There's a Hole in my Bucket: A Journey of Two Brothers
- Downloads：9080
- Type：Epub+TxT+PDF+Mobi
- Create Date：2021-07-25 22:21:07
- Update Date：2025-09-07
- Status：finish
- Author：Royd Tolkien
- ISBN：B08V5L34G5
- Environment：PC/Android/iPhone/iPad/Kindle
Reviews
Diana Greenhalgh
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I really enjoyed this thoughtful and caring book。 I look forward to the documentary。 I only wonder why not more was said about their mom， being she was Tolkien's granddaughter。 I really enjoyed this thoughtful and caring book。 I look forward to the documentary。 I only wonder why not more was said about their mom， being she was Tolkien's granddaughter。 。。。more
miss stephanie cole
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Touching and heart warming Really enjoyed his book it’s so touching but funny and eye opening to。 Loved every minute of reading it。 I thoroughly recommend！！
Kathy
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Loved reading about Tolkien’s great grandsons…Emotionally charged so get out the tissues。 Loved reading about Tolkien’s great grand sons。 Highly recommend even if you aren’t a fan！ I will recommend this book to all my kids who loved Tolkien’s books or movies！
Anne Jones
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Laughed and cried！I lost my closest sister in 2012 but was not really able to grieve her loss because my mother passed away seven weeks later and one week after her funeral my husband of 36 years did not wake up on our son’s wedding day。 This adventure helped me grieve my sister‘s loss just a little bit。
Steve
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There's a Hole in my BucketI like the book because it was real。 Royd had flaws as do we all。 I so appreciated his honesty。 I feel you would need to have lived through the loss of someone dear to you to truly understand his thoughts。 I lost my Dad 。 I was blessed to have had him for 59 years。 He loved being a father and I am proud to be his daughter。 He gifted me with some of his goofball charm and his love of children and reading and I will be forever grateful。 He is always in my heart There's a Hole in my BucketI like the book because it was real。 Royd had flaws as do we all。 I so appreciated his honesty。 I feel you would need to have lived through the loss of someone dear to you to truly understand his thoughts。 I lost my Dad 。 I was blessed to have had him for 59 years。 He loved being a father and I am proud to be his daughter。 He gifted me with some of his goofball charm and his love of children and reading and I will be forever grateful。 He is always in my heart 。。。more
Michael McCue
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Royd Tolkien is a great-grandson of J。R。R Tolkien the author of the Hobbit。 Royd's younger brother Mike Tolkien came down with ALS but before he died of the condition he gave Royd a bucket list to fulfill made of things they had done together and other things that Mike never got to do。 Much of the bucket list tasks were in New Zealand where the Lord of the Rings films were made。 Both Tolkien great-grandsons had been on the set of the movies and played small bit parts。 Some of the items on the li Royd Tolkien is a great-grandson of J。R。R Tolkien the author of the Hobbit。 Royd's younger brother Mike Tolkien came down with ALS but before he died of the condition he gave Royd a bucket list to fulfill made of things they had done together and other things that Mike never got to do。 Much of the bucket list tasks were in New Zealand where the Lord of the Rings films were made。 Both Tolkien great-grandsons had been on the set of the movies and played small bit parts。 Some of the items on the list were scary such as bungie jumping and parasailing and others were humiliating like dancing and doing stand up comedy。 A nice tribute to his late brother。 。。。more
Gail
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Thank you for sharing。Anything you and Mike did was comical in it own way。 Great job！ You sure live with an excessive amount of fear。 Be happy， live in the present moment and just be grateful for the experience you had with your beloved brother。 Perhaps it was too soon to write this memoir。 Your grief is too palpable for a book that I knew would be bittersweet。 Too much bitter， not enough sweet。 Best wishes to you and your family。
Tamara Collard
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Such promise with the heartwarming premise but ultimately let down with amateurish writing and incessant linking to his great grandfather。
Laurie
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A beautiful tribute to a man with a terminal illness who wanted nothing more than to live！There's a bucket list that needs to be addressed！It is written by his brother in honor of his brother's journey！This memoir will definitely have you reading and wondering what is next on Mike's bucket list and will it be completed。There is sadness， humor and a whole lot of love！ A beautiful tribute to a man with a terminal illness who wanted nothing more than to live！There's a bucket list that needs to be addressed！It is written by his brother in honor of his brother's journey！This memoir will definitely have you reading and wondering what is next on Mike's bucket list and will it be completed。There is sadness， humor and a whole lot of love！ 。。。more
Melinda J Spicer
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One-third finished and I'm bailing on this - if you're not extremely familiar with all of Tolkien's work， you will be muddling through hundreds of references with no relevance to you。 I love sibling stories so the description hooked me， and I tried， but moving on。。。 One-third finished and I'm bailing on this - if you're not extremely familiar with all of Tolkien's work， you will be muddling through hundreds of references with no relevance to you。 I love sibling stories so the description hooked me， and I tried， but moving on。。。 。。。more
Tina
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😥😊Such a heartwarming and heartbreaking tale of two extremely close brothers and their bucket lists。 Before and after one has passed on from MND。 The tales of childhood and adulthood brought tears of joy and tears of sorrow。 For them and for myself。 Symuch an inspiration Mike was and still is as he lives on through his family and especially his Brother Royd。 I am so glad I read this book as it brings so many memories of my own Dad who suffered from this horrible incurable disease。
