What Mr Hallow Read This Quarter [October - December]

Welcome to what I believe is the only the third post I have ever written!! As the title says this is a post reviewing what I have read this last quarter of 2019. Because I'm always at work this shared blog is primarily written and edited by Mrs Hallow.

October

The Lion the Witch and the Wardrobe by C.S Lewis

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Mrs Hallow picked this book for me this month as she loves C.S Lewis. I read this book very fast its written in a great way and very easy to read. I'm currently reading the Chronicles of Narnia in chronological order not publication order. This is my first time reading this series and I think I enjoyed the first book "The Magicians Nephew" but I think that's because I have seen the Narnia movies and roughly knew the story of this book.

The Wise Mans Fear by Patrick Rothfuss

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

This book is huge!! with that said it took me a very long time to read the first book in this series so I got through this one much faster. I love the world created for this book, and the magic system is complex and at the same time easy to follow. I cant wait for the final book in the trilogy to be released, so much seems to have happened in a short time span in the life of Kvothe and I'm intruded to see how the third one ties the story up at this point I would be surprised if a forth book had to be released.

November

The Horse and His Boy by C.S Lewis

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Again Mrs Hallow choose this book for me to read. I must admit that this is so far my favourite book in the series I loved the horse Bree, he's so funny! I enjoyed getting to know more of the world outside of Narnia as the group travelled to get to Narnia. I'm so excited to read more of this series!

Tree and Leaf, Smith of Wooton Major, The Homecoming of Beorhtnoth  by J.R.R Tolkien

⭐️⭐️⭐️

What!!! only 3 starts?? for a book by the master himself... Well the essay part of Tree and Leaf was a bit tedious with that said the short story itself was thoroughly enjoyable! I loved the story and the character of Niggle. The three star score is highly accountable to Smith of Wooton Major writing this like is my I love Tolkien such a great short story and with elves!!what's not to love. The last story The Homecoming of Beorhtnoth now this part of the book was neither good nor bad at the beginning of the story/script I quiet enjoyed it but by the end it got quiet boring I think I struggled to keep my attention in it because it wasn't a story really.

Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire by J.K Rowling

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Yes I have never read the harry potter books!! I loved this book the insights into the lives of the house elves and the kitchen of Hogwarts were great. I know its what is always said about every book/movie ever made but the books are far better than the movies I'm actually annoyed with myself that it has taken me so long to read these!

Artemis Fowl: The Artic Incident

⭐️⭐️⭐️

I read this book very quickly! it started quickly a lot faster than the first and with already established characters I found it very easy to get sucked into the story. When I read the first book in this series I was unsure but after reading this I'm eager to read more the character's are great, the back and forth between Captain Root and Mulch Diggums are hilarious and the similar comment from Captain Root and Butler are great too.

December

Prince Caspian by C.S Lewis

⭐️⭐️⭐️

As Mrs has picked a few of the Narnia books for me to read recently I thought I would choose one for myself this month, next on the list was Prince Caspian. I enjoyed this book It was great to have a lot more Narnians involved in the story and I loved the badger Trufflehunter (Hufflepuff Rules). I have seen the Narnia movies and knew what to expect with this book and that I would be seeing more of the pensive children back in Narnia again, my absolute favourite thing about this book has to be that finally the best character Reepicheep is finally introduced!

The House with the Clock in its Walls by John Bellairs

⭐️⭐️⭐️

I simply choose this book as its quiet short and is about magic, it turned out to be a great read I loved the quirky uncle Johnathan and his weird behaviour I found the writing style easy to follow and thought the pace of the book was great I will definitely be on look out for more by this author.

Hollow City by Ransom Riggs
⭐️⭐️⭐️
I loved reading this book, the way the Perculiardom was expanded was great with the different loops and time zones and as I have also read the tales of the perculiar and the book and the tales themselves are included in the story was fantastic and kept me hooked.

Thank you for taking the time to read this post, I got through nine books which I'm happy but I hope to read a lot more next year than I did this year.

💀 Mr Hallow 💀

What Mrs Hallow Read This Quarter [October - December]

It feels like forever since I put a post like this together. Well really it has been since the end of 2017 on my old blog. They take a little while, three months in fact, seeing as I comprise (as it says in the title) three months worth of reading into one post! There is more than enough text below therefore I bid you good day!

