chaliepud Posted November 10, 2012 Share Posted November 10, 2012 Sorry I should have said Chrissy, it just didn't grab me at all, I'm not entirely sure why as I've read and enjoyed lots of young adult fiction, perhaps it was because the main characters were younger than in the books I usually read... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Karsa Orlong Posted November 11, 2012 Share Posted November 11, 2012 Two, so far: Silverthorn by Raymond E Feist (boring!) Heroes Die by Matthew Woodring Stover (wasn't grabbing my attention) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
karen.d Posted November 11, 2012 Share Posted November 11, 2012 I've given up 3 books so far this year, 'The Somnambulist' by Essie Fox, 'Something Dangerous'- Penny Vincenzi and 'World Without End'- Ken Follet. All of these books suffered from the same flaws, that I wasn't able to connect with the characters and that they lacked an interesting plot. I'm adding the following to my list of abandoned books: 'Don Quixote'- Cervantes (Unfinished) 'Game of Thrones'- George R.R Martin (Unfinished) Both of these novels started with great promise, but in the case of 'Don Quixote', what started off as quirky, quickly escalated into being ridiculous and with 'Game of Thrones' by the half way point, I was bored. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pixie Posted November 11, 2012 Share Posted November 11, 2012 I'm adding the following to my list of abandoned books: 'Don Quixote'- Cervantes (Unfinished) 'Game of Thrones'- George R.R Martin (Unfinished) Both of these novels started with great promise, but in the case of 'Don Quixote', what started off as quirky, quickly escalated into being ridiculous and with 'Game of Thrones' by the half way point, I was bored. I think Don Quixote is supposed to become ridiculous or absurd, but I've never read far enough in to make my own judgment. I agree with you about Game of Thrones. Boring, too many characters, and I didn't really care about any of them. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
karen.d Posted November 11, 2012 Share Posted November 11, 2012 I think Don Quixote is supposed to become ridiculous or absurd, but I've never read far enough in to make my own judgment. I agree with you about Game of Thrones. Boring, too many characters, and I didn't really care about any of them. I can accept that it was supposed to be comedy, but it got to the point that I had to stop reading 'Don Quixote',because it seemed pointless to continue reading something so silly. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bobblybear Posted November 11, 2012 Share Posted November 11, 2012 Looking on my book blog I've given up on two this year. The Quest for Anna Klein by Thomas H Cook - didn't care about the characters and wasn't interested in the story. I was so disappointed, because I'd loved Red Leaves by him. Pure by Andrew Miller - thought the story was interesting, but didn't like all the fictionalised characters and peripheral storyline. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Phil1980 Posted December 31, 2012 Share Posted December 31, 2012 Ive abandoned A clash of Kings for a while. 200 pages in and not a great deal has actually happened. I will return to it when I have more energy lol Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
StormyRaincloud Posted January 1, 2013 Share Posted January 1, 2013 I've only abandoned one last year, I wanted to try The Satanic Verses by Salman Rushdie, just to see what all the fuss was about. While I loved the story and the idea. I got completely lost in the second part and ended up getting frustrated with myself for not understanding it. I'll try it again sometime but I've got so many books to read, I don't know when I'll get round to it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
itsmeagain Posted January 11, 2013 Share Posted January 11, 2013 A suitable boy by Vikram Seth. To be completed this year though.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chesilbeach Posted January 12, 2013 Share Posted January 12, 2013 A suitable boy by Vikram Seth. To be completed this year though.... Oh no! One of my favourite books ever, and it's always a tiny bit disappointing when someone doesn't enjoy it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Janet Posted January 12, 2013 Share Posted January 12, 2013 I've removed '2012' from the title of this thread as it's only on p2 and we're in 2013 now! No books abandoned this year... yet! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
itsmeagain Posted January 12, 2013 Share Posted January 12, 2013 Oh no! One of my favourite books ever, and it's always a tiny bit disappointing when someone doesn't enjoy it. Not at all chesil. I liked the book very much, it was just the length of it that overwhelmed me. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chesilbeach Posted January 12, 2013 Share Posted January 12, 2013 Not at all chesil. I liked the book very much, it was just the length of it that overwhelmed me. Phew! Thank goodness you like it. It is a bit of a doorstop though, isn't it? I read it when it first came out in hardback, and I still remember aching hands and wrists from holding it up. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
itsmeagain Posted January 12, 2013 Share Posted January 12, 2013 Indeed chesil. I have a quite remarkable history with this book. I took the green paperback copy to Brazil in 2009, so heavy was it that I gave it to a friend, whose bookshelf it remains on, untouched. I searched my local big city library, in vain, last year, so I bought a huge hardback version, which I donated to another charity shop, having got it from a charity shop..could not carry it about. Then I bought , new , the paperback. Only to find it for sale in Sheffield library for 50p!!! Then, we were on a train to Edinburgh in June. Across the aisle, the young woman was reading..A suitable boy..just like I was..... I love the characters, the portrayal of their personalities, but the way he writes Mrs Rupa Mehra constantly, why the need for Mrs? It grates on me a bit. He is publishing A suitable girl this year. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
