Which books have you decided not to finish and why?

I also gave up on Normal people by Sally Rooney. I found it really boring.

A question of us by Mary Jane baker. No idea why I started reading it but I didn’t get very far before realising that I was wasting my time.

Currently trying to decide whether to continue with yesteryear.

I often hear this about the Miniaturist and I absolutely loved that book!

I have given up on some popular ones actually.
Where the Crawdads Sing - I just could not get the hype at all. Didn't feel like I was getting into it, didn't buy into it, mate it about half way and drifted into something else.

The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo - didn't really get it, just felt like a long unexciting tale about not much. Thought I might go back to it. Never did.

The Silmarillion. I’ve tried about 20 times over the past 30 years but I just can’t do it.

I'm proud of making it through The List of Suspicious Things though. I feel I deserve an award for that. Ethically dubious as well.

Wish I’d given up on A little Life - so miserable!

I’ve stopped reading Butter - couldn’t get into the food descriptions, not engaged in the story (having just visited Japan I thought I could - no)

I also gave up about 3/4 through The Bee Sting - in short I didn’t feel the male writer captured the female characters authentically esp sexual / romance aspects.

Have never got past the first few pages of Middlemarch. Just did not click for me. Same with Wuthering Heights. I really want to like these books as I love Victorian literature but there was no spark.

The White Family by Maggie someone. Got loads of awards and acclaim. I absolutely hated it. Everyone was violent and horrible and it was depressing and preachy.

All Fours - liked the prose style and humour but it had no narrative. It was like a short story she had to stretch out because she had a novel advance.

Orbital which won the Booker prize. Just dull and self-important. The 98th description of the view of the Asian subcontinent from space did it for me. It reminded me a bit of The Salt Path which is basically endless descriptions of Cornish headland (interspersed with some theft and bullshit.)

I liked the Millkman though.

I've got it on audible and I'm going to give up on it as well. How has it got so many good reviews? Literally nothing is happening. Complete snoozeville

Alan Davies’ autobiography.
SO depressing!

I struggled through to the end of Catch 22 but wished I hadn’t bothered.

Heller also wrote a novel called Something Happens which my brother succinctly reviews as “no it doesn’t”.

I don't think I've ever consciously decided to stop reading a book. I've got plenty I didn't finish, but usually I put it down with the intention of picking it back up again and then just sort of forget about it.

I'm quite fussy about what books I'll start though, and tend to find an author I like and then read most of their work before moving on.

I also struggled with Milkman and gave up. It’s still on the shelf waiting for me to have another crack which probably won’t happen.

Also Piranesi. Just couldnt. Really didn't get far into it

I wish i had stopped reading Tomorrow and tomorrow and tomorrow

Couldn’t get through American Psycho, same as PP.

I normally love Chris Brookmyre but I HATED Bedlam and couldn’t get through it.

The bourne identity. I loved the film series so thought I'd enjoy the books but I only managed the first couple of chapters of the first one as i didn't liked the writing style.

Normal people by Sally Rooney. It was picked one month by a book club I went to but I just couldn't finish it, it was so dull!

I’m really surprised by some of these! It shows how different we all are. I gave up on Milkman by Anna Burns but honestly couldn’t tell you why. It just felt like too much effort and I thought life’s too short! It is really unusual for me to give up on a book as well.
I gave up on Middlemarch but a friend advised I go back to it and I’m so glad I did.

Any book as soon as the writer uses the word 'preternaturally' - always a bad sign in my opinion!

Midnight's Children by Salman Rushdie (Made it about half way through, got increasingly irritated at the pretentious (and not great) writing and boring story)
Things We Do In the Dark by Jennifer Hillier (Picked up immediately after reading her book, The Butcher, because I enjoyed that - TWDITD read as if someone else entirely had written in; choppy writing, predictable story, not great writing)
The Thursday Murder Club by Richard Osman (Rolled my eyes so many times that I just gave up. I think I thought this would be as engaging as The 100-Year-Old Man Who Climbed Out the Window and Disappeared, and it really really wasn't)
Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine by Gail Honeyman (I persevered, I really did. Made it to almost 80% through but had to give up in the end, I just disliked everything about it)

I gave up on Theo of Golden after about six chapters. WTF was that meant to be?

Time Traveller's Wife - I just found it too confusing!

Trainspotting. I just can't get on with Irvine Welsh's writing style.

Little Friend by Donna Tartt. The author was recommended to me by someone I admire so I really wanted to like it. I found it so slow that I gave up a couple of chapters in.

@Timeforabiscuit yes to A Little Life - utterly miserable and no likeable characters, also completely unbelievable. I have no idea why such an awful book is so popular, it was truly miserable. I sort-of finished it by skipping large chunks (the abuse bits) but was left baffled by its popularity.

Cloud Atlas and Catch 22 I also abandoned, plus numerous others I can’t remember.

1Q84 by Haruki Murakami. Faltering at the last 1/4, because of where the story goes. The first 3/4 are worth a read.

A little life - overwhelmingly horrible and miserable to read

Piranesi - people raved about it, but I couldn't connect with it