The Hobbit by J.R.R. Tolkien

The Hobbit by J.R.R. Tolkien

Rating: 3.5 out of 5.

Other Possible Prompts: 5. Chapters have titles, 39. A middle-grade novel

I ran out of audiobooks this last week and decided to give The Hobbit a try. I’ve never been one for fantasy, but I enjoyed watching these movies with Nate last summer. I figured it was worth the try while I wait for something else to come available!

I’m sure this book doesn’t require much summarizing. Quiet, home-loving hobbit Bilbo Baggins is one day randomly greeted by Gandalf, a wizard, and promptly by thirteen dwarves. Slated to return to their homeland and retake their crown and gold, currently protected by dragon, Gandalf has selected Bilbo to be the fourteenth on their journey. In an epic tale of adventure, they make their way back to the Lonely Mountain, and Smaug the dragon that awaits them.

I need to immediately preface by saying that I think listening to this book may actually be very different from reading it. The audiobook I heard is just shy of four hours long, while the book is hundreds of pages. I can’t confirm whether this is an accurate retelling, however I would still like to review this version that I read. Mine was the BBC Radio 4 Dramatization production originally played over the radio in several installments. Like the name details, it is more a *production* than an audiobook.

As a result, while I really loved all the music and the multitude of narrators, the audio quality was garbage. I listened to it in my car on a superrrr long drive down to Boston, and I had to keep messing with the volume buttons to hear some characters, but then got the wits scared out of me by the loud volume of Gollum, per say. (He, in particular, did this loud breathing thing right into the mic that was killer on the ears) It was brutal. I liked the idea of it, and I think hearing it on the radio as it was originally intended may have been better, but I had a really hard time with it in execution. This was my biggest complaint and the biggest problem I had with the entire thing.

As for the actual book content, I really liked it. It brought me back to watching those movies with Nate, that cozy feeling of a marathon, and the adventure and warm friendship of the tale. It really is a good and fun fantasy story, and I don’t say that often. I think I would enjoy reading this a second time, in a different format. It’s a solid story and I think there’s a lot more to parse from it than I got in this sitting.

I like that even in this version of the story you can see character growth – the whole takeaway for me that first time I absorbed that story, was that great friends and great memories can come out of getting out of your comfort zone. I think you can take away that same exact lesson from the book and Bilbo’s adventure out of his hobbit hole. I also picked up on more of the characters purposes within the novel; I thought the plight of the dwarves was an interesting one, particularly Thorin. While at first I felt pity for these refugees and their desire to go home, the ending they get and the decisions made by Thorin specifically had me changing my tune. I don’t know. It’s fun to ponder, and it’s fun that an adventure/fantasy book for young adults has such depth.

I liked this quick read, and it kept me busy during my drive so that’s a win! Like I said, I think I’d need to read a full version, and not just the BBC broadcast, to give a full review and opinion.

I hope you all have an excellent day. 🙂

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Fangirl, Vol. 2: The Manga by Rainbow Rowell & Sam Maggs

Fangirl, Vol. 2: The Manga by Rainbow Rowell & Sam Maggs

Rating: 4 out of 5.

The 52 Book Club 2022 Challenge Prompt: 8. Involving the art world (both writing and manga art style!!)

Other Possible Prompts: 4. Title starting with the letter “F”, 11. A book with less than 2022 Goodreads ratings, 43. Author who’s published in more than one genre, 45. A book with illustrated people on the cover, 52. Published in 2022

Ahhh, Fangirl. The comfort food of books. This story is one of my favorites to absorb around the holidays, in particular, but given this recent release of Volume 2 of the manga version, I’ll read this in the dead of summer. Or pretty much anytime at all!

This second book picks up mid-emergency dance party – a first sweet moment between Cath and Levi. Their flirtation builds in this second book, with Levi requesting that Cath read him her fanfiction, and Cath helping him study for class. Levi is always hanging around her dorm room, it seems, but Cath doesn’t really think it means anything… and Levi belongs to her roommate, Reagan, right?

Even when I read volume one, I felt like the decision to make Fangirl a manga series was an odd one, and this book doesn’t really shake that for me. Of course, I’m still enjoying it, because Cath is every book nerd ever and this story is the warm hug we all need. But, I’m definitely not a manga reader in my everyday life, and I don’t necessarily think the art style translates well with the tone of the story. Manga to me speaks of action and harsh lines, something sharper. Fangirl is a warm, soft hug.

That said, Maggs is a fabulous artist. This is certainly no criticism of their work. It’s impressive art that I do certainly still enjoy from that objective point of view.

This is one of my favorite chunks of the book to read normally, so naturally I really liked this one. It’s really, really short though. I bought the Kindle edition and read it on there, and I couldn’t believe when less than an hour had gone by and I was already done. I thought the other one had taken me a bit longer, and I figured that, given the time between books, there would be a lot more content here than there was. From what I understand, there will be two more volumes.

These are my major thoughts, which I’m sure seem very critical for a four star rating, but truthfully it’s very difficult to mess up Fangirl. It’s just one of my favorites, and I can’t imagine reading it and not getting that warm and cozy feeling from it in any form. It’s a cute story, with great characters, and the perfect ambience. I can’t wait for volume three.

Have an awesome week, friends!