Week 9: The Hobbit by J.R.R. Tolkien

So this month is going to be completely devoted to the events of Middle Earth.  I will be reading all of the Lord of the Rings books over the course of the month.  However, this week I read The Hobbit or There and Back Again.

I have read this book before, but did not remember it very well.  It is very well written (of course) and is fantastical in all respects.  I greatly enjoyed the adventures of the dwarves and the hobbit.  However, being the nerd I am I found that often I was comparing the book to the movie.  This was kind of a bummer because I was often wishing that parts of the movie occurred in the book.  The book itself is very short compared to most classics, less than 300 pages, and is really easy to read.

This book takes a lot of imagination.  Tolkien uses so many different images throughout the book, that you cannot help but picture yourself walking through the Mirkwood, or in the shadow of the Lonely Mountain.  I personally would not have the guts to be Bilbo Baggins, but am inspired to be more like him in courage.  He is a great character who grows throughout the book, and definitely becomes a hero by the end.  I especially admire Tolkein's  ability to make a main character both courageous, yet extremely honest and humble. It is a great book for any age to enjoy!!!