Who am I to say what counts or not? :)

I too, found Middlemarch daunting, mostly because it is so darned heavy to hold up and read. Maybe, since Amil recommends it, I ought to find a nice, friendly paperback version. Since I have a 2 year old, I have not found as much time to read as I once did, but that is slowly changing. In fact, I think I am inspiring a future reader!