Emmie, Im a huge fan of Tolkien too, i think I'm on my third copy of Lord of the Rings, having worn out previous ones over the last 30 years. The books aren't a prose-y as Tolkien's book, and are very much aimed at a younger audience. They're more like an athiest version of the Narnia books. They're certainly worth reading, and easy to get in a single volume edition, so you don't have to pay out for them separately.
Derek, maybe you should use subtitles. I SAID MAYBE YOU SHOULD... ;-)