October

The Twisted Tree by Rachel Burge

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

For this being a book that was chosen for me by Mr H, I somewhat whizzed through this! From the get-go I knew this was going to be right up my alley and it really was. Slightly spooky, great setting, I liked the characters, theme of the story totally our thing and a really nice length. It's rare I give a book a full five stars so that should go for something.

Labyrinth by Kate Mosse
⭐️⭐️⭐️
My goodness. You have no idea how long it's actually taken me to read this book. I started it literally years ago when I first picked it up in April 2015 (I know that because I have taken daily photos almost every day since 2013 and checked haha) but went through a reading slump, giving up around a 3rd of the way. I'm so glad I got through it eventually and despite some of the (in my opinion) unnecessary 'sexual'(?) parts I enjoyed the overall storyline.
 

A Wind in the Door by Madeleine L'Engle
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
I don't think I have too much to say about this one. In March 2018 I read the first of this series and, despite not being the biggest sci fi fan, rated in 4 stars having loved the fantasy elements and it was same this time around. If anything, I think I might have preffered this over A Wrinkle in Time...though obviously not enough to warrent an ajustment in rating.

November

Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children by Ransom Riggs
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
This is something I've always wanted to read. Well, you know, since I saw the trailer for the movie in early 2016 and since I picked up Tales of the Peculiar just because of how pretty the cover was in 2017. For a peculiar kid it's a wonder I hadn't picked this up way sooner and the added point of how it came to be with the old photos as inspiration, just love it all. The reason I knocked a star off was the ending to be honest. No spoilers though...

The Doomspell by Cliff McNish
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Another dark horse, The Doomspell was a blind bet picked up in the charity shop and totally unexpected to be something I'd enjoy so much. I'd never heard of it or it's author before and now I can't wait to read the next two in this series, especially after the ending of this on. It made me cry!

Eragon by Christopher Paolini
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Another mission and a half for me. Being someone who goes through spurts of reading loads and then struggling to read at all, books longer than 450/500 pages can be a chore no matter how much I'm enjoying them. My weak wrists struggle to hold them up! Anyway, yeah, the plot was awesome. Really enjoyed the story and look forward to reading the next but again the ending just dropped a star for me. I had a feeling as I was approaching the closing chapter that it wasn't going to come to enough of a conclusion to make me happy...ha!

December

A Series of Unfortunate Events: The Bad Beginning by Lemony Snicket
⭐️⭐️⭐️
Meh. Probably a bit of a harsh word to start off a 3 star review but I guess it sums it up pretty well. It's not bad, obviously, they are well loved stories and I enjoyed it but I wouldn't rush to read it again or really recommend it. Despite liking the writing style, which is mimicked well in the recent Netflix show, I also grew annoyed at the repetitiveness of saying peoples names and such. All that being said, this is the first book I read in one day this year so it couldn't have been that bad could it?!

Switching Well by Peni R Griffin
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
The 3rd five star in 3 months?! Never!! Well it was sitting at a generous 3.5 until the ending which just killed me and had me shed more tears, just as The Doomspell had, and it had to be 5 stars. I don't exactly see how this is a children's book...some of the themes discussed we're in my opinion more for older teens/adults but I appreciated things like Foster Care, class, race and such being discussed.

Nightmares! by Jason Segel and Kirsten Miller
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
If you are one of the 3 people that actually read this blog, you might have seen on our December TBR that I was supposed to be reading something else. I did start it but one night I forgot to take it up to bed and so grabbed this off the shelf in our room and ended up not being able to put it down!
A really light read, obviously a kids book, but still super enjoyable for me. When we bought it we laughed that the author had the same name as the actor...until I added it on my Goodreads and realized it actually was him! I'm looking forward to reading the next two in the trilogy.

Northern Lights by Philip Pullman
⭐️⭐️⭐️
...Anndd instead of getting onto the book I had in my TBR, I didn't want to end the year with any unfinished books so decided to complete this which I started in October when I completed the 3 books from my TBR early.
It isn't what I expected. Considering how often it was recommended to me due to my other reads I guess I thought it would be a little different but alas, slightly disappointing. I have also owned the dvd of 'The Golden Compass' and have put it off for literal years until I read this first...maybe I should have just watched it. It did get better as it went along thankfully but maybe my expectations were just too high considering the buzz surrounding it.

10 books. I'm happy with that. I'm getting through our gigantic, never-ending TBR pile and that is the main thing! What did you read recently? Mr H's post will be coming soon!

