To me Tolkien's books are also a way to run away to a completely different place...I guess I'm an escapist in that sence, if you know what I mean
One thing I find very interesting is that LotR is full of signs of the history of M-E. The more and more one explores things only mentioned in LotR by reading the Sil and UT, for example, the better the signs are shaped to complete emotional tales!