And so it begins..."The Hobbit" Finally Comes to the Silver Screen in December!

So many of us grew up reading the books of J.R.R. Tolkien, and can't get enough of the fantastic realms of middle-earth. Heck, even moi, a lowly thriller writer, is a huge fan of both the books and films, and I can't wait for The Hobbit to be released this December.

But there's another reason I'm also quite happy it's finally a major motion picture.  And that's because as sure as I'm sitting at this desk typing away, I know there will be kids wanting to read even more because of the film, thus inspiring a whole new generations of readers.  Pardon the unjust-comparison if you will, but I call this the "Potter Effect", although the target reader may be slightly older than the beginning H.P. reader.  I also think this trend is catching on in schools because at my son's middle-school, he and his classmates are being introduced to middle-earth and are presently reading THE HOBBIT.

Don't you love it when teachers are able to link popular culture and literature?

Ready to inspire a new generation of readers!

But what for adult fans of Tolkein who can't wait?  What can we do to bide our time until Peter Jackson once again casts his cinematic spell upon all of the world?

Well, we could try doing these things~

 1)Dance!  While away the hours waiting and burn some calories galloping and boogey-ing along with your favorite wizard. Psy who?  Gandalf's style is waaay cooler.

2)Challenge Gollum in a contest of riddles just like Bilbo Baggins did! Link to this recently- launched app by Warner Bros called,       

                                     Riddles in the Dark

3)Catch up on the latest happenings in middle-earth fandom on this site:  The Hobbit Blog

4)Dress up as a wizard or hobbit for Halloween!

Good costume ideas:

Wear a pointy hat and be a kick-butt wizard!
or be a Hobbit!

But please... don't forget Hobbit feet.  This kid above forgot the feet and I'm deducting one piece of 

candy for this infraction.

A must-have!  Hobbit feet!

But maaaybe don't wear this costume below.

Unless you enjoy people screaming and running

away from you.

  

Typical reaction to an Orc.  

So, are you excited about the upcoming release of  The Hobbit?  Have you read the book?