Hi Ho Bookworms!
This week’s Top Ten Tuesday is going to be great fun. Let’s face it- we’ve all got some books that we’re a little intimidated by. The ladies at The Broke and The Bookish, those clever vixens, have asked us to spill our guts… So? I’m spilling!
1. EVERYTHING by Hakuri Murakami. I tried reading 1Q84 once and I didn’t finish it. I feel like a boob for not trying again because all I ever hear is how ah-mazing Murakami is. Then again, I’m not really big on magical realism, so I’m nervous. I don’t want to finish a book by an author everyone loves and end up hating it.
2. War and Peace by Leo Tolstoy. Okay, I’ll be honest. This isn’t high on my TBR list, but it’s like the epitome of literature. You’ve got some serious street cred if you can say you have read War and Peace, you know?
3. The Count of Monte Cristo by Alexandre Dumas. I know! It’s been on my Shelf of Shame since FOREVER and yet? I’m still nervous to tackle it. It’s a big book and I’ve heard so many awesome things about it, I’m frightened to start it and fail.
4. The Shadow of the Wind by Carlos Ruiz Zafron. I’ve not read this but I keep hearing a lot of hype from other book bloggers. I trust their opinions but I’m afraid I won’t be cool enough to “get it!”
5. Infinite Jest by David Foster Wallace. I’ve heard this described as the ultimate hipster novel, which makes me a little nervous. It’s one of those books that’s got enough cultural significance that I probably *should* read it, but it’s REALLY long and if I’m not going to love it, I don’t want to make the time investment.
6. The Grapes of Wrath by John Steinbeck. I really want to love this one. It’s on every list of classics basically ever. I’ve heard all kinds of amazing things and I worry I won’t appreciate it properly.
7. Middlemarch by George Eliot. This is beginning to sound like a broken record. But this book is LONG. The only other George Eliot I’ve read is Silas Marner and while I liked it, it was teeny weeny. I’m not sure I could handle such a chunkster in that lovely yet difficult language.
8. The Woman in White by Wilkie Collins. This was mentioned prominently in The Thirteenth Tale (Fellowship of the Worms pick #1) along with Jane Eyre (which I ADORE.) Mentioning anything in the same breath as a favorite makes it tough to guard yourself against disappointment. Plus, again, classic.
9. Life of Pi by Yann Martel. I don’t have a ton of interest in this book. But PEER PRESSURE. I feel like a banana head for not even trying it, but… Magical realism… Again. Not my favorite. I just get confused and can’t figure out what’s really happening and what’s imaginary and… I don’t know. Plus, I think a tiger would eat a penguin. That makes me suspicious of tigers.
10. The Middlesteins by Jami Attenberg. This book makes me a little uneasy. I’m VERY intimidated by it because it’s about a morbidly obese woman. I don’t know why, but I have a really hard time reading about obese people. I always feel like the language is unsympathetic, even when it intends to be. For whatever reason, it’s my Achilles heel. Some people can’t read about certain types of abuse, some can’t handle animal cruelty, others shy away from the Holocaust. Obesity is my kryptonite.
What about you, Bookworms? What books intimidate you? Do you plan on showing them who’s boss with some acid indigestion tablets?!
Andi (@estellasrevenge)
I crapped out of my own readalong for The Count of Monte Cristo. Ugh. With Murakami, start with one of his shorter, more cohesive narratives: Norwegian Wood or After Dark. Life of Pi was a fun read. I didn’t find it sloggy, but it might depend on one’s mood.
Words for Worms
I’ll work on getting brave 🙂
Quirky Chrissy
Dude you read through all of the Game of Thrones books; you can get to any lengthy novel.
Words for Worms
Much as I appreciate George RR Martin, he’s no Tolstoy, you know?
Laura
I feel the same way about Life of Pi! I didn’t even want to see the movie. I’m fairly certain it’s not a book for me but I’m at the point that I want to read it just to understand what all the hype is about. I finally bought it at a book sale a few weeks ago so I guess that’s progress.
I read Grapes of Wrath in school and I just didn’t get what the hype was about. I want to try reading it again in hopes that I’ll have more appreciation for it but I feel like that’s unlikely…
Words for Worms
I hear you, Laura! I really hate Moby Dick. I don’t know if it’s because it was a school assignment or that deep down I hate harpoonists, but that bad boy is never getting a second chance with me! Hype shmype.
