Mental Health Bookclub discussion

I can't speak for what intimidates you so no examples here!

Discussion prompts
- What did you / will you read for this task?
- What did you think of it?
- Why did it intimidate you? Are you happy you finally read it, or was it not worth it?
- Do you tend to get intimidated by books? Is it enough to put you off or do you just push through and try them anyway?

For this prompt I read It's Not Rocket Science. It's a book that had been sitting on my shelf for years - I think I picked it up in an bookshop on impulse and then was too intimidated to read it as I was pretty sure I'd have to really concentrate!

Some concentration was required, but luckily it was a really interesting book. The author, Ben Miller is a comedian so he was able to present some complicated scientific concepts in a funny and engaging way. I'd recommended it if anyone wants to find out a bit more about science but doesn't know where to start. I'm definitely happy I finally read it!

I get intimidated by books all the time - particularly classics. I have a whole shelf full of classics: Jane Austen, E.M. Forster, Charles Dickens etc., and I often think I'll pick one up and then get intimidated and change my mind. It's usually the language that intimidates me, I feel like I'll have to try really hard to get into it rather than just getting absorbed. I've made a more conscious effort to push through and have had mixed results - I loved To Kill a Mockingbird, Of Mice and Men and Rebecca, but hated The Great Gatsby, The Awakening and 1984. It makes sense I won't like every classic, but I think there's an added layer of feeling like if I don't like it, it's because I'm not clever enough to appreciate it! Which is stupid, so I'm definitely going to try and just push through the intimidation and try more of them in 2017