The Hobbit buddy read

[Amyiw, Challenges Moderator]

It has been a long time since I read it and Adele wanted to read it again so we decided to do a buddy read.

Come tell us what you loved (or hated) about this book. Do you think it gets too much hype or should get all the love fantasy readers can give it?

[Adele, Moderator]

I have read this so many times i have lost count! One other question has to be asked..... what did people think of the movies?

[Amyiw, Challenges Moderator]

I didn't see movie of the Hobbit. I watch Lord of the Rings and even watch the extended DVDs when they came out I liked it so much. I actually always like the Hobbit the best of the books as I thought it was much more fun and less end of the world. Of course as I said, I haven't read it in years. Wasn't there 3 movies for the one book? It must have followed the book pretty well.

Which did you like better, both in movie and books, Hobbit or LOTR?

This should be fun.

[Amyiw, Challenges Moderator]

I'll start it this week.

[Norma, BOM & Co Moderator]

I can't read a book once I have seen the movie... LOL! I have never had an interest in this book, even as a child. Sorry :(

[Amyiw, Challenges Moderator]

I first read this as a teen and then as an early 20 something. It really got me into reading fantasy. I went to Lord of the Rings and read through that too but I never did like it like the Hobbit. The Hobbit was more fun with delight and awe at the world that we go into. With LOTR we are thrust into a world that Frodo knows through his uncle Bilbo already and is much more disturbing and dark, still very awe struck though.

I'm trying to think of books I've read after going to the movie... I can immediately think of movies after the book, the latest being Ready Player One. That is really worth reading the book as it diverts wildly yet stays on the same course. I thought they did really well.

I thought LOTR was done really well too.

I looked through movies back 25 years and cannot find one that I saw the movie then read the book. BUT... a lot are on my TBR, ha. I thought for certain that there must be a few but I did not find one and cannot think of one.

I have read and then gone to the movies on many many movies.

Oh wait, I read Persuasion after I saw a movie adaptation, hmm...

[Piper]

I'd love a reading buddy for this. I e watched the movies and have multi hobbit books. My other half is a lotr buff

[Piper]

I think for the time it was written it is down exetemnely well. I enjoyed the hobbit movies and have enjoyed reading the hobbit. I will admit i see the hobbit movies before i read the book. Ian McKellen is all i have to say. These are some of the books that got me into fantasy and i haven't stopped reading since

[Amyiw, Challenges Moderator]

I've got it to go after a the one I'm on. So I ready one to two days

[Adele, Moderator]

I was told by a friend of mine to read it. This was after my sad attempt at trying to read lord of the rings.
I was reluctant to read the hobbit, but i found it on sale and bought the book. Then i thought well i guess i better read it. And i was hooked.
This read will offically be my 5th read of the book.

Out of curiosity i did watch the movies and i was very impressed with them. Poor old tom bombadil got missed out and a few other things (they were minor in comparison). However i found the movies were very loyal to the book. And was still enjoyable even if they missed a few things.

[Amyiw, Challenges Moderator]

We are extending this officially to the 10th as that is when I got it up and posted, but, come by any time to tell us anytime what you think afterwards too.

I started today. Finally got an audio book that wasn't abridged from the library. There are two that are really popular that are abridged dramatizations, one from the BBC and one an American version. Both are only around 4 hours long. Since the other unabridged audio version are 11-12 or so depending on reader and speed, there are a lot out there, I wouldn't think that the dramatizations do it justice. Even the abridged version is 2 hours more. What do they leave out? They have to cut out quite a bit.

This is my first listening experience.

[Amyiw, Challenges Moderator]

I don't think I like the listening experience. There are a few reasons for this, first is the interpretation of voice. There is a lot of telling in this story along with descriptions. These are general pretty good but when we get to the "doing" or actions, I feel like the characters are made more complaining and flat. Second, the singing, well I liked these a little as poems while reading but the music the reader does really ruins it for me, worse than nursery rhyme in cadence. I would rather it read as a poem and not try to interpret the music.

[Adele, Moderator]

See I hated reading LOTR but loved the listening experience. Now I must find an audio copy of the Hobbit. To compare .

