wELL, the LOTR changed my life in this: I tried to study English further, then I became obssessed with it, and eventually ended up researching on the Net some Olde English.
Now I'm serious: after reading the LOTR I became more studious, for I heard some older geeks saying it's an allegory of Britain, and all that stuff. I also ended up trying to be a better Roman Catholic, which, sadly, has been disrupted because of that Da Vinci Code...
I don't know why, but after learning that the author of my fave books was a devout Roman Catholic, I have desired to deepen my faith... and I'm reviving it now.