I've been a fan of Tolkien for twenty years and his books instilled in me a strong interest in Linguistics.
Having already been a fan of The Hobbit, I remember attempting to read the Silmarillion around the age of eleven largely because I'd heard that it was so difficult that even adults struggled with it.
Tolkien also influenced my music composition and since 1987 I've made various aborted attempts to compose a grand symphonic piece depicting "Ainulindalë".