I have no idea how many times I have read this book. I certainly read it when I was in primary school, after one of my teachers read parts to the class at the end of each day. It is a wonderful adventure story, and feels absolutely timeless.
One thing I never realised, and looked up online when reading it this time, is that Tolkien meant the goblins in this story and the orcs in The Lord of the Rings to be the same creatures. They’re effectively two different “translations” of an older word. Presumably one that he made up in his many created languages. When I was a child I did wonder, but before the web you had to just build your own understanding of these things and go with it. In my head they were different, with orcs being larger and more threatening. I probably got that as much from the tone of the books as anything.
I have always loved the Riddles in the Dark chapter, with Bilbo and Gollum trading riddles with Bilbo’s life at risk. I actually remembered the solution to all of the riddles that were asked which shows how much this had an effect on me as my memory is not the best.
Something that really doesn’t work as well, I think, is Smaug being killed with none of the main characters present. He’s built up throughout all the book, as well as the journey of all the main characters to face him. Bard is more of an idea than anything, and it felt pretty unsatisfying. The same goes for the Battle of the Five Armies ending by Eagles saving the day, which happens again in The Lord of The Rings.
In a way though it’s nice to have stories not plotted in a rigid structure, and to have things that feel a little more chaotic and less predictable. Often I feel when watching modern films for instance that I know the entire plot after the first act, the hero must be the one to save the day otherwise they’re not the hero. Thorin becoming selfish and greedy, with Bilbo sneaking off and betraying his trust is in a way more heroic than if he had been the one to fire the arrow at Smaug.