Read it aloud?

[Birdland]

I remember very fondly me and my "Ex" reading Lord of the Rings aloud to each other. (Well, I remember other things fondly too, but that's a different story. smilies/smile.gif )

It took us about two months. We tried reading other books aloud, but none had that wonderful feeling of sharing something special that reading LOTR did.

Have you ever read the book aloud to anyone?

[ February 14, 2002: Message edited by: Birdland ]

[Rosa Underhill]

Haven't read LotR aloud to anyone (though I'd dearly love to; I even had a dream once that I read "The Hobbit" to some kids at the library). I've read several other books aloud to people, though.

[Estelyn Telcontar]

(wistfully...) I wish I did have someone to read it aloud to, or to read it to me - problem is, I have the book in English, but all the people around me speak German. And I don't really like the translation - it doesn't feel the same. So, maybe I will just have to read it aloud to myself! The experience of reading aloud is magical, especially when a book is filled with the beauty of words the way LotR is. But I agree - sharing it with someone is much more satisfactory!

[Gayalondiel]

I'm desparately trying to read LOTR to my boyfriend, but he's more interested in re-running Harry Potter. Any ideas on how to convert? I think it'd be terrific fun to read, with all the songs and everything

[Lush]

I read the Lorien chapters and the Grey Havens out loud to myself and the dog, practicing different accents as I went along (I act, so you could call it training, or you could call it being weird). There are some passages that are too moving to keep all to yourself. Yes, I'm sure the dog appreciated them very much.

[Elendur]

Having the book read to you is a great thing when the reader does it well. Who Im talking about is Tolkien. I downloaded his 7 minute reading of The Two Towers part where Gollum, Sam, and Frodo are in Ithilien. It was GREAT. If I had a choice between seeing the movies and having a CD where Tolkien reads The Hobbit and LOTR outloud, I would pick Tolkien anyday. I got so into the book when he read it, but sadly there was only 7 minutes of it. And Im happy to say that the way I thought Gollum spoke in my mind was the same way Tolkien spoke when he was reading Gollums parts.

The only thing that caught me off guard was Tolkien reading elvish. He is very intense when he reads elvish (I think it was Quenya).

Have all of you heard the recordings Im talking about? I have found 4 recordings alltogether. It is a shame he didn't do more. smilies/frown.gif And I think its great that you would read it outloud to someone that you care about. I would not have the courage to do that, for fear of sounding stupid. I dont think I could emulate all the characters voices. It would need to be practiced alot for me to get it right. Maybe I will read it to my cat. He likes to listen. smilies/smile.gif

[Birdland]

Originally posted by Estelyn Telcontar:
[QB}... I have the book in English, but all the people around me speak German. And I don't really like the translation...[/QB]
That must be so interesting, to be able to compare a book in two different languages.

Unfortunately, like most Americans, I don't know another language, except for some fractured Spanish.

I actually attempted to read a Spanish translation of Kurt Vonnegut's Slaughterhouse Five once, but riffling through the dictionary every minute didn't do much for "the flow". smilies/frown.gif

[Galahira-may]

My bro and frequently read aloud the book.
Praise: my bro finished reading book 1 today! im so proud of him smilies/biggrin.gif Anyways, when i read i do full accents when i read (my bro needs to polish up on his tho) and its awesome.

&yet another useless post*
smilies/rolleyes.gif smilies/cool.gif smilies/tongue.gif

[Man-of-the-Wold]

I've read the "Fellowship" and The Hobbit twice now to my eight-year-old daughter, as well as the "Two Towers" and "Return of the King", The Silmarillion and excerpts from The Unfinished Tales. She loves them all. It's a source of constant conversation, and yes debate. Also, as the reader I found a much richer and deeper appreciation for the overall story, as well as noticing much more of the subtleties.

[Aralaithiel]

Hey Lush, we should get your dog & my cat together so they can discuss literature! And no, you are not weird, or alone! If you were to put a hidden camera in my house, you'd soon learn every line of MP's "Holy Grail", "Braveheart", And "Princess Bride". I really should have been an actress...(sigh).
I did have someone at church suggest that I go into radio broadcasting! Hmmm...

