The Hobbit by J.R.R. Tolkien
Naturally. Although my copy doesn't look anything like the new movie cover version. My copy is leatherbound, as referenced in the original recommendation post. Of course, how could I not read The Hobbit again with the movie coming out? The first time I ever encountered this story was when my father read it to me when I was six. I was transfixed by that story. Action! Adventure! Singing! Elves! Dwaves! Dragons! And of course, Hobbitses precious! Everything listed in the Princess Bride, actually, except for the true love part, but that's okay. And of all the elements of the story that have managed to slip my mind over the years, the Riddle Game between Bilbo and Gollum has forever remained there. I know all the answers to the riddles, although I must say that my very favorite riddle somehow managed to get left out of the movie. But that's all right. Honestly, even if you've never read fantasy before, this is a great place to start. Just ask my mother. She'd never bothered with fantasy in her life until my father introduced her to The Hobbit. Now she enjoys it along with the rest of us. And you don't have to be at any age to start - the book was originally written for kids by Tolkien. It's simply grown from there, and that seems to have worked out for the best.
Notes from the playlist: "Concerning Hobbits" by Howard Shore (but only because I don't have The Hobbit soundtrack yet!)
