The Rory Gilmore Reading Challenge discussion

I have a few books on my list I've tried to take on several times but fail miserably Every. Single. Time. Great Expectations, The Hunchback of Notre Dame, Anna Karenina, and The Godfather are at the top of my "tried and failed" list. I've picked up Great Expectations 6+ times and never make it past the first quarter of the book. I haven't even started Anna Karenina for the sheer length of it, though I've picked it up from the library multiple times.

I'm determined to cross at least one of these books off my list before the end of the year, and would love to get tips on how you get past the mental block when a book maybe isn't your style or intimidates you. And what are some books you've been struggling to get through?

I usually switch to the audio book when reading gets too hard. For me this has worked many times since I can switch back any time I want. Even if the story is a little boring I find it easier to follow an audio book while cleaning/cooking/etc.
You can find a lot of classic audio books for free via google, youtube or with paid services like audible or spotify.
A book from the list where I struggled to get through was Moby dick. 100% worth it though :)

Audiobooks are great! They’ve really helped me get through some big books I’ve had for ages but couldn’t motivate myself to pick up.

I’ve been reading more than one book at once that are completely different so I don’t get the stories muddled. I’ll read a few chapters of each daily so if one is a bit harder I’m not trying to force it. I have also found a really long train trip with nothing else to do helped me finish some challenging books - though this is clearly not the ideal solution.

You could also cheat and watch the movies first then you might be attached to the characters and want to prove yet again that the book is better!

Good luck!

I agree that audiobooks help a lot. You can listen to a few chapters and when you get bored come back to it. Im trying to read Moby Dock this year. Its available on libby from my library and I just keep checking it out again. Im 40% in right now. Its interesting but so filled with minutiae as well. I read “why you should read ’Moby Dick’” to prepared for it. I listened to Don Quixote’ a few years ago and only listened when I mowed the grass. Making it attached to a special task worked for me. I also only try to tackle one of these very large books a year. I think they are worth reading but are a large time investment.

Hello! I started the book Ulysses like umpteen times until I finally got through it, about 10 years after I first made it a goal of mine. My first successful completion of the book took me three weeks, which is much longer than it would take for me to finish another book of its size. I think sometimes it's just not the right time for you and a book, and maybe that's ok? Sorry, that sounds so hokey!

That said, perhaps what I'm about to say will help you knock a particular book off your list. I put off Anna Karenina until this year, and I'm so glad I finally got over its size and opened it. It is written in very short chapters and is very easy to read. I went with the Constance Garnett translation, and I started with a schedule of 1 part a week (8 total parts), but I found I wanted to read it faster than my schedule. That's how engrossing I found it.

Edited because my first attempts had grammar errors. Hopefully this last one is fine (ha ha!).

Thank you for all of your suggestions! I'm a big fan of audiobooks. I have a baby just shy of 11 months old and it's so hard to find the space to read, so about 80% of the books I consume are on audio. I've tried Great Expectations in audio, ebook, print... but I didn't think to watch the movie for those tough books first to get motivated. Attaching it to a specific task or using it as a distraction during long trips are also great ideas.

And I appreciate your recommendation of the Constance Garnett translation of Anna Karenina, Colleen. When I'm actually *reading* a book, it usually happens in bursts, between tasks, so shorter chapters make it much easier to put the book down quickly and pick back up when I find another 15mins of downtime.