Another one that I discovered yesterday and might appeal to some people - I’m recovering from dental surgery (😩) and I have almost no brain power or energy for reading. But I do have to finish Anna Karenina in the next few days for my IRL book club, and I discovered that I can pay attention to audiobooks in my sub-optimal state! So I’ve been listening to the audio as I read the words on the page. It’s a bit slower that my usual reading pace but I’m enjoying savoring the words more.
So that might be helpful during some of the more dense parts of the book!
I love doing this! I reread Joyce’s Dubliners regularly while listening to the LibriVox recording on YouTube. It’s great to go slow and savor the language!
Looking forward to this experience and it soothes my anxiety to know if we are behind, your posts are here anytime (and you always respond to comments even if they are weeks late!)
How much time do you expect to take with your group? I started reading some of "the classics" a few years ago after reading a few books on literature (reading and writing) that used many of the same authors as examples over and over again--Eliot prominant among them. I wanted to see how these authors wrote for myself, and I'm enjoying seeing the lessons emerge even if the stories are far from my usual genres. I'm not reading for the stories, but the authorial technique.
My "long book" tip may not work for your group. I read fiction only at night before bed, usually a chapter or two. I also sometimes alternate two or more novels so in the end it can take me many months to get through a long novel. My secret is not worrying about it. I'm only a few chapters from the end of Middlemarch, but I started "Tale of Gengi" a year ago and I'm only half way through it 😭
We're doing Middlemarch in 12 weeks! We have done other classics—Wharton's *The House of Mirth* and *The Age of Innocence* as well as Austen's *Pride & Prejudice*—in ten weeks. I don't want to stretch it too long, but also don't want people getting burnt out by moving too fast. I find that 8-12 weeks is a sweet spot, so far!
"My secret is not worrying about it." I love this. I took a really long time to read East of Eden a few years ago, and not rushing through it made it so special to me.
I have slight twists on tips offered by other commenters - I also like to use audiobooks and analog books in tandem, but I tend to switch between the two formats. Sometimes I’m too busy to sit and read but able to listen or sometimes it’s related to energy level or mood. Sometimes I just like hearing a different voice saying the words. (Thandie Newton’s reading of War and Peace led me to this point 😍.)
Secondly, I also read one or two other books at the same time, because I am a mood reader. I find it does for my brain what drinking a tart lemonade instead of my usual iced latte does for my taste buds to read something lighter or of a completely different genre.
Lastly, I’ve become a committed book club reader - I love having conversation with other readers along with support and encouragement from a knowledgeable facilitator while I am reading. I love Substack and the quality of readers that I’ve experienced in the few different groups I’ve participated in - and imho Haley is one of the best. I’m super excited to dive into Middlemarch make some new book friends!!
I love the idea of using audiobooks intermittently — that is a fantastic piece of advice!
And your lemonade/latte metaphor is SO good. Sometimes we're just not in the mood for certain stories, and it's okay to "order" something else for the day, as it were. I love that!
I think this will be useful for both Middlemarch and my current read of The Parisian! I never think about ambiance/romance (I'm usually just so happy to find the time) when reading so that's a fun tidbit
Nice! I love that. I have The Parisian on my shelf. I've heard only good things about Isabella Hammad. Have you read "Enter Ghost"? I started it. Hoping to read it simultaneously with Middlemarch.
I’m all set to go with my highlighters and a new moleskine notebook! I just love Substack reads and this is my 5th for the year. I’m really looking forward to this journey 😊
I think mainly I want to bounce off ideas with other humans (reading being a usual solitary exercise for me); this is my first “book club” if it qualifies as such 😅
I really love these tips, Haley. I am teaching a class on writing and would love to share these tips with my students. I believe they also apply to writing as well as reading.
i love the tips here. i started The Brothers Karamazov in February fully expecting to finish within a month. well, it's almost June and i'm almost halfway. oops. it's too easy for me to start eyeing other books and i do tend to read multiple books at once; a case of FOMO, i guess.
one thing i recently find motivating is following social media accounts that love the book/author or make memes of the book/reading the book. it feels like an "inside joke," so it inspires me to get back to the book so i can be "in" on it.
but the best is joining and following clubs/read-a-longs like these! it's always so much more fun reading with others or following along with guides. it's what ultimately led me to pick up The Brothers Karamazov because The Dostoevsky Book Club substack is reading it this year.
while i won't be able to join in on Middlemarch, i look forward to the posts i can come back to when i do read it and excited to see what book you do next!
I love what you said about the read-a-longs! It is so much fun to read a book with the "extras" of the community, the insider info, your fellow readers. I picked up a copy of the Brothers Karamazov this year because I saw the same Dostoevsky Book Club announcement about it! I haven't gotten to it yet, regrettably.
