After reading through most of the Redwall series I was looking for what to read next back in middle school. My mom gave me a collection that included The Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit, and recommended I start here.

I remember reading this for the first time – sometimes with my mom, sometimes on my own. At the time I didn't realize just how sucked in to Middle Earth I'd become.

This was the first book I read that didn't feel like a "kids" book. Sure, I was probably in 4th grade at the time, but it still left a mark on me with it's realistic characters and it's exploration of magic.

I read The Lord of the Rings back in eighth grade. Every morning I'd walk to my school bus stop and read until we pulled up to school.

It was the first book I ever finished and sought out additional material to understand the world. Middle Earth encyclopedias, maps of everywhere, the history of Sauron and anything else I could get my hands on.

This was the first fantasy book I ever read after getting the hardcover version as a gift from my grandmother for Christmas. It sat on my shelf for a year or two before I read it. It was the first book that I wanted to stay in the books world.

I still think about the awe and wonder I felt when reading about Martin the Warrior, Mossflower Woods, and the entire cast of rodent characters. I loved every minute of it.