That's why I've come up with 8 tips to encourage you to start reading so-called "difficult" books. With these tips in hand, I hope you'll be more capable and more confident in your reading.

Start by identifying the purpose of the book

Am I being told the story of a monarch? Is this a book that will help me sleep better? Is it a mere feat of style? This first step may seem simple, but keeping in mind the ultimate goal of the book will help you approach it more accurately. You have to be prepared to face endless moral dilemmas and questions with Plato, while Tolstoy's War and Peace will be about knowing the soul of Russia. Bukowski, on the other hand, might just want to shake you up by talking about debauchery. Identifying this goal will help you select the information that is essential to your understanding.

Accept that you don't understand everything

This is, in my opinion, perhaps the most important point. When you read a book, it is not about grasping everything completely. It would be very naive to think that you have understood everything, whatever the text you are reading. Any reading includes several concepts and layers of possible interpretations. Some will jump out at you, others will remain mysterious, hidden from the obvious. Not understanding everything is completely normal, especially in the case of a difficult reading. The main thing is to grasp the broad outlines or even just part of the book.

Remember to take breaks and not to get out of breath

There is no point in trying to read a complicated book at full speed. As Stephen King said, a good reader must know how to read without thirst, but also in small sips. For a dense book, it will be wiser to read it in small sections, to give yourself time to understand what you have read. This will help you stay motivated without disturbing you. What I apply is to spread the reading of a difficult book over several days, or even several weeks. Reading a chapter or a section per day, gives me time to think about it and integrate it without drowning my mind with new concepts.

Schedule time to read daily

Set aside a block of time each day dedicated to your reading. Whether it’s an hour, thirty minutes, or even 5 minutes in the morning with your coffee. Put down your phone, get comfortable, and during this time, focus all your attention on your reading. Consistency will take you far! Ten minutes of reading may not seem like much, but added together, these small sessions will add up to 5 hours of time over a month!

Use a dictionary

The French language has nearly 90,000 words according to broad estimates. English even supplants it with nearly 200,000 words. It is therefore quite natural not to know all these words. Don't worry, it is not necessarily necessary to whip out your Petit Robert for each paragraph. I have noticed that many authors have favorite words, that they will use almost excessively. Go and check their meanings just once and you will be prepared for all their future appearances. Reading will only seem more fluid to you.

Remember to take notes as you read.

Charles Dantzig says that annotation and note-taking are ways of engaging in dialogue with the text. Underline passages that seem important to you, and take notes on key characters. Ask yourself questions about the meaning of what you are reading, whether you agree with the narrator or not. Reading without questioning is passive, and will leave you with few memories. Active reading, full of questions with a pen in hand, will remain with you. And your overall understanding of the text will be enriched.

Talk about the book with others.

Who says reading has to be a solitary activity? Discussing your readings with other readers will bring you a lot. Other opinions, other interpretations, and other views compared to yours will show you that a book is only a reflection of its reader. There are thousands of ways to read the same text. Consider joining a book club in your city, or simply reading the same book as a friend. In addition, doing this reading as part of a group project will motivate you to finish it.

Consider consulting external sources.

If you find the content of a book particularly difficult, don't hesitate to look for documents that can help you understand it. The Internet is full of summaries and discussions on every subject imaginable. Knowing the book in broad terms before diving into a detailed reading can help you note down key information and remember what you read. Similarly, learning about the historical and political context of a work will give it a different light.

Conclusion

Remember one thing: reading “difficult” books can be extremely rewarding and easier than you think. You just need to put a little willpower into it and use these few tips to get there. The important thing is not to put pressure on yourself and to progress at your own pace. Reading can be a challenge, but above all, it should remain a pleasure. To your books!