💀 Mrs Hallow 💀

Real Plants from the Potter Universe

This is a post I've wanted to write for years. It was a trip to Alnwick Gardens, and the poison garden in particular, that spurred the idea when Mam and I took the tour back in 2014(?) and spotted a Mandrake! Obviously, there are many trees, plants and the like sprinkled throughout the magical world of Harry Potter, ie. different wand woods such as Holly, Hawthorn & Walnut and things like Aloe Vera, Mistletoe & Nettle that we all recognize. However, there are also many that you may have mistaken as fictional that do indeed exist. After I revisited Alnwick Gardens in late 2015 I jotted down notes as the start of a draft post...and as you can see it's been pushed back and pushed back until now! So now, finally, you can read on to find out about some magical plants that you may just find at the bottom of your garden!


Mandrake [genus Mandragora]
Mandrakes are probably one of the most well-known plants in the Potter Universe and are famously used in the production of Restorative Draught which revives those who have been petrified. The form of their roots resembles a baby and they can cause fatalities with just their 'cry' once fully grown.

Now in 'real life' they are real. They are still called Mandrakes and indeed, they are pretty darn toxic! This was the plant that is housed in the Poison Garden at Alnwick Gardens and if I remember rightly, it is one of those that is enclosed by a cage - eek! It has a vast history including mentions in the bible, uses in legendary witchcraft as well as ancient medicine as surgery anesthetic due to it making you unconscious. Mandrake roots also still kind of look like ugly babies haha.

Other uses include/d -Relief of rheumatic pains when applied externally.Taken orally for depression, convulsions and 'mania'.Hallucinogenic and narcotic. Causes delirium when taken in large doses internally.

Devils Snare [Datura stramonium]
Devils Snare, Devils Snare...it's deadly fun...but will sulk in the sun! Devils Snare hates sunlight! However, the real thing, which goes by many names, is actually native to North America and grows in warm and moderate climates..so surely it can't hate sunlight? I dunno. Anyway, by that rhyme you should remember this plant as the vine 'net' that caught the 3 friends as they fell through the trapdoor in The Philosopher's stone. It has the ability to constrict you with its tentacle-like vines and will only kill you faster if you struggle!

In real life Datura stramonium / Devils Snare / Jimson Weed is not much like ithe magical counterpart, being a friend to those of us who have breathing difficulties and was used to treat asthma in the past (instead of squeezing the breath out of you)!  Just as the Mandrakes, Devils Snare has good and bad effects depending on dosage and is very toxic, though unlike mandrakes, it's apperance is nothing like that which exists in the Potter universe.

Other uses include/d -Analgesic painkiller used for surgeries and setting bones.Algonquin, Navajo, Cherokee, amoung other indigenous people, used it in ceremonys for the hallucinations it caused.To create visions were the taker can 'communicate' with higher/supreme/devine beings.

Dittany [Origanum dictamnus]
If you unluckily got splinched while apperating in the wizarding world, you'd want some Essence of Dittany for sure. Shown and/or mentioned a few times in the books/movies you may remember Hermione using it on Ron when he got spliched disapperating after the infiltration of the Ministry of Magic, on Harry when he was bit by the snake in Godricks Hollow and to heal the burns they recieved upon touching the tresure in Bellatrix's vault.

Muggles, specifically those from Greece, may also be quite familar with Dittany as it's a perrienial that wildly grows only on the mountainsides etc in Crete! Just like the magical plant it is also a therapeutic healing plant but sadly it is apparently a threatened plant species.

Other uses include/d -Considered to symbolize love, people would risk their lives to climb mountainsides to procure the pink blossoms that grow on the dittany plant and give it to those they admired.These days its exported for use in perfume, to flavor particular alcholic drinks and pharmaceutical drugs.Ancient Greeks are said to have used it to heal wounds (like in HP!), help stomach pains and even inducing menstruation - which is a whole other thing to research haha.

Monkshood / Wolfsbane [Aconitum]
Mainly known by the species Monkshood or Wolfsbane, Aconite is a magical potion ingredient that we hear mentioned by Proffesor Snape in the Philosiphers Stone in his first worlds to Harry.It can help to limit, though not completely rid, werewolves of their symptoms.

''For your information, Potter, asphodel and wormwood make a sleeping potion so powerful it is known as the Draught of Living Death. A bezoar is a stone taken from the stomach of a goat and it will save you from most poisons. As for monkshood and wolfsbane, they are the same plant, which also goes by the name of aconite.''

