Parts we read without reading the whole book

[KamexKoopa]

Partially inspired by a post in the Parts We Skip thread.

Are there any parts in Tolkien books you read on their own? Any chapters, or parts of the respective stories you can read over and over, without reading the rest of the book they're from?

[Inziladun]

The Silmarillion, and especially Unfinished Tales, lend themselves much more readily to piecemeal reading than do TH or LOTR.

In UT I'll sometimes read Aldarion and Erendis, The Hunt for the Ring, and The Battles of the Fords of Isen at a moment's notice.

[Galadriel55]

I have to admit that I haven't done a thorough reread since forever ago. I mostly use the books as references now, and that means I open them to the page of the durrent discussion topic. But there are some parts that I would reread just for the sake of it.

I never reread the Appendices fully. I mostly reread the half-a-page dedicated to Thorongil, and sometimes an odd story or two. The Pelennor Fields is a chapter I love to read. At one point I used to be quite taken with the Faramir chapters and the Houses of Healing. From TH, I love to go over Bilbo's little chat with Smaug, as well as Thorin's death.

The Sil, I suppose, is easier to read in parts, like Zil said. I usually open it to read about a death or two of one of the many heroes in one of the many stories.

Now the one book that I try to read fully instead of in bits is the Children of Hurin. I do read the especially epic parts by themselves, but it's just stronger when you read it all as one.

[radagastly]

In the appendices, I frequently reread the passage on the death of Aragorn and Arwen. I think it's some of the most moving writing Tolkien ever did.

[Lalwendë]

I often read the passages featuring The Shire as stand alone pieces, purely because I like Hobbits so much. And also The Voice of Saruman; and The Old Forest through to Fog On The Barrow-downs. I'm still sad that everyone sees fit to cut these chapters out.

[Aiwendil]

As far as The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings, I tend to do complete read-throughs and avoid reading excerpts. In part, that's because once I've started reading either of them, I find it very difficult to stop. The chief exception is the poetry, which I'll sometimes read in isolation - particularly a few favourites like Aragorn's song of Beren and Luthien or 'Earendil was a Mariner'. The appendices to LotR, though, I frequently read piecemeal; and also the prologue.

[TheGreatElvenWarrior]

Originally Posted by Lalwendë

I often read the passages featuring The Shire as stand alone pieces, purely because I like Hobbits so much. And also The Voice of Saruman; and The Old Forest through to Fog On The Barrow-downs. I'm still sad that everyone sees fit to cut these chapters out.

These chapters are also my favourites! When I first read Lord of the Rings, I was particularly drawn to hobbits. During my first read I was anxious to get the story rolling, so I rushed through the beginning, but since then those have become my most loved chapters. When I first read FotR, Bilbo's Bath Song caught my fancy. I always thought it so funny. I have always liked the banter between Frodo, Sam, and Pippin. When Merry was added to it, that made it even better!

[Kuruharan]

Originally Posted by Galadriel55

I have to admit that I haven't done a thorough reread since forever ago. I mostly use the books as references now, and that means I open them to the page of the durrent discussion topic.

That's a sign of terminal Tolkienitis right there.

However, it takes one to know one and I am right there in that boat, I haven't read the series from beginning to end in years.

I read stuff about dwarves by itself, though...and battles.

[Legolas]

I love The Fellowship of the Ring so much, especially Book Two; I've read it four or five times without going onto the other volumes. I'm particularly fond of the beginning of journeys and meeting characters, and in Fellowship, we have two: the hobbits to Bree/Rivendell, and the Fellowship out of Rivendell. Individual parts I've returned to many times - The Shadow of the Past, The Council of Elrond, the end of The Bridge of Khazad-dûm when the company loses Gandalf.

After first reading The Hobbit when I was younger, I returned several times specifically to the parts where Gandalf showed up to save the day: the trolls, goblin cave, stopping the battle.