Julie
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I could not put this down。 Equal parts sad， terrifying （I definitely could not do any of the Daredevil stuff these 2 men did） and filled with heartwarming love。 Royd has produced a touching tribute to the memory of his brother。
Lisa Guerard-Cugini
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I enjoyed the fact that these brothers had a wonderful relationship。 However， I found the book overly sentimental。 Also I kept wondering why Mike felt the need to make this crazy bucket list， and why Royd felt the need to disrupt his life to fulfill his brother's ridiculous wishes。 They must have been quite privileged to be able to afford to do all these things。 In addition， the writing was amateurish。 I gave it three stars because I really got a good sense of what ALS is all about and its devas I enjoyed the fact that these brothers had a wonderful relationship。 However， I found the book overly sentimental。 Also I kept wondering why Mike felt the need to make this crazy bucket list， and why Royd felt the need to disrupt his life to fulfill his brother's ridiculous wishes。 They must have been quite privileged to be able to afford to do all these things。 In addition， the writing was amateurish。 I gave it three stars because I really got a good sense of what ALS is all about and its devastating effect on the body。 。。。more
Kristina
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The love Royd holds for his brother is a testament to the ties that bind our hearts。 Royd moves on slowly and painfully through the grips of grief。 The bucket list his brother left for him included the things he， himself， wished he could do … but there are more than a few things on that bucket list just for Royd to do。 And that is adventure in and of itself。
Ann
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This book was both gut wrenching and heartfelt。 It took me through every emotion。 It was funny， sad and honest。 The love between the brothers shone through on every page。It highlighted the sufferers illness in a down to earth way， but at no time did l feel that Mike wanted pity from anyone。 He dealt with his illness and when he couldn't his brother Royd took over。 The bucket list was a wonderful parting gift from one brother to another。 If you don't ever read another book in your lifetime， read This book was both gut wrenching and heartfelt。 It took me through every emotion。 It was funny， sad and honest。 The love between the brothers shone through on every page。It highlighted the sufferers illness in a down to earth way， but at no time did l feel that Mike wanted pity from anyone。 He dealt with his illness and when he couldn't his brother Royd took over。 The bucket list was a wonderful parting gift from one brother to another。 If you don't ever read another book in your lifetime， read this one。 You will be glad you did。 。。。more
Dianne
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I would rate this 3。5 stars overall。 A good rating for the story。 A great rating for the love and care Royd had for his brother。 But a poor rating for the writing。
Lisa
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This is one of the most beautiful love stories I’ve ever read， between two brothers。 Absolutely brilliant。 This was a July First Reads Book on Amazon prime。 But I would have paid full price for it。 I’m going to look for the documentary this book was based on now。
Mary Vogelsong
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Royd and his brother Mike Tolkien have made a living capitalizing off of their great grandfather's LOTR books。 Royd continues to do that in this book， as well as writing about Mike's death from motor neuron disease （what we in the US call ALS）。 This shameless self-promoter writes about a documentary he filmed of silly bucket-list tasks （pretend to trip and fall walking to the podium at my memorial service） his brother left for him to do。 Royd and his brother Mike Tolkien have made a living capitalizing off of their great grandfather's LOTR books。 Royd continues to do that in this book， as well as writing about Mike's death from motor neuron disease （what we in the US call ALS）。 This shameless self-promoter writes about a documentary he filmed of silly bucket-list tasks （pretend to trip and fall walking to the podium at my memorial service） his brother left for him to do。 。。。more
Babydoclaz
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Charming， a little uneven in the writing， but a lovely story with lots of humor and compassion。
Barbara Pifer
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Oh my heart！The love of this family is amazing！ My heart broke， AND filled with love sharing this journey with Royd！ My father passed from PLS & I could relate with much of Mike's medical life， and found their bond something you sadly don't see much of。 God bless you Royd， I wish you peace & happiness！ Oh my heart！The love of this family is amazing！ My heart broke， AND filled with love sharing this journey with Royd！ My father passed from PLS & I could relate with much of Mike's medical life， and found their bond something you sadly don't see much of。 God bless you Royd， I wish you peace & happiness！ 。。。more
Karen
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I LOVED this book！ This well-written account of two brothers' journey through the heartbreak of motor neurone disease （ALS or Lou Gehrig's disease to us Yanks） was by turns hilarious and poignant。 Mike's bucket list for Royd to complete （which started with Royd being forced to trip prior to delivering the eulogy at Mike's memorial service， and got funnier from there） was extraordinarily well thought out， and made the story compelling; I couldn't wait to find out what was next on the list！ Althou I LOVED this book！ This well-written account of two brothers' journey through the heartbreak of motor neurone disease （ALS or Lou Gehrig's disease to us Yanks） was by turns hilarious and poignant。 Mike's bucket list for Royd to complete （which started with Royd being forced to trip prior to delivering the eulogy at Mike's memorial service， and got funnier from there） was extraordinarily well thought out， and made the story compelling; I couldn't wait to find out what was next on the list！ Although many famous people are featured throughout （when Royd is tasked with becoming an Orc--full costume and makeup--and doing an audition， he ends up in front of "Lord of the Rings" director Peter Jackson！）， there was no sense of name-dropping because of the self-deprecating tone of the narrative。 I can't wait to watch the documentary！ 。。。more
