A Ponderance

Hmmm. I’m being called to re-read The Lord of the Rings again. That’s the best way to describe it. And it’s weird, because it doesn’t fit into my life right now, you know, schedule-wise, stress-wise, things like that.

Now, I know I happen to be reading a book about the trilogy. But I’ve read books both about Tolkien and about his works before and haven’t felt this strong push. The most recent case was the Lin Carter book on the professor I read a year ago. So I don’t chalk it up to Stanton’s tribute. At least I don’t think so.

My first and only reading of The Lord of the Rings was back in the summer of 1981, after whipping through The Hobbit. I made a half-hearted attempt at The Silmarillion a few weeks later but only got two books in. Towards the end of the 80s I finished that encyclopedic work. I re-read it again in April of 2008.

I made an abortive attempt to re-read the Rings epic in 1994, I think, summertime again, but didn’t get too far into it.

But something is strongly pulling me to take Tolkien’s masterpiece back off the shelf. I don’t know how long I can resist. Maybe I’ll start it at the beginning of the new year.

If I’m being honest, I am often “called” or “pulled” to read certain books, mostly out of the blue, so this is nothing new to me. It’s the strength behind it that’s really noticeable this time around, though.

Anything like this ever happen to you?