The Children of Húrin

The Children of Húrin – written by J.R.R. Tolkien and edited by his son Christopher Tolkien – is one of those books that looks deceptively small and easy to consume, but which I nevertheless keep re-reading year after year. Now I had been itching to read it once more and then write the review that it very much deserved, and the Tolkien Blog Party hosted by Hamlette at The Edge of the Precipice provided the final inspiration.

The Children of Húrin is one of the many drafts concerning the history of Middle-Earth that Tolkien never finished during his lifetime. However, it was among those that he came nearest to completing, and it appeared posthumously in The Silmarillion as well as Unfinished Tales, both of which were collections of Tolkien's Middle-Earth drafts edited by Christopher Tolkien. Even as I read this story in both of these books, it immediately became a favourite of mine. Christopher Tolkien then did a little more work on the text, making it into a more complete narrative that was published as an independent book in 2007. I remember very well that I was one of the first people in Tampere to snatch it off the shelves of the local bookstore and it was a great day for me, even though there was no queuing and mass hysteria involved such as with the Harry Potter books.

I know quite a few people who are avid fans of The Hobbit, The Lord of the Rings and Tolkien's world in general, but who feel a bit nervous about going aboard The Silmarillion to see the earlier days of Middle-Earth. "Should I read it? What's it really like?" they carefully ask. All this is completely understandable! Tolkien goes on quite a bit about his beloved Eldar and their history in The Lord of the Rings as well, and these digressions don't always seem entirely necessary to advance the plot (on a side note though, yours truly is a complete nerd for history of any kind and all the smallest details, so I was never bothered...) So how would it feel to read an entire book devoted to Tolkien's incredibly vast and detailed history of Middle-Earth?

Well, like I said on that little side note, I read all sorts of "background material" with more enthusiasm than the average reader, so I can honestly say that I love The Silmarillion and everything related to it, and I can't really see how anyone could be bored by stuff like that. But I can also say, just as honestly, that for anyone that feels daunted by Tolkien's style in handling Middle-Earth's history, The Children of Húrin is an excellent place to start. So in case you were already beginning to wonder if I'm ever going to get round to the actual review – yes, I am going to tell you why exactly I love this story so much. I'll also do it completely free of spoilers.

Túrin Turambar, an illustration by Alan Lee. Normally I'm not a big fan of grey, but I absolutely love these colours.

As much as Tolkien dedicated his time to devising the history and languages of the Eldar, in The Children of Húrin, the focus is placed on a family of mortals. The setting is in Beleriand (a Western part of Middle-Earth that has perished completely by the time The Lord of the Rings takes place) in the First Age, and Morgoth brings darkness to both Elves and Men – his servant, Sauron, would later become a Dark Lord himself. Húrin is a great leader among the Men, but he goes to war against Morgoth and is taken prisoner, so his son Túrin grows up mostly fatherless. As the war goes very badly against the allied forces of Elves and Men, Túrin's homeland becomes unsafe and his mother Morwen sends him to Doriath – and as I like to point out connections to The Lord of the Rings for the benefit of those that have read that but not this, I should mention that the legendary love story of Beren and Lúthien begins in Doriath. Meanwhile, as Morgoth continues to hold Húrin prisoner he puts a curse on him and all his descendants. It seems that the curse is in fact coming to action as one misfortune after another falls on Túrin. The mistakes that he makes send him on travels all across Beleriand while he strives to escape the shadow upon him. Each time he manages to find a safe haven for a while and thinks he has found peace, the ongoing war with Morgoth forces him out. Eventually, his path crosses with a mysterious young woman who has lost her memory.

Despite the fact that Tolkien himself didn't get this story past the drafting stage, the final, published version of The Children of Húrin is an entirely coherent work with a beautiful narrative structure. Tolkien's devotion to his mythology and his son's respect for the same and willingness to bring this material to Tolkien's admirers come brilliantly together. I don't know in any great detail in what ways Christopher Tolkien edited his father's draft and what additions he made, but I certainly couldn't tell by the book itself which parts were edited in.

