The Dictionary of Imaginary Places

Hi guys,
 I hope you're all having a great week. Today I found myself looking through a great book I have called "The Dictionary of Imaginary Places"by Alberto Manguel and Gianni Guadalupi. I stumbled across it last year at Half-Price Books and I knew I had to have it. It's exactly what the title says, a dictionary of imaginary places. Now some of the places seem a little far-fetched but you have to admit that the human mind is pretty amazing to come up with whole worlds. Some of these sound so great that I wish I could live in them. I'd like to share my favorites with you while highlighting the best places in each world. So here's my list of favorites, hope you enjoy it!

Middle-Earth: this is world in which J.R.R. Tolkien's The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings Trilogy are set.
-Lorien: an ancient wooded land which the River Silverlode runs through, once the most beautiful of Elven Realms, Galadhrim elves (tree people) lived there in mallorn trees
-Rivendell: a community of merry elves with large banqueting rooms and beautiful gardens, built high above the River Bruinen
-The Shire: home of the Hobbits, they live underground in Hobbit holes and hold lots of parties and social events, beautiful agriculture and good weather

Narnia: this is the world in which C.S. Lewis' The Chronicles of Narnia are set.
-World's End Island: east of Narnia, has different constellations and the sun appears much larger, a table on the island is stocked with delicious food at all times, clear water which provides good nourishment, no wind or waves
-Bism (Really Deep World): below the surface of the Earth, friendly gnomes live there, precious stones grow like flowers
-Aslan's Country: has mountains of extraordinary height, never snows, filled with grass and forests, the water quenches all thirsts, extremely beautiful birds who sing lovely music

Camelot: the location (thought to be in Southern England) in which many King Arthur novels are set, the most well-known being Le Morte Darthur (The Death of Arthur) by Sir Thomas Malory and The Once and Future King by T.H. White.
-Avalon: a rock island surrounded by a beautiful lake, no wind, snow or rain, there are meadows with orchards, a race of women who know all the magic in the world live here
-Kinkenadon: a castle and city on the coast of Wales, where King Arthur held many feasts
-Bedegraine (Bedgrayne): a forest in central England, I'm sure there are some awful things in this forest but imagine all the beautiful things you would also see

Hogwarts: this is not technically a whole world but it's the school that Harry Potter attends in J.K. Rowlings' Harry Potter series.
-Hogsmeade: where students and staff from Hogwarts can go for fun, has shops and pubs
-Forbidden Forest: technically forbidden to students of Hogwarts but somehow Harry ends up there all the time, despite all the dangerous things there are also centaurs and unicorns
-Diagon Alley: where all wizards and witches go to get their magical supplies like: wands, books, robes, brooms, etc.

Honorable Mentions: there are so many imaginary worlds I would love to go that I could only choose a few. Here are some others.
-Never-Never Land: Peter Pan by J.M. Barrie
-Wonderland: Alice in Wonderland and Through the Looking-Glass by Lewis Carroll
-Oz: The Wizard of Oz series by L. Frank Baum
-Atlantis: Mythical island
-Westeros: A Song of Ice and Fire Series (Game of Thrones) by George R.R. Martin

Now I'm off to go live in one of these world's (not really, but I wish). Expect an exciting new post tomorrow.

               Sincerely,
                               Erin a.k.a. Bookworm

The Etiquette of Borrowing a Book

Hi everyone,
  Yet again, I'm stuck inside the house all day due to it being extremely cold outside. I spent the day cleaning the house just to keep myself active. I hope everyone was able to find something to do during these last few days.
                                           

  There's a subject that comes to mind quite often and I'm not sure why I haven't written about it yet. It's the touchy subject of borrowing books. I'm not talking about checking books out at the library, but letting people borrow books from my own collection. My books are precious to me, they're like children. So you can imagine how hard it is for me to let people borrow them. I've finally written my name in all of my books and I have my own card catalogue so I know which books I own. When someone borrows a book I pull out the correct card and jot down the name of the person borrowing it.
 

