Does anyone have any tips on reading depressingly boring books?

Question

im reading Ethan Frome for english and i have to read each paragraph twice, not because i dont understand it but because its so boring that my mind sidetracks.

Answer 1

Read a little at a time, but keep plugging away at it. Set yourself a goal: maybe two pages every hour. Read through the two pages, then write down in two sentences what happened. If you make it through that, then you can put the book away for the rest of the hour. The trick is to come back the next hour (and the next!) and repeat the process.

Also, try reading SparkNotes or something like that to get the gist of what you're reading; it may pique your interest and make the book easier to get through. At the very least, if you read the SparkNotes you'll know what the book's about, even if (heaven forbid) you don't actually get through the whole novel.

Answer 2

I hear you. That book depressed and bored the hell out of me. So inept he couldn't even manage to commit suicide without screwing it up. It's a short one, though, so trudge through it. I've found that paraphrasing the paragraph after I've read it helps. In fiction books, you kind of have to read the whole thing.
However, here's a tip for non fiction books (I was a double major/double minor in college, so, I had to read a LOT, and the books weren't always that interesting...Russian Collective Farming Stats, anyone???). ALWAYS read the intro. I don't care how boring it is. Read it. ALWAYS read the conclusion. That will tell you the important stuff to look for. Then, if the chapters are short, you just read the first and last paragraph of each chapter. That will tell you most of what you need to know. If they're long chapters with sub-headings, same principle...first and last paragraph of the sub-headings. Most of the time that will be enough. I took one class...boring as hell...but I read every damn book cover to cover, but never got above a B on my papers. Final paper, I did the first/last, and somehow pulled an A out of the sucker, so, I think it works...
Just don't use it all the time...there are a lot of really good works once you get past the first chapter or so (the set up chapter). And never use this method on fiction - won't work.

Answer 3

1. See if the book was made into a movie. 2. Check to see if there are Cliff Notes for it. 3. Call the library to see if options 1, 2, and/or if the book comes in audio book format. 4. Do the math. Just because a book looks long, doesn't mean it has to be. Check how many days you have until the book report is due, and then divide that by how many pages are in the book. For example, if you have 12 nights to read a 200 page novel, then you only have to read 17 pages a night, which is much less intimidating.

Answer 4

Try to focus as much as you can. Sit in a quiet, relaxing place, and just read. Try to pretend as if you were there. Really think about what the writer is trying to say. Believe me, this worked for me when I had to read classics for my English class. Good luck. :)

I think you'll find in the end that you'll really like the book in general, just maybe not how it went about telling the story, but I don't know, because I've never even heard of Ethan Frome.

Answer 5

I know where you are coming from, im reading The Scarlet Letter for English and I think I lacked a pulse for the first five minutes because it was insanely boring. I eventually decided to use cliff notes. It depends how smart your teacher is but, if you pay attention in class and do the homework you should do fine on the tests. Also, you may have too much on your mind, try to relax before you read. I prefer the 1st solution, it's less stressful.

Answer 6

Read it out loud and put some voices on, that should be distractfull enough..!!!

Answer 7

picture the charactors mocking the story, rather than 'acting it out'

Answer 8

underline or take notes. it keeps you a little more focused.

Answer 9

try outlining important parts so you can remember.