Native to the Northern Hemisphere, Aconite goes by the same names and is extremely toxic. It's blue/purple flower can look nice but with other names such as devil's helmet and queen of all poisons allude it's use as a deadly poison.

Other uses include/d -Poisons for hunting such as arrow tips or lances to paralyze whales :(Used for many years in traditional Chinese and Hindu medicines. As well as other homeopathic medicines for things such as anxiety and more.Mentioned many times in literature/tv/movies from Greek mythology up until present day. Eg. Midsomer Murders, 1931's Dracula The Vampire Diaries & more.



Other mentions go to the following:

Knotgrass [Polygonum]
Knotgrass appears in a few of the Harry Potter books/movies as it is an ingredient of the Polyjuice Potion.
Mugglewise, Polygonum is a genus of many plants in the buckwheat and knotweed family. It can be cooked and eaten and used to treat UTIs.

Fluxweed [Cuphea viscosissima]
Another ingredient of the ever famous, human form altering, Polyjuice Potion.
In real life it is the Cuphea viscosissima plant, also called blue waxweed, clammy cuphea or tarweed. It has no real uses but with it's sticky stem and purple flower it is pretty and very common in North America.

Wormwood [Artemisia absinthium]
Mentioned in the same paragraph shown above by Snape to Harry, Wormwood is used in the Draught of Living Death, Elixir to Induce Euphoria, and the Shrinking Solution.
You'll probably recongnize the non-magical version of Wormwood as being absinthe! Causing kidney failure and epileptic-like convulsions if too much is taken, it is an ingredient in the alcholhic drink Absinthe as well as a flavoring in other wines and spirits.



Woah, this ended up a lot lengthier than expected haha! It was a subject that I personally found pretty interesting and thought some other Potterheads might too. I hope you did and there wasn't too much waffling on ;) Have you ever taken/eaten/drank any of those mentioned in this post?? I have used Aconite before!

---

As I mentioned in the 'Disney Movies That Were Books First' post I put up at the end of November, I used to run a lifestyle blog for around 10 years. When looking back at that old blog I decided there were some posts that I enjoyed so much I didn't want to leave them in a black hole, unseen on the internet since unpublishing that website. So this post and a couple of others to come are from said blog with only a tiny updating.


💀 Mrs Hallow 💀

Book Collection Tour: Part 3

Stop! Before you proceed to read part 3, please do make sure you click this link to find your way to Part 2 of our Book Collection Tour! Done? Good. As we whittle our way slowly to the ending of these collection posts, this post provides us with the penultimate part. No alliteration intended.

This bookcase is another beautiful antique score from a charity shop, just like the one shown in Book Collection Tour: Part 1! From what we can gather it looks as if it has been handmade and is chock full of what Drew Pritchard would call 'patina'. Plus it was a bargain. Oh and it's primarily home to our fiction, YA, box sets and series.

Working our way down, the top shelf houses some bony bits and pieces, candles, incense, our new TBR jar (separate post to come soon) though it all changes periodically. Following that are mostly series' with my boxed Chronicles of Narnia set taking pride of place...I think that shelf definitely gives a good indication into our reading tastes.

Up until recently the second book-filled shelf was mainly just a colour co-ordinated mix of fiction and somewhat still is. However, with new books entering the household and things getting moved around, it's becoming more difficult to organize them this way.

Now the bottom two shelves definitely are on the younger age scale. You'll spy one of my other favourite series in a box set on the bottom shelf - Oz, along with my puffin classics collection and paragon children's classic collection.
Other than that those shelves admittedly annoy me slightly because they just have a kind of messy, nonsensical look to them. Don't you think? I guess many of them are lone books from series so hopefully as we complete those series it will all start to look a little more put together.

Ahhh, I can't believe we only have one more of these posts to do! Boo! I'm pretty sure by this time next year we'll be re-doing all of these tours seeing as most of the book shelves have already changed since they've been posted haha.


💀 Mr & Mrs Hallow 💀

Our Blog in Books Tag

When you're used to blogging about a huge variety of things, switching to a super niche blog means ideas can come to a halt quickly. That means Google, YouTube and other blogs are a lifeline when planning new posts...including my old blog. This type of post seems quite retro now, though I guess actual blogging in general is old school itself.
Anyway, as simple and 'retro' as this might be I thought it really fun to complete! This is a book from our collection for every letter of our blog name!

