How to read difficult book?

As adults we are no longer required to eat up our greens or the crusts on our bread (if we don’t want to) so why apply that to reading matter?
Thank you so much, MayBeMaw

I don't like eating my crusts but sometimes have a little eagle-eyed DGC asking me why I'm not finishing them.

I don’t know why I feel the need to finish a book, I guess I just keep hoping it will improve, and by the time I decide it won’t, I’m nearly finished anyway.

Sara1954

Jane43
Catch22 is one of the very few books I’ve given up on, Cloud Atlas was given to me as a present, otherwise, it may have joined it.
I really struggled with ‘Midnights Children’ last year, it took me ages, and I really couldn’t get into it, but I persevered, I feel bad if I don’t finish.

I’ve tried to watch the film of Cloud Atlas several times, having given up on the book ( which had been highly recommended to me ) but still can’t understand what’s happening. I gave up on The Time Travellers Wife several times until I finally found myself loving it. My ex husband said he read it on a plane and was crying at the end. I actually loved the film of that one, especially as it was such a difficult concept to film.

MayBee
Loved Time Travellers Wife

Now that’s one I persevered with and wish I hadn’t. Though the rest of my book club, or at least the ones who read it , loved it.

Maggiemaybe

Now that’s one I persevered with and wish I hadn’t. Though the rest of my book club, or at least the ones who read it , loved it.

I think it was another case of suspending disbelief eg where did he find clothes from when he suddenly appeared. Once I managed to do that I was hooked.

MayBeMaw

I find this incredibly patronising - both the concept and some of the suggestions.
We are no longer at school/college/university studying literature - and I usually found studying a book was a sure fire kiss of death to enjoying it.
Read what you like- one person’s “difficult” book is another’s bedtime favourite.
If you are not gripped by a book or enjoying it - why bother.
As adults we are no longer required to eat up our greens or the crusts on our bread (if we don’t want to) so why apply that to reading matter?
Watch any ”film of the book” for the story if you want, they are often quite different but who is to deny anybody the pleasure of Colin Firth in his wet shirt even if Jane Austen didn’t think of it first.
There is a lot of virtue signalling when it comes to talking about books, and I think book groups are often to blame. It’s a bit like wine or art- you can hear a lot of tosh talked about them too.

Totally agree here. Same for films, same for art. I want to enjoy it, be challenged perhaps... but not discuss it.

When I was doing my Teaching Degree, I took French as an extra subject, as it is my MT. And for one essay about a book, I just wrote 'Last thing the author would have wanted, was students writing about it, rather than 'feeling' it'.

Lecturer agreed with me- but had to give me an F- which didn't matter to me at all. I wore it with pride.