NovelSisters

watching, reading, and writing stories

Jul 6

Sneak Peek #4

by lydiamhill

Finding Home

I haven’t posted a sneak peek for my upcoming book Finding Home: The Lost Brother in some time, so I thought it was time to throw another out there. This section gives a peek into the past but from a new perspective. If you haven’t read the first book, Finding Home: The Orphan’s Journey then this will just be a look into what Josiah has gone through. I hope you enjoy it either way. And if this gets you interested in the first book, you can find it on Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Finding-Home-Orphans-Lydia-Hill/dp/1490556427/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1436212902&sr=8-1&keywords=finding+home+the+orphan%27s+journey&pebp=1436212902963&perid=1KRF1D6XS0B1DA0XBG9E

Enjoy!

* * * * *

The wagon creaked as it bounced over the rocky terrain. Tall rocky cliffs rose beside the road’s edge. Josiah sat next to his brother, Joshua in the wagon glancing up at the cliffs. Suddenly out of the corner of his eye, a dark object moved but when Josiah focused on the spot, nothing was there. Josiah shivered.

Joshua turned to look at him, “What’s wrong Josiah?”

“Nothing… my eyes are playing tricks on me.”

Joshua glanced up at the cliff tops and frowned. “Josiah, I want you to go to the back of the cart.”

“Why?”

“Just do it, hide in the silk linens and don’t come out till I say so.”

Josiah felt another shiver run down his back, but he obeyed. After maneuvering around his other brothers to the back of the wagon, he curled up in a corner and pulled one of the silk linens over his head.

It was stuffy under the linens and Josiah began to sweat. The clip clop of the horses’ hooves continued steadily echoing off the cliff walls. Josiah was beginning to wonder if Joshua was playing a prank on him, when he heard his father say, “Hurry up boys, I want to get through here as quick as possible.” The wagon bounced as the speed increased. Josiah’s heart began to beat faster, as his father yelled “Run” and the wagon jolted with the increased speed. Then suddenly it stopped.

Muffled voices suddenly turned to yells and screams. Josiah’s heart beat wildly but he stayed frozen. “Joshua said to stay hidden,” Josiah reminded himself. He closed his eyes tightly, blocking out the noises and praying that the nightmare would end.

After what seemed an eternity, a thick silence was all that remained. Josiah waited and waited but no one came to tell him everything was alright. He was just thinking of peeking out of his hiding place when he heard steps and unfamiliar voices approaching. He held his breath and waited.

Suddenly the satin sheet was pulled back to reveal a rough looking man. He stared down at the frightened Josiah. “What we got here?” the man said with a sneer.

Josiah was too terrified to say a word, he just sat there paralyzed.

Other men soon gathered around the wagon with questions and comments of their own.

“What is it?” one asked as he craned his neck.

“It’s just a kid,” one of the taller men said.

“Should we kill him?” the man who had made the discovery asked gruffly.

“We can’t kill him, look at him,” the tall man replied.

“Well what do we do with him then?” the short man asked.

“Just leave him here,” the gruff man replied.

“But he could die out here on his own,” the tall man said defensively. “Besides, he knows what we look like now, what if he told someone about us, then we’d be done for.”

“You don’t know that,” the gruff man said.

“We could take him with us,” the tall man suggested.

“Yeah, I’ve always wanted a servant,” the short man agreed.

“Well I ain’t taking care of him,” the gruff man replied with a huff. He picked up the bundle of silks, “Fight over him if you want, I just want the loot.”

A couple men started arguing with him about the silks, but the thunder of hooves in the distance cut short their argument.

“Someone’s coming,” the tall man said anxiously. “Let’s get out of here!”

Josiah’s brain finally switched out of frozen mode as he realized his chance to save himself. He leapt off the wagon and darted down the road towards the sound of approaching riders.

“Grab him!” the rough man yelled.

