⋆.ೃ࿔࿐ྂfaith & fantasy⋆.ೃ࿔࿐ྂ discussion

Our January Book of the Month is The Hobbit, or There and Back Again by J.R.R. Tolkien! Who else will be reading this this month? I know some of you have already finished it in late December or in the last day or two, which is crazy!

Anyway, here's the thread to share your thoughts on the book! Are you liking it? Disliking it? Have you watched the movies yet?

oh hah I completely forgot that this was the botm!! so glad I read it :D I loved it so much

I started reading it yesterday!!
And not to brag, but I found the collector’s edition of The Hobbit at my library 😀

I love The Hobbit! This will be a reread for me. And I have seen the movie(s), but really wasn't happy with the overall product(s). I think the casting and performances were amazing, and really loved certain details and scenes, but Peter Jackson was pressed to make the book's film(s) into something it wasn't (namely a trilogy, which meant making all kinds of inaccurate filler).

I just finished it this morning for me!! I LOVED it!!! And never would I ever have thought that I'd like it! Though ill be honest, my mind kinda spaced out at some moment 😂 Might be cus I'm not used to the whole fantasy non-human type of thing XD Now I reaaaaaaaaalllllllyyyy want to read LOTR!!!

Oh, and the humor!!! I laughed out loud so many times. I haven't watched any of the movies, but I plan to watch the film for this book tonight 😋

I listened to the audiobook for rob Inglis. it might sound weird....but I really felt like he was telling me a bedtime story XD

😂 that’s great
Also I have seen the movies and I love them
Though I do think it a bit weird that they made one book into three separate movies.

Like the third movie which I think is like over two hours, lasts only like a page or two in the book

that's weird. I haven't seen the movies. I might one day tho

Oh I will definitely be reading this! One of my favs and I have to read it for school anyway, so killing two birds with one stone!

Joy C. wrote: "The Hobbit is on my will-finish-later shelf. Since it's our book of the month, I guess now is a good time to finish it! :D"

Awesome!! Cheering you on!

Kacie wrote: "I listened to the audiobook for rob Inglis. it might sound weird....but I really felt like he was telling me a bedtime story XD"

Ooh! He did LotR, too! Haven't listened to him reading The Hobbit, but I remember I loved listening to to LotR! And actor Martin Shaw doing The Silmarillion is really cool, too!

Ever since discovering Tolkien in my 20s, I was sad that I didn't get to enjoy his children's stories when I was younger. But the great thing about The Hobbit is that there is so much to learn and enjoy from it spanning many re-reads over the years.

Tara wrote: "Ever since discovering Tolkien in my 20s, I was sad that I didn't get to enjoy his children's stories when I was younger. But the great thing about The Hobbit is that there is so much to learn and ..."

I couldn't agree more!!! Which of his works have you read?

I'm so excited to start reading The Hobbit!!! I used to not really enjoy Tolkien, but recently, I've read and watched LOTR, watched The Hobbit, and started reading the Silmarillion, and now I'm completely OBSESSED with Middle Earth! Tolkien is now one of my favorite authors, and I can't wait to read The Hobbit again!

Alison wrote: "I'm so excited to start reading The Hobbit!!! I used to not really enjoy Tolkien, but recently, I've read and watched LOTR, watched The Hobbit, and started reading the Silmarillion, and now I'm com..."

Oh my goodness!! Eek! That made my day, Alison! Tolkien is literally my absolute favorite!! (So every time someone says they're liking any of his works or anything remotely close to that, I kind of freak out!)

Haha but anyway, if you ever want to talk about anything Tolkien with me, I'm here! 😁 I'm especially here if it's about The Silmarillion 😂😂😂

Lilyyy wrote: "Alison wrote: "I'm so excited to start reading The Hobbit!!! I used to not really enjoy Tolkien, but recently, I've read and watched LOTR, watched The Hobbit, and started reading the Silmarillion, ..."

Sounds good lol!!!

I absolutely love Bilbo in The Hobbit! In some ways he reminds me of myself, especially his humor XD

Also, I've never read the book, but I've seen all of the movies. Whoops.

I just started the Gollum chapter
😂

i never knew gollum was calling HIMSELF my precious until I read the book :O weirdo

He's weird. Like, at first I thought that he wasn't going to be bad, but oh my, I was extremely wrong.

