Reading "The Hobbit"

I was surprised to hear that many people who consider themselves to be Lord of the Rings fans have not read The Hobbit.  And of course, I've had other people tell me that they have not seen the new movie (which I'm guessing is out of theatres by now) because they haven't read the book yet.  Well, I have a treat for you guys!  Over this past Christmas break, while working on a Tolkien-themed project, I found an awesome, full PDF file of The Hobbit, with bookmarked links that take you directly to the start of each chapter.  So, if any of you are interested in checking out this amazing novel, then you can follow the link here and read it for free (at work, or on your iPad or iPhone, etc.--although for the record, I still hate e-readers).  Also, I'll be including a link on the Hobbit Hole page for easy access in the future :)  Have fun!

Hobbit Hole

As some of you might already know, I've been nerding-out to Tolkien stuff since January 1st, when I saw the new Hobbit movie in theatres.  I've always been something of a Tolkien fan previous to this, but I've been more and more interested in his work as of late.  That being said, I'm including a new "tab" on my blog (in addition to my LXG Reading Challenge, Weekly Wodehouse, and Wilde Wednesdays).  This tab, entitled "Hobbit Hole" will be full of different links to Tolkien related things, such as videos, song parodies, articles, and perhaps other blogs, etc.  I hope you guys will find this to be fun and interesting :) And if anyone has a link they would like to suggest for the page, just let me know in the comments and I'll be sure to check it out!

The Hobbit (JRR Tolkien)

After reading The Hobbit for the nth time, I still have to say that this book is just as magical, epic, wonderful, and thrilling as it was when I read it the first time, back in grade school.  I don't think I could have been more than twelve or thirteen at the time.  There are so many memories of this book.  Late nights reading in bed....desperately trying to get in one more chapter, or even just a few more pages....renewing the book six times before the librarian told me that I had to simply finish it or return it (that was before we were given the chance to renew up to fifteen or twenty times).

The Hobbit is a story of adventure, loyalty, and courage.  When homebody Bilbo Baggins, a hobbit, is visited by the wizard Gandalf and a troupe of dwarfs, he has no idea what adventures are in store for him.  But soon, the quiet, non-adventureous Mr. Baggins finds himself facing trolls, goblins, elves, and giant spiders in order to help his new companions reach the final challenge of their quest: rescue their stolen treasure from the dragon Smaug.

Besides being a pleasant and often thrilling read, this book has so much to offer in the way of adventures, characters, and plot.  Like Bilbo, the readers find themselves lulled into the action, drawn in slowly at first, and then all at once, are grabbed by the shirtfront and pulled right into the action.  From that point onward, you have nineteen chapters of bold, fastpaced adventure.  And when the story is over, you almost wish that it would keep going.

This provides a wonderful start to my summer reading challenge: A Summer in Middle Earth.  From there, I'll be moving on to Albert Camus's The Stranger and Jonathan Howard's Johannes Cabal: The Necromancer.  I'm still waiting for The Fellowship of the Ring to come in from the library.

The Hobbit #1: What is a Hobbit?

For those of you who have not yet read Tolkien's The Hobbit, here is a quick little description of the race from the book...

"I suppose hobbits need some description nowadays, since they have become rare and shy of the Big People, as they call us. They are (or were) a little people, about half our height, and smaller than the bearded Dwarves. Hobbits have no beards. There is little or no magic about them, except the ordinary everyday sort which allows them to disappear quietly and quickly when large stupid folk like you and me come blundering along, making a noise like elephants which they can hear a mile off. They are inclined to be fat in the stomach; they dress in bright colours (chiefly green and yellow); wear no shoes, because their feet grow naturally leathery soles and thick warm brown hair like the stuff on their heads (which is curly); have long clever brown fingers, good-natured faces, and laugh deep fruity laughs (especially after dinner, which they have twice a day when they can get it). Now you know enough to go on with."

~J.R.R. Tolkien (The Hobbit)