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.

I detest this book. Never understood why it is acclaimed as a work of feminism. Abhorrent characters! There’s a book called Wild Sargossa Sea which is from the perspective of the ‘mad’ first wife in the attic. It is a far better read!

Edit: typo

The Infamous Gilberts - I've just taken it back to the library after 100 pages or so. A dull book about an eccentric, dysfunctional family and horrible happenings. It'st had a lot of accolades attached to it. Not for me! It became clear soonish it was becoming a slog, and I wasn't prepared to waste any more time on it. So many good books out there.

It’s a lot isn’t! I ended up listening to a podcast that explained it and then the audiobook a few times before it made much sense. It was worth it though, definitely my favourite of all Tolkien’s work.

Secret History, The Milkman, 100 Years of Solitude, Lincoln in the Bardo - all books that I love but 100% understand why lots of people can't stand them!

The first Harry Potter book. It had just come out and I was staying with a friend who'd read it. She said it was marvellous and if I read to page 80 I'd be hooked. I wasn't.

I gave up on Gone Girl around half way through when I realised that if the author killed off all the characters and the rest of the book was blank pages I'd be relieved.

I'm currently on the point of ditching Coastliners by Joanne Harris. I'm almost at half way, finding it deeply dreary, and hoping there will be a plot development that makes the story something other than a young woman going back to a miserable little island to try to have some sort of relationship with her emotionally abusive horror of a father.

The Kite Runner
Shirley
Wolf Hall
A Clockwork Orange

First two because they were so boring, and second two because I didn’t like the writing style.

I absolutely love Catch 22 and Dostoyevsky so clearly we are all turned off by different things.

I have tried so many times to finish pretty much anything by Gabriel Garcia Marquez, I wanted so much to love him. I never have, and I don’t.

I loved Piranesi, read it twice.

gave up after a couple of chapters of The Names. Domestic violence as a rather unsubtle plot device? No thanks.

An Ian Rankin book, can't remember which one. It depicted extreme violence within the first few pages. I persevered for a bit, then thought "I don't need to put myself through this, I'm not interested enough to want to find out what is going on" and closed the book with a considerable sense of relief.

Naked Lunch, after maybe 10 pages. As I recall (it was some time ago), someone paid to watch a junkie inject himself with a fatal substance. No thanks.

I agree with others about A Little Life, though I did finish it - so much misery, and so many detailed descriptions of the misery. It was also very unbelievable - 4 random university students, very different people but thrown together, all become massively successful, enough to buy luxury properties in New York. That alone stretches credibility.

My Brilliant Friend. I made the mistake of listening to it initially as an audiobook and I gave up on that because I found the reader's voice intensely irritating. I then tried reading it, but I just couldn't get into it.

Also Bored of the Rings. Fantasy just doesn't work for me.

The secret of secrets, Dan Brown, tried and tried but just didn’t enjoy it, gave up less than half way through

Demon Copperhead! Ive loved other things by the author but this one, nope I couldnt keep reading hoping for an end to the misery.
I adore Joe Abercrombie World of the First Law series and was shocked to find that people considered these books dark, well compared to old Copperhead they are a light hearted comedy masterpiece.

Hamnet. So, so dull.

I hated the Bee Sting, so boring.

'In Plain Sight' about Jimmy Savile. I just found it not very well written, very disjointed. My Dad (who leant me it) said the same albeit only after I gave him it back.

Another one about the Hillsborough Disaster. That wasn't necessarily anything wrong with the book, but I'd had a recent football-related incident myself (of course NOTHING on the scale of Hillsborough, just a relationship issue but it did leave me with trauma) and I found reading it really upset me!

Lincoln in the Bardo is definitely one of the best books I’ve ever read. Love it so much.

Such a pointless book. You never find anything out.

I gave up on Coastliners too. I didn't feel like anything was going to happen.

Some of the books mentioned above I really loved.

One I really hated and couldn't continue was John Boyne's Fire. I've read other books by him and liked them but had to stop reading this after detailed descriptions of a woman doctor pursuing and sexually abusing a little boy. It was sickening.

I've just started this on audiobook after seeing it recommended loads.
It hasnt grabbed me, I usually walk the legs off the dogs when I've got a good audiobook on the go but I'm finding excuses not to walk because I don't want to listen to this book!! Time to throw the towel in and start another, especially after reading your post.

Agree re The Plague Dogs, I didnt get beyond the first chapter.

I've had a year of not finishing books - including

Wuthering Heights once Cathy dies it is so morose
Wild Swans (about 40% through)
Anna Karenina - she is just such an idiot
Heresey by SJ Paris - the main guy is really arrogant
Eruption - Crichton/Patterson - just blow already

That's pretty atrocious really but I'm blaming peri and generally not.wanting to waste time on books I am not enjoying.

Nostromo - Joseph Conrad. Tried a couple of times, couldn't get past the first couple of chapters.

Midnight's Children - Salman Rushdie. It won the Booker of Bookers, so it must be good, right? Wrong, as far as I am concerned! I found it very wordy and dull. Couldn't get into it at all.

100 Years of Solitude - Gabriel Garcia Marquez. I found it very tedious and couldn't get interested in it.

Fifty Shades of Grey - E L James. What can I say?! A friend raved about it and lent me her copy. I couldn't believe how terribly badly written it was. I read a chapter or two and gave up. Utter tripe! It came across as having been written by a group of 11-year-old boys bunking off lessons (which is probably why they couldn't write very well) behind the bike sheds at school!

Oof, no!