Parts we read without reading the whole book

[Galadriel55]

I have to admit that I haven't done a thorough reread since forever ago. I mostly use the books as references now, and that means I open them to the page of the durrent discussion topic. But there are some parts that I would reread just for the sake of it.

I never reread the Appendices fully. I mostly reread the half-a-page dedicated to Thorongil, and sometimes an odd story or two. The Pelennor Fields is a chapter I love to read. At one point I used to be quite taken with the Faramir chapters and the Houses of Healing. From TH, I love to go over Bilbo's little chat with Smaug, as well as Thorin's death.

The Sil, I suppose, is easier to read in parts, like Zil said. I usually open it to read about a death or two of one of the many heroes in one of the many stories.

Now the one book that I try to read fully instead of in bits is the Children of Hurin. I do read the especially epic parts by themselves, but it's just stronger when you read it all as one.

[radagastly]

In the appendices, I frequently reread the passage on the death of Aragorn and Arwen. I think it's some of the most moving writing Tolkien ever did.

[Lalwendë]

I often read the passages featuring The Shire as stand alone pieces, purely because I like Hobbits so much. And also The Voice of Saruman; and The Old Forest through to Fog On The Barrow-downs. I'm still sad that everyone sees fit to cut these chapters out.

[Aiwendil]

As far as The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings, I tend to do complete read-throughs and avoid reading excerpts. In part, that's because once I've started reading either of them, I find it very difficult to stop. The chief exception is the poetry, which I'll sometimes read in isolation - particularly a few favourites like Aragorn's song of Beren and Luthien or 'Earendil was a Mariner'. The appendices to LotR, though, I frequently read piecemeal; and also the prologue.

[Galadriel55]

Originally Posted by Aiwendil

The chief exception is the poetry, which I'll sometimes read in isolation - particularly a few favourites like Aragorn's song of Beren and Luthien or 'Earendil was a Mariner'.

Indeed! I also tend to single out my favourite poems and songs.

[littlemanpoet]

My stand-alones:

• "Riddles in the Dark"
• "Ainulindalé"
• "On Faerie Stories"
• The gift-giving at Lorien, particularly the exchange between Gimli and Galadriel
• Sam with the Ring
• The Scouring of the Shire

[Gondolin23]

My favorite re-reads are the dramatic and dangerous parts:
1. Eowyn defying the Nazgul
2. Galadriel and her Mirror
3. Frodo confronting Saruman at Bag End
4. The hobbits passing through Shelob's Lair
5. The whole Moria journey

[TheGreatElvenWarrior]

Originally Posted by Lalwendë

I often read the passages featuring The Shire as stand alone pieces, purely because I like Hobbits so much. And also The Voice of Saruman; and The Old Forest through to Fog On The Barrow-downs. I'm still sad that everyone sees fit to cut these chapters out.

These chapters are also my favourites! When I first read Lord of the Rings, I was particularly drawn to hobbits. During my first read I was anxious to get the story rolling, so I rushed through the beginning, but since then those have become my most loved chapters. When I first read FotR, Bilbo's Bath Song caught my fancy. I always thought it so funny. I have always liked the banter between Frodo, Sam, and Pippin. When Merry was added to it, that made it even better!

[Aganzir]

Originally Posted by Tuor in Gondolin

and The Quest of
Erebor. (It's a pity PJ and
Friends apparently didn't read it or they might have not made
some of their sillier "improvements in their 3 LoTR movies).

They couldn't have used anything in it though because they don't have the rights to UT... and my guess is that the Estate might have sued them if there had been anything that looked even remotely Quest of Erebor-ish. (Sometimes it feels like they didn't read The Hobbit either. )

I rarely reread just parts, especially if I'm reading one of the more coherent stories, but sometimes you get a craving. Poems are easier to single out (and I have lots of favourites), but there are also some chapters - even though usually I prefer thinking back to a chapter, recalling its atmosphere and tone and then saving it for a later read-through. The ones I get back to regularly:

• Old Forest, Tom Bombadil, Barrow-downs
• the Bridge of Khazad-dûm
• the Window on the West
• the Gondor stuff in Book Five in ROTK (and the Ride of the Rohirrim too - I agree with Tuor it's amazing)

It covers my main interests: dwarves and the dúnedain of the south. Similarly in the Sil, UT and HOME, I mostly reread passages about dwarves and Númenor.

[Lalwendë]

Originally Posted by TheGreatElvenWarrior

These chapters are also my favourites! When I first read Lord of the Rings, I was particularly drawn to hobbits. During my first read I was anxious to get the story rolling, so I rushed through the beginning, but since then those have become my most loved chapters. When I first read FotR, Bilbo's Bath Song caught my fancy. I always thought it so funny. I have always liked the banter between Frodo, Sam, and Pippin. When Merry was added to it, that made it even better!

Those three chapters go right to the heart of what Tolkien means to me and they're really evocative of ancient Britain - the wildwood, the rain, the barrows, the megaliths...When I first read about Old Man Willow I knew exactly why he was frightening and dangerous, it was like getting some atavistic thrill.

[TheGreatElvenWarrior]

Originally Posted by Lalwendë

Those three chapters go right to the heart of what Tolkien means to me and they're really evocative of ancient Britain - the wildwood, the rain, the barrows, the megaliths...When I first read about Old Man Willow I knew exactly why he was frightening and dangerous, it was like getting some atavistic thrill.

Was there a reason other than his hobbit eating tendencies?

[Lalwendë]

Originally Posted by TheGreatElvenWarrior

Was there a reason other than his hobbit eating tendencies?

It reminded me of being a child and how my parents and grandparents used to warn me about going near the willows that still grew along the brooks and ditches (which were also full of 'Jinny Greenteeth') where we lived. And of the vast, old weeping one that grew in our garden, that I used to hide under. My mum would say she was scared the tree would eat me up.

Willow is very odd. My dad had to chop some down once because they were stopping his apples from fruiting, and he re-used the wood to make a fence. It sprouted again! It's hard enough to make a cricket bat from but soft enough to make a basket.

[Kuruharan]

Originally Posted by Galadriel55

I have to admit that I haven't done a thorough reread since forever ago. I mostly use the books as references now, and that means I open them to the page of the durrent discussion topic.

That's a sign of terminal Tolkienitis right there.

However, it takes one to know one and I am right there in that boat, I haven't read the series from beginning to end in years.

I read stuff about dwarves by itself, though...and battles.

[Legolas]

I love The Fellowship of the Ring so much, especially Book Two; I've read it four or five times without going onto the other volumes. I'm particularly fond of the beginning of journeys and meeting characters, and in Fellowship, we have two: the hobbits to Bree/Rivendell, and the Fellowship out of Rivendell. Individual parts I've returned to many times - The Shadow of the Past, The Council of Elrond, the end of The Bridge of Khazad-dûm when the company loses Gandalf.

After first reading The Hobbit when I was younger, I returned several times specifically to the parts where Gandalf showed up to save the day: the trolls, goblin cave, stopping the battle.

I also enjoy reading last lines. How the author chooses to end his story's final page has always been interesting to me.