Thoughts on “The Stairs of Cirith Ungol”

February 17, 2025 / Apple Hill Cottage / 6 Comments

This winter seemed an appropriate time to read (for the third time) J.R.R. Tolkien’s The Lord of the Rings.

The story of two brave little halflings summoning their courage and overcoming the odds to stop the all-encompassing Evil? Yes.

The story of beings of all persuasions–Elves, Dwarves, Men, Wizards, Hobbits, Ents, Trees, Eagles–uniting together despite their differences to defeat the return of evil? Yes.

The story of Evil, gathering its shadowy powers a second time, through lies, webs, and deceit? Yes, again.

I’m nearing the end of The Two Towers. If you remember, you know that this is some of the darkest of dark times. Frodo and Sam have followed Gollum up the winding, treacherous stairs of Cirith Ungol, which in Sindarin means the cleft of the spider. Even Gollum has made veiled references to the harrowing tunnel ahead. I have looked at the name of the next chapter, “Shelob’s Lair.” I know both what is immediately ahead, and further ahead. It’s the unpleasant-est of journeys.

I put the book down and wonder if I should continue reading now, or perhaps later.

My son texts me–the name of a podcast I should listen to. I text him back–I feel like we are climbing Mt. Doom with Frodo and Sam. Following after Gollum.

I close my eyes and consider. The sun is shining, but it is 18 degrees, with a wind chill of 2. Even with the sun coming through the glass, I am under a blanket on the couch. It’s only two o’clock. I will finish this chapter.

“In a dark crevice between two great piers of rocks they sat down…”

The two hobbits think perhaps it might be the last meal they share together. And then Sam begins to talk as if they were really in a story, wondering if it was a happy-ending kind of tale or a sad ending, and how the people in the tale don’t really know. And how it would be a bad story if they did know. Frodo laughs–the first laugh for many days. ‘But you didn’t put anything in about Sam,’ he says. ‘And Frodo wouldn’t have gotten very far without Sam, would he dad?’ And then Frodo says,

“You and I, Sam, are still stuck in the worst places of the story, and it is all too likely that some will say at this point: ‘Shut the book now, dad; we don’t want to read anymore.'”

Yes. That’s just how I felt.

In truth, it’s how I feel every day. Shut the book now, dad; we don’t want to read anymore. Turn the page, turn to the next chapter, where the villain is defeated, and the heroes are celebrating. Wounded, yes, but celebrating their bravery and courage.

It is true that the best stories often turn out to be the hardest of journeys.

But that is only if the heroes win.

But I can’t end there, can I? Because I believe that ultimately, heroes do win.

It’s just that right now, we’re in that hard part of the tale….

The Magic of Winter Reading

December 3, 2024December 3, 2024 / Apple Hill Cottage / 3 Comments

My kids are readers (no surprise, they were raised by a librarian) and they both married readers. So over Thanksgiving weekend we talked about books quite a bit. We talked about great books we had read over the last year; we caught up on books we had recommended to each other; we talked about authors we all (or some of us) had read; we discussed the plusses and minuses of Goodreads and Storygraph, Libby and Hoopla; we talked about what books were being made into movies, and why e-books just aren’t as magical as holding an actual book in your hands; and through it all we had our phones out to note anything that sounded good that we might have missed. Our different tastes made us a motley discussion group–from sci-fi/fantasy, to modern best sellers, to historical fiction to nonfiction to an occasional Children’s or Young Adult novel…we run the gamut of genres. And we were all enthralled as we watched The Dark Winds, a television series made from those evocative Tony Hillerman novels of the Navaho or Dine people. Some of us are thinking of reading or re-reading a few of them.

Both kids discussed their failures at participation in an adult summer reading program–and they both agreed that they wanted to read what they wanted to read. They didn’t want to be told to read a horror book or scary mystery (that was my daughter) or a light beach romance (that was my son). I’m right with them, but I might make exceptions for a beach romance (Emilie Henry, anyone?)

It’s not summer any longer though, and if your December calendar hasn’t already filled up, count yourself among the favored few. But beach reads and summer reading aside, winter is THE best time for reading. Sitting by a cozy fire with a mug of something warm to drink and an exciting book? It might even be better than summer reading, because nature is definitely not calling me to go outside and take a walk. I’m making my New Year’s Resolutions early this year—I’m going to read more deeply, more widely. On my list is:

the National Book Award winner James by Percival Everett (except I might have to reread The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn. I loved Tom Sawyer, but I’m thinking I didn’t finish Huck Finn–it was so long ago, I can’t remember.)
The River We Remember by William Kent Krueger. Two of Krueger’s books, Ordinary Grace and This Tender Land have made my 5 star list.
Tell Me Everything by Elizabeth Strout. Just this summer I read her pandemic novel, Lucy by the Sea and I was reminded how much I enjoy her writing.
During December I’m going to be reading Niall Williams’ new book Time of the Child because I also read his book This Is Happiness this summer. It was a slow, lyrically written character study of an Irish village being electrified in the sixties. If you want to step into the time before social media and modern frenzied life, Niall Williams is your man.
We Shall Not All Sleep by Tony Woodlief. His book from several years ago, Somewhere More Holy blew me away with his phrasing, his words, his thoughts, his humility and I’m looking forward to reading his new one.
It’s also going to be a Tolkien winter: The Hobbit + The Lord of the Rings + The Silmarillion (which I haven’t read and was highly recommended to me by my son-in-law). What could be better than the rereading of the ultimate fight against the Dark Lord, when we have our own evil cabal seizing power in this very country? It’s also a good time to stick your head in the sands of Middle Earth.
Octavia Butler’s Parable of the Sower. I read it when it came out in the nineties, but I’m told she predicted the Make America Great Again saying, so how can I not reread it, just for that alone…
And I’m also going to be rereading Prayer in the Night by Tish Harrison Warren because dark, winter, nights fit my mood this year, and I need to be reminded that light, spring, and morning will return…

And if any of you out there sometimes like great children’s books, I highly recommend The Eyes of the Impossible by Dave Eggers (it won the Newbery Award this past year) and The Inquisitor’s Tale by Adam Gidwitz. And right now I’m reading two excellent widely divergent books–The Comfort of Crows by Margaret Renkl (essays on the natural world in your backyard) and Eugene Peterson’s imaginative book on Revelation, Reversed Thunder.

My list is endless…

Read widely. Read deeply. The winter is long…