Megan Eakin
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I appreciated the touching story of brotherly love， bringing awareness to ALS， and even Royd's honest experiences while completing the bucket list， but the writing was just not that great， so I couldn't rate it higher。 I appreciated the touching story of brotherly love， bringing awareness to ALS， and even Royd's honest experiences while completing the bucket list， but the writing was just not that great， so I couldn't rate it higher。 。。。more
Mike Kaufman
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This is what love looks like！I thoroughly enjoyed this wonderful read。 It’s a story of brotherly love and competition and self sacrifice。 The honesty and transparency of one dealing with loss was often challenging to read but always meaningful。 New Zealand is definitely on my bucket list！
Barry Jenkins
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Not your grandfather！！Your grandfather Tolkien was an amazing creative author。 Sadly you did not inherit that talent。Also sad that you found it necessary to use profanity do very often。 There was certainly not a need for that。 I don't recall ever reading a single word of profanity in your grandfather's many novels。I didn't finish your book for that reason。。。 I only read about 15% and gave up on you。 Not your grandfather！！Your grandfather Tolkien was an amazing creative author。 Sadly you did not inherit that talent。Also sad that you found it necessary to use profanity do very often。 There was certainly not a need for that。 I don't recall ever reading a single word of profanity in your grandfather's many novels。I didn't finish your book for that reason。。。 I only read about 15% and gave up on you。 。。。more
Joanne Woodbeck
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The love these brothers shared is awe inspiring。 Different but so much a like。 Their story had to be shared and I for one， am glad it was。
Dave and Susan Lauderdale
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Expect to tear upThis is a tender， touching tribute to a brother taken too soon。 Royd Tolkien does an amazing job of sharing his laughter and pathos while completing his brother's bucket list。 Well done， Master Tolkien。 Expect to tear upThis is a tender， touching tribute to a brother taken too soon。 Royd Tolkien does an amazing job of sharing his laughter and pathos while completing his brother's bucket list。 Well done， Master Tolkien。 。。。more
Anne Gardepe
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I selected this book from Amazon Prime First Reads and I am very glad I did。 I will rate it a 4 and perhaps the reasons will be clear as I continue。 The Welsh Tolkien brothers， Royd and Mike， great-grandsons of J。R。R。 Tolkien， were about as close as any brothers can be。 Both enjoy the outdoors and high adventure activities。 （Some I would call high-risk！） Although he is 5 years younger than Royd， Mike competes with his older brother， even tries to best him in everything---and often succeeds。 This I selected this book from Amazon Prime First Reads and I am very glad I did。 I will rate it a 4 and perhaps the reasons will be clear as I continue。 The Welsh Tolkien brothers， Royd and Mike， great-grandsons of J。R。R。 Tolkien， were about as close as any brothers can be。 Both enjoy the outdoors and high adventure activities。 （Some I would call high-risk！） Although he is 5 years younger than Royd， Mike competes with his older brother， even tries to best him in everything---and often succeeds。 This competitive part of their relationship reminded me of what my husband has said about his 4-years-younger brother， who often excelled beyond his older brother's achievements。In his memoir， Royd describes the bond with his brother and how it is tested by Mike's diagnosis of Motor Neurone Disease （called ALS or Lou Gehrig's disease in the U。S。） Royd takes on a large part of Mike's care as the disease progresses rapidly。 When Mike passes away he has left behind a "bucket list" of 50 tasks for Royd to perform。 Some are silly and embarrassing but others are downright frightening。 Royd describes these challenges so well----at times suspenseful， nerve-wracking and quite often， humorous。 Many passages are poignant as he relates what the particular bucket list item meant to his brother and to himself。 I would recommend this book， especially to male readers and those who have a working knowledge of The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings trilogy。 I was not familiar with the works of Tolkien and I believe I would have enjoyed it even more if I had been。 I have never been to New Zealand either， and much of the action takes place there。 I'd love to see that place but would definitely not aspire to the activities Royd undertook！There's a Hole in My Bucket was both entertaining and touching。 The love between these brother was almost palpable。 。。。more
C。 E。
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An Emotional JourneyI feel like I have known Royd and Mike。 The joys and sorrows made the journey real。 Now I need to find the companion documentary on see all six films and reread the books。 Royd's journey may be nearly over， but it appears that mine is just beginning。 An Emotional JourneyI feel like I have known Royd and Mike。 The joys and sorrows made the journey real。 Now I need to find the companion documentary on see all six films and reread the books。 Royd's journey may be nearly over， but it appears that mine is just beginning。 。。。more
Terri Stoel
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Good but sad and weirdI enjoyed this book quite a bit。 The painful truth and beauty of the relationship of Royd and Mike make it possible to laugh and cry at the same time
Richard Propes
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