Intimidating books. No matter how deeply rooted our love of books may be, we’ve all encountered a daunting book at some point. Sometimes it’s a book big enough to rival the dictionary, or maybe the language is so complicated as to be overwhelming. Sometimes it’s just a genre we’re not sure we’ll like!
But all books were made to be read, even the intimidating ones, so I’ve resolved to read the ten books that intimidate me most. Here they are! 🙂
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Ten Super Intimidating Books I’m Still Determined to Read
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Arabian Nights
I’m actually reading this now…and have been for almost a year. It’s not a bad book (I actually like it a lot). the problem is the format.
Each chapter is a story, and each main story is composed of several “stories within stories.” It’s hard to keep the story levels straight unless you read each chapter in one sitting, but it’s hard to find the time to do that, since the chapters are so long.
I’ve been trying to find an audio book version, but so far every version I’ve found has been missing some of the stories (even those that claim to be unabridged). So far I’ve got two partial versions that cover most of the stories, but not all. Here’s hoping I can get the whole set!
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Moby Dick
This is coming up next on my reading list, as soon as I finish rereading Sherlock Holmes. I’ve been nervous about reading it for years (because let’s face it, Herman Melville is nothing if not intimidating). I’m just gonna go straight to an audio book for this one. Since I found that audio books make Alexandre Dumas books more approachable for me, I’m hoping the same will be true for Melville.
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The Federalist Papers
I first started this a few months ago, but it will probably take me a while to get through it (this book is a BEHEMOTH). Thankfully, the essays are short, and the points they make are really interesting.
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Les Miserables
I picked this up in 5th grade but couldn’t get past the first chapter. I’m hoping to try again someday, but probably not this year (Arabian Nights, Moby Dick, and The Federalist Papers will keep me more than busy until December!).
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I read my first Alexandre Dumas book (The Three Musketeers) earlier this year, and I was hooked from the first chapter! Before that, I was super intimidated by Dumas, since his books were so big and the language was so daunting. But I loved the characters, adventure, and humor! Now I’m eager to try another Dumas. The premise of The Man in the Iron Mask sounds intriguing, so I think I’ll read that next.
Why is this intimidating? In a word: poetry. I am not good at reading poems. The longer they are, the more I struggle to pay attention. The pragmatist in me rears it’s ugly head, and I can’t help thinking that communicating in verse is terribly inefficient. But I’ve heard SO MANY GOOD THINGS about this poem! It makes me want to set my wariness of poetry aside and give it a try. Plus, fairies—what’s not to love?
I tried to read this in middle school after reading The Lord of the Rings. No such luck. Waaaaay too complicated for me! Now that I’m a big bad grownup, maybe it will be a little easier? Here’s hoping!
I read The Odyssey in middle school but never got around to The Iliad. I don’t remember The Odyssey being difficult per say, but it was definitely a long read, which has made me hesitant to just jump into The Iliad. I just have to keep telling myself, “Heroes and gods, Ali! Read it for heroes and gods!”
I am a big sissy baby when it comes to scary books of any kind. I love them when I’m actually reading them, it’s just dealing with the reality of sleeping in a dark room when I’m finished that causes a problem. As such, I was late to the game when it came to Stephen King.
I was inordinately proud of myself when I read my first King book last October and felt like it wasn’t that scary…until I learned that the book I had chosen (Salem’s Lot) is one of his LEAST SCARY BOOKS EVER. Don’t get me wrong, it was reeeeeally good. It just wasn’t the brave leap into horror that I thought it was going to be. I guess I’ll just have to try again this year!
I haven’t watched the show, but I’d love to read the books. Unfortunately, that’s a huge commitment! Plus, there’s so much hype surrounding the books/show right now (and lots of pressure to like them). I think I’ll wait until both the books and the TV show are finished and the hype has died down. That way, I won’t feel as much pressure and can be more honest with myself about what I really think.
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What books intimidate you most?
Good luck with the Song of Ice & Fire wait. GRRM is notoriously slow with his writing, so who knows how long it will be before Books 6 and 7 are out?
I read The Silmarillion last year, so I know exactly what you’re talking about. Take your time with it, because it’s a lot to take in, even if you’re an adult reader.
Lol, yeah I figure I’ll be waiting a long time for GRRM to finish the series. I’m ok with that though. I’m barely halfway to my reading goal for this year (I totally didn’t think about the fact that so many of the books on my list are HUGE and will take forever to read). So I’m trying to find some quick audio books to get through so I can still feel like I’m making progress on my reading as I slog through the long ones. I can save Song of Ice & Fire for another year! 🙂