Today Chelsey and Sara are discussing The Fellowship of the Ring by J.R.R. Tolkien. We’re not shy about sharing our lack of experience with the fantasy genre. It’s not the go-to genre for either of us, but we love to branch out and try new literary things. This book delighted us in some surprising ways and helped us figure out what exactly we love—or could do without—in fantasy novels.

Our discussion includes:

What surprised Sara about reading this book, what she loved and what she didn’t [14:03]
Fantasy elements we love and gravitate towards [20:45]
Gender roles and stereotypes in LOTR and high fantasy in general [24:54]
A few favorite moments that warmed our hearts and pleased our literary minds [30:00]
Connecting to LOTR in the middle of a global pandemic [35:28]

Plus, as always, we’re recommending six contemporary books to pair with our classic, including a fast-paced fantasy set in NYC and a beautiful book for map-lovers.