chesilbeach Posted May 21, 2013 Share Posted May 21, 2013 Thanks, frankie, I think that cements my decision not to continue with it. Looking at my book list, I've read three other novels and two short story collections by him, and like I said, I've enjoyed them all, so it was a bit of a disappointment to find myself abandoning this one, but I think I'll try the rest of his books at some point - it certainly has put me off. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
frankie Posted May 21, 2013 Share Posted May 21, 2013 (edited) Thanks, frankie, I think that cements my decision not to continue with it. Looking at my book list, I've read three other novels and two short story collections by him, and like I said, I've enjoyed them all, so it was a bit of a disappointment to find myself abandoning this one, but I think I'll try the rest of his books at some point - it certainly has put me off. I hate to be the one who helped you cement your decision (what an interesting expression!) on this book, because I liked it so much, but the book's not going to change its course and so I think you'll be better off if you abandon it. I can only imagine how gobsmacked you were to read the first few chapters on the book, having expected something completely different! I don't know about Faber's work in general, but going by what you said (the other books you've read being different from this) I assume this was a 'one off' of his and I think you'll be good with his other works. Edited May 21, 2013 by frankie Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chesilbeach Posted May 21, 2013 Share Posted May 21, 2013 (edited) Well, if nothing else, our discussion has meant you've found a new English expression to add to your ever increasing knowledge of our idiosyncratic language! Edited May 21, 2013 by chesilbeach Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
frankie Posted May 21, 2013 Share Posted May 21, 2013 Well, if nothing else, our discussion has meant you've found a new English expression to add to your ever increasing knowledge of our idiosyncratic language! True that! Oh, and you've learned a Finnish expression, too Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
itsmeagain 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) Ayn Rand is dreadful, the book Atlas shrugged almost killed me with boredom. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Athena Posted May 22, 2013 Share Posted May 22, 2013 (edited) I don't abandon a lot of books, generally I try to stick with it. There have been a few I abandoned, for example: Jodi Picoult - Songs of a Humpback Whale (a few years ago) and Eleanor Druse - The Journals of Eleanor Druse (many years ago). The first one I couldn't get into, so I abandoned it and decided to read it when I'm in a different mood (I haven't rated it yet). I love most of Jodi Picoult's other novels that I've read by her so far, so I don't know why I had problems with this one. Eleanor Druse - The Journals of Eleanor Druse (Dutch version) was just dreadful, I didn't enjoy it at all at the time and if/when I get rid of some books (ie. charityshop etc), I'll get rid of it. I don't remember many others, there'll probably have been some but not in the recent years at least. Edited May 22, 2013 by Athena Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Andy Posted May 30, 2013 Share Posted May 30, 2013 A lot of people won't like this, but I gave up on The Handmaid's Tale by Margaret Atwood. I also gave up on the Wheel of Time series. Fantasy is a bit difficult for me to get into. I did get sucked into the A Song of Ice and Fire series, but GRRM starts slow with a lot of the fantasy elements of the series. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Robin_Cambs Posted June 11, 2013 Share Posted June 11, 2013 I read about half of Paradise Lost when I was a teenager...I still plan on finishing it someday, but UNNNGGGHHH. I also read the first volume of The Gulag Archipelago, not realising there was more. I think read enough to get the point though. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pontalba Posted June 13, 2013 Share Posted June 13, 2013 I can add another to my list of abandoned books..... Mr. Penumbra's 24-Hour Bookstore by Robin Sloan. I forced myself to read up to 50%, but just couldn't continue. Life is too short. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Will Posted June 21, 2013 Share Posted June 21, 2013 A lot of people won't like this, but I gave up on The Handmaid's Tale by Margaret Atwood. I could never finish that either, I had to read it as part of my English Literature course at college and my tutor soured it for me, actually that tutor instilled a probably undeserved dislike of Atwood in general. I nearly gave up on Money by Martin Amis but in the review I'd read the reviewer suggested giving it until page 50 before quitting, I was so glad I did. I rarely abandon any books, the only two that spring to mind are one called 'The Serial Killers Club' by Jeff Povey, which was awful, and Catch-22 which was ruined for me when found out how it ended. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
