I've never read the Lord of the Rings. I knew the story, of course, even before the movie. I couldn't help but know it--Tolkien is too important in nerd culture. And I had read The Hobbit in high school and I owned the books, I had only ever started The Fellowship. For whatever reason, I put it down and never picked it up again.
And so I carried these pristine copies from city to city, house to house, wandering much like Frodo, wondering when I'd finally get around to reading them. It weighed on me because I felt like I was missing something wonderous. Something precious.
So some months ago I started reading once again and last night i finished Return of the King. They were wonderful and Tolkien's imagery is so vivid it often took me aback and I could see why it took so long to make movies that captured the books so well and I am glad my copies are no longer so clean.
2020 is a good year to read the Lord of the Rings given how much the book speaks to struggling in difficult and dark times.