There are two classic books I’ve tried to read, but I just can’t get into either of them: A Tale of Two Cities by Charles Dickens and Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen (my daughter’s favorite). I’ve tried to read them, but the story and the narrative simply don’t pull me in. Two great classics, beloved by so many people, that still leave no impression on me.

I remember the same thing happened with Dracula by Bram Stoker when I was a teenager, and now I’ve read that book twice and it’s one of my favorites. Like many books, they come into a person’s life when they’re meant to arrive—neither before nor after.