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Intimidating books I long to read/finish
These are books that I want to read but intimidate me for some reason. Either the length, subject matter, complexity or even print size causes me to avoid these books for easier reads. What about you?
Score
A book’s total score is based on multiple factors, including the number of people who have voted for it and how highly those voters ranked the book.
| 1 |
|
War and Peace
by
4.17 avg rating — 358,963 ratings
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| 2 |
|
Les Misérables
by
4.21 avg rating — 833,668 ratings
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| 3 |
|
Don Quixote
by
3.91 avg rating — 299,084 ratings
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| 4 |
|
Ulysses
by
3.77 avg rating — 138,996 ratings
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| 5 |
|
The Count of Monte Cristo
by
4.32 avg rating — 999,355 ratings
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| 6 |
|
Anna Karenina
by
4.10 avg rating — 912,315 ratings
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| 7 |
|
Crime and Punishment
by
4.28 avg rating — 1,037,285 ratings
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| 8 |
|
The Divine Comedy: Inferno - Purgatorio - Paradiso
by
4.08 avg rating — 168,392 ratings
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| 9 |
|
Gone with the Wind
by
4.31 avg rating — 1,247,660 ratings
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| 10 |
|
The Lord of the Rings
by
4.54 avg rating — 719,833 ratings
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| 11 |
|
Moby-Dick
by
3.56 avg rating — 605,939 ratings
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| 12 |
|
The Canterbury Tales
by
3.52 avg rating — 235,375 ratings
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| 13 |
|
Gravity’s Rainbow
by
4.01 avg rating — 47,185 ratings
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| 14 |
|
Middlemarch
by
4.03 avg rating — 176,030 ratings
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| 15 |
|
Infinite Jest
by
4.25 avg rating — 99,339 ratings
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| 16 |
|
The Complete Sherlock Holmes
by
4.51 avg rating — 214,981 ratings
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| 17 |
|
The Brothers Karamazov
by
4.39 avg rating — 373,622 ratings
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| 18 |
|
A Game of Thrones (A Song of Ice and Fire, #1)
by
4.45 avg rating — 2,687,579 ratings
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| 19 |
|
Atlas Shrugged
by
3.69 avg rating — 403,800 ratings
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| 20 |
|
The Fountainhead
by
3.89 avg rating — 334,726 ratings
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| 21 |
|
The Scarlet Letter
by
3.44 avg rating — 904,970 ratings
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| 22 |
|
The Pillars of the Earth (Kingsbridge, #1)
by
Ken Follett (Goodreads Author)
4.35 avg rating — 814,388 ratings
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| 23 |
|
Finnegans Wake
by
3.68 avg rating — 13,483 ratings
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| 24 |
|
The Faerie Queene
by
3.58 avg rating — 17,180 ratings
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| 25 |
|
2666
by
4.22 avg rating — 47,223 ratings
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| 26 |
|
House of Leaves
by
Mark Z. Danielewski (Goodreads Author)
4.09 avg rating — 193,395 ratings
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| 27 |
|
The Arabian Nights
by
4.03 avg rating — 80,601 ratings
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| 28 |
|
Paradise Lost
by
3.85 avg rating — 178,853 ratings
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| 29 |
|
Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell
by
3.87 avg rating — 251,108 ratings
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| 30 |
|
Bleak House
by
4.02 avg rating — 112,781 ratings
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| 31 |
|
Dune (Dune #1)
by
4.29 avg rating — 1,584,129 ratings
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| 32 |
|
Vanity Fair
by
3.81 avg rating — 132,280 ratings
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| 33 |
|
Great Expectations
by
3.80 avg rating — 861,240 ratings
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| 34 |
|
The Forsyte Saga (The Forsyte Chronicles, #1-3)
by
4.18 avg rating — 20,552 ratings
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| 35 |
|
A People’s History of the United States: 1492 - Present
by
4.08 avg rating — 261,146 ratings
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| 36 |
|
1Q84 (1Q84, #1-3)
by
3.95 avg rating — 334,680 ratings
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| 37 |
|
In Search of Lost Time
by
4.34 avg rating — 13,781 ratings
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| 38 |
|
The Complete Works
by
4.48 avg rating — 57,608 ratings
|
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| 39 |
|
The Gormenghast Novels (Gormenghast, #1-3)
by
4.03 avg rating — 9,833 ratings
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| 40 |
|
Cloud Atlas
by
4.01 avg rating — 263,908 ratings
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| 41 |
|
Frankenstein
by
3.89 avg rating — 1,786,781 ratings
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| 42 |
|
The Satanic Verses
by
3.71 avg rating — 70,706 ratings
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| 43 |
|
Dracula
by
4.02 avg rating — 1,426,006 ratings
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| 44 |
|
Le Morte d'Arthur
by
3.92 avg rating — 39,100 ratings
score: 836,
and
9 people voted
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| 45 |
|
The Tale of Genji
by
3.72 avg rating — 14,448 ratings
score: 742,
and
8 people voted
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| 46 |
|
A Confederacy of Dunces
by
3.89 avg rating — 293,247 ratings
score: 730,
and
8 people voted
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| 47 |
|
V.
