Lamenting a Noble Cause

Check out my column from last Monday, it begins:

When "The Hobbit" came out in theaters, I decided to read the book instead of seeing the film adaptation. In fact, I decided to start with The Hobbit and continue on through The Lord of the Rings. As of this writing, I've completed The Hobbit and Books I through IV of the Rings. I am enjoying the books much more than I enjoyed the movies. The differences between the two are staggering. I highly recommend reading the books. They're much more colorful. The movies put me to sleep, originally. But what I really wanted to write about was a parallel I've noticed between Frodo's burden and my own.