Thursday, January 12, 2012

Tolkien Reading Challenge

As I confessed in December, I am a hardcore Lord of the Rings nerd. I try to re-read the book once a year, but last year I just didn't have time. This year, however, I am making time.

More than that, I am launching my very own personal reading challenge. This year, I will read The Lord of the Rings, The Hobbit, and The Silmarillion. If I have time, I will also read Children of Hurin. The first three are all re-reads; I have not yet read Children of Hurin.

Why? Well, because The Hobbit is coming out in December for one thing, and I like to re-read books before going to see the film. And for another, these works collectively form one of the most amazing exercises in world-building. There is nothing like Lord of the Rings. Nothing.

In fact, on Saturday I'm going to a showing of the entire Lord of the Rings film trilogy. It's something one of the local theaters does every year in honor of Tolkien's birthday (January 3). This is the first year I've been able to go, since I used to work on Saturday.

Would anyone like to join me in my re-read?