There are too many books that I started but couldn't finish, although very few were because the books were actually bad. I have embarassingly failed to finish many titles of classic literature, simply because I didn't have the patience or stamina for it at the time of reading. I've even tried to crack Moby Dick on two separate occasions (although admittedly the first was when I was twelve...yes, twelve years-old!), and failed (I still hope to finish it).
I've probably read Moby-Dick 8 times, but I'm pretty sure I started it and had a "DNF" on at least as many occasions. You have to bring your A-game to that one. Along the same lines, It took me two tries to get past the first 50 pages of The Brothers K by David James Duncan. It's one of my favorite novels, but I wasn't into it at first. Glad I gave it another chance, though. So in short, there are times you can't get into a book, but when you do, you wind up liking it.
I've tried to get something out of the gibberish that is James Joyce's Finnigan's Wake Please, anyone, if you read it, and enjoyed it, please tell me how. I've put down a ton of books, all in search of a good one, and I think the search is the best part of entering a library, (so worth it once you find one that stays with you for a lifetime). I got into stephen king with the hopes of aquiring some popular appeal, but I just put down his Bag of Bones. It was all about a custody battle for a kid, (boring) and while i'm sure something scary was gonna happen, I lost interest. I think a number of his books start off with the idea that something eventually will happen, but in the meantime he spends way too many pages building up the back story. Personally, I think you could cut his books in half, and still retain whats really supposed to be enjoyable. Anyone disagree? Generally, I give each book 100 pages, then its time to decide what else might capture my readership.
My favorite book ever. I adore that book. I had a similar experience with Atonement by McEwan and now I love it.
I trust you about everything since you grabbed Ellison's Invisible Man (my favorite American novel) in the Book Draft (you won that as far as I'm concerned - Gringo's list was good though). As an off-topic aside, I'm looking forward to Joe Wright's movie. Back on topic, I once had to read Ceremony for a High School class and couldn't finish it. Somehow I got an A+ on the in-class essay I had to write though. Go figure.
I finish most books i read.....though there are these: Dune, had 100 pages left but really just didnt care what happened. Will finish it some time though. Oliver Twist, got about half way through but i knew everything that was going to happen so give up. Hunt for red October, read about 50 pages but just dont like the genre. Gormonghast Trilogy, read the first book stoped during the second, nothing really happens but it did give me a feeling of achievment for sticking about 400 pages.
You must have my list mistaken for another list, because I have yet to read that one. I will now that you mentioned it though. I think I should've won by the way
I probably should not have called this thread Utter Rubbish; perhaps Bored to Tears or Just Couldn't Get Through These, as that is as apt a description as any other. I tried the Gormenghast and never got past page 25; really boring to me. I read 90% of Tom Sawyer as a teenager, twice, but left at the same place both times. Never got into Dune, though I tried 3 times, and most assigned college reading left me cold. Some books, even the Cliff Notes were boring. The only enjoyable thing about Finnigan's Wake was hearing the late Irish folk singer Tom Clancy read parts of it on a live concert record; he at least made it funny.
There's one book that I started to read that made me think to myself, "I've got other things I could be doing. This really seems like a waste right now." It was a strange, but definitely original book... I might actually end up giving it another shot... but it's this: The Shroud of the Thwacker by Chris Elliott... yes... that Chris Elliott. I just read the front and back flaps again, and I see why I thought it might be funny. Oh, hell, maybe I'll put it back on the list of stuff to read. I hate leaving things unfinished!
Ah crap...you're right. I went and checked and it was metabelian's list. Yours wasn't too shabby though.
Forgot my biggest one of these: WOW. I had to make a flowchart of who was who to get past the first paragraph. Couldn't stand it, gave up about page 10. I usually go to page 50.
Only book that I'm aware of not being able to finish that I started up through high school was Silas Marner. First book I remember not being able to finish as an adult was All the King's Men by Robert Penn Warren. It was very traumatic for me. Since then I've stopped reading many books -- if they're not any good, I'll drop like a stone now, I'm just too busy to force myself to not give up on a book.
The Wheel of Time by Robert Jordan. I heard it was good fantasy, but it sucked. I made the mistake of buying the first three books as a set, and I couldn't even finish the first book. The guy has some promising ideas, but he can't develop a good plot.
Can't get into it. Tolkien makes it sleepy time. The chapter from the lava's POV was more interesting than the chapters from any of the characters' POV. After about 300 pages I decided that I wanted to burn books.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oprah_Book_Club Really? All of 'em? I'll admit that alot of the ones at the beginning are pretty rough, but lately, there's some bonafide classics on there.
I admit that I haven't read all of them, but I bought every one for a good spell and had trouble getting through the first few chapters on most of them. I did rather enjoy While I Was Gone by Sue Miller, but the others I picked up were wretched. EDIT: And from the looks of that list, I stopped around Nov. 2001.
I tried to get through Alaska and had a rough go of it. That book really affirmed my disdain for historical fiction. I don't mind setting a fictional book in a historical time, but I don't like seeing people make up history. I'd much rather read, well, an actual history book. I couldn't get through The Great Gatsby, mostly because I'm no fan of Fitzgerald's writing. It's a smile. I get it. Move on. I had to read A Separate Peace in high school. I never forgave my teacher for that one. I just thought it was so long and pointless, and I couldn't have cared less about the characters. Reading that book was an absolute drag, and I'd plowed through both A Tale of Two Cities and Moby Dick in junior high, so it's not like I'm an impatient reader.