| #1 tip for reading the Silmarillion: Don't give up on it early, push through to the end.
Feel free to skim the first few sections. They give some interesting background but are very dry. The payoff comes when you get into the section named Quenta Silmarillion. Still a dry writing style (it IS Tolkien after all), but a lot more action and general kick-assery.
If nothing else, make sure you read the stories of Beren & Luthien, of Turin Turambar, and of the Fall of Gondolin. | 