Reading, primarily nonfiction. Subjects of interest include evolutionary science and the life of Charles Darwin, psychology, philosophy, history (especially World War I, Irish history and the Troubles in Northern Ireland, British history, the genocide of the Native Americans, World War II and the holocaust, and the history of religions). Amateur scholar of Billt the Kid and The Beatles.
I'm an atheist who is currently auditing courses in Early Christology, Patristic Theology, textual criticism of the bible, the history of the early church, Biblical hermeneutics, and related subjects at Princeton Theological Seminary, and I previously audited courses in similar subjects at Union Theological Seminary.
First Lord of the Rings reading experience:
I put it off from when I was 12 until this year, 24 years later. I LOVED it. I moved on to The Hobbit, then The Silmarillion, and I'm currently working on Unfinished Tales, with the LotR-related volumes of The History of Middle-earth on deck.
Favorite Tolkien character:
Don't make me choose! I love Aragorn, Faramir, Tom Bombadil, Legolas, Gimli, Gandalf, Treebeard, Goldberry, and Samwise. I like Merry and Pippin, Galadriel, and Glorfindel. I'm not crazy about Frodo.
