Parts We Skip and Why

[Carnimírië]

The first time I read LOTR the poems were a little distracting, especially the long ones like "Earendil was a mariner." I didn't find anything off-putting about Bombadil, I just couldn't figure him out; in fact I wondered if he was good or evil I find that every time I reread the book I appreciate the parts that I had previously found slow or tedious, like Book IV and the poetry.

Originally Posted by Boromir88:
A chapter a lot of people skip, and I simply just don't understand why, is the Council of Elrond.

Could be because the Council of Elrond is just people talking to each other, it's not happening in "real time." I find it very interesting, but it's a lot of exposition to swallow at one time.

Perhaps we should have a thread about parts we race through because we can't help it. I've never managed to read Book VI over more than two days.