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comment by caeli
caeli  ·  3129 days ago  ·  link  ·    ·  parent  ·  post: September 28th: What are you reading this week?

Tolkien is a master storyteller! Regardless of whether you end up liking LOTR, you should also read the Silmarillion (it's very different).





RicePaddy  ·  3129 days ago  ·  link  ·  

I'd really like to! I love all the lore and how well his universe ties together. There was reference to Silmarils somewhere before the Council of Elrond and it got me curious.

raisin  ·  3129 days ago  ·  link  ·  

Silmarillion is tough though. Definitely not everyone's cup of tea (I know it wasn't mine).

Speaking of Tolkien, I still have to get around to reading his translation of Beowulf, it's somewhere in my house. Just gotta find it...

tehstone  ·  3129 days ago  ·  link  ·  

I need to finish that Beowulf translation, I bought it when it was first published and read most of it but never finished. Goodreads keeps reminding me every week too...

caeli  ·  3129 days ago  ·  link  ·  

Yeah it really depends on your taste. I find the Silmarillion much more enjoyable than LOTR actually! It's a very different style.

user-inactivated  ·  3129 days ago  ·  link  ·  

    Speaking of Tolkien, I still have to get around to reading his translation of Beowulf, it's somewhere in my house. Just gotta find it...

Have you read Seamus Heany's translation? It's the only one I've read but I think it's great.

raisin  ·  3129 days ago  ·  link  ·  

No, not yet. I'll stop by a book store later this week, see if they have the translation.

user-inactivated  ·  3128 days ago  ·  link  ·  

If you can, see if they have the Bilingual Edition. It has his modern English translation side by side with the text in Old English (or is it Gaelic? I dunno.). I mean, I can't read it or understand it, but to know it's there every time I glance to the left half of the book just makes what I'm reading seem that much more special.