It’s time for Top 5 Wednesdays, a weekly meme created by gingerreadslainey and hosted by Sam @ThoughtsOnTomes. If you want to know more or join as well, just go to the Goodreads group by clicking here. This week is all about intimidating books and there are a lot of those. It could be because of hype, size or topic. All reasoning is valid over here and so, without further ado, here are my choices:
- A Dance With Dragons by George RR Martin
Ugh, I have read four books in the Song of Ice and Fire series, so I have no idea why this one is vexxing me so much. I just can’t get into it and I am barely interested in any of the POVs at all anymore. You all know me, I need at least a little bit of Sansa … - Outlander by Diana Gabaldon
I LOVE THE SHOW! However, the book is so detailed and really well written, but also majorly time consuming and in my case written in a tiny font. It seems like a tricky one. - The Beautiful and the Damned by F. Scott Fitzgerald
I’ve read quite a couple of Fitzgerald books now and still this one is kind of scary. Maybe because it is like double the size of the others? Also, me and classics don’t mix so well. - A Tale of Two Cities by Charles Dickens
I’ve talked about this before. I have real high expectations for this book. BUT I CAN’T GET OVER THE FIRST PARAGRAPH! - Testament of Youth by Vera Brittain
Other than the books above, this one is the real accounts of a woman who actually lived. That’s scary! That was her life! This is basically close to her diaries (if they were super neatly written out). It’s a lot to take in the majority of someone’s life in just shy over 800 pages.
What are some books that intimidate you? Are classics also a little difficult for you?
I watched War and Peace the BBC series and struggled so can’t see me ever getting into that book.
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I haven’t read it either. But someone told me that there is a newly translated version of it now and that the writing there flows much better than in the first couple of translations.
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Outlander is on my list as well, you’re so right about the tiny text. So we have tiny text and 896 pages if that’s not intimidating I don’t know what is! I went through the same thing with A Dance with Dragons, I kept reading it and putting it back down for weeks at at time before I finally finish it, it’s definitely my least favorite in the series so you’re not the only one! Great list! 🙂
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So glad to hear I am not the only one who struggles with those two books! I am going to head over and look at your full list now 😀
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A tale of two cities gives me AP English flashbacks. I also was intimidated by Dance with Dragons and it was a little chore to get through.
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I am not sure I even want to get through A Dance with Dragons anymore … maybe I should just watch the show that is completely different and then read up on what happened to my favourite characters in the end when all the books are out hahaha
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I need to read more F. Scott Fitzgerald. I have a book with all his novels but I never touched it. The only one I read was The great Gatsby and it wasn’t even in that book.
Outlander is really good. It only took me one week to read it. I thought I would take so much longer. But I understand the tiny fonts things. Tiny fonts are always the worse.
I read A Tale of Two Cities and didn’t like it that much so I can’t see why you can’t pass the first paragraph. I hope you like it way more than me if you finaly read it 😀
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I read The Last Tycoon and some short story collections and of course The Great Gatsby 🙂
I don’t know what it is with Outlander, but tiny fonts can ruin everything. A Song of Ice and Fire also has tiny writing … everything that is massive is tiny. I am afraid Shannara will be too, so I am not too keen on reading it soon anymore.
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Of course you read The Great Gatsby. We both agree it’s a great classic and one of our favorites 🙂 . You should see my Les Mis books. The font is really tiny too. Oh no. You were so excited about Shannara a few months ago
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Les Mis … that’s something I am scared of too, but I haven’t even thought of buying them hahaha
I knoooow! I wanted to know if something more was told in terms of a certain person’s fate, because that person was my favourite. But now … I am a little scared of that book. Could have totally put it on that list as well hahaha
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Look, it was two volumes and each book was less than 3 euros so I bought it. I’ll read it… eventually XD
I would be scared too. If the season finale was a clue to wghat happened in the books I don’t know if I would like to read it too. And Shannare was a great addition to the list
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The season finale still breaks my heart. I am so mad at the story.
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I know. I’m not okay with that
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I will never get over that. It makes me so mad and sad and just … aaah!
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Maybe they’ll get a way to help her Wil isn’t giving up that easily
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I sure hope so!! That’s the reason I wanted to read the book, to see if there was still hope. But I am scared of what’s going to happen if that was just it for her ….
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I would be scared too. She did everything she could to end up like that?? Not fair
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Right? And Wil can’t just loose everyone either. So not cool! And poor Ander, all he ever wanted to do was protect her. This so didn’t work out at all …
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Poor Ander. He has lost everyone from his family and in only a few days/weeks
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I don’t want to be in his shoes at all now. So much responsibility and literally no one to share it with.
