I've read the Trilogy at least 4 times and the Hobbit 8 times...2 or 4 times to my kids at night over many nights.
It's way better than any movie IMO...
I thought the trashing of the Shire and Tom Bombadil were bogus elements to LOTR. I liked how Elronds daughter got a major role in the movie and not just an appendix addition in the book. (The King marries her, how did that happen?). Radagast the Brown sounded like an interesting fellow but you don’t meet him in the books, but you DO in the movie. Perhaps it’s not better than the books but I like the changes because knowing EVERYTHING that is going to happen cheats me out of a few welcome surprises.