The Hobbit by J.R.R. Tolkien (Alannah & Jenny)

[Jenny]

Starting date sometime around the 3rd of September.

[Jenny]

Alannah, I've just finished "As I Lay Dying" so I will start on The Hobbit tomorrow. I am as excited as a kid, which really makes me chuckle at myself ;)

[[deleted user]]

I hope you don't mind but I'm definitely going to be following your readalong and may chip in with some comments as this is one of my favourite books. I'm jealous you get to read it for the 1st time and can't wait to hear your thoughts

[Jenny]

Please do chip in! Started this morning got drawn right in :)

[Alannah]

I am planning on getting this today.

[Alannah]

I have already gotten further with this than last time and I am really liking this so far.

[Jenny]

Me too! Will do some more reading with a cup of tea now. Thanks to LOTR (the film) I have a real vivid image of all the characters, I wish I could unknow the movie though just for a second, to figure out how I would picture this world and it's (so far very charming) inhabitants.

[Alannah]

Jenny wrote: "Me too! Will do some more reading with a cup of tea now. Thanks to LOTR (the film) I have a real vivid image of all the characters, I wish I could unknow the movie though just for a second, to figu..."

I have only seen The Hobbit movie but spent most of it staring at Bilbo's feet.

[Jenny]

LOL

[Jenny]

(by the way: ALL the characters was slightly exagerated, but you get an idea of what a Hobbit and others look like, plus Gandalf (honestly Iam even hearing his voice)

[Alannah]

Got about fifty pages in before my kindle dies on me. I'm enjoying it so far.

[Jenny]

With each chapter I read I get drawn in more. Just read chapter 5 which I loved. I got a bit worried about my intelligence there though. (...hold on, is this a spoiler? I guess not since you've seen the movie....) When Gollum and Bilbo exchange riddles I really struggled with 95% of them eventhough the book keeps telling us how smart we are and that we probably knew the solution immediately ;)

[Jenny]

Alannah, where are you at? Are you still enjoying it as much?

[Alannah]

I'm about 60% in now, I'm still enjoying it. I get what you mean about the riddles, I have never really understood riddles myself. I only got got the first one about the mountains.

[Leslie]

I knew a few of the riddles, but I always assumed that they were classic schoolboy riddles of Tolkien's day.

[Alannah]

Probably, ones that contemporary readers would know.

[Alannah]

I have just finished and really enjoyed it. My first thought is why did I not read it sooner?!

[[deleted user]]

Glad you enjoyed it, Alannah. I think it's a lovely book. I read it in childhood but thought the same as you about Lord of the Rings. I encourage you to read that soon as well!

[Jenny]

Same here Alannah, for some reason I had always thought Tolkien's books weren't really for me. No idea where that thought came from ;) Loved the little detail in (some of) the characters. Bilbo's obsession with food for example.

[Jenny]

@Heather, I am planning to now that I know that middle earth IS my cup of tea ;)

[Alannah]

Heather wrote: "Glad you enjoyed it, Alannah. I think it's a lovely book. I read it in childhood but thought the same as you about Lord of the Rings. I encourage you to read that soon as well!"

Yeah, I will definitely try those soon, my friend suggested I wait though until my next holidays until I have no work on because she felt they were the type of books you can't really leave and pick up again.

[Alannah]

Jenny wrote: "Same here Alannah, for some reason I had always thought Tolkien's books weren't really for me. No idea where that thought came from ;) Loved the little detail in (some of) the characters. Bilbo's o..."

I had always thought that as well but lately I have been trying to read many different books. I loved the attention to detail in the characters, even though they are hobbits and elves, I loved that those thing like Bilbo's obsession with food made them seem more human.