I haven't actually read HOME, but I want to read the First Age volumes - does that count?
I've tried reading the LOTR ones (the only ones I found in my library), but I ended up just skimming them for either bits of story that I like best or Tolkien's own sketches and writing. Basically, I picked out the berries from the pie. Why? Because I like tidbits like that. But I'm not patient enough to go through CJRT's methodical recounting. Some of it is really interesting, and I actually love reading about that stuff when other Downers post about it in their own words, but reading HOME sometimes feels like you're reading an encyclopaedia. This means, it is generally interesting, but often not in the best format.
However, I'm more into the First Age than the Third, and I think it's the Age with more mystery and more corners to explore and stories to fill. I imagine that I would be more interested in encyclopaedically delving into
that. Also, some of it is completely unused stuff, either notably different stories from The Sil, or something else entirely. So I would still want to inspect those books.