This week’s topic: Read With Abandon
I would enjoy reading a meme about people’s abandoned books. The books that you start but don’t finish say as much about you as the ones you actually read, sometimes because of the books themselves or because of the circumstances that prevent you from finishing. So . . . what books have you abandoned and why?
Well, I haven’t participated in this meme in a week or so. I thought I’d play along today 🙂
This is a good one for me. I love to read, but I seem to be pretty settled in my reading habits. I don’t usually pick up books or authors that I don’t like. I think in the last 3 years, there have only been a handful of books that I didn’t really like or love. I can think of three off the top of my head, but I did go ahead and finish them. I didn’t really enjoy them, but I have a completion complex, so I usually struggle through until the end. I can’t think of a single book that I’ve read in the last few years that I abandoned and didn’t finish. I think I know what kind of books and authors I like, and I tend to stick with those. I don’t stray too much out of my comfort zone.
Let’s see, the ones I can think of that I didn’t enjoy (I didn’t abandon them, but I didn’t like them either) are: “Talk to the Hand” by Lynne Truss. This was just not something I’m interested in; it was more like a textbook than an enjoyable, escapism, fiction book, which is what I enjoy reading. “The Falls” by Joyce Carol Oates. Ugh. I disliked this book. I do not want to try anything else from this author. It was boring, depressing, and basically had no redeeming factors for me. Ick. The other one that I didn’t really enjoy was “The Last Days of Dogtown” by Anita Diamant. Now, I picked this one up without knowing anything about it, because I loved, loved, loved her book, “The Red Tent”. This one was just not something I wanted to read about though. Depressing and a huge downer. About a dying village and all bad things happening to the villagers. Didn’t enjoy this one. I like books that have a redeeming quality, good characters, a happy ending. 🙂
Happy Reading!
Usually when I abandon a book it’s because I’m just not in the mood to read that genre of book. Although I will say that generally if I find myself becoming invested in the characters, I’ll finish even if I’m not in the mood. The only book I can honestly think of that I left unfinished was a Tom Clancy. I love the Jack Ryan character but this one I just couldn’t get into for some reason. I don’t even remember the title of the book right now and it’s still sitting in the bookshelf next to my bed. Thing is since his books are generally a series I can’t even go onto the next one after this because I really would prefer to read them in order. 😉
I hardly ever pick up Koontz or King. Somehow those genres do not interest me.
I don’t need a happy ending but good writing is a must.
Great question. Basically I abandon if I cannot get into the book. I’ve given up on several lately only because my reading time is limited and I want to enjoy every bit. Here are a few:
A Wedding in December/A. Shreve
Veronica/M. Gaitskill
There have been a few others but I can’t remember the names. I do give it my best effort before finally tossing it aside.
I’m like you, I tend to pick up books that are in my genre tastes so I rarely not finish one. There are a few though that I have set aside and one I wish I would have set aside, that being Time Traveller’s Wife. And I know that is not a popular opinion in blogland, but that story really bothered me on several levels.
I just recently gave up on COLD MOUNTAIN because I thought it was boring and BASILICA because I just couldn’t get into it right then. I’ll probably go back to BASILICA at a later date.
I’ve struggled through a few books lately, but have finished them. I don’t like to give up on books, but some I just can’t read.
I haven’t read that one by Joyce Carol Oates, but I have read some great things from her. I wouldn’t rule her out, We Were the Mulvaney’s was an Oprah pick, and it was very well written. I think it was based on a true (but terrible) real story. Terrible because of the events told, and horrific if they are true, but it does have some insight.
Anyway, my I posted a sneak peek of next weeks giveaways for my Thursday Thirteen:-)
Oh I dislike a fiction that reads like a textbook, I can imagine how dry and boring it will be. To me, reading is all about pleasure, not self-improvement! LOL.
There for a while I was only reading biographies. And there is a book called Gore A to Z, I couldn’t get passed A. Interesting enough I did get through GWB seniors memoir book-which took me about a year and was pretty interesting.
I am not that political, don’t know why I picked these books to read just a phase I think- I found Mary Tyler Moores Bio very interesting.
It wasn’t until a couple years ago that I finally gave myself permission to give up on a book. Finally realized life is too short and all. But since then I can’t think of a single book that I actually did give up on. I definitely would have tossed Frankenstein aside, if it hadn’t been for a reading challenge…and in the end, I’m glad I did finish, even though it would never make a list of my favorite books!
I almost bought The Falls a couple nights ago at Borders, but ended up putting it back down. Sounds like maybe I made the right choice, huh? I have read some short stories that I really enjoyed by Joyce Carol Oates, but never read one of her novels.
I’m learning to give up on a book too….although like you, I’m probably only going to pick a genre I know i’ll pretty much enjoy.
I haven’t read The Falls, but I do love Joyce Carol Oates and many of her short stories are terrific.
I actually tried reading Lord of the Rings (for my husband, who loves it) and consistently reread the same sentence ten times, fell asleep or was just plain bored. I ended up stopping about 5 pages in.
The funny thing for me is that I very rarely choose books written in third person. I always pick first person.
Oooh, another I found so bad was Patricia Cornwell. Now, I have to say that I really enjoyed her Kay Scarpetta series for several books. She began writing in first person present, which I just could NOT get on board. I ended up going to Amazon to read reviews to see if it was just me, but no. She also had the same killer going through several books until it was just becoming implausible and annoying. It is tough for some of the authors who continue to write the same character for a series for so long. I wonder if they are like tv shows-sometimes they need to be cancelled.
I do pick up different books and start them and don’t finish. I like to try new genres and authors, but it is hit and miss. I do not finish a book I’m not enjoying! If I read 100 books I don’t like in my lifetime, that is 100 GOOD books I will miss out on! 🙂
Sherry
I hate putting books down after starting them, but I have started making myself when the language or other scenes are too much. It is getting easier to put them down because I become more bothered by that stuff all the time!
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