Books2Movies Club discussion

There are many books about Tolkien, his life and works. This month we should focus chiefly on the former (there are so many on the latter we'll tackle later in the year), so I'll suggest for this round these two books:

J. R. R. Tolkien: A Biography by Humphrey Carpenter

Tolkien: A Biography by Michael White

If you are aware of any other good biography out there, freely tell us bellow! Please note though that later in the year we'll read books analyzing his works and impact on the world, so those will be posted in due time.

As for the movies, you can watch the movie Tolkien (2019) and/or documentaries such as BBC's A Film Portrait of J.R.R. Tolkien (1996). If you have seen any other good documentary about Tolkien and his life, please share your recommendations!

I finally finished Carpenter's biography of Tolkien. It took me more time than expected, because I was careful to also read letters corresponding to the years covered in each chapter of the book. I'll recommend you to read the biography; the letters are not required. Besides those the most interesting ones were also highlighted in the bio.

I'll probably read White's biography next, as I have that one on my bookshelf too.

I finished JRR Tolkien's biography written by Michael White a month ago. It was a breeze to read, not overly long. White emphasized he was a huge fan, however his fandom was far from objective. I felt his own opinions went too deep into his writing that was supposed to be neutral, considering it was about a real life person. It was particularly strange to read about Tolkien's Catholic faith and reverence as if it was his weakness and oddity. Of course White had to tackle that part of Tolkien's personality, but it bugged me that it was so judgmental. Carpenter wasn't Catholic either, and he wrote more sympathetically about it and taking it less personally. White seemed on the contrary as patronizing the author and feeling pity for him!
Maybe I was in a bad mood while reading this book. Interesting I thought Carpenter's biography was a bit too rosy colored one, and now I find White's biography a bit too cynic one.
I am now relieved that we have put other biographies into the last segment of this project, because they are supposedly delving deeper into his works. I should leave Tolkien alone for some time and read his books instead. The next step for me is now The Silmarillion.