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!
WOW that might just be one of the most romantic things I've heard. What a husband! Isn't it wonderful how many times our attachment of something is so closely tied to our love of a person? So, so beautiful. Congratulations on your new job, Emily! Sending you love and stamina.
Oh I would love to read along! I tried reading the trilogy before the films came out and got stuck halfway through return of the king, bizarrely. That was 20 years ago and I’ve never gone back to them. I still own the same books though, so perhaps I will now finally finish them!
I'm so excited you're joining, Karen!! So funny that you got stuck towards the end; that's one I haven't heard before haha. Hopefully the challenge will motivate you to finish this time. ^-^
I know, you’d think I’d have gotten past Pelinor fields but nope. I think I was mid exams and probably burned my brain out 😅 I listened to the fellowship last year I think and keep thinking, I must continue the trilogy. The Hobbit was a book I loved as a child but strangely found difficult to read as an adult! That surprised me.
Raising my hand here: I was one of those people who got frustrated by the Forest chapter in the second book and put it down, and sadly did not pick it back up. Up until that point, I was enchanted by the books. This occurred maybe 15 years ago, and I must admit I do think about it every few years. I may just join your challenge =)
I really hope you join, Helen! Totally understand getting frustrated by the Forest chapter. There's a reason it gets left out of the movie and even the dramatised audio.
Thanks for the tag, Tiffany! I hope you have the best time hosting your Lord of the Rings Reading Challenge! It sounds like you've but so much thought and intention into it already. Is it September yet?!
When you read the books out loud, like I have for my daughter, you discover how intricate the stories are. I love a reading challenge, and look forward to giving this a go.
I can't message you, I'm afraid, but! I am thinking about two topics for my guest post, and you just let me know which you'd be most interested in:
-Eowyn and women in LOTR in general but centered on her. I wrote a brief lecturette on this but didn't delve as deep as I'd like.
-the idea of compassion and how evil works in LOTR: that evil can't possibly imagine what smallness or love can do that will be a threat. There's an essay I like to refer to w this concept, how domination is the blinding weakness of evil in Middle-Earth. My lecturette Corruption and Redemption skims this concept for a second, but only a second.
Fantastic! Will update the directory to link to this post.
Thank you Simon!
So excited for this!!
Yay!!
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!
WOW that might just be one of the most romantic things I've heard. What a husband! Isn't it wonderful how many times our attachment of something is so closely tied to our love of a person? So, so beautiful. Congratulations on your new job, Emily! Sending you love and stamina.
Thank you!! And I thought so too… very lucky. 💜
Oh I would love to read along! I tried reading the trilogy before the films came out and got stuck halfway through return of the king, bizarrely. That was 20 years ago and I’ve never gone back to them. I still own the same books though, so perhaps I will now finally finish them!
I'm so excited you're joining, Karen!! So funny that you got stuck towards the end; that's one I haven't heard before haha. Hopefully the challenge will motivate you to finish this time. ^-^
I know, you’d think I’d have gotten past Pelinor fields but nope. I think I was mid exams and probably burned my brain out 😅 I listened to the fellowship last year I think and keep thinking, I must continue the trilogy. The Hobbit was a book I loved as a child but strangely found difficult to read as an adult! That surprised me.
Ah that must be it. I've been reading The Hobbit to my kids but really it's just a stepping stone so I can read LOTR to them haha.
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 😅
Lies. You provide the much-needed merry-making haha.
I am a die-hard Tolkien fan… and always skip the songs.
Haha yeah, depending on my mood, I don't always read them either.
Raising my hand here: I was one of those people who got frustrated by the Forest chapter in the second book and put it down, and sadly did not pick it back up. Up until that point, I was enchanted by the books. This occurred maybe 15 years ago, and I must admit I do think about it every few years. I may just join your challenge =)
I really hope you join, Helen! Totally understand getting frustrated by the Forest chapter. There's a reason it gets left out of the movie and even the dramatised audio.
Thanks for the tag, Tiffany! I hope you have the best time hosting your Lord of the Rings Reading Challenge! It sounds like you've but so much thought and intention into it already. Is it September yet?!
Thank you, Breanne! September will be SO much fun for both of us.
When you read the books out loud, like I have for my daughter, you discover how intricate the stories are. I love a reading challenge, and look forward to giving this a go.
I'm really looking forward to reading this to my children too. And so excited you're joining us, Jenny!!
This is a wonderful undertaking- best fantasy books ever! 🥰🫶🏼✨✨
Absolutely agree! Thank you, Tracy.
These lotr editions are my new fav.
Aren't they gorgeous?
I also wrote about who the heck Bombadil is: https://open.substack.com/pub/jenn5c3s4/p/mycelium?r=1fslzq&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=web
I saved to read. Thanks!
Also, I’ll be joining!
I am so excited! You’ve raised the standards, Jenn.
I had too much fun with John Halbrooks’ readalong and had to join yours too. Loved your guest post for him.
Thank you, Jenn.
what kind of covers are those??? 🤩🤩 they’re beautiful and very aesthetic!!
Right? I think they're Tolkien's original design. I found them in a bookshop in Oxford years ago.
They ARE, I have these and also a hard bound with all of Alan Lee’s illustrations. Am I a nerd or WHAT😆
Ooh was that one the 60th anniversary edition? I have that one too!
EVERY YEAR I read this beginning in September ❤️❤️❤️❤️
I hope you join the reading challenge! Such a good annual tradition to have.
I can't message you, I'm afraid, but! I am thinking about two topics for my guest post, and you just let me know which you'd be most interested in:
-Eowyn and women in LOTR in general but centered on her. I wrote a brief lecturette on this but didn't delve as deep as I'd like.
-the idea of compassion and how evil works in LOTR: that evil can't possibly imagine what smallness or love can do that will be a threat. There's an essay I like to refer to w this concept, how domination is the blinding weakness of evil in Middle-Earth. My lecturette Corruption and Redemption skims this concept for a second, but only a second.
(I'd also get a kick out of delving deeper into my Tom Bombadil As Mycelium hypothesis, but you've already got Book 1 scheduled, so.) :)