The year was 1991. I was a young girl transitioning into an awkward mess of acne and hormones. Who knew that I was about to be met with an entirely new world of magic and wonders?
I was at a sleepover. Despite what the media has you to believe, none of the sleepovers I attended featured giggly girls in frilly nightgowns engaged in pillow fights. (Or perhaps I was never invited to those types of sleepovers?) Instead, it was more common to see us with our hair up in messy ponytails, our faces loaded with the latest “it” skin treatment or zit cream, dressed in ragged t-shirts and sweats, gorging on junk food while gossiping and playing truth or dare.
Ever a loner and a nerd, I would sometimes bring my homework to sleepovers, just in case things got too boring and I needed something to do. 😳
But I hadn’t to this particular sleepover.
So when my mind began to grow bored from the monotony of events…
I wondered off on my own…
And came across a bookcase.
There, prominently placed in a top shelf, was The Hobbit by J. R. R. Tolkien.
I thought that the word “Hobbit” sounded curiously funny, so I slid the book out just to scan the first page or so.
…And I ended up spending the rest of that sleepover reading, and finishing the book.
And that’s how I popped my Middle Earth cherry. How about you?
(image source)
I have always maintained that The Hobbit is greatly superior to the LOTR trilogy, so it is no surprise that I look forward to next weekend with anticipation.
I have even started to re-watch the LOTR trilogy, and was all set to start re-reading The Hobbit when I discovered that my copy was missing. 🙁
Time to go procure another copy! But I obvs need to seek out one that was printed before any mention of the movie, with no references or tie-ins to the movie whatsover, lest anyone sees it and judges me for being a “watch the movie first, then read the book” person.
It’s almost like going shopping at a fancy store during a sale, only to see that your purchase gets placed in a shopping bag marked “SALE!” all over it. It’s like, why??? Do they need to separate us regular people from those who can afford their full prices?
