Lacking Natural Simplicity

Myth and Middle-earth, by Leslie Ellen Jones; Cold Spring Press, 2002. While not as fascinating as Tom Shippey's The Road to Middle Earth and J.R.R. Tolkien: Author of the Century it does have some good bits.

The Waterborn, by J. Gregory Keyes; Del Rey/Ballantine, 1996. Book one of the Chosen of the Changeling series. A good story with a very interesting animistic world.