[Pips]

Originally posted by Man-of-the-Wold:
<STRONG>I've read the "Fellowship" and The Hobbit twice now to my eight-year-old daughter, as well as the "Two Towers" and "Return of the King", The Silmarillion and excerpts from The Unfinished Tales. She loves them all. It's a source of constant conversation, and yes debate. Also, as the reader I found a much richer and deeper appreciation for the overall story, as well as noticing much more of the subtleties.</STRONG>

Hehe, that's what my mother did with me when I was little. One reason I'm so addicted to Tolkien. And since she had an English Accent it's a memory I'll hold forever. And I hope to read it to my children.

[Joy]

I am trying to talk my mom into letting me read them to her. Everytime I try to read to her, she falls asleep. I can't get more than three pages in at a time.

[Jjudvven]

Hehe...

[Rosa Underhill]

. And Im happy to say that the way I thought Gollum spoke in my mind was the same way Tolkien spoke when he was reading Gollums parts.

There are several audio recording that you can get at bookstores of J.R.R. Tolkien reading excerpts from LotR and "The Hobbit". I'm going to get one, maybe, next month when I have the cash.

Heh, reading aloud to them is the only reason I'd want kids. Hey, I have a microphone on my computer; maybe I can read outloud to someone who wants to hear it. Er, but no accents; I'm no good at that. I can't even read elvish... smilies/smile.gif

[Elanor]

I was introduced to Tolkien by my father, who read The Hobbit to me when I was little. Then when I was about 7 my mother went away to university, and only came home at weekends, so my father and I read Lord of the Rings. We used to take it in turns to read aloud (though he read more than me.) He was really good at the different voices. It was great, sitting by the fire for hours reading. My dad even let me stay up late to read another chapter, then maybe just another one smilies/biggrin.gif

I'm glad to hear I'm not the only one who reads aloud to my cat smilies/wink.gif there are some parts that just have to be spoken out loud. My cat doesn't complain, I think she prefers it to the TV.

[Aralaithiel]

Cash? What's that? LOL!

[Scapegoat]

I read LotR and the Hobbit aloud to three children ages 12 to 17. They especially liked any chapters about Gollum. They would often imitate his manner of speaking.

"Read us another chapter, precious. We wants it."

[Galahira-may]

Hehe Elvish is very tricky for me to say too...
i tried to read teh song Frodo hears Galadrial sing as they leave lorien. IT was pitiful smilies/frown.gif

[Joy]

If you want to hear the lament of Galadriel go to Namarie (http://www.svenskateatern.fi/tolkien/)

Click on musik m.m. This site is in Swedish, I think. They also have the story of Tinuviel (Luthien and Beren) that Aragorn sings in "A Knife in the Dark." It is sung in Swedish or either Finnish. It is beautiful and easy to follow if you have the book.

[Rosa Underhill]

i tried to read teh song Frodo hears Galadrial sing as they leave lorien

Eh heh, it took me ages just to read it to myself. Gave me a bit of a headache, too.

Thanks for the links Joy! I'm going to check that out!

[the_master_of_puppets]

firstly: i hate reading with other people, so reading aloud isnt an option. I prefer reading to be private, and done in silence. Songs, poems etc i read aloud for some reason because i like to hear them, and when the mood strikes i might read aloud for a little, but i this stops your full concentration being on the book and its images because you have to think of speaking too. basicly: reading aloud spoils everything apart from the songs which were meant to be heard and not read anyway.

sorry if anything finds that rude smilies/frown.gif

[Mayla Took]

Praise: my bro finished reading book 1 today! im so proud of him
Ha ha! That is pretty much the same thing that is going on with my family! I convinced my bro to read TT befor he sees the film. He just loved the movie as did I but I thought it would be cool if after the film we could descuss the changes togethor. He is about half way through the book! Yay for the little brothers of the world!

[Galahira-may]

And I say again
Hooray for little brothers too! WEll hes not "that" little---hes 13. Cool Mayla! smilies/rolleyes.gif smilies/rolleyes.gif

[Pips]

My mother been english was always reading Tolkien or C.S.Lewis to me.

And the way she would read Lord of the Rings, she really got into! Like I do now. I was reading the Hobbit to the group of kids I babysit on the weekends. It's a joy to watch their faces, so intent!

[red]

Master, I, for one, agree with you. As much as I love Tolkien's books, it would be pure torture to have to listen to someone read them aloud. For one thing, reading aloud is so slooooooow. Nor would I enjoy doing the reading myself.

*Unlike the_master, réd makes no apologies for her views.

