Certainly the Hobbit is an easy read. But I think many folks would disagree with you about LOTR. Easier to grasp (to a modern audience)than many of the "Academic" standards, like Shakespeare or Moby Dick, but more of challenge than most contemporary fantasy and science fiction. A first time reader, used to the fast-paced, plot driven modern writing, would probably find the depth of Tolkien's writing a bit convoluted. The multiple names for people and places, the invented languages, references to the earlier ages - things we all love, of course, but they do add a level of complexity that makes it more of struggle than the typical modern leisurely reader is accustomed to.