Wow, you know.. I read the books back in '97, and the events and challenges described in them weighed upon me heavily.. Actually, I would say they made me depressed, honestly.. Because of enduring all that, I really felt vindicated by the long, awesomely descriptive ending in the books.. Needless to say, they didn't feel the need to do that with the movie version (some have pointed to the whole 'Blade Runner ending' debacle as justification for this - but who knows why Mr. Jackson decided as he did)..
Overall, I would say that I wish I had the time back that I spent reading the books (ok, so I have to admit somewhat of a prejudice against fantasy settings in general) to some degree, and I REALLY wish I had the time back from watching the movies (especially the third one because man, I know it is true to the books and all, but the way the characters developed, I didn't really feel any empathy towards any of them)..
Lastly I would say that I think I do about as good as you about not being a liar. It is one of my attributes which I view with the most pride, and it does do one good to come clean, even if it is one of those 'social' lies in the league of 'of course your butt doesn't look fat in those jeans!'. I think of those kinds of lies as way less severe than many other kinds, because they are told just to spare someone's feelings, which is a mercy, and a compassionate act. I will also point out that it is unlikely you should feel bad about recommending the movie to anyone, since the majority of people who saw it thought it was a masterpiece, anyone you recommended it to probably thought the same thing.. :)