Why does Julius almost put the book of haiku back on the shelf? What factors lead to his momentary doubt that haiku is for him?

The name Julius has its origin in Rome, so the fact that his background is not Japanese, then that could make haiku somewhat foreign to him. Another reason Julius could be putting the haiku back on the shelf might be the fact that he has other options of books to read that are better or more appealing to him or subjects with which he has previous experience.