@Bagelz741, good luck on starting to read Tolkien's books! Here is what I believe to be the most logical order to read them in:

• The Hobbit

Like ARoyalPrincess mentioned, I also believe it's not the best of Tolkien's books. It's more childish and whimsical than the later books, but it's still a nice adventure. It's also not very long so I would recommend reading it as it gives you important information and an introduction to Middle-earth going into Lord of the Rings.

• The Lord of the Rings

This is the biggest one, but also the best! It's an incredible book and I think you'll enjoy it very much; it is rather long though, but just take your time and enjoy it. It's so worth it!

• The Silmarillion

If you read the Lord of the Rings and you're not really interested in knowing anymore about Middle-earth then what you already know, you should probably stop here after LOTR and start re-reading it. 😊 But if you have any interest in delving into more of Tolkien's detailed world, this is an amazing book that mainly focuses on the stories of the Elves and events in the years before Lord of the Rings. Despite the fact that it's rather dense and has a lot of information packed in, I enjoyed it so much. There're many wonderful tales, amazing characters, places, backstories and explanations of things just mentioned in Lord of the Rings. When you finish it you really have a deeper appreciation and understanding of the richness of Middle Earth. And you don't really have to be a Tolkien fanatic to enjoy it 😊, it's very interesting and not a dry history at all, but just requires some dedication.

• The Great Tales

These are three wonderful books are briefly covered in three chapters from The Silmarillion. The corresponding chapters in The Silmarillion are like summaries to the books, which go into greater detail making it a full story. These amazing stories are definitely worth reading!

• The Unfinished Tales

Unfinished Tales is a great book to read next! It's basically a collection of short stories, drafts, and additional information about events in The Lord of the Rings and The Silmarillion. It's a bit rougher than The Silmarillion since it is mostly unedited and some stories are incomplete. Although in some places it contradicts The Silmarillion, the majority of the book is compatible with the rest of The Lord of the Rings and is definitely worth reading!

Those are the main books of Middle-earth, here is a video that outlines the reading order. I believe it's more or less the same as my list, with a few more titles added on.

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=fXeC6AUEWtc

Middle-earth Books Reading Order - Building a WorldYouTube

Have a great time reading! Hope this helps you!