Pirates and Privateers by Tom Bowling

Artemis Fowl  by Eoin Colfer

Grimm's Fairy Tales

Eragon by Christopher Paolini 

Sepulchre by Kate Mosse

Ozma of Oz by L Frank Baum

(The) Fellowship of the Ring by J R R Tolkien

(The) Twisted Tree by Rachel Burge

Half Bad by Sally Green

Eldest by Christopher Paolini 

(The) Hobbit by J R R Tolkien

Alice in Wonderland

(The) Last Battle by C S Lewis

Left Hand of God by Paul Hoffman

Once Upon A Dream by Liz Braswell 

(A) Wind in the Door by Madeleine L'Engle

Siege and Storm by Leigh Bardugo

💀 Mr & Mrs Hallow 💀

November Book Haul

The plan for November was a simple one. Spoiler alert, the plan failed.We'd originally decided that due to the monstrous haul list of October we were limiting November's buys to 3 each, which we would buy for each other. Well we did that! It was a fun idea! It just so happens that we can't control ourselves and it was a long, down month that meant book retail therapy was called for. Here is what we all added to our collection.

Norse Mythology by Neil Gaiman

Paperback – 6 Mar 2018

Bookdonors via Amazon

The Real Middle-Earth: Magic and Mystery in the Dark Ages by Brian Bates

Paperback – 7 Nov 2013

World of Books via Amazon

Waer by Meg Caddy

Paperback – 25 Nov 2016

Betterworldbooks via Amazon

The Land of Neverendings by Kate Saunders

Paperback – 5 Jul 2018

 via Amazon

The Ill-Made Mute by Cecilia Dart-Thornton

Paperback – 9 Aug 2002

 via Amazon

Dracul by Dacre Stoker, J. D. Barker

Paperback – 17 Oct 2019

  via Amazon

A Map of Days by Ransom Riggs

Paperback - 15 Oct 2019

Book Depository

No One is Too Small to Make a Difference by Greta Thunberg

Paperback - 30 May 2019

WH Smith

A Series of Unfortunate Events - The Eratz Elevator by Lemony Snicket

Hardback - 2001

Marie Curie Charity Shop

A Series of Unfortunate Events - The Carniverous Carnival by Lemony Snicket

Hardback - 2001

Marie Curie Charity Shop

Breverton's Nautical Curiosities: A Book of the Sea by Terry Breverton

Hardback - 1 Apr 2010

Marie Curie Charity Shop

Ruby in the Smoke by Philip Pullman

Paperback – 1 Jan 2015

YMCA Charity Shop

Nightmares! by Jason Segal

Hardback - 9 Oct 2014

British Heart Foundation Charity Shop

Huntress: Sea by Sarah Driver

Paperback - 6 Apr 2017

British Heart Foundation Charity Shop

The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe by C S Lewis (Illustrated by Christian Birmingham)

Hardback - 1 Oct 2001

British Heart Foundation Charity Shop

Disneyland Paris Buffalo Bills Wild West Show

Hardback - Circa 2000?

The Red Cross Charity Shop

A Series of Unfortunate Events - The Miserable Mill by Lemony Snicket

Hardback - 2001

musicmagpie.co.uk

A Series of Unfortunate Events - The End by Lemony Snicket

Hardback - 2001

musicmagpie.co.uk

Brisingr by Christopher Paolini

Paperback - 2008

musicmagpie.co.uk

The Melancholy Death of Oyster Boy & Other Stories: And Other Stories by Tim Burton

Paperback – 18 Nov 2004

musicmagpie.co.uk

Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring [50th Anniversary Edition] by J R R Tolkien

Paperback - 2005

Cancer Research Charity Shop

Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers [50th Anniversary Edition] by J R R Tolkien

Paperback - 2005

Cancer Research Charity Shop

Straight on Till Morning by Liz Braswell

Paperback - 21 Nov 2019

Book Depository

So yeah, we may not have stuck to our three each rule exceeding that total by no less than 17 books but we 'needed' the vast majority of the others! What collector could leave limited edition or special edition copy of a series/author they collect at a charity shop selling certain books for only £1-2 ?! Exactly. That being said, I will repeat my statements from the previous months and say that December's haul will 100% have to be smaller. We have a honeymoon to think about next year so every penny counts!