  Then there's the waiting. I never forget a book I've loaned to someone. I only let trusted friends borrow my books and they MUST return them or buy me a new copy. If that seems harsh for borrowing a book just ask another bookworm their policy on borrowing. Now I have some pet peeves when it comes to my books. I cannot stand when someone folds a page to mark their place, USE A BOOKMARK! No writing in books, no bending the cover and no spilling food or drink on them. If you must eat while reading keep the crumbs from falling on the pages. And PLEASE, NO SMOKING around my books. My books should smell the same way I did when I bought them. You can treat your books any way you want to but you must treat mine with respect or suffer the wrath of an angry bookworm (just kidding).

  Very few people in my life are allowed to borrow my books and you know who you are. Thanks for keeping my books in pristine condition. You will continue to be allowed borrowing privileges. For those of you who are thinking this is ridiculous just imagine if you would want to read a book with stained, wrinkled, bent pages or a book that looks nice and whose pages turn easily. Keep this in mind next time you borrow a book, whether it's from the library or a friend. Books have feelings too!
 Thanks for reading!

                                    Sincerely,
                                                    Erin a.k.a. Bookworm
 

So Many Books, So Little Time

Hi guys,
  I hope everyone is staying warm during these few days of super cold weather. I don't know about everyone else but I'm going a little crazy staying inside so I've had to resort to baking chocolate chip cookies. As much as I love reading sometimes I have to take a break and return to reality.
 

  Speaking of books, there are so many new books coming out this year that I want to read. I spend entirely too much time looking up new books to read even though I have 4 booklists (yes, I have 4). I'm not sure why but I have this need to know what books are coming out. It's as if I think the books will disappear forever if I don't know about them. If you're like me, then you understand how I feel.
 

  I can't remember a time in my life when I haven't been looking for new books to read. My first book list was less than a page, now all my book lists are at least 3 pages long. It might be excessive but I suffer from the thought that there are so many books and so little time to read them. You can laugh, but I'm serious. I get anxious thinking of all the books I won't have time to read in my life. I think of being a bookworm as a way of life and reading books as my job. I know I won't get to read all the books I want to but I will read as many as I have time to. I could say my booklists will be shorter in a few months but that's lie because every time I cross a book off I add another. I guess I will spend the rest of my life constantly adding to my booklists. I will probably die with a booklist a mile long but I won't ever stop looking for new books to read. Oh the problems of being a bookworm.

                        Sincerely,
                                        Erin a.k.a. Bookworm

How a Bookworm Survives a Snowstorm

Hey guys,
  Sorry for not posting yesterday. It definitely wasn't the best day for me but I'm feeling better today. Since there's a snowstorm happening right now I'll tell you what I do to survive a snowstorm.

How a Bookworm Survives a Snowstorm
-Stock up on books (whether that means going to the library or choosing books from your own collection to read, just have enough to read).
-Have snacks to eat
-Have candles/booklights in case the power goes out
-Blankets to keep warm
-A comfy place to sit
-A good book to read

 I happen to have all these ready and I'm prepared to wait out the storm as long as I have books. So go get a book and keep your mind busy while you're stuck inside. Stay safe everyone.

                     Sincerely,
                                     Erin a.k.a. Bookworm

There's a Book for Everyone

Hi guys, 

  It's Friday! I hope everyone had a great week and is ready for the weekend. I will be spending my weekend trying to stay warm and reading while curled up on the couch. Does anyone else plan to read this weekend? To get everyone's weekend off to a good start I'm going to write about something that makes me extremely happy. 

  

  As a reader I have to say there is nothing better than sharing a good book with someone. When I spend a lot of time with someone I begin to think about what books they would enjoy. In recent years I've become very good at this. Just two days ago I gave my best friend her Christmas/Birthday present, which was a book. We've been friends since the second grade and I just knew she would love the book. This is after years of being friends, I certainly haven't always chosen the perfect book for her. 

