Conquer the Classics – The Fellowship of the Ring

From Goodreads:

In ancient times the Rings of Power were crafted by the Elven-smiths, and Sauron, the Dark Lord, forged the One Ring, filling it with his own power so that he could rule all others. But the One Ring was taken from him, and though he sought it throughout Middle-earth, it remained lost to him. After many ages it fell into the hands of Bilbo Baggins, as told in The Hobbit.

In a sleepy village in the Shire, young Frodo Baggins finds himself faced with an immense task, as his elderly cousin Bilbo entrusts the Ring to his care. Frodo must leave his home and make a perilous journey across Middle-earth to the Cracks of Doom, there to destroy the Ring and foil the Dark Lord in his evil purpose.

I have to admit I have attempted and re-attempted to read this series many times over the years and tended to get to Tom Bombadil and then just put it down and never pick it back up. Which is why when a group of friends from The Write Reads Gang decided to do a buddy read I jumped at the chance to try and finally make my way through this series

After reading the Hobbit last month and loving it, I was so happy to be back with Bilbo. It is such a comforting start with lots of familiar faces and places. I love worldbuilding and this been just has such a gorgeous amount from the Shire, Bree, Rivendell, Moria and Lothlorien we cover huge swathes of Middle earth and all of it just has such luscious detail that makes each area distinct. I forgot how long it actually takes to get going and how long it takes to get to the familiar events we all know from the movies. I loved getting to spend time with all these little details. I have to admit I might have even enjoyed reading Bombadil’s section this time around.

I found myself immersed and the pages just turned easily. I couldn’t wait to get started on Two Towers!