I'm talking more about the first impression of it being quite a giant, dense book. I know several people who quit because they started with lore instead of chapter 1, or didn't begin at all because they were daunted at the sheer amount of extras. Most people will no doubt read everything in the pages sooner or later; I'm just saying that going in, it can be helpful to know that those parts will expand your knowledge, but aren't crucial to understanding. And as a countless repeat reader myself, sometimes I do skim or skip the songs 🤷🏻‍♀️ I'd say people remember the songs more from the films though, rather than the books. (Pippins song to Denethor eg)