February 2024 Recommended Reading and Viewing

[Coír Draoi Ceítien]

Happy February! The weather is wonky, but things seem to be going fine, otherwise. Unfortunately, I've still not picked up my reading, so I have to take a shot in the dark for this month's recommendations. It's stuff that you're probably all familiar with, but I think it's worth checking out again.

Reading: The Lord of the Rings, Part One: The Fellowship of the Ring (1954) by J. R. R. Tolkien

Picking up from my recommendation of The Hobbit from a couple months ago, now we have the first part of the epic romance that sparked the fantasy craze of the late 20th century. The magic ring of Bilbo Baggins is revealed to be the One Ring of the Dark Lord Sauron, the master ring which will restore him to power; having been passed into the possession of Bilbo's adopted heir Frodo, a task is raised to carry the Ring - a creation of evil - to Sauron's kingdom of Mordor and destroy it in Mount Doom, where it was forged, but this is complicated because the Ring has a habit of turning minds to corruption, leading to the head of wizards seeking it for himself and opening up a new front in an approaching war, not to mention working withing the heroes' own party. The book is a long introduction to the greater world of Middle-earth and may seem meandering and unfocused to some readers, but there is nevertheless an irresistible charm to it that has captivated the mind of many a fan.

Mass Market: https://www.amazon.com/Fellowship-Ring-Lord-Rings-Part/dp/0345339703/
Trade: https://www.amazon.com/Fellowship-Ring-Being-First-Rings/dp/0547928211/
Hardcover: https://www.amazon.com/Fellowship-Ring-Lord-Rings-Part/dp/061826051X/
Kindle: https://www.amazon.com/Fellowship-Ring-Being-First-Rings-ebook/dp/B007978NPG/



Viewing: Terminator 2: Judgment Day (James Cameron, 1991)

Back in the early months of recommendations (a little over a year in), I chose the first Terminator but forgot to come back for this one, so I'll rectify that. Gaining near universal acclaim as one of the best sequels ever made - arguably superior to the first movie - as well as a milestone in both action films and special effects, the story follows a similar setup as the first with subtle variations so as to make it seem like a natural extension without feeling old. Arnold Schwarzenegger is a new model of the T-800 Terminator, this time reprogrammed as a protector of John Connor (Edward Furlong), the young son of Sarah Connor (Linda Hamilton) destined to lead the human armies of the future to victory against the malicious artificial intelligence Skynet. Pursuing them is the T-1000 (Robert Patrick), an advanced machine made of liquid metal with shapeshifting abilities. Together, they hatch a plan to prevent Judgment Day by destroying the early prototypes of Skynet, while each of them tries to find something that was missing before - for Sarah, hope for the future; for John, a father figure he never had; and for the Terminator, the value of humanity.

DVD: https://www.amazon.com/Terminator-2-Judgment-Arnold-Schwarzenegger/dp/0784010188/
Blu-Ray: https://www.amazon.com/Terminator-Judgment-Day-Blu-ray-Digital/dp/B00UFMKSDW/
4K: https://www.amazon.com/Terminator-Judgement-Ultra-Blu-ray-Digital/dp/B074486NBN/
Amazon Video: https://www.amazon.com/Terminator-2-Judgment-Arnold-Schwarzenegger/dp/B07G8FS6X6/



I hope that's good. I didn't want to leave this month without something. I hope you all enjoy it!