Therefore, my post this week is all about horses! I actually started this post a few years ago and then came up with other posts on the dates closest to Melbourne Cup day, but this year everything aligned and it was time to roll it out.

The Horse and His Boy by CS Lewis - I read this in my pre-blogging days, which is a very long time ago indeed!

The Water Horse by Julia Gregson - This book tells the story of Florence Nightingale in the Crimean War

Out Stealing Horses by Per Petterson - I read this in pre-blogging days as well and don't remember much about it!

The Shadowy Horses by Susanna Kearsley - Having recently visited a Roman archeological site, I feel like Ishould maybe revisit this book, which is all about the lost Roman Legion. (My review)

The Bronze Horseman by Paullina Simons - This book is actually named for a statue of horse in St Peterburg but it still counts for this topic

The Horse Dancer by Jojo Moyes - I haven't read this book but I have read others by her..

The Boy, the Mole, the Fox and the Horse by Charlie Mackesy - I have owned this book for 18 months or so, but I still haven't read it.

Horse by Geraldine Brooks - I haven't read this one either, but I have seen her speak and read a few of her books.

The Valley of the Horses by Jean Auel - Another pre blogging read. 

Foals Bread by Gillian Mears - I really didn't like this book but it definitely fits the theme.

So there are ten books that feature horses in the title, or 9 books with a picture of a horse on the cover

The Last Battle by CS Lewis

I've been contemplating what to write about finishing The Last Battle, the last of The Chronicles of Narnia for a couple of days, because to be honest, it kind of left a distasteful after taste. After reading all of the other six books in the series I could not believe that the final scenes in the book are of a vengeful Aslan, liberally handing out judgements.

In the last book, we meet an ape called Shift and a donkey called Puzzle. After finding a lion's skin, Shift convinces Puzzle to put the lion skin on and pretend to be Aslan, so that they could get whatever they want. In due course they have a whole group of followers who believe that Aslan really has returned to Narnia, and who are following blindly despite the fact that the requests that "Aslan" is making are not very God like, and that no one is allowed to actually stand close enough to see him. The ape has also fallen into league with the Calormene.

King Rilian and his faithful unicorn Jewel are among the very few disbelievers and he tries to convince his fellow Narnians that they are being duped. soon many including the treacherous dwarves are professing to follow neither Aslan nor Rilian. They are going to live for themselves from now on.

Into this come Jill and Eustace and they soon are fighting to convince the people that the real Aslan would not ask such things as these. After rescuing Puzzle, things take a more vengeful turn.

In due course we are reintroduced to all of the major characters from the previous books - Peter, Edmund and Lucy, Digby and Polly, but not Susan, for she is now no longer a friend of Narnia. The explanation of why they are all now come to the new Narnia is lightly passed over, however for me was a very harsh way of bringing things all together.

Funnily enough, the books I liked least in this series were the stories of the beginning (The Magician's Nephew) and the end of Narnia, and they were for me the most biblical. Maybe that is why...not sure on that though!

I loved most of the other books in the series, but for me this ended on a sour note. I wanted a happily ever after I guess, just not the type of happy ever after I got!

Rating: 3.5/5

The Magician's Nephew by CS Lewis

This is the sixth book in the Chronicles of Narnia that I have read. Only one more to go, The Last Battle.

Whilst I did enjoy this book, I think that my poor non creative brain would have handled this better if I had of read the series chronologically instead of in the published order. Oh well... next time I read it I will read it chronologically!!

This book is basically the story of the creation of Narnia. Digby and Polly are two friends that live next door to each other in London. Digby's horrible Uncle Andrew used magic to send Polly to another world, and so Digby had to go to find her. They find themselves in a place that is like a door between many worlds. As they want to explore they choose to enter another world, and find themselves in the world of Charn, a place where the inhabitants have gone into a permanent sleep. The only way for them to be awoken is for a magic bell to be rung. Polly doesn't want to ring it, but Digby rings it anyway and they find themselves face to face with Jadis, who we know is the White Witch from The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe. Jadis escapes with the children back to London, causing chaos, so Digby and Polly have to lead her away from their own world and back to another.

When they end up in the world that we know as Narnia we find out how the lamppost came to be where it is, and how it is that the animals could speak, and we meet the inaugural King and Queen of Narnia, King Frank and Queen Helen.

This was another enjoyable read. I am looking forward to reading the last book in the series.

Here is the link to the other posts about the Chronicles of Narnia.