He's weird. Like, at first I thought that he wasn't going to be bad, but oh my, I was extremely wrong.

I'm going to be joining you guys!

This will be a reread for me. But I really enjoyed it the first time, so I'm excited what I'm going to think about it as an adult. =D

I have watched the movies, and I didn't really like them. With some of the action scenes I wanted to pick up a video game controller and start playing. All it was missing was some coins for you to collect. XD Plus, it just wasn't true to the book.

Ava ~semi-hiatus~ wrote: "I absolutely love Bilbo in The Hobbit! In some ways he reminds me of myself, especially his humor XD

Also, I've never read the book, but I've seen all of the movies. Whoops."

Haha I accidentally act like Bilbo sometimes. That scene in Desolation of Smaug where he's tapping his foot on the floor trying to get away from the Elves is so funny!

haha, yes i second that^^ i just watched the desolation of smaug with my sister 😂 i loveeee bilbo 😭😭😭

Sophia wrote: "haha, yes i second that^^ i just watched the desolation of smaug with my sister 😂 i loveeee bilbo 😭😭😭"

Rightttt! And then he just walks over backward 😂😂😂😂

Lilyyy wrote: "Tara wrote: "Ever since discovering Tolkien in my 20s, I was sad that I didn't get to enjoy his children's stories when I was younger. But the great thing about The Hobbit is that there is so much ..."

So many! I also really enjoy everything Derek Jacobi has narrated for Audible. In addition to his primary works, I've also read a ton of stuff about him and his works, particularly enjoying the beautiful books on his artwork, and Tolkien and the Great War by John Garth:

The Hobbit
The Lord of the Rings
The Silmarillion
Farmer Giles of Ham
Mr. Bliss
Roverandom
Leaf by Niggle
Smith of Wootton Major
Letters from Father Christmas
Sauron Defeated
The War of the Ring
The Treason of Isengard
The Letters of J.R.R. Tolkien
Beren and Luthien
The Children of Hurin

Tara wrote: "Lilyyy wrote: "Tara wrote: "Ever since discovering Tolkien in my 20s, I was sad that I didn't get to enjoy his children's stories when I was younger. But the great thing about The Hobbit is that th..."

EEK! This is awesome!!! Which one(s) are your favorite??? I haven't gotten to any of his HoME books, but Morgoth's Ring is looking to be super cool (especially with how much I love Elves...)!

Carsie Rose wrote: "I think I started the Children of Hurin a long long time ago. I don't remember a whole lot about it though."

It was the same with me the first time I tried it! XD Smh that they began with a family tree! The story itself is absolutely beautiful and heartwrenching, though!!

Makes you feel all empty inside XD

Lilyyy wrote: "Tara wrote: "Lilyyy wrote: "Tara wrote: "Ever since discovering Tolkien in my 20s, I was sad that I didn't get to enjoy his children's stories when I was younger. But the great thing about The Hobb..."

Ugh, so hard to choose a favorite! Of course, LOTR is at the top since that was the first of his books that I read and is undeniably a classic. But as much grief as The Silmarillion gets (it is really nothing like Rings, and I think it is that expectation that leads to so much disappointment), it is so beautifully crafted, and the Ainulindale is the most awe-inspiring fictional creation story ever written. It is worth reading for that chapter alone.
In terms of his non Middle-earth work, I do adore Farmer Giles of Ham, probably due to my inordinate love for dragons. Leaf by Niggle is perhaps the closest Tolkien ever came to allegory and deserves a deep dive interpretation.
The HoME series is definitely more academic than breezy reading, but if you love to nerd out on Tolkien, they are enjoyable. Some of the revelations about his thought processes in early drafts of the LOTR books in particular will change how you view those books forever.

Oh, I've heard Leaf by Niggle is almost allegory! If we asked Tolkien about that, though, he'd probably be like, "No! No, no, no" (like he always does in his interviews XD).

LotR IS amazing but I like The Silmarillion the best! *totally not me having an obsession with tragic Elves.......* I thumbed through parts of Unfinished Tales a year or so ago and every little "fact"/detail I found out about the Eldar I obsessed over XD (e.g. (view spoiler)[Celebrimbor loving Galadriel?!?!?! (hide spoiler)])

Yep, I definitely nerd out on Tolkien! 😳 Glad I'm not the only one, though!!

