Kriston, I feel the same way about The Lord of the Rings books as you do about War and Peace. I've tried to read them several times but get too bogged down with dwarf songs and descriptions of mountains to enjoy them. This is the only series I have to admit where I much prefer the movies to the books!
LOL! My DH actually sat down and read all FOUR (the Hobbit included!) from cover to cover once. By the end, he was about as elfed out as a person can possibly be!
Peter Jackson is a much better storyteller than Tolkein, IMHO. Tolkein cuts scenes in weird places and has some of the most exciting stuff happen "off camera." It's just not told in a way that maximizes the dramatic tension and all that. Still, for creating a complete world from scratch, there's just no one like Tolkein!
But CFK, I completely know where you're coming from. There are just some books that don't work for a person, no matter how "great" they are!