by
3.97 avg rating — 24,890 ratings
score: 663,
and
7 people voted
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| 47 |
|
Gödel, Escher, Bach: An Eternal Golden Braid
by
4.29 avg rating — 51,865 ratings
score: 663,
and
7 people voted
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| 49 |
|
The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle
by
4.14 avg rating — 308,709 ratings
score: 648,
and
7 people voted
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| 50 |
|
The Republic
by
3.97 avg rating — 221,472 ratings
score: 642,
and
7 people voted
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| 51 |
|
Against the Day
by
4.05 avg rating — 10,068 ratings
score: 582,
and
6 people voted
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| 52 |
|
The Pickwick Papers
by
3.85 avg rating — 31,613 ratings
score: 556,
and
6 people voted
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| 53 |
|
Watership Down (Watership Down, #1)
by
4.09 avg rating — 500,744 ratings
score: 555,
and
6 people voted
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| 54 |
|
The Three Musketeers
by
4.10 avg rating — 346,190 ratings
score: 551,
and
6 people voted
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| 55 |
|
The Red and the Black
by
3.86 avg rating — 81,721 ratings
score: 547,
and
6 people voted
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| 56 |
|
A Clockwork Orange
by
really liked it 4.00 avg rating — 757,228 ratings
score: 543,
and
6 people voted
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| 57 |
|
The Idiot
by
4.21 avg rating — 210,014 ratings
score: 540,
and
6 people voted
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| 58 |
|
The Wings of the Dove
by
3.78 avg rating — 17,427 ratings
score: 532,
and
6 people voted
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| 59 |
|
The Shock Doctrine: The Rise of Disaster Capitalism
by
4.29 avg rating — 52,358 ratings
score: 482,
and
5 people voted
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| 60 |
|
Shōgun (Asian Saga, #1)
by
4.41 avg rating — 208,131 ratings
score: 470,
and
5 people voted
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| 61 |
|
Doctor Faustus
by
4.08 avg rating — 13,553 ratings
score: 454,
and
5 people voted
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| 62 |
|
The Chronicles of Narnia
by
4.28 avg rating — 697,280 ratings
score: 450,
and
5 people voted
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| 63 |
|
The Once and Future King (The Once and Future King, #1-5)
by
4.07 avg rating — 116,769 ratings
score: 448,
and
5 people voted
|
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| 64 |
|
Critique of Pure Reason
by
3.96 avg rating — 41,229 ratings
score: 446,
and
5 people voted
|
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| 65 |
|
The Way of Kings (The Stormlight Archive, #1)
by
Brandon Sanderson (Goodreads Author)
4.67 avg rating — 636,211 ratings
score: 439,
and
5 people voted
|
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| 66 |
|
The Man Without Qualities
by
4.19 avg rating — 7,231 ratings
score: 388,
and
4 people voted
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| 67 |
|
A Fine Balance
by
4.38 avg rating — 157,647 ratings
score: 380,
and
4 people voted
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| 68 |
|
The Pale King
by
3.97 avg rating — 19,540 ratings
score: 376,
and
4 people voted
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| 69 |
|
The Recognitions
by
4.20 avg rating — 6,208 ratings
score: 373,
and
4 people voted
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| 70 |
|
The Life of Samuel Johnson
by
3.80 avg rating — 5,316 ratings
score: 371,
and
4 people voted
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| 71 |
|
Joseph and His Brothers
by
4.44 avg rating — 2,160 ratings
score: 369,
and
4 people voted
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| 72 |
|
Kushiel's Justice (Imriel's Trilogy, #2)
by
Jacqueline Carey (Goodreads Author)
4.28 avg rating — 19,746 ratings
score: 354,
and
4 people voted
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| 73 |
|
Mary Queen of Scots
by
3.99 avg rating — 17,365 ratings
score: 341,
and
4 people voted
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| 74 |
|
East of Eden
by
4.43 avg rating — 610,598 ratings
score: 332,
and
4 people voted
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| 75 |
|
Possession
by
3.90 avg rating — 83,433 ratings
score: 331,
and
4 people voted
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| 76 |
|
The Unbearable Lightness of Being
by
4.11 avg rating — 529,558 ratings
score: 328,
and
4 people voted
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| 77 |
|
The Ambassadors
by
3.63 avg rating — 12,893 ratings
score: 327,
and
4 people voted
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| 78 |
|
The Last Cavalier: Being the Adventures of Count Sainte-Hermine in the Age of Napoleon
by
3.66 avg rating — 841 ratings
score: 291,
and
3 people voted
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| 79 |
|
Leviathan
by
3.70 avg rating — 51,707 ratings
