Had to Stop Reading

[Anita]

Tricia wrote: "I stopped reading Anna Karenina ... " Yeah, A very long time ago I stopped reading that one, too. That's a tough one! There are some books like that which I feel I 'should' read but once I start they just seem like work.

[Shannon]

I could not get through The Eagle's Throne by Carlos Fuentes and I got bored and did not finish Franny and Zooey by JD Salinger. I know that there are others (and some that I wished I had stopped but valiantly continued to the end only to realize that it did not get any better!).

[Katie]

Because I have a Sony Reader, I have a LOT of free public domain books, that I paid nothing for (paper book, I would have aid $3.00-7.00). With the Reader, I have paid, $0 to cheap for non public domain current books, and other classics are free.

Thus, I'll jettison a freebee like Nathaniel Hawthorne before giving up on, say, Chris Bohjalian. If I paid for it, I'll stay with it a little longer. If I paid for it, I'll give it a little (or much more) time for the story to develop.

On edit: I haven't read Chris Bohjalian, he's in my queue, but because I paid for him, I'd give him more consideration than Tolstoy. OTOH, I would try to stay with a classic, because, well, it's a classic.

[Shannon]

Richard wrote: "sorry you got bored with Franny and Zooey Shannon-was it just that one or do you not like the whole Glass family saga?"

Hmm, well hard to answer that question as that is the only one I read. Sometimes, with books (and movies) it is also about timing and what else is going on in my own life, so, I would have to say that I would try again at some point - although I wouldn't try Eagle's Throne again, although I may try another by Fuentes.

[Mandy]

Allison wrote: "I just put down Anybody Out There? by [a:Marian Keyes|6104|Marian Keyes|http://www.goodrea..."

I really enjoyed this book. Different strokes for different folks.

[Deohannah]

the tale of genji- i'm attempting to read it again

the lord of the rings- i will try to read it again

eldest- i dunno yet...

=p

[Sandra]

Life with Pi. I kept trying but could not stay interested. Everyone else likes it so much.

[Kandice]

I'm sorry to hear that Sandra. I was one of those that loved it. I also totally BELIEVED it until the last few chapters!

[Terra Timmons]

I am so glad I found this thread. I had to stop reading Vampire Academy. I have read such great reviews, but I can't seem to get into it. Has anyone here read it? Is it worth sitting and trucking through it?

[[deleted user]]

Perpendicularandi wrote: "I stopped reading:

The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe
Bridge of Sighs
Northanger Abbey
A Wrinkle in Time
Something Wicked This Way Comes
An Irish Country Christmas

I read at least 100..."

Donna wrote: "Have you ever started a book and just hated it so much that you tried and tried but just could not finish it? How far would you actually go until you said "To Hell With IT!!!!"?

There are quite ..."


I can see why you gave up on Bridge of Sighs. I read (and finished it) but it was a close thing. Let me tell you -- you didn't miss much by throwing in the towel.

[Dan]

I almost always finish a book once I get started. It sometimes takes me quite a while to get into a book but once I do I generally stick with it if for no other reason than to understand, from a writing perspective, what I don't like about it.

I read A Prayer for Owen Meany and loved it as much for Irving's writing style as for the story itself so I thought I'd try another of his. Three different times I've started The Cider House Rules but have never made it past the third chapter and I'm not sure why. I'll get it read someday.

[[deleted user]]

Sandra wrote: "Life with Pi. I kept trying but could not stay interested. Everyone else likes it so much. "

I also gave up on the Life of Pi. I tried it at least three separate times, and never felt compelled to read more than the first quarter

[Kipahni]

Anna Karina.
I have tried reading this book 5 times(the last time was when oprah put it on her reading club, cause hey, if Oprah read it you know it's got to be good)
My problem is I am not a very devoted reader. By this I mean that I like to read many books at the same time, and this is the type of book that must be read alone, in all fidelity. Plus Russian lit. is just hard for me all around with the given christian name, the name given by friends, the pet name, and the surname... all these different names for one person, too confusing.

[Deviki]

Yeah i've read a few book like that .....but the one i rememeber the most is
Bumps by Zoe Barnes and Pretty Little Mistakes by Heather McElhatton gosh the latter book made me so mad i had to bang my head on my cupboard for buying it....gosh that book is pointless!!!

[Donna]

I had to stop reading House of Leaves simply because it just too confusing and the book is too long to start off in such a confused state. I hear such good things but I just can't bring myself to finish it off!

[[deleted user]]

Emily wrote: "Aw I really liked Lolita. It's funny to see what books people hated and others loved. "

I didn't make it past the 50th page of Lolita. It was VERY vulgar and demeaning to me. I am by no means a prude or a feminist so it shocked me that he could shock me!

[[deleted user]]

I had to stop reading Lolita and The Shack.

Lolita was repulsive. In The Shack, I just couldn't get into the alternate version of God. I understood the concept but I did not like it.

[Barbara]

Catamorandi wrote: "I stopped reading:

The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe
Bridge of Sighs
Northanger Abbey
A Wrinkle in Time
Something Wicked This Way Comes
An Irish Country Christmas

I read at least 100..."

I read Northanger Abbey and loved it, but I like Jane Austin. When I tried Jane Austin many years ago,I couldn't get through her books. I tried again a couple of years ago. Now I love her books.

The Lion The Witch and The Wardrobe can be read on so many different levels. There is some wonderful Christian symbolism in that book.

