I've probably read the trilogy 3 or 4 times in my life, and listened to the audiobooks another 2-3 times. I've completely lost track of how many times I've seen the movies, so the details about what actually happened in the books vs movies gets muddled in my mind. On my latest read through, I made sure to note the things that surprised me the most. -I really enjoy the hobbits leaving the Shire now. I know the slow pace at the beginning tends to turn off a lot of new readers before the plot gets going, but I finally enjoy the peace and serenity Tolkien is conveying in the Shire before the journey begins. -the barrow wights scene being legit horror with the disembodied hand chasing after them. -the wargs outside of Moria are some kind of magical creatures. I don't know why I always missed the details and haven't researched it further, but they were described as leaving no trace after their battle with the fellowship.…