Tolkein biography
I just finished a biography of J.R.R. Tolkein by Doris Lynch. This is actually a book for young adults. I really enjoy reading biographies and memoirs, and sometimes the YA versions of biographies are just long enough for me. Some interesting notes:

-It took Tolkein 17 years to complete The Lord of the Rings trilogy (which makes me feel better when I stall on writing projects)

- He invented all sorts of languages

- He worked on the Oxford English Dictionary, considered THE best dictionary of the English
language (published first in the 1920s, I believe). He was once questioned by someone about the spelling or definition of a word. He was someone who could truly say, "Hey--I wrote the dictionary; don't question me on that!"

-His favorite language was Welsh, what he considered to be the most beautiful sounding language.

What a legacy he left behind. Not only did he give the world a wonderful epic and fantasy world; he also was beloved by his children, who considered him not only a wonderful father, but a treasured friend. Truly, a wonderful life.

Here's the link to the book on Amazon. Here's a link to more info on him.