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Loved the pickle bookstore. How novel! (See what I did there?)

And yes, there’s always a second chance for books. I hated reading Jack Kerouac in high school, but on a particularly difficult day in the middle of the pandemic I picked up Dharma Bums again. This time around, older and (hopefully) a little wiser, I really enjoyed it. So yeah, when I put a book down because it’s not clicking for me, it’s more of a see you later than a true goodbye.

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I got through "War and Peace" after the fourth attempt (and finally getting a decent translation). Have given Moby Dick several attempts as well but I think that's a lost cause. Ulysses even more so. Proust even more more so.

So here's another question: when to give up on trying again?

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I’ve quit on War and Peace three times. I was supposed to read Ulysses, but I don’t think I did. Never attempted Proust. But I never say never with books. Or, rather I stopped saying never because can always pick it up later. But what I’ve tried to do is stop thinking that I *have to* read a particular book.

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