Josiah didn’t get far, as soon as he saw the carnage of the fight his legs turned to jelly. “Papa,” he started crying.

The tall man grabbed Josiah’s arm tightly, and lifted him to his feet. “Come on kid, you’re coming with me.”

* * * * *

Books Finding Home sneak peek Stories Writing

Leave a comment »
May 11

My Favorite Character in LOTR

by lydiamhill

Image Source

Well, I was thinking recently over one of my favorite movie/book series: Lord of the Rings. I admit I’ve watched the movies more times than I’ve read the books, so my opinions are mostly based on the film version. But I’ve been a fan for sometime now, and I’ve noticed that over the years my favorite character or the one I connect to most has changed.

When I first heard of Lord of the Rings I was in 5th grade and a teacher tried splitting us into teams based on if we liked Frodo or Sam better. I barely knew anything about the story, but I knew Frodo was the main character. And in almost anything I read or watched, the main character was my favorite. This seemed to hold true as my classmates began choosing Frodo. So I jumped on the bandwagon and said Frodo was my favorite.

Image 2 Source

Well, when I finally got to read and watch the movies for myself, I was offered so many more options for a favorite character. There was Gandalf the wise and powerful wizard, Gimli, the grumpy yet loveable dwarf, Legolas the attractive and agile elf, Merry and Pippin the mischievous and hilarious hobbits, Sam, the best friend of Frodo, Arogorn the mysterious and humble ranger, and a host of other side characters. Faramir and Eowyn also come to mind. In any case, picking a favorite character just got a lot harder. There were so many great characters, how could I choose? After watching the movies, and the extended editions, and the behind the scenes features, I finally settled on Aragorn. For one he was good with horses, not only as a character, but the actor too. And he was the good king that came from humble beginnings. So he was wise, yet fierce, loyal and brave. He led his friends, and he was good looking too. Plus I felt as if he was genuine because the actor wasn’t completely acting; he would fight for real with the stuntmen. And so the character of Aragorn was more and more attractive.

Viggo as Aragorn

Aragorn remained my favorite character for sometime. How could anyone compete with him? But what do you know, as I got older, the one character I rejected even from the beginning when I was choosing between Sam and Frodo has made a comeback. When I rewatched the LOTRs recently, I found myself more and more impressed and attracted to Sam. He may not have a lot going for him on the surface, he doesn’t go on all the crazy adventures that most of the characters do, he isn’t even the one carrying the ring. He’s short, a bit plump, and not as funny as Merry or Pippin. But Sam has something that I’ve come to value. He is honest, he is faithful despite the circumstances, he is protective and hopeful and looks for the bright side. He encourages Frodo and just as Frodo said, “Frodo wouldn’t have gotten far without Sam.”

Without Sam, the quest would have failed, yet he stays back in the shadows, he doesn’t look for glory or respect. He’s just doing his job, looking out for his friends and putting other’s needs before his own. In my eyes, he’s doing what God has called each Christian to do: to serve, to love, to point the people around us to the truth and hope we have in God and to keep going, even when it’s hard. Sam’s speeches are the most memorable part of LOTRs for me. So I’ll end with my favorite.

Image 3 Source

Frodo: I can’t do this, Sam.

Sam: I know. It’s all wrong. By rights we shouldn’t even be here. But we are. It’s like in the great stories, Mr. Frodo. The ones that really mattered. Full of darkness and danger, they were. And sometimes you didn’t want to know the end. Because how could the end be happy? How could the world go back to the way it was when so much bad had happened? But in the end, it’s only a passing thing, this shadow. Even darkness must pass. A new day will come. And when the sun shines it will shine out the clearer. Those were the stories that stayed with you. That meant something, even if you were too small to understand why. But I think, Mr. Frodo, I do understand. I know now. Folk in those stories had lots of chances of turning back, only they didn’t. They kept going. Because they were holding on to something.

Frodo: What are we holding onto, Sam?

