Kathy Hamilton Here at the Female Scriblerian, you’ll always find me championing reading for pleasure. I believe reading books should be an enjoyable pastime and not a chore. That being said, I’ve been thinking about reading challenging books a lot lately. Do the ends justify the means? Are they worth the effort?
To start with, what constitutes a ‘hard’ book?
When we talk about reading challenging books what are we actually trying to say? I’m not talking about a forcing your way through a book that you can humble brag about afterwards! Instead, I’m thinking of books that demand your attention and focus a little more than usual. There’s a host of reasons a book can be challenging. Language. Topic. Density. What you want from a challenging book is something to shake the dust of familiarity from your shoulders.
When I was studying English Literature at University it was easy to find the motivation to read complex and difficult books because it was a course requirement. But outside of that very specific environment it takes a little more willpower.
It’s all too easy to avoid the challenge
That’s because reading challenging books demands a little more effort from us, in both time and attention. But there is a reward. In my experience, it is rarely the books that are easy to read that stay with you. Life-changing books are often books that challenge you; whether that be through topic, style or sentiment.
Think of reading challenging books as like stepping into a cold shower. At first it’s horrendous but, after the shock wears off, we are left revitalised and wide awake. These books force us to confront ourselves and the world. They act as a shock to the system and invite us to reconsider our actions, traditions and even introduce us to brand new perspectives that can make us uncomfortable. But that’s not to say they can’t be funny, sarcastic or even hilarious.
Why Choose the Hard Road?
Of course, there are a myriad of reasons to read and deliberately choosing to make yourself uncomfortable might be one of the strangest. There’s not many other examples I can think of where you would actively choose the harder of two tasks. However, I’m starting to think there might be some merit to it.
If reports are to be believed, our ability to concentrate for long periods of time is getting worse. We also live in a world where boredom, as an active state, is hard to come by. What I mean by that is, the dedication needed to sit at a long task, like reading complicated books, without interruption will inevitably include some moments of boredom as well as requiring concentration.
There’s something valuable about being able to sit with a book. And I mean properly sit: distraction free, for a long period of time. In our world, where we are constantly connected to distraction, deciding to devote hours upon hours to something like reading challenging books can feel radical. It teaches you discipline and the value of delayed gratification. It also takes motivation: it’s not easy to stick with something that you find confusing, painful or ‘hard’ after all.
Final Thoughts on Reading Challenging Books
Now, confession time. I’m writing this in part to remind myself of the value of reading challenging books. I’ve been stealthily avoiding a book that I know will be complex and hard to read, even though I already know that it’s going to shake me up in the best kind of way.
With that said, I think it’s about time that I take my own advice! So if you need me I’ll be in a comfortable chair devoting my time to reading challenging books; or at least trying to. And that’s the most important part.