💀 Mr & Mrs Hallow 💀

December TBR Lists

December is a busy month for a lot of people I guess, but not for us! So although Mr H will be working loads, as usual, we have just as much time for reading...if not more. A TBR list of 3 books per month seems to pale in comparison to those that most book bloggers have - it's working for us thusfar though so why fix what isn't broken?! Here's what we plan to read in December.

Mr Hallow

Hollow City by Ransom Riggs (Mrs H's Pick)

Prince Caspian by C S Lewis

The House with the Clock in it's Walls by John Bellairs

Mrs Hallow

The End of Mr Y by Scarlett Thomas

The Switching Well by Peni R Griffin

The Bad Beginning by Lemony Snicket (Mr H's Pick)

We have some slightly shorter books in the mix this month as we both have a couple books from previous months that we need to catch up on before the year ends. Mr H and I have completed, well, surpassed our Goodreads goals for 2019 but it's more satisfying to end the year with no incomplete books...isn't it?


💀 Mr & Mrs Hallow 💀

Disney Movies That Were Books First

Books are magic. Books are special and the pages house the stories that have inspired countless moving pictures from way back when up until tomorrow. That is no different for Disney movies - both animation and live action, and today I want tell you of some fabulous live action movies that started out as books. Many you'll be aware of, but others might not be as obvious!

A Wrinkle in Time by Madeleine L'Engle

2018 saw the 1962 award winning YA, Sci-Fi novel brought to life by Ava DuVernay - the first black woman to be nominated for the Golden Globe for best director (among other just as brilliant achievements), with Oprah Winfrey taking one of the leading roles.

Queen of Katwe by Tim Crothers

The true story of a girl from Uganda who became a chess champion, was made into a beautiful movie in 2016 starring Madina Nalwanga, David Oyelowo and Lupita Nyong'.

The BFG by Roald Dahl

This one is obvious surely? The BFG was Steven Spielberg's first film directing for Disney and came out in 2016 too.

Alice's Adventures in Wonderland works by Lewis Carroll

Although obviously not a direct book-to-film production, Alice Through the Looking Glass [2016] and Alice in Wonderland [2010] were highly inspired by Lewis Carroll's stories.

The Jungle Book by Rudyard Kipling

Technically an adaptation of Disney's 1967 animation, 2016's The Jungle Book is of course also derrived from Rudyard Kiplin's book from 1894.

The Finest Hours: The True Story of the U.S. Coast Guard's Most Daring Sea Rescue by Michael J. Tougias

A historical drama, based on (as you can tell) true events was the basis for the 2016, very underrated, action movie.

Cendrillon by Charles Perrault

If you don't know the origins of Cinderella, here they are.

Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day by Judith Viorst

I actually had no idea that this one had beginings as a book!

Land of Oz works by Lyman Frank Baum

The classic obviously was basis for the classic starring Judy Garland that is not Disney, however, it of course also inspired one of my favorite releases from the past 10 years, 2013's Oz the Great and Powerful!

A Princess of Mars by Edgar Rice Burroughs

The title isn't a big clue to which movie came from this book unless you were already a fan (which I am not unfortunately) but 'A Princess of Mars is actually what made John Carter happen!

Prince Caspian by C. S. Lewis

Of course, the 2nd (and last as of yet) of Disney's adaptions of the famous Narnia series was 'Prince Caspian' in 2008. Sadly the third in that series - Voyage of the Dawn Treader - was not taken on by Disney after disputes with Walden Media.

Bridge to Terabithia by Katherine Paterson

The movie of the same name came out in 2007.

The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe by C. S. Lewis

As above, this was the 1st of Disney's adaptations of the Narnia franchise.

The Greatest Game Ever Played: Harry Vardon, Francis Ouimet, and the Birth of Modern Golf by Mark Frost

The Greatest Game Ever Played accounted the true story of Francis Ouimet, a golf champion, and his early life. In 2005 the book was turned into a movie and featured Shia LaBeouf as Ouimet.

Around the World in Eighty Days by Jules Verne

Is a classic adventure from 1873 and was turned into a 2004 action comedy starring Jackie Chan and Steve Coogan. It was a box office flop and I can see why...it does not do it's book counterpart justice.

Confessions of a Teenage Drama Queen by Dyan Sheldon

Another that I had no idea had originally been a book.

Freaky Friday by Mary Rodgers

Did you know that the 1976 and 2003 movies were based on a children's comedy novel for 1972?! Nope, me either.

