I've been reading Lord of The Rings recently, and right now I'm at the end of part one of Return of the King. After I'm done, I might give Silmarillion a go.
It gets better about halfway through, once you get into the tales of Hurin and Turin Turambar, but before then, it's information overload.
Currently reading A Song Ice and Fire, this series has become my favourite of all time and I'm not even on book four yet. Martin writes seriously well and I can't put the books down half the time.
Great series! The way he describes settings and tiny details sets up such an intricate world.