How to *stop* fearing BIG books (especially classics)
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 7 ก.ย. 2024
- Scared of BIG (classic) books? Have no fear, Carolyn Marie is here! ;)
Hi friends,
Today we're going to tackle big-book-fear, or at least try to!
Here are my 5 tips on how to read big books!
I hope you find them helpful!!!
Please feel free to leave any of your own tips in the comments as well!
Sending my best wishes to you,
Carolyn Marie :)
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Happy Reading :)
#bigbooks #classicbooks #booktube
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Interesting video! I do read big books and everything is okay until I start comparing my pace with other readers’ pace xD it does not happen often, but it is the feeling that still lingers somewhere inside me every time I pick up a big book.
I'm a super slow reader and a mood reader, so I might not pick up a book for a month or more. I always struggle with comparing my reading speed with others, especially since I started watching booktube. But I try to remind myself that I read for my enjoyment only. It's my magical world and only people and thoughts I want are invited to it.
I’m reading The Count of Monte Cristo atm by setting myself a 30 page goal every day. I find that works well for me. I did the same with Anna Karenina, annotating them both so I figured 30 pages was a good amount.
The Count of Monte Cristo is one of my favs!!
Soon enough you'll find yourself reading more, especially when the revenge plot really picks up. Such a fun book!
I read it this year for the first time. I'm still thinking on it, it's an amazing book! Enjoy!
that's such a great way to break it down. are you reading other shorter books too while you read the Big Book?
i assume you finished the count of monte cristo already. how was it?? i just started it a few days ago, im on page 60, and i love it so far!
Also that helps me, try getting the book on an e-reader if you can! That way you can’t be intimidated by the size!
I find breaking up bigger books with smaller ones really helps me 👌🏻 great tips
When I did War and Peace for my book club I handed out a list of characters, helpful since there are several families and many characters have 2-3 names they are referred to eg nickname, family name, etc.
I started to tackle big book in 2020 when i brave myself to read A Little Life by Hanya Yanagihara. In 2021, i managed to read Don Quixote. Both books became my favorite books ever! Since then, i wish to make reading one big book a year as my yearly practice, this year i really want to read Anna Karenina!! I totally agree with tip #1 and #2 these methods effectively helped me with my reading, and I wanna add, watching reading vlogs also really encouraged me whenever I struggled with my progress and can't focus.
I just finished Don Quixote. I had originally picked up the John Ormsby (1888)translation and was finding it a chore to slog through. After watching You Tuber Benjamin McEvoy’s “ Which Translation of Don Quixote is the Best?” I switched to the John Rutherford (2000) translation in the Penguin Classic paperback ( gorgeous painting by Adrien Dumont on the cover). I started from the beginning again and what a difference! The book just sprang to life and I sailed through it. So my tip would be if you are going to read a big classic book, make sure you get a good translation. Next up War and Peace! 📚
It may sound strange but, since it has become possible to read without schlepping a gigantic tome that doesn't comfortably fit in any bag or briefcase, reading the big ones is easier now.
These are really great, rational suggestions & I love your love for big classic books. 📚 I'd also add that if you're not enjoying or getting anything out of a big book don't force yourself to finish it. There are some long books I pushed myself to complete even though I wasn't connecting with them and now I don't remember anything from them so it feels like time lost. I know there are some books which benefit from putting more concentrated thought into and research info alongside it (this was definitely the case for Mantel's Wolf Hall) but unless you have the time and inclination to do that I'd say don't bother because there are probably other big books out there you'll connect with more. I think this goes along with your final point of having fun with it because if it feels like if you're forcing yourself to read something it won't be enjoyable or beneficial.
Next on my big book TBR is the newly translated Our Share of Night by Argentinian writer Mariana Enriquez. 😄
Yeah, I've found that the occasional chat helps a lot too.
Great book! Also you look gorgeous :) my big books pending (mostly due to you and Emma) are war and peace, Anna karenina, count of monte cristo, and also Les miserables, don quixote
My 1st big book was Anna karenina. I was like wow it will take a long time. Now I love it now I'm reading the count of Monte Cristo
I think that people who have read Harry Potter books didn't feel any apprehension about reading those books, they just read them and enjoyed them, I guess. And they are not small books. And I have no doubt that some 100 years from now when those books become classics, some kids will dread picking them up because they are old and have so many pages. I think it is the same with, for example, The Three Musketeers and The Count of Monte Cristo. They are such a great adventure, but since they have this classic status, I think people expect some heavy, slow reading and just avoid them. Also, some books are hard to read not because they are big, but because they are just not for everyone, we don't all have the same taste. I honestly don't like Dickens, I don't bother with his books at all. If I had to read any of his books, I would follow your advice and simultaneously read some smaller book that is maybe more fun.
