Question about the ending (spoiler warning!)

I think LOTR starts out more for children or young adults, perhaps. But it quickly morphs into something much deeper. Tolkien changed direction, so to speak.

So lots of kids read LOTR. But there are tons of more sophisticated issues in the novel that one doesn't usually appreciate without some life-experience.

The style of LOTR is very different from The Sil. The Sil is attempting to mimic a different style of writing. It's almost biblical in places. Additionally, it was edited together after Tolkien's death from his unfinished writing. (with some, imo, loss of quality)

It's also a grouping of five works, with some of those works comprised, essentially, of a collection of stories. So it's not one story told start to end. It's lots of stuff.

Some people like The Sil very much. But other people - even those who love LOTR - don't relate to it well. I think a lot of people love LOTR and want to deepen their knowledge and understanding of Tolkien's Middle-earth and read it for that reason, even if they don't find it to be recreational reading. Unless you're flush with money, you might check the book out of the library to see what you think.

I wouldn't recommend staring with The Sil, for sure. And, personally, I might point someone who's just finished LOTR toward a few other books before the Sil but I wouldn't argue that they're the best things to read next. Only that I find them to be a nice 'next step'.

For those who love details, there is also a 12 volume set of Tolkien's drafts, notes, etc related to Middle-earth that people find interesting/helpful. Arguably, it's not canon. Although I found the one volume I read interesting, and dearly loved reading his drafts for his (ultimately unpublished) epilogue of LOTR, these weren't anything I was that interested in. Again, checking them from the library would tell you if they are interesting to you.

Other books to consider (that I've read and found worthy)
Letters of J.R.R. Tolkien (speaking of Kindle, I have a Kindle copy of this and it's great for doing word searches!)
Unfinished Tales (stories that are also found in the Sil but written better, imo)
Children of Hurin (reads like a story, I find Turin a pissant and the story depressing but, to each his own! Beleg was cool)

authors of analysis books to possibly check out - most will reference The Sil:
Tom Shippey, Verlyn Flieger (she's a challenge to read), John Garth (ties in Tolkien's experiences in WWI), Paul Kocher (older writing but I liked him). There is a TON of stuff out there now attempting to analyze Tolkien. Most of it is a money grab. I can think of two authors to steer very clear of (J. Chance, and D. Day) and I've been gifted with lots of 'analysis' books that I will likely never pick up.

I think though, explore what you are drawn to and don't be afraid to set something aside completely or maybe just for the moment. Understand that Tolkien's writings will resonate with you differently at different stages of life. My relationship with Tolkien is deeply personal and all my 'academic' study has been part of my drive to understand that. I would always seek to encourage people to tap into him on a personal level and let that drive how they study and/or discuss him. That's to say, take advice. But trust your heart on what speaks to you and what doesn't.

And let us know how it goes. :-)

I'm reading The Silmarillion right now. I like it so far.

Do not read it first! Read (or re-read) The Hobbit and LOTR first.

*agreed*