I read the Hobbit first, and loved it. Read the Trilogy next, and loved it. Read the Silmarillion's first pages, and hated it! 2 years later i read it again and wondered what in the HELL was the matter with me 2 years ago! The Silmarillion is just beautiful. I love them all equally. I'm a true Tolkien scholar, I'm not some casual reader out for some cheap quick read. I love something I can really dig into. BTW, by the last couple chapters, The Hobbit stops being a children's book.