One thing I am not want for on this trip is good reading material. I brought a number of great books with me (Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland & Through the Looking Glass, Gardens of the Moon, I Claudius, and a collection of short stories by Nabokov), but what could be a more perfect travel companion than the complete Lord of the Rings series in one handy volume? Just days ago I said if I ever saw it on a book swap shelf I would pounce. Instead I came by my copy via another wonderful Canadian woman I’ve been hanging with (I’ve been utterly steeped in Canadian culture/references/stories the past few days; Canadians are the best!) on the last few days of her six month trip and generous with lightening her pack for my benefit.

I read the series once through long ago but was impatient with Tolkien’s storytelling back then. I have a hunch I am in the perfect place to love it now and was ecstatic to adopt this battered copy. The playa provides…