I actually have two long term reading projects going on at the moment alongside my normal readings. One is T.E. Lawrence's Seven Pillars of Wisdom which I began a few weeks ago. Lawrence of Arabia is one of my favorite movies and I had purchased the book several years ago but never gotten around to it. It's a thick work so that may have discouraged me in the past. But the chapters are short which make it a perfect candidate for a long term read reading one chapter a day. Since starting these long-term read projects a book's length is no longer quite a intimidating.
I have been surprised how different the reality of Lawrence's exploits are from the movie. I expected some artistic license and changes for dramatic purposes. But the movie is almost unrecognizable to the historical narrative. I'm only a quarter of the way through the book so maybe it will soon match the movie's plot much more closely, but I doubt it. Much of the work is tedious re-hashing of military history in great detail. Lots of names of battles, officers, and Arab leaders. But as soon as you become completely disillusioned by the pedantic pace you come across a chapter of great poetry and observation. Those chapters keep you coming back.
I'm also reading my way through the Essays of Montaigne during breakfast each morning on my Kindle. I am finding the essays surprisingly enjoyable. I've had these on my Kindle for a long time and they looked like a good candidate for my breakfast time reading, each essay being fairly short and perfect in length to read while I eat my cereal. Despite being 500 years old I find Montaigne's essays relatable and topical to the issues of our day. He's funny and engaging. I'm enjoying them greatly. He wrote a lot of essays so it will take awhile. I'm in no rush.
So far here's how I rank the enjoyability of my long term reads (since I started this project in 2019)...
Swann's Way by Marcel Proust
Gravity's Rainbow by Thomas Pynchon
Ulysses by James Joyce
War and Peace by Leo Tolstoy
Infinite Jest by David Foster Wallace