I love big books, but perhaps I am just a little weird. I always read a chapter, then take a break, then if I have time read another one. I find I manage to digest the story better that way. I also write out on a piece of paper all the characters, that way you are not always referring to the front or back of the book. Also, I find that writing them longhand they seem to "stick" better in my mind. Good luck to you all and great advice by Ms C. Though audiobooks always seem to put me to sleep😁
I did something a little unique. For Stephen King's "It," I had it on Kindle, so I didn't see how physically big the book was and when I read, I didn't look to see what the last page was either. Since I'm a fan of horror, I knew I was going to eventually read all of it, so when I had time, I would just read here and there, knowing I would eventually finish it. I didn't care how long it would take. I'll admit I did realize how big the book was weeks into reading it.
Also, your advice of reading shorter stories as well works!
That's great advice! I wish I had realized earlier how much hearing other people talk about a book helps keep me enthused for reading it. Now when I discovered Booktube and all the lovely author interviews that are here I feel like I get so much more out of my books and rarely get discouraged from reading them! My next big read is Karl Ove Knausgaard's My Struggle Book 2- at almost 500 pages ;)
I totally agree with No. 1 and 2. Last month I was reading a difficult 523 page book (it took me a month to read), I did 1 chapter a day and I sprinkled it with very short books in between. Now I just finished The Fatal Eggs by Bulgakov (very short book), to have the feeling that I'm finishing books as well and accomplishment, while reading a 700 page book in a language where my level is a B1 (that's a lot of effort!! 😅). I didn't find The Fatal Eggs straight-forward and it didn't flow naturally in the language I read it, I had to look up several terms on Russian history/context, I couldn't read it fast (I had to reread sentences to make sure I understood what was going on), and it's clear it's from a different time, but it did the trick :)
I read The Count of Monte Cristo this year and one thing it helped a lot, not only to not being intimidated by the book but also to keep the book with me all the time and read it anywhere, was that my version is divided in two volumes. I also watched Sarah's (from Sarah's perusals) vlogs on Monte Cristo as I was reading the respectives chapters, sort of as a way of company on my journey 😅
i'm blushing
@@sarahsperusals haha, I never thought you'd read my comment 🙈😆
Totally agree with you about audio books. I have Gone with the Wind audio book on hold at the library because I just couldn't get through the physical book. Depending on the narrator audio books can be so wonderful. It's a shorter book but I'm currently listening to Where the Red Fern Grows on audio read by Anthony Heald and it's such a joy. I highly recommend it. It's like listening to a loving grandfather telling his grandkids a story.
It’s as if you’ve read my mind!! I’m about to read middlemarch. It’s been on my list for ages but I’ve finally decided to take a plunge.
Started The Count of Monte Cristo. Excited and scared. I will also listen to the audio book. I also watched part of a movie version to help with who the characters are.
These tips are so helpful! There are so many big classic books I really want to read (like Anna Karenina, Count of Monte Cristo, Don Quixote, etc.) but I'm always just so intimidated to actually get started on them. Maybe I'll set a goal of reading 1~3 big books a year and accompanying them with shorter books. I also find your videos so relaxing and soothing. Thank you! :)
I’m grateful 🙏🏻
Audiobooks are really helpful 😊
I Know This Much Is True by Wally Lamb was an undertaking for me but ended up being one of my favorite books! More pages means more opportunity to become emotionally invested in the characters
Carolyn, i'm currently reading War and Peace, and I'm loving it! I love classics and i don't have fear of big books, but i think your tips are really great. 😍😍
Hi Carolyn I was just wondering when will you continue your bookshelf tour series? I really love hearing you talk about all the books you've got on your shelves.
You are adorable. I love big books because the ending is so much more powerful
Anna Karenina absolutely terrified me. I had the goal of one chapter a day. More if that particular chapter had a good flow. Turns out I loved the book.
I haven't watched the video yet but I am currently reading Gone the Wind so I guess it should be useful 😂
AMAZING book!!!
This book doesn't feel long at all! ✨
All I can say is that my favourite book of all time is a classic book which is 1421 pages long and I love it 🥰 and its War and Peace love this amazing video and your amazing channel love your family friend John xxx
i definitely utilized giving myself a page goal per day while reading the count of monte cristo. the book was so good that often times i didn't even realize i had surpassed the page count!! it was useful to help put into perspective how quickly i was actually reading the book, timeline wise. you touched on the thing that helps me most though: other people's enthusiasm for the book. your countless videos about anna karenina inspired me to pick it up sooner than i would have, because being passionate is contagious 💜
Love this! I’ve been reading Middlemarch since the beginning of June & I’ve been taking smaller book breaks in between each of the parts-it’s definitely helped me want to make it all the way through!
