PALO ALTO, Calif., Dec. 15, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Today Fable, the social reading app founded by lauded tech industry leader Padmasree Warrior, announced that actor Sean Astin's book club will be reading "The Fellowship of the Ring" by J. R. R. Tolkien starting on December 19th, 2021. New users can sign up to become a member of Sean Astin's club at fable.co/seanastin, and can download the Fable app at https://fable.co/download.
Join Sean Astin’s book club on Fable to read “The Fellowship of the Ring” with the actor who played Samwise Gamgee in the films.
Sean Astin is perhaps best known for portraying the hobbit Samwise Gamgee in the "Lord of the Rings" film trilogy. The book club's start date, December 19th, is the 20th anniversary of the first film's release.
Fable uniquely allows book club members to buy ebooks and read them together while sharing highlights, comments, links, and pictures to discuss books. Astin will be sharing memories, photos, and thought starters with the club as they read, offering members unique access to his behind-the-scenes experiences, and thoughts on how they transferred the page to the screen.
Astin, who says filming the Lord of the Rings trilogy was the "greatest personal and professional experience of [his] life," expects to discover new depths to the books as he rereads them with the club. "I've read The Lord of the Rings trilogy cover to cover three times and I absolutely love the books. But I never really experienced this trilogy the way fans do. For me, it was a fast, excavation style relationship with the books, the story, the characters. I was speed mining for details and nuggets to use. It was a bible of sorts as we filmed. But as a reader, I never let go. I never surrendered to the literature, in its purest form. Until now!"
"We're thrilled that Sean Astin has chosen to read "The Fellowship of the Ring" with his Fable book club," said Liate Stehlik, President and Publisher of Morrow Group, which holds the ebook rights. "What better person to share the joy of reading Tolkien?"
The club will read "The Two Towers" and "The Return of the King" in the future. "One of the most beautiful aspects of the Lord of the Rings film experience was that it created this sort of annual event for millions of families. I'd like to do that for us now," said Astin. In between the Lord of the Rings trilogy, the club will read books shared in Sean Astin's Folio, including John Steinbeck's Americana classic "Travels with Charlie" and the long-distance-running bestseller "Born to Run" by Christopher McDougall. https://fable.co/folio/journeys-of-self-discovery-by-sean-astin
"Sean Astin is not only an iconic actor, but also an avid reader, and a passionate advocate for literacy," said Padmasree Warrior, the founder and CEO of Fable, and one of the tech industry's most respected executives. "Reading the Lord of the Rings books with the actor who brought Samwise to life is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for fans of the series. As a huge Tolkien fan, I can't wait to read these books with other fans."
Sean Astin's premium book club joins LeVar Burton's as a premium Fable club. Readers pay a fee to join the club and read along with the moderators. For an annual fee of $69.99, members can access all premium book clubs. Book clubs can be found at https://fable.co/book-clubs.
Fable's free offering continues to offer robust content allowing anyone to join free digital book clubs and read along with well-read experts and tastemakers. Fable Folio curators include award-winning and bestselling authors like Anthony Doerr, Katherine May, David Sedaris, Adam Grant, Jasmine Guillory, Mimi Lok, and Paulo Coelho. Free featured book clubs include a TED book club, a Queer YA book club, and several TikTok/BookTok book clubs. These open book clubs offer a range of reading experiences, from personal development classics to technology leadership to literary masterpieces to fun romance novels.
Fable has ebooks from all major and indie publishers available for purchase in its webstore for readers to enjoy in the app. Reading an ebook on Fable allows members to see each other's highlights, comments, and discussion prompts, right alongside the text. Find out more at fable.co.
About Sean Astin Sean Astin is known for playing iconic roles, including as Mikey Walsh in "The Goonies," the title character of "Rudy," Samwise Gamgee in the "Lord of the Rings" trilogy, and the beloved Radio Shack manager Bob Newby in "Stranger Things 2." These roles epitomize hope, determination, and loyalty, pillars of Sean's career that has spanned four decades with over 160 acting credits. He is a vocal advocate on many issues including climate activism, literacy, mental health awareness and civic engagement, and frequently lectures on these topics.
About Fable Fable launched in spring of 2021 with a catalog of nearly a million books and Folios curated by leading authors and tastemakers. Padmasree Warrior is the Founder, President, and CEO of Fable. Previously, Padma was the Chief Executive Officer of NIO U.S., a manufacturer of smart, electric and autonomous vehicles. Prior to NIO, Warrior served as the Chief Technology & Strategy Officer for Cisco. Warrior has been widely recognized for her creative, visionary leadership. Forbes has named her one of "The World's 100 Most Powerful Women" for three years running.
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