What is there to say about this wonderful book that hasn’t already been said in some way or some form? Not much honestly, so this isn’t much of a review. It’s more a response/regurgitation of my immediate thoughts having finished reading it Wednesday evening.
I’m glad I squeezed in a re-read of The Hobbit this year for a couple of reasons: it’s the 75th anniversary of its original publication; I haven’t re-read it since high school; the first of the films comes out this year; and there was an awesome panel at the 2012 Boston Book Festival about the book, the movie, the previous adaptations and the associated artwork.
What I enjoy most about The Hobbit is that it’s a tale told as a story. Tolkien tells the story as if you are one of his children snuggled up in bed waiting to find out what adventures happened from the night before and you can hear and experience this in the writing. And this is one of the things that makes me want to perhaps try an audio version of this book.
However, at the same time that this makes the tale magical, it also detracts, only minimally, from the story. The writing at times isn’t as concise, clear or powerful as it could be because I believe Tolkien sacrificed some of this for simplicity and spoken voice. But, as I said, I am perfectly okay with this.
I decided to read Seraphina after seeing Grace’s review of the galley over at 
This is the book where everything changes. Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban really shows the wider wizarding world, but Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire really sets the stage for the rest of the series. It’s funny though that I didn’t really get this until Fiona, over at 
How many times can I say ‘WOW’ to open a book response? Especially if I’ve read the book already? Apparently, every time because these books just make me so happy. Definitely considering abandoning all challenges next year and just reading whatever strikes my fancy, but I doubt I will.
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