I've read this book once and that once was quite enough

[BAYLOR]

The Night Land by William Hope Hodgson . The archaic writing style in this book is godawful and I struggled to get though it .

 

[olive]

A Clockwork Orange by Anthony Burgess. Because it is a traumatic masterpiece. I was 15 when my mother gave that book to me. And meeting Alex who was my peer, provided a very different perspective of life and of something called 'the system' I kept hearing from adults often, a very different kind of dystopia at that age. I actually think this book has gained new kind of importance in the last 10 year, esp. in relationship to The Catcher in the Rye. (A completely different discussion, not suitable for this forum.)

After that when I have read The Catcher in the Rye in late teen years, I didn't get why it was labelled so dangerous in the English speaking world. They kept squeezing the name of the book or Salinger's name into everywhere possible in movies. What do we know about Salinger? Alltogether! He was a very private person! I assure you, a lot of people out of the Western culture who has no idea of the book, remembers that a man called Salinger lived somewhere and he was a very private person. Poor man. Also I always thought all Holden needed was just a hug. He probably looks like a pitiful character to young generations today.

Yeeears later, as an adult when I saw Kubrick's masterpiece which was banned before, I realised I haven't forgot anything about it and it was there with all its abhorrent magnificence. Probably Kubrick helped a lot as he does.

I don't need to read these two books again for different reasons. None of it is because I think they are bad. They are just, is.

 

[Jo Zebedee]

Paula by Isabelle Allende. It is a fabulous book but just too sad to revisit

 

[Foxbat]

Friedrich Nietzsche's Thus Spoke Zarathustra. It was like wading through treacle and gave me a headache.

Aleister Crowley's novel Moonchild. When published in 1929, a critic said: Moonchild is not more fantastic than a thorough going "thriller", but it is also a satire and an allegory, full of disorder and genius.
Perhaps some black magician put a hex on my copy because I thought it was boring and full of crap.

 

[BAYLOR]

A Clockwork Orange by Anthony Burgess. Because it is a traumatic masterpiece. I was 15 when my mother gave that book to me. And meeting Alex who was my peer, provided a very different perspective of life and of something called 'the system' I kept hearing from adults often, a very different kind of dystopia at that age. I actually think this book has gained new kind of importance in the last 10 year, esp. in relationship to The Catcher in the Rye. (A completely different discussion, not suitable for this forum.)

After that when I have read The Catcher in the Rye in late teen years, I didn't get why it was labelled so dangerous in the English speaking world. They kept squeezing the name of the book or Salinger's name into everywhere possible in movies. What do we know about Salinger? Alltogether! He was a very private person! I assure you, a lot of people out of the Western culture who has no idea of the book, remembers that a man called Salinger lived somewhere and he was a very private person. Poor man. Also I always thought all Holden needed was just a hug. He probably looks like a pitiful character to young generations today.

Yeeears later, as an adult when I saw Kubrick's masterpiece which was banned before, I realised I haven't forgot anything about it and it was there with all its abhorrent magnificence. Probably Kubrick helped a lot as he does.

I don't need to read these two books again for different reasons. None of it is because I think they are bad. They are just, is.

I read A Clockwork Orange and once was enough . Ive seen the movie once and that too was enough .

Catcher in the Rye I read in High School and that too is book is I have no desire ever to read again.

 

[Bick]

Hmm, books I’ve read and have no intention of reading again? If I’m honest with myself, I would say at least 80% of the books I’ve ever read fall into this category. Life’s too short to re-read most books, however good they are.

 

[ryubysss]

I don't really enjoy re-reading books, even ones I've loved, so I suppose this is most books I've read. But the one that leaps to mind is Rich Shapero's Wild Animus, which I think was given out for free several times at the university I attended.

where do you live? I live near Boston and now a while I would see copies everywhere, like spam but in physical form. everywhere. one even landed in the free books shelf of the building where you live. he also came out with a second novel, with a CD of music accompanying it, that also ended up in the free books shelf.

 

[tobl]

where do you live? I live near Boston and now a while I would see copies everywhere, like spam but in physical form. everywhere. one even landed in the free books shelf of the building where you live. he also came out with a second novel, with a CD of music accompanying it, that also ended up in the free books shelf.

just looked for it in the amazon since i never even had heard of the book before. from what i read the writer probably was under the influence of lsd right?

 

[tinkerdan]

I just realized that one review of my first book actually says this.[The title of this thread.]
They give a good reason too.(Other than that it is long.)

On another note by brother has often said that he doesn't read books more than once and often leaves books he has purchased on the bus when he's finished.

I haven't asked yet what he did with the two of mine I have given him.

I was thinking that I could include.
Don Quixote
and
War and Peace
If I ever finish them.

