Books that oddly don't catch you

[littlemissattitude]

LOTR (I got halfway through FOTR, but only because I was assigned to read it for a class), A Game of Thrones (although I intend to try that one again; I've only tried twice so far), Dune. Dune was a weird one. I tried it about five times before I got through it once, and then I really liked it. But then I tried to read it again when it was the Book Club selection here, was really looking forward to reading it again, but then I couldn't get into it at all.

Oh, and anything by Charles Dickens. I've tried A Tale of Two Cities more times that I can count, and I've never gotten past page 2. I think it's those ridiculous run-on sentences of his. And Steinbeck's Grapes of Wrath. The too-long description of a turtle crossing a road was just too much. Still, that was in high school, so I suppose I should give that another try.

The Great and Secret Show, by Clive Barker, is another one, but I know why I can't do that. I've mentioned before here, I'm sure, that the problem there is that he uses the place where I grew up as one of his locations and he got the geography all wrong. I hate it when I know a place a writer borrows and he or she doesn't get it right. Yeah, I know, artistic license and all that. But if a writer is going to invent a place, he or she should invent the place name as well.

 

[Jason_Taverner]

Prince of nothing

 

[Fried Egg]

Interesting thread.

Weaveworld - Clive Barker

Was recommended this when it came out, tried to read it and couldn't finish it. Was recommended it again recently so went back and had another attempt. Managed to finish it but it was an effort.

Fionavar Tapestry - Guy Gavriel Kay

Again, had this recommended to me by several people. Tried and failed to get through the first book. That was a long time ago though so I do intend to go back and have another stab at it at some point.

Lord of the Rings - Tolkien

Have tried many times to get through the series. Fail everytime. Probably the only book I've ever read that I prefer the film version!

Timeline - Michael Crichton

I managed to finish it but, boy, what a waste of time.

The Dosadai Experiment - Frank Herbert

I managed to finish this one too but it was a great effort. Way too complex for it's own good.

Gardens of the Moon - Steven Erikson

I am currently reading this, about 150 pages in, and am struggling. Intend at this point to persevere in the hope that it will get better. I suppose his writing style really irks me.

 

[dustinzgirl]

I can't get over 20 pages of Stephen King's Gunslinger, tried 3 times. So I can only sigh to The Dark Tower.

Really? That book had me hooked like crack.

But, The Stand---I have tried to read that one, can't get past the first 3-5 pages. It just bores me.

 

[Who's Wee Dug]

I found it really difficult to get into Tad Williams' Memory, Thorn and Sorrow. I haven't tried to read it for a while,though, so maybe I'd be able to enjoy it now.

when I first met Tad at a signing in London,for his Dragonbone Chair I asked him why all the history and fact for the 1st 200 or so pages as it was a little bit off-puting to get through,he said to give a good grounding of the facts and that got them out of the way after that the story just flew for me.

 

[Ice fyre]

I really try to finish a book no matter how bad it is or badly written. But one that I failed on was Paul Stanley Robinson Icehenge, yet I liked Red Mars then I plouged through Green Mars and Just managed to finish Blue Mars and no more which put me off reading any one of his books again!

I dont think they were badly written but they could have been one bleedin book! Ok Ok two at most.

 

[HoopyFrood]

But, The Stand---I have tried to read that one, can't get past the first 3-5 pages. It just bores me.

I always seem to get halfway through this and then lose steam. I've tried to read this twice and both times I've just stopped when I've reached the part where all the survivors start meeting up at Abagail's house. There's just something about that stops me from getting past it!

And another one that was previously mentioned: Catch-22. I started reading that while on holiday and I just couldn't get into it.

 

[dsmith]

I tried 3 times to read The Golden Compass by Pullman, and could never finish it. Then I listened to it on audio, and really enjoyed it, as well as the other two in the series.I have since then gone back and reread the books.

 

[Pyan]

Sadly, it looks as if Perdido Street Station is joining my list. It's always a bad sign when I think " no, it's too late at night", or Well, I'll just read this first"
Odd, actually, because it reminded me of Gormanghast, for some reason - and I love Peake.

 

[Scriven]

Dune. My sister loves the series and is constantly urging me to read it. I tried once, dutifully, since the Dune books are classics, but I can never get into them no matter how hard I try.

Also Small Gods and Lords and Ladies by Terry Pratchett. Usually I snap up any Pratchett book that comes within my reach, but those two just don't hold my attention.

 

[jackokent]

Sadly, it looks as if Perdido Street Station is joining my list. It's always a bad sign when I think " no, it's too late at night", or Well, I'll just read this first"

Don't give up. I loved this book. How far in are you?

 

[Kettricken]

It's been mentioned before, but I didn't connect with 'Fionavar Tapestry' by Guy Gavriel Kay, although I love his later books.

