i finished reading "the return of the king" today which means i've finally finished "the lord of the rings" trilogy. now i have to read appendices to get a better scope of what's going on. one day i might tackle the other tolkien books to get the complete picture.

i wrote about what i thought of the first book and it still stands now that i've read all three books. this is probably the first time i've ever thought the movie was better than the book. i really do appreciate the books for the details of places and people that i did not get from the films but the crew did such a great job of translating the story in cinematic language that it is much more powerful for me. however, watching the films first has completely deprived me of imagining middle earth on my own. it's deprived me of that aspect of my imagination when reading a book. this caused me to interpret the books as more of a director's cut with the fine details and deleted scenes. the parts that were not in the film, the parts i had to use my imagination for, were greatly influenced by the film and i could not picture them entirely on my own. i could not create in my head my own version of the characters and places.

would i recommend those that like the film to read the book? that is the ultimate test of a story perhaps. to read and watch. is the enjoyment of reading spoiled when one view's someone else's cinematic interpretation? or if you go about it the reverse, is the reader deprived of a sort of literary interpretation (as in my case), or is the book superior enough to allow the reader paint their own picture? most times if i love a book i cannot recommend the film version. in this case to those that enjoy the film versions, i cannot say if i recommend the book. especially given the length of the trilogy as a whole (though it was not written as a trilogy i must point out) and that i am a lazy reader. from the films you get the majority of the story, though some things are naturally omitted, created, or rearranged. if i had never seen the films, i am guessing that i would not have enjoyed the story as much as i did. perhaps that is the ultimate measuring stick.

now my big question is what to read next. there are several books that i own that i have never read. some of them are connected to each other and i'm not sure if i'm ready to take on another big series, though i have already started one. then there are the classics i have never read that i swore last summer i should get about to reading soon. i am torn as to what to read next. first i must tackle the lotr appendices. then perhaps i should read one or two short books as a nice inbetweener. perhaps i'll make a decision as to which heavy reading to engage myself in next as i read the light and fluffy stuff.