Lord of the Rings Group Read

Talk2019 Category Challenge

Join LibraryThing to post.

Lord of the Rings Group Read

1majkia
Mar 15, 2019, 8:45 am

We'd talked about a reread of Lord of the Rings for April, May and June.

I'm planning to start with The Hobbit. I'm listening to all of them this time, to see how much I like that.

Anyone joining me?

2mnleona
Mar 15, 2019, 8:54 am

I have some of the Lord of the Ring books on my shelf but not read any yet.

3DeltaQueen50
Mar 15, 2019, 1:57 pm

I am definitely joining in. I have read The Hobbit a couple of times so I will be reading the first volume, The Fellowship of the Ring during April. I am looking forward to finally reading this classic. :)

4mathgirl40
Mar 15, 2019, 3:30 pm

I'll join in. I'd reread The Fellowship of the Ring recently, so I'll start with The Two Towers, or I might backtrack and reread The Hobbit first.

5Tess_W
Mar 17, 2019, 3:53 am

Is there a suggested order?

6majkia
Mar 17, 2019, 7:29 am

I'm starting with The Hobbit then beginning the trilogy from the start.

7mathgirl40
Edited: Mar 25, 2019, 3:04 pm

Today is Tolkien Reading Day, in case anyone wants to get a head start on this group read!

8hailelib
Mar 25, 2019, 3:07 pm

I'll probably read The Hobbit and then decide whether or not to continue. I do own all the books and read them many years ago but have been thinking about a reread.

9majkia
Mar 25, 2019, 4:25 pm

>7 mathgirl40: Good to know! Thanks!

>8 hailelib: This is why I'm going to listen to the audio. I figure it will be a new experience. My library has most of them.

10DeltaQueen50
Mar 26, 2019, 11:30 am

I am going to be going with the audio version for the three books of The Lord of the Rings, although this is a first read, I have seen the film and I am hoping that will help me with keeping all the various characters in place.

11Tess_W
Mar 26, 2019, 1:23 pm

I'll read The Hobbit and decide if I want to continue. I'm not a sci-fi/fantasy fan but I think I need to get at least a taste for this work.

12Tess_W
Mar 29, 2019, 9:47 pm

I've got The Hobbit and I will start reading it Monday!

13ronincats
Edited: Mar 30, 2019, 12:00 am

Judy mentioned this on my thread in the 75er group, and I think I might join you all. It's been several years since I last reread the trilogy.

ETA more than several. I haven't reread it since before I joined LT in 2008!

14majkia
Edited: Mar 30, 2019, 7:22 am

>13 ronincats: Welcome, Roni!

ETA: Thinking about it, I haven't reread them since before I joined LT either.

15threadnsong
Mar 31, 2019, 5:51 pm

I'm definitely going to join this reading challenge! It's been a few years since I read the trilogy, and I have multiple copies of them on my shelves.

>11 Tess_W: I hope you do take the plunge and are able to read them. They're a combination of world building, hope, and various challenges to overcome.

16DeltaQueen50
Apr 4, 2019, 1:43 pm

I've been listening to The Fellowship of the Ring for about 10 hours so far and I am really enjoying it. I forgot how engaging the Hobbits are. I was surprised at how much singing there is and this is one of the reasons that I am glad to be listening rather than reading. This volume is about 19 hours, but I adjust the speed to 1.5 times which doesn't seem to damage the quality of the read but does get him to pick up the speed.

17majkia
Apr 4, 2019, 1:46 pm

>16 DeltaQueen50: Oh, very glad to hear that, DQ. I'll be listening to it as well.

18DeltaQueen50
Apr 8, 2019, 2:38 pm

>17 majkia: The reader of my version is Rob Inglis and he does an excellent job. I have now finished The Fellowship of the Ring and found it excellent. I am looking forward to reading the next book in May

19threadnsong
May 5, 2019, 4:11 pm

Oh my. I'm still reading The Fellowship of the Ring. Frodo has just woken up in Rivendell so at least they're on the road to their journey. It may take me another couple of weeks to finish this volume. And >18 DeltaQueen50: - what a treat to listen to it by such a talented audio artist as Rob Inglis is. I've always wondered what the music would sound like since there are so very many songs in Tolkien's works.

20ronincats
May 5, 2019, 4:32 pm

I finished my reread of The Fellowship of the Ring a couple of weeks ago, and then read the first book of The Two Towers on the first of May. I've some library books to clear out before starting on Book 4. I fear I would never have the patience, though, to listen to this, even for the joy of listening to the songs.

21majkia
May 5, 2019, 5:59 pm

I'm more than halfway through Fellowship of the Ring I'm very much enjoying the audio.

22hailelib
May 5, 2019, 7:27 pm

I enjoyed my The Hobbit reread last month and hope start The Fellowship of the Ring soon.

