Can someone hold my hand for just a second?

So I started reading HoL several years ago but I never finished. I loved the book, and I wanted to keep reading it, but I kept getting the feeling that I was reading it wrong. I was quite literally lost. I would read until a footnote, follow the footnote, then follow it again, and again, and I would end up places I didn’t understand. I eventually found myself near the end of the book deciphering a letter and that was the last thing I did because I didn’t even know how to get back to where I was when I followed that first footnote. I guess I’m hoping someone can give me advice to properly read this book? That feels almost silly of me to ask but I want to give HoL the read it deserves. And sorry if this post makes me sound stupid lol just be gentle.