Deirdre
The Count of Monte Cristo I read a very long time ago and loved it. I’m due for a reread of it. I have The Middlesteins on Kindle but haven’t ventured to read it yet. I’ve been dying to read War and Peace along with Moby Dick. I know you probably think I’m crazy. Middlemarch I’m really not sure. I’ve heard it’s too damn long, it’s the most beautifully written English novel and did I say that it’s too damn long. lol!
didibooksenglish
I read The count of Monte Crissto years ago but I remember loving it! I’ve been dying to read War and Peace along with Moby Dick. I know you probably think I’m crazy. Middlemarch has been described as the most beautifully written novel in English and that it’s too damn long. lol! The Grapes of Wrath nehhhh! Boring and depressing. The Shadow in the wind is on my bookshelf but just haven’t been tempted to gravitate toward it as of yet. Life of Pi could care less. I’m not really intimidated by any of these really, except for maybe Middlemarch. I don’t think I’d have the stamina to read it all.
Words for Worms
Everyone tells me to give Monte Cristo a chance. I hope to try tackling it soon! I hated Moby Dick… Passionately. And War and Peace scares the pants off me. Your comment is just cracking me up!
didibooksenglish
😀
Ashley F
War and Peace isn’t worth the pain of trudging through it. Count of Monte Cristo is awesome though. If you liked Wuthering Heights, you’ll love it. Same kind of stubborn revenge concept.
As for The Shadow of the Wind. It’s not a complicated book by any means, it’s not like you need to worry about not understanding deep themes or yuppie crap like that. Just enjoy it for the mystery and scandal that it is. Trust in your fellow nerds.
Words for Worms
Oh but I did not love Wuthering Heights. I mean, it was alright, but too many people getting caught out in the rain and dying after prolonged illnesses for me… I think Monte Cristo has less of people with weak constitutions… LOL and I’m relieved to hear Shadow of the Wind isn’t full of “yuppie crap.” Awesome.
Ashley F
Oh totally less, murdered by your weak immune system kinda crap. More, I will kill you even if it’s the death of me!
And no yuppie crap in Shadow of the Wind. But SCANDAL. Book related SCANDAL!
Meg
So many thoughts!
1. War and Peace is great…well…in parts. You can skip all the boring descriptions of farming and such. And make a list of people’s names so you can keep them straight.
2. Grapes of Wrath is the single greatest and most painful book I’ve ever read. I was sobbing by the end.
3. The Woman in White is a good one, but I like The Moonstone better. It’s really surprisingly funny in parts!
4. Life of Pi. Blecch. I tried twice and never made it more than a few chapters in. I can’t stand Martel’s writing style! He sounds like such a pompous ass.
5. Count of Monte Cristo – it’s been awhile but I remember really enjoying it! It’s a long one, but lots of exciting stuff happens (I’m so eloquent this morning…).
I’m slowly working my way through things-I-should-have-read-in-high-school-but-I-was-in-the-weird-IB-class-so-I-read-other-stuff-instead. Faulkner and Joyce are my two biggies. I have tried and failed with Faulkner a half a dozen times. And I haven’t even attempted Ulysses. I read Portrait of the Artist and oh gawds it was not for me!
colinaffleck
It took me a long time (and two degrees!) to get to grips with Ulysses but what a book – definitely worth the effort! Finnegans Wake on the other hand…now that’s a scary book…
Words for Worms
I took a class on Irish short stories in college and we read some Joyce… Not sure I could handle him in long form…
Words for Worms
Meg, you are one of my favorite humans, not in the least for this comment. Describing Martel as a “pompous ass” amuses me. Have you read Coelho? Are they in the same category? Because if so, me and Pi are never going to hang out. I spent a couple of years trying to catch up on my classics- there are just SO MANY!
Meg
OMFG Coelho! YES! My mother-in-law told me The Alchemist changed her life. I read about 50 pages and couldn’t stop rolling my eyes and gagging.
Words for Worms
LMAO! I don’t think I’d be able to keep a straight face if someone told me The Alchemist changed their life. I’d be like, “really? statistically speaking, he’d have been much better off staying home with his sheep!”
