I Suddenly Remembered My Charlemagne

People ask me a lot how many times I have read THE HOBBIT, and I can never give them an answer. I mean, I have read it a LOT of times, for starters, and I have also read it continuously for several years at more than one point, and during those times, I was usually reading on a lunch break, so I would just open the book where ever and read until my break was over.

But the REAL reason I can't tell you how many times I have read THE HOBBIT, is that even before that, when I re-read it as a kid, I read it one and a half times every time. I would start with Out of the Frying Pan, Into the Fire, read to the end, and then go back and read the whole thing cover to cover.

ANYWAY!

This chapter holds the distinction of containing my favourite song after PLATES, and also one of six mentions of beings in Middle Earth who might be female*. It also introduces us to the Eagles, who are basically the bane of my existence because it's really difficult to explain to people that 1. These eagles aren't quite like the ones in LotR, and also 2. YOU CAN'T JUST GET AN EAGLE TO FLY YOU TO MOUNT DOOM OMG.

*ahem*

Bilbo lies to the dwarves and Gandalf in this chapter, and the dwarves begin to think very highly of him, finally, but Gandalf has suspicions. However, they're about to starve to death (again), and the goblins might still eat them, so they don't really have a lot of time to stand around and talk about it.

I do like that this chapter puts limits on Gandalf. A pack of orcs and wargs can kill him (probably), but he'll take a lot out with him when he goes. We see Dori be a really decent fellow (WITH NERVES OF STEEL!).

I think of any design decision made in the LotR/Hobbit movies, I wish the wargs had been a bit more wolfish and a bit less hyena-ish, but that's just a personal thing.






*As far as I can recall, anyway. I might have missed one. Also, I counted both references to Belladonna in the first chapter as one.

A short bit today, because RIDDLES IN THE DARK is next, and I have been waiting my whole life to make that particular post!

( In which I become permanently afeart of mountain caves )

Poor ponies!

This book, I tell you.

One of the things I enjoy the most about re-reading THE HOBBIT (or LotR, for that matter), is putting together all of my own thoughts and feelings on the book with the thoughts and feelings I have on the MOVIES, and also with how J, W and B interpreted them. People often get all up in arms about that sort of thing, and lord knows sometimes I'm one of them, but the tiniest details are right, and I think that gives some play to be flexible with the story because, let's face it, sometimes this is a really weird story.

( Cut to spare the uninterested )

(I may not do this every chapter, but then again, who knows!)