I started reading for fun a few years ago and started with the top 100 classics as voted by the readers of penguin books.
While I’ve loved some of them, and enjoyed others even if they weren’t my cup of tea, there have been some that I’ve had to grind them down page by page until they are finish.
I want to finish all 100 as it’s the challenge I set myself, so what do you do get through a book that you aren’t enjoying/connecting with?
Sorry if this had already been asked, I only joined yesterday!
I had to laugh that it’s classics you are struggling to finish. I decided to challenge myself to read several classics last year. I slogged through a few that if I hadn’t set that goal I would have DNF for sure.
Anna Karenina was the hardest. I also listen to audiobooks and I was able to get it for free on Audible, so I started listening to it instead of reading it in print. I also limited how much time I would listen per session because I found myself tuning out after about 10 minutes. Since it was 35 hours long, it took a long time to finish. I read other books that weren’t classics so I could take my time without feeling stuck.
The biggest thing I learned last year was my reading pleasure is more important than a reading goal. I only read 8 classics and I didn’t really like any of them, most were irritating and only 1 would have been finished if I wasn’t working toward a personal goal. I had originally thought I would work my way through one of those 100 books you must read before you die lists, but last year changed my mind. I will continue to put a few classics on my TBR list from time to time, but I have given myself permission to DNF them without any regret.
Good Luck on your goal, but if these books aren’t enjoyable take some time to decide if the goal is still what you want to work on. I’m a retired Life Coach and one of the things I worked on with my clients is regularly reviewing goals to see if they are still moving you toward the life you want to live and to adjust often as needed.