Which books have you decided not to finish and why?

[Fiddlesticks1]

Are there any books you decided not to continue reading and why?
For me two books.
The Plague Dogs- just found it too upsetting
and in the days of devouring books by Russian authors I gave up on Dostoyevsky because I found them depressing.

Alan Davies’ autobiography.
SO depressing!

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

The book was given to me as a gift and I kept expecting something exciting to happen. It didn’t. Was surprised it was then televised.

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.

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.

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.

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

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.

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.

Too many to mention!
I ploughed through Piranesi because of the hype but just didn't get it at all.

So many! Most recently Heart the Lover. The style of narration made me too confused about who was who and what was going on.

100 Years of Solitude by Gabriel Garcia Marquez. Felt like I lost 100 years of my life trying to persevere.

The Bee Sting by Paul Murray. Took it on holiday and detested every minute of reading it before giving up a third of the way through. Did read a summary afterwards and I’m glad I didn’t persevere. I felt bad leaving it in the villa in case some other poor person was tempted to use it as their holiday read so (unforgivably) at the last minute threw it in the bin.
The Power by Naomi Alderman was a book club choice and the only one that I have ever not read. Just absolutely could not bear to to read it.

Donna Tart Secret history. People on MN were ranting about the brilliance of this book, poster after poster went on about it. Utter utter shite.
50 shades, utter utter shite.
Didn’t finish either.
I am very fussy about what I dedicate my precious time to and will not have it wasted on shite.

Moby Dick. Have read "Call me Ishmael" a hundred times, but rarely get much further.

A Brief History of Seven Killings by Marlon James. I so wanted to get on with it but struggled massively with the dialogue and found myself trying to say it out loud. Might try and find a recorded version.

So, so many! I must be quite fickle. I always think I need 50 pages to get hooked and if I’m not by then I give up.
However, I’m on attempt 4 of Middlemarch and determined to get through it this time. Sometimes I have to reread the sentence several times to understand what they’re saying. And then it’s still fuzzy!
And to my shame I gave up on The Mirror and the Light although I’ve absolutely devoured the rest of Hilary Mantel’s novels.

...the latest Clare Mackintosh was a struggle (It's Not What You Think) for political reasons really. And Dan Brown's last one too. Too long/too much technology to understand.

All the Colors of the Dark - read 3/4 and even that was too much. It was so predictable yet most people on the Facebook book pages I follow rave about all the twists and turns they never saw coming, that it’s the best book they’d ever read. I thought it was so predictable and I later checked the synopsis and I was right about how the story ended.

Orbital - repetitive and boring

Project Hail Mary - just couldn’t get into it at all, and thought the movie was far too long too.

The Housemaid. Irritating writing style that reminded me of 50 shades of grey. Loathsome characters.
50 shades of grey.

Stay away from The Goldfinch by Donna Tartt then. I read that after many recommendations. Was furious beyond words when I finished it. Worst ending of a book ever!

I love Secret History but I do understand the issues with it. I got my mate to read it one summer, he would text me often to update me how much he hated it. In the end he texted a photo of it on a park bench in Marseilles where he left it.
Im always giving up on books. I spent what felt like a lifetime reading Bleakhouse once and was still only halfway through. Gave that up and never looked back.
Conn Iggulden is one writer who seems to have become so big his works are no longer edited or reviewed fairly. The last one I started was just so bad I couldnt believe it was the same person who had written the wonderful Genghis Khan series.

The Salt Path - infuriatingly idiotic

I gave up on his Love in the Time of Cholera. Happily made my way through War and Peace, Middlemarch, The Silmarillion. Really rate Cloud Atlas, The Secret History - but, finished but did not enjoy The Little Friend by Donna Tartt.

Read half of 1Q84 but finished - sounds odd but I just read the woman's view (it has alternating man/woman chapters).

Jane Eyre - she was so whiny! Only book I’ve ever not finished