The last I finished was <i>Return of the King</i>, and the rest of the trilogy beforehand. I hadnt read them since I first got them, which was about 10 years ago. Or more. We all know what that's about, and yes I would recommend them, especially for those of you who've only seen the movies. The movies are awesome, but they dont come anywhere close to the greatness of the books.

I'm currently reading a lot of books... switching back and forth. <i>The Hobbit</i>, and <i>Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas</i> (not to mention the large stack of <i>Mars</i> manga I read... pick up <i>Mars</i>, it's insanely great).

<i>The Hobbit</i> is the prequel to the LotR trilogy. It's a much easier read than those three, and it was my favorite of those as a kid (RotK has taken that spot now). It's about Bilbo Baggins and his own adventure through Middle Earth, traveling to the Lonely Mountain with a group of Dwarves (Gimli's father among them) and Gandalf himslef to reclaim the Dwarven gold from the evil dragon. It also introduces the infamous Gollum and explains how Bilbo got the ring. I highly recommend it.

<i>Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas</i>... it's hard to describe what that's about. If you've seen the movie (amazing movie), you've got a good idea. But basically, it's a semi-true story of Hunter Thompson's crazed drug-influenced time in Las Vegas, claiming to be searching for 'the American dream'. It's very funny and at times very deep, so pick up a copy. It's by Hunter S. Thompson himself, and all of his work is insanely good.