I liked them better than the theatrical versions, for what it's worth.
(Incidentally (as I've said before), although I have no problems reading stuff like Thomas Mann, James Joyce, and Marcel Proust, I find Fellowship of the Ring (the book, not the movie) INCREDIBLY tough going, at least for the first half...which I believe disqualifies me as a real LOTR fan. Give me Mervyn Peake, E.R. Eddison, Michael Moorcock, or Stephen R. Donaldson any day...)