-réd

[littlemanpoet]

When I was 8 my 16 year old brother introduced me to Tolkien by reading "Riddles in the Dark" to me. smilies/eek.gif I was hooked.

Later when I taught high school I read the same chapter at the school's art show. I got a great response. "Ooooh I loved the way you did Gollum!" It was fun. smilies/biggrin.gif

I'm in a writer's group where we read everything aloud. It reveals a lot about readability. smilies/rolleyes.gif Makes me feel naked, too. smilies/eek.gif

My guess is you guys who don't like it have never heard it done well.

[Joy]

I enjoy reading aloud. I'll follow my mom around the house reading to her as she is trying to work. Hey, at least she can't fall asleep on me there. LOL

I can't wait to have children so I can read to them. I want to read all the classics to them as they get older.

You know, I even love having children read to me. It is so sweet when they do, even through their mis-pronunciations.

[red]

My guess is you guys who don't like it have never heard it done well. -littlemanpoetI find it interesting, though annoying, that some folks can't imagine someone not enjoying the same things as they do. I wouldn't care if Bilbo himself read it aloud, I'd still fall asleep. I do not enjoy listening to human voices drone on and on about anything. For that very reason, I despise talk radio. I can't leave the television on unless I am watching a specific show. Drives me batty. Voices... ahhhhhhhh!!! I wish more people in this world appreciated silence. *sigh* smilies/frown.gif

-rêd

[Rosa Underhill]

I believe you've found your cure for insomnia, red! smilies/biggrin.gif I don't recommend the LotR audio drama to you. (I love it but I'm not very visual, as I've stated before.)

You guys should hear Tolkien read from "Riddles in the Dark"! It's creepy; he's so good! Too bad he can't read some of my college text books for me... (Text books were made to be dull, it's a known fact, and when un-paid, bored volunteers read them it's even worse.)

[Nova]

I had The Hobbit read to me, I believe when I was ten. I'd read it once before, but I somehow failed to really catch the magic. Probably never read attentively enough. And I still didn't get too excitred about it first...not until they met the goblins. The scene with the wargs had me shaking in excitement, and after that point, I was totally hooked on Tolkien. Past that I would get angry whenever a reading session was over.

I'm rereading LotR, as I always am, when I have nothing better to do, or on days like today, when I'm too sick to really move much. I constantly find myself reading aloud, whispering, really, everything that the characters say. Not thew narration, just the quotes. And especially Gollum's . (And wouldn't you know it -- his 'Gollum' voice in the movie was exactly as I'd always spoken it myself! I wonder, will the 'Smeagol' voice sound stangely familiar, as well?)

[Elendur]

I just wanted to say that I found more Tolkien recordings a few days ago. I didn't like them though. For some reason I only like Tolkien reading the Two Towers bit.

[ February 18, 2002: Message edited by: Elendur ]

[Pips]

Originally posted by littlemanpoet:
<STRONG>When I was 8 my 16 year old brother introduced me to Tolkien by reading "Riddles in the Dark" to me. smilies/eek.gif I was hooked.

Later when I taught high school I read the same chapter at the school's art show. I got a great response. "Ooooh I loved the way you did Gollum!" It was fun. smilies/biggrin.gif

I'm in a writer's group where we read everything aloud. It reveals a lot about readability. smilies/rolleyes.gif Makes me feel naked, too. smilies/eek.gif

My guess is you guys who don't like it have never heard it done well.</STRONG>

I can understand the naked part. My lit. class, we read anything we write out loud and I always have butterflies in my tummy cause I love writing fantasy or fiction.

[Rosa Underhill]

That's another advantage to being visually impaired. Whenever I get flustered and can't read out loud, I just say I can't read my own handwriting and ask the teacher if he/she would mind reading it for me. But they always get the names wrong. I honestly didn't think "Yeeri" was a hard name to pronounce...

[dragongirlG]

I had to studey FOTR in my English class so my teacher read the first chapter or so aloud to us...but I think that's it. I enjoy reading it in my head more, because then my imagination can take over for me and I can create my own narrator. smilies/wink.gif

I have one question...what is that symbol on the message icon between the ring and the great eye? Is it in the Silmarillion because I haven't read that yet. *ducks head down to avoid angrily thrown tomatoes* Can anyone tell me? thanks.

[Pips]

THat's Tolkien's symbol.