Rory
Quite a few of these are on ly longlist TBR list (The Woman in White, Life of Pi, Middlemarch). The Grapes of Wrath is beautiful, but it’s not exactly a favorite. And if it’s any consolation, I didn’t love IQ84 or War and Peace. If you never pick those two up, I still believe your literary life will be fully satisfying.
I have a love/hate relationship with Infinite Jest and do recommend reading it at least once.
Words for Worms
Did you hear that, Internet? RORY says I don’t have to read War & Peace or 1Q84! Awesome.
Rory
I do what I can. Making other bookworms lives better, one bookish recommendation (or prevention) at a time.
middleagebutch
More peer pressure. You HAVE to read Life of Pi. I read Ayn Rand’s the Fountainhead last year and loved it. I had been sitting on that one for awhile. I need to get through Faulkner’s The Sound and the Fury. Started it awhile ago but just wasn’t feeling it.
Words for Worms
I couldn’t put down The Fountainhead, but I kind of hated every character… I’ve never even attempted Faulkner. I should have put that on my list!
Paula @ Find a girl who reads
The shadow of the wind? You have to read it! you’ll finish it in just one sitting, two sitting tops. It’s impossible to put down.
For me, Ulysses is and always will be the most intimidating book that ever existed. I don’t think I will ever read it but It sure looks really cool on my bookshelf.
Words for Worms
Glad to hear more praise for Shadow of the Wind! Ulysses seems to be a lot of people’s ultimate literary hurdle- I doubt I’d attempt it, but display it with pride! 🙂
Charleen
Pretty much anything written before 1900. I want to expand my literary horizons, or at least give a second chance to everything I hated in high school (how much of it was the books, and how much of it was because it was for school?), but mainly I’m afraid that I’ll still hate them and be forever marked as a fraud of a book-lover.
Words for Worms
Fraud schmaud. You’re a book lover. You just like what you like. It’s great to expand your horizons, but if you don’t like them, you shouldn’t feel guilty. (I say this to you and mean it, while I chide myself for the exact same things… I should listen to my own advice!)
Jennifer @ The Relentless Reader
Tigers are incredibly shady and would totally devour a penguin 🙁 But if I were you I’d read it anyway cuz it’s a fab book 😉
I’d really like to read Infinite Jest as well. I feel like it would significantly jack up my reader cred if I did so.
Words for Worms
Maybe we should organize and Infinite Jest readalong for moral support! And when I say “we” I mean, “Jen should do it and I would join!” Because I’m bad at organizing.
3kids2cats1divorce
The first 75 pages of Life of Pi were a slog. I almost gave up because I refuse to invest my time past that point in a crappy book. But it got so much better once the ship wrecked and I ended up loving it. Your post made me realize that a lousy beginning and long length are what intimidate me the most in a book (ok, and archaic language I need a decoder ring to understand). Hmmm, so something I need to overcome.
Words for Worms
Sometimes lousy beginnings lead to lousy middles and lousy endings. You never can tell for sure. I can’t blame you for putting something down or not picking something up that’s a zillion pages!
Liesel Hill
War and Peace and Dumas also made my list. I feel EXACTLY the same way about Life of Pi. As for Grapes of Wrath, I totally didn’t like it. I’m the only English major in the world who absolutely hates Steinbeck. And it’s really not a prejudice. I’ve read MOST of his work for school and just can’t stand the guy. He’s way too doomsday and tries too hard to elevate ignorance and backward hickism (totally a word!). In my book, there’s a difference between having compassion for and kindness toward less educated people, and saying they’re God’s gift to the earth and we should all be just like them. Okay, rant done. 😀 Great list.
My TTT
Words for Worms
I’ve not read a lot of Steinbeck, but I love that you’re not afraid to admit he’s not your thing. There’s so much pressure to like what’s deemed brilliant. I’ve only ever read Of Mice and Men so I can’t really weigh in, but I applaud your honesty. (Starting a slow clap…NOW)
ttwardrobe
Totally with you on ‘Life of Pi’ and ‘Middlemarch’.
I’ve tried ‘LoP’ twice now and failed after the opening chapters (agree with you on the peer pressure on that one, I’ve had I don’t know how many people telling me that it’s worth sticking with but I don’t think I want to work that hard!)
