Holly Ordway - Tolkien's Modern Reading (2021)

My review of this excellent new book about JRR Tolkien can be found at The Notion Club Papers blog.  

As well as documented examples of Tolkien's extensive reading of modern fiction; Tolkien's Modern Reading convincingly explains that Tolkien didn't hate the Narnia books (which was new to me); and includes a detailed analyses about how (and why) these prevalent myths had their roots in Humphrey Carpenter's authorized biography of Tolkien (1977), The Inklings (1978) and Carpenter's edited and selected letters by Tolkien (1981).