For a Tolkien-written book, The Children of Húrin is very forward-paced and compact. Something essential takes place in each chapter, and the scenery changes in almost every other. All this movement keeps the reader very much engaged, especially as Túrin, the main protagonist, develops with almost every turn of the page. There are plenty of thought-provoking secondary characters as well; my favourite ones would absolutely be Túrin's mother Morwen – the most determined woman Tolkien ever wrote, even Éowyn would envy the strength of her heart – and his best friend, Beleg the elf, who is the best companion anyone could ever have and a total master at shooting with a bow. The friendship between Túrin and Beleg provides a much-appreciated ray of light to a tale that is mostly filled with darkness and doom – though, to be completely honest, this same friendship is the centre of one of the greatest tragedies that take place here. Oh my, now that I wrote that out I'm even sadder than while reading the book itself...

Which conveniently brings me to the tone and thematics of the story. If I was to come up with a really psychedelic, one-sentence description of The Children of Húrin, I would say: "It's kind of like The Hobbit, except that there are no hobbits in it and everything always goes wrong." In terms of pacing, this is an adventure story, but in terms of tone it's a tragedy. What makes it a thought-provoking tragedy (instead of just a severely depressing one) is that it constantly brings up the question of whether Túrin's misfortunes really are all caused by Morgoth's curse, or does he bring it on himself by being too proud and stubborn. Túrin's character flaws are highlighted by the fact that he is a mortal man who lives most of his life among the elves – while the elves are ready to stay put under Morgoth's shadow and wait for an unspecified moment in the far future when they feel it is the right moment for action, Túrin feels his own mortality very strongly and says and does unwise things in his frustration. Exploring the mentalities of Túrin's family and the elves makes for a rather interesting contemplation on the possible reason why Tolkien wanted these two different races to co-exist in his mythology in the first place.

Even though The Children of Húrin is very, very sad, it is not depressing. The sceneries and the characters that we come across on this eventful journey are exquisitely vibrant, and even when the story deals with pain, loss and inevitable fate, it does so in a most beautiful way. If I might make a guess, a reader who picks up The Children of Húrin is very likely to be interested in The Silmarillion and other similar works next. Then again, for those who aren't that eager to learn absolutely everything about Tolkien's mythology, this one is very much worth a read anyway because it doesn't require such a conviction in order to be appreciated. I for one am extremely glad that The Children of Húrin was expanded and made into a book of its own, because it has more than enough story and theme to deserve that.

Traces of Kalevala in Middle-Earth

A small, remote and young country like Finland doesn't have many things to boast about on an international level, but there is one accomplishment in particular that makes me a little proud (just a little, because I'm not big on patriotic or nationalistic values) of being a Finn: it is an indisputable fact that our mythology was a source of inspiration for J.R.R. Tolkien, one of the most globally renowned and beloved writers of all time. Now, in celebration of the Tolkien Blog Party hosted by Hamlette at The Edge of the Precipice, I'm going to have a little fun speculating which specific characters and elements of Finnish legends contributed to Tolkien's creations.

By having fun, I mean that none of my speculations here are facts set in stone. As far as I know, Tolkien rarely made explicit statements like "this character of Middle-Earth was based on that one of Finnish mythology". Also, I would like to make very clear that I'm in no way implying that Tolkien ripped off of our legends – being inspired by something and blatantly copying are two very different things. And as you read this post further, you'll notice that even when there are parallels to be seen, they usually don't run directly from one character to another.

Finally, before I start speculating, I should mention that all the elements of Finnish legends that I will be talking about come from a collection of Karelian oral folklore called Kalevala, which is our national epic. Because of its considerable length, archaic language and the fact that it's structured completely in trochaic tetrameters, very few Finns actually undertake the task of reading the entire, original Kalevala – and I'm not one of them, not yet at least. Tolkien, however, did read it. In Finnish. That deed alone shows quite an admirable dedication to foreign folklore!

I hope that served as enough of an introduction – let's start looking for parallels!