poppy Posted January 13, 2013 Share Posted January 13, 2013 I had to abandon Mister God, This Is Anna! by Fynn. Too out there for me. And I wasn't feeling any of the characters. This is one of my all-time favourite books and I've recommended it to several of my friends. I first read it when I was about 20 and it was a book that actually changed the way I viewed the world. But one of my friends didn't like it either and didn't finish it. I loved Anna and Fynn and thought the relationship Anna had with 'Mr God' was wonderful, but this is maybe what puts other people off. A book I have abandoned is Sexing the Cherry by Jeanette Winterson I found it just a bit too weird. I was disappointed as I had really enjoyed Lighthousekeeping by the same author. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
frankie Posted January 13, 2013 Share Posted January 13, 2013 This is one of my all-time favourite books and I've recommended it to several of my friends. I first read it when I was about 20 and it was a book that actually changed the way I viewed the world. But one of my friends didn't like it either and didn't finish it. I loved Anna and Fynn and thought the relationship Anna had with 'Mr God' was wonderful, but this is maybe what puts other people off. No worries, I understand why other people would like it, it just wasn't for me I know I'm probably the exception to the rule in this case, but I don't mind Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
risingdawn Posted January 21, 2013 Share Posted January 21, 2013 I think I am abandoning War & Peace. Just too big and would probably take me the whole year to read through the whole thing. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bree Posted January 22, 2013 Author Share Posted January 22, 2013 No worries, I understand why other people would like it, it just wasn't for me I know I'm probably the exception to the rule in this case, but I don't mind I think it was I who got you to read that Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
itsmeagain Posted May 17, 2013 Share Posted May 17, 2013 My latest, even though I will go back soon, is Barnaby Rudge by Charles Dickens. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pontalba Posted May 18, 2013 Share Posted May 18, 2013 There are some I've temporarily abandoned, but they are in a stack in the living room. Won't list those. However, two that I've abandoned, permanently are: The Elegance of the Hedgehog. Mostly on account of the philosophical outlook, and what seemed to me to be a rather narrow stereotyping of characters. and The Crimson Petal and the White. I know most people seem to really like it. Maybe its a marmite book. I couldn't stand the 3rd person omniscient narration style. It isn't that I don't like omniscient narrators, I do. It was the clipped, flip, rather nasty tone/style the narrator took. I found it belittling. But that's only me. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chesilbeach Posted May 18, 2013 Share Posted May 18, 2013 I think I'm going to be abandoning Under The Skin by Michel Faber. The first one of his I haven't enjoyed, and I think I've read nearly all of his books now. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
paperplane Posted May 21, 2013 Share Posted May 21, 2013 My first abandoned book of the year is The Fountainhead by Ayn Rand. I tried but just couldn't read any further than a few chapters - found it too mind numbing. I have a few others: American Psycho (waaayyy over the top) Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy (mehh) The Little Friend by Donna Tart (read quite a substantial chunk but gave up) The Glass Books of Dream Eaters by Gordon Dalqhuist (This I really wanted to like but it just got too bizarre and hard to follow) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
frankie Posted May 21, 2013 Share Posted May 21, 2013 I think I'm going to be abandoning Under The Skin by Michel Faber. The first one of his I haven't enjoyed, and I think I've read nearly all of his books now. What is it about Under the Skin that you don't like? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chesilbeach Posted May 21, 2013 Share Posted May 21, 2013 Umm, a bit embarrassed to admit this, but when I started reading it on my Kindle, I actually thought I'd selected a different book to start! After I'd read the first chapter, I realised this was not the story I'd read on the blurb, but thought since I'd started, I'd carry on. The trouble is, I'm finding it a very unsettling and it's very different from all his other books that I've read. I'm worried where the story might go, and if it veers into horror then I'm really not going to enjoy it. There's also much talk of humour in the reviews I've read since I put it aside, and I definitely didn't find anything that made me smile, chuckle or laugh in there at all! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
frankie Posted May 21, 2013 Share Posted May 21, 2013 Umm, a bit embarrassed to admit this, but when I started reading it on my Kindle, I actually thought I'd selected a different book to start! After I'd read the first chapter, I realised this was not the story I'd read on the blurb, but thought since I'd started, I'd carry on. The trouble is, I'm finding it a very unsettling and it's very different from all his other books that I've read. I'm worried where the story might go, and if it veers into horror then I'm really not going to enjoy it. There's also much talk of humour in the reviews I've read since I put it aside, and I definitely didn't find anything that made me smile, chuckle or laugh in there at all! Okay, that explains it, yes. And don't be embarrassed for having thought it was a different book! As the Finns would say, that happens in the better families, too! The book is very unsettling, yes. I'm not sure where you are at, and if it's going to get even worse for you, but having read your post, I think this book might not be for you. I don't think I've read any other of Faber's books, but it's very out there, so to speak. And as for the reviews you are talking about... I did enjoy the novel, but not because I thought it was humorous or funny Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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