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Yeah. Did Diana die?? I can’t remember. Even if she didn’t, she doesn’t deserve him
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I actually think she did … *goes off googling* yep … Arion killed her when he wasn’t quite himself.
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Ohhh… I think I remember that now. So, he really lost everyone. Still, she didn’t deserve him. He deserves better than her
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Oh definitely! Who just gives up on the people they love, starts dating their brother and as soon as that one is out of the picture, you are back to brother number 1? WTF?
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Right?? Why would she do that. I would have never leave brother number 1 XD
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ME NEITHER!
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I am intimidated by the bulk of ASOIAF. Somehow can’t get past the second book. I decided to fling it and read all of Sansa’s chapters followed by Tyrion. You can never get enough of these two.
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That’s one way to do it! Sansa and Tyrion are totally my favourite people in the series!!!
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I TOTALLY agree with you on Tale of Two Cities! I hate that book (okay, as far as I got, lol!)
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PLEASE read A Tale of Two Cities, push through his overly descriptive writing because I feel like the story he told is a beautiful and important one and that’s why it’s my favorite classic so read it! Haha
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LOL! Comments are so varied about this one. A lot of people don’t like it and others just really, really love it.
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I’ve loved it since 9th grade 😍
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That’s a committed relationship to the book then 😀
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Outlander was also on my list! I’ve tried to read The Beautiful and the Damned before but never finished.
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Outlander I have tried and gotten through a fourth or so, but I haven’t actually started The Beautiful and the Damned. I don’t know why … I just look at it and don’t feel like picking it up at all …
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IT’s funny, but if I should pick up some books I’m intimidated about, it would probably be a lot of classics, ahah. I don’t know why, though… I have The Great Gatsby and for some reason haven’t read it yet…
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Oh yes, try The Great Gatsby one day! Along with Persuasion it’s one of my favourite classics.
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I need to, it makes me sad to see it unread on my bookshelf!
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I have that same feeling about Jane Eyre …
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I would agree with you with A Testament of Youth because if it is anything like the movie probably more feels. I can’t! You had a great list!😄
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It is SO much more detailed than the movie, it’s crazy. That film was a piece of art though! So beautiful and heartbreaking!
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I was like wait this is gonna get happier right?! I was sadly mistaken… I adored the casting though and it was beautiful
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I thought it would end on at least some sort of happy or at least happier note, after the movie was done I was just silently crying while blankly staring at the screen.
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Oh and Outlander is on my list too because I love the show but I don’t think I could stand some of those scenes in more detail may give me nightmares
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I hear you … I think I stopped reading shortly after the wedding scene … because I was afraid …
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I mean you can fast forward the show but that’s harder to do with a book in my opinion it sticks
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That’s true.
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Haha I also need to read A Tale Of Two Cities !
And Outlander is such an hefty book I totally understand. I am currently reading Dragonfly In amber but I’m reading other books at the same time…
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Sometimes that really helps with massive books! I can see how it would help especially when there are dragging parts or just too much of it at once.
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The only books that intimidate me are the really, REALLY long ones. Like ADWD (and I know what you mean about it – I had a much harder time getting into that one than with the previous Ice & Fire books). Ever since then, I’ve cringed at the thought of reading anything more than 700 pages. But the last two books that passed that mark (Patrick Rothfuss’s two Kingkiller books, The Name of the Wind and The Wise Man’s Fear) were both amazing. So it really depends on the author and the story itself, I think.
Still… I’ve got two more 700+ page books unread on my shelves, and I’m hesitating to dive into either one. :S
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I already get a little queasy when it’s more than 500 pages. It’s not that I doubt the story, but it is like a real commitment to pick up those kind of books. They need time hahaha
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A lot of these books intimidate me as well. I’ve tried reading Game of Thrones but I can never seem to make it past the halfway mark. I’ve been told that after the third book in the Song of Ice and Fire series takes a turn for the worst. It’s like he’s determined to expand the world but in doing so loses the qualities that make the first 3 books so great. It’s like an identity crisis haha.
I’ve seen the size of Outlander and that is one book I don’t think I’ll be able to get into. I still need to watch the first season of the show as well. 😛
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Well, I was a little bored with book 1 and 2 of A Song of Ice and Fire. I really liked the 3rd and parts of the 4th, but I am lost on the 5th. I just don’t really care enough anymore ..
Watch the show! It’s slow and beautiful and majestic and painful and intense.
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A Tale of Two Cities is really overrated but then Dickens is in general anyway. I am really struggling with Middlemarch by George Elliott. It is so dense and has so many characters.
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Opinions differ a lot when it comes to A Tale of Two Cities. Some love it, others don’t even really like it.
I guess I belong to those who just can’t get through it.
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