A New Read-through Journey: The Two Towers
Join the company before we set off! Here's our upcoming schedule, as well as some featured guests.
Greetings! Back in May we wrapped up our read-through of J.R.R. Tolkien’s The Fellowship of the Ring, and what a journey it was! I’m deeply appreciative of the engagement and feedback; it was our second read-through here on
(the first being The Hobbit this past winter) and you all knew there had to be another one soon after. That assertion was correct.
We will embark on our read-through of Tolkien’s The Two Towers, being the second part of The Lord of the Rings. This, of course, means The Return of the King is in our future as well, but those dates will be determined later. That said, here’s the schedule I’d like to propose:
The Two Towers Read-through Schedule:
On Sunday, June 22nd, I’ll send out a brief recap of The Fellowship of the Ring, which should catch everyone up to speed. The next day will begin our first week. Most weeks will cover two chapters, but since Book One is comprised of eleven chapters, we’ll end Book 1 (the halfway point) covering three chapters. Reading blocks start Monday, and you can certainly go at your own pace. The week will culminate with an article recap of the chapters, sent out on Sunday. The schedule will be:
Monday, June 23: Read Chapters 1-2
Sunday, June 29: Recap posted on Chapters 1-2
Monday, June 30: Read Chapters 3-4
Sunday, July 6th: Recap posted on Chapters 3-4
Monday, July 7th: Read Chapters 5-6
Sunday, July 13th: Recap posted on Chapters 5-6
Monday, July 14th: Read Chapters 7-8
Sunday, July 20th: Recap posted on Chapters 7-8
Monday, July 21st: Read Chapters 9-11
Sunday, July 27th: Recap posted on Chapters 9-11 (Finish Book One)
Monday, July 28th: (Start Book Two) Read Chapters 1-2
Sunday, August 3rd: Recap posted on Chapters 1-2
Monday, August 4th: Read Chapters 3-4
Sunday, August 10th: Recap posted on Chapters 3-4
Monday, August 11th: Read Chapters 5-6
Sunday, August 17th: Recap posted on Chapters 5-6
Monday, August 18th: Read Chapters 7-8
Sunday, August 24th: Recap posted on Chapters 7-8
Monday, August 25th: Read Chapters 9-10
Sunday, August 31st: Recap Posted on Chapters 9-10
Sunday, September 7: Parting Words Article Posted
Two chapters (sometimes three) per week is very doable—the past two read-throughs have been great to learn a good pace. I’m hoping you consider joining in, sharing with your friends, and engaging in the chapter discussion, which will always be posted as free articles with comment access for everyone.
Meet Our Guides
I (
) will take the bulk of the chapter summaries as usual. But I’m not alone. It wouldn’t be a Middle-earth journey without a fellowship! If you’ve been part of the past two read-through journeys, you’ll see some familiar names below. Our third member (a duo of brothers) will round out the fellowship. Without further ado:Noah Nevils
(his ‘Stack is ) is a good friend here in the realm of Substack. He’s participated as a co-guide in our previous two read-throughs, and I love the way he incorporates takeaways—big and small—in the lessons he gleans from Tolkien’s writing.
In the past, he’s always delivered fantastic work, and already volunteered to be part of our next read through of The Return of the King—so clearly he’s more than willing to be a valuable guide during this journey. Thank you, Noah!
Blake Hart
of has seen some serious growth on his own Substack, and rightfully deserved. His insights on Christianity, history and philosophy are phenomenally constructed, and his prose is top-notch. 
He helped with our read-throughs of The Hobbit and The Fellowship of the Ring like Noah did, but wrote his own independent recap one week before I asked him to join. It was so encouraging seeing someone run with his thoughts on Tolkien’s work independently, and I’m so glad we were able to link arms and work together. Thank you, Blake!
The Brothers Krynn
Joe and Dan, the magnificent duo leading
and will round out the fellowship of writers. Their reputation on Substack is what I aspire to have—one day.
I owe them an immense amount of gratitude, having been some very early adopters and supporters of
—without them, I’m not sure how much traction this Substack would’ve gotten, at least in the short time it has (we’re still less than a year old)! Their fervor for a good fantasy novel is hard to beat, and the amount of content they crank out is inspiring, to say the least. We’ve podcasted before, but this will be our first time collaborating through writing. Thank you, fellas!Please, share this with your friends and audiences—I’d love to see the fellowship grow! I’m so looking forward to starting this journey with all of you. And if you’re interested in providing thoughts, questions, or feedback, I’m all ears.
Get your copy of The Two Towers ready!
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