Cozy yet adventurous, the Hobbit is a great novel to read during the holiday season. I was pleasantly surprised by the prominent use of song and poem throughout the novel, and the audiobook did a wonderful job at making these come alive. 

Despite the lighthearted atmosphere, Tolkien makes a crucial commentary on power and greed: “If more of us valued food and cheer and song above gold, it would be a merrier world.”

I really enjoyed Bilbo Baggins as a character, his reluctance to adventure and growth throughout the novel was really well done. Tolkien really thought about Bilbo’s growth while still maintaining the limitations of his power as a hobbit, making him feel more real. 

To me the fight scenes in the novel did feel quite anticlimactic. I understand why Toklien took the decisions he did, again I feel like he was very conscious (and realistic) about his characters’ limitations, but I do think this hindered the momentum of the action. The comic relief humour was also not quite up my alley but overall The Hobbit is an enjoyable fantasy novel to get cosy to. The audiobook version enhances really well the storytelling narrative of the novel.