Tom Bombadil, Gandalf, Väinämöinen and Tapio

Tom Bombadil is possibly the oddest character in Middle-Earth, but for someone with basic Kalevala knowledge his portrayal seems eerily familiar. In Kalevala, one of the central characters is an old shaman with superhuman powers called Väinämöinen. He is the son of a goddess who came into the world before everyone else and could wield a great power through song. A certain quote by Tom Bombadil comes to mind:

"Eldest, that's what I am... Tom remembers the first raindrop and the first acorn... He knew the dark under the stars when it was fearless – before the Dark Lord came from Outside."

Then again, most Tolkien scholars who bring up the connection to Kalevala see Väinämöinen as a model for Gandalf, which is also entirely plausible as both of them are very powerful and are central figures in a resistance against a "dark" power – in Kalevala, the bad guys live up North and their leader is Louhi, who is basically an evil witch with an unspecified number of stunningly beautiful daughters and every man in the "good guys'" land of Kalevala (including Väinämöinen) wants one for his wife.

Personally, I also like to draw parallels between Tom and the Finnish god of the forests, Tapio. There is one particularly striking scene in The Lord of the Rings where the four hobbits are staying at Tom Bombadil's house and Tom wears a crown made of autumn leaves – Tapio also wears a crown that changes according to the seasons. He has a beautiful, fair-haired wife as well, called Mielikki.


The smiths and their creations

While characters like Saruman and Gandalf can make things happen with just the force of their words, the manual work of smiths is of great importance in Middle-Earth. One of the defining characteristics of the entire race of dwarves is their love of metals, but other races have their own share of legendary smiths as well. Not only do they make swords, helms and armour that become legends themselves in the course of time, but some of their creations are so powerful that they change the fate of the entire world. Fëanor made the Silmarils which caused a raging war between Morgoth and the Noldor; his descendant Celebrimbor forged the Three Rings that made it possible for the elves to resist Sauron's power when many others were defeated; and, of course, Sauron himself created the One Ring.

I believe that the concept of smiths making things of great power might have gotten its inspiration from Kalevala – one of its most central heroes is llmarinen, a smith who, according to folklore, forged the dome of the sky and invented iron. His most famous accomplishment, however, was the Sampo. The legends are a bit vague and varied about precisely what sort of an object the Sampo was, but in any case it brought endless riches and prosperity out of thin air to whoever owned it. Similarly to the One Ring, it caused quite a massive squabble over who had the right to use it. Even though it was made by Ilmarinen, who was on the side of the "good guys", he was taking orders from the witch Louhi. Can you guess why? Oh yes, he just wanted to impress her so he could marry one of those desirable daughters of hers.

"The Defence of the Sampo" by Akseli Gallen-Kallela, depicting Väinämöinen and an eagle-shaped Louhi as they fight over the Sampo (which doesn't make an appearance here).

Eagles

Alright, many mythologies all across the world place eagles as the noblest of all birds. Still, I just have to point out that Kalevala features a gigantic eagle who saves Väinämöinen (the possible inspiration for Gandalf as I mentioned earlier) from drowning. Louhi also transforms herself into an eagle when Väinämöinen leads a force of Kalevalan men in an attempt to steal the Sampo.


Túrin and Kullervo

Spoiler warning for The Children of Húrin! Tolkien himself confirmed that the tragic story of his unluckiest hero, Túrin, was inspired by the similarly unlucky though less heroic Kullervo. Both of them are sent away from home at a young age, though Kullervo's story is much darker already in the beginning – Kullervo's uncle destroys his home, and he is sent off as a slave to Ilmarinen. His journey takes many turns, always to the worse, until he unknowingly commits incest with his sister, just like Túrin. Both of them have a little talk with their swords before killing themselves. I'll be writing more about Túrin in my upcoming review of The Children of Húrin.


So, what do you think about these comparisons? Eagles, smiths, tragic heroes and wise old men of course exist in folklore all around the world, but knowing Tolkien's interest in Kalevala, it's quite tempting to compare these two mythologies especially. I'm hoping that this little analysis might be of interest to non-Finnish Tolkien enthusiasts who may have heard how Finnish mythology inspired Tolkien but never knew what it was all about.