Sam: That there’s some good in this world, Mr. Frodo… and it’s worth fighting for.

Books Christian Life Movies

Leave a comment »
Apr 27

Sneak Peek #3

by lydiamhill

I haven’t posted any sneak peeks for my new novel “Finding Home: The Lost Brother” in quite awhile, so I thought I’d share one of my favorite moments from the new book. If you haven’t already read them, there are two other sneak peeks: https://lydiamhill.wordpress.com/2015/02/10/another-sneak-peek/  and  https://lydiamhill.wordpress.com/2015/01/12/a-sneak-peek/
You should probably read them first, so this scene will make more sense. And if you haven’t read the first book in the series yet “Finding Home: The Orphan’s Journey,” check it out on Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Finding-Home-Orphans-Lydia-Hill/dp/1490556427/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1430152065&sr=8-1&keywords=finding+home+the+orphan%27s+journey

And now without further ado, a sneak peek:

Finding Home
Caleb sighed audibly. “I hope this doesn’t take too long.”

Adrian shrugged and turned towards the house.

Caleb reluctantly followed Adrian inside the worn structure. “You know we can’t wait on that kid too long, only a few minutes.”

Adrian sighed, “I know.” He began to study the home’s interior quietly. He touched an old wooden-framed bed and the stones of the soot-filled fireplace.

Caleb looked at the poorly furnished home and wondered what was so special about it. He looked at Adrian for some kind of clue. After seeing Adrian smile at odd objects, like spoons and a wooden sword, Caleb spoke up. “This is where you grew up, isn’t it?”

Adrian nodded as he held a worn bowl in his hand. He glanced around the small room. “It hasn’t changed much.” He set down the bowl.

Caleb nodded but didn’t say anything for several minutes. Finally he broke the silence, “I’m sorry Adrian.”

Adrian turned to look at Caleb. “What for?” he asked, confused.

“I didn’t realize this was your home…. I shouldn’t have pushed you to leave. I know it can be hard… to say goodbye.”

“That’s alright Caleb, you didn’t know.”

Caleb studied Adrian’s face. “So are you alright?”

Adrian nodded. “Yes, I just…” he trailed off.

Caleb waited.

“I just don’t want to forget them…. With all the running around, getting ready for the coronation, and clearing the land of any remaining Unguls, I’ve felt like I’m losing them again… it’s like I don’t have a family.”

Caleb waited for a minute, then hesitantly said, “But you do have a family; King Richard.”

Adrian smiled. “Yes, I know. And I’m thankful for that… but it’s different. I don’t know. Does this make sense at all?”

Caleb shrugged his shoulders. “Makes sense to me. When you were growing up you had a father, a mother, several brothers… wait did you have a sister?”

Adrian laughed, “No, I did not. Serina says that’s why I have horrible table manners.”

Caleb nodded, then continued, “So you had this big family, and now you just have Richard. And I’m not saying there’s anything wrong with Richard, but he is just one man. I think it’s understandable for you to feel like you’ve lost your family.”

Adrian nodded. “Thank you Doctor Caleb. Now what do I do about it?”

Caleb shrugged. “Not a clue. But I’m sure you’ll figure something out.”

Adrian shook his head and laughed. “Thanks Caleb.”

Caleb stepped back outside, “You know everyone’s waiting on us.”

Adrian sighed as he followed his friend, “Yeah I know. I just don’t want to break a promise.”

Caleb nodded. “I understand… but it is my job to get you to the coronation and… well we are running out of time.” He climbed onto his mount and looked expectantly at Adrian.

Adrian nodded, “You’re probably right. He walked over to Midnight and prepared to hop on.

“Wait!” Alex’s voice called from down the hill.

Adrian stopped and smiled up at Caleb, “Right on time.”

Caleb rolled his eyes, “I guess we can wait a few more minutes.”

Alex soon crested the top of the hill with another boy right beside him.

