Top Ten Tuesday: Most Intimidating
Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly meme hosted by The Broke and the Bookish. Each week there is a new topic. I’m a huge fan of lists, so this meme is right up my alley!
This week’s topic is Top Ten Most Intimidating Books (might be intimated by size, content, that everyone else loves it but you are sure you won’t etc).
So here’s my top ten:
The Ones I Don’t Own
The Bible I’m most likely never going to read this one. For one thing, it’s huge and the language is old-fashioned and hard to get through, and for another thing, I’m agnostic and don’t really believe in the Bible. But it’s a very intimidating book!
Fifty Shades of Grey by E.L. James Here’s another one I most likely won’t read. I’m just not interested in it, and although some of my friends have LOVED it, I don’t think I will enjoy it at all.
A Song of Ice and Fire series by George R.R. Martin I don’t own this series either but I do want to read it eventually. I was planning on reading it before watching the TV series but they are thick books and there are going to be several books in the series, so a slow reader like me wouldn’t be able to start the TV show for a looonnng time. But I do eventually want to read them!
Anything by Kurt Vonnegut I’m not sure why, but even that author’s name is just extremely intimidating to me. It’s like all the extremely smart people are in the “I Love Kurt Vonnegut” club and I feel like maybe I’ll read his books and I won’t love them or I won’t understand them and then I’ll feel like an idiot. I don’t know, maybe I’m just weird!
The Ones I Own
Anything by Jane Austen I started reading Pride and Prejudice earlier this year and I enjoyed it, but it was just not as interesting as all the other books I was reading. So I’ve got it, Emma, and Sense and Sensibility all on my shelves, waiting to be read one day. I’m not exactly sure why they’re intimidating, but they are to me!
Under the Dome by Stephen King I’m currently reading this one as part of a readalong and I have to say that if I wasn’t participating in that, I probably never would have gotten around to reading it. At over 1,000 pages, it’s very intimidating! But it’s also really good so far!
Swann’s Way by Marcel Proust This is one of those books I bought when I thought I needed to read all the classics and stuff. Pshaw. I don’t know if I’m ever going to get around to this one because it just seems like such a heavy read!
Anything by William Shakespeare I had to read Shakespeare in school, but only a couple of the plays and some of the sonnets. I enjoyed them, but it was really hard for me to understand anything as I was reading. Now that I’m older and I’m a much more experienced reader, it might not be so hard, but he’s just such an intimidating writer that I don’t see myself reading a lot of his works in the future.
The Lord of the Rings series by J.R.R. Tolkien This is a series I’m definitely going to read one day. I’ve read The Hobbit and loved it, but I started reading The Fellowship of the Ring once when I was a teenager and I just couldn’t get into it. But I know that I will finish this series!
Anna Karenina by Leo Tolstoy This is another one of those books that I thought I just had to read if I was any kind of reader, and I have to say that it is one of those books that I constantly overlook on my shelf. It’s just so big and seems like such a heavy read! Maybe one day…
What are your top ten? Let me know, or leave a link to your TTT in the comments, and I’ll stop by your blog! And be sure to check out my current giveaway–it ends tonight!

kelley jensen
July 2, 2013 at 1:19 pmI do like Shakespeare. I didn't even think of putting him on my list. I guess it is because the plays themselves aren't very long. good luck with your list. kelley—the road goes ever ever on
chrissireads
July 2, 2013 at 1:33 pmI'm intimidated by Lord of The Rings too. I should really try and read it at some point.
Jessie Marie
July 2, 2013 at 2:20 pmI'm sending you my Song of Ice and Fire books ASAP. I have a second set so you won't have the "But I don't have them yet!" excuse. It's only books 1 – 4, but that should give you plenty to work with for a while. : ) Yes, they're long and intimidating. But absolutely amazing. I was just wondering the other day if you'd read these.
Also, I love the fact that you listed 50 Shades shortly after the Bible. Had I done this TTT, I would have done THE EXACT SAME THING. For the EXACT SAME REASONS. It's little wonder that we're such good buddies.
booksteame.com
July 2, 2013 at 5:57 pmI used to be intimidated by The Lord of the Rings and Jane Austen, until I realized how great they are. Tolkien is a mastermind and I felt so proud of myself for getting through The Lord of the Rings (check out my review here: http://booksteame.com/books-read/). And I think I enjoyed Emma more than Pride and Prejudiced actually – it was more comedic and silly, which made it easier for me to get through.
But I'm also a terribly slow reader, which is why I'm throwing away my plans to read A Game of Thrones before watching the show. I can't wait to watch it, and I know it'll take me quite some time to read all those books.
fakesteph
July 2, 2013 at 6:39 pmI think you'll really love GoT. And I want to read P&P soon too… maybe we should do a readalongs for Austen virgins?
Lola Reading
July 2, 2013 at 7:12 pmI allllmost added the Bible and Kurt Vonnegut! George R. R. Martin, Under the Dome, Anna Karenina, and Lord of the Rings all made my list too!
Jessica @ Books: A true story
July 3, 2013 at 12:09 amOh Swann's Way intimidates me too. And Shakespeare is so hard to read – it makes more sense to me if I can watch them or see them as a play. I had the hardest time getting into Lord of the Rings when I was a teen too, but after I watched the movies I could keep the characters straight so much better and I enjoyed it a lot more.
My TTT
Kimberly @ On the Wings of Books
July 3, 2013 at 1:50 pmI agree that Kurt Vonnegut books are totally intimidating and I will probably never read one because of it. I would have to be tied down and someone would have to force me to listen to the audio before I would ever tough Game of Thrones, more because it's not my style then how big it is.
I'm going to tell you a secret… I didn't like P&P and I doubt I'll read another of her books. Love the movies though.
Under the Dome is MASSIVE and it's probably too long, but it's good.
theflutterbyroom.com
July 3, 2013 at 1:58 pmI'm with you on A Song of Fire and Ice series. The books are BIG, but it sounds like it would be an interesting read. :-/