Last night I read the chapter in The Hobbit that features the first appearance of The Ring: when Bilbo is lost in the mountains, meets Gollum, engages in a battle of wits, and accidentally cheats to win it.

I read this book to my kids every year. We start it each autumn, which is when Bilbo begins his adventure in the book. My oldest has heard it several times now and knows it pretty well, but he still gets excited. Just last night, for example, when Bilbo stumbled across The Ring, my son lit up, excitedly exclaiming:

Oh oh! That’s the Ring that causes so many problems later!!

My youngest has heard it a few times too, but this is the first year he’s paying attention. He’s starting to get into it this time. Excellent! Maybe soon he’ll be just as much a fan as his older brother.

I can’t say how long it takes us to read through every year. We don’t really keep a strict pace. Sometimes we move quickly, sometimes slowly — depends on how fast they get ready for bed and how much story time we can squeeze in.

Once we finish The Hobbit, we move straight on to The Lord of the Rings. My oldest is already asking when we’ll start it. Last year was the first time he really understood what was happening. Hopefully this year he’ll catch even more.

Part of me wants to tackle parts of The Silmarillion with them, but that’s probably just a dream. The prose is dense, and the flood of names can be overwhelming, even for adults. I’m also honestly not sure I could read it smoothly aloud, and I doubt it would hold their attention. Maybe I’ll give it to my oldest when he hits high school and let him wrestle with it on his own.

Anyway, reading with them is a joy. I love sharing these books. Kids grow up fast. My oldest is already in junior high now and may not be interested in our evening reads much longer. My youngest is right behind him. These nights won’t last forever, unfortunately.

So I’m soaking it in while I can. Another read-through of The Hobbit, another chance to revisit Middle-earth with my two favorite people in the world. And you can bet I’m having a blast.

David is an American teacher and translator lost in Japan, trying to capture the beauty of this country one photo at a time and searching for the perfect haiku. He blogs here and at laspina.org. Write him on Bluesky. 【Support @dbooster with Hive SBI】