A Tolkien Blog Party of Special Magnificence – 2014

What a joy it was to find out that Hamlette is once again hosting A Tolkien Blog Party of Special Magnificence at her blog, The Edge of the Precipice! I've been in such a lovely Tolkien-iverse in my mind all day, and decided to re-read The Children of Húrin to mark the occasion, so you can expect a review somewhere during this week. I adore that book, let me just say that now. But before I get there, let's fill out the nice tag that Hamlette has made for her blog party.

1. Who introduced you to Tolkien's stories?

I got interested in Tolkien all on my own – though there's no doubt that the massive Tolkien hype of the day (the Return of the King film had just come out) had much to do with the reason why I got intrigued in the first place.

2. How old were you when you first ventured into Middle-Earth?

Like I said, all the LOTR films had been made when I started reading the book, so it must have been somewhere in 2004... which means I was thirteen years old. Funny, I was quite sure that I'd been a couple of years younger than that, but it must be thirteen.

3. Did you read the books first, or see the movie versions first?

I definitely read The Lord of the Rings before seeing any of the films. Possibly, I saw the films before I read The Hobbit or any other Middle-Earth related books.

4. A dragon or a balrog – which would you rather fight?

What a scary choice to make! I would go with the dragon, because they have exactly one redeeming feature compared to balrogs – they don't live deep underneath creepy mountain passageways. So with a dragon, there would be a smaller chance that I'd end up fighting somewhere pitch-black underground. Oh, and the dragon might even have the voice of Benedict Cumberbatch. One can always hope.

5. Who are three of your favourite characters? (Feel free to elaborate on why)

No matter how hard I think about this, I'll have to go with the same three characters that I named in last year's Tolkien blog party. I'll try to elaborate differently this time!

Number 1: Bilbo Baggins. I remember so well how I became an adamant Bilbo fan during the very first pages of The Lord of the Rings at my very first read, (apparently at the age of thirteen, seriously, how can it have been so late in my life?). Something about his character, his personality and what the other hobbits said about him (mainly how odd he was) just instantly clicked with me. In addition, the last two years for me have been very much about re-establishing my personal goals and coming to terms with the strengths and flaws about my personality, and I've found even more respect for Bilbo as an immensely inspirational character. I also think it's quite an accomplishment that he goes on quite cheerfully about his life and outlandish contacts "outsiders" despite what practically everyone in Hobbiton says about him. Bilbo just is the most awesome hobbit in my mind, and always will be. 

Number 2: Aragorn. Two of my very favourite passages in the book are Aragorn's first appearance (as Strider) at the Prancing Pony, and the first pages of The Two Towers when he's tracking down the Uruk-hai. He knows a lot of stuff about all sorts of lore, is just the man you want when a fight breaks out, and has wonderful understanding and compassion to people and races that are very different than him. Despite all this wonderfulness, I've never felt that his character is too perfect. 

Number 3: Éowyn. The Lord of the Rings is even more male-centric than Shakespeare's plays, which is saying something, but at least there's Éowyn. She carries a great mental burden all her life feeling like she can't rise up to her aspirations because she is a woman but never hesitates to show her loyalty to others. I respect her characterization more each time I re-read The Lord of the Rings. (But I still don't like Miranda Otto's portrayal of her, sadly.)

6. Have you ever dressed up like a Tolkien character?

I haven't, but now that I think of it, that would be so much fun. There would be so many great costumes to choose from...

7. If someone asks you to go on an adventure, how do you respond?

"Heck yes! Can you give me ten minutes to pack?"

8. Have you read any of the "history of Middle-Earth" books?

I haven't, but I saw them on the library's shelves just this week and was sorely tempted to borrow some. However, I already have so much to read right now and Middle-Earth is the kind of thing you really want to give your full attention.

9. Would you rather drink a bowl of Ent Draught or a glass of Old Winyards?

I don't drink anything with alcohol, so it would be Ent Draught. I would probably love it, it sounds so fresh and vitalizing. But then again, I wouldn't necessarily want the side-effect of growing taller... Yes, I'm saying that even though I'm no more than 155 cm tall. I like my size!

