Okay, well it’s been a while since my last story. Let’s see, what should I write about? Oh, here’s something interesting… The Lord of the Rings. If ever there was a story that had a great influence on my life (other than Elfquest), it would be [b][u]The Hobbit[/b][/u] and [b][u]The Lord of the Rings[/b][/u] trilogy. Last week, I read at [url=http://www.aicn.com]AICN[/url] that there is a Lord of the Rings movie currently in production and it really seems like a quality film. I certainly hope so since the other movie adaptations have been pretty poor. You can read more about it [url=http://www.lordoftherings.net//]here[/url].

I guess my sister was really responsible for introducing me to the works of J.R.R. Tolkien. I used to see her reading these thick books with small print and rune-covered covers as she lay in the bottom bunk in my sisters’ room, probably listening to Neil Diamond or something. This was in the late 70’s when Tolkien’s works were gaining popularity after the release of The Silmarillion. When I got old enough, I borrowed The Hobbit from the library and worked my way through it. I really enjoyed it and bought The Fellowship of the Ring on March 19, 1982 (I still have the receipt!) when I was almost 11 years old. It took me about eight months, but I read that book and then The Two Towers and The Return of the King as well. My 5th grade teacher kept up on my progress as she was pretty surprised that I was reading these books.

I remember walking along the a dirt road after a day spent in the woods at “the cliffs” with my sister and friends. The March air was just turning to spring as the snow melted into rivulets running down the side of the path. I imagined myself to be Frodo Baggins just starting his journey from the Shire with many adventures ahead of me.

What a great tale to read at that age! Although I did not understand every word or every nuance of the story, The Lord of the Rings was, to me, an epic tale that conjured my imagination to visualize these mythical landscapes and heroic characters. The story would influence me for many years to come and stay with me forever. I hope that you take the time to delve into the world that Tolkien created!

Update: I talked to my sister and she said that she never really read The Hobbit because she found it sort of boring! Well, memory doesn’t always serve one well. Regardless of how I became interested in the works of Tolkien, it’s a great story!