I also enjoy reading last lines. How the author chooses to end his story's final page has always been interesting to me.

[Galadriel]

I often read the chapter In the House of Tom Bombadil from LotR, and An Unexpected Meeting, Roast Mutton, and Queer Lodgings from TH. I admit to my shame I haven't picked up The Silmarillion in a long, long time.

To be honest, I haven't read any of the books cover to cover in forever. XD Bad me!

[Legate of Amon Lanc]

Ainulindalë (because it's beautiful) and The Uruk-Hai (because it is the best chapter ever written in world's history), ev. The Scouring of the Shire (because Saruman is amazing beyond possibilities).

I also used to read various different passages because they involved food, especially in: An Unexpected Party, Roast Mutton, Queer Lodgings, Barrels Out of Bond (when Bilbo is stealing food), A Short Cut To Mushrooms/A Conspiracy Unmasked (when they are receiving/eating mushrooms), At the House of Tom Bombadil, At the Sign of the Prancing Pony (when Barliman and Nob bring them dinner), Flotsam and Jetsam (when Merry and Pippin are listing what was in Saruman's storagehouses!!! Drool.), Of Herbs and Stewed Rabbit, The Window of the West (the decription of dinner they had with Faramir), Minas Tirith (basically the whole passage when Pippin is left alone, meets Beregond and they are discussing food all the time). The underlined chapters are the ones containing passages I consider honestly unbearable to read without eating something at the same time (regarding A Conspiracy Unmasked, it is similarly difficult not to take a bath when reading it, but that's a different thing).

[Tuor in Gondolin]

Originally posted by Legate of Amon Lac
Flotsam and Jetsam (when Merry and Pippin are listing what was in Saruman's storagehouses!!! Drool.),

When reading that chapter I make sure to have a large plate of fried pork roll,
bacon, and thick bread and butter. And a few bottles of lite beer. Any of
elvish persuasion may feel free to substitute some red wine. Hobbits
definitely more beer fanatics.

[Glorthelion]

The Silmarillion: Turin Turambar, The Tale of Beren and Luthien and Akallabeth.

[Morsul the Dark]

Lastmarch of the ents

[Legate of Amon Lanc]

I actually just started a sort of weird "project" - I was feeling like reading some LotR chapters, on their own, simply because I felt like it. Originally, I wanted to read "Scouring of the Shire" (which is pretty normal for me - see above). Then I decided that I wanted to read a bit of the stuff before it, especially since "Homeward Bound" is a sort of prelude, in "Many Partings" there is Saruman, but I rarely read the other parts of the chapter (which I felt a bit of deficit on my part, especially since I had not noticed for years the "telepathy" part until somebody mentioned it here on the 'downs). So I read second half of "The Steward and the King" (starting from Beregond's trial) and the two following chapters. The day after that, I suddenly felt the urge to read In the House of Tom Bombadil, because I think I never do, or never considered the chapter so interesting by itself (whereas now I have discovered it has really beautiful descriptions, some of which I knew, but never actually realised it is almost fully composed of them). Then I continued naturally to the Fog on the Barrow-Downs.

And then I got that funny idea about reading the whole of LotR, not in order, but in the order I pick, depending on my momentary mood. It will be an interesting experiment, to say the least. I think it can be done, since I know the book by heart (mostly), and the random order makes it a bit different, so that you are not just "oh, I know what comes next". Here, it doesn't matter.

So far, it has worked perfectly

[Ozban]

For my part, I read Aladrion and Erendis frequently. Deem it to be one of the best parts of all Tolkien's works. And then the whole of Quenta Silmarilion (if I were to chose, then the part from 'Of Eldamar and the Princes of the Eldalië' to 'Of the Sindar' is in my opinion the best, or I like to read it the most, quality is rather difficult category).
I should add Aindulindalë, but that limps after those two, I deem it unfinished, or rather unpolished (if such a thing ever can be). 'Scouring' and The Last Stage would come close after.