Throwback Thursday #6 – King Solomon’s Mines

Posted March 25, 2021 by elzaread in Throwback Thursday / 16 Comments

Greetings! It’s the first Thursday of our Easter Holidays and that means we finally have time again for Throwback Thursday. Or at least our version of it. We don’t quite play by Davida’s rules, but she is luckily very accommodating and doesn’t mind at all that we spin her spin.

There are so many spins on the idea of Throwback Thursday, but we still like Davida’s idea the most:

  • The Chocolate Lady’s #Throwback Thursday takes place on the Thursday before the first Saturday of every month. Yes, there is a linky and it will remain open until she uploads the new one. Thank Goodness. My first and last sometimes gets very confused. 
  • Your post must highlight one of your previously published book reviews and Davida encourages other participants to do the same. 
  • Add the link to your post and remember to link back to The Chocolate Lady’s Book Blog And do not forget to #ThrowbackThursday!
 
As this is our 6th Throwback Thursday, Mommy is looking back at her 6th review that’s done on the blog. Aaah yea!!! This book was one of the first Audio Books that my Mommy listened to and it’s a real classic. Fun to listen to and it was a lot of fun to write the review!

 

Audio book listened to between May 20 – May 26, 2016 (Listened to a few chapters again 25 June 2020)

 Librivox recording by John Nicholson (I still vote for Sean Connery to do this reading)

My rating: 

Goodreads:  H. Rider Haggard’s King Solomon’s Mines has entertained generations of readers since its first publication in 1885. Following a mysterious map of dubious reliability, a small group of men trek into southern Africa in search of a lost friend-and a lost treasure, the fabled mines of King Solomon. Led by the English adventurer and fortune hunter Allan Quartermain, they discover a frozen corpse, survive untold dangers in remote mountains and deserts, and encounter the merciless King Twala en route to the legendary hoard of diamonds. 

You know what I love about book reviewing and blogging the most? It gives you the freedom to google your favorite books and characters for hours and hours and if someone asks what you are doing you can quite honestly say: RESEARCH. (You might even glare at them over the rim of your glasses. For effect. Also make sure to have a pencil at hand. Again – for effect)
Afterwards, you might sound extremely clever and give lots and lots of useless information to anyone who would be interested in listening. (I strongly suggest that you keep your glasses down on your nose and have that pencil either in your hand or stuck in your hair).
 

 

Just look at all this useless info we came up with regarding our lead character in King Solomon’s MinesAlan Quarterain:

  • Alan Quartermain was born in 1817
  • Physically he was small, wiry, unattractive, with a beard and short hair that sticks up. (So very, very unattractive as you can see)
  • He was married twice, but widowed quickly in both instances. No, we are not jumping to any conclusions considering the sudden passing of two wives.
  • He lived in Durban, Natal, South Africa
  • He was a professional big game hunter and occasional trader. Yes, he did have access to guns. Big ones. But still, we are not jumping to any conclusions regarding his wives.
  • He had one recorded son, Harry, who died of smallbox while working as a medical student.
  • He had a speculated daughter who married a relation of Sherlock Holmes
  • The product of the above mentioned relationship was none other than Indiana Jones’ father,

    Henry Jones Sr. (It might just be me, but I can definitely see a strong family resemblance)

  • We meet him for the first time in King Solomon’s mines when he was 55.Alan Quartermain died on 18 June 1885
That’s enough useless information for now (you may either put your glasses down or place them in a more proper position, but hold on to the pencil for a few seconds more). Just one last thing: 
Did you know: When Robert Louis Stevenson’s Treasure Island was first published, H. Rider Haggard made a 5 shilling bet that he could write a better adventure novel. (You may now put the pencil down as well)
In 1885, Haggard published “the most amazing story ever written”. It became one of the best selling novels of the nineteenth century. It is the first English novel set in Africa and is considered to be the genesis of the Lost World literary genre.
 
You can click on the link on top to read the rest of our review. My Mommy sure was on a roll with this review. 

 

 
As always, I have asked her a couple of questions regarding the review:

 

  1. When was this review first published? – 26 May 2016 and re-published on 26 June 2020. That was before we knew about Throwback Thursday.
  2. Did you have any idea what you were doing? – Obviously not! I still need to find out how to review an audio book properly.
  3. Will you re-write this review? – Good grief, no. I would never be able to be so ridiculously creative again. And by ridiculously, I literally mean ridiculous.
  4. Did you tweak this review? – A bit yes. Could have done more, I guess. But let’s leave it as is.
  5. Will you re-read the book? – I already did!
  6. Will you recommend others to read this review? Yes! If you want to know more about South African culture, humor and especially our delicious food, read this.

