The Hobbit

The Hobbit – JRR Tolkien

Evan’s ESS = 10 out of 10

Erin’s ESS = 5 out of 10

Content = PG (Violence, Adult Content, Climatic Elements Involving Fantasy Creatures)

 “I should like to know about risks, out-of-pocket expenses, time required and renumeration, and so forth" - by which he meant: "What am I going to get out of it? and am I going to come back alive?"

Why: If you enjoy the genre of Fantasy and haven’t read The Hobbit, stop right now and visit your closest library.  You need to read this book.  Not only is it one of the top 5 bestselling books of all time, but near the top of almost every “Best Of” list ever created.  Log off, shut down, and go read it now.  Seriously……we’ll wait.

Even if you, like one of us bibliomaniacs, aren’t that into Hobbits, Trolls, Elves, and Wargs, sorry; but you still need to read this novel.  The Hobbit is the foundation for any well read Bibliophile.  Only a handful of novels have sold over 1 hundred million copies and The Hobbit is one of them (So is the follow up: The Lord of the Rings – hint, hint).  The novel follows Bilbo Baggins as he sets out on his very first adventure, away from the safety of his home.  Along the way he faces goblins, giant spiders, and dragons; all leading up to the epic Battle of Five Armies, involving, you guessed it, no less than five armies.  Excited yet?  Even if your answer is a resounding no, too bad – go get the book.

Published in 1937 The Hobbit has never been out of print other than during the paper shortages during WWII.  Personally, we’ve never read another book where a world and its characters were developed in more vivid detail.  Seriously people, Tolkien invented a brand new language called Tengwar that’s used throughout.  How many other authors have done that?  Finally, no one has pushed the noble boundaries of Hobbit lore further (boundaries, in our humble opinion, that Cloud and Townsend should have addressed in their relationship building series).  As a final incentive you need to hurry and read The Hobbit before the epic two-part movie comes out, which will be in production as soon as Peter Jackson and New Line Cinema stop behaving like children.

Editor’s note:  Just in case you ever wondered what J.R.R Tolkien’s initials stand for: John Ronald Reuel.  Plus, according to Forbes, Tolkien was the 5^th top earning dead celebrity in 2009.