Books you had to put down

[Freya]

I tried for the first time to read a nichols sparks book.

I've never seen any of the movies, my library had one available and nothing else so I said why not.

I'm 30% through it and I can't finish it. It's so boring. How are these a thing?


What books could you just not get through?

[Fynn]

Don't lynch me. I had to put down Storm of Swords. I plan to get back to it, but it was just to heavy to get through at a certain point. I'm also bothered that all these SoIaF books have no beginnings and ends, they just blend into one another. It's really hard to immerse yourself when you know you're just going into the middle of an ocean again.

[Freya]

I did that too for a long while. With that exact book too! So I feel you.

[I Took the Red Pill]

Too many to count unfortunately. I'm way too picky about style and form and I've stopped reading many books that I probably should have given more time to grab me.

One that stands out that I do not feel bad about, however, is White Noise by Don Delillo. I'm a big fan of post-modernism but this was wayyyy over the line of self-indulgent, "look-how-smart-I-am", show-off literature. There are some nice lines in there but I couldn't stomach it.

[Jinx]

Don't lynch me. I had to put down Storm of Swords. I plan to get back to it, but it was just to heavy to get through at a certain point. I'm also bothered that all these SoIaF books have no beginnings and ends, they just blend into one another. It's really hard to immerse yourself when you know you're just going into the middle of an ocean again.

You definitely have to commit to reading the series, but I'd strongly disagree with you that the books have no beginnings or endings. I think it was last year was the first year I didn't complete my reading challenge and it's because I re-read those books. It's not because they're long, because they didn't really take me that long to read when I sat down and read them. The problem was I got to A Feast for Crows and was just like I NEED A BREAK FROM READING and didn't touch a book for six weeks. xD

I usually truck on through books, no matter how terrible. I feel like books I really hated, I've erased from my memory (this is different from books I just didn't get totally into and stopped reading...because those I might pick up and read at a different time, I just wasn't in the right mood then). A book I reaaaally struggled through was Brave New World. Man, that book is trout. Also, the first time I read it (I'm re-reading it) Infinite Jest. Which is a 1200 page book. Ahahahaha. The Catcher in the Rye is another.

[Fynn]

See, I happened to really enjoy Brave New World back when I read it in high school! :lol2: It's interesting how the ease of reading a particular book differs from person to person.

I mean, maybe it's because that wasn't entirely for pleasure. I had to read several American lit and British lit books for this nation-wide English contest, so maybe any type of sci-fi was just a welcome change from the older stuff.

[Depression Moon]

Every novel I read this year except for Shipbreaker because I was already close to the end. I must not be good at picking books anymore. Nothing I read this year kept my interest throughout. I want to read something great again.

[Freya]

I usually truck on through books, no matter how terrible. I feel like books I really hated, I've erased from my memory (this is different from books I just didn't get totally into and stopped reading...because those I might pick up and read at a different time, I just wasn't in the right mood then). A book I reaaaally struggled through was Brave New World. Man, that book is trout. Also, the first time I read it (I'm re-reading it) Infinite Jest. Which is a 1200 page book. Ahahahaha. The Catcher in the Rye is another.

See I normally am this way. I push through it. I'm still half ass trying with City of Bones. But this "The best of me" book by sparks, I'm just so bored. Like I feel like i'm wasting my time with this one. At least with City of Bones, I'm half ass interested in the plot. This one, I don't care about these characters and i'm a third through it. It also has waaaaay too much head hopping. Blargh.

[Formalhaut]

This can happen rather frequently with me because I'm a very slow reader, so there's more opportunities for me to 'get stuck in a rut' with a book than others.

[ttokkii]

I'm ready for the onslaught: Game of Thrones.

I didn't like the TV show so I thought I'd give the books a shot (seeing as books are always better, unless it's twilight. Ick) and I can't stand them. It's a step away from being an "adult" novel. I don't like the way he writes. I grant that the premise is really interesting and I would have loved to read it, if it had been written by someone else.

The writing style seems inconsistent. It's either extremely dragged out or too rushed. You can't really get involved with characters because you know they're going to die (unless you're the dragon lady). Admittedly I didn't get past the first book so I don't know if things change.

[Freya]

Only two mainish characters die in the first book though. And only one was a main PoV character? Actually I think all the PoV characters in that book are still alive even now. If you didn't finish the first book then no one died cause it's at the tail end. So you should have been able to get attached? Or are you just using the reference of the whole series?

[ttokkii]

My apologies, it was a sweeping statement for the whole series.

My main issue with the first book solely is just the writing style and things just seem dragged out and then the next chapter things will get brushed over or whatever. I mean, it's fine if that's the kind of style you like as a change up in pace and everything. It just isn't for me personally.

[Freya]

Ahh yeah the changes in PoV where you don't go back to a situation for several chapters can be disjointing for some. I feel you.

[Colonel Angus]

Hulk Hogan's autobiography. The book reeks of BS. I'm glad I only paid a few dollars for it.

[Pant Leg Eater from the Bad World]

Divergent. Maze Runner.

It turns out that I think these kinds of dystopian teen novels are generally written pretty poorly. And the plots suck.