I Love Books

I love books.  Well, not every book, but there are a lot of books that I really like.  Some books have become lifelong companions.  "The Hobbit" by J.R.R. Tolkien is one of these.

When I was in the tenth grade I had a kidney infection and wasn't able to attend school so my parents arranged for a tutor through my school.  He would come to the house twice a week.  We would go over assignments from the previous visit and he would assign me new work to be done for next time.  As I have since come to understand from my experience in homeschooling our son, when you have a one-on-one teaching arrangement the student learns more in a shorter period of time.  The assignments never took me very long to complete.  I soon found that I had lots of time on my hands.  Having that pesky infection meant that I couldn't really get out and do anything.  Fortunately for me I love books!

Books are wonderful because you can have adventures without ever leaving the coziness of your home.  That's just the sort of adventure I needed and I found it in "The Hobbit."  Through Tolkien's brilliant work I was able to join Bilbo and Gandalf on quite an adventure indeed.  Beginning in a wonderful place called The Shire, I traveled through goblin-infested mountains, spider-infested forests, and into a mountain that was inhabited by a dragon.  Right along with Bilbo I travel There and Back Again. 

There aren't too many books that I have read more than once.  There are even fewer that I've read on a regular basis.  "The Hobbit" is one of those rare gems that never grows old or tiresome.  And at times in my life when I've really needed a familiar friend it's always come through for me.  It was a very special treat when I read "The Hobbit" to our son for the first time.  To see the joy and wonder on his face as we traveled Middle Earth together was a blessing I wouldn't have traded for the world.

If you've never set foot in Middle Earth I would highly recommend you get your feet wet with "The Hobbit."  Who knows - you just might meet a very good friend along the way!