Books, the hobbit

So, I revisited the hobbit by Tolkien. To be honest I don’t know what I can say, I’ve read it a couple of times now and yeah it’s enjoyable. I don’t know, I just can’t love it in the manner that the world seems to expect.
I love the lord of the rings books, I read them first and at the time they were the longest most detailed in depth books I’d read and still I love them, I then read the hobbit and it was pleasant but just not the same. I suspect the fact it was a children’s book didn’t help after the more extended prose of The Lord of the rings, but really it just felt as though it didn’t quite fit into middle earth.
Which is of course ridiculous as it was the first middle earth book.
I’m unsure, maybe at some point I should reread lord of the rings (again) and directly compare.

Having said that, it is an enjoyable read and it is a nice reminder of the story that’s currently being told in the cinema. I also feel there’s no shame in preferring The Lord of the rings to the hobbit, especially if I look at the hobbit as a prologue to lord of the rings (which of course is essentially what it is)