LOTR Read-Along: Joining the Fellowship on its adventure

20 days into February, and I'm only yet getting the first post up. I didn't want to write this before I was ready to start with The Fellowship of the Ring, for fear of abandoning my current urgent reads. Yeah, Lord of the Rings always has that effect on me. It transports me to a totally different world, one that never fails to dazzle or amaze me. Once I finish this book, I might even watch the movie to relive the great saga on screen.

This month, Clare @ The Literary Omnivore is hosting the Readalong for the first book of the LOTR trilogy. I know a lot of you have already started reading this book, (maybe even completed it?), but since I am yet to start, I have not yet visited any of your posts about this month's read. I'll be sneaking by shortly! ;-)

I have already read The Fellowship of the Ring about three times, if I have my numbers right, and it remains, by far, my favorite book of this whole series. That probably has to do with the lighter tones and more humor lacing the book. The fellowship is just starting on its journey, and no one has yet grasped the enormity of what they have set out against, so it's all fun for now.

Here's the cover of my book. The cover art reflects one of my favorite moments. Frodo lying by, almost dying. Aragorn desperately trying to save him and also keep the horrible Ringwraiths away from Frodo and the Ring. And when all seems lost, Arwen comes to save the day and ease our tensions. Other than that, the picture has a majestic touch upon it, capturing the moment of near-failure, magical-success very well.

Anyways, The Literary Omnivore has asked a set of interesting questions, for this month's read.

When did you first hear of The Lord of the Rings?
Hmm... That is definitely a mystery to me. But the very first memory I have of The Lord of the Rings involves a magazine cover of Rivendell (attached to the right). That was when the first movie was just releasing, and there was a lot of hype over this trilogy. The poster was so breathtakingly beautiful that it was love at first sight! :-) Since then, I've watched the movies countless times, and read the books thrice.

Have you read The Fellowship of the Ring before?
Yep, thrice! I hope to re-read this series once every year.

What’s your plan of attack, now that we’re dealing with more “mature” literature?
I guess I'll read it at my usual pace. Probably juggle it with a couple other reads, but not at a racy pace that I forget my reason for re-reading this book (to enjoy it, without any worries of deadlines or without feeling any suspense of the what-will-happen-next kind)!

Have you ever seen the movies? If so, do you think they’ll influence your reading? If not, well, why haven’t you seen them?
I have seen the movies many times, and will probably watch again after reading each part. This is the only set of movies (based on books) that I have utmost respect for. I think it has to do with sticking to the plot line without including any director-twists or new theories. The world created in the movies also adhered so well with what I would have imagined of the characters. Actually, no. Since I saw the movies first, I always imagined the characters and their adventures, the way I saw them in the movies. But I never felt any dissonance between the two. It always worked for me.

20 pages of my current read, and yay, Fellowship, beware! Here I come!