With ‘Middlemarch’, that was a University core text book that despite ‘having to read it’ I found critical essays much more useful and a LOT less painful!
Don’t let the length of book put you off though – I was incredibly intimidated by the beast that is ‘Jonathan Strange and Mr Norrell’ and found myself absolutely captivated by the end.
Words for Worms
It’s not usually length alone that puts me off something, because I’ve read some big old beasts of books… It’s usually being unsure about them AND the fact that they’re huge. Like, I ended up hating The Unbearable Lightness of Being, but that was short so I didn’t feel cheated out of my life so much as I would if it had been longer. Actually, if it had been longer I probably wouldn’t have finished it at all.
Rhian
Hmm, it’s never occurred to me to be intimidated by a book – if I don’t want to read it then I don’t, no guilt. There’s not enough time to read the books I *want* to read. I’m too old for peer pressure ;-).
I really enjoyed Shadow of the Wind, for a number of reasons. I liked the mystery and how it unfolded, I liked learning some history, and I liked the insight into another culture.
Life of Pi was … interesting. There was a lot I liked about it, including the ending, but there were bits that required a bit of faith to continue reading. There’d be heaps of other books I’d recommend before this one.
Remember – there is no should when it comes to reading.
Words for Worms
Such a positive attitude! READ WHAT YOU WANT!
RebeccaScaglione - Love at First Book
Don’t let The Shadow of the Wind intimidate you! It’s easy, and if you don’t like it, that’s okay!
I’m intimidated by looooong books, like anything that’s 400+ pages.
Words for Worms
I can’t blame you for the length thing. Especially when trying to keep up a book blog. I like having material so shorter books are easier to plow through!
RebeccaScaglione - Love at First Book
Same. If it’s over 400 pages, it;s just like ugh. . .
Ashley Austrew
Grapes of Wrath is some just beautiful writing. The descriptions of things are other worldly.
I’m in the minority, I think, but I didn’t like Life of Pi. I forced my way through it. The overall message is one I can get behind, but the story itself drags.
Words for Worms
I’m hearing mixed reviews on Pi. I might try it, but I won’t be ashamed to give up on it if I feel the need!
Jennine G.
Ok, I would never normally say this, but at least watch Life of Pi. I think it was well done and they do a lot of shooting and angling that helps give the view you would get from the narrator in the book. Magical realism is nowhere near my cup of tea, but the twist ending made it cool. Well I think it’s a twist…there’s debate about the real ending 😉
War and Peace definitely intimidating. I’ve been told to break it up by reading smaller books between the sections.
And Count of Monte Cristo is on my list for this summer…I’m actually debating it as my vacation read in my current blog post! I don’t know much about it or the author, but have been told repeatedly how good it is!
Words for Worms
My husband is all spoiler-riffic, so he’s already told me of Life of Pi’s controversial ending. That intrigues me. It’s the chilling in the boat with a tiger I’m not so sure about.
Jennine G.
But is it really a tiger?
Tiffany
Shadow of the Wind is AWESOME! And I am not cool or hip in anyway, so don’t feel intimidated about not “getting it”. If I got it, then anyone can. As for The Count of Monte Cristo, I absolutely LOVED that book, but must fully admit that the book took me three times before I was able to fully get into it. Dumas has a very unique way of writing that I love but is quite a challenge.
Words for Worms
Ha! Yes. Glad I don’t need to be ultra hip to “get” Shadow of the Wind!
Dwti
I’m terrible for picking up a book, beginning to read it and then never actually finishing it! I can’t recall when I started to read ‘The Shadow of the Wind’, but every time I return to it I’m annoyed at myself for not giving it the respect it deserved the first time! (wow, sounded like I was in a relationship with it then haha) But yeah, it’s a beautifully written book, and not one that you can skim read, each line requires thought and dedication. As for the other books, I currently have ‘The Woman in White’ sitting on my bookshelf staring at me intimidatingly; but it’s blogs like this that make me want to turn of the television, sit down and tackle them! 😛
Words for Worms
Awwww thanks dear. I’m blushing!
Lori
Oh I love your comment about Life of Pi! Being that you love penguins so much, I see this as a valid concern. I’m with you on the imaginary/what’s real deal. My least favorite book is One Hundred Years of Solitude for that very reason. I’m not into it and I don’t want to try which is worse because I’m probably missing out.