10. List up to ten of your favourite lines/quotes from the books or movies.

"All that is gold does not glitter,
Not all those who wander are lost;
The old that is strong does not wither,
Deep roots are not reached by the frost."

“I wish it need not have happened in my time," said Frodo.
"So do I," said Gandalf, "and so do all who live to see such times. But that is not for them to decide. All we have to decide is what to do with the time that is given us.” 

“Faithless is he that says farewell when the road darkens.” 

“Deserves it! I daresay he does. Many that live deserve death. And some that die deserve life. Can you give it to them? Then do not be too eager to deal out death in judgement. For even the very wise cannot see all ends.” 

“If more of us valued food and cheer and song above hoarded gold, it would be a merrier world.” 

“It's a dangerous business, Frodo, going out your door. You step onto the road, and if you don't keep your feet, there's no knowing where you might be swept off to.” 

“May it be a light to you in dark places, when all other lights go out.” 

“How do you pick up the threads of an old life? How do you go on, when in your heart, you begin to understand, there is no going back? There are some things that time cannot mend. Some hurts that go too deep...that have taken hold.” 

“Where did you go to, if I may ask?' said Thorin to Gandalf as they rode along.
To look ahead,' said he.
And what brought you back in the nick of time?'
Looking behind,' said he.” 

"But no living man am I! You look upon a woman."

Meme: On Books & Reading

1. Favourite childhood book?

I can remember the exact moment when I learned to read, at the age of six on a summer day. This very special book was a picture book about different kinds of jobs called Things People Do (Finnish translation titled Iloisten ihmisten saari), by Anne Civardi and Stephen Cartwright. I can still remember in glorious detail how my mother and big sister encouraged me to read aloud from the chapter about the baker, and how the jumbles of letters finally made sense! So obviously, such an important book deserves a mention among my childhood favourites.

Other notable ones would be Roald Dahl's Matilda and Anna Sewell's Black Beauty. I loved all of Dahl's books when I was a kid (I still do!) but I felt a very special connection with Matilda because I happened to come across that book at the time I was beginning to realize just how much I loved books, so I felt very close to the book-loving title character – who also happens to share my first name!

2. What are you reading right now?

I'm actively reading Susanna Clarke's Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell – the Finnish translation. But I've also got bookmarks on George R.R. Martin's A Storm of Swords and Ken Follett's The Pillars of the Earth. They've been on hold now for quite a long time, waiting for their proper time to be finished.

3. What books do you have on request at the library?

I just requested a big book about British kings and queens (I can't remember the name) which seems super interesting! I should be getting it tomorrow.

4. Bad book habit?

As you can see from my answer to the second question, I'm currently in the middle of several books at once. This is a very recent habit and one which I don't like at all! I really want to give my full attention to just one book at a time and I have absolutely no idea how I ended up in this situation!

5. What do you currently have checked out at the library?

Shakespeare's Two Gentlemen of Verona, Directing in the Theatre by Hugh Morrison, and a Spanish text book called Español Uno.

6. Do you have an e-reader?

I don't, and I'm not really interested in having one. I already spend enough of my time staring at various kinds of screens (when I'm blogging, for example) so when I want to enjoy a good book I want the real thing.

7. Do you prefer to read one book at a time, or several at once?

As I mentioned before, I've always been a strictly one-book-at-a-time person... until recently.

8. Have your reading habits changed since starting a blog?

I think I'm more interested to try out different genres and authors nowadays, because I want fresh and interesting content for my blog.

9. Least favourite book you read this year (so far)?

Le Fantôme de l'Opéra by Gaston Leroux – as much as I love the stage musical, I couldn't wait to get rid of that book!

10. Favourite book you've read this year (so far)?

I've had the chance to read many great books recently! Perhaps the most favourite one would be Zadie Smith's White Teeth which was both thought-provoking and immensely entertaining.

11. How often do you read out of your comfort zone?

I try to broaden my reading horizons regularly, but I wouldn't say I read out of my comfort zone that often.

12. What is your reading comfort zone?

I read mostly well-known authors, most often not very modern ones (though I'm working on that too). I'm usually drawn to "big" stories – not necessarily big in terms of the number of pages, but rich in characters and a well-developed plot.