Josiah suddenly stopped in his tracks.

Adrian too froze in place.

Alex glanced from one to the other with a huge smile plastered on his face. “Surprise!” he yelled.

Caleb looked on confused. “Adrian?” he said quietly.

Adrian paid no attention to Caleb’s words, “Josiah?” he said so quietly, it might have been only to himself.

Josiah blinked and rubbed his eyes, making sure what he was seeing wasn’t one of his imaginations. But when he looked again, Ben was still standing there, staring back at him. Suddenly the world melted away, and Josiah was running.

Adrian could hardly believe what he was seeing, but once Josiah began running towards him, his hesitation disappeared and he ran too.

The two collided in a massive hug, with Adrian lifting Josiah off the ground. They both held onto each other tightly, too overcome with emotion to say a word.

Caleb cleared his throat and turned to Alex, “Who is that?”

Alex giggled, “Isn’t it obvious? They’re brothers.”

Caleb looked back at the two with wonder, “But that’s impossible.”

Books Finding Home sneak peek Writing

2 Comments »
Mar 30

The Warriors Series

by lydiamhill

Image Source: http://cloudwolfanime.deviantart.com/art/Warrior-Cats-Cover-Pictures-of-First-Series-281530096

Recently I’ve been rereading the Warriors series by Erin Hunter. I did not get to enjoy these books when I was a young reader, but in college when I worked with a 6th Grade reading program at a local middle school, I got to see a few kids enjoying this series. My younger sister got into them as well and so eventually I did read them too.

I don’t know why I got the urge to pick them up again this past week but it was fun to read the story again. I love the world the authors created and how they describe this world from a cat’s perspective. They call humans “two legs” and think of cars as “monsters.” I also enjoy the Clan life they’ve created with it’s different roles for cats. There are warriors that protect and hunt, a leader and deputy that run the clan, a medicine cat for treating the sick and injured, apprentices that are learning to be warriors, queens that take care of kits, and elders that are too old to fight or hunt but are still taken care of. Plus the intriguing story of a cat from the pet world entering into the forest cat’s home is perfect for helping us discover the new world with him. I’m really enjoying how the larger story of Fireheart, our protagonist, faces off against his nemesis Tigerclaw. That storyline is weaved throughout the book series.

If you’ve never gotten to read this series and you like a good quick read, or if you’re looking for a good gift for a younger reader, I’d highly recommend the Warriors series. However, there are several series that have been written within this “Warriors” collection. I’ve enjoyed the first series and so has my sister. I think it is both our favorite. There are at least 2 other series after this one and several stand alone books. From what my sister has told me the later series begin to lose their appeal. The writing isn’t as good and contain more misspellings and grammar problems . Also the storylines become less compelling and even seem to go against what we would expect from our favorite characters. It’s as if the authors were just trying to pump books out so fast that they could not keep up with the same quality. So if you do decide to read this series, definitely start with the first one. The first book in the first series is called “Into the Wild.”

And here’s what it looks like. Happy reading!

Image Source: https://he.wikipedia.org/wiki/%D7%9C%D7%95%D7%97%D7%9E%D7%99%D7%9D

Books

Leave a comment »
Mar 4

Beauty and Looking in the Mirror

by lydiamhill

Image Source: http://www.vcpost.com/articles/68112/20150519/beauty-beast-remake-official-cast-revealed-hp-star-emma-watson.htm

One of my favorite movies when I was younger was Disney’s Beauty and the Beast. I loved Bell, her enthusiastic reading matched my own, and her kind spirit that looked beyond the outward appearance struck a chord in my own heart. I wanted to be just like her. Plus her yellow ball gown was gorgeous and yellow is my favorite color. So a couple weeks ago, a friend let me borrow a book called Beauty: A Retelling of the Story of Beauty & the Beast by Robin McKinley that uses the basic plot from Beauty and the Beast as a starting point. I’d never read a book about Beauty and the Beast before, and I found this one very engaging. The characters were much deeper than what can be shown in a short animated film and the descriptions were detailed. I particularly liked how Beauty came by her name.

