Bookshelf Tour #3

Hello :) Here is the third installment of my Bookshelf Tour where I showcase all the books that I own whether they are on my bookcase or kindle. The last two installments were dedicated to my wonderful little kindle (which has plenty more books added to it since my last posts; oopsie!) which you can view here & here. Today I'll be showcasing the main shelf of books in my university room. I just love this shelf and it is where I keep all my favourite books so that they're on show. On the wall behind I also have a penguin book wall which I am planning on decorating with penguin postcards which are basically a set of a 100 book cover postcards. I can't wait I think it'll look fab. Also you'll notice a pattern in regards to my Tolkien books so if you want to learn more about my Tolkien obsession check out my post here. This will be a photo heavy post so if you want to see the pictures bigger just click on the images :) Enjoy!

• Journeys into the Past: Life in the Age of the Pharaohs
• Journeys into the Past: Life in the Age of Exploration
• Tolkien: The Illustrated Encyclopaedia - David Day
• The Lord of the Rings: The Making of the Movie Trilogy 
• The Complete Guide to Middle Earth - Robert Foster
• The Lord of the Rings (Illustrated by Alan Lee Hardback) - J. R. R Tolkien
• Inheritance - Christoper Paolini
• Brisingr - Christopher Paolini
• The Legend of Sigurd and Gudrun - J. R R Tolkien
• Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix - J K Rowling
• Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince - J K Rowling
• Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows - J K Rowling
• The Lord of the Rings - J R R Tolkien
• The Lord of the Rings: A Readers Companion - Wayne G. Hammond & Christina Scull
• The Letters of J R R Tolkien - Humphrey Carter
• Tales from the Perilous Realm - J R R Tolkien

•  The Return of the Shadow (History of Middle Earth 6) 
• The Treason of Isengard (History of The Lord of the Rings)
• The Road to Middle Earth - Tom Shippey
• The Children of Hurin - J R R Tolkien
• Unfinished Tales - J R R Tolkien
• Defending Middle Earth: Tolkien, Myth and Modernity - Patrick Curry 
• Eldest - Christoper Paolini
• Eragon - Christoper Paolini
• Game of Thrones - George R R Martin
•  A Dance With Dragons: Part 2 After the Feast - George R R Martin
• The Final Empire - Brandon Sanderson
• Catching Fire - Suzanne Collins
• Mockingjay - Suzanne Collins
• The Hunger Games - Suzanne Collins
• Harry Potter and the Philosophers Stone - J K Rowling
• Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban - J K Rowling
• Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets - J K Rowling
• Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire - J K Rowling

• Elizabeth I - Margaret George
• A Clash of Kings - George R R Martin
• A Storm of Swords: Part 1 Steel and Snow - George R R Martin
• A Storm of Swords: Part 2 Blood and Gold - George R R Martin
• A Feast for Crows - George R R Martin
• I Am Legend - Richard Matheson
• Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep - Philip K. Dick
• Eric - Terry Pratchett 
• The Name of the Wind - Patrick Rothfuss
• The Book of the New Sun - Gene Wolfe
• The Lies of Locke Lamora - Scott Lynch
• Flowers for Algernon - Daniel Keys
• Hyperion - Dan Simmons
• The Eye of the World - Robert Jordan 

•  The Book of Lost Tales 1 (The History of Middle Earth 1) - J R R Tolkien
• The Book of Lost Tales 2 (The History of Middle Earth 2) - J R R Tolkien
• The Lays of Beleriand (The History of Middle Earth 3) - J R R Tolkien
• The Shaping of Middle Earth (The History of Middle Earth 4) - J R R Tolkien
• The Lost Road and Other Writings (The History of Middle Earth 5) - J R R Tolkien
• The Silmarillion - J R R Tolkien
• JRR Tolkien: A Biography - Humphrey Carpenter

Review: The Letters of J.R.R Tolkien - Edited by Humphrey Carpenter

This may have taken me quite a long time to finish but I got there in the end. I began this book already completely in love and obsessed with Tolkien's legacy and his inspiring works of epic fantasy. I lovelovelove The Lord of the Rings but am already building an impressive collection of his works and others book regarding his life and works. This book is just brilliant to truly understand the world of Middle Earth and his inspiration for such epic tales. But this book is so much more than an inside look at his thought processes on the journey towards his written works; it is also a window into the life of the famous man himself. There isn't much I can say about this work. If you love Tolkien, his work or simply enjoy reading the almost lost art of letter writing then I would urge you to give this book a read. It is both heartwarming and amusing. Tolkien says what he thinks with regards to individuals who have dared to edit his work, produced a poor illustration for his books and even calls one indivdual an "ass" for daring to write a sequel to The Lord of the Rings. His letters produce an image of a hardworking, tired old man who devoted his life to the completion and publication of his works. People assume that The Lord of the Rings was his biggest achievement but throughout this book it is clear that he was eager for The Silmarillion to be completed and published so that people could understand the world and culture that he was envoking in The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings. His love for his family and his friends, mainly C.S Lewis is clear in his letters. He states that without the support of C.S Lewis he wouldn't have thought of publishing The Lord of the Rings and where would the literary world be now if that hadn't occured?! He also relied heavily on the support and criticism of his son Christopher, with many of the letters between them being sent during the Second World War when Christopher was posted to Africa. And most heartwarming of all is his devotion to his wife Edith. Throughout the collection of letters Tolkien doesn't refer to his wife much but towards the end after his wife death, his grief is clear to see. "I am utterly bereaved, and cannot yet lift up heart" he writes after her death and I felt that these few words summed up his devotion to her. His love for her is also clear when he states: "for she was (and knew she was) my Luthien." In his works The Silmarillion Tolkien tells the story of Beren and Luthien a tale of eternal love, inspired by the love of Tolkien and his wife Edith (a story that really needs to be read to be fully understood and appreciated!). 
I truly enjoyed this book. I genuinely feel that I know more about Tolkien as a man, as an author than before. He was a man who felt that there was a gap in literature, that he couldn't get hold of tales of adventure, fantasy, dragons etc. So he simply created a world, a language, a legacy that I love. He was the father of fantasy and without him I doubt we would have some of the great fantasy novels and series that are dotted on bookshelves around the world. I apologise that this review is all over the place, but I just finished the book and it may sound silly but I feel sad because I was reading the letters of a man who isn't around to see the legacy that he left behind. And because I urge others who enjoy his works to read it to appreciate it because my review simply doesn't do it justice! So to finish this post I will quote from one of his letters within the book that I've decided is my favourite:

"But I met a lot of things on the way that astonished me. Tom Bombadil I knew already; but I had never been to Bree. Strider sitting in the corner at the inn was a shock, and I had no more idea who he was than had Frodo. The Mines of Moria had been mere name; and of Lothlorien no word had reached my mortal ears till I came there. Far away I knew there were the Horse-lords on the confines of an ancient Kingdom of Men, but Fangorn Forest was an unforeseen adventure. I had never heard of the house of Eorl nor of the Stewards of Gondor. Most disgquieting of all, Saruman had never been revealed to me, and I was as mystified as Frodo at Gandalf’s failure to appear on September 22."