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  • Side quest: Dracula

    Side quest: Dracula

    Gothic castle on rocky cliffs by ocean at sunset with birds flying overhead
    The castle in the book is falling apart and ugly. So I like to picture it looking nicer.

    Good day,

    It has been a while. I’ve had a hard time reading Lord of the Rings, so I took a long break and read Dracula.

    My theory was well if I can finish reading my number one most hated book then I can read anything. And its proven to have helped me stay focused. I read it on a kindle so I could look up word I had never heard of or that were used differently that what I’m use to.

    Brief moment to talk about Dracula unabridged. Skip this if you don’t want spoilers.

    Character introduction:

    County Dracula: a man of many skills. He’s a magician, he is a great host, he is a skilled chef, he is a chamber pot maid, and he’s also into expanding his real estate. He’s also besties with the gypsies in the village.

    Mina Harker: she’s that friend who never says anything mean about anyone but also has no idea what’s going on all the time. All the men adore her but in admiration not in lust.

    Lucy Westenra: she’s into boys. Her theme song would be ‘Boys’ by Charlie xCx. If I were to cast her with whoever from whatever time, it would be Marilyn Monroe.

    Quincey Morris! My favorite character he’s the only one really understood the assignment. He saw a bat and he shot a bat and guess what THAT GIANT BAT WAS DRACULA. He’s also a Texan, which so random. The author really loves Texas and USA. They have a line in there about if all men are like Quincey blah blah back home blah blah. Quincey is the dude and honestly if it were just him and Van Helsing the story would be shorter.

    Arthur Holmwood: I do not know this man.

    Jonathan Harker: annoying. He should have died day one. Mina’s fiancé then husband and honestly this man was denser than Mina. 

    Renfield: I got a bone to pick with everyone on this dude when they made every movie I’ve seen with Dracula. He is a patient at the psych ward and he likes to eat bugs and progresses up to eating raw birds. Dracula meets him (because they’re neighbors) and he’s like yo do my bidding blah blah give you want you want in life.

    Dr. John Seward: this dude was so lame he is out there being a ‘doctor’ but he’s main hobby is watching Renfield and running experiments on him. He’s Van Helsing’s student. 

    Abraham Van Helsing: he’s old, smart and very busy. Helsing is mostly corresponding with Dr. Seward regarding Lucy and how she’s getting sick. Because apparently there is only one doctor and its Dr. Seward.

    Anyways they live close by with Dr. Seward being Dracula’s neighbor. 

    Dracula is a terrible being and it even seems he’s more animal than person. And I say this because it takes him a moment to realize he can move he box of dirt vs hiring people to move it. And just a bunch of other little things through out the book that remind me of an animal who just has the goal of eating vs living well and blending in.

    MEDICAL STUFF IN THE BOOK: There is so much blood transfusions in this book that I’m surprised no one died of it. No one is type and crossed everyone is just giving blood on the spot and no one is having allergic reactions. Van Helsing just does brain surgery in here too on Renfield, just digging around in his brain. 

    Mental Connection: Mina has a mental connection with Dracula before he could kill her which makes sense why in most movies she’s the love interest. In the book Dracula is just feeding on these women and men because they’re just next door. Mina is poor so of course she’s always hanging out at Lucy’s house. Me too I love hanging out at my friends houses who have the fire place.

    Sea Chase: That’s right there is a sea chase. Dracula has been caught red handed figures he needs to flee and he gets in his dirt box and gets on ship home.  Mina has that mental connection so they all board a ship and chase after him and Mina updates telling them..still at sea.

    This whole book was funny. I had to stop a lot because of how funny things were. It was a gothic christian horror book, that’s the best way I could describe it.

    Anyways, I’m glad I finally finished reading this book it just took me three years. Each year I start it in January and hate it then I drop it. But this year I powered through it gave myself some grace, its okay to read older books slowly.

    So I’m back at Lord of the Rings. I’ll update in the next day or two.

    See yall later!

  • My Reading Goals: Finishing Projects and Books

    My Reading Goals: Finishing Projects and Books

    It’s bee a while and I forgot about this project. However this years goal is basically to finish all projects, products I purchase, and complete pending tasks.

    So hopefully we can get through this. Last year I started Lord of the Rings and just got off track. I’m going to go back re-read chapter 1-2 and get to chapter 3.

    I will read LoTR. I’ll also continue reading other books. I figure I’ll include a little insight on here too. I mean according to Kindle I’ve read about 38 books so I had material to blog about.

