Event: Middle-Earth Weekend

Ah, Middle-earth Weekend!

The event was held on Saturday 11th, and Sunday 12th of May at Sarehole Mill, in Birmingham. The mill is best known for its association with Tolkien, who used it and the surrounding areas as inspiration for the Shire in The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings. It's also one of two of the only working watermills in the city. 

I've been trying to attend Middle-Earth Weekend for as long as I can remember, so yesterday I finally managed to cross it off my literature bucket-list. It is a free event that celebrates the life of J. R. R. Tolkien, and of course the the works that irrevocably changed my life when I was a young girl.

Of course when it rains, it pours. The weather nothing short of awful, but I didn't let that dampen my spirits in the slightest. I plucked up my courage, my blackest cardigan, and declared myself the Witch-king of Angmar. Of course, I had two little halflings with me- and oh the rainy fun we had. 

The outdoor festival had medieval re-enactments, craft tents, story telling, archery, barrel racing and most excitingly COSPLAYING GALORE. Not to mention: dragons. Lots and lots of dragons. I was laughed at by Gandalf the White, got attacked by a Uruk-hai from Isengard and caught some elves reading in one of the tents. Plus, there were tiny little Hobbits and far as the eye could see. I even managed to visit a Hobbit-hole. There was an opportunity to have a tour of the mill as well, but we left that for a brighter (and drier) day.  

It was so nice to see so many faces supporting such a wonderful celebration, people often forget that a lot of the inspiration from Tolkien's world is right on Birmingham's doorstep. I wish they'd taken more advantage of it, New Zealand gets ALL the credit.
I managed to speak to someone at the information desk who told us that this could be the last Middle-earth weekend due to a lack of funding, which makes me incredibly sad. I wish I'd made more of an effort to go for all these years. 

If it is the last one, I'm glad I had the opportunity to meet so many like minded people and experience the sheer amount of love and pride attached to the event. Fingers crossed for a Middle-earth weekend 2014!

- Kaveeta

Be sure to visit Sarehole Mill, and help keep it running! Information here.

Also, become part of the Tolkien Society, it's the next thing I'll be doing. 

Review: The Hobbit

I don't usually make it my business to review books I've already read, but when the opportunity arises to wax poetic about one of the literature loves of my life?
Well, I'm not immune to everything!
With the release of The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey last month, I feel the irresistible urge to persuade people to read this wonderful tale.

Hobbits, are a simple, peaceful and largely unadventurous race- Bilbo Baggins of Bag-End is no exception. One fateful evening brings a party of dwarves to the hole under the Hill, and Bilbo finds himself in the throes of a quest to retrieve treasure guarded by the  dragon, Smaug.
We follow the adventure as Bilbo and the band of dwarves face cave-dwelling goblins, giant spiders, a seemingly never ending forest and man-eating trolls; all before they end up at their final destination The Lonely Mountain and the Desolation of the Dragon.

I first read this book at 11 years old and ever since then it has been a popular re-read. This is everything a children's fantasy book should be, it's witty and charming, it's chock full of adventure and it's got more courage and heart than you can shake a stick at. It really is a short story of epic proportions, and definitely one of Tolkien's easier reads. Although it's still incredibly verbose, it was definitely written with children in mind, so the pacing is a lot quicker and the descriptions are a lot easier to wrap your head around than they are in The Lord of the Rings trilogy.

I freely admit that when it comes to the works of Tolkien I can't really give a balanced review, it's a part of me as much as my skin is. There really isn't a part of this book I didn't enjoy, not when I was 11 and not 13 years later. It's a definite read, and re-read, and a perfect opportunity to pick it up before The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug comes out later this year.

Rating: ★★★★★