[Iris Alantiel]

I read The Silmarillion during the summer. I brought it with me every day to work. I think part of what helped me to get through it was the fact that, after hours of insanity (I worked in a very popular restaurant in the drive thru/take out section), I would have read anything, anything, that would take me away from that restaurant. Also, I had tried to read The Sil before and it didn't quite work out, but this summer I was absolutely determined I was going to get through it, and I think that determination also helped too. It's really all about the mindset.

Having said that, it was still without question the hardest thing I have ever read in my life. I had to put 110% of my concentration into it. But if it helps any, I found that concentrating on it so hard really made it come alive in a spectacular way, and by the end, after putting so much effort into focusing on what I was reading, I thought it was one of the most beautiful texts I've read in my life, almost poetic. It's worth reading for that reason alone, to say nothing of all the ME history in it (which it'll take me another couple of readings to pick up anyway). So if you can at all persevere with it, it's worth it, at least in my humble opinion.

Best of luck! [img]smilies/biggrin.gif[/img]