Lord of the Rings Reading Challenge
Explore the depths of friendship, courage, and hope in Tolkien's masterpiece
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Welcome to the reading challenge for The Lord of the Rings by J.R.R. Tolkien, hosted September to December 2024. You will find all information on this page.
Table of Contents
Why Should You Read The Lord of the Rings?
Contrary to popular belief, this book is not a simple story of good defeating evil and everyone living happily ever after. There is so much nuance and layering that even after sixteen years of reading it, I find something fresh and relevant with each read. There’s a reason so many of us revisit this book year after year. I aim to open your eyes to why that is.
There is always darkness in our world—plenty of it, both in our own lives and outside. The story of Lord of the Rings is one of hope in the face of impossibly bleak circumstances—not because of one person, but because many people of different races and beliefs choose to do what they can—to fight against the darkness.
None of them know if their efforts will succeed. They don’t know if anyone else in other places is fighting, not even their own friends. They continue anyway. Through each individual doing their small part, the Shadow is defeated.
This victory comes at great cost, as we will see. Tolkien does not shy away from themes of grief and loss, lingering trauma and brokenness. One direct result of the Ring’s destruction is the fading of magic and the last departure of the Elves.
The nuances in The Lord of the Rings of hope in hopelessness, of grief mingled with love, of loss with victory, all point to an enduring universality. This is a story that will challenge you, strengthen you, and give you hope.
“I tried reading it before, but I just couldn’t get into it”
Let’s say you gave it a try once, maybe twice. You saw all those landscape descriptions, the names of places and people that never show up again in this particular story, the too-many languages, and oh, the songs! Why must Tolkien write so many songs??1
And let’s face it: The Fellowship of the Ring is slow. In contrast, The Two Towers and The Return of the King both move at a quicker pace and have shorter chapters.2
It takes seventeen years for Frodo to finally leave home after he inherits the Ring. Then, he and his companions trudge along for a few more chapters and get stuck in the Old Forest. They encounter this strange character named Tom Bombadil and stay at his house. By now, you’re scratching your head, wondering what any of this has to do with the overall plot. Contemporary editors would probably have a field day with Tolkien, and Tom Bombadil would be a prime example of “kill your darlings.”3
Skip The Old Forest and Bombadil
Here’s a highly unpopular opinion (purists, please don’t kill/maim/cancel me): if you’re a first-time reader, I suggest skipping the chapters, “The Old Forest,” “In the House of Tom Bombadil,” and “Fog on the Barrow-downs,” and going straight from “A Conspiracy Unmasked” to “At the Sign of the Prancing Pony.”4
I know, I know. There is a lot to be gained from those chapters, but I’ve heard from so many readers who’ve told me they get stuck precisely in those sections, never continuing on to the rest of the book. I’d rather you be able to read the whole trilogy, sacrificing those three chapters, than never experience the full richness of this book.
Skip most of the songs
Another unpopular suggestion, but possibly less incendiary than the previous one? Most of the songs aren’t essential to the plot, so if you find yourself getting bogged down by them, it’s okay to skip them. Some of them are also in Tolkien’s invented languages and not even translated, so unless you’re planning on becoming a Tolkien scholar, I honestly don’t think you’ll miss out on much.
You can always come back to read these parts later, and they will enhance your understanding of the book. I personally love the songs and poems; they’re beautiful to me.
I APOLOGISE FOR OFFENDING “TRUE” TOLKIEN FANS.
Anyways, moving on..
Tips to make this reading challenge work for you
That said, there are a few ways to make this reading a little less daunting (inspired by
in this post):Choose your preferred reading style. Audiobook, e-book, paperback, hardcover, whatever works best for you, don’t get caught up in the format. When participating in
’s challenge earlier this year, I listened to the narration by Rob Inglis. It helped me slow down and notice details I hadn’t before, despite having read it so many times already. Andy Serkis also narrates the audiobook, but I prefer Rob’s slower pace. For this read-through, I am using this paperback edition to take notes in.If you haven’t read The Hobbit, make sure to at least read section 4: “Of the Finding of the Ring” in the Prologue of The Fellowship of the Ring. While Gandalf does go over this story later, this background is still important to know, going in. I may be a detractor from most Tolkien fans here, but I don’t think reading The Hobbit beforehand is necessary. I didn’t, and if I had, I doubt I would have continued on to LOTR. While a charming children’s book, it’s a very different style and lacks the soul-seizing spark the way Lord of the Rings does.
Take the book with you everywhere, whatever format you have chosen. As Breanne says in her post, this increases the chance you will get through the book if you read/listen during your in-between moments. I have the pocket edition, which is easily carried around.