Anyway, I do like to read it to myself, too, cause you can place your own voice to the character. I always thought Gandalf had my grandfather's voice, for he's got this deep wizard like voice. And he stands 6 foot and has white hair and a white beard and I always thought when I was a child that he was Gandalf.

[The Squatter of Amon Rûdh]

My lit. class, we read anything we write out loud and I always have butterflies in my tummy cause I love writing fantasy or fiction.

Is it a literature course or a series of ritual humiliations? I don't remember ever being made to read out my compositions to my fellow sufferers. Mind you, I gave up my official literary studies in favour of history for higher education, so perhaps that's why.

[Pips]

I think she's just cruel. We come into class ans she says. Wirte a paper, so and so pages and you'll read it out loud tomorrow. She'll either tell us if it's a fiction writing or an essay. I think she does it because she's lazy, We have yet to cover much of anything that was talked about at the start of the class.

[Joy]

My college Lit prof read to us everyday. She is the one responsible for my love of The Heroic Quest style of literature. She read Beuwolf, Sir Gawain, The Battle of Maldon, The Last Survivior's Speach, and many other great Early British literature to us.

I think of all my teachers in school, the ones that read to us where my favorites.

[Estelyn Telcontar]

The miracles of modern technology have made a new way of sharing the experience of reading aloud with others possible - voice chat! I have recently tried this out and found it to be fascinating. Several friends decided to read passages from Tolkien's works with distributed roles, chose a time (taking time zones into consideration) and a messenger service and off we went. Well, we would have gone off if everyone had been there and if the miracle of modern technology had worked... smilies/wink.gif But finally everyone was set up and could be heard - and it was great!

Of course, sitting together, seeing the facial expressions and gestures would have been even better - but hearing the voices made the people and the words of the book come alive. It's an experience that those involved would definitely like to repeat.

[Calavanya]

Maybe I wouldn't dare rreading it to others, cause it makes me feel uncomfortable, but I often read aloud to myself, especially the LOTR, cause it's so poetic and ... well you know all its qualities. I just like the sound of the words flowing, like a stream over the rocks, or... like an ancient song... shoot me, please

[Dain]

My dad read the Hobbit and then LotR aloud to me when I was just a wee one. And, much later, a friend and I read quite a bit of the fellowship to a silly friend of ours who refused to read it for no good reason, yet was completely fantasy-obsessed and plowed through all the billion-page Wheel of Time books and mudded them and all...so we though she needed a dose of the good stuff. We even split up the voices and stuff. It got a bit confusing--"were you Merry or Pippin?"

[Faenaduial]

I started reading The Hobbit to my daughter (she, of course, wouldn't believe me when I told her she would love it). I only made it part way through the book when she decided she wanted to read it herself (reading aload was too slow). Now she has read The Hobbit, LoTR and The Silmarillion several times. smilies/wink.gif

[zifnab]

I myself have an extremely horrible reading voice, that I am very self-conscious about. Even though my spouse could care less about that, it bothers me immensely. I am afraid that I could not read a passage with that much needed style. The voice, in my opinion, must represent the writing words to the best of the readers ability. And I lack that style or grace, or even the insightful nature. I would always be conscious of my voice and how wrong it is. Many quotes from the novels are deep and meaningful, filled with anger and/or love, and it would be hard to match the feeling of the quoted with my personal voice. Another one of my problems would be the actual pronunciation of many of the words. My best friend and his spouse read to each other quite often. Anything from Mark Twain to Gene Wolf, I admire that. I do read to my daughter every night, and I always look forward to that 20-30 minutes we spend together diving through the lives of Arthur or the Powerpuff Girls. I am excited for her to gain interest in a genre that I myself adore. The ironic thing is, that I have signed up for some volunteer work for my job. Reading Dr. Seuss books to children. The mind of a child make me feel much more relaxed, which in turn makes it easier for me to read out loud to, then another more sophisticated person.

To get even further off topic here. How many have listened to Tolkien’s works on audio? I seem to shy away from books on tape for some lame reason that has perplexed me. Maybe it’s simply my materialistic personality, in which I would much rather own the novel, then a tape. Either way, I would like to know if any of you have them, and would recommend them.

[Manardariel]

Well, I sometimes read certain passages out loud to myself, but that´s for a different reason. I speak WAY too fast, and in order to control that, I read out loud to myself.

Also, I like to more or less "act out" certain parts, like the mirror of Galadriel or something, but that too is different.