Image Source: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/41424.Beauty

In the book, her real name is Honour, but as a child she prefers the name Beauty, and so everyone comes to call her by this nickname. But as she ages, the “Beauty” title becomes ironic. She looks nothing like her gorgeous sisters, but everyone is used to calling her Beauty, so she keeps the name. However she develops a strong sense that she is not beautiful and will never be so. She accepts the fact and dresses more commonly, even being mistaken for a boy on occasion. This perception of herself continues when she winds up living with the Beast. There are no mirrors in his mansion, so she never sees herself and continues to believe that she is ugly. She even refuses to wear the most fancy dresses offered to her, because she cannot see herself wearing them, they are too extravagant in her eyes and she is not worthy of them. But after the climax, when the spell is broken, she finally sees herself in a mirror, and realizes how she has changed since she came to live with the Beast. She is taller, and elegant, and Beauty is an appropriate title after all.

As I was thinking about what to post about today, I started to think about the passage in James where he compares looking in a mirror to reading God’s Word and then doing what it says, or acting on what you see. James 1:23-25 “Anyone who listens to the word but does not do what it says is like a man who looks at his face in a mirror and, after looking at himself, goes away and immediately forgets what he looks like. But the man who looks intently into the perfect law that gives freedom, and continues to do this, not forgetting what he has heard, but doing it – he will be blessed in what he does.”

It was easy for Beauty to remain ignorant, because there were no mirrors around to tell her differently. And even if people around her, like the Beast, or her family when she visited, told her she had changed, she couldn’t believe them. She had to see it for herself. I think the same can be true for us. We need to read the Bible for ourselves to be able to see ourselves the way God sees us. We can listen to what pastor’s say, or our friends, or our family. But in the end, we also need to look for ourselves. And after looking, as James says, we need to do something about it.

I don’t leave the mirror in the bathroom till I’m satisfied with how I look, I work till what I see in the mirror is what I want to see. I want to do the same with God’s Word. In it, I see where God wants me to be, and I don’t want to just close the Bible and say, “Oh well, I’ll never be like that.” No I want to cry out for God to help me, and then step into living His way. Then one day, like Beauty, I can look in ‘the mirror’ and see all the change that He has worked in my life to make me truly Beautiful.

Books Christian Life

Leave a comment »
Feb 10

Another Sneak Peek

by lydiamhill

I’ve been getting on a writing kick lately for my next novel, Finding Home: The Lost Brother. I posted part of it several weeks ago. And I thought it would be fun to post another section. The last post was from a new character’s perspective, but I figured anyone who read the first book would enjoy this bit from Adrian’s perspective. So here you go, enjoy!

Finding Home
Adrian surveyed his hometown. Nothing had seemed to change since he had been here last spring with his family. He took a deep breath of the familiar smells.

“You ready to go?” asked an irritated voice.

Adrian smiled. “Really Caleb, we’re not in that big of a rush. We can at least look around for a few minutes.”

Caleb sighed audibly. “But your coronation is in three days and we need to get back.…”

Adrian held up his hand. “I know, I know. Thank you for keeping me on schedule. But… I just need to see it…. It’s been so long.”

Caleb crossed his arms. “We have seen it. Look there it is.” He gestured to the marketplace. “You said we’d only be here a little while, it was just a ‘quick stop.’ Well I don’t see any Unguls, so our job here is done and we need to go.”

Adrian ignored Caleb’s protests and gave Midnight a gentle nudge. “There’s something I have to see first.”

Caleb threw up his arms. “Royalty!”

Adrian suppressed a giggle. “Come on. I promise we can go after this.”

Caleb nodded glumly. “Yes your majesty.” He nudged his own horse and followed Adrian into the crowded streets.