    Anyways…goals this week re-read chapter 1-2 of LoTR and also I am going to try and get through Dracula AGAIN.

    I hate only one book and it’s Bram Stokers Dracula. Over the years I have honestly tried to read and listen to this book. It is an Epistolary Novel, and I find it hard to read. This style of writing has me just wondering away from the story often.

    See you guys soon.

  • Chapter 1-2 Gandalf, Frodo, and the Secret Ring | Fellowship of the Ring

    Chapter 1-2 Gandalf, Frodo, and the Secret Ring | Fellowship of the Ring

    Fellowship of the Ring

    We have finally made it to the first chapter. But Dear Reader I have a secret… I’ve listened to the entire audio book.

    Anyways–in this chapter we find Bilbo Baggins planning his party for is birthday 111 years young.

    Hobbiton is always whispering about him. He’s so young looking. He is so well preserved. Ladies and gentlemen we have an Age of Adeline situation here.

    They gossip about that one time he disappeared for a while and came back with lots of loot. Bilbo has always been super nice and generous with his money. While he was away on his adventure, his family secretly opening hoped he never returned. Even before his adventure it seems he had a pretty good thing going for him.

    But he wasn’t really close to anyone for years until Frodo (his cousin) got older and then Bilbo named him his heir.

    Gossip on Frodo: His parents drowned so he’s an orphan. His parents names are Drogo Baggins and Primula Brandybuck. And of course the family wasn’t too happy with the marriage. I gathered they may have been related on a … Sweet Home Alabama level. But it’s surprising because most if not all hobbits are related to each other. And they all proudly know their family tree through and through.

    Back to the party…

    Bilbo orders lots of food and beverages, and eventually Gandalf shows up with his own special fireworks. So at the party Bilbo gives this whole speech. He goes out there it sounds pretty prosaic, then he gets shady the crowd isn’t really clapping. And after some more words he slips the ring on says goodbye and poofs away.

    Bilbo and Gandalf have a talk which starts off civil nd takes a turn when its becomes apparent that Bilbo does not want to part with the ring as he had earlier promised Gandalf. Bilbo tries to reason his claim for this ring and argue why he should keep it. I wonder if the ring knows Bilbo is traveling and it wants to be found.

    Anyways Bilbo departs and he does leave the ring and puts Frodo in charge of handling his affairs as his heir. Frodo and Gandalf have a conversation about the ring in which Gandalf tells Frodo to keep the ring secret and safe. He does go as far as to say not to make use of it. At this point Gandalf knows nothing of this ring. Which c’mon they all know what happened right the war and what not way back when.

    So Frodo is left to settle Bilbo’s affairs ie: the distribution of things he wanted to give people from his estate. At first it was orderly and hobbits were given items left to them in the will however that didn’t last very long.

    The town all wanted a piece of Bag End and whatever they dreamed Bilbo had hidden away from his adventure. Frodo was left to manage the fights, label swapping, hole punching walls, and the digging in the pantries floors that the hobbits started doing.

    And not many were happy with the arrangements Bilbo left in place with Frodo as heir. Mostly the family and they were very vocal about it.

    The town even wonders if Bilbo died. Did they think he just took himself outback and ended it all?

    I’m currently on the second audio book and it’s like pulling teeth at this moment. I liked Fellowship of the Ring more.

    Well anyways.. see ya later

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  • The Prologue: A Brief History of Hobbits and Elves | Explained

    The Prologue: A Brief History of Hobbits and Elves | Explained

    J.R.R. Tolkien

    The prologue occupied itself with a brief history of Hobbits and Hobbit characteristics. We are told about their likes, hobbies and homes. A crash course on Hobbit families.

    In the prologue we learn that Hobbits and Elves use to communicate often and got along until Hobbits started to distrust them and avoided them.

    For the most part they have a idilic lifestyle and enjoy the cozier things in life. They don’t seem to work but rather coexist together in an off grid style of living. One would look after their own gardens, home and personal needs.

    They invited smoking the pipe, they called it a weed which was mostly picked for its fragrance before they started smoking it. Tolkien calls it a pipe-weed or leaf so we can speculate as to what the Hobbits or anyone else was smoking.

    Gollum is mentioned in this prologue a throw back to The Hobbit where he encounters Bilbo and loses his ring. The odd game of riddles and eventual realization Bilbo found and too the ring. Bilbo who found the ring thinks its just luck being on it his. Working theory: the ring wants to be found.

    -Good Night

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