Rating 3.5 out of 5

The Silver Chair by CS Lewis

Eustace Scrubb returns to Narnia along with his school mate Jillian Pole. Eustace previously visited Narnia in The Voyage of the Dawn Treader with his cousins Lucy and Edmund, where his adventures included being turned into a dragon, and he really wanted to go back so he is calling Aslan to let him back into Narnia, when suddenly his request is granted.

Before he knows it, Jill and Eustace are in Narnia and on a quest to find King Caspian's son Rilian who disappeared 10 years ago. Caspian is now and old man, and he has no heir, so Jill and Eustace are sent by Aslan to go and find him as he is being held captive. They are accompanied on their journey by a Marsh-Wiggle and encounter giants who like nothing better than man-pie on their great feast days. They also enter underground worlds where there is a great enchantment, and learn lessons about obedience and Aslan's power along the way.

This is probably my favourite so far after The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe.

Here is a link to my previous posts about books from the Chronicles of Narnia series.

Rating 4.5 out of 5


Other blogger's thoughts:

Puss Reboots

The Horse and His Boy by CS Lewis

After all my fuss about what is the correct order to read the Chronicles of Narnia in (see previous post here.) I then went an picked up the wrong book, so have just finished The Horse and His Boy when I should have been reading The Silver Chair! Oh well!! Reading the first line, I was convinced that I really should have read the books in chronological order..that as it was now it was definitely not the right order!! We'll see how it all fits in place once I have read The Silver Chair which is now my next read!

In The Horse and His Boy, Shasta has been raised as a fisherman's son, but basically worked as a in the land of Calormen. When he overhears his father planning to sell him off to become a slave he decides to run away and look for the magical land of Narnia. Along the way he meets up with a talking horse whose abbreviated name is Bree (we humans couldn't pronounce his whole name properly if we tried!) and Aravis and her talking horse Hwin. Their journey is fraught with danger esepcially as the treacherous Calormen are about to commit an act of war on Archenland, a close ally of Narnia.

Aslan makes several appearances in this novel, and this certainly is a very meaningful book. I can however see more in this book than I have in any of the others that I have read why Lewis gets into trouble for being racist and sexist in this series. The Calormen are all dark skinned whilst our hero, Shasta is in fact Archenland royalty and he is blond and fair skinned. The division between good and evil is very clearly delineated in this way.

My post regarding the previous Chronicle of Narnia that I read is here.

Rating 4 out of 5

The Voyage of the Dawn Treader

Edmund and Lucy return to Narnia, this time accompanied by their annoying cousin Eustace. They are drawn into the Narnian world through a painting of a boat on the wall of the bedroom where they are staying with Eustace's parents because their own parents have gone off to America with Susan.

Once they are rescued from the water, they find that on the boat is none other than Prince Caspian who is going off to find out what happened to seven Lords who went off on an adventure many years ago and never returned.

Along the way, Caspian and the children discover new and magical lands. Eustace is turned into a dragon, they find a magical stream where everything that touches the water turns to gold, and several other exciting lands.

This was a very exciting adventure, and I look forward to continuing my journey into Narnia in the next book.

Rating 4/5

You can see my previous posts in relation to the Chronicles of Narnia here.

Chronicles of Narnia

Not too long ago I read The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe by CS Lewis, and today I finished reading Prince Caspian. What great stories!

LWW will, I guess, always be the most popular of these books but I really quite enjoyed Prince Caspian as well, and will be reading the next book in the series soon. I have also started rereading LWW with my son, and we will definitely be going to see the movie when it comes out here. Everything I have seen from the movie looks absolutely fantastic.

My one problem with the whole Chronicles of Narnia thing is the reading order question. There are some that believe that the books that should be read in chronological order of the events as they happen in Narnia - with the order therefore being:

• The Magician's Nephew
• The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe
• The Horse and His Boy
• Prince Caspian
• The Voyage of the Dawn Treader
• The Silver Chair
• The Last Battle

Others believe that the reading order should be the order the books were written in:

• The Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe
• Prince Caspian
• The Voyage of the Dawn Treader
• The Silver Chair
• The Horse and His Boy
• The Magician's Nephew
• The Last Battle

There are plenty of people in both camps, but the problem for me is...I just want to know which way is RIGHT! Reading a series out of order just about drives me crazy (call me pedantic if you like) but when there is no right order...Argh!!!! At least everyone agrees on what the last book in the series should be!!

As for me, I am going with published order, simply because that's the way it was written.

Rating for The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe 4.5/5

Rating for Prince Caspian 3.5/5