24. 
Title: [The Hobbit]
Author: J. R. R. Tolkien
Genre:  Fantasy
Medium: Paperback
Acquisition: Work Text
Date Completed: April 1, 2014
Rating: ****1/2

One of the (many) wonderful things about my job is the incentive to return to good stories time and again; the repetition lends itself to deeper introspection and analysis, and allows a novel to well and truly become a text of ideas and not just a story.  This is my second semester teaching The Hobbit as part of a unit on myths, legends, and heroes, and it went over very well.  One of my favorite lectures turned towards film analysis and comparison: we watched "Riddles in the Dark" from both the 1977 animated film and the contemporary rendition, and talked about strengths and weakness, the phenomenon of dating, intended audiences, etc.  It was all thoroughly enjoyable.

In addition to discussing the alternatively-heroic qualities of the protagonist, we focus quite a bit on narration and storytelling - it is, after all, a book about stories.  One of the most interesting elements, I find, are the narrative holes, and considering why an author, narrator, or storyteller would choose to leave certain tales and events out. 

25. 
Title: [Raising Steam]
Author: Terry Pratchett
Genre: Urban Fantasy
Medium: Hardback
Acquisition: Pre-ordered
Date Completed: April 2, 2014
Rating: ****

Moist is back, and this time Vetinari has placed him in the middle of a budding railway system, which develops nearly out of thin air, and literally takes on a life of its own.  At its core, it is a story of industry, but even more so a study of people, racial and class tension, and the dangers of religious extremism.  Unlike most of the Discworld series, I would say that Pratchett's latest is not actually a comedy; though there are a few charming moments, the tone of the book is far more critical.  As usual, the narrative elements all come together, and the conclusion is satisfactory.