The Hobbit (J.R.R. Tolkien)

I love the way this is written. He seemed to lose that a little for Lord of the Rings, much as I love it.

I really really enjoyed this. I'd not read it for about 15 years and I definitely enjoyed it more than the last time and certainly a lot more than the Lord of the Rings.
The (central) characters feel real enough and you do root for them throughout the book which is an entertaining adventure story that set the bar (and formula) for many fantasy books to come.
The only reason it doesn't get five stars from me is the writing style which just didn't agree with me...there's no real suspense when you're told that a character survives the adventure near the beginning of the book.

Plus I just don't like the fact that every animal can talk...I know it's a fairy tale standard but it just never sits well with me.

Minor points aside it's a brilliant book for kids and adults alike.

J.R.R. Tolkien is known really for two works, The Lord Of The Rings and this, and this is so much more approachable and entertaining than it's more celebrated successor. There is a bright twinkle in the eye of this book and a lightness of touch that is entirely missing from LOTR which makes it quick and entertaining to read.

It's not without it's faults though, the complete lack of character development from anyone other than Bilbo, a central cast of completely unmemorable Dwarves (Dwalin anyone?) and a few little peaks at the prejudices and peculiar world views that Tolkien brought much further to the fore in LOTR. It also, curiously (although maybe not surprisingly) has absolutely no female characters.

Overall though, this is an enjoyable romp, that I will likely read again and again throughout my life (this was my first reading for about 15-20 years). I also heartily recommend the excellent Graphic Novelisation by David Wenzel.