13. Can you read on the bus?

I always read on the bus if the ride is longer than half an hour. Now that I live quite in the middle of my home town I rarely have to take longer bus rides, but whenever I do it's absolutely necessary to have something to read.

14. Favourite place to read?

At home on the couch, and on any kind of transportation – trains, cars, airplanes, and, of course, buses.

15. What is your policy on book lending?

I only lend books to people I know well and can trust to 1. return my books 2. also return them in perfect condition. However, to these people that have earned my trust in this matter I'm very eager to recommend my favourites on my bookshelf and give them the chance to read them as well.

16. Do you ever dog-ear books?

No. No. No. No. Just NO.

17. Do you ever write in the margins of your books?

Just the thought of violating my books with a pencil makes me uncomfortable.

18. Not even with text books?

Alright, text books are different. I haven't quite been able to make notes on my text books, but I can definitely see that it could be very helpful. That is, if the text book is your own – I absolutely hate it when I have to borrow a book from the University library and someone else has underlined the whole book – having someone else's (often totally stupid and irrelevant) notes on a book that I'm supposed to be concentrating on is incredibly distracting! People, do you realize what's the point about library books? The fact that it's not your own – someone else will be reading it after you, complete with whatever idiotic notes and smiley faces you scribble on the margins!

19. What is your favourite language to read in?

English. I started reading in English when I was about 10 years old, and nowadays I rarely read in any other language.

20. What makes you love a book?

Well-developed characters, an engaging and unpredictable plot, interesting settings, and sophisticated use of language and narration techniques. That's about it.

21. What will inspire you to recommend a book?

If I'm still mulling over a book for several days after finishing it, I will definitely badger all of my friends about it.

22. Favourite genres?

Historical fiction, fantasy (though I'm quite picky about this genre nowadays), children's books, good detective stories, plays, and, perhaps above all else, social satire.

23. Genres you rarely read (but wish you did)?

I think I should read more biographies/autobiographies – I bet there are some absolutely fascinating real-life stories to find. I'm also planning to get a little more into the horror genre, which I barely ever read.

24. Favourite biography?

I just told you this is one of my least-read genres... In fact, I can't think of a single biography right now. Salman Rushdie's Joseph Anton is on my reading list though, and it probably qualifies as at least a partial biography because it's his account on the years he lived under the threat of the fatwa.

25. Have you ever read a self-help book?

Do horse riding manuals and "how to train your dog" books count?

26. Favourite cookbook?

Ahem, I don't really cook that much and on the rare occasion that I do, the recipe is usually from online or a really trusty old goodie that I know and love. There is a really big, beautiful cook book in my parents' shelf called Rakkaudesta ruokaan (= For the love of food) which I sometimes like to leaf through simply because all the things in it look gorgeous – the recipes, on the other hand, sound so dauntingly complicated I don't think they would ever work in a home kitchen.

27. Most inspirational book you've read this year (fiction or non-fiction)?

Noel Streatfeild's Ballet Shoes, which I recently blogged about, was a tremendously uplifting reading experience!

28. Favourite reading snack?

I usually have a cup of tea when I'm reading. Then again, if I give myself permission to nibble on something... my favourite alternative would be cheese puffs. I love those things way too much.

29. Name a case in which hype ruined your reading experience.

I made a whole blog post about much-adored books that disappointed me, but probably the best example of this would be Paulo Coelho's The Alchemist. I had heard nothing but praise and why haven't you read it alreadys about this book, then I read it and felt utterly, completely deflated.

30. How often do you agree with critics about a book?

I very rarely agree with critics. It's not always the "I loved it but the critics put it down" situation, or even vice versa – usually, even if I share a critic's overall impression of a book, I like and dislike completely opposite things than what they point out.

31. How do you feel about giving bad/negative reviews?

Blogging about things I intensely dislike is actually quite a lot of fun. On the other hand, I always try not to go the "This book just sucks, end of story" route, and I won't put anyone else down for liking something I don't.

