There's two ways to read Tolkien, and both are valid.  His work is very slippery.  You can start into a paragraph with the best intentions and by the end your eyes are sliding across it and only picking up the most important vowels and nouns so you can progress through the story.  This is like skiing down a mountain- you will see the shit that you should see, quickly, and could probably recount the slope to a friend once you're at the bottom, and will have had a good time.  The other way is to MAKE yourself register and understand every word, every sentence, and how every word and sentence and paragraph ties into and enhances the other.  This is like climbing an icy mountain with ropes and ice picks and spikey shoes- it sucks, and it's cold, and it's hard work, and you will be INTIMATELY familiar with the aesthetics of every single foot of the mountain.  And you'll be sick of every single foot until you reach the top, at which point you will feel a great sense of accomplishment.  And though you'll be exhausted and may never want to climb that mountain again, or at least for a very long time, you will feel a kinship with that mountain from that day forth.  And you'll feel as though you and the mountain understand eachother.