If all you know about Lord of the Rings is from watching the movies, be aware that the book is very different. While I love Peter Jackson’s films and marathon them every single year as well (only LOTR, not The Hobbit; we don’t talk about that travesty here), I consider them separate in many ways. Some changes worked, some didn’t; some I will never forgive Jackson for (justice for movie-Faramir). The pacing and timeline is also condensed in the films. Do not read the book with the films in mind. You will not enjoy it.
There are so many LOTR newsletters and challenges already. What’s so special about yours?
Fair point.
I could point you to
, who has extensive knowledge of Tolkien’s works. His LOTR challenge provided rich information and analysis of the text. John is going to be doing this challenge annually, and I highly recommend subscribing so you can take part.I could point you to
, who hosts read-throughs of not only Lord of the Rings, but also most recently, The Hobbit. She is also planning to delve into more of Tolkien’s works. has a brilliant and funny newsletter where he writes on a wide range of topics based on Lord of the Rings.I subscribe to, read, and enjoy, all these brilliant writers. I encourage you to, as well! We each bring different and unique perspectives to this work.
As your guide, I will explore Tolkien’s universal themes from a macro perspective, then narrow them down to consider how they can inform and enrich your own life. My style is personal. I focus on helping you understand the book, yes, but mainly, I am interested in how literature changes you.
I have read this trilogy every single year since 2008 (excluding 2021). While I have no degree in English Literature, I do have an undying passion for this book, and I believe it’s one that will speak to everyone, whether or not you call yourself a fantasy or classics fan.
Some Background
J.R.R. Tolkien intended The Lord of the Rings as a single book. Dividing it was thought necessary for publication, due to length and cost at the time, but Tolkien wrote it as a whole. He published The Fellowship of the Ring at the age of 62 (yay there’s still hope for me) and it took him 12 years to write the entire trilogy.
Important to note is that Lord of the Rings is part of an extensive history, set in an incredibly detailed world. Tolkien’s devout Catholic beliefs, his background as a philologist, study of mythology and Old English literature, and personal experiences, all influence his writing.
Reading Schedule
Links to the essays will be added after posting.
The Fellowship of the Ring
22 September | A Long Expected Party - The Old Forest
29 September | In the House of Tom Bombadil - Flight to the Ford
6 October | Many Meetings - A Journey in the Dark
13 October | The Bridge of Khazad-dûm - The Breaking of the Fellowship
The Two Towers
28 October | The Departure of Boromir - The White Rider
4 November | The King of the Golden Hall - The Palantír
11 November | The Taming of Sméagol - The Window on the West
18 November | The Forbidden Pool - The Choices of Master Samwise
The Return of the King
2 December | Minas Tirith - The Siege of Gondor
9 December | The Ride of the Rohirrim - The Black Gate Opens
16 December | The Tower of Cirith Ungol - The Steward and the King
23 December | Many Partings - The Grey Havens
How This Reading Challenge Will Work
If you haven’t already, remember to subscribe to this newsletter. I’ll send an email with my thoughts and discussion questions of the week’s reading. You don’t need an app to read these. If you’re subscribed, they’ll go straight to your email.
My essays for this challenge will always be free to read, but the journaling exercises and discussions are for paid Inklings in the comments section. I also share more of my personal experiences in that section. We will be going deep and I want the space to be an intimate one. I hope you will choose to participate in our Fellowship! Either way, there will be plenty for everyone to read and enjoy.
I want to emphasize that quiet participation is welcome. Some of you joined my last read-throughs of Never Let Me Go and Franny and Zooey, and never participated but told me you were reading along. I loved that! Whatever your comfort level with interactions, I’m just glad you’re here to read together.
As before, you are free to read at your own pace. Life happens and this isn’t school. My posts are here for whenever you’re ready to jump in.
I hope you will join us!
Any questions? Respond to this email or leave a comment.
With Love,
Song is an important part of Tolkien’s world. If you read The Silmarillion, you’ll find out within the first few pages that Middle-earth comes into existence through the singing of Eru, also known as Ilúvatar, the creator of the world.
An old friend who studied English Literature once said she recommends first-time readers to start from The Two Towers instead, then read the first book after The Return of the King. Here come the torches.
My husband decided to read the trilogy out of love for me, but got stuck in The Old Forest for over a year. He finally skipped ahead to Bree and finished the rest of the books within months. He’s not a reader and definitely does not read classics. If he can do it, so can you!
So excited for this! Thanks for the shout-out, by the way.
We need more Tolkien writers of intelligence on this Substack... email... blog... thing.
Which rules me out 😅
True story- my husband read this aloud to me while we were dating, and we were long distance. I love it for that, and you for doing this! I am sorry I missed Frannie and Zooey, another formative book for me! I am neck deep in a new job so I may have to putter on my own, but I will follow your journey!