The Hobbit

Book Talk:
Bilbo is an ordinary and most respectable Hobbit.  He never does anything extraordinary or unexpected like having adventures. 

And then, one gorgeous fall day, Bilbo is visited by the strangest person he has ever met: Gandalf the Wizard.  Bilbo remembers Gandalf from when he was a much younger hobbit and Gandalf would come and visit the old Took.  But Bilbo is a respectable Hobbit who doesn't go about having adventures and associate with wizards.

After Bilbo sends Gandalf on his way, he is shocked to find 13 dwarves standing on his doorstep the next afternoon, just in time for tea.  Gandalf shows up, and the party begins.  Somehow, Bilbo finds that he has been hired to be the burglar for the group who will be departing the very next day for the Lonely Mountain.  They hope to challenge the dragon Smaug and regain their treasure that Smaug stole when he overtook the mountain many long years ago. 

The party makes a long and dangerous trek through the Misty Mountains where they are separated by the Goblins. 

It is here that a crucial turn of events takes place.  For deep down in the mountain, far out of knowledge of man, dwarf, or goblin Bilbo stumbles across a ring in the dark.  This ring, is a magic ring which makes the wearer invisible.

But what next?  Can Bilbo use this ring to find his way out of the mountain?  Will he ever find the dwarves?  What will become of the treasure guarded by the dragon?  Will the dwarves ever regain their mountain home?

Reviewer's Note:
I first read this book almost 30 years ago.  It remains one of my top 10 all time favorite books. 
With Peter Jackson working on the film version of The Hobbit well -  reading this book for the first time, or re-reading it again - it's worth your time!

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