I sometimes read books, and I cannot get past the first few pages. I really tried my hardest, but it was just impossible (for me). For 2025, these books included:

  • Bruges-la-Morte by Georges Rodenbach. I could not get past the preface by Marc-Vincent Howlett, which read like intellectual self-gratification. There’s a more vivid French idiom that I will avoid using here. 😑 I was told that I should have skipped the preface, as the book itself was a lot more enjoyable to read. I might give it another try in 2026.
  • L’empire des signes by Roland Barthes. This book was gifted to me because I conduct research in ontologies. Important to note that, in computer science, the word “ontology” has been abused. This book was written by a philosopher and semiotician with a penchant for writing simple things in complex manners and sentences that span more than five lines. This book was torture for my neurospicy brain. I gave up in the middle of the 13th chapter, which goes to show I really tried. I rage-quitted the book after reading a passage to my SO, who, as a literary-minded person, could not explain its meaning. I’m not one for book burning, but I would fire my barbecue with it. 😤