32. If you could read in a foreign language, which language would you choose?

I do most of my reading in English, which counts as a foreign language for me. I've also read a little in French and Swedish. I'm currently learning Spanish and would love to be able to read properly in that language one day – Federico García Lorca's plays and Cien Años de Soledad by Gabriel García Márquez would be first on my Spanish reading list!

33. The most intimidating book you're too nervous to begin?

To be completely honest, I don't really get it how a book can be intimidating. If I'm interested in a book, I'll read it – simple as that.

34. Favourite poet?

John Keats. Ode to a Nightingale does such funny things to my brain every time I read it, it's like an enchantment.

35. Favourite fictional character?

Of course nobody is seriously expecting me to pick just one, so let's make a list of the great characters that first come to mind: Matilda from the Dahl book that I mentioned earlier, Bilbo Baggins, Albus Dumbledore, Remus Lupin, Nancy from Oliver Twist, Jon Snow, Arya Stark, Jean Valjean, Éponine...

36. Favourite fictional villain?

The White Witch from The Chronicles of Narnia and Dolores Umbridge from the Harry Potter series. I'm actually quite surprised to find that these two are the first ones to spring up in my mind!

37. Books I'm most likely to bring on holiday?

Like I mentioned earlier, I like to read on all kinds of vehicles. Therefore, I need something that will last both the airplane/bus/train/car rides there and back, and during the actual holiday. I'm laughably paranoid about this, so when I make the important (almost ritualistic) decision on what shall be my holiday read, it's always something chunky (The Lord of the Rings and Nicholas Nickleby are about the good holiday size in my opinion) and something I haven't started yet. People think I'm really weird, hauling my biggest books around when everyone else packs something light and practical.

38. The longest I've gone without reading

I'm always in the middle of a book. As soon as I finish one, I pick the next. As far as I can tell, it's been like this ever since I learned to read properly and really took up the habit of books. I honestly can't remember going without a book for more than 12 hours.

39. Name a book that you would/could not finish

I tried and failed to read Émile Zola's Nana this summer. I admit, part of the problem might have been that reading in French is a lot more challenging than reading in English or Finnish, but mostly, I think I just got bored with the characters and the very slow plot.

40. What distracts you easily when you're reading?

Any kind of noise, especially conversation. I'm just really bad at blocking out background noise. I've also found out that it's especially hard to read anything in English or French if someone is speaking Finnish nearby.

41. Favourite film adaptation of a novel

I've seen lots of good film adaptations, but the first ones to come to mind are the Les Misérables musical film and the Lord of the Rings trilogy.

42. Most disappointing film adaptation

This might seem bizarre, seeing as I just listed the LOTR films as my favourite adaptations, but I felt really, really sad about Desolation of Smaug. Sure, it looked great and most of the actors did a superb job (Martin Freeman, Lee Pace and Richard Armitage at least deserve to be mentioned) but I got incredibly frustrated with all the subplots and felt that all the best moments in the book where Bilbo saves everyone by just being quietly clever were converted into huge, messy action scenes that dragged on for way too long!

43. The most money I've ever spent in a bookstore at one time

I have a rubbish memory for numbers and I'm way too over-enthusiastic at the event of buying new books so I can't possibly remember anything as irrelevant as this.

44. How often do you skim a book before reading it?

If there are illustrations in the book, I often like to give them a peek before reading. Otherwise I don't, because I share River Song's attitude about spoilers.

45. What would cause you to stop reading a book half-way through?

If it bores the living daylights out of me.

46. Do you like to keep your books organized?

I like the idea of keeping my books organized by author and genre, but I have never managed to make it a reality. I always end up stowing my books wherever convenient, making my bookcase a sort of lovely mess.

47. Do you prefer to keep books or give them away once you've read them?

I try to make good use of the library so I don't have to buy every book I read. However, if a book holds any kind of special value to me, I will buy it and keep it forever.

48. A book you didn't expect to like but did

Every Finn has to read Väinö Linna's The Unknown Soldier at some point of their basic education, and I've usually found these compulsory reads of Finnish "classics" more or less terrible. However, I was genuinely surprised at how intense The Unknown Soldier was, and really admired Linna's depiction of the soldier boys who serve as the main characters.

