View topic - Llewellyn's Literary Log
I'll start off by sharing the legend that inspired my name, the legend of Llewellyn (sometimes spelled Llewelyn or Llywelyn) and Gelert.
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"Llewellyn, prince of Wales, is said to have loved the chase above all else but always took with him his Irish wolf- dog, Gelert. The prince had many hounds, but Gelert was his favourite and was always there for the morning hunt. However, one day Gelert did not turn up and eventually Llewellyn went off with his followers and the hounds but could not enjoy his day and in the end hurried back home to find out what had happened to Gelert. He was met by Gelert, giving his usual greeting, but Llewellyn was horrified to find that Gelert was covered in blood. Hurrying into the castle, he went to see his infant son but found the cradle overturned and empty, with no sign of the child, but with blood everywhere.
Concluding that Gelert must have killed and eaten the baby, Llewellyn drew his sword and plunged it into the hound. The stricken Gelert gave a long-drawn out howl as he died and this cry was followed by a child's wail. Llewellyn searched for the source of this sound and found his child under a pile of bedding from the cradle, completely unharmed, and close by was the body of a gaunt wolf, which had obviously been slain by Gelert after a bloody battle.
Horrified at what he had done, and stricken by remorse, Llewellyn had the body of Gelert buried with due pomp and the place was afterwards known as Bedd Gelert (the grave of Gelert), as was the town that grew up near to it."
http://www.irishwolfhounds.org/gelert.htm
Books I have read in 2011:
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1. Cirque Du Freak #1
2. Cirque Du Freak #2
3. Cirque Du Freak #3
4. Cirque Du Freak #4
5. Cirque Du Freak #5
6. Cirque Du Freak #6
7. Cirque Du Freak #7
8. Cirque Du Freak #8
9. Cirque Du Freak #9
10. Cirque Du Freak #10
11. Cirque Du Freak #11
12. Cirque Du Freak #12
13. Iron Fey #1
14. The Mirror Crack'd
15. Golden Compass #2
16. Golden Compass #3
17. Taggerung (only half counts, I finished it after January, but I am pretty sure I started it before January)
18. Skulduggery Pleasant
19. Iron Fey #2
20. Iron Fey #3
21. Percy Jackson #2
22. Vampire Weenies
23. The Runelords
24. Hospice and Grief: Paul & Sylvia's Love Across the Veil
25. Percy Jackson #3
26. Burn Out
27. Angelology
28. This Letter to Norman Court
29. Percy Jackson #4
30. Journal of a Schoolyard Bully
31. Iron House
32. Percy Jackson #5
33. Trick of the Dark
34. The Faerie Path
35. Kethani
36. The Giver
37. Water Spirits (The Enchanted World Series)
38. The Case of the Baker Street Irregular
39. Brotherhood of the Wolf
40. Charlie and the Chocolate Factory
41. Wicked Autumn
42. Sense and Sensibility
43. Matilda
44. Wyatt
45. A Killer Named Hatch Massacre on Potato Hill
46. The Magic Three of Solatia
47. Claymore #1 Silver-Eyed Slayer
48. Claymore #2 Darkness in Paradise
49. Claymore #3 Teresa of the Faint Smile
50. Claymore #4 Marked for Death
51. Claymore #5 The Slashers
52. Only Time Will Tell
53. Claymore #6 The Endless Gravestones
54. Claymore #7 Fit for Battle
55. Claymore #8 The Witch's Maw
56. Claymore #9 The Deep Abyss of Purgatory
57. Claymore #10 The Battle of the North
58. Claymore #11 Kindred of Paradise
59. Murkmere
60. Esio Trot
Books I have read in 2012:
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1. Claymore #12
2. Sorcery & Cecelia
3. Start Something That Matters
4. Bed Bugs
5. Claymore #13
6. Shadow Bound
7. Claymore #14
8. Claymore #15
9. Claymore #16
10. Claymore #17
11. Claymore #18
12. The Borrowers
13. A Practical Guide to Wizardry
14. Busy Monsters
15. Howl's Moving Castle
16. Claymore #19
17. The Borrowers #2
18. Claymore #20
19. Claymore #21
20. The Iron Knight
21. The Borrowers #3
22. Stephen King Goes to the Movies
23. Beyond the Deepwoods
24. Castle in the Air
25. The Grimm Legacy
26. The Shadow Thieves
27. 100 Cupboards
28. Fruits Basket #1
29. The Sins of the Father
30. Stormchaser
31. The Borrowers #4
32. The Borrowers #5
33. Fergus Crane
34. Claymore #22
35. Dandelion Fire
36. Karlology
37. Gathering Blue
38. Happlyslapped by a Jellyfish: The Words of Karl Pilkington
39. An Idiot Abroad: The Travel Diaries of Karl Pilkington
40. Wizardborn
41. The Taker
42. Fruits Basket #2
43. Midnight Over Sanctaphrax
44. Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children
45. Eragon
46. On the Edge of the Dark Sea of Darkness
47. To Kill a Mockingbird
48. Frenchman's Creek
49. New Skies
50. The Wonderful Story of Henry Sugar and Six More
Currently reading:
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The Swan Maiden
Feel free to add me on GoodReads.
http://www.goodreads.com/user/show/5339113-llewellyn
QuoteLast edited by Llewellyn on Wed Dec 26, 2012 4:00 pm; edited 49 times in total
Wow you're right. That was incredibly lucky to find the hardcover of those books for a dollar at
a garage sale. Somehow my fifth book got ruined and so I've got to get another one when I get
the chance. Don't think I'll happen to be as lucky as you though.
I agree, it's quite bothersome when they change so much when making the book into a movie. And
what I don't understand is how the authors could possibly let them do something like that. You
would think that they'd want to director to stay true to the original story but it never turns
out that way.
