Honestly, I'd suggest starting out with a more contemporary and easy author before delving into the classics, for the same reasons Einstein gave about music: ht

Honestly, I'd suggest starting out with a more contemporary and easy author before delving into the classics, for the same reasons Einstein gave about music: https://www.rd.com/article/the-night-i-met-einstein/ https://www.rd.com/article/the-night-i-met-einstein/ The classics tend to be harder to approach due to the many cultural references contemporary to their time, and also their literary devices and techniques that are part of what led to their selection as classics to begin with. Without that background knowledge, you'll feel lost and frustrated, and there's little point in reading things if you can't enjoy them. I started my journey into history and the classics later in life. I never thought I'd ever actually enjoy reading Shakespeare, and yet King Lear is one of my favorites (but it takes a lot of background knowledge to enjoy). So start with someone contemporary to the last 30 years or so. Think of the genres of TV shows or movies you do enjoy, and then seek out famous authors of those genres. Here are some authors I've enjoyed in the more "addition and subtraction" end of literature. Temba, his arms wide: - Stephen King (horror, suspense) - fun fact: Did you know that "Rita Hayworth and the Shawshank Redemption" is one of the few non-horror short stories he wrote? And I daresay his best. - Terry Pratchett (comedy, fantasy) - Spent many an evening giggling uncontrollably with his Discworld novels. - Douglas Adams (comedy, scifi) - Robert Heinlein (scifi) - "Stranger in a Strange Land" is still my favorite scifi story. This is where the term "grok" comes from. - Tom Clancy (drama, thriller, spy) - John Steinbeck (drama, depression era) - "Of Mice and Men" is particularly good, and a source of many references. Whenever you hear references to Lenny and the rabbits and the puppy, it's referring to this book. - Farley Mowatt (drama, environmentalism) - Most famous for "Never Cry Wolf" TBH I'm a little jealous... You're about to discover a whole world.