23DeltaQueen50
May 6, 2019, 1:21 pm

I have completed listening to The Two Towers and once again, Rob Inglis was superb. As Tolkien did such a good job of introducing the characters and setting the scene in the first book, he was able to devote more attention to advancing the story. Lots of action and, of course, I loved that the gollum had such a large part, but in truth, Samwise is my hero. It does end on a cliffhanger so I might not be able to wait until June to continue on. :)

24majkia
May 7, 2019, 6:26 am

I completed the first of the trilogy yesterday. Yes, Rob Inglis is superb, completely agree with DQ. Well, I don't know about lots of action. I do get weary of them traipsing across endless landscape in The Fellowship of the Ring. Still, impressed as always with the world building and the languages highlighted.

25mathgirl40
May 7, 2019, 10:44 pm

>24 majkia: I get what you mean when you say, "I do get weary of them traipsing across endless landscape", as there is quite a bit of that in the second half of The Two Towers, which I just finished rereading. Still, there is much to love in this entire volume, especially the introduction of the Ents.

>23 DeltaQueen50: I was very disappointed to find that the only audio version available from my local library is an abridged dramatization of the books. I don't really mind reading the print version, but I had been intrigued by the audio version, after hearing your comments about it.

As for your comment, "Samwise is my hero," I have to agree! A good friend of mine, who's also a huge LOTR fan and whose opinion I respect, has engaged with me in a decades-long debate over the question of who is the real hero of LOTR. She insists it's Frodo while I argue for Sam. I've heard others give convincing arguments that it's Aragorn. Anyhow, I'm afraid I'm jumping the gun here, but at the end of this group read, once we're all finished with the books, I'd love to hear everyone's opinion on this issue.

26DeltaQueen50
May 8, 2019, 2:45 pm

>25 mathgirl40: It's unfortunate that a full, unabridged audio version isn't available to you. I think you would love the performance by Rob Inglis, and listening would be a great option for you as you have read it a few times before. Maybe next time you want a re-read you will have an audio option. After I finish the last volume, I think I will be ready to sit down and watch all three films again.

27mathgirl40
May 8, 2019, 10:05 pm

>26 DeltaQueen50: I'll keep an eye out for the audio version. Our library's e-audio collection has been growing, so maybe they will get it one day.

28DeltaQueen50
Jun 1, 2019, 6:29 pm

I have finished listening to the final volume of The Lord of the Rings, The Return of the King. I though the author gave us a very satisfying end to this classic fantasy tale. I am definitely a member of team Samwise, he was my favorite character.

29mathgirl40
Jun 1, 2019, 8:50 pm

I too have finished The Return of the King. Though I didn't get the chance to listen to the audiobook, I still enjoyed it tremendously. Samwise is my favourite character, but I also have a soft spot for Eowyn and Faramir.

For the final month of this challenge, I'll be rereading The Hobbit.

30mathgirl40
Jun 1, 2019, 8:53 pm

For any of you continuing with this group read, please consider dropping by the June SFFKIT thread here:
http://www.librarything.com/topic/307014

The SFFKIT theme is "science-fiction and fantasy road-trip novels" and of course, LOTR is an excellent example of this genre.

31threadnsong
Jun 30, 2019, 6:08 pm

Well, I was able to finish The Fellowship of the Ring at the end of June. So at least this challenge got me to start another re-read of this magnificent trilogy. Cuz yes, of course, I won't be able to not re-read The Two Towers sometime in July! Maybe on my own personal upcoming road trips?

There's always something new to find and appreciate, every single time I read this trilogy, and this time was no exception. For some reason, it was the section from the Barrow Downs up through the Inn of the Prancing Pony where I discovered hidden passages, descriptions, and a greater understanding of this story. And it's always neat to see how the film makers were able to pull parts dialogue from different parts and weave them into the visual story they made.

32mathgirl40
Jul 2, 2019, 9:17 pm

I finished The Hobbit and enjoyed it immensely. I agree with >31 threadnsong: that, in LOTR and The Hobbit, there's always something new to find and appreciate. This time around, for all four books, I tried to spend a bit more time appreciating the poems and songs.

33majkia
Jul 3, 2019, 6:51 am

I've begun The Return of the King and happily back to the audio with Rob Inglis.

34ironjaw
Edited: Apr 19, 2021, 5:59 am

I've started to read The Lord of the Rings and am in around ten chapters. This is my first time and I'm enjoying the experience. The wealth of knowledge and imagination Tolkien gave to this story is unbelievable. It's almost as if Middle-Earth existed with its own culture and language. Tolkien is meticulous in his details and I find it soothing the "reminiscence" he's alluding to: a bygone era where friendship and countryside mattered more.

Yesterday, I was so excited that I couldn't let myself miss watching the extended edition of Peter Jackson's movie trilogy adaptation. I watched the first part: The Fellowship of the Ring and quite enjoyed scenes I had never seen before and how the movie and book differ. I know some don't like the trilogy but I find it entertaining.

I've also gone ahead and picked up both the BBC Radio adaptation on cassette of the Hobbit and LOTR:





And will listen to this after finishing the trilogy