I read 'The Hobbit' when I was about ten but didn't read the trilogy until I was in my late teens. I remember that I was expecting much more of the same and was very surprised at the darker tone of 'The Fellowship' from the meeting with Strider onwards.
I was delighted that the story was so much more 'serious' and 'adult'. As such, in further readings I tended to skip the Bombadil parts, I really didn't see how it fit into the book at all!
However, that changed when by chance I stumbled on
The Trickster thread here at the dear old 'downs. I was intrigued enough to re-read the earlier parts of the story to see what I had been missing. Quite a lot as it turns out!
I'm going away tomorrow and taking my battered copy of the book in my suitcase...I won't be skipping any of it