Friday, November 23, 2012

The Hobbit Read-A-Long: Week Three

The Hobbit audiobook coverAs a participant in the "The Hobbit" Read-a-Long instigated by Unputdownables, this week we read chapter six.  We must have only been assigned one chapter because of the holiday, but I was halfway through chapter seven before I realized.  I'll keep my comments to what happens in chapter 6.

I have been enjoying the characterization of Gandalf this week, who seems far more quirky that he is portrayed in the films.  (I apologize that I keep comparing him to the film version, but this is my only point of reference for Tolkien.)

He is a little full of himself, actually:
"The wizard, to tell the truth, never minded explaining his cleverness more than once...."

Bilbo is still being reprimanded for his love of food, including this gem:
"...We must just tighten our belts and trudge on - or we shall be made into supper, and that will be much worse than having none ourselves."

Listening to the audio is dangerous!  I was laughing so hard at the description of the dwarves climbing the trees to get away from the wolves.  I wonder if they'll manage that scene in the movie, because I would love to see it.  

I'm enjoying this Read-A-Long.  It isn't just the other bloggers who are doing the same schedule.  Everyone is coming out of the wood-work to engage in conversation about this book that is well-loved by many of my friends.  Some have started re-reading it because they couldn't stand it, once I started talking about.  To those friends - thank you and hello!

I mentioned when I introduced this project that I was sad not to have read this book as a child, because I feel like it would have been a seminal part of my childhood reading experience.  I e-mailed my Dad to ask him about it, and like I thought I vaguely remembered, he said he owns the book, as well as an ivory-cover three-book set of Lord of the Rings.  He read them as a youth, and I got the feeling he may go dig them up and read them again.

8 comments:

  1. For an "unputdownable" book, you are reading it awfully slow. :-) (My kind of pace, to be honest.)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I'm following the pace as set by the person running the readalong, but I think it is something to savor and enjoy so I'm not going to complain!

      Delete
  2. I expect to be done in a day or two tops. Then again this is your first reading and the 4th or 5th time for me.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Well, since I'm doing a readalong, they set the reading schedule. It is forcing me to slow down and notice more than I probably would have otherwise. Maybe I should treat more books with the same respect!

      Delete
    2. But there are so many other books to get to!

      Delete
    3. This comment has been removed by the author.

      Delete
    4. OK. So it double posted, and deleting a post doesn't remove it. Just the text apparently. Oh well.

      Anyways I was going to clarify my point that it's OK/good you're reading slowly as it's your first time, as you said. But I hate reading on a schedule. Especially if it's set by someone else.

      Delete
    5. If I read one book at a time, I'd be climbing the walls. But I read 3-5, so.... it is a sacrifice I'm willing to make to read in community. ;)

      Delete

Thanks for visiting the Reading Envy blog and podcast. Word verification has become necessary because of spam.