I plan to read the hobbit aloud to my babysitter kids sometime, though. Only it wouldn´t make sense now, since they´re only 4 and 2 years, as well as 8 months old... smilies/wink.gif

[Konarmi]

my sister came over this morning.. I was in the middle of reading the two towers.. she's 8. She asked what I was reading.. I told her.. she asked me to read her a bit.. for two hours she was absolutely captivated.. smilies/smile.gif

[Rosolas]

I often read to myself aloud! Sometimes it is the only way I can really concentrate on a book, especially one like Lord of the Rings, where the language is very rich and strong. I also find that reading alound improves the way you speak too.

I also enjoy reading to my two small God children (aged 7 and 2.5), and the eldest one now reads to me, which is always a pleasure.

She told me not long ago that her teacher said. "Being able to read is the most important thing to be able to learn, because if you can read you will never be lonely", and I for one think she is right!

THANK YOU GOD FOR GIVING ME THE ABILITY TO READ

[Maikadilwen]

I only have Tolkien's books in English (I simply refuse to even open the Danish versions!) and since everyone around me, who knows English, are older than me there really is no point in reading it aloud to any of them.

And there wouldn't be any point in someone reading it to me, since no matter how hard I try, I simply don't catch more than half of what people are saying.
It's a concentration problem and it sucks!
I'm a so-called "drifter". smilies/frown.gif

[Diamond18]

When my mother finally got around to reading LotR last year, she had a terrible time staying awake. So finally, at Lothlorien, I had her start reading it all aloud to me. She managed to get through the rest of the book without falling asleep so much (though sometimes she would get that droning, sing-song quality to her voice that told me she was out, so I had to stop her).

But don't let this insult you all. She never even reads anything I write, so the fact that she read LotR at all was big.

[Lady Alasse]

I can remember when I was little my mom used to read the LotR to my dad when we went on really long trips. I would be curled up in the back seat and hear her reading. It was one of the things I think I will always remember about when I was little.

[greyhavener]

I read The Hobbit and the Lord of the Rings aloud to my then seven-year-old. It took us about ten weeks. There is poetry and cadence in the language that really comes out aurally (after all Tolkien was a language guy). Reading it aloud revives a kind of storytelling experience that myth is really all about. Then there is the enjoyment of watching someone fall in love with the story who has never heard it before.

I think it's a shame that people stop reading to children just because they can read for themselves. I think the spoken word awakens something different in the imagination and changes how we experience the information.

[ February 25, 2003: Message edited by: greyhavener ]

[Imladrien]

We can all put our best reading voices to the test March 25th which The Tolkien society has named "Tolkien Reading Day". I don't have much info on it other than what you find below.
--Imladrien
Tolkien Society Events Page (http://www.tolkiensociety.org/events.html)
25 March Tolkien Reading Day

For more information, email publicity@tolkiensociety.org

25th March is to be "Tolkien Reading Day", an event aimed at encouraging the use of Tolkien's works in education and to get schoolteachers and library staff to participate in reading Tolkien to their classes and in their libraries. This has a significance to Tolkien’s readers, as it is the day of the Downfall of Sauron at the conclusion of the 'War of the Ring' in The Lord of the Rings.

[galadriel'smaiden]

When I was younger (much, much younger) my father read my LOTR and The Hobbit. Each night, on the couch by the fire, he'd read to me. I truly loved that and cherish that memory. I am currently reading LOTR to my dogs. They seem to be attentive listeners.

[alaklondewen]

During my first time through LotR, the person who introduced me to Tolkien and I would go sit in the woods or a field and read aloud. Once, when Frodo and Sam were in Ithilien, I mentioned I had never seen a mountain, so we packed up and went to the Appalachians. We stopped and got beef jerky, banana chips and vanilla wafers to eat, because Faramir gave them salted meats, dried fruit, and bread. We got there about 10:30 at night and found a little spot on the edge of a cliff. We built a fire and read for over two hours, taking turns. It was a moving experience.

I also read all of LotR aloud to my daughter while she was still in my tummy. Then before she was a year old, I read the Hobbit to her.

[Novlamothien]

I love to read Tolkein aloud, but I have a problem of silently reading ahead 3 or 4 paragraphs and then get lost. There is something about Tolkien that just needs to be heard. Last year in school we studied LOTR for six months in Lit(I was in eternal bliss) and my teacher would have us read parts of our previous assignments aloud. That was so priceless.

