What books could you not finish?

[almondfinger]

I am having the most miserable of summer reads.

Do not say we have nothing - FFS, I persevered and it got a bit better and then reverted to tedious. Have way in I had to put it down.

Then I picked up A brief history of 7 killings - Every time I pick it up I fall asleep. The patois is difficult but when it gets to the CIA agents told in English I cant read that either. So far their have been so many killings I have lost count and it's far from brief.

I had to go out yesterday and buy some new books to look forward to. Tell me some of the books you couldn't be arsed with so I can avoid.

50 Shades of Grey. I struggled to get to chapter 4. The only book I have ever thrown in the bin.

Cloud Atlas
Behind the Scenes at the Museum - Kate Atkinson
Great Expectations

Underworld by Don Delillo. I got 300 or so pages in, still didn’t know what the heck it was about and called it quits.

I tried to read 50 shades of grey. The first chapter was enough, grammatically it felt like it was written by a 6 year old. The amount of errors just on the first few pages was ridiculous!

My Brilliant Friend by Elena Ferrante. Have tried to read this twice - got to half way this time and just could not bear to read any more.

Good Omens by Terry Pratchett & Neil Gaiman. Loved the dramatised version, hated the book.

Under a Mackerel Sky by Rick Stein. No idea why I bought this. Badly written and so boring.

I finished The Essex Serpent but didn’t enjoy it. Why the hell were three people in love with her? She wasn’t that interesting.
All the Wolf Hall hate. No! They’re great books! I love that character. I gave them away to the charity shop which I regret. I need to read them again.

Bleak House from me, too.

It was one of my set books for Level, in which i did really quite well, but never finished BH.

Recently signed up for some guided reading , four chapters a month and some discussion. Got about as far as before, and honestly gave up. We know that Dickens was churning out episodes for periodicals and probably paid by the word, that no reason to torture ourselves.

The Secret, the power...couldnt get into any of them.

I've stuggled with a few chicklit books where the author just waffles on and they take forever to get going.

Another one for Wolf Hall here! Also Midnight's Children and Love In The Time Of Cholera - I really tried with this one but just couldn't get to the end.

I've never been able to properly read anything by murakami - the elephant vanishes I did finish but only because I allowed myself to skim bits. No idea what it was about. A few others I've just put down and not picked back up. Also had to skim masses of cloud atlas to get to the end and again have no idea what happened in it. Another author I've never been able to get through is will self. Not bothered about that though.
Also never finished lord of the rings, world war z, finnegans wake, the castle (Kafka), Johnathon strange and mr norrell, and a bunch more. I can list them all because they're on my shelf when I'm ready to have another go! I've never had any qualms about not finishing a book!
Wolf hall has been mentioned a lot. I know without doubt I'd never make it through 10 pages of that so have never even bothered to pick it up.
I really enjoyed the goldfinch however and have memories of enjoying bleak house years ago at school too.

North & South. I’ve tried really hard but I cannot get in with it.
Our Mutual Friend - Snoozefest ditto Moby Dick.
Elephant Moon sticks out as being really shit, couldn’t finish that.

Almost everything that says “the must read book of the year” in the bumpf

Saying that, a lot of the books mentioned here I really loved.

I don’t include the Da Vinci Code in that category though. Even the villain’s name was unbelievable.

Oh yeah. Will Self. His books are so self consciously, ridiculously wordy.

I fancied something really light and relatable recently, after reading a few heavier (yet enjoyable) books.

I came accross A Year in the Life of a Playground Mother. Thought it would be right up my street, a few laughs in a ‘we’ve all been there’ kind of way. My god, I can’t get through it!! It’s utterly ridiculous. I know I wanted light and non brain taxing, but it’s so far fetched and well, just silly. I’m struggling yet determined to see it to the end!

Totally agree with We Are All Completely Beside Ourselves. What a load of bollocks!!

I love Bleak House . It's one of those books I daren't re-read in case it isn't as good as I remember it.

I started but failed to finish The Luminaries, which got such great reviews but felt like wading through treacle. Also Jonathan Strange and Mr Norrell (three attempts at least - it just never gripped me). And Lord of the Rings. Though that was 20 years ago so maybe I should try again....

@TheCrowFromBelow

which North & South? If it's the John Jakes one, it's really worth carrying on.

I am glad others said Wolf Hall - I know quite a few people who only finished that after repeated efforts. I don't believe in carrying on with books that are you losing you; there was too much religious and descriptive detail for me.

Also the Essex Serpent - I looked online for spoilers to find out the end though. I was really disappointed as the first 50pp were very good but then I saw where it was going and it suddenly got very dull, so c 150pp I gave up.

Lighthouse it's the Elizabeth Gaskell one.

I loved Wolf Hall, and Bring up the Bodies.

@TheCrowFromBelow

ah. Well, you could always get the John Jakes one if you want to tell people you read North & South cover to cover

I heard that Bring up the Bodies was written in a different style to Wolf Hall. But I also read Beyond Black and while I found the content fascinating, I didn't get on so well with her writing style so not trying any more Mantel - the TBR pile is huge as it is!

Oh and ulysses.

I might give that another go.

It was the spin of a Fifty Shades Of Grey book, the one that tells the story from Christian Grey's side. Read the first page...utter garbage.

Most recently The Ministry of Utmost Happiness by Arundhati Roy - remember being unable to put down The God of Small Things so that was a disappointment. Got about 70 pages in and lost interest.

Catch 22 tried several times and just don't get it.

I actually enjoyed the Essex Serpent though I think you need patience for it, and my attention waned about a quarter of the way in then picked up again.

We are all completely beside ourselves - agree could not finish, once the reveal had occurred I totally lost interest.

I did finish The Power but also found the characters somehow lacked substance and didn't much care about anyone, so disappointing for a much hyped book.

Agree with others that as I get older I have less patience to plough through for the sake of it!

About A Girl by Lindsey Kelk.

I had a (very, very long) phase of thinking it was more or less a crime not to finish a book. Then I turned 40 and decided that life was too short for the Satanic Verses and Wolf Hall (reached the end of the first few tedious pages of both) when there were many other, more deserving, things to read.

I love this thread, btw. Now wondering what else I failed to finish. Master and Commander was another. I love anything at all by Thomas Hardy, though. Have read all of the Brontes, though that just goes to show how truly awful Wolf Hall is.

I can't believe how many people hate Wolf Hall. I loved it. I also loved The Goldfish.

Hated The Slap and didn't bother finishing it. I also gave up on The Luminaries.

Midnight's children. It was hard. Then DS came 3.5 weeks early and there was just never time ever again. It's still in my bedside cabinet waiting.

........... DS is nearly 24 though! I look at it occasionally.