Adrian smiled broadly and waved to a few surprised people that he recognized. After making it through the crowded market, Adrian turned towards a steep hill overlooking the sea.

A worn house, that was really more of a shack, sat atop the hill. It was leaning slightly, as if the years of gusty ocean squalls had finally worn it down.

Adrian slipped off of Midnight’s back and approached the small structure. He stopped and stared silently for several minutes.

Caleb began tapping his foot impatiently.

Suddenly a loud thump from within the house broke the silence.

Curious, Adrian stepped closer and called out “Hello, anyone here?”

A young boy, with flat brown hair atop his head popped out of the door. He looked at Adrian inquisitively then his eyes lit up. “Ben!” he screamed. He pushed the door roughly and ran out to greet his old friend.

Adrian wrapped the boy in a hug and held him tightly. “Alex! My how you’ve grown! How are you?”

Alex grinned, “I’m fine. Where have you been? I thought you were dead!”

Adrian laughed. “Well that’s a long story. I’ve been pretty much everywhere….”

Suddenly Alex shrieked, “Oh you haven’t seen… I can’t believe this! I have to tell him!”

“Slow down Alex,” Adrian said calmly. “What are you talking about?”

Alex grinned with a twinkle in his eye, “It’s a surprise. Just stay here and I’ll bring it to you.”

Adrian laughed, “Alright Alex, I’ll play your game.”

“So you’ll stay here?”

“Yes.”

“Promise?” Alex asked, his face suddenly turning serious.

“I promise,” Adrian agreed.

“Just don’t take too long kid,” Caleb called as Alex sprinted down the hillside.

Books Finding Home sneak peek Writing

Leave a comment »
Jan 21

Writing Tip: Have a Confidant

by lydiamhill

Girls, Whispering, Best Friends, Young, Teen, Secret

Image Source: https://pixabay.com/en/girls-whispering-best-friends-young-914823/

As I’ve continued to write, I’ve found how helpful it can be to have someone I can talk to about what I’m writing. It may just be my personality, but I’ve found that getting another person’s opinion on what I’m writing is very helpful and often times is the spark I need to get excited about writing again. I think that’s why writer circles and workshops exist. Using other’s feedback and questions helps the writing process go much faster, and also makes it more fun.

Not only do I have someone I can talk out my ideas to, but I am also the confidant for another friend who is writing. So if you’re interested in writing I would suggest finding someone who you can talk to about your ideas. It really helps to hear from someone else if what you’re planning makes sense and is interesting, or is boring and full of discrepancies. Because ultimately, you want your writing to be something that someone else will want to read, and if it’s only interesting to you, that purpose will not be achieved.

Here’s a few things I tell my confidant:

-I explain a portion of the plot and ask if it sounds interesting.

-I give a few possible scenarios and ask which one is the best.

-I let her read what I’ve written and see if there are any flaws or plot holes I missed.

-I share my inspirations and ask if they would work with what I’ve already written.

-I ask if what I’m planning for a character to do aligns with their personality.

 

Here’s a few ways I’ve helped another writer:

-I listen to story ideas, and make suggestions for what a character could do or say in a specific situation.

-I help come up with names for characters or places.

-I’ve read through books or short stories and corrected misspellings and grammar issues.

 

Here are a few things to keep in mind when picking your confidant:

-Make sure the person is someone you trust

-Make sure the person is honest and won’t just tell you want you want to hear

-Make sure the person is easily available (not someone you never see and rarely talk to)

-Make sure the person wants to and enjoys giving feedback (not everyone wants to be a sounding board)

 

Good Luck with your writing!

Books Writing

Leave a comment »
Jan 12

A Sneak Peek

by lydiamhill

So I’ve been working on a sequel to my first novel Finding Home: The Orphan’s Journey. And I’m still in the editing phase of the book. But for the few of you out there who have read my first book, I thought you’d appreciate a sample of the next one in the series. This book will be titled Finding Home: The Lost Brother and I hope you enjoy this little sample from Chapter 1. Who knows, I may post a few more sneak peeks before I publish this next book.

