Just read it

You know how sometimes you're all, "Hey. I'm going to read one of those classic novels I'm always hearing about." Then, you think, "But, my goodness, they're all so long and full of run-on sentences, and crazy flowery text. How will I ever get into it enough to enjoy it?" Then, I said, "Goodness, Kimberly. You need another book to read. Grab one of your unread classics and be done with it."
I showed Sydney the books I have yet to read, and she made the selection based entirely on the color of the cover: blue. And so, I am reading The Count of Monte Cristo. I'm about 300 pages into the 600-plus book, and am pleased to say that I'm pretty into it. It took me a while to catch on to something that I should have recognized and remembered earlier (I hadn't realized that Albert in Rome was the same Albert that was Mercedes' son until they met in Paris. Duh), but other than that, I'll say that I'm enjoying the book more than I thought I would.
Of the literary classics in my house, I started Treasure Island a few years ago, only to put it back on the bookshelf after 75 pages because the text was hurting my head. I've gotten only pages into Catheter in the Rye (SEE MOM! I FIXED IT!!) before finding it too annoying for words. Only Pride and Prejudice sits untouched in my classics to-be-read pile (perhaps next week?). There are so many others I'd like to read, but these first must be taken to task and finished.
There's something to be said for digging into the classics though. They're all free through iBooks on the iPad and iPhone.