49. A book that you expected to like but didn't

See my answer to question 29, and the blog post that I mentioned in it.

50. Favourite guilt-free, pleasure reading

No matter how hard I think about this, I can't really think of anything that would suit the description. I don't really do "light reading", to be honest. When I pick up a book, I'm looking forward to something at least mildly intellectual and thought-provoking.


I picked up this meme on Hannah's blog and had a lot of fun doing it! It's been a long time since I've properly assessed my reading habits, and it was quite refreshing to do that now! Anyone who comes across is most welcome to pass on the meme. There really isn't a better, more rewarding hobby in the world than reading books, is there?

Of gratitude and family history

My blog is dedicated to my love of stories. Usually, this means works of fiction in one form or the other, but today it'll be something different. Today's post is actually a result of a bizarre coincidence that just begs to be blogged about.

Fact #1: For no specific reason that I can think of, my late grandfather (dead for at least ten years now I think) had been a lot on my mind for the last couple of days.

Fact #2: The media are constantly reporting about the situation in Ukraine.

And the last bit that somehow, weirdly binds the aforementioned facts together in a coincidental way: according to our newspaper today, it's now exactly 70 years since the Continuation War in Finland effectively came to an end. The official peace was made a bit later, but 5th of September was when the fighting ceased. I have to confess I had no idea of the significance of this date until today.

So how are my grandfather and Ukraine connected to September 5th, 1944? Well, it was just a bit of a mind flip that happened when I read that newspaper. I have always been grateful to have been born and raised in a country that has been one of the safest and most peaceful places in the world for all my life, but knowing about the recent events in Ukraine (which feels much closer to home than the Middle East crisis) gave that thought much more weight. This whole day, my mind has been going on and on about how incredibly lucky I am to have never known war. For my grandfather, it was quite different.

I was quite young, 10 or 11 years old probably, when my father's father died, and as all of dad's relations lived on the other side of Finland and visits were not very frequent, I can't say I knew him very well. Even if I had been older, though, I wouldn't have heard any war stories from him – it was a subject he never talked about. But the fact is, he did serve in the Continuation War, for a short time. And in 2001, he wrote down some of his wartime memories, which then became a part of a compilation of memoirs from war veterans of Imatra (Nuoruus sodassa 2 – Imatran sotaveteraanit ry:n jäsenten muistelmia sotavuosilta, published by the Society of War Veterans of Imatra in 2005). The 5th of September seemed like a fitting day to re-read my grandfather's contribution to that book.

Grandpa was 14 years old when the Continuation War broke out in 1941, and he was no older than that when he insisted he must join in. He had gotten the idea in his head that one man from every family should take part, and his own father had been released from war service for reasons that had something to do with his advanced age, his post as a police officer, and the fact that he had already served in the civil war of 1918. I suppose there was some sort of regulation against recruiting underage boys, but there was never enough staff to really oversee these things and the working conditions were more or less chaotic all the time, so nobody asked too many questions if someone came in saying they wanted to serve.

Grandpa writes quite frankly that there was nothing heroic or glorious about the time he spent on the war zone. He doesn't say much about the horrors of war, either. Not that a young boy like him was ever placed in the heart of the action anyway. He writes about a prank he pulled on some new recruits, about a wandering horse that he looked after for two days until the army took possession of it, and how him and his buddy took advantage of their small size when they squeezed themselves under the seats of a packed-full train on their way back home.

The last overall impression that he gives of his thoughts on the outcome of the war is that the only thing that mattered was the fact that the fighting came to an end eventually. He doesn't want to discuss the terms of peace and how much they cost, or how physically or mentally affected the men who came back from the war were. He was silent about the war, yes, but never bitter. I respect him tremendously for that.

The 5th of September is coming towards its end while I'm writing this. I have taken this moment to feel appreciation for a grandfather who grew up in a much more dangerous place and time than I did, and gratitude for the peace that we've had here for so long now. Please keep peace on the comments, too – this is not an expression of political views or patriotism. There was a story, an impact that it made, and a blog post – that's what Music & My Mind is for.