Finding Home

Josiah stepped into the weather-beaten barn. The small lantern in his hand illuminated a damp structure with several stalls where quiet animals stood staring back at him. It was more unnerving in the dark than it ever was when he had to feed the animals in the light of day. Josiah clung to the thick blanket in his other hand and took a deep breath. “Alright, nothing to be afraid of in here,” he tried to reassure himself.

The wooden panels creaked as a sharp gust of wind came in from the sea. Little streams of air whistled through the cracks in the siding.

Josiah gulped and took another step inside. He jumped as the wind slammed the door shut behind him. “Calm down,” he said quietly. “It’s just wind, it can’t hurt me. He settled down on the damp hay of an empty stall and snuggled in his thick blanket. Josiah wasn’t sure he’d be able to fall asleep in the dark barn, but he tried to get comfortable all the same. It’s nothing like sleeping on the hard ground, and I’ve done that plenty of times….

* * * * *

“Josiah? Come on, we’re moving on, you can’t sleep anymore.”

Josiah saw his father leaning over him. He yawned and wiped his eyes, “Where’d our roof go?” He asked confusedly.

His father laughed, “We don’t have a roof out here. We’re not at our house, remember?”

Josiah stared up at the trees, “Oh yeah. When will we get to go back?”

“Soon, very soon…. Come on now, up you go.”

Josiah sat up and looked around at his brothers also stirring out of their slumbers. He tried to focus on their faces, but they all looked fuzzy, and the harder he looked, the more blurred they became. Soon everything around him was nothing but a haze of colors.

* * * * *

Josiah opened his eyes, everything was dark. “Father?” he whispered.

Something stirred next to him.

Josiah turned and his eyes adjusted to find a chicken snuggled up next to him. “Ah!” he yelped as he jumped up.

The chicken clucked and flapped away.

Josiah sat back down with a sigh, “It was just a dream.”

Books Finding Home sneak peek Writing

Leave a comment »
Jan 5

The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies

by lydiamhill

Image Source: http://lotr.wikia.com/wiki/The_Hobbit:_The_Battle_of_the_Five_Armies

So I finally got through the holiday busyness and had time to go see a movie. I had been wanting to see the Hobbit for quite some time. Since I saw it so late, I inevitably heard people’s opinions about it, before I could see it for myself. One person basically said, “If you liked the others, you’ll like this one,” but wasn’t too impressed with it. Another friend hated it, but mostly because her favorite characters died, which was true to the book. And someone else commented on the movie’s simple message, “Don’t be greedy.”

So as I watched the movie, these opinions stayed with me. And now it’s my turn to add an opinion. I agree that this film is on the same standing with the other Hobbit films. They were good movies, but I connected more with the Lord of the Rings trilogy than this one. I think the characters in the Lord of the Rings were based more on the books, whereas a lot of the Hobbit characters weren’t even in the Hobbit, like Legolas, Saruman, and Azog. And certain relationships weren’t ever in the book either, like Fili’s romantic interest. I think that Peter Jackson tried to add so many extra storylines to the Hobbit, that the original story and it’s charm got a little lost.

But even with these separations from the book, I still liked seeing the same characters from the first two movies develop and the action of the story come to a satisfying end. I may not have connected with the Hobbit as much as LOTR, but I will say I enjoyed the movie. I liked seeing Bard kill the dragon, which I originally thought would be the climax of the second movie. And I particularly enjoyed seeing when Bilbo went home and his neighbors were buying all of his stuff because they thought he had died. And I really enjoyed how Thorin’s greediness was portrayed as coming from the dragon and even melded Cumberbatch’s voice with Thorin’s to show the connection to Smaug.

