Favorite Book #4--The Hobbit

"In a hole, in the ground, there lived a hobbit."

And thus begins one of the most beloved fantasy classics of all time. It is a famous line, one that sticks with you forever, but I love the next sentence just as much.

"Not a nasty, dirty, wet hole, filled with the ends of worms and oozy smell, nor yet a dry, bare, sandy hole with nothing in it to sit down on or to eat: it was a hobbit hole, and that means comfort."

Image taken from Amazon.com

The book then goes on to describe how wonderful a hobbit hole is; it is a place you would never want to leave. But of course, Bilbo Baggins, the respectable owner of the said hobbit hole, is scooted out the door by a wizard named Gandalf, and is sent forth on a most uncomfortable adventure. Although it is most discomfiting, he will become very proud of it, especially of the battle at the end which he was "most fond of recalling long afterwards, although he was quite unimportant in it."


Bilbo is completely loveable. All he wants to be is quiet and respectable, and then he is facing trolls, escaping goblins, outwitting a slimy creature, quite a few elves, and a terrible dragon.

Above all, though it is a seemingly random event in the story, he finds a magic gold ring.

And of course, this sets the stage for the greatest fantasy epic of our time, The Lord of the Rings. 

The Hobbit, the prequel to LOTR, is far more whimsical then its successor, and in some ways I like it better. Mostly because it is so funny! There are very few books more charming then this one. I've heard many people say they can't get through the first chapter, but I find the first chapter delightful!
J.R.R. Tolkien was a incredible author, and he went on to publish many stunning, brilliant, but often dark stories and histories.

For me, The Hobbit, will be the one of the most beloved of his works. However, The Lord of the Rings, had a more profound effect on me, so it is one place ahead of the Hobbit in my listings, as you will see.

By the way, readers, what did you think of the movie The Hobbit: There and Back Again? I was  pleased with it, overall. I have a few qualms, but nothing serious. I cannot wait for the second installment! Because, well, I'm crazy over elves, over one in particular, and there are a lot of elves coming up!