44 - A Book You Have Always Avoided Reading

[Melissa]

Junior year of high school I wrote my final English essay on Faulkner's The Sound and the Fury ... I only read the first 20 or so pages? I hated it... I was going to do it for "a classic you've never read," but it feels more appropriate here

[Bea]

My take on this prompt is not aimed at reading something that I don't want to read but rather reading a book that I want to read but never seem to get around to doing so.

In my case I chose a book that I have owned since 2012 ~ Oldest Living Confederate Widow Tells All. It is 875 pages long, and I tend to avoid BIG books. Although I have increased the number of pages I am somewhat comfortable reading in a book, I have only gotten to 500p. Anything over that kicks in hard to avoid.

However, I could equally have chosen The Last of the Mohicans, which I have owned since 2013. It is not as long a book (less than 500 pages) but a classic (a genre I seldom read). Somehow it ends up being left on the shelf so frequently that I am determined to get it read this year, but I chose another prompt to fit it into (unread classic).

[Lilith]

Bea wrote: "My take on this prompt is not aimed at reading something that I don't want to read but rather reading a book that I want to read but never seem to get around to doing so.

In my case I chose a book..."

I LOVE your take on this, Bea! I am doing the exact same thing. I'll try anything twice, but I just do not have tons of time or freedom from pain.
And of course I'm always doing multiple challenges, and all the holds come in at once....
So, I think I'm going to read Flowers for Algernon. I just have never had the time, and I know I will cry my eyes out. I will need extra time for tears/recovery!

[Ron]

For this one I am going with:

Say Their Names: How Black Lives Came to Matter in America

This book has been on my shelf for a year give or take but I've never considered it a priority so I really didn't get around to it. Since this book randomly came up on my number generator and since it's Black History Month, I figure why not.

[Frogli]

I don't know that I've always avoided it but also have never got round to it so I guess it's finally time for

The Silmarillion

[Deb]

Frogli wrote: "I don't know that I've always avoided it but also have never got round to it so I guess it's finally time for

The Silmarillion"

I thought about this book for a classic but I have been unintentionally avoiding it too.

[DeeRae]

I should read the count of Monte Cristo. I have always meant to read it. However, I find myself expecting twins and in danger of not finishing the challenge/side challenges I’ve set for myself. I may have to choose a smaller book that still fits this prompt.

[LeahS]

Congratulations!

[Jennifer W]

Congrats, DeeRae! My reading took a nosedive when I had my kiddo, try not to beat yourself up about it!

[Claire]

I had put off picking this one, because I really wasn't sure what to do. But thanks to everyone who said they'd pick what had been on their TBR the longest! I was trying to mostly read from my TBR anyway, so that's a great idea! Using The Space Between Words for this one.

[Sherri]

I read All Fours. The book has only been out since 5/14/2024 but I have avoided reading it since then. I only read it because my book club picked it. I didn't like it.

[JessicaMHR]

I have been having a hard time figuring out what to put here but I just finished An Indigenous Peoples' History of the United States and realized that it has been on my TBR for a bit so It could be viewed as though I was "avoiding" it so it is going here.

[Kim]

Angela N wrote: "There are several that I could choose from, but I might go with The Stand. I own the book, but have never read it, after my mum read it in 1994, and advised me not to, because it made her sick.

E..."

I'm wondering what you thought of The Stand, after your mom warned you off of it. I read it when it first came out, in the 70's. It might have been my first Stephen King. I loved it! I don't even remember it being such a long book (1,152 pages!), so it must have really held my attention!

[Kim]

I think of this prompt as a book that I always meant to read, but was intimidated. I finally read, Finnegans Wake, by James Joyce!

What made this possible at all, was the THIRTY hour audiobook I got from my library, read by Barry McGovern and Marcella Riordan. McGovern's reading was AMAZING! If I had to read this book to myself, I would be bogged down by trying to pronounce the words (many made up, but logical) and the paragraphs would have been choppy. I don't think I'd have gotten far. But the words just rolled off McGovern's tongue, and I just let myself enjoy the rhythm and poetry of it all, usually while my hands were busy knitting.

It also helped that I looked up something from the book, and early on, found the Wikipedia page! That helped me understand some of what to expect from each section, so I "kind" of knew what was going on.

It was a wonderful experience, and I can see myself checking out the audiobook again in a few years. I think I might get something new out of it, every time.

[Bea]

Kim wrote: "I think of this prompt as a book that I always meant to read, but was intimidated. I finally read, Finnegans Wake, by James Joyce!

What made this possible at all, was the THIRTY hour ..."

Kim, your review makes me want to listen to this book. That seldom is the case (for me) when it comes to classics. I have only read one book by James Joyce, and I do not remember it at all. Maybe I will give him another try in the future.

[Anshita]

Recently, the market got flooded with quick, formulaic mystery and thriller books, which can make them feel a bit repetitive and less engaging. These books take away the depth and suspense that originally made the genre so exciting. Yet, I'm taking a chance with Confessions by Kanae Minato. The blurb reads, "After an engagement that ended in tragedy, all Yuko Moriguchi had to live for was her four-year-old child, Manami. Now, after a heartbreaking accident on the grounds of the middle school where she teaches, Yuko has given up and tendered her resignation. But first, she has one last lecture to deliver. She tells a story that will upend everything her students ever thought they knew about two of their peers, and sets in motion a maniacal plot for revenge."

[Lilith]

Anshita wrote: "Recently, the market got flooded with quick, formulaic mystery and thriller books, which can make them feel a bit repetitive and less engaging. These books take away the depth and suspense that ori..."

I love Kanae Minato ! I hope you enjoy it/ find it rewarding as I did.

[Laura Ruth]

Surprisingly, I knew what book I'd use as soon as I saw this prompt. I like NK Jemisin, and I'd heard good things about The Broken Earth Trilogy, but I'd been warned: "It will break your heart." It did.

http://www.lauraruthloomis.com/whats-...

[Dubhease]

I read An Audience of Chairs - it was the second oldest book on my TBR list.

[Ruth]

Anna wrote: "I hate to admit it...but I think I'm going to use Jane Eyere for this one. The problem is my bookclub started it last year. What do you guys do with books you started the year before?"

I go with the year I finished the book. I won't count it for the year I started if I didn't finish it until the next year.

[Ellen]

I read

[Britany]

Finished

A Study in Scarlet by Arthur Conan Doyle

My Review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

[K.L.]

Anshita wrote: "Recently, the market got flooded with quick, formulaic mystery and thriller books, which can make them feel a bit repetitive and less engaging. These books take away the depth and suspense that ori..."

I read this one a few years ago and thought it was fantastic. I hope you enjoy it.

[Acidic Quagga]

I avoided reading I'm Afraid of Men. by Vivek Shraya for a long time, simply because I knew it was probably going to hit home at points. It's 100% worth the read, though.