And at the end of the Hobbit trilogy, I can say Bilbo is my favorite character; his courage and wit, loyalty, and wisdom make him a lovable character. And can I say his face expressions are priceless! So if you haven’t seen the Hobbit movies yet, I hope you do.

Books Movies

Leave a comment »
Nov 24

Thankful for Hardships

by lydiamhill

Pumpkin, Orange, Grass, Autumn, Halloween, Harvest

Image Source: https://pixabay.com/en/pumpkin-orange-grass-autumn-1004979/

In case you didn’t know, I’m doing several posts this month about being grateful or thankful or whatever you want to call it, in honor of Thanksgiving. I’ve already talked about family and friends, and I think that’s the sort of thing that comes to most people’s minds when they are trying to be thankful. But I’ve also been relearning recently that as a Christian I should be thankful for the hard things too.

I started reading in James this morning and he starts off his letter telling Christians to be joyful in hardships because it produces perseverance. And yesterday my Mom got up in front of my church, along with several other members, and thanked God for the difficulties our family has faced and how it’s grown her spiritually. Even my Dad thanked God for problems and how they force us to rely on Him. I also just finished reading Christy, a wonderful book by Catherine Marshall. I really loved one of the characters, Ms. Alice, and how she lived out her faith. Even with all of the baggage in her life, she was able to use it to become more able to help those around her. Reading about her made me desire to mature in Christ and be able to do the same kind of things.

But unfortunately, recently I’ve found myself complaining about the busyness and craziness of my life. I don’t want to do that, so this is one way I’m trying to live out being thankful, even for the hard stuff.

So here are a few hard things, that I’m thankful for:

1. I’m thankful that when I was a kid, I was left out, excluded, and didn’t have many friends.

That experience affected me, and it’s helped me love others, especially the people around me who are excluded now. If I had never experienced that hurt, I wouldn’t care for others that feel it too. It also helps me to appreciate all of the friends I have now.

2. I’m thankful that my sister has gone through and still deals with anxiety and panic attacks.

I’ll be honest, I prayed for it to go away, for my sister to be healed, for my family to not have to deal with it anymore. And I still hope for the day that it will all be gone. But I’ve gotten to see over the years how this difficulty has shaped me, my sister, and my family. We’ve had to grow in forgiveness and understanding. I’ve had to grow in patience, sympathy, and giving up what I want. It hasn’t been an easy road, but it’s the one God gave my family, and He has brought good out of it.

3. I’m thankful that I’ve never had a serious romantic relationship.

This is a struggle I’ve had off and on for a long time, most girls do. I have wanted to find a guy, get married, and start a family. And I’ve waited, and waited. I never thought I’d be in my mid-twenties and still not be married. But it has allowed me to have time for other things that I love. A lot of the couples I see around me spend so much time on that one relationship, and they need to, but it means they can’t spend as much time with other people. I’ve seen God use this extra time in my life to give me the freedom to go on mission trips, serve in ministry, and disciple other ladies in the faith. And throughout this time of waiting, God has shown me that what brings true joy is Himself, and not the fulfillment of my desires.

4. I’m thankful for my fear of public speaking.

I’ve never liked talking to groups of people, and for a long time I’ve been the shy girl in the corner that doesn’t talk. So public speaking has always been difficult for me. And it still is, I don’t like the spotlight on me. But through this weakness, I’ve seen God’s strength. He has put me in situation after situation where I need to speak in front of groups, give presentations, teach lessons, and… well speak publicly. It’s uncomfortable, it’s scary, and I still struggle with what to say. But this has forced me to rely on God each time. I learned early on that when I trusted God with my fear and asked for His help, He provided. And so I still go to Him. Each time speaking publicly arises, I have to trust Him all over again. And this learning to place trust in God, instead of my own talents, is a special gift I wouldn’t trade.

So, what are a few things you are thankful for?

Books Christian Life

Leave a comment »
«Older Entries
Newer Entries »
Blog at WordPress.com.