Author: J.R.R. Tolkein

This is the classic epic fantasy story. Whenever I re-read this, I always start with The Hobbit, to get my mind firmly transported into the world of hobbits. So much has been written about LOTR, but what I know is that this book has meant a lot to me through the years. When I'm going through a hard time, I re-read it and let the descriptions of another time and place wash over me, settling my mind in soothing words I've read hundreds of times.

My favorite lines in the book have to be when Frodo asks Gandalf why Gollum wasn't killed when they had the chance to do it. Frodo says that Gollum deserves death. Gandalf replies:

"Deserves it! I daresay he does. Many that live deserve death. And some that die deserve life. Can you give it to them? Then do not be too eager to deal out death in judgement. For even the very wise cannot see all ends."

This is a coming-of-age story, an adventure, a treatise on the value of friendship, and a lesson on the choices made between good and evil.

Series:

The Hobbit
The Fellowship of the Ring
The Two Towers
The Return of the King