[Barbara]

I tried reading Pearl Buck's works quite a few years ago and never could get interested. Others say her books are good. Has anybody else read her work? Is it worth a second try?

[Jenny]

I couldn't finish The Almost Moon, Firefly Lane, To the Lighthouse, and Twilight. I tried Twilight three times because there is so much hype about it. I just can't stomach it. I would like to try To the Lighthouse again, though.

[Dan]

Jen,

To the Lighthouse is definitely worth a second chance. Woolf's flow and style take a little getting used to but the rewards are well worth the effort.

[Nancy (Colorado)]

Barbara wrote: "I tried reading Pearl Buck's works quite a few years ago and never could get interested. Others say her books are good. Has anybody else read her work? Is it worth a second try?"

I enjoyed The Good earth (read it first as a teenager) and The Wave. The Wave is probably more young adult but it is an easier read than The Good Earth.

[Justin]

Jen wrote: "I couldn't finish The Almost Moon, Firefly Lane, To the Lighthouse, and Twilight. I tried Twilight three times because there is so much hyp..."

Twilight is a book I couldn't finish either, the writing was so bad i couldn't get the first couple of chapters.

[Lynn]

The Fountainhead
Why Beautiful People Have More Daughters: From Dating, Shopping, and Praying to Going to War and Becoming a Billionaire-- Two Evolutionary Psychologists Explain Why We Do What We Do
What Color Is Your Parachute? 2007: A Practical Manual for Job-Hunters and Career-Changers

[Donna]

Jen wrote: "I couldn't finish The Almost Moon, Firefly Lane, To the Lighthouse, and Twilight. I tried Twilight three times because there is so much hyp..."

The Almost Moon & Twilight were simply terrible but I did finish them only because they were my groups monly book reads and as being the moderator I just had to...

[Donna]

Lynn wrote: "The Fountainhead
[book:Why Beautiful People Have More Daughters: From Dating, Shopping, and Praying to Going to War and Becoming a Billionaire-- Two Evolutionary Psychologists Explain W..."

The second title I didn't even want to finish LOL

[Justin]

Twilight, couldn't take the writing or the characters so I just gave up after a couple of chapters.

[Lethrin]

Like many others here, Twilight.

I also tried to read The Sword of Shannara again, after not having read it since I was in middle school. I got through maybe 60 pages but it was very bland. I still like the fantasy genre but I prefer something with more intellectual or literary merit.

[Donna]

I oushed through The Twilight Series and I always regretted it!

[LaTrica]

Couldn't finish Anne Rice's Cry to Heaven. It was just too boring. I got to the middle, got stuck, then decided to give up.

[Christroybels]

I have always given books 200 pages to get into it. I have always found something by then that will keep me going no matter how bad the book is. Until I started The Kindly Ones. I got up to page 202 and put it down. It was just so depressing and violent and I had no feeling for the protaginist. I don't think I'll ever have another go at it.

[Ashley]

Could not finish Running With Scissors. I tried but I just couldn't do it.

[Melissa]

Recently, here is what I've stopped:

The Devil Wears Prada - read about 90 pages. Have no intention of going back to it.

Grace and Power: The Private World of the Kennedy White House - made it about 75 pages in. I hope to pick it back up someday, but didn't have the energy to devote to it before I had to return it to the library.

[Barbara]

Christroybels wrote: "I have always given books 200 pages to get into it. I have always found something by then that will keep me going no matter how bad the book is. Until I started The Kindly Ones. I..."

IF the author doesn't write so that you have some sort of feeling for each of the characters, then, I agree, it is not worth it.

[F.]

A couple of years ago I started reading The Poisonwood Bible, by Barbara Kingsolver and I just couldn’t get pass the racism in the first few chapters. The book is about a southern missionary family who travels to the Congo right before their fight for independence from Belgium. The descriptions of the Africans infuriated me. I had to stop reading. I must have started and stopped that book a half of a dozen times. Eventually I realized that what I saw as blatant racism was absolutely necessary to set the stage for coming events and I started the book again. I read and thoroughly enjoyed The Poisonwood Bible.

[Mister Jones]

100 Years of Solitude: the last time (my fourth attempt) I thought it was the biggest plop of horse manure I ever read; I made it to the 100th page, got mad at myself for taking up my valued toilet time reading it, and I used it as kindling for my fireplace-- and it worked very well, and wasn't nearly so overrated as its intentional use.

[Elena]

Mister Jones wrote: "100 Years of Solitude: the last time (my fourth attempt) I thought it was the biggest plop of horse manure I ever read; I made it to the 100th page, got mad at myself for taking up my valued toilet..."

I couldn't read that one either!

I just stopped reading KATHERINE after 200 pages. Good story but sooo slow.

[S-h-r-u-t-h-i]

The same as Lynn and others!
I could not get through - Fountainhead and Catch -22.
Two attempts at Fountainhead but just could not! I still do want to read these two and will try again, hopefully soon.

[Samantha]

I couldn't get through Prep. Many of my friends recommended it but I couldn't get past the whiny tone. Sittenfeld's other books were rather enjoyable but this one was just dreadful.

[Wendy T]

I couldn't get through Moonflower Vine by Jetta Carleton.

[Ashley]

I had to stop reading "The Faith Club" . It sounded interesting when I read the synopsis but when I got to actually reading it became boring for me. Besides, I'm not much into reading religious themed books.

[Maggie the Muskoka Library Mouse]

The last book I had to stop reading was "The Coffee Trader" by David Liss. It started out good, but then I just grew bored and had to try something else.