Y'know, I just finished reading Fellowship for the first time last week, and now I'm even more excited about getting Gandalf. I was kind of hesitant to read the book, as I'd read some comments that it was not as 'action-packed' as the movies, and Tolkien spent a lot of time writing about walking, and while that was certainly true (I was about halfway through the book and they were just getting to the Prancing Pony!) the book was actually pretty good in its own right. I mean, duh!
Sort of like Jurassic Park, in how the book and the movie are pretty different, but the movies do capture the spirit pretty well. I was waiting to get to the big fight where Boromir dies, so imagine my surprise when it never happens at all. I'm anxious to get to Two Towers. I've got it on hold at my local library, but I'm thinking I might just go buy my own copies, cuz I really can't stand the wait. I think I want to get the illustrated versions, but also, it might be better to read the text-only so I can imagine the visuals on my own first ... even though I've already seen the movies plenty already.
It's tough being a collector and there's so many different versions of the books. With figures, there's typically only one version, but with books ... oh, the choices!