Book recommendation for July 2025: “The Hobbit” by J.R.R. Tolkien
This is a true classic of childrens literature—though I would say literature full stop—which holds a special place in my heart because it is the book that made me fall in love with fantasy. I have reread it many times and once bought two copies of it from Hay-on-Wye (home of the famous literary festival) from the same second hand bookshop because I could not decide which copy to buy (in fairness, one is a hardback and one is a paperback). I still own both copies—I can’t get rid of either!
What’s it about: If you are somehow not aware of this book…Bilbo Baggins is a hobbit (a small race of people with large feet and larger appetites) and a bit of an introvert who is dragged, much to his displeasure, from his comfortable hobbit hole by the wizard, Gandalf, and the thirteen dwarves of Thorin Oakenshield’s company on a dangerous mission to steal treasure from the dragon, Smaug, and reclaim the dwarves’ ancestral home.
Why I love it: It is a fun fantasy adventure with a treasure-coveting dragon and brave warriors, a wizard, elves, trolls and stone giants, a magic ring, goblins and Gollum, and a man who can turn into a giant bear. What’s not to love?! And it is a story that can resonate for anyone who sometimes wishes to stay in their comfort zone but has people in their lives that (thankfully) get them to try new things. Bilbo is very much an introvert who has no interest in new adventures. However, through his struggles along the way the he learns that yes the world is big and dangerous but it is also an amazing place and adversity can make us stronger. Although, in saying that, I am not sure I’d wish to learn how to shed my inner introvert by stealing treasure from a dragon! This is a true classic of children’s literature and introduced the world to Middle-earth before J.R.R. Tolkien completed his epic masterpiece, The Lord of the Rings. I am so glad I could pick up LotR straight after reading The Hobbit and that I did not have to wait nearly twenty years for my next fix of Bilbo and Gandalf.
Beyond the book: This is the book that got me into fantasy. I was thirteen and on a caravan holiday in the south of France. I had read all the books I had brought with me (in the days before ebooks) and I borrowed a copy of The Hobbit from family friends we were on holiday with. The copy was dog eared / much loved and was at the time being used to prop open a fly screen on a caravan window. I remember the cover—the Collins Modern Classic version with Bilbo (invisible due to the effects of the One Ring) approaching Smaug who was asleep on his hoard of gold coins. From the opening line, I was hooked. I read it in one sitting, completely mesmerised. It transported me to a magical world I did not want to leave. It inspired me to buy more and more fantasy books and it is the genre I still enjoy the most. It was one of the sparks that made me want to be a writer and my dream is to write a story that, one day, provides that pure joy and escapism that I felt when I first read The Hobbit. This is one of the books that has had the most profound effect on me as both a reader and writer and I can’t wait until my children are old enough to read it too.
Disclosure: To cover some of my running costs, I have incorporated affiliate links from Bookshop.org, whose fees support independent bookshops. If you buy books linked to my site or newsletter, I may earn a commission.