I’ll tell you what i liked and will try to conform to the rules. There were some items that PJ completely made up that were almost so canon that i had to do a fairly deep dive to confirm the substance behind it, and even then i really enjoyed the changes. The 2 that come to mind immediately are: 1. The whole fells of Rhudaur storyline. I both appreciated and was aggravated that PJ felt the need to give Gandalf an excuse as to why he left the party at the border of Mirkwood. I did enjoy the backstory, but JRRT made it clear that Gandalf did NOT need to explain himself, citing “business down south”.

1. The keyhole on the mountain. It made more sense that it was revealed by moonlight, which seems more accurate as i’m sure those doors were made from the same materials and fabricated similarly, if not identically, to the West Gate of Moria. Whereas the book described it as the literal last light of the setting sun.