itsmeagain Posted June 30, 2013 Share Posted June 30, 2013 Ulysses by James Joyce. I did not like it at all. Writes like he`s on acid, I doubt that he was though. Terrible. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KatK1424 Posted July 5, 2013 Share Posted July 5, 2013 I have abandoned Death comes to Pemberley P D James but I will go back to it at some point I just have to be in the moood for it. It took me a long time to finish this book. It was clever because it was in keeping with Austin's style but I didn't find it that interesting. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KatK1424 Posted July 5, 2013 Share Posted July 5, 2013 Ulysses by James Joyce. I did not like it at all. Writes like he`s on acid, I doubt that he was though. Terrible. I agree - couldn't get further than a few chapters. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KatK1424 Posted July 5, 2013 Share Posted July 5, 2013 For my old book club, we started reading The Historian and I just couldn't finish it. When we met to discuss it, it turned out that no one in the book club had managed to finish it, not even the girl who had suggested it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mrsmac Posted July 5, 2013 Share Posted July 5, 2013 Charles Dickens' biography by Claire Tomalin - really tried with this but it defeated me, too many details and dates. Every little detail about his life that I didn't want to know and yet I feel embarrassed because apparently it's well regarded in the literary world. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Augustin Posted July 13, 2013 Share Posted July 13, 2013 This year, I gave up on The Rise and Fall of Napoleon Bonaparte by Robert Asprey. I admire Asprey for trying to be as objective as possible, but the prose was rather dry and it was more about his battles than the man himself. Once I read Cronin's Napoleon, then I might give it another shot because it's incredibly detailed; it just lacks real analysis. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
poppyshake Posted July 13, 2013 Share Posted July 13, 2013 The only book I can remember abandoning is Gardens of the Moon by Steven Erikson .. I just didn't have a clue what was going on. I still have the book with my bookmark in it which must mean something (that I don't know when to admit defeat possibly.) I may return to it one day .. a sad day when no other books are available to me I wanted to abandon Death Comes to Pemberley by PD James and The Ambassadors by Henry James .. but didn't. I wish I had abandoned Madame Bovary Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bookmonkey Posted July 14, 2013 Share Posted July 14, 2013 I gave up on Catcher in the Rye recently. I tried to keep reading it, but it just seemed like nothing was happening, and the writing was quite boring. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brian. Posted July 14, 2013 Share Posted July 14, 2013 I gave up on Catcher in the Rye recently. I tried to keep reading it, but it just seemed like nothing was happening, and the writing was quite boring. I think the age you read Cather in the Rye seems to be factor in enjoyment levels. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
itsmeagain Posted July 14, 2013 Share Posted July 14, 2013 I agree - couldn't get further than a few chapters.dreadfully esoteric it seemed,with bizarre and out of context allusions to greek classical lit,etc. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
itsmeagain Posted May 8, 2014 Share Posted May 8, 2014 Still haven't got round to finishing off reading A suitable boy as yet. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bobblybear Posted September 28, 2014 Share Posted September 28, 2014 Looking through my book list for this year, so far I have abandoned: Dark Lord: The Teenage Years - Jamie Thomson Missing Gretyl: Only Fools and Trollops - Si Page, Mark Stibbe, Tony Trimmer Midnight's Children - Salman Rushdie A Discovery of Witches - Deborah Harkness I'm really not a fan of abandoning books, but sometimes you have to. Just worked out that it is 8.6% of books that I started this year. That sounds so high! How many have you abandoned this year? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Athena Posted September 28, 2014 Share Posted September 28, 2014 I have abandoned: Josh Feingold - The Secret Guide to Happiness Lilian Jackson Brown - Cat Who... 29: De Kat Die 60 Snorharen Had Roy Richard Grinker - Unstrange Minds: A Father Remaps the World of Autism Roald Dahl - Going Solo 3 of these counted as read, 1 as not read, because I finished more than half of these books. I have read 171 books this year so far, and have abandoned ~2% of the books I started to read. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
frankie Posted September 28, 2014 Share Posted September 28, 2014 I have abandoned: Josh Feingold - The Secret Guide to Happiness Lilian Jackson Brown - Cat Who... 29: De Kat Die 60 Snorharen Had Roy Richard Grinker - Unstrange Minds: A Father Remaps the World of Autism Roald Dahl - Going Solo 3 of these counted as read, 1 as not read, because I finished more than half of these books. This is probably a silly question, but I don't get it. You finished more than half of those books (3 books?), but yet you list them as abandoned books? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alexi Posted September 28, 2014 Share Posted September 28, 2014 I don't really get it either - you count them as read and abandoned? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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