At the first read, I also put away 'A Game of Thrones'. Fortunately, I picked it up a few months later, when I was more in the mood for fantasy. One of my favourite series, at the moment.

Recently I won 'Lisey's Story' at a Dutch forum, but I didn't really like it. The story had too many repetitions, and could have been a lot better if the first half of the book had been shorter.
Furthermore, I never got into 'The Gunslinger', also by Stephen King. I've read somewhere this book is diffrent than other Dark Tower books, so I'm still contemplating whether I should or should not continue this series.

 

[Mouse]

I've got Ursula Le Guin's Earthsea Quartet and couldn't get past the second book. Also have The Great Book of Amber after somebody on the forum suggested it to me but couldn't get into that either. I did try though!

 

[HoopyFrood]

Furthermore, I never got into 'The Gunslinger', also by Stephen King. I've read somewhere this book is diffrent than other Dark Tower books, so I'm still contemplating whether I should or should not continue this series.

As I tell everyone who says this...YES! Definitely continue the rest of the series. I personally dislike The Gunslinger (I've only read it twice) but the rest of the series is brilliant.

 

[Duchessprozac]

I have yet to finish the LOTR books. I managed to get about a 1/3 into Fellowship before I petered out and started reading something else. I then tried Two Towers and whilst it was much better I still only made it about of the way into it.

Weaveworld was a book that I forced my way through but did not enjoy, although I was only about 14 when I read it and I may go back to it at some point as I have matured a lot since then and perhaps it will sit better with it next time.

Steven Erikson's the Bonehunters is one I am currently trying to get into. I've had it over 12 months and keep picking it up every so often but only manage to make it about 30-40 oages in before I give up. I'm not sure why I can't get into it, as it is well written and I like the characters that have been introduced so far but I am struggling for it to take hold of me.

 

[Milk]

Weaveworld was a book that I forced my way through but did not enjoy, although I was only about 14 when I read it and I may go back to it at some point as I have matured a lot since then and perhaps it will sit better with it next time.

.

Weaveworld is one of my favorites by Barker.. so yeah I would reread it.

If fact, although I'm reluctant to say anything age based, for me personally and for just about every young adult Ive ever seen make a post on the internet, its a time of being very critical.. of everything.


Well I was like that as a young adult, critical of everything and everyone, narrow minded to the extreme. I was dismissive. Growing up, for me, has been about gaining a more open mind, a deeper fascination, and hate to say this word (ugh) a greater tolerance.



Right now im having a tough time enjoying 'Altered Carbon' it just did not pull me in, I found the book confusing at times, could not get the names figured out, and the ending seemed contrived. There was zero emotional pull for me on the charactors as well. I also found the placement of Sex in the novel tedious, I mean I would skip a page or two during a sex scene, and see "Are they done yet? sheesh". And this is a great shame because its a book in a genre I love... Sort of Cyberpunk meets Space Opera with Ai's and long lived humans running everything, also clones n whatnot.. and there are very few authors that write in this genre which happens to be my favorite future to travel to(maybe only a dozen or so writers take me to this place and Ive read most of them )

I bought Broken Angels and ill see if that fares better. I hope I like it.. I mean im pulling for Richard Morgan, I want him to be good, so far ive been dissapointed at just about every aspect of his writing and stories.

 

[needmorebooks]

Whenever I start a book I always finish it. I have to give a chance until the last page. I guess thats just how I am I have to know how the story ends no matter how boring.

 

[Fried Egg]

As I said earlier in this thread, I re-read Weaveworld recently (after failing to finish it years ago) and whilst finishing it this time, I found it a hard slog. I just couldn't engage with the characters for one thing. They just kind of blundered through haphazardly without any idea of what they were doing (like some bad horror movie). It has put me off reading anything else by Clive Barker, that's for sure...

 

[j d worthington]

As I said earlier in this thread, I re-read Weaveworld recently (after failing to finish it years ago) and whilst finishing it this time, I found it a hard slog. I just couldn't engage with the characters for one thing. They just kind of blundered through haphazardly without any idea of what they were doing (like some bad horror movie). It has put me off reading anything else by Clive Barker, that's for sure...

While I'm not particularly a fan of a lot of Barker's work (a lot of it is, to my taste, severely in need of a good editor), I'd feel quite safe in recommending several of the things in the original 6-volume set of the Books of Blood, and especially The Damnation Game, which is really quite a remarkable novel....

 

[Fried Egg]

While I'm not particularly a fan of a lot of Barker's work (a lot of it is, to my taste, severely in need of a good editor), I'd feel quite safe in recommending several of the things in the original 6-volume set of the Books of Blood, and especially The Damnation Game, which is really quite a remarkable novel....

Well, perhaps I'll give that a try if I can pick it up cheap in a second hand book shop one day...