<p>If you're like most folks, you probably feel guilty for never reading <i>War and Peace</i>, <i>Ulysses</i>, or <i>Moby-Dick</i>. Or maybe you read them in school, but you didn't exactly enjoy them, right? Writer and professor Jack Murnighan says it's not the books that put you off, it was the lifeless, uninspiring way they're usually taught. Now, with <i>Beowulf on the Beach</i>, you'll discover not only why these classics deserve another chance, but how to read great books in general.<br><br>Balancing humor and expertise, Murnighan picks 50 of the most revered books of all time and explains what the professors never told you: that <i>Moby-Dick </i>is funny, Dante will make you cry, <i>Anna Karenina </i>is a beach read, and James Joyce is great, but only if he's talking about drinking, sex, or organ meats. Plus you get the juicy tidbits on what you're supposed to know, what you <i>need</i> to know, and what's okay for you to skip without feeling guilt. From Homer and Proust to <i>Beloved </i>and the Bible, <i>Beowulf on the Beach </i>is a user-friendly guide through the imposing world of capital-L Literature. In no time at all, you'll be revved up and ready to tackle Dickens or Woolf—only this time without the test.</p>