I've been reading it serially since June. I read Book I and have waited two months to go to Book II, just as contemporaries would have done. I can't wait to pick it up again in a few days' time!
I like the tip of reading shorter books on the side. I'm dying to read War and Peace but the idea that I will be reading that one book and nothing else potentially for months is so daunting and discouraging. So I think reading short books on the side will be really helpful!
A good thing for me is that I only read on my kindle so I don’t see how big the book is!! Also I like having another book that I’m also reading that is smaller so I don’t get burnt out.
I am trying to read all thr big books. I have read Bleak House, Anna Karinina, Middlemarch, The Way We Love Now, Warbreaker by Brandon Sanderson, and Comache Moon from the Lonesome Dove Quartet. I loved Bleak House, Anna Karinina, and Comache Moon. I'm reading a lot of large sci-fi books too. I'm a mood reader, so I usually take out a bunch of books and just read a chapter or too of whatever strikes me. Sometimes I'll just focus on my night books: 500+ pgs. Right now my goal is to get a couple hundred pages into 6 of my big books by the end of August, including Don Quixote, Daniel Deronda, War and Peace, and Shogun.
I didn't finish reading Anna Karenina, but I want to finish reading it one day. I'm currently reading Fall of Giants by Ken Follett. Since I'm reading an ebook, I try to read at least one or two chapters per day.
Thank you so much for your insightful videos.
Thank you a lot for these tips ❤
Booktubers on here, including yourself, have inspired me to pick up books big or small. I also do that step of setting a smaller goal.
Thank you for this. I’ve been reading The Count of Monte Cristo for months now. I keep putting it down and reading smaller books like you said you do, but the hardest thing for me is that I never feel like I’m getting anywhere with it. A couple of weeks ago I drove out to see a friend and had it playing in the car, I went through 4 and a bit chapters during the journey and when I updated Goodreads it only went up 1% 😩 I haven’t picked it up since.
But I do need to start just reading a bit a day as you suggested. Just so I can finish it. Unfortunately I think the slog of getting through the book has taken the actual joy of it away from me, so hopefully in the future, if I read any other large books and use your advice, it won’t feel the same.
Love this Carolyn! It took me a while to get over big book fear. For me, diving in head first and setting a goal of 100 pages a day was incredibly helpful. Especially when tackling war and peace lol
Good tips Carolyn! Also, the fear of fear of big books might be due to their shear size. It's a lot of heft to manage. So, to reduce their size, read them as an ebook. Voila! That big book is now the size of a _thin_ normal sized book!
Good tips. I find channels like yours motivating as a reader. This video has helped quite a bit.
i do read big books but it takes me a lot of effort to start them. my last big book is my current read: marguerite de navarre's heptameron.
some that i'm hoping to get to soon: notre dame de paris, swann's way, the mill on the floss, the love songs of web dubois
Hey Carolyn. War and Peace is my favourite book of all time and also at the same time, the biggest book I've ever read. This is to say that the size of the book is not necessarily something to frighten potential readers. Classic big books in fact demand attention and are an antithesis to all things superficial
War and Peace is my favorite also! Andre, Natasha, Pierre and Nicholae. Poor Sonya!
I first read an abridged version of almost 600 pages in 7th grade and LOVED it since.
Thank you for another helpful video ❤
I kind of feel intimidated and fascinated by big books all at once haha. For me the idea of engaging with a story for a long period of time is so interesting. I really want read more big books this year.
I always use a reading plan of 30-50 pages a day on tome books. I read 21 classics last year doing that including Les Miserables..I think I enjoyed and retained more that way also. I usually read 4 books at a time but my first reading of the day is always my big book. I check off my reading plan and then move on to my shorter novels .I faithfully stick to my reading plan and I t works well for me. I also use audiobooks a lot and then use bookmarks on the physical book.
Thanks Carolyn. Middle March has been on my shelf for a while. Hope to get to it soon!
It's there!!!!!!!!!!!
thank you Carolyn, i rest easy
In the best Greek publishing of Karenina(from a man who lived in Russia and knew the Russian language very well), the book is almost 1300 pages and that's because it's faced almost like a philosophy book...great publishing, by the way. I added some hundred pages with my writings about Karenina. 😄😁😁😁
I have my War and Peace and Don Quixote editions both divided into four books which are 350-400 pages each so they easily seem very conquerable. Though in the end I cannot feel as proud as someone who has conquered one monstrous mammoth.
