Books you never finish

[Final]

Wierd! Was it any good?

I was either drunk or high for the first 2 years, so I can't really give an honest answer to that.

It was a more interesting read than the more traditional text books is all I can say.

 

[Slow Hands]

I think he was freed.

Cheers!

Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man? I read the first page and cursed the money I'd spent on it.

Yeah, I looked at this in the shop and I couldn't find a single picture in it...?

I won't be beaten by a book, no matter how crap but I haven't attempted Catch 22 or anything by Joyce. I'm currently having a long break in reading Homer's Odyssey. I lack motivation partly because it's in poem form and partly because everyone knows the story so well.

 

[foamy]

Recently I didn't finish A Short History of Tractors in Ukranian - because it was shit. But then I see it won loads of awards

its not a classic, i'll grant you that, but easy to read none the less. (ETA: it was nominated for the orange prize but 'we need to talk about kevin won instead) i'm interested to see what her next book will be like

 

[chooch]

Absolutely! Complete genius, as is all of Nabokov's work.

I'm on my third attempt at Ada. Can't finish it.

I'm also particularly good at not finishing Conrad. Nostromo, for one.

 

[upsidedownwalrus]

Another 'vote' for Catch 22. I felt like he was trying to be 'clever' rather than have any real feeling in the work.

At the moment I am struggling with the Sebastian Faulks one Human Traces. I loved Birdsong - it was so easy to read - but this is blodoy difficult.

Also have never been able to get far with Crime and Punishment.

 

[The Groke]

I have tried 3 times to read Delilo's "Underworld" and failed.

I won't bother again.

It took me about 5 attempts to read Nick Cave's "And the Ass Saw the Angel" but that one was actually worth it in the end

Oh, and yet another vote for Catch 22 - I even did a dedicated thread on my inability to get into it not that long ago....

 

[tastebud]

Crime & Punishment!? It's genius... very amusing too.

 

[Biddlybee]

Ask BiddlyBee though and she'll probably give you a list as long as an unfinished book

Oi they're all on a pile of books to be finished, not ones that I've given up on!

 

[DotCommunist]

I don't think I've evern not finished a book once started. This means I've read a lot of crappy books unfortunately.

 

[snorbury]

telefone direktory

 

[electrogirl]

i'm one of the people who never finished Harry Potter.

it was around the 3rd chapter i thought "this is a kid's book, what am i doing??" and it was incredibly boring.

 

[liampreston]

I am on my fourth attempt at Don Quixote. I can tell it's a great piece of work and I really want to get through it but Jeeez it's tough...

 

[Fez909]

I am on my fourth attempt at Don Quixote. I can tell it's a great piece of work and I really want to get through it but Jeeez it's tough...

I've been slogging through this for a while now. I really like it when i do get down to it; but then once I've stopped, I just can't face reading it again. It's the size of the beast!

 

[liampreston]

I've been slogging through this for a while now. I really like it when i do get down to it; but then once I've stopped, I just can't face reading it again. It's the size of the beast!

Aye, me too. The translation is fairy alright but it's still weighty.

 

[maya]

Finnegan's Wake... I've had it for ten years, barely read ten pages...
Just open it at random sometimes to select a quote, trying to understand what it means- kind of like a backwards I Ching... *

(*Perhaps it will- someday- tell the Truth about Life, the universe and everything? To the reader clever enough to decode it- that lucky person to discover a Rosetta's Stone key, unravelling the tangled masses of letters that swell and wash over your head with its meanings still hidden from view... The waves, the waves, the foam of days!
Old James, by the Liffey it stank like hell, spouting his words like a drunken bard with attention deficit disorder... No more Antabus! ...Zero )

 

[veracity]

There are loads. If I'm not enjoying a book I'll ditch it and start reading something else. I've never understood that thing about always finishing them that some people have.

Dead right. Life's too short and there's plenty of good books out there!

Personally I have never been able to get past the first couple of chapters of Lord of the Rings.

 

[Stig]

Some of these are quite surprising... Captain Corelli's Mandolin? It was great and made me read all his other books straight away.

I'll agree with Zen & The Art Of Motorcycle Maintenance though. I read the first third twice, and that was it.

and I've taken 6 months so far to read the first two pages of Alan Carr's Easy Way...

 

[Ich bin ein Mod]

American Psycho and War and Peace are the only two I've ever given up on. Which does mean I have also spent lots of time reading shitty books

 

[Shandril19]

Portrait of an Artist as a Young Man
Heart is a Lonely Hunter
God of Small Things - Not totally sure, I may have finished it, but if I did, it was one of the hardest things I ever did.

 

[jack11]

Read Amerika by Kafka. Really good so thaught I'd get The Trial. Read about half and gave up. Didn't get it.
Gave up on Catcher In The Rye aswell.
But I think it also depends on your frame of mind at the time.

 

[Greta]

The Bible but I keep trying....

 

[Greta]

The Bible but I keep trying....

 

[rubbershoes]

American Psycho and War and Peace are the only two I've ever given up on. Which does mean I have also spent lots of time reading shitty books

i'd persevere with american psycho.

it turns out at the end that it does have some sort of plot

 

[Greta]

Underworld by Don DeLilo about three effing times
Im not sure why I cant finish it because I can see its a great book and I enjoyed the bits that I read but I just lose the energy to continue.

I've found exactly the same thing with White Noise. I've stalled half way through. There are moments of stellar writing but plot tension just seems to peter out.

 

[mrs quoad]

I've just realised Until I Find You by John Irving needs to be added to my list.

It's been sitting on my bed for weeks, and I think I've come to the point of 'can't be arsed and I don't know why I'm reading this any more'

NEEDS A HARSHER EDITOR

 

[Errol's son]

The Bible.

 

[jbob]

I've found exactly the same thing with White Noise. I've stalled half way through. There are moments of stellar writing but plot tension just seems to peter out.

White Noise is his best book, imo. It's one of my favourite books of all time. I wouldn't go looking for 'plot tension' with Delillio, it's not going to happen, he's not that kind of writer. All very postmodern...

 

[electrogirl]

i've tried to read atonement quite a few times, just found myself waiting for the story to kick in.

 

[renegadechicken]

i have only ever given up on one book, and that was the mayor of casterbridge...really couldn't get into it.

 

[the.shar.]

Lord of the rings: return of the king. i started reading them when i was 11 and now when i want to finally finish it and go on with my i cant find any