The Hobbit

The Hobbit (1937)
J.R.R. Tolkien
Fantasy
287 pages

9.5/10
Warnings: None

This book is the very first in the Lord of the Rings series.  It is about Bilbo Baggins, the father of Frodo Baggins who is the main character in the Lord of the Rings series.  In the book Bilbo is a young hobbit, who enjoys his life in his cozy home in the shire.  He is then visited by a mysterious old wizard, named Gandolf.  Who with the help of 12 dwarfs, they convince Bilbo to come with them on a quest.

As Bilbo goes through the quest he becomes great friends with all the dwarfs and Gandolf.  He also has to learn how to trust those he doesn't know. 

Tolkien has a very interesting style of writing, at some parts of the book he is very detailed.  But at other times he can be very vague.  He really makes the book fun by adding so much back ground knowledge to the story.  He writes in a third person omniscient,  he knows all the characters thoughts and feelings.

The hobbit is a Junior High or High School level book,  it is very hard to read if you don't pay attention to the story.  It takes a lot of time to read even though it isn't a very large book.  I think any boy or girl would like this book if they just took the time to read it.

I read this book because I knew that they were making it into a movie, and I've always been a Lord of the Rings fan.  So I would definitely recommend this book to anyone else, who likes the Lord of the Rings series.  This book adds more the the series than just the main 3.  The Boston Herald Traveler agrees saying "One of the best wonder tales ever written . . . if you know a great book when you see one, you will want all of these".  New York Times also agrees "Filled with marvel and great terrors . . . an extraordinary,a distinguished piece of work."

Finding hope in hopeless situations: Unbroken

Unbroken (2010)
Laura Hillenbrand
Biography
10/10
406 pages
Warnings:  This is a book about a WWII Prisoner of war and there is a good amount of violence, language, and other disturbing incidents with Japanese concentration camp officers.

This is a story about a young man named Louie Zamperini. Who as a young boy  was the town thief and would often break into houses, get into fights, and would leave home to go ride the rails.  As a teenager, his brother introduced him into running and he immediately picked it up.  When only a couple years latter he competed in the Berlin Olympics. Then he tied for the fastest mile ever run with a time of 4:07.9, and was expected to be the first man ever to beat the 4 minute mile barrier, something that was considered impossible at the time.  Then it all changed when the war started.  He then volunteered to go to war where he became a young lieutenant and a plane bombardier.  When on a mission his old worn down plane dies, and splashes into the middle of the ocean.  From there he travels from many different concentration camps.

As he is going through these different camps he is often abused and beaten nearly to death multiple times.  Going through this he learns determination, endurance, and finds a will to live, when he is so close to death. 

When he is going through this, the author gives a lot of very frightening and interesting facts about the war and the Japanese.  Laura Hillenbrand does an excellent job of showing people of what it would be like to be in a concentration camp.  She also was putting a lot of information in a small amount of space, and she would often tell a couple different training stories in a just a few pages, which made it hard to remember all the different people in the book.

This book was definitely not meant for anyone younger than 14 or 15, and is mostly intended for adults.  There is several uses of swear words, and many stories in the concentration camps that were just horrible.

I first started reading this on my way to California for a Cross Country race and I figured it would be good since I was going to have several hours to read.  Then once I started reading this, and like People Magazine who said "Monumental . . . mesmerizing . .  Hillenbrands's writing is so ferociously cinematic, the events she describes so incredible, you don't dare take your eyes off the page." I just couldn't put it down.  I would definitely recommend this book to others, as long as they are mature enough to read something this violent.  But the book was definitely worth reading and the New York magazine agrees "It is amazing, unforgettable, gripping, harrowing, chilling, and inspiring."