This week's Top Ten from The Broke and the Bookish asks for our Top Ten Most Intimidating Books. I’ve learned that most massive books (Moby Dick, The Count of Monte Cristo, etc. aren’t nearly as scary as I thought they’d be, but here are a few that still freak me out.
1) Ulysses by James Joyce – Stream of consciousness ramblings, I just can’t bring myself to read it.
2) Game of Thrones by George R.R. Martin – Okay, after getting hooked on the TV show this year I’m dying to read this one, but I’m hesitating for 2 reasons. First is because the books are ginormous and second, I’m worried I’ll finish them and have to wait 5 years for the next one.
3) Remembrance of Things Past by Marcel Proust – It is seven volumes long!
4) Infinite Jest by David Foster Wallace – Some say it’s genius, others say it’s pretentious, regardless it is huge.
5) The Faerie Queene by Edmund Spenser – This massive book is the never-ending tome that Granny has to read before she dies in the Thursday Next series.
6) Dune by Frank Herbert – I think this one scares me because my Dad’s been recommending it for years. I’m worried I’ve built it up too much in my head.
7) The Brothers Karamazov by Leo Tolstoy – It’s big, it’s Russian, etc. I read War & Peace and it wasn’t nearly as scary as I thought it would be, so I just need to dive in.
8) Origin of the Species by Charles Darwin – I’m curious about this book, but I’m also worried it’s going to be really boring and badly written.
9) Love in the Time of Cholera by Gabriel Garcia Marquez – Everything by this author scares me for some reason.
10) The Silmarillion by J.R.R. Tolkien – I’ve read Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit, but this beast just does not look fun.
Image from here.