On the other hand, I LOVED Grapes of Wrath and I know some people struggle with it and don’t get it. I do like books that root for the underdog.
War and Peace, definitely on my “someday” (okay intimidation) list or “one-book on a desert island”.
Words for Worms
I read 100 Years of Solitude and Love in the Time of Cholera. I really wanted to like them both… I just… didn’t. Magical realism is apparently not my jam.
Jennine G.
Oh, are those both magical realism? Ugh, I have them, but that genre is just not me either. Ay twist endings? That’s the only thing that saved Life of Pi for me. I LOVE twist endings.
Words for Worms
Not so much on the twists I’m afraid.
Lauren@FilingJointly
I’d say Life of Pi is worth reading. I think you’ll get through it really quickly and though Martel did bug me at points, in no way was he ‘another Coelho’ (at least to me and I had the exact same problem with The Alchemist that you did.)
If you’re going to venture back into Steinbeck after Of Mice and Men I would suggest East of Eden over The Grapes of Wrath. There are some really interesting characters in East of Eden. Plus prostitution. So yeah, you’d like it I think.
And Middlemarch…let me know if you ever decide to delve into that because I will totally do it with you. I think I’ve started it twenty times, never getting past page 50.
I totally get you on the Kryptonite thing by the way. I’m okay with Obesity (have you read She’s Come Undone?) but animal cruelty absolutely does me in. It gives me panic attacks. You know how kings and such used to hire tasters to check for poison in their food? I’ve often thought about hiring a pre-reader to check for animal cruelty in my books.
Words for Worms
You know I love me some prostitutes. We may have to make the Middlemarch thing happen. Maybe break it down into bite sized pieces or something…. I haven’t read She’s Come Undone Yet, which worries me because I bought it before I knew about the obesity thing. I do try to warn you about animal cruelty though, because I know it’s your trigger and I lurrrrve you.
Books, Tea & Me
Yup yup yup. There are a lot of books on here I’m intimidated by: War and Peace, The Count of Monte Cristo, and The Grapes of Wrath namely. I was supposed to read the latter book in grade 12 (supposed to, being the operative word) but found it so incredibly dull that I couldn’t even get past the first few chapters. And I’m scared of boring myself to death again, so I doubt I’ll pick it up anytime soon. I also read Life of Pi in grade 11, and once again found it boring. It’s a very hit-or-miss book and I definitely missed it.
Words for Worms
LOL! Ah homework. I had a compulsion to do mine or I’d never have read Moby Dick. At least I know that if Life of Pi doesn’t do it for me, I’m in good company!
Koyelia
I find Midnight’s Children by Salman Rushdie a little intimidating :-/ …for the exact same reason that you mentioned for Hakuri Murakami books. Hopefully someday I’ll get around to reading it… 🙂 x
Words for Worms
I read The Enchantress of Florence by Salman Rushdie, and it left me… well, not dying to pick up the rest of his catalog. Magical realism again. It’s okay, you can hang out with me in the “I don’t get it” section 🙂
Koyelia
🙂
Angie
The Count of Monte Cristo is an amazing book. I really enjoyed it. Yes it is long but so worth it. I want to read War and Peace too but that one is super long.
Words for Worms
I’m definitely going to try the Count on for size. I simply must given all these words of encouragement. War & Peace might take another decade or so…
Daddio
Monte Cristo isn’t that bad if you’re a fan of Poe. A lot of depressing, dark, brooding chapters but I enjoyed it. Grapes, I’m afraid soured on my vine. Past that, I’m proud to say I HAVE read both the front and back covers of War and Peace. Not sure if that passes for ‘reading’ it but the Cliff notes put me to sleep too.
Words for Worms
Oh DAD. You are a card.
lostinliterature108
I have a friend that told me it took him about 10 years to finish War and Peace but HE LOVED IT! (That encourages me, because I’m one that loves to read but I am S-L-O-W at it.)
My Intimidation list is…
1. Ulysses. Definitely gonna read it cause it is on my challenge list and I am barrelling through, but I’m not looking forward to it.
2. Stranger in a Strange Land, basically because it is Sci-fi, (not my thing) but I will read it for the same reason, it’s on my challenge list.
