The Lord of the Rings Read-Along is continuing this month with The Fellowship of the Ring. Clare from The Literary Omnivore is hosting the discussion for this book.  She’s posted a second set of questions for all of us participating.

If you’ve been with us since the beginning, how do you feel about the narrator compared to the narrator in The Hobbit?

How’s your pace going? Is it smooth sailing or have you found passages that are difficult to get through?

If you’ve read this series before, is The Fellowship of the Ring, for the most part, as you remembered? If not, is it what you expected or something else?

Are you using any of the extra features- maps and indexes, for instance- in your book?

On with the show…err, book.

The Fellowship of the Ring

If you’ve been with us since the beginning, how do you feel about the narrator compared to the narrator in The Hobbit? I actually like the narrator in this book better than in The Hobbit.  It has a more adult feel to it.

How’s your pace going? Is it smooth sailing or have you found passages that are difficult to get through? It’s smooth sailing.  I have skipped a few songs though — some are just too long for me.  I did read them in The Hobbit and most of the ones in this book too, but sometimes I gloss over them or flip past them entirely.  I know there are a lot of people out there that really love the songs, but, I’m not one of them.  Please don’t hate me for it.  🙂

I haven’t found any passage difficult to get through. Although, I did find The Counsel of Elrond to be a bit windy but wouldn’t really say I got bogged down, just a little bored with all the speeches.  In fact, the most difficult thing I’m dealing with in my reading is not reading the whole book in one sitting!  I’m trying for only 2-3 chapters a night but will admit that it’s not working out exactly as I planned.  I’m finding it very hard NOT to keep reading.

If you’ve read this series before, is The Fellowship of the Ring, for the most part, as you remembered? If not, is it what you expected or something else? I was surprised to find that I didn’t remember as much as I thought I did.  I actually had to laugh at one point because what I remembered was from the movie and not the book.  SPOILER ALERT *****  For instance, in the chapter A Short Cut to Mushrooms, the scene where the Frodo, Merry, Pippin, and Sam are on their way to cross the Brandywine River on the ferry and they end up crossing old Farmer Maggot’s turnip field. After a little dinner and some nice conversation, he takes the four hobbits down to the ferry in his wagon.  I remember this being a huge chase scene with the Black Riders just missing the little hobbits a they make a run for the boat.  Not so!  It’s completely different in the book, and in a way, so much better.  The scene is still tense and you are worried if they will make it, but it fits better.  ***** ALERT OVER

Are you using any of the extra features- maps and indexes, for instance- in your book? No, I don’t really look at the maps while reading. I’ll sometimes skim over them after though.

Clare, our host for The Fellowship of the Ring, has mentioned doing a movie marathon after we finish the read-along and I’m in.  I need to find how how much I remember from the books and the movies!

Are you joining us in the read-along?  Any thoughts on The Fellowship of the Ring?