I did not care for The Hobbit and so was reluctant to start this series, even though my brother loved it when we were kids and I owned the books and claim to like sci-fi/fantasy and how could I not have read this book?! I have been looking for an audio version of it that wasn't a production so I could listen to it, since The Hobbit seemed better suited to that medium. Couldn't find it, however, so I finally gave in and cracked the spine on The Fellowship of the Ring. 
 Well, let me tell you, it's much better than The Hobbit. Readable. Even enjoyable. And kind of cool to see how Tolkien has influenced other writers. I see Gollum in Robert Jordan's Padan Fain. Don't you? 
 There's so much more than the movies, obviously. That being my touchstone for the stories. It's interesting to see the differences. One of my favorite things, actually, comparing the different arts. 
 The language! We're missing something these days, that's for certain sure. I get the feeling that I'm also missing a lot of allusions. How much of his characters were influenced by various mythologies? Tom Bombadil feels familiar to me. 
 Impressive.