3. The Odyssey. I will never read it. I don’t want to and thank goodness it’s not on my list!!
4. Anna Karenina. I know a lot of people have read it and like it, and it’s on my TBR list but it’s a biggie and old and all that so I just assume it will be intimidating.
But just to brag…..did I mention that I DID read The Brother’s Karamazov and The Lord of the Rings?? Because those intimidated me as well but I read them and was really rewarded for it. So, maybe I should pick Ulysses up and just slay it……
Words for Worms
Awww Darlene. You can always brag here. I’m proud of you!
Leah
I’m intimidated by a lot of these, too. But the thing about Murakami is… 1Q84 is probably not the easiest place to start. I’ve read quite a few Murakami novels, and I’m even afraid of that one. Norwegian Wood is not magical realism so maybe you would like that one? But no peer pressure 😉
I am intimidated by ALL classic Russian lit, most classics that are longer than 400 pages, and anything written before 1800. I’m a little afraid of Infinite Jest, but I also desperately want to read it. I want to be one of those hipsters.
Words for Worms
LOL- Leah you could SO pull off a hipster ensemble. I’m not even sure what that IS but I think you could do it. Do you have dark rimmed spectacles? I know you’re a lady, but a waxed handlebar mustache never hurt hipster authenticity…
Leah
I MAY already have flannel shirts, dark-rimmed glasses and a love of Animal Collective. How about if I make a faux mustache and then hang it from my spectacles?
Words for Worms
YES! Even a mustache on a stick. Whatever works.
Leah
Actually, this reminds me that my boyfriend and I once drew mustaches on our hands and then held them up to our faces. There are pictures 😛
Megan M.
I love magical realism! When I’m reading a story/watching a movie, something is “real” unless they tell me otherwise. You don’t have to worry about deciding whether something is real or not – it’s all supposed to be real in that story.
Anyway, I’m with the previous commenter who said she doesn’t get intimidated by books. If I don’t want to read something or think I won’t like it, then I don’t read it. I don’t care if it’s held up by 10,000 critics and professors as the BEST NOVEL EVARRR. There’s too many books I DO want to read to worry about all the others. I used to make myself finish books I didn’t like, but recently I’ve given that up too. If it’s bad and I don’t really care how it ends, I stop reading it. Life’s too short! LOL
Words for Worms
You have the best reading attitude. That’s the way to do it. Know what you like. Try something new. If you hate it? Stop reading. Boom. End of story. The wisdom of the Megan.
Sarah Says Read
So if you read a Murakami, I do NOT recommend Norwegian Wood. UGH. It was all handjobs and ears and suicide.
And I should’ve put The Count of Monte Cristo on my list! I think for some reason I think I have to read The Three Musketeers before I even consider reading that one… I don’t know why…. But I love that basically all the TTT’s I’ve seen today are “Do you see how long this book is? SO LONG.”
Words for Worms
LMAO this comment! “It was all hand jobs and ears and suicide.” Are the ears still attached to heads? And yeah. Even the bookish fear the ginormous books!
karen123abc
I “read” War and Peace on recorded books. Got it from my library, 2 volumes, about 50 cd’s… and I’m glad I did. Interesting characters, events, attitudes about war with the contrast of peaceful home life. Maybe on your next l-o-n-g road trip?!
Words for Worms
I’d probably have to drive to Alaska to make it through War and Peace on audio book, but that is not a bad idea at all.
Lyssapants
Grapes of Wrath was one of those books that I needed a classroom discussion in order to understand even 1/10 of what they were saying/doing and stuff. He devotes a whole chapter (multiple chapters?) about a turtle crossing the road. Ever. So. Slowly.
Good luck with this one.
Words for Worms
Damn. Replace turtle with penguin and I’d have been all about it!
justjase79
Long, complex books can be intimidated, but I haven’t had much trouble getting through War & Peace, Anna Karenina, The Count of Monte Cristo or Don Quixote. I get more intimidated by huge expectations especially if emotionally involved. The one I had been holding back was Midnight’s Children by Salman Rushdie.
It’s about the first generation of Indians born after independence from England, which includes my father – Independence came in August 1947, Rushdie was born in Bombay in June 1947, my father also in Bombay in July 1947.