Holes by Louis Sachar

I was late to the 'Holes' train, having only seen the 2003 movie in the past 5 years, so of course, I hadn't read the 1998 novel either.

Tuck Everlasting by Natalie Babbitt

The absolutely stunning Tuck Everlasting starring Alexis Bledel from 2002, was also a completely gorgeous novel originally published in 1975. I adore this story if you couldn't tell.

Winterdance: The Fine Madness of Running the Iditarod by Gary Paulsen

Can you guess what movie this 1994 novel inspired? It was 2002's Snow Dogs!

The Princess Diaries by Meg Cabot

If I need to tell you this, you have some watching and reading to do haha.

How many of these books turned movies did you know? Until researching for this post there were more than a few I hadn't a clue about where they had started. Which on the list is your favourite?


---

I used to run a lifestyle blog for around 10 years in which I wrote a lot about not only books and movies, but also a heck of a lot of Disney. When looking back at that old blog I decided there were some posts that I enjoyed so much I didn't want to leave them in a black hole, unseen on the internet since unpublishing that website. So this post and a couple of others to come are from said blog with only a tiny updating.


💀 Mrs Hallow 💀

Spot the Book Tag

Tag Time! Let's have another deeper delve into our collection and spot the specific type of books among our shelves.

Sprayed Edges

The End of Mr Y by Scarlett Thomas and The Toy Makers by Robert Dinsdale

Deckled Edges

Tales from the Haunted Mansion series by Amicus Arcane

Graphic Novel

The Invention of Hugo Cabret by Brian Selznick

Book with Maps

The King Killer Chronicles by Patrick Rothfuss

Peek Through Cover

The Watchmaker of Filigree Street by Natasha Pulley

Ribbon Markers

Wyrd Sisters by Terry Prachett

Interactive Book

Darwin by John van Wyhe

Boxed Set

Oz: The Complete Collection by L Frank Baum

Biggest

Narnia Chronology: From the Archives of the Last Kingby C.S. Lewis, Mary Jane Wilkins

Smallest

The Wizard of Oz by L Frank Baum (Puffin Chalk)

Longest

The Lord of the Rings Trilogy by J R R Tolkien

Shortest

No One is Too Small to Make a Difference by Greta Thunberg

Oldest [by Publication]

Fabled Stories from the Zoo - 1880

Newest [by Publication]

Dracul by Dacre Stoker & J. D. Barker - Paperback October 17th 2019

Most Beautiful

Tales of the Peculiar by Ransom Riggs 

Longest Series

The Wheel of Time series by Robert Jordan 

Biggest Collection

Various Disney Books

Total #

349
 

💀 Mr & Mrs Hallow 💀

Book Collection Tour: Part 2

This is part 2 of our collection of books so if you haven't seen it yet, please make sure to check out our Book Collection Tour: Part 1 !
Staying in our living room where three quarters of our books are housed, we move to the second of three bookcases. This one is a 'collection' fiesta, technically, of which you have seen the majority of already...

Top shelf! (Or maybe second depending on how you see it.) This shelf is for our precious Lord of the Rings, The Hobbit and other Tolkien related books. Mr H used to be a big collector of Funko POP! Vinyls too, though downsized his collection last year only keeping the special LOTR, Harry Potter etc ones, two that you see here guarding the ring that I bought as a 13 year old fantasy fan!
To see Mr H's Tolkien collection in more detail and hear about it in his words make sure to click here and read his JRR Tolkien Collection post!

Originally, this whole bookcase was overtaken by purely Disney books. Part one showed that some of my Disney collection moved to that bookcase and others are even further away, in our bedroom. All that is left here are my Wonderful World of Reading books from around the 1950's to the 1990's and the newer Treasure Cove Story collectable books that, despite being from the past few years, include some absolutely beautiful old style artwork as well!

Lastly, on the bottom shelf is a part of another of our collections that you have already seen in more detail. Our full Harry Potter & The Wizarding World Book Collection can be seen if you click here, but as a quick explanation these books are my original childhood Potter series, the larger books in my series including art of, vaults etc and a couple other cool little magical world books - books from within the books and books about the books. How many times can I say books in one paragraph eh?

We have our 3rd instalment in this mini tour coming next month, however parts 1 and 2 are already outdated due to our book buying problem so maybe next year we'll have a re-arrange and re-tour! Maybe...


💀 Mr & Mrs Hallow 💀