My cousin first shared her copy of The Hobbit with me when I was 11 years old. Then she gave me "The Fellowship of the Rings" to read... and I have either read the books or seen the movies -- or both -- every year since then (and that was a lot of years ago!) The movie "Fellowship of the Rings" premiered on my Dec. 19 birthday, which I found very appropriate!
Tolkien's writing and character move me deeply. Not so much so with "Children of Hurin," but the LOTR books are the best works of fiction ever written, IMHO.
Favorite Tolkien character:
Well, Legolas, of course! He was beautiful, courageous, fleet of foot, keen of eye, good with horses, and noble of character. What's not to love?