I'm not afraid of reading big books, I'm just never sure I want to take the time to slog my way through them, LOL... however many of these points are helpful for that approach too.
A couplr of things that havd helped me:
I like pretending that reading BB as a "game" I play with myself. If the book is long I treat it like climbing the Himalayas: Prepare and Take your time. You do not have to read a big book over a certain time period. You don't have to say :I will read Anna Karenina in 30 days...so what if it takes longer. GIVE YOURSELF PERMISSION TO IDENTIFY WITH THE CHARACTERS...MUSE..How do you relate to them? What do you see in yourself as you meet each character? Plot line?
A couple...sorry for the spelling error.
Hi Carolyn, which audiobook did you listen to for Don Quixote? Thanks for the great video!
If you like big classic books you should try reading Clarissa Harlowe by Samuel Richardson. The Penguin edition is 1534 pages. It was influential for later writers like Jane Austen (Richardson was writing in the mid-18th century).
Clarissa used to be required reading for an English degree, and now you've mentioned it I've (mentally) put it (back) on my tbr list. Thx
I am not afraid of big books but I know many people that are so, great video!! I afraid of Russians (because of the mames) and your channel has helped me a lot. Totally agree with researching about the book first and sometimes I use a list with the characters. 🤗❤️
I actually dont have any problems with big books. I actually quite like it when i have a really big book in my hand. I feel smart lol.
What bothers me with big books is that I can't take them everywhere :(
(I'm not a digital reader)
I read The Count of Monte Cristo this year and one thing it helped a lot, not only to not being intimidated by the book but also to keep the book with me all the time and read it anywhere, was that my version is divided in two volumes. I also bought Les Miserables in two volumes, I hope I'll get there sometime next year.
The version I have is in three volumes and it's definitely more practical and easier to read.
ive got it by stephen king i adore the movies and ive been wanting to read it for so long but its like 1153 pages so im like so scared to start it lol
Imagine that it is not a 'big book'. The best you can do is to think that are 5 books in one (it's just an example).
Great video by the way :')
I might be weird but I like to totally spoil the whole book and watch a movie adaptation if one is available. Generally the books are better than the movies, IMO, so I can go into the big book knowing how the story unfolds and enjoying the "better version". I am a person who does like to re-watch movies, tv series and re-read books so that might be why I don't mind having the plot spoiled.
What is that beautiful edition of Anna Karenina?
Someone once incredulously asked me, as I was reading Stephen King's 1,400-page 'The Stand', 'how do you read a book that long?' I said 'a page at a time, the same way as any other book'. Such an odd question.
0:40 How is the Kyril Zinovieff translation?
🥰useful
Amei as dicas....🇧🇷🇧🇷🇧🇷🇧🇷🇧🇷🇧🇷
😊like number 601, don’t forget your likes..
Hi
Did you record this video in the morning right after waking up? Your voice sound different in this video. 🤔
Where were you all my life 😭...
what big book or three books do you think are good entry points?
Anna Karenina, The Count of Monte Christo and Gone With the Wind. War and Peace is great as well.
There's not really an entrance point to reading big books, only stories in actual need of that many pages so they can keep you interested all the way through. For example Atlas Shrugged and the Bible could've been a lot shorter without losing anything too essential, and I think that's why especially the Bible is such a hard read for many.
@@LoverofLiszt ok, ty. i see your point! i've actually read both AS & the Bible as well as Fountainhead, but somehow i didn't think of those as Big Books. maybe bc i'm thinking of classics?
Am I in the minority that actually likes big books?
what is considered a big book? 300,400,500+ pages?
idk - LOTR was a big book for me, but it's really three normal sized novels. War and Peace is like 1200 pages (not sure exactly) and although it's broken up into several parts, it's really one big book. In Search of Lost Time is really huge - like 3300 pages - but again it's a series of smaller novels. Don Quixote is a big book.
i'd say over 450-500 pages
@@jamesduggan7200 those are extra large books😂
@@nxreu yea probably, but then some people think its 300+ so we will never agree
@@vulee100 true!
thanks for the tips, carolyn! i have 2 big books that i want to read before the year ends: anna karenina and moby dick. scared, but excited 😂
the problem is that I fear small books 🥲
Great Expectations has been sitting on my bookshelf for the past six years and I reeaally want to read it but I'm just so scared of it🥲. Hope this helps
oh gosh: GE is a wonderful read & actually quite a quick read. unlike most dickens books it doesn't have too many characters and the plot has a quick clip! i bet you will
💕LOVE IT💕