Just caught up on this thread, and have to jump in on The Two Towers (sorry, vivadrules!) I'm with DixieCat and Junkml on this -- I dropped the series for about 25 years, until the movies were due out. All because of what I called the endless over hill and dale nature of the description. Argh! I couldn't continue to slog through it -- friends were amazed that I could leave the series hanging for so long. To answer Patricia, yes, my lists have changed, and when I reread the whole LOTR I greatly enjoyed the whole thing, including Two Towers.
However, a brief encounter with The Silmarillion sent me scurrying hastily away...
Lelah