LOL

I love Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit, but I haven't ventured further than that in the Tolkien world.....YET

Reasons you should venture further! (Not that you asked, but still hehe)

1. The fanart! I will show you if you want me to XD

2. The fanfiction! I know a few good LotR ones, but Silmarillion fanfiction is the best.

3. LotR is just not the same without knowing the background! Like did you know that Galadriel giving Gimli three pieces of her hair is super symbolic and important? There was an Elf from The Silmarillion named Fëanor who asked for a lock of Galadriel's hair three times but she hated him and denied him three times. So her giving Gimli the hair, not just one piece, but three, is in complete defiance of Fëanor.

First, I'd love to see fanart! Second, I'll for sure have to read more of his books! Thanks Lily!

Yep, np!! What part of Tolkien's world do you like the most?

Lord of the Rings for sure. The elves to be exact.

Oh, ooh! Okay, I got you!

Yay!

Well haha I've got entire boards with fanart!!

Legolas: https://www.pinterest.com/StarlightMo...

Thranduil: https://www.pinterest.com/StarlightMo...

Legolas and Thranduil (Yeah, I know...): https://www.pinterest.com/StarlightMo...

Silmarillion art (this one is my favorite!!!): https://www.pinterest.com/StarlightMo...

Elena Kukanova Tolkien art: https://www.pinterest.com/StarlightMo...

Tolkien fanart in general 😂: https://www.pinterest.com/StarlightMo...

Yeah. Now that I think about it, I'm sooo extra smh

I love those! The Legolas one and the Tolkien fanart in general ones are my favorites!

Ava ~semi-hiatus~ wrote: "I love those! The Legolas one and the Tolkien fanart in general ones are my favorites!"

Oh thanks! Not everything was pinned by me cuz there's other people in the board, too, but most of it was mine!

Nice! I might have to sneak on there and pin some of those to my boards. My LOTR board and The Hobbit Board are nowhere near finished. XD

Haha that's totally fine!

😊 Okay! Thanks!

Lilyyy wrote: "Oh, I've heard Leaf by Niggle is almost allegory! If we asked Tolkien about that, though, he'd probably be like, "No! No, no, no" (like he always does in his interviews XD).

LotR IS amazing but I ..."

A true allegory, from the medieval sense, is when characters are exact proxies of the thing they are meant to represent (think of Pilgrim's Progress for an example of this). So when people say that the Ring is an allegory of war, the atomic bomb, etc., it is a misunderstanding of what allegory is. And I think that is why Tolkien preferred the term applicability, as the Ring can really represent a lot of different things to different people, and that makes for a story that can be appreciated across a wider swath of people than if the symbology within the narrative is too heavy handed; then it only has appeal as it relates to that particular thing. But that doesn't mean Tolkien never used allegory as a literary device, and Leaf by Niggle is a great example of this. It is a story with many layers to appreciate.
If you love tragedy, then The Children of Hurin is for you! Turin Turambar is a human and not an elf, but it is a beautifully dark story nonetheless.
For people looking to do a deep dive into The Hobbit, I would recommend The Annotated Hobbit: The Hobbit, Or, There and Back Again by Douglas A. Anderson. It has references to various versions of the text, as well as examples of cover art from around the world, which is actually highly expressive of those individual cultures.

I finished The Hobbit last night! I am going to watch the movies this weekend :)
I also think I might read the Lord of the Rings later on!

Tara wrote: "Lilyyy wrote: "Oh, I've heard Leaf by Niggle is almost allegory! If we asked Tolkien about that, though, he'd probably be like, "No! No, no, no" (like he always does in his interviews XD).

LotR IS..."

That is a wonderfully good point! I read somewhere that Tolkien was against Industrialization and that the One Ring was somehow tied to that. I'm not sure if any of his letters expressed such an opinion, but I do agree that the Ring doesn't necessarily have to represent anything very specific. I do think Tolkien enjoys symbolism at least to an extent, but there's much less to play with when it comes to allegories.

Does anyone else get hungry every time they read this book? lol

Kacie wrote: "i never knew gollum was calling HIMSELF my precious until I read the book :O weirdo"

SAME XD