Okay. 
 Fellowship of the Ring is AWESOME. 
 It provides a double whammy - because it's my favourite book out of JRR Tolkein's trilogy, and simultaneously it's also my fav out of the Peter Jackson directed movie trilogy (which is my favourite movie trilogy of all time, Back to the Future is second.) and is something I will geek out about if you let me. Proud nerd here! 
 It has everything fantasy buffs the world over will delight in, but warning ahead - it's not for the faint hearted or people seeking a quick read. Some people might be bored, but no true fantasy nerd could be a fan of the genre, without giving this a whirl :) 
 (Read this over a decade ago. Need to reread again, and update my thoughts, because back then I was little squirt with a formidable reading list, and now...I'm an adult determined to get on top of her classics. Dickens - you're next!)