I have been reading The Hobbit and The Lord of Rings trilogy to my son. He has sat through the whole of the The Hobbit but recently tired of reading the first book of The Lord of the Rings trilogy. That is a shame, as I have greatly enjoyed reading the books to him, and wouldn’t read them otherwise.
There was a bit in one of the books, which took me by surprise. It was where Gandalf, who was paying Frodo a visit, was asked why he didn’t try and keep the ring safe. He explained that the prospect of having so much power in his hands could turn him into something quite evil. However as he explained this Gandalf broke out into a bit of a panic, and got quite angry with Frodo for asking, as if despite himself, despite his determination to do good Frodo’s question had teased a residual desire in him to be all powerful and dominant.