[Kalimac]

If I may quote a non-Tolkien related author [img]smilies/eek.gif[/img] - Jane Austen once said that there is nothing in life more mysterious than other people's pleasures. Tolkien is, for 99% of us, a way of relaxing; of filling in the empty corners of our lives, not taking them over. Most of sound like fairly busy people; for myself I do library translation, study languages, write and submit stories, travel, keep up with friends, take care of the house, cook...well, you get the idea. But for relaxation, especially in the evenings, I read books, and Tolkien's are among my favorites. If you enjoy a book, you're going to read it multiple times and soon will remember a good deal about it; I doubt anybody sits up late at night cramming names from the Silmarillion into their heads as if they're prepping for an exam. They just love relaxing with the Silmarillion, and because they're interested and love the story, the names and stories stick in their heads.

It's one of the more unusual pleasures (hence Jane Austen, there), but hardly less indicative of a life than people who spend their evenings watching basketball, are devoted to a certain TV show, or who enjoy quilting, all phenomena that I personally find fairly mysterious. These are all corner-filling activities. It's just that ours involves rather more trivia, that's all [img]smilies/smile.gif[/img].