How were you introduced to Tolkien?

[Demloth of Dol Amroth]

i started to read LOTR on the prompting of a friend, Nytesky on this site, around the time the first movie came out, and read through the series a couple times. then i read the Silmarillion a few months later at least 2 times, and realized i had arrived in middle-earth and was not going to leave. surprisingly, i only read unfinished tales once-shame on me. ironically, i read the hobbit only a couple months ago, and because it was for school-shame on me! oh yes, my dad is being a heretic-he says FoTR is boring-which is only because of the hobbit's singing! i can sort-of sympathize-it took an agonizingly long time to get through the section on the barrow-downs. it was rather boring, IMHO-don't tell BW! i'm also trying to get a copy of the sil so i can reread it again...DON'T LOOK AT ME LIKE THAT!! i'm one of those weird people who absorb long and to most people boring histories-i don't even study for my advanced placement history tests and ace them. i'm also curious about these other books other than the ones mentioned above that i keep hearing about. can someone explain?