Have you ever had that one book on your shelf, that you at some point really wanted to read, but something happened and suddenly years has gone by? You have started the book a couple of times before so you know beforehand how small the text is, how “proper” and a little hard the writing is. At least for a non native English speaker. Now every time you think on starting it, you feel a little intimidated. You are a little afraid. You are thinking “should I really spend my time on this one?”. You are wondering if it is worth the time. It has a lot of mixed reviews and you thinking what if it wont capture you and you do not finish, but in the end you misses some really great literature work of art? All those what if?

This 900 page monster of a book (The Luminaries by Eleanor Catton), is my nemesis. The book that have been on my shelf for years (since 2013) and laughing at me. Mocking me and making me feel a little guilty. Normally, big books, many pages or small print do not scare me. Come one, I read IT with its 1400 pages in just under a week. It was a work week to so time was not common and sleep had to pay for that. Anyway, I should not feel like it is a freaking two ton brick I want to start reading. But I do.

To solve this and to be able to give this book one last chance, I have parted it in sections. One tab indicating one chapter, until the end when there is like a chapter every page. There one tab indicating several. This is so it is more visual for me how far in the book I comes, and in the beginning where the chapters are pretty long, I’m thinking, One chapter a day! I should be able to manage that. Or in the end I will get bored and “DNF” the book. But at least I have tried and should not feel guilty for that.

What do you do, to overcome your intimidation before a book?
Do you have one of those books right now? Sitting on you shelf, mocking you to?