Lynn Dean

What a fun book! And clever too! I'm having a high school flash back to the hours I spent in study hall drawing fantasy floor plans. But the cool thing about this sweet little book, is that it is full of fantasy, yet contains realistic ideas for your own home, much the way reading The Hobbit or taking in the Lord of the Rings trilogy makes us feel like this world, too, could be real.

Ms. Dean pulls readers into her quaint drawings with brief introductory descriptions of their layouts and best use, always with origins in mind. Take this one of the Beekeeper's Burrow: "The beekeeper intended to use the loft as a larder and for the occasional overnight guest, but after his first visitor helped himself to ham, cheese, and half cask of his best ale, it's said he made an end of the practice."

I chuckled over her true-to-hobbit affectations, such as this one explaining how glass shelving, fitted into mortar joints will enhance the light and style of the room. "...an appropriate place to display family treasures -- discreet enough to avoid accusations of ostentation, but located in such a way that visitors cannot fail to notice. (Ahem!)"

Not only did I enjoy the reminders of Tolkien's treasury, but I loved the very real attention to detail. "Windows and footbridge echo the lines of the mill wheel, while a grain motif can be detected in the 'corn stalk' door hinges."

In her design of "The Warren", I truly could "imagine sitting beside the flagstone stoop some quiet evening, enjoying the sunset and blowing a smoke ring or two".

I couldn't decide on a favorite plan. Each one got better. Burrow or croft? Hole or warren? Maggot's Mound really spoke to my stylistic inclinations, and Hillandale called me to exploration. Whether you like something small and cozy, or your hobbit-heart begs to wander through passages or cozy into nooks, you'll find something to love and dream over in Dean's Home Sweet Hole.

Oh, and if you don't know what an "inglenook" is, you will once you finish the hour it takes to read through this delightful little book, and you'll feel an even closer affiliation with the Tolkien world we all adore.… (meer)