The Hobbit by J.R.R. Tolkien. 

4/5 rating. 277 pages.

Book #3 of 2024. Finished January 19, 2024.

This is Bilbo Baggins’ tale about his incredible adventures to slay the dragon Smaug.

I feel like by now, this is a modern classic. With all of the re-tellings and adaptations into movies and shows, a lot of people are familiar with this story. Bilbo is a “respectable” hobbit who is drawn into a long, arduous, and dangerous journey by the wizard, Gandalf. He is branded as the thief for the adventure of re-capturing the home of the dwarf, Thorin Oakenshield, and his 12 dwarf companions.

There are countless numbers of adventures that the company experiences before they even come close to tackling the problem of the dragon living in the old mountain palace of the dwarves.

This book is sheer fun and adventure. Tolkien has an incredible gift for storytelling that shines through during the whole book. You feel like he’s telling this tale around the fire amongst hearty drink and good friends. I did find it interesting that the most recent Hobbit movies made a 277 page book into nearly 10 hours of action. A ton happens in this book, but there are some major differences between the movies and the actual book.

If you’re looking for a really fun read, this is a great choice for the new year!

Quotes:

“Now it is a strange thing, but things that are good to have and days that are good to spend are soon told about, and not much to listen to; while things that are uncomfortable, palpitating, and even gruesome, may make a good tale, and take a deal of telling anyway.”

“Gandlaf thought of most things; and though he could not do everything, he could do a great deal for friends in a tight corner.”

“Going on from there was the bravest thing he ever did. The tremendous things that happened afterwards were as nothing compared to it. He fought the real battle in the tunnel alone, before he saw the vast danger that lay in wait.”

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