Best Books By J.r.r. Tolkien Novels & Stories

“I think you’ll like this one.” She set her mug to the side and carefully pulled open the paper. A beautiful leather bound book came out. The Silmarillion was emblazoned in gold leaf in beautiful flowing script. “It’s an older book, but I thought you might like it,” Mark told her. “I know how much you enjoyed The Hobbit and Lord of the Rings.” She ran her fingers over the beautiful book. “Thank you, Dad.” She handed him her wrapped package. “Merry Christmas.”

Pleasure flows through me at the sound of it. “Mm?” “What’s the book you’re reading?” I don’t try to hide my smile this time. It’s dark in here. She can’t see it facing away from me anyway. “The Silmarillion.” She sighs heavily. “You like Tolkien?” “Not a fan?” I guess. “I re-read The Lord of The Rings trilogy every couple of years. When I was twelve, I named my goldfish Legolas.” Not a fan—a hardcore fan. I make sure she can’t hear the smile in my voice when I reply. “A pretty noble name for a goldfish.”

Hayden leaned back in his chair, studying me with that easy grin that made my stomach do things it shouldn’t. “So,” he said, “Favorite book of all time. Go.” I groaned. “That’s impossible.” “Top three, then.” I rattled off a few, rambling about why they mattered to me. He listened, actually listened, even though I knew he probably couldn’t tell Tolkien from Tolstoy. Every now and then, he’d ask a question, not just to fill space but because he wanted to know. And somewhere between explaining why The Hobbit was basically a comfort blanket and arguing that fairytales weren’t just for kids, the conversation turned more personal.

Oh well. I put thoughts of Derris aside and focused instead on the amazing collections in front of me. It was there. Everything from the classics like Shakespeare and the Brontës to the newer ones like J. R. R. Tolkien and JK Rowlings. It was basically a dream come true for me.