TOP TEN TUESDAY | BOOKS I’M PUTTING OFF READING

There are definitely a fair few books on my shelves I look at on the regular and walk on by. Some I’ve tried, some I’ve re-tried, others I’m too scared to even attempt. And yet, they have been on my shelves, some for years, because despite my fears I think they deserve to be there and I know I’m going to be glad I read them if I ever finally do. Here are a few that top that list:

Infinite Jest

Whoa man. I have such respect for David Foster Wallace as a person and an intellectual. I’ve spent I don’t even know how much time watching and reading interviews with him (some of them several times). I am still fascinated by how his mind worked, and the effort he put into formulating his opinions and wording them. My heart also breaks a little every time I watch him because he was so clearly suffering and I think part of that suffering was precisely because he had the type of mind that sees painful truth in the world around him. I’m really scared to read Infinite Jest not only because it’s long and requires a special lexicon to understand, but because I don’t feel like there’s any chance I’ll really understand the work put forth by mind like his.

Ulysses

I tried. I really did. I couldn’t make heads nor tails of this book. I mean, I understood each word separately, but put together it felt like trying to read a different language. I don’t know how anyone really gets to the bottom of this book, and on top of that, it’s really really long.

The Orenda

I have heard nothing but praise for this book. It was defended by one of my favourite public figures in Canada for Canada Reads (which it won) and has also been up for a bunch of other Canadian prizes. But I’m not usually into this kind of story, and on top of that I’ve heard it can get pretty brutal. I’m not expecting it to be an enjoyable read, even if it is an important one. There has also been a lot of discussion about the scandal of the author’s heritage – specifically that he claimed first nations heritage (and benefited from it) that he doesn’t have. If that is true – and it seems to be – t’s hard for me to figure out where that leaves me when it comes to reading his books.

Shake Hands with the Devil

Subject matter. It’s going to be hard going, and it’s going to make me ill. I know it’s important to read books like this because this kind of thing has happened over and over and will continue to happen. Avoiding it isn’t going to change that. But I’m really scared of how it will feel to read, and how it will affect my mental health.

Melmoth

I read most of The Essex Serpent and it’s very well written, full of atmosphere and has a decent story. But it dragged enough for me to put it down and not pick it back up, and I’m not sure when i’ll go back to it. I’ve heard pretty middling things about Melmoth. Some people liked it, but most said it wasn’t that well done, and on top of that the premise doesn’t appeal to me. So I’m not sure if and when I’ll ever get to this one.

The Goldfinch

I read half of this. I was impressed, but the very thing it had going for it – a dense atmosphere and intensely detailed world building – was also its downfall. It was too much, too detailed, too immersive. I had to step back from it and take a breather, and that breather turned into a break, and that break turned into DNF. Now I don’t really want to go back and read the first half again, but it’s been years at this point and I’m not sure if I can pick up where I left off and keep going or if too many details will have been lost in my mind. So I just keep putting it off.

The Luminaries

I’m not that into the premise of this one, and the time period and the plot aren’t my scene. On top of that I’ve heard it’s a lot of work to get through, and it’s clearly very long. I feel like it’ll be a huge commitment and a lot of work possibly without matching payoff, so I keep passing it by.

Lincoln In the Bardo

This book has been highly regarded by pretty much everyone who has read it. It won the Man Booker Prize a few years back and I’ve yet to hear anyone say it didn’t deserve it. I’ve started it, and I really liked the writing. It was actually funny. Well paced. Quirky. So I think I will like it, but I am also a little scared I won’t be up to it#.

The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo

I read Daisy Jones and the Six earlier this year, and it blindsided me. I had no idea it would be so good. It wasn’t at all the fluffy, surface interest book I expected it to be. It was legit, from the writing to the pacing to the character development to the flat out style. There’s something there I have rarely come across, and am always looking for. So, despite the fact that I’ve heard great things about Evelyn, I’m quite nervous to give her a try on account of worrying she won’t live up to Daisy.

Crime and Punishment

I’ve had this book recommended to me by people I trust, and I’ve started it a couple of times and liked the style and tone. But I’ve also heard there’s a brutal scene involving a horse, and I haven’t been able to find out where in the book it occurs to just skip that part. I cannot handle cruelty to animals, children or other vulnerable living creatures, so I don’t think I have the constitution to handle that. Until I can figure out a way to filter my reading experience, this one is on hold.

Re-reads

This is a broad category, but it basically applies to any book I gave a high rating to the first time I read it – particularly those I’ve placed amongst my all time favourites but not read in long enough to start forgetting them. I’m so scared that if I re-visit them my opinion will change, that they won’t live up to the self-generated hype and that my wonderful memories of reading them will be tainted. Some books in this category include: A Prayer for Owen Meany, The Storied Life of A.J. Fikry, One Hundred Years of Solitude, House of the Spirits and To Kill A Mockingbird.

Now it’s your turn – do you share any of the books on my list? Have you read any of these, and if so are my fears warranted? Which books are you nervous to pick up and why?

Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly link-up feature created by The Broke and the Bookish and hosted by Jana at That Artsy Reader Girl. Every week TTT has a different topic, and everyone who links up has to create a link of ten items that fit that topic. To see past and upcoming topics, go here.