Hello and welcome to this week’s Top 5 Wednesday post!
T5W is a weekly meme is hosted by Sam @ThoughtsOnTomes. You can visit the Goodreads T5W group for more info.
This week’s theme is books that intimidate me. I’m not going to lie, I’ve always been intimidated with books that are considered “classics.” I think what intimidates me the most about books that are considered classics is that I feel pressured to like them for the simple fact that they are classics… I mean a book doesn’t just become a classic because it is average right?
The following are a few classics that have been sitting on my book shelf for far too long…
“It was the best of times, it was the worst of times, it was the age of wisdom, it was the age of foolishness, it was the epoch of belief, it was the epoch of incredulity, it was the season of light, it was the season of darkness, it was the spring of hope, it was the winter of despair.”
–A Tale of Two Cities
“It is a far, far better thing that I do, than I have ever done; it is a far, far better rest that I go to than I have ever known.”
―A Tale of Two Cities
Who hasn’t at least heard these quotes before? I am embarrassed to say that I have yet to read a book by Charles Dickens… Of course I have heard how brilliant he is, however I have also heard that reading his books requires lots of concentration.
I picked up Dracula after I finished The Historian by Elizabeth Kostova YEARS ago…. however, I have yet to crack the spine. Dracula intimidates AND terrifies me a little bit, I am a pretty big chicken when it comes to scary things….
I’ve hesitated with this book due to conflicting opinions on it. Most agree that this is an IMPORTANT book, but some say that even though it sheds light on important issues, it isn’t well written… I’ve wanted to read this book since I was a child, but am too afraid to have my heart crushed…
I’ve always wanted to read The Complete Sherlock Holmes.. I LOVE plot twists, so why haven’t I read this yet?! I am intimidated by this book due to its length… this big boy has 1,796 pages… Most likely when I get around to reading this, I will break it up by each book and only read one at a time and not back to back…
This is just one of those classics just sitting on my shelf collecting dust. I think my issue with this book is that it doesn’t particularly appeal to me, but I feel that I NEED to read it since it is a classic… However, the books I don’t expect to like always have a way of becoming some of my favorites, so I’m hoping that will happen here 🙂
What books intimidate you?
Feel free to link to your own T5W post 🙂
Popular/classic novels definitely made it onto my list!
Danica @ A Redheaded Bookworm
T5W
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Great list!
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So true! Even (maybe especially?) as an English teacher, I feel like I’m supposed to absolutely love everything I teach. Joyce’s Ulysses is probably my biggest. -Amy
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I can’t imagine teaching a book you don’t like… It’s probably just as bad for you as it is for the kids lol
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Sometimes I feel like it’s worse because I have to read it so much more deeply than them 🙂 However, most classics have their merit, so I just try to focus in on that.
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Personally Dracula bored me and I didn’t finish it. But that was years ago, so maybe some day I’ll give it another shot, but I’m in no rush. But I love Sherlock. I devoured the stories when I first read them and would love to re-read. They’re all very short, so it shouldn’t be hard to tackle if you just read a couple at a time then take a break.
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Maybe I’ll try Dracula around Halloween time 😆. I think I’ll enjoy Sherlock, not sure what is holding me back 😕.
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how come your edition of Complete Sherlock Holmes is so small and Dracula so big? My Holmes is an A4 sized brick!
I’ve listened to Dracula – couldn’t get through the written word. It seems I’m bothered with the writing style from this historical period. I felt the same when I read Time Machine and Doctor Jekyll and pretty much anything by R.L. Stevenson
oh, and here’s my list: https://maginibooks.wordpress.com/2016/04/20/top-5-wednesday-books-youre-intimidated-by/
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Ooooo I never thought about listening to Dracula… You would think that would have crossed my mind since I love listening to thrillers via audiobook. Duh!
My Sherlock Holmes IS huge, I think the angle is just deceptive… I had a hard time holding it up there one handed lol it almost broke my wrist 😅
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😀 my edition has some recycled-like paper, so it’s not that heavy, but the size is a bit overwhelming 😛
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Exactly. That’s why I plan to break it up by books when I get around to it. Maybe this one could be a good audiobook too… Depending on who that narrator is of course 😊
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I also choose the book-by-book approach, it somehow makes it easier 😛
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I loved your take on this week’s topic! Instead of specific books that intimidate you, you went with types of books that intimidate you. Bravo!
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Thank you !
It’s my way of cheating more books into the topic 😛
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I like your style 😎
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I can’t believe I forgot to add “classics” on my list, lol. Nice list.👍
Here’s mine:
T5W | Intimidating Books – http://wp.me/p7ksIu-41
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Great list!
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