The Lord of the Rings by J.R.R. Tolkien

Ten years ago, after just finishing The Hobbit, I started reading Lord of the Rings. Sadly I never made it out of the Shire. Back then I was ill prepared for the drawn-out world building and expansive descriptions that are replete in this book.

I finally decided to give it another go. This time I think I had the right mindset. This is not a page-turner in the sense that you want to read as fast as possible to find out how the current mini-crisis of the scene is resolved. Instead, it’s best to take your time, visualize the descriptions in earnest, and enjoy imagining yourself in Middle Earth through each step of the journey.

It took over a month for me to finish. Quite the experience it was, as you really felt part of the world. At the end, I found myself missing the characters.

5/5 stars.