Chapter VIII: The Scouring of the Shire Of all the things that Peter Jackson left out of his Lord of the Rings films, I've heard the most complaints about the exclusion of 'The Scouring of the Shire'. I get it. This is where we see just how much the four traveling hobbits have grown during … Continue reading LotR Reread: You Can’t Go Home Again
Frodo Baggins
LotR Reread: “Here at the end of all things…”
Chapter III: Mount Doom This installment is early. Why, you ask? Well, it's March 25th. For Tolkien fans, that means it's Tolkien Reading Day! And why is Tolkien Reading Day on March 25th, and not on September 22nd (Frodo and Bilbo's birthdays) or on January 3rd (Tolkien's birthday)? Tolkien Reading Day occurs on March 25th … Continue reading LotR Reread: “Here at the end of all things…”
Lotr Reread: The One Where Sam Simply Walks into Mordor
Book VI Chapter I: The Tower of Cirith Ungol So. There Sam was, below Cirith Ungol having knocked himself out by flinging himself against the orc door in a desperate attempt to get into the tower to rescue Frodo, who wasn't actually dead, just comatose from a massive dose of monster-spider venom. Fortunately for everyone … Continue reading Lotr Reread: The One Where Sam Simply Walks into Mordor
LotR Reread: Along Came a Spider
Chapter IX: Shelob's Lair It might be daytime at the top of the Stairs of Cirith Ungol, but it's still dark. Dark and smelly, and the stink gets worse as Frodo and Sam head toward the tunnel Gollum has been leading them toward. A few steps in and the darkness deepens, beyond anything they've known … Continue reading LotR Reread: Along Came a Spider
LotR Reread: “We’re in the Same Story”
Chapter VII: Journey to the Cross-Roads In the morning, Faramir bids the hobbits farewell. He gives them some provisions and a couple of walking sticks cut down to their size. The sticks have a virtue of finding and returning, and he hopes they will aid the hobbits in their journey. They walk together for a … Continue reading LotR Reread: “We’re in the Same Story”
LotR Reread: It’s Not You, It’s Me
Chapter X- The Breaking of the Fellowship In the shadow of Tol Brandir, above the falls of Rauros, the company must decide if they are going to turn toward the south and head for Gondor and Minas Tirith with Boromir, or if they will turn towards the east and go to Mordor. Aragorn has put … Continue reading LotR Reread: It’s Not You, It’s Me
LotR Reread: Row, Row, Row Your Boat, Gently down the Anduin
Chapter VIII: Farewell to Lorien Alas, it's time for the fellowship to leave Lothlorien. They may have had a nice vacation from the rest of the world, but the rest of the world didn't get the memo to slow down and smell the elanor. The only question is, who is going where? Aragorn had planned … Continue reading LotR Reread: Row, Row, Row Your Boat, Gently down the Anduin
LotR Reread: Welcome to Rivendell, Mr. Baggins
Book Two, Chapter I: Many Meetings Frodo wakes up. Again. He's confused, thinking at first that he's back in Bag End after an illness and that his adventures were a bad dream. Then he realizes that all it did indeed happen. While he's getting his bearings, he asks what time it is, and lo and … Continue reading LotR Reread: Welcome to Rivendell, Mr. Baggins
LotR Reread: Frodo Gets the Heck out of Hobbiton, in a Leisurely Fashion
Chapter III: Three is Company In Peter Jackson’s 2001 film adaptation of The Fellowship of the Ring, Ian McKellan’s Gandalf returns to the Shire a few weeks or months after Bilbo leaves and sends Frodo (played by a seventeen-year-old Elijah Wood) on his journey that same night. This works for a movie but not for … Continue reading LotR Reread: Frodo Gets the Heck out of Hobbiton, in a Leisurely Fashion
LotR Reread: Frodo Baggins and the Worst Birthday Gift Ever
“When Bilbo Baggins of Bag End announced that he would shortly be celebrating his eleventy-first birthday with a party of special magnificence, there was much talk and excitement in Hobbiton.” Chapter One: A Long-Expected Party Thus begins The Lord of the Rings: with a party like in The Hobbit, only this party was a long-planned … Continue reading LotR Reread: Frodo Baggins and the Worst Birthday Gift Ever
Traveling in Books 