There are so many great classics – so many books you’ve heard of that you wish you’d read. Fact is, a lot of them aren’t good… or at least they’re not good for you at this particular point in your life. Here are some tips from Steve Leveen, author of "The Little Guide to Your Well-Read Life", to help you get over the guilt of never having read "War and Peace":
—If you’re 50 pages into the book and still not hooked, put it down. Maybe you give it the heave-ho, maybe you save it for another time. But it’s not your fault if the author didn’t write a book that grabs you.
—Learn to discern between literary pretentiousness and books that are actually worth reading. Maybe the book just made the list of classics because it was groundbreaking for its time. That doesn’t mean you’re illiterate for not having read it.
—Establish a shelf of "maybe later" books. If a book doesn’t appeal to you now, perhaps it will down the road – when you’re traveling or are in a different state of mind.
(Source: Rachel Sauer, writing in The Palm Beach Post)
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