[aragornreborn]

I would love to hear LOTR aloud especially by Tolkien. But, alas, that will never happen. I heard the hobbit on audio tape and I absolutely loved it. The guy did different voices for each character. He was magnificent! That's what got me started with Tolkien. Hearing the hobbit... BTW, does anyone know where you can get those recordings of Tolkien reading selections? Preferably for free? Some of us are poor students. I do believe someone mentioned where you can buy them, but I was just wondering if you could get them for free (legally of course smilies/smile.gif ).

[Lush]

I'd read The Hobbit to my seven year old brother whenever I'm home, but the little prat (whom I love very, very much, of course) is always more interested in trying to finagle late-night snacks out of me. Maybe I just don't have what it takes. My mother seems to do fine in that regard. It's not that he doesn't like books, he doesn't like me. *hangs head in shame*

Secondly, I would love to have a boyfriend to whom I could read my favourite chapters of the LOTR (the Lorien chapters in particular) out loud, but boys are not interested listening to me read. Their priorities lie elsewhere.

Woe me.

[zifnab]

*zifnab stares at Lush enticingly*

Huh? Were you saying something? smilies/wink.gif


aragornreborn --- I have a few little excerpts that have been downloaded from the net. I would try a nice goggle search.

[Quirkette]

When my brother was 12, he got hit in the eye with a baseball. His retina was detached, so both his eyes had to be covered by bandages. That was to keep both eyes still so the bad one would heal faster. And he had to just stay in bed a whole lot. My mom read The Hobbit to him as he lay there blind. Our oldest brother must have read it and recommended it. I can't remember how long Dave had to lie blind. But it sure is wild to think of that. It's a good book to listen to if you're temporarily blind, I think, cuz you gotta picture this whole new world in your head....

[Guinevere]

I am a bit late joining this very interesting thread, but I enjoyed reading all your posts!

I agree with you, greyhavener.
There is poetry and cadence in the language that really comes out aurally (after all Tolkien was a language guy)

One of the things I love about Tolkien's works is the beautiful language. (Though English isn't my mothertongue I can appreciate it. Or perhaps even more so(?))

I notice that while rereading LotR or Silm. I am unconsciously moving my lips, pronouncing the words, and even read favourite quotes , songs and poems out loud to myself.

Unfortunately I am in the same position as Estely Telcontar: I would dearly like to read LotR to my husband (who never reads novels) and to my younger son, but they understand only German. (Reading aloud the German translation is out of the question, since most of the charm and beauty of Tolkien's language is lost there.) My elder son speaks a little English, but he has read LotR in German because he has only a limited vocabulary in English.
But at least to him I often recite some of my favourite passages, quotes and poems to make him hear the difference and I hope he catches a glimpse of Tolkiens wonderful language and will later read the original.

[The Saucepan Man]

I just started reading the Hobbit to my daughter tonight. I was immensely looking forward to this, loving the book as much as I do, and was readying myself for getting into character as Bilbo and Gandalf and the Dwarves ...

... And then a few pages into the first chapter, as I turned the page, it dawned on me with terrible realisation ...

... There were songs. smilies/eek.gif

Well, I did my best, but I'm sure that Thorin and company would not have appreciated my rendition of "We must away 'ere break of day ...".

Still, I am immensely enjoying reading it to her. It is great to have a children's book to read to my children that I can enjoy so much at the same time. And there is none better to fit the bill than The Hobbit. smilies/smile.gif

[Aule]

I am one of those people that hates to read aloud to ppl, i can never convey across the same emotion, and sounds of the individual characters which is very annoying to me. Although i don't like reading to others i cannot resist reading aloud certain passages to myself as they feel so powerful. For example the whole of my signature thats in the Silmarillion, or when Elrod is saying that Frodo will be like one of th elf friends of old because of him taking up the burden of the ring. These are so good that i just have to hear how they sound.

[Rosolas]

To Aragornreborn

Sorry for replying a bit late on this, but you can actually get an audio cassette/CD of Tolkien reading his favourite passages from his works.

I bought the audio cassette. The original recordings were done in the 1950s so the quality is rather tinny, but it has been digitally remastered, and rather good.

It isn't all that expensive either.

[gilraën]

I'm in the middle of reading The Hobbit to my 5 year old son, he is enthralled. We get through half a chapter every night before he succumbs to sleep. He keeps asking questions about the characters so I know he's actually taking it in. smilies/smile.gif