I'm glad these tips were helpful and I hope the Middlemarch guide is helpful, when you come back to it! :)
I read "Middlemarch" about a dozen years ago, and remember enjoying it very much, mainly because of feeling very protective of Dorothea Brooke, especially after she makes the terrible decision to marry the Reverend Edward Casaubon, a man old enough to be her father. By the time I read "Middlemarch", I had already read "The Mill on the Floss", "Adam Bede", and "Daniel Deronda", and so I knew what to expect from George Eliot as a writer. I admired her ability to create flesh-and-blood characters, as well as how well she conjured up the beauties of the English countryside.
One tip I would offer with regard to reading long novels is to charge into the book and read a large chunk of it in a short period of time. That way you'll feel you've made a significant investment in the story and will be motivated to carry on. I'd also be inclined to immerse myself in the Big Book, and devote my reading energies to it alone and not be distracted by smaller fry, though I admit I'll sometimes have a related history book on the go at the same time, or perhaps a book of short stories, just to exercise a different set of reading muscles.
A big motivator for me in reading a long story is watching my bookmark reach the one-quarter of the novel milestone, the one-third, one-half, three-fifths, and so on until finally reaching the last page. In the case of a Victorian novel such as "Middlemarch", I think I owe it to George Eliot to read at a slower pace and concentrate on the language, letting the meaning of the words come to me at about the same pace as they occurred to the author. And I just sit in an old armchair and read--no background music, no radio, no TV, just me and Ms. Eliot and the good people of Middlemarch, and maybe a pot of tea and some homemade scones with strawberry jam.
My 10 yr old granddaughter was staying with me and flying through Nancy Drew mysteries. I picked up one and started reading it. While Nancy Drew is probably not going to be your first choice, I heartily recommend taking a break with an easy read as a sort of palate cleanser.
I'm set and looking forward to the first week with you all on Middlemarch!
--Jean
Love these tips!
Another one that I discovered yesterday and might appeal to some people - I’m recovering from dental surgery (😩) and I have almost no brain power or energy for reading. But I do have to finish Anna Karenina in the next few days for my IRL book club, and I discovered that I can pay attention to audiobooks in my sub-optimal state! So I’ve been listening to the audio as I read the words on the page. It’s a bit slower that my usual reading pace but I’m enjoying savoring the words more.
So that might be helpful during some of the more dense parts of the book!
I love doing this! I reread Joyce’s Dubliners regularly while listening to the LibriVox recording on YouTube. It’s great to go slow and savor the language!
Looking forward to this experience and it soothes my anxiety to know if we are behind, your posts are here anytime (and you always respond to comments even if they are weeks late!)
How much time do you expect to take with your group? I started reading some of "the classics" a few years ago after reading a few books on literature (reading and writing) that used many of the same authors as examples over and over again--Eliot prominant among them. I wanted to see how these authors wrote for myself, and I'm enjoying seeing the lessons emerge even if the stories are far from my usual genres. I'm not reading for the stories, but the authorial technique.
My "long book" tip may not work for your group. I read fiction only at night before bed, usually a chapter or two. I also sometimes alternate two or more novels so in the end it can take me many months to get through a long novel. My secret is not worrying about it. I'm only a few chapters from the end of Middlemarch, but I started "Tale of Gengi" a year ago and I'm only half way through it 😭
We're doing Middlemarch in 12 weeks! We have done other classics—Wharton's *The House of Mirth* and *The Age of Innocence* as well as Austen's *Pride & Prejudice*—in ten weeks. I don't want to stretch it too long, but also don't want people getting burnt out by moving too fast. I find that 8-12 weeks is a sweet spot, so far!
"My secret is not worrying about it." I love this. I took a really long time to read East of Eden a few years ago, and not rushing through it made it so special to me.
That's a good time... About 1 chapter/day...
I have slight twists on tips offered by other commenters - I also like to use audiobooks and analog books in tandem, but I tend to switch between the two formats. Sometimes I’m too busy to sit and read but able to listen or sometimes it’s related to energy level or mood. Sometimes I just like hearing a different voice saying the words. (Thandie Newton’s reading of War and Peace led me to this point 😍.)
Secondly, I also read one or two other books at the same time, because I am a mood reader. I find it does for my brain what drinking a tart lemonade instead of my usual iced latte does for my taste buds to read something lighter or of a completely different genre.
