Susceptible to metaphor and analogy, I find writing compares in some ways to puzzling. The borders and angular elements fit so easily. It’s the last 400 pieces of subtly varied ocean that will either satisfy me or make me reach for the strychnine.
Yet I’m compelled to finish.
Beyond Belief 
Very interesting, I recently finished reading Georges Perec’s “Life: A User’s Manual” and the novel covers exactly this topic and is structured as a sort of literary puzzle in itself. It’s a challenging and at times somewhat tedious read, but well worth the time.
I’ll add it to my list. Thanks. Some of my most rewarding and worthwhile reads have been at times a “slog.” Particularly Dennett’s “Darwin’s Dangerous Idea” and Kahnemann’s “Thinking, Fast and Slow.”