[Amyiw, Challenges Moderator]

The Hobbit is truly a children's book and I can see a dramatization going well but narrating, didn't go so well for me. Being a children's book the characters are a bit 2D simplistic so don't read well at points. I really like the action parts and some of the story telling but then the history/world building along with the songs, oh dear the songs. Each time he started singing I was cringing.

I can see LOTR being a better listening experience. The whole plot and characters are more complex. Still for what it is and for the time it was written, The Hobbit is so fantastical. Truly I like Harry Potter more but think without the Hobbit, Harry wouldn't exist or would be hobbled. The different creatures and beings and description that started here gave thoughts to all the next. Will HP stand up to time as The Hobbit has? I suspect it probably will but being that it is set it in our world, maybe not. It might become dated for the parts dealing with muggles. I guess we will see in 30 years more.

One thing I noticed after finishing is, I don't remember one female character in the whole book. The Orcs, the guards, the "kings" and fighters, as well as the only wizard and the 13 dwarves. Actually they don't talk about them either. It is like a all male world. Maybe he didn't want to muddle the children's book with relationship possibilities. That is one way to think about it.

Maybe I'm wrong and I missed it. At the House of Elron at the end, he had many jests and dance, yet with whom? Females are never mentioned here either. I guess it is a product of its time too. Last I read this I may have been 19-21, I wonder if I noticed it then or if I'm more sensitive today.

[Amyiw, Challenges Moderator]

Doing a quick research on this talking point

From a Quora article

Just to be clear on how much women are missing in this novel,

-- There are no female characters, named or unnamed (someone who is dead being mentioned in passing is not a "character").
-- There is exactly one named woman in any conversation at any point, Belladonna Took (Bilbo's mother).
-- The word 'girl' is used once in the novel. ("[Gandalf] had been away over The Hill and across The Water on business of his own since they were all small hobbit-boys and hobbit-girls.")
-- The word woman/women is used twice in the novel (in the sentences mentioned above regarding the assault on Lake-Town).
["Women and children were being huddled into laden boats in the market-pool" and another essentially identical sentence, which insults the Master of Lake Town by listing him as the only able-bodied man to flee with the women.]
--The word 'she' is used only once in the novel (in reference to Belladonna Took)

The big question is, 'why'? There are many females mentioned in The Lord of the Rings, even if most of them have very small parts. There are a number of women invited to Bilbo's party.

So I'm not imagining it.

[Adele, Moderator]

I have just recommended a friend to read this.... And I was going to lend him my copy. But I just couldn't do it!!!! The book is too precious to me(yes I am a bit of a Gollum when it comes to my books). So I'm actually going to an op shop(aka thrift store) to get him a copy!
Would anybody else lend this book to a friend? Or would you recommend it to them but not lend it to them?
I know my friend will take care of the book and I know he will read the book. But I honestly think everyone should own a copy. This should be part of your bookshelf basics.

[Amyiw, Challenges Moderator]

My copy is an illustrated annotated copy given to my son by his grandmother. He didn't take it with him so it is now mine, at least until he asks for a copy. Probably will be never so I think it is mine. And no, no lending. I might have another copy in mmp somewhere as I think I have a 4 book collection of the Hobbit and LOR together somewhere. Yes, I'd loan that out... if I could find it. My basement could be a hoarder's paradise though my living space above ground is pretty organized.

[Adele, Moderator]

In australia we dont have basements. Or at least having a basement is very rare.
I would love extra storage. My house is very very cluttered. My bookshelves are relatively clean though! I say relatively due to ornaments etc being in among the books... Especially my harry potter area.

I bought the hobbit years ago. But i know if i find a fancy copy at the op shop, the fancy copy stays with me and the other copy gets lent out! Lol

[Amyiw, Challenges Moderator]

I wish we had a garage and no basement as we have had flooding though only one, fixed the gutters, and then small leaks. We almost bought a house with garage no basement but... the area we ended up in is nicer so... basement. Still our garage would be the storage area instead of car park even with the double that that had. In Florida we didn't have basements either and most of the houses were single level.

[Amyiw, Challenges Moderator]

I wish we had a garage and no basement as we have had flooding though only one, fixed the gutters, and then small leaks. We almost bought a house with garage no basement but... the area we ended up in is nicer so... basement. Still our garage would be the storage area instead of a car park even with the double that that had. In Florida we didn't have basements either and most of the houses were single level. We could park one car in the double garage.