So reading this book was potentially exploring my father’s childhood as well. Also the book ends with the Emergency period 1975-77 and the new generation born after it, which includes me and Rushdie’s son who he dedicated the book to (although I was born and grew up outside India)
I just finished it and was blown away by it. My father just finished Rushdie’s memoir and is going to re-read Midnight’s Children. I’m going to combine some of our thoughts and put a review up on my blog in due course…
Words for Worms
That’s fantastic! It’s so great when you can have such a personal connection with a book. I love it when that happens!
Kelly
Oh read Middlemarch! For me? Please? I read it in college (when we routinely had to read 900 page novels as English majors) and loved it, loved it, loved it.
Words for Worms
This Middlemarch readalong thing might just need to happen!
Akilah
The Count of Monte Cristo is so great. SO GREAT. It moves so fast that you won’t be intimidated for long once you start reading. I highly recommend it.
Words for Worms
This is what I like to hear! Thanks for the pep talk! 🙂
lab1990
I was an English major in undergrad, but I still didn’t have to read a lot of certain classics…so I understand the intimidation for some of these. I’ve read Grapes of Wrath a couple times and while I don’t HATE it, it’s not my favorite. It’s more about the time period and experiences than about an overall plot, I feel.
I do want to read Infinite Jest though. Heard a lot about it and the author in one of my classes last semester and after reading NW by Zadie Smith, I think I could handle the hipster-ness. 🙂
Lauren from http://www.shootingstarsmag.blogspot.com
Words for Worms
Get down with your hipster self! Then tell me if I should venture into it. I’m such a sheep…
PinotNinja
I hear you on Infinite Jest. I’ve had a copy for years. About once a year I pick it up, do some bicep curls because it weights 10 lbs, and then attempt to read it. I have read the first 100 pages at least 6 times. I still do not understand what they are saying. I just do not get it, despite living a lifestyle that could be described as hipster-adjacent. Is everyone pretending to like it ironically? That has to be it, right?
But, give Steinbeck a whirl immediately. Grapes of Wrath is excellent and you will totally appreciate it. Also read East of Eden, its one of those books that I can re-read over and over again and it flies by.
Words for Worms
Hipster-adjacent is my new favorite term. Awesome.
Rick Wiedeman
I liked Grapes of Wrath and Life of Pi, but on the others, I’m totally with you. I also haven’t been able to read Bukowski (Ham on Eye), because he’s just too depressing. I get a few pages in and need to shower.
Words for Worms
Wait, wait. Being depressed makes you need to shower? Being depressed makes me want to lie in bed and stare at the wall…
Rick Wiedeman
Mixed up my metaphors. Reading Bukowski’s dirty world makes me want a shower.
Words for Worms
LOL makes more sense!
Wayne
I never could get through *War and Peace* although I did read Solzhenitsyn’s books on WWI and the defeat of the Russians at the Battle of Tannenberg. Better to see the Russian Movie made of *War and Peace* The *Life of Pi* I will probably never read nor see the movie. I’ve see too many fat women at Walmart abusing their kids to want to read anything about a morbidly obese woman 😉
Melinda
I enjoyed The Count of Monte Cristo, although it was lengthy, I didn’t get bored. I just read it until I finished. It’s a great tale of Revenge. I’ve read the Thirteenth Tale too, which I really enjoyed as well. I am one of those book bloggers who adored The Shadow of the Wind, you should totally read it, you might like it! If you want, you can check out my reviews for those 3 books …
Words for Worms
Awesome, thanks Melinda!
somer
The Count of Monte Cristo is an easy read. Yes, it’s long, but a quick read nonetheless. I also wasn’t excited to read Life of Pi, but I picked it up last summer and am so glad I did. The book seems more like realism than magical so I don’t think you’d have a problem. I love enjoying a book that I had no interest in in the first place!
Words for Worms
Great to hear!
Jenny @ Reading the End (formerly Jenny's Books)
I strongly strongly recommend several of the books on that list. In the sense that they’re much more fun than challenging! The Count of Monte Cristo is totally fun and silly; ditto The Shadow of the Wind (well, a bit less silly, but still that sort of adventure-novel thing); ditto ditto ditto The Woman in White, which is amazing and fun and hilarious. Promise.