What book can you just not get into?

Húrin

theCzar wrote:

Silmarilion was hard to read because it didn't really have characters and a story you could follow, it's a neat piece of mythology that shows the origins of Sauron and the Men of Westernesse, but it's a not a book that grips you.

You don't consider proud Feanor, noble Finrod or the tragic Túrin (to name but three) to be characters?

The story is pretty simple, it's just broken up in an unusual way. The story of Beren and Lúthien is pretty good.

I didn't have any problems reading the Silmarillion. I'm a fanatic.

Dagnir Glaurung

Jude the Obscure - Thomas Hardy
Burmese Days - George Orwell

Both of them are sitting on a shelf with a bookmark marking about page 20 :P Can't get into them at the moment.

panda100

Threres a book snow falling on cedars or something like that-heard lots of good things about it-really really tried to get into it but just gave up after the 3rd chapter.

For me,the book has to consume my life and i have to get really into it,as in cant put it down for me to enjoy it.hmmm no wonder ive repeated so many years in college!

theCzar

H&#250 wrote: »

You don't consider proud Feanor, noble Finrod or the tragic Túrin (to name but three) to be characters?

The story is pretty simple, it's just broken up in an unusual way. The story of Beren and Lúthien is pretty good.

I didn't have any problems reading the Silmarillion. I'm a fanatic.

Well it's different strokes for different folks of course, and there are some equally passionate Silmarillion-philes around here who agree with you.

re. Characters, I found it hard to tell them apart most of the time, it's all very dramatic with bold statements and oaths and lots of greek tragedy, but I didn't identify with any of their motives, or have a mote of sympathy for their fates. When you don't connect with the characters, it's hard to get into the stories that involve them

I may be 100% wrong here, because it's been a few years since I read it, but wasn't Silmarillion a uncompleted manuscript that Chris Tolkein patched up and released? Rather than a novel... Which would perhaps explain the gulf in class between LotR and Silmarillion, which I percieve IMHO

theCzar

LoneGunM@n wrote:

Clive Cussler's Golden Buddha ... in a word sh!te

lol, that's the worst book I ever read by a clear mile, oh Gods now I have a bad taste in my mouth from remembering that turd.

TheVan

Well i seem to remember not being able to get into War and Peace when i was 12....might have had something to do with my age though!

Recently i just cant get into Focault's Pendulum, maybe its the translation aspect?

Dades

theCzar wrote:

Clive Cussler's Golden Buddha ... in a word sh!te

lol, that's the worst book I ever read by a clear mile, oh Gods now I have a bad taste in my mouth from remembering that turd.

Heheh

Clive Cussler is my secret 'literary' fetish and I thought Golden Buddha was one of the most enjoyable! I always have a Cussler in my reading pile just in case the brain is frazzled.

Hmm_Messiah

Paddy Clarke Ha Ha Ha,
but possbily because its the poorest written, most contrived style I've ever found in a book

Also
Smilla's Feeling for Snow - Approached with the idea this woould be delicate bueautiful writing (akin to The God of Small Things) - what it was was a character and aa culture that I just couldn't get into. Finished the book - still don't get it ? though the image of the roof remains with me.

Demetrius

I couldnt get into any novel by Flann o Brian, which is weird because I really enjoyed extracts from the column he wrote in the Irish Times. Also, as someone previously mentioned "Closing time" by Joseph Heller.

Bodhidharma

John Irving's "Until i find you".

Jesus its long. I am a big fan or Irving but the story is so unrealistic, a ten year old boy having sex?! I'm about 200 pages in but I've had it for about three months. I have it in hardback so its like goin to the gym anytime i pick it up.

theCzar

The Atheist wrote:

Heheh

Clive Cussler is my secret 'literary' fetish and I thought Golden Buddha was one of the most enjoyable! I always have a Cussler in my reading pile just in case the brain is frazzled.

nonononono don't get me wrong, i'm a cussler fan too (see guilty pleasure thread) In fact I'm currently reading his new Dirk Pitt book, Black Wind, but the Oregon files ones are incredibly poor even by Cussler's modest standards.

Feu

I tend to finish books i start, out of stubborness, and also sometimes pity - If it's really appalling, i think something good might happen before the end. I've rarely been rewarded for my kindness!

Ulysses - James Joyce - took me about 7 attempts - but in the end it was worth it.

Captain Correlli's Mandolin, about 3 attempts over a few months. Surprised it hasn't been mentioned. The first about 50 pages are hard going, then it's beautiful.

The Third Policeman is a real grower- makes no sense but once you accept that it's all good!

How Mumbo Jumbo Conquered the World, by Francis Wheen
Saw the reviews, went out and bought, tried to like it, failed.

