I have been blessed with two exceptional parents. My mother is one of the most kind, generous, and loving woman you will ever meet. I could honestly say--as a great man is reported as having said--that "everything I am I owe to my angel mother." However, I feel like I haven't had enough opportunities in my life to praise my father for the incredible man that he is. I have never in my twenty-six years of existence seen a man that works so hard without complaining. The trouble with getting older is that your childhood memories slowly begin to seep through the cracks like vapor. But the strongest memory I have is the first time my dad read to me. Don't get me wrong, my mom used to tell me bedtimes stories of all the fairytales practically from birth, but this is different. I can remember the spot on the carpet where I sat, where the light rested as it gleamed from the lamp, the darkness of the storm raging outside, and--most important all--the deep baritone of my father's voice as he read my brother and me the words from The Hobbit. My parents gave me a lot, but I owe my love of adventure and my love of stories to my father. So this one is dedicated to him.
It should come as no surprise that as a result of my childhood I am obsessed with the works of J.R.R. Tolkien. Another memory I hope to never lose is watching to all three Lord of the Rings movies for the first time with my dad (Even though he saw the second one without me first; I forgive him for that) ;) As my family will tell you (and some never seem to tire of telling) I became a fanatic. Now we are less than six months away from the first installment of the incredible prequel. As a result, I just finished reading The Hobbit for the millionth time. Whether your a diehard fan or are unfamiliar with the book, here is my suggestion: follow my example. Now is the prefect time for you to read it because you'll remember just enough to catch the parts of the movie others will miss but won't remember so much detail that you think, "Hey, what about..." Trust me, I've got your best interests in mind! Anyway, let's keep this about the book, and I'll return in six months with how epic the movie was.
Let's start by addressing you people you have not read the book yet... ARE YOU OUT OF YOUR EVER LOVING MINDS!! Read the book!! OK, I promise that's out of my system. In all seriousness, there is no reason why everyone shouldn't at least give this book a chance. First of all. it's a mere 300 pages (depending on your copy) with fairly simply vocabulary. Additionally, you can't really call it 300 pages because probably twenty of those are songs written out. Trust me, if you've tried the Lord of the Rings and couldn't get pass the first ten pages, that is no excuse to turn this book away. It is a far simpler writing style. Don't, however, be deceived into thinking its a simple book. Tolkien's great skill in The Hobbit is the ability to take adult ideas and complex philosophy and render it so that a child can understand. All the while telling a truly exciting story.
For those of you that have read it before, don't worry, I give you permission to read it again no matter how many times you've read it before. ;) I had the unique opportunity to watch my wife read it for the first time and then teach it to a class for her student teaching last fall. What makes a book great is that you can read it a million times and have a different perspective with each. I had such an experience this time reading it. Have you noticed that our society is becoming more and more like Hobbits... No, really, we eat all the time, hate any breaks with routine, love gossip, and we have really hairy feet. Yet it's the experiences that burn all those Hobbit tendencies out of Bilbo that we usually try to avoid. I've said it before and I'll say it again, the only difference between adventures and trials is prospective. I guess there's one more difference: adventures make us better, trials tear us down. Try reading it again and seeing what you find this time.
Predictions for the Movie
I'm sorry, I know I said I'd keep it about the book, but everyone already knows it's awesome! You'll just have to indulge me. As most of you know the book is being split into two movies. My biggest curiosity is where they are going to leave us hanging with the first. We can safely assume from the trailer that Bilbo will at least make it to the ring. That's a given. So that means we'll see Bilbo's dinner with the Dwarfs, their encounter with the trolls, a good glimpse of Rivendale, their fight with the Goblins in the mountain, and the Bilbo/Gollum showdown. However, the first film claims that Legolas, who is a Mirkwood Elf, and Bard, who is all the way at Laketown, are both in it. I'm really doubting we get all the way to Laketown in this movie.
My guess is we'll either be left hanging at the edge of Mirkwood when Gandalf leaves or, more likely since I see a lot of spiderwebs in the trailer, we'll make it to the Elves of Mirkwood and be treated to the Spiders in this film. There may be a small small chance that the curtain rises right as the dwarfs pop out of barrels in Laketown. But my guess is in true Peter Jackson style we'll only get to see glimpses of Laketown through out the film. I can also tell that we are in for a treat. It's listed that Benedict Cumberbatch will be playing not only the voice of Smaug but also the voice of the Necromancer. Furthermore, there are more wizards listed than just Gandalf in this flick. That's right fellas, were are gonna get to see the Wizards take on a broken Sauron! Sadly we'll have to wait until the second film for that. If that's the case, the second film may only consist of the Smaug show-down, the Wizard's showdown, and the Battle of the Five-Armies. I wouldn't complain if that were the case. Guess we'll see in December!
In the meantime, read the book again. Like I said, now is the time to do it so you can keep Tolkien's story fresh in your mind but not too ripe. I know I gave a lot of reasons for adults to read this book but really you should read it for your inner child. The one that's screaming for mystery, adventure, and heroism. The Hobbit delivers on all these fronts. It's like they say, "It's a dangerous business, going our your front door. You step onto the road and if you don't keep your feet, there's no knowing where you might be swept off to."
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