Reading Over My Head

This is what I've begun reading: The Philosophy of Tolkien by Peter J. Kreeft. Now, this is a bit odd for me to do as I never made my way all the way through The Lord of the Rings. But that's only because I don't like wars and battles. I did read enough to understand the world of Middle Earth, and to appreciate that Tolkien is a masterful storyteller.

I love to occasionally read "over my head". It was something I learned as a young child. I would read my Bible, not worrying about all the many things I didn't quite understand, and just enjoy the wonders of those things that I did understand. This book, The Philosophy of Tolkien, is the kind where I can read a page or two and not totally understand what I'm reading, but then come upon a sentence or a paragraph that makes it all so worthwhile to be reading it.

I'm enjoying this book most as a writer. I suppose we each bring to a book what we already know. I don't know if I'll ever be a fiction writer, but I've always enjoyed reading about any kind of writing, so I'm somewhat familiar with some of what Mr. Kreeft says about literature, and some of his words brings an "aha!" sense.

If you like to read, I would like to encourage you to read "over your head" now and then. You might be pleasantly surprised at the jewels of thought you can marvel at.