The Art of Travel by Alain de Botton
Like the premise of the book, not his style though...

Buttermilk

mokeymokey wrote:

anything by stephen king

The only book I never finished was, "IT." Even though I really liked the film.

meldrew

Dean Koontz's latest stuff is fairly hard going tbh

ConUladh

Nimrod's Son wrote:

"Otherland" by Tad Williams was a toil. I actually got really far into it (about three quarters of the way) but it was taking forever to read. Then I found out it was the first in a series of books and I decided nuts to that. I tried to stay with it after a really good opening and my mate kept ranting about it. Alas, it was not to be.

I don't think there's anything more painful than trying to finish a book you just haven't got any interest in (regardless of whether it's good or bad).

Can't remember how many years ago I first tried to read Otherland but I do remember I'd bought the 2nd and third books (they were cheap) in anticipation of enjoying it as much as his first fantasy series. I think I got quite far that time but on the 2nd attempt about 4 years ago I only got a couple of chapters in.

Started A short history of nearly everything last october and got a fair bit in but haven't looked at it since, hope it won't turn out to be one of those books as I was quite enjoying it.

As for Silmarillion I've read it several times and it's my favourite Tolkien book, though Book of Lost Tales is definitely a lost cause for me

lyrama

I keep on reading the same freaking line of Wuthering Heights over and over and over again, it's depressing! Wish I could muster the strength to finish it!

hotpotatoes

Started the Hitch hikers guide to the galaxy a yr ago but havent finished it yet. The start of it was absolutely hilarious though. i think i have all the books in that series rolled into one, so thats prob. why. havent finished it yet..The book it just so big cant be bothered dragging it around on buses..
Im really curious to know how it ends though.

biko

Before the Frost by Henning Mankell, I usually love his books but at the moment I'm just not in the mood like.

Liesia

Some really good books mentioned there can't believe they weren't finished.
I found American Pastoral a nightmare to get through and also Kant, Transcendental Aesthetics ten times harder then Foucault any day.

Laplandman

Well its lucky you did not attempt the
Critique in its entirety then. If you do may God have mercy on your soul.

BossArky

SebtheBum wrote:

Closing Time, Joseph Hellar's sequel to Catch 22, in which all the characters are in old age and nearing the "closing time" of their lives.
Catch 22 was brilliant, easy to read and a blast, with colourful, rich characters but... This I just find so hard-going.

I actually bought it a year ago, and hav been reading it in fits and starts since then, and am only halfway thru.
It's a much longer book than Catch 22, but it usually takes me about 2-3 weeks to read a book this long (and much quicker if I really really enjoy it).

Just can't get into it. But I'll keep pluggin away.

I found Catch 22 dragged in places and overall the book seemed too long. It was extremely funny in places and I'm glad I read it... however what you say about Closing Time does not provoke a longing to read it.

Faerie

nesf wrote:

One, that font is annoying.

Two, you're lucky. In the old English course, Jane Austin was considered Literature! Plus, read what you want? Seriously, I hope you're joking. Can you imagine what some people would choose! Mills & Boon here we come etc. I do appreciate that for a small group of students it might work, but it's totally unfeasible in reality.

Three, um, that font is annoying!

What do you mean by the Jane Austen comment? I can see why guys might not be that enthusiastic about her books, but you can't deny she's a brilliant writer - her observations of people, her satirical descriptions of life and the characters she creates are widely accepted as brilliant. And pride and prejudice and persuasion are two of my favourite books!
I agree though that people should not just be allowed to choose what they want to study. There's a wide variety of books on the course anyway and most people would just choose to study a book because it's the shortest one they can find (well that seems to apply to people in my class anyway!). Although one bad thing I do have to say about the course is that there a few books and plays on it that are on it just because the authors are Irish.

Anyway back to the topic, I've never actually not finished a book because I always have to find out what happens, even if it is crap, but I did find the Silmarillion hard going. I think it's beacuse of it's lack of plot and characters - it's more like a history book. I'm glad I finished it though because it's interesting to get all the background on LOTR and the sheer imagination of it all is amazing! I don't think it would be that interesting to someone who hasn't read LOTR though!
Another book I didn't really enjoy reading was James Joyce's Portrait of the Artist as a young man. It was ok at first but then it just drags and it's sort of annoying reading a book by a guy who's trying to persuade us he's a genius.I mean I'm sure he was and everything and I should really read Ulysess, but it's all a little pretentious!

odhran

I think I already posted on this thread ages ago, but I now have a new book to add: "The Turn of the Screw", by Henry James. Despite the fact that it's barely over one hundred pages long, I have failed miserably to complete it twice!