Lastly, I’ve become a committed book club reader - I love having conversation with other readers along with support and encouragement from a knowledgeable facilitator while I am reading. I love Substack and the quality of readers that I’ve experienced in the few different groups I’ve participated in - and imho Haley is one of the best. I’m super excited to dive into Middlemarch make some new book friends!!
I love the idea of using audiobooks intermittently — that is a fantastic piece of advice!
And your lemonade/latte metaphor is SO good. Sometimes we're just not in the mood for certain stories, and it's okay to "order" something else for the day, as it were. I love that!
So excited you're joining us for Middlemarch!
I think this will be useful for both Middlemarch and my current read of The Parisian! I never think about ambiance/romance (I'm usually just so happy to find the time) when reading so that's a fun tidbit
Nice! I love that. I have The Parisian on my shelf. I've heard only good things about Isabella Hammad. Have you read "Enter Ghost"? I started it. Hoping to read it simultaneously with Middlemarch.
I loveddd enter ghost!
I’m all set to go with my highlighters and a new moleskine notebook! I just love Substack reads and this is my 5th for the year. I’m really looking forward to this journey 😊
Yay! Wow: 5th for the year! You're on a roll!
I think mainly I want to bounce off ideas with other humans (reading being a usual solitary exercise for me); this is my first “book club” if it qualifies as such 😅
I love that! We definitely do that in the comments each week, so I hope you'll join the conversation.
I really love these tips, Haley. I am teaching a class on writing and would love to share these tips with my students. I believe they also apply to writing as well as reading.
I love this!! I hope you do share with your students and I'd love to know what they think!!
i love the tips here. i started The Brothers Karamazov in February fully expecting to finish within a month. well, it's almost June and i'm almost halfway. oops. it's too easy for me to start eyeing other books and i do tend to read multiple books at once; a case of FOMO, i guess.
one thing i recently find motivating is following social media accounts that love the book/author or make memes of the book/reading the book. it feels like an "inside joke," so it inspires me to get back to the book so i can be "in" on it.
but the best is joining and following clubs/read-a-longs like these! it's always so much more fun reading with others or following along with guides. it's what ultimately led me to pick up The Brothers Karamazov because The Dostoevsky Book Club substack is reading it this year.
while i won't be able to join in on Middlemarch, i look forward to the posts i can come back to when i do read it and excited to see what book you do next!
I love what you said about the read-a-longs! It is so much fun to read a book with the "extras" of the community, the insider info, your fellow readers. I picked up a copy of the Brothers Karamazov this year because I saw the same Dostoevsky Book Club announcement about it! I haven't gotten to it yet, regrettably.
I'm glad these tips were helpful and I hope the Middlemarch guide is helpful, when you come back to it! :)
I’m all set. Read the first couple of pages. I’m intrigued by the descriptions of the characters and how they relate to the time period.
Nice!! Very intriguing so far, isn't it?!
Absolutely.
I read "Middlemarch" about a dozen years ago, and remember enjoying it very much, mainly because of feeling very protective of Dorothea Brooke, especially after she makes the terrible decision to marry the Reverend Edward Casaubon, a man old enough to be her father. By the time I read "Middlemarch", I had already read "The Mill on the Floss", "Adam Bede", and "Daniel Deronda", and so I knew what to expect from George Eliot as a writer. I admired her ability to create flesh-and-blood characters, as well as how well she conjured up the beauties of the English countryside.
One tip I would offer with regard to reading long novels is to charge into the book and read a large chunk of it in a short period of time. That way you'll feel you've made a significant investment in the story and will be motivated to carry on. I'd also be inclined to immerse myself in the Big Book, and devote my reading energies to it alone and not be distracted by smaller fry, though I admit I'll sometimes have a related history book on the go at the same time, or perhaps a book of short stories, just to exercise a different set of reading muscles.
A big motivator for me in reading a long story is watching my bookmark reach the one-quarter of the novel milestone, the one-third, one-half, three-fifths, and so on until finally reaching the last page. In the case of a Victorian novel such as "Middlemarch", I think I owe it to George Eliot to read at a slower pace and concentrate on the language, letting the meaning of the words come to me at about the same pace as they occurred to the author. And I just sit in an old armchair and read--no background music, no radio, no TV, just me and Ms. Eliot and the good people of Middlemarch, and maybe a pot of tea and some homemade scones with strawberry jam.
These are all very helpful tips. I might join you for Middlemarch. I also plan to try these when I read Moby-Dick this summer!
Thank you for these useful tips Haley! 😊📚
My 10 yr old granddaughter was staying with me and flying through Nancy Drew mysteries. I picked up one and started reading it. While Nancy Drew is probably not going to be your first choice, I heartily recommend taking a break with an easy read as a sort of palate cleanser.