"When I saw you I fell in love,
and you smiled because you knew."
I'm hoping I'll get lucky again and find #6 and 7 at a garage sale for fairly cheap. Preferably pristine hardcovers again too! Probably won't be this summer though since those two are newer and most people aren't getting rid of them just yet and since garage sale season is about over. I just hate buying them brand new and paying like $25 each!
My #1 is a paperback, so I'm also keeping an eye out for that in a hardcover if it's cheap and in good shape because I'd like to get them all matching eventually.
I'm curious just how much say authors have when their books are made into movies.
As far as book to movie stories go, I think they actually did pretty good with Harry Potter. I mean, they left some things out and changed a few mostly minor details, but they were pretty true to the story for the most part and of course had to squeeze a lot into two hours or so, so I can't blame them for a lot of the changes they made.
But I've seen some movies that veered off from the book in really huge and bizarre ways. Like Frenchman's Creek. If I remember correctly in the book a guy stole a kiss from a woman and in the movie they turned it into a really disturbing scene of forcible rape. I can't even remember what else they changed (I watched it like 10 years ago), but I remembered thinking that it was barely even the same story anymore...It bugged me.
Every once in a while though a movie will not be entirely faithful to the book and I actually like the movie better. That's the case with Nicholas Nickelby (the movie used all the good bits and left out all the dry stuff in my opinion) and Les Miserables (the one with Uma Thurman; they stopped the movie when the author should have stopped the book if you ask me!)
I hope no one has a hold on the book. I usually only read about a chapter a day, so I have to renew most books. I hate having to bring a book back unfinished, and I also hate paying library fines!
I bought the Secret of NIMH on DVD for $5 at Walmart last night.
Almost done with my Harry Potter #6 book. I've been slacking a little on reading lately.
But I was able to renew it, so it isn't due until the 18th.
I've also been placing things on hold on the library website, but many of them way in the future, just so that I don't forget what I want to take out!
So this is what my hold list looks like:
The lightning thief by Riordan, Rick. Inactive (until 10/7/2010)
(Saw the movie, thought it was pretty good)
The tales of Beedle the bard : a wizarding classic from the world of Harry Potter
by Rowling, J. K. Inactive (until 11/7/2010)
(I like Harry Potter and thought I would see what this extra one is about)
Harry Potter and the deathly hallows by Rowling, J. K. Inactive (until 10/7/2010)
(Have to finish the series of course!)
A living nightmare by Shan, Darren. Inactive (until 11/7/2010)
(This is the Cirque du freak book. I liked the movie and thought I would check out the books, especially since I heard they might not continue the series in movie form)
Twilight by Meyer, Stephenie, 1973- Inactive (until 4/18/2011)
(Saw the first movie, thought it was ok, curious to see what all the excitement is about)
A day with Wilbur Robinson by Joyce, William, 1957- Inactive (until 5/23/2011)
(Saw the movie "Meet the Robinsons" and liked it, the movie is based on this book)
The subtle knife by Pullman, Philip, 1946- Inactive (until 7/24/2011)
(Golden Compass series, liked the movie and heard they were not going to continue the rest of the series in movie form, and I want to see where it goes)
The golden compass by Pullman, Philip, 1946- Inactive (until 5/24/2011)
The amber spyglass by Pullman, Philip, 1946- Inactive (until 9/24/2011)
Hey, nice thread. Very original!
I've read a few of the books that you mention: all Harry Potter books, all Twilight saga and The Lightening Thief.
I love Harry Potter, it is one of my favourite book series ever. Nevertheless, I didn't enjoy the last book. I was expecting so much more from Deathly Hallows... But the journey was totally worth it, despite the weak ending!
Twilight... well... I must say that I've read all four books and I haven't enjoyed a single one. I just can't understand how anyone can accept such weak storyline and boring characters. Really. I could go on and on about every aspect of this collection that I dislike, but that is not the focus here, right?
The last one, The Lightening Thief... I felt as if I was reading a low quality copy of Harry Potter. HP with demigods instead of witches and wizards. I was not compelled to read the rest of the series so I can't say if it gets any better. But I've found the first volume a bit of a disappointment.
Anyways, I just wanted to tell you that this thread is really criative and I hope you keep updating it. ^_^
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Yeah, I am not really getting my hopes up about Twilight. I've heard that it's a little odd. And I read a summary of the series, and was like what!?
But my friend loves it and is even writing a book to go along with it or something. 
So I'm really curious.Llewellyn wrote:Thanks!
Yeah, I am not really getting my hopes up about Twilight. I've heard that it's a little odd. And I read a summary of the series, and was like what!?
Yep, the story is not only weird, it's just plain boring, in my opinion. I had to read all the books for the same reason you felt like reading: because I've got some friends who just love the series and they were like "Come on, you have to read it. It's awesome.". So, one bright and useless day, I borrowed all the books and read them all in a row. I think perhaps it would be a good idea for you to read the whole story as well. You won't lose anything except precious time. And you'll have the chance to build a concrete opinon of your own on the series. So why not, right? I know some people worship the books. I just don't like them. Period. For many, many reasons. Especially the idea that Edward is the most perfect male in the world. Well, I just find him selfish and boring. I'd never date someone like him. XD
I'm currently reading a book called 'Good Omens'. It was writen by Neil Gaiman and Terry Pratchett. It's a parody of the Apocalipse and it's absurdly funny. Ever heard of it?
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Llewellyn wrote:Hmm, it sounds vaguely familiar, but I don't think I ever read it.
It's very good. Well, I really like Neil Gaiman and Terry Pratchett so... For me they are already perfect each writing their own books. Imagine when they decide to write together! ^_^
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