  Now it's not always that easy but I look a lot of different aspects of a person's personality. Here are some of the basics I use to determine what books a person would enjoy reading:

 -Age

 -Grade (if applicable)

 -Favorite subject in school (if applicable)

 -Favorite movies/TV shows

 -Clothing style

 -Hobbies/Interests 

 -Life anecdotes

   I always feel so fulfilled when someone reads a book I've recommended because I know that even if they didn't enjoy it, they still had the experience of reading it. Some people, however, simply refuse to read anything. I understand that books aren't for everyone but I'm of the belief that there is at least one book out there for each person. If you've been having trouble finding what to read next or you don't normally read at all and want to pick up a book for the first time, I may have a recommendation for you.                 

  If you're already a reader then maybe a Goodreads account is the thing for you: https://www.goodreads.com/. You can make an account with Goodreads or link your Facebook to the site. Goodreads allows you to track which books you've read, books you want to read, and your rating for each book. After entering a few of your favorite books the site will provide recommendations for you. If you're not a reader try going to the nearest bookstore and walking around. Look for books that have an eye-catching cover, pick them up and read the summary. I guarantee you will find something that interests you at least a little bit. 

  I'm not an expert but I have read a lot of books so feel free to ask me for a book recommendation. I'll try my best to find you a good book. 

                         Sincerely, 

                                        Erin a.k.a. Bookworm 

My Current Obsession

Hello again,
  Here's my promised second post of the day; and what could be better than sharing my current book obsession with you? This last summer I stumbled across a book series called Outlander. The first book in the series, 'Outlander' seemed to be right up my alley after I read the summary. I immediately put it on hold at my library. I soon forgot about it while reading other books to pass the time. When I was finally able to go pick up the book I remembered why I was interested in it.
 

  Fast-forward two days and a hundred pages later, I was hooked. I couldn't believe how amazing it was. There was history, time-travel, romance, war and characters filled with depth. And the writing! The descriptions alone were enough to make me keep reading but the dialogue is what really got me. I can now say the author, Diana Gabaldon, comes in at number two on my top 10 list of favorite authors. Now, this isn't just a book review to make you want to read the book, it's a declaration of love for this book. Very rarely do I find myself so highly impacted by a book that I feel the same emotions as the characters. The last time I loved a series this much I was a second-grader in love with the idea of going to Hogwarts and becoming best friends with Harry, Ron and Hermione.
 

  Much to my delight there are seven books in the series, a spin-off series, short stories and a graphic novel. I'm currently reading the 6th book and looking forward to the 8th book coming out this summer. To top it all off, Starz network is filming an adaption of the first book which will air this fall. Needless to say, I'll be obsessing over this series for a while. Expect more posts about the books and television show because I will not forget about this anytime soon. For those of you who might be interested in reading the series here's a link to Diana Gabaldon's website with the list of all the Outlander books: http://www.dianagabaldon.com/books/chronology-of-the-outlander-series/ .

                               Sincerely,
                                               Erin a.k.a. Bookworm

Here's to the New Year

Hi guys,
  It's been a LONG time! I'm happy to say that I do plan to keep up on blog posts this year. I will try my best to post every day and entertain you as much as possible. Last year I stopped posting because I became lazy and wasn't staying motivated but I've made a lot of changes in my life since then. I learned to love books even more (if that's possible). I became a happier person and want to make this year the best I can. Today I'm feeling optimistic about all that the new year has to offer. There's a blizzard outside but for once I find the snow beautiful. I'm going to celebrate the best things in life this year; and that involves books. I can't wait to share my thoughts and knowledge of books with you all. Happy New Year everyone!

                       Sincerely,
                                       Erin a.k.a. Bookworm
(By the way, I'm considering this as my January 1st post. Another post will be up later this afternoon.)