I liked
Akallabêth myself. Good stuff with Númenor, Sauron, the Gift of Men, and of course the story of how the world became round and why the Straight Road is named the way it is.
The part that surprised me in The Hobbit was when the good guys acted rashly and greedily and were besieged by other good guys... and there was also that awkward situation with Bilbo stealing the Arkenstone. Not the sort of feel-good developments I was expecting! *LOL* But I'm glad Thorin and Bilbo had the chance to part on good terms.
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As for extensive scenery descriptions, I especially liked the ones in FotR--the Shire, Lothlorien, and Parth Galen in particular. Maybe it should come as no surprise though when comparing the FotR site path to TTT's and RotK's.
I've always enjoyed the initial journey as well when it was just the four Hobbits making their way to Bree. Other parts are the meeting with
Strider, Galadriel's kind words to Gimli in Lothlorien, and Frodo sitting on the seat of Amon Hen.
But you know what always cracks me up?
The Council of Elrond.
"'Strider' I am to one fat man who lives within a day's march of foes that would freeze his heart or lay his little town in ruin, if he were not guarded ceaselessly..."So what just happened? Aragorn, before the assembled Wise and Great, just wrote off Butterbur as "fat" as the only quality worth mentioning. And mark my words, every word in this council would have been recorded in the histories and remembered by the Elves until the world is old. But wait, there's more!
"For my hope was founded on a fat man in Bree..."Gandalf, too! Poor old Butterbur! A thankless repayment for all the excellent beer.