The Hobbit

I first read the hobbit back when I was in junior high, which was like 12 years ago so my memory of it is a little foggy. I read the Lord of the Rings more recently so I was nice to go back and read the hobbit again. It answered so many questions that I had from the Lord of the Rings. Like how Bilbo found the ring and how get got the Mithril. I really enjoyed the riddle game with Gollum too. No wonder he hates hobbits so much. They're sneaky! What I enjoy most about the hobbit and the Lord of the Rings books is how they transport you to another world. He is so good and describing every detail of middle earth that you can visualize it like it is real. You follow the map in your head along the journey and by the time you finish, you feel as though you were there on the journey with Bilbo, Gandalf, and the dwarves too. You forget about everything that is going on in your life, all the stress and deadlines, and just lose yourself in Tolkien's world. That is the main reason why I enjoy reading so much. I love all the characters you meet along the way too. Even the evil ones are sometimes funny, like the Trolls. My favorite character in the hobbit had to be Bjorn. I just pictured him as this big burley woodsy guy who is loyal to his friends and will do anything to protect the world he lives in. He seemed so pure and natural. I was not as fond of Bilbo and I was of Frodo in the Lord of the Rings though. Hobbits are funny but Frodo was more more pure at heart than Bilbo was. Frodo truly wanted to save everyone and make everything right again, where as Bilbo seemed like he was just there because Gandalf forced him. He seemed selfish to me. He did prove to be a good friend by saving the dwarves, but he was also sneaky by taking the arkenstone for himself. He only used it as leverage because he wanted to go home. All in all, I enjoyed the book very much and will probably read it again in the future. It is an enjoyable journey and a good companion on a cold rainy winter day.