 

 

 

End of last year, we’ve decided to combine Throwback Thursday with  Books from the Backlog, hosted by Carole’s Random Life of BooksThis worked very well. By working well, I mean that my Mommy actually spend some time on her TBR shelf and cleared some space for new books. (She needs to do that every time we post on Books from the Backlog. Very effective)
Books from the Backlog is a fun way to feature some of those neglected books sitting on your bookshelf unread.  If you are anything like me, you might be surprised by some of the unread books hiding in your stacks.
The 6th book on our TBR list of 497 (still less than 500 books) is: 

Meet The Saving Graces, Four Of The Best Friends A Woman Can Ever Have.
For ten years, Emma, Rudy, Lee, and Isabel have shared a deep affection that has helped them deal with the ebb and flow of expectations and disappointments common to us all. Calling themselves the Saving Graces, the quartet is united by understanding, honesty, and acceptance — a connection that has grown stronger as the years go by…
Though these sisters of the heart and soul have seen it all, talked through it all, Emma, Rudy, Lee, and Isabel will not be prepared for a crisis of astounding proportions that will put their love and courage to the ultimate test.

 

 

It’s been on the TBR shelf for ages, but we still want to keep it there. It still seems like a fun read and one day my Mommy will probably stumble upon it at a second-hand bookshop or pick it up on Kindle and it will be a quick beach read. How’s that for positive thinking?

 

 
Have you read King Solomon’s Mines or any of the Allan Quartermain books? What about The Saving Graces? Is it worth keeping it on the TBR list?  .
Please remember to link your Throwback Thursday and your Books from the Backlog up to the two lovely hosts and share your books with us too!
Lots of Love,

 

 

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16 responses to “Throwback Thursday #6 – King Solomon’s Mines

  1. excellent publish, very informative. I wonder why the opposite experts of this sector don’t realize this. You should proceed your writing. I am sure, you have a huge readers’ base already!

  2. I have never read King Solomon's Mine but it's the first book my husband read that he really enjoyed and made him think that maybe reading could be fun. You have me wanting to find his copy now and give it a try! The Saving Graces looks great and oh so summery.

    • Hi Katherine! King Solomon's Mines is definitely a man's read, yes! The audio recording was good and I think the rest of the series will be too. The Saving Graces does seem like a good summery read.

  3. great post. i love any books that have a beachy theme. speaking of kitties…my father in laws cat used to follow him to the flats and even walked on the beach when the tide went out. i had never see anything like that before

    • Hi Sherry! We had a cat when we lived closed to a sugarcane farm who used to walk with us and the dogs in the afternoons. I was always so scared she's going to try to catch the rats!

      Glad you enjoyed our post.

  4. I had completely forgotten about King Solomon's Mines! I read a Ladybird illustrated book for kids on this, years ago, never bothering to read the actual classic — because I think there were no female characters in the book? I think I found it hard to relate. I am wondering if I should go hunt down the movie versions. And thanks for telling us about the contest over Treasure Island, most interesting!
    ~ Lex

    • Hi Lex! The movies are funny!! Go watch it! I would like an illustrated book of this. I think it's very relatable here in South Africa as a part of it does play off her in good old SA.

      I love doing background checks on books, almost like the SPCA! LOL! But there isn't always enough time.

    • Thanks Debbie! I had such fun writing it! I think even more than reading the book. I wish I could be this creative all the time…!

  5. I've always wanted to read King Solomon's Mines since I saw that quirky 1985 movie adaption. Fun facts you found on Quartermain.

    I love books about friends so I hope you really enjoy The Saving Graces when you get the chance.

    • King Solomon's Mines is a great read, but do keep in mind that it was written in a different time and era and the way they are banning the older books at the moment due to inequality and so forth, it might get banned any day now…

  6. I think his son died of smallpox, but thanks for the laugh ^^
    And thanks for the information, I didn't know all those things ! My relationship with Alan Quatermain is limited to the film with Stewart Granger and Deborah Kerr that I saw on TV. I remember going to the cinema with my mother and her friend when The Russia house was released and hearing Sean Connery tell Michelle Pfeiffer that he looked like an old unmade bed, and my mother's friend commenting out loud in the cinema that she'd take him anyway ! By Rider Haggard, I think I read books 1 and 2 of She, a very long time ago.

    • Wha ha ha!! Yes, Sean Connery was one handsome man. And that voice…. What a loss! I really think he should have read all the Alan Quatermain novels as audio recordings. Come to think of it – I need to check if he actually did record any audio books. Would love to listen to it.

  7. I love the useless information that you came up with. Quite interesting! I remember when The Saving Graces was all over the place. I have never read it but I hope that you enjoy it if you get the chance to pick it up.

    • Hi Carole! I wish I had the time and the energy to come up with so many useless information for all the books we read! The research for this one was just so much fun!