Giving up on a book

[Silverage]

Another mention here for Catch 22. I tried it twice several years ago, a few months apart. Never got beyond half way each time before giving it up as a chore.

[sparkythecat]

I too find it difficult to give up on a book once I've started. If it's dire I'll resort to skip reading to finish it.
The only book I can remember giving up on was "We need to talk about Kevin" Although much acclaimed, I though it was properly st

Edited by sparkythecat on Monday 13th February 11:33

[torqueofthedevil]

Shantaram
The Count of Monte Cristo

[FiF]

It's rare that I completely give up on a book, the one that comes to mind, after several attempts The Hobbit. Just no.

If I have a book that is a real struggle for some reason I'll read another in parallel. Easier if reading on an e-reader, for example at the moment I'm finding Sense and Sensibility a bit turgid, reading a Jack Reacher alongside. Couple of chapters of one, then the other. Bit of a mix there!

Others have mentioned having several goes at books and then being absorbed on another attempt. Anyone gone the other way? I read Catch 22 I think when at uni, thought it was great, really enjoyed it, then tried again when in my 60s having a declutter, nope, went to charity shop. Another one was Catcher in the Rye. As a teenager, yep right, good one. Later in life, nope you're just being an arse hole, bin.

Someone mentioned Patricia Cornwell, used to enjoy her Scarpetta novels and the ones about the woman police chief, then she wrote that one supposedly identifying the Jack the Ripper murders. Heard her interview on BBC R4 Today programme, what an obnoxious person. You think the BBC interviewers can be hectoring interrupting tts? Nothing on Cornwell, who just interrupted, browbeated and shouted down a Ripper expert who was trying to analyse the various theories. Poor bugger couldn't get more than 4 words out. Never even opened another of her books. Through family connections we used to get publisher review copies of various books, any of hers rolled up, route 1 > round filing cabinet.

[RizzoTheRat]

FiF said:

Others have mentioned having several goes at books and then being absorbed on another attempt. Anyone gone the other way? I read Catch 22 I think when at uni, thought it was great, really enjoyed it, then tried again when in my 60s having a declutter, nope, went to charity shop.

Yep. Read it some years back and loved it. Tried re-reading it a few years later and just couldn't get in to it.

Same with George R R Martin, I'd read one or two before the Game of Thrones TV series came out, and thought I'd reread them before watching the series, but couldn't get in to them at all. absolutely loved the ones later in the series though as I read them for the first time.

I usually reread books, some (Pratchett in particular) I can read over and over, but I guess others only keep you interested when you do't know what's going to happen.

[Vocal Minority]

leglessAlex said:

I agree with those that say reading should be a pleasure and not a chore, but I finally got through Catch 22 recently and that has changed my perception somewhat. I tried three times previous to get through it and didn't particularly like it very much, on the fourth reading (prompted by someone I trust completely when it comes to books) I got past the three quarters (ish) mark and was totally absorbed. Fantastic book.

I would only ever actually throw a book away if I thought it was truly awful. If it's just not to my taste I'll give it away, only one book has ever actually gone in the bin and I was tempted to actually burn it as some sort of symbolic act to demonstrate to the world how bad I thought it was. The book? Twilight.

Oh yes - catch 22 as well. I found the whole premis of Major Major Major Major tiresome so thought sod it.

[rst99]

I have no problem with chucking a book half way through (or even after a couple of chapters). Life is too short and there are any more good books to read.

Yesterday I decided to not continue reading A Season with Verona by Tim Parks after about 5 chapters. It reads like a bad google translate version of a book, but it was written in English.

[Johnnytheboy]

Frankthered said:

Mr. Potato Head said:

Lord of the Rings.
Bought 3 books didn't finish the first.
Turgid bullst.

Flame away, I don't care.

I am a massive fan of LOTR and Tolkien's other stuff too, but I can agree to a certain degree. The first time I read it, it took me about two months to get through Fellowship, about two weeks to get through The Two Towers and polished off Return of the King in a weekend!

The pace picks up if you get through the (very lengthy) build-up.

I've re-read the books many, many times since that first time and I now delight in the detail and turgidity of the first part of the story!

It's a page turner compared to the Silmarillion.

[davepoth]

I've only ever given up on one book - War and Peace. I was speaking to a friend about it and she said "the normal thing to do is to make a wall chart so you can understand who everyone is." If a book needs a visual aid, it's badly written.

I'm currently 5% of the way through Finnegans Wake. Ulysses took me 14 months on and off, and I expect this one to take longer.

[Frankthered]

Johnnytheboy said:

Frankthered said:

Mr. Potato Head said:

Lord of the Rings.
Bought 3 books didn't finish the first.
Turgid bullst.

Flame away, I don't care.

I am a massive fan of LOTR and Tolkien's other stuff too, but I can agree to a certain degree. The first time I read it, it took me about two months to get through Fellowship, about two weeks to get through The Two Towers and polished off Return of the King in a weekend!

The pace picks up if you get through the (very lengthy) build-up.

I've re-read the books many, many times since that first time and I now delight in the detail and turgidity of the first part of the story!

It's a page turner compared to the Silmarillion.

I love that one too!

[BoRED S2upid]

Silverage said:

Another mention here for Catch 22. I tried it twice several years ago, a few months apart. Never got beyond half way each time before giving it up as a chore.

One of the few books I've read more than once.

[Halb]

I remember once, I did it with a Joseph Heller novel, put it down...and back then, in my Gran's house if you out something down it stayed where it was. I think I noticed it a few years later picked it up and carried on, in the end I'm glad I did, but it was a chore. I think it was SOmething Happened. Nothing did, a most strange read overall I recall, I can reread Catch 22 over and over.

My second is the second Long Earth Book...but as Terry has passed, I do intend to pick it up one day, and I have al the rest too.