An interesting point brought up in an Amon Sul podcast (episode #24), in relation to myth and story: in our modern world, people often focus on “how can I relate to this person?” and similar questions. As for example, which character in Tolkien’s world am I most like, or which one do I want to be like? Modern people often ask, how do I relate to such people who are not ordinary, who do not have “ordinary” lives such as mine? So it is in our modern, very psychologized world. This can be seen as a symptom of modernism with its stress on individualism and lack of community. A key part of community life, in contrast with our age, is that of ritual participation: the repeated, common experiences of a group of people, such as in observances in the calendar each year. Such was the experience in pre-modern societies, whether pagan or in the early and then medieval Church.
In our age, science fiction and fantasy fiction lend themselves to a type of ritual participation: dressing up in costume, going to Star Trek or other sci-fi or fantasy conventions, for instance. I remember my early days attending such events every year. Lord of the Rings is another entry into ritual participation: Doxamoots and related convention gathering events, but also the simple pleasure of the repeated experience found in re-reading through Lord of the Rings every year or at set times of the year.
On this note, I have even come across a reading schedule for Lord of the Rings. It’s like a yearly Bible reading schedule, but for all the days of Lent (about 2 months) – and with specific chapters for assigned reading each day. The schedule is even adjusted each year, with the 2023 reading schedule available here. Various blogs have followed the Lent schedule, with posts related to the reading in the Lent schedule, such as this post from a few years ago, and also this post from 2015. There’s even a Lenten Lord of the Rings podcast that provides daily updates, brief “devotional” thoughts on each day’s reading.
It’s certainly an aggressive schedule, one that I’m not sure if I’d be able to complete every day, but I think I’ll give it a try. I may include audio book reading, with the audio book version (unabridged) I have (read by Rob Inglis). Of course, Lent season is still four months away, and I completed this year’s reading of Lord of the Rings a month or so ago, to start on The Silmarillion now.
What are some other ideas and reading schedules for Lord of the Rings reading, or for reading of Tolkien’s other works?
Our Blessed Hope: Thoughts on Imaginative Christian Writing 
Yes, and agree that he would not like the Jackson films. I just read through the section where he critiques…