 

[BAYLOR]

there's a tv show?

Yes there was a tv series based off of Terry Goodkinds series, It ran for 2 seasons.

 

[soulsinging]

I actually think this book has gained new kind of importance in the last 10 year, esp. in relationship to The Catcher in the Rye. (A completely different discussion, not suitable for this forum.)

While the forum may be devoted to SFF, in my experience if it's about books, it's suitable for this forum!

On another note by brother has often said that he doesn't read books more than once and often leaves books he has purchased on the bus when he's finished.

I do this too, particularly when I travel. I like the idea that someone might find it and love it or give it to someone that does. Better that than a book I'm probably never going to read again sitting on my shelf for years.

 

[biodroid]

Mindstar Rising - Peter F Hamilton. It kinda felt SF like but the whole plot just fell flat for me, so I never carried on with the series.

 

[BAYLOR]

V by Thomas Python once was definitely enough.

 

[Chris von shannow]

Planet of the Apes by Pierre Boule is a good shout will never read it again

 

[alexvss]

Wasp Factory, by Iain M. Banks. Never again.

 

[Christine Wheelwright]

Wasp Factory, by Iain M. Banks. Never again.

A Song of Stone is another. Terrific novel, but not for rereading.

As a Canadian, I'm almost ashamed to say I've never got on with Margaret Atwood. And someone above mentioned Hemmingway; another dud for me.

 

[The Big Peat]

I'll try anything twice save incest and Morris Dancing

 

[BAYLOR]

Planet of the Apes by Pierre Boule is a good shout will never read it again

I actually read that silly book twice . The Tim Burton Planet of the Apes film did a sort homage to the end of Pierre Boule's novel.

 

[Peppa]

As a teen, I found the Gor books wonderful!

As an adult, I realize them for what they are - misogynistic trash.

I've only read one book, and I might add that it's not only misogynistic. It's also very badly written and has a primitive plot. Maybe at the beginning of the XX century such a book would have been considered original and interesting, but now it's just boring. If you want to read a story about a pretty girl in her strings being rescued by a muscular protagonist, you'd better reread Burroughs.

I didn't realise that John Norman wrote this one.

Well, if John Norman were to rewrite Little Women, it would be really interesting. And incredibly funny.

David Eddings - The Diamond Throne. Very cliched and I felt cheated when he readies you for the battle and just goes to the end and says Sparhawk won. I didn't even bother to continue the series.

Well, yes, this series looks like a series of clichés strung together with a simple plot. But I liked some of the characters (Flute, Kring and Mirtai) so I read to the end.

I think the Gor books can be summed up by one bit I remember from the one I tried to wade through.
If a girl/woman runs away from her husband then it's her brothers duty to catch her, strip her naked then beat the living c**p out of her, before dragging her back to her husband!
So if s**t like this floats your boat go for it!!!
Something from the TV series called "Justified" comes to mind, when this art expert claims to have the biggest collection of Adolf Hitler paintings, started by his late father!
Eventually the hero is persuaded to view them, only to find shelf after shelf of glass jars containing ashes!
The expert explains that his father was a Nazi supporter, unlike the expert who hates him, so when he now gets a chance he buys Hitler paintings when they come on the market then burns them!!
Although I hate the idea of burning books, when it comes to Gor I might make an exception!!!!!

You don't have to behave like Qin Shihuangdi, Diego de Landa or even Adolf Hitler. After all, these books can be put together, recycled, and something good and interesting can be printed on the resulting paper.
Of course, there is another way to use these books. But the books' pages are too stiff and rough to be used in this way.

Catcher in the Rye I read in High School and that too is book is I have no desire ever to read again.

I had to read this book in similar circumstances. But I was never able to understand exactly what the plot was. War and Peace, for example, is very long, but at least I understood what the book was about when I read it. But this book is just a strange and meaningless stream of words.

 

[Karapace]

Friedrich Nietzsche's Thus Spoke Zarathustra. It was like wading through treacle and gave me a headache.

Aleister Crowley's novel Moonchild. When published in 1929, a critic said: Moonchild is not more fantastic than a thorough going "thriller", but it is also a satire and an allegory, full of disorder and genius.
Perhaps some black magician put a hex on my copy because I thought it was boring and full of crap.

I waded through that one too with gritted teeth and determination. I loved Moonchild though and Diary of a drug fiend.

These days i find i give up on more books than I used to. I got bored of The Starless Sea although I liked the Night Circus by Erin Morganstern. I lost interest in The Crossing by McCarthy and I never got passed the first few pages of Beelzebubs tales to his grandson by Gurdjieff.
Other books I've come back to and loved.
I've read The Gormenghast trilogy three times now and Ulysses twice. Some books have there time