score: 288,
and
3 people voted
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| 80 |
|
Little Women (Little Women, #1)
by
4.17 avg rating — 2,407,897 ratings
score: 286,
and
3 people voted
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| 81 |
|
Master of the Senate (The Years of Lyndon Johnson, #3)
by
4.42 avg rating — 23,785 ratings
score: 278,
and
3 people voted
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| 82 |
|
Holy Bible: The New King James Version
by
4.41 avg rating — 8,029 ratings
score: 271,
and
3 people voted
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| 83 |
|
Kushiel's Dart (Phèdre's Trilogy, #1)
by
Jacqueline Carey (Goodreads Author)
4.02 avg rating — 83,484 ratings
score: 265,
and
3 people voted
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| 84 |
|
Under the Dome
by
Stephen King (Goodreads Author)
3.93 avg rating — 319,309 ratings
score: 261,
and
3 people voted
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| 85 |
|
Anne of Green Gables (Anne of Green Gables, #1)
by
4.32 avg rating — 1,087,268 ratings
score: 260,
and
3 people voted
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| 85 |
|
Life: A User's Manual
by
4.18 avg rating — 9,916 ratings
score: 260,
and
3 people voted
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| 87 |
|
The History of the Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire (Allen Lane History, 3 Volume Set)
by
4.02 avg rating — 15,308 ratings
score: 238,
and
3 people voted
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| 88 |
|
Walden and Civil Disobedience
by
3.94 avg rating — 38,718 ratings
score: 235,
and
3 people voted
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| 88 |
|
The Anatomy of Melancholy
by
4.11 avg rating — 1,857 ratings
score: 235,
and
3 people voted
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| 90 |
|
Lucifer's Hammer
by
really liked it 4.00 avg rating — 45,117 ratings
score: 197,
and
2 people voted
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| 90 |
|
Of Grammatology
by
3.96 avg rating — 5,303 ratings
score: 197,
and
2 people voted
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| 90 |
|
It
by
Stephen King (Goodreads Author)
4.24 avg rating — 1,235,557 ratings
score: 197,
and
2 people voted
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| 93 |
|
O Lost: A Story of the Buried Life
by
4.36 avg rating — 193 ratings
score: 194,
and
2 people voted
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| 94 |
|
The Man in the Iron Mask (Le vicomte de Bragelonne, #4)
by
3.99 avg rating — 66,702 ratings
score: 193,
and
2 people voted
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| 95 |
|
J R
by
4.32 avg rating — 3,708 ratings
score: 188,
and
2 people voted
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| 96 |
|
The Toilers of the Sea
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4.06 avg rating — 4,912 ratings
score: 187,
and
2 people voted
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| 97 |
|
Fear and Trembling
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really liked it 4.00 avg rating — 30,307 ratings
score: 183,
and
2 people voted
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| 98 |
|
Camilla
by
3.75 avg rating — 2,899 ratings
score: 182,
and
2 people voted
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| 99 |
|
Ethics
by
4.10 avg rating — 20,490 ratings
score: 180,
and
2 people voted
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| 100 |
|
Kushiel's Chosen (Phèdre's Trilogy, #2)
by
Jacqueline Carey (Goodreads Author)
4.30 avg rating — 41,552 ratings
score: 179,
and
2 people voted
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Tags:
intimidating
Comments Showing 1-7 of 7 (7 new)
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message 1:
by
[deleted user]
(last edited Feb 11, 2010 11:22AM)
(new)
Feb 11, 2010 11:19AM
Oh no! The Count (of Monte Cristo) is just plain fun!! don't be intimidated... now Moby Dick on the other hand gives me the jim jams!!
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The Count may be quite thick, but he really does read fast. Promise!
I may take you up on that. I'm currently reading Pickwick Papers by Dickens. I figure 800+ pages on the tiniest type is the least daunting reason for not finishing the 'intimidating' books on my list. Perhaps Count will be next.
What is said of the Count applies equally to Gone with the Wind! Only daunting in size, not matter. It is pretty heartwrenching (in my opinion) which makes its re-read daunting, but I still love it, and would recommend it to anyone, not just avid readers. All those pages fly by fast and are completely worth it!
Don Quixote is not hard to read at all. It's an extremely funny and intriguing text. Everyone should take a closer look at it.
Excellent List. How can i save this list on my computer.
War and Peace is long, slow paced at times and may be a bit boring but amazing. I hope you'll give it a chance. (I was scared of the size, too, so I bought it in 3 or 4 poket sized books)
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