I read books 1-4 in a row as English practise, and realised they were way better than I had expected. But because no.5 wasn't out in a long time I kinda stopped following the series. Is book 5 and 6 any good, or has 6 come out yet? I'm kinda clueless about the series atm... I'll probably not read the last books until the series has been completed, I find it extremely annoying to have to wait a long time for the ending of a story when I've started it.

@Fragony: well, they're like apples and oranges and not exactly easy to compare. I personally like both for what they are. Harry Potter is an alternate universe comprehensible for those who live today, Tolkien's middle earth is according to himself an attempt to create a faked religious-mythological early Medieval world that he thought the British lacked. Harry Potter has little message in it and is in no way art but has a very nice and cosy atmosphere, while Tolkien's trilogy is a masterful artwork with deep messages, and above all a dark, epic atmosphere which I've not seen matched by any other artist in any field of art.