The first time I read the Silmarillion was for a Tolkien class at University, and so I was reading it for study rather than for pleasure. This time was just for pleasure, and it was a different experience. Reading through at my pace, with no need to remember every detail (I'm never going to be that Tolkien fan, I do not have the recall for it), was so much more fun. I was able to just surrender to the text, engrossed much of the time, trucking along when I wasn't. I don't think this is an essential read by any means, but if you love mythological/religious texts and want to be awestruck by how one person could create an entire world/mythology on his own, it's a classic for a reason.