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Wed 3 Dec, 2003 10:14 pm
There is, I believe, at least one book that we have read in our lives, that we wondered why we even did so. This does not include required reading for school or work or necessity of advancement.
It is the book that one kept reading, perhaps with the belief that it would improve. Or would answer questions posed. Or>>>whatever reason. You finished the book. Placed it down. Then, asked yourself, "what was that all about?", or "what just happened, there?", or "Why in the world did I not stop at page *34*.... OR ????????
After the book's title, a second question: if answerable. Why do you believe you read to the end, a book that was close to tedious torture?
Thank you.
fatima10
Back in the 80's I started reading, "Dianetics by Ron L Hubbard." Very interesting and very wordy. Over a period of time, I managed to get to the middle of the book (around page 300 or so). I then laid it down and kept on planning to finish it, but I never did.
Man of La Mancha is a book I will finish one day.
Hey CdV - how's it going with 'Alice'?
Slow. I read it every few days.
The next one is 'Alice through the Looking-Glass" - its set in a chess-board.
I had to read 'Emma' or 'Pride and Prejudice' for high-school. It sucked.
The Old Man and the Sea, in high school. Oh god it was boring.
In my own time, The Hidden Target, by Helen McInnes. Should have been called The Hidden Plot.
Anything by Stephen King. I have tried to wade through a few of them. Figured that the guy is so popular, that maybe I am missing something by disliking his writing. Each time, I put it down in the middle, never bothering to find out how it ended!
Phoenix32890 wrote:Anything by Stephen King. I have tried to wade through a few of them. Figured that the guy is so popular, that maybe I am missing something by disliking his writing. Each time, I put it down in the middle, never bothering to find out how it ended!
I did that with The Shining. Just couldn't get through it. "IT" on the other hand was brilliant.
Quite a few - which I picked up because of their reputation, but just could not make it till the end..
Two which come to mind right away
Autograph man - Zadie Smith
Brick Lane - Monica Ali
I've read about 60 pages of War and Peace. Very difficult to read. Might try to one day, but I can see myself taking a looong time, maybe wading through 30 odd pages a day. And I'll need a lot of time to do that.
Mr Stillwater wrote:I had to read 'Emma' or 'Pride and Prejudice' for high-school. It sucked.
Ah, I had to read both of those in my last year of 6th form college (equivalent of high school Senior year)... I thought that they were great; wonderful satires, if overly romantic at times.
The worst book that I was ever forced to read was 'State, Society and the poor in 19th Century England.' God, that put me off Social history all together--- not that I was ever 'on' social History.
The worst book of my own choosing would have to be War and Peace; I just disliked it... it went on far too long.
Quick comment:
Ok, we have answered books, forced to be read; meant to be finished or not finished....with appropriate comments.
How about a Book, COMPLETELY READ, ALLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLL the way to the last page.Even though "it" *sucked*, {to use a critique used, here}.
The book I HAD to read that still haunts me is, "Lord of the Flies". That was required reading. But there is one that i read about two years ago that was so boring, and I just kept reading it, like an automatam <sp?.
After I finished the last page, I thought to myself, "Well, that was a complete waste of time. What a YAWN!."
The non-completed books are interesting, well!
Thank you,
fatima10
Wilso wrote:The Old Man and the Sea, in high school. Oh god it was boring.
I remember reading that too, and it was so boring. I only finished it because it was a school requirement.
Like Wilso, I hated War and Peace. I wonder if the version I tried to read was translated by the infamous Constance .......... what ever her name was.
I read the Wizard of Oz outloud to my kids at their request and found it deadly. They wanted more of L. Frank Baum but I refused.
Phoenix i totally agree about Stephen King. I hate his books.
My 2 major hates were set school books - Nostromo by Joseph Conrad and Animal Farm by George Orwell. I absolutely detested every page and it was soooooo hard to get through them.
Oh and I had to read La Peste in French and didn't enjoy that either - but loved Baudelaire.
Night of January 16th by Ayn Rand is by far the dumbest book I've ever read. I finished in part because I like some of her other work and part because it was short. Anyone who's ever read anything by her can rest assured that they already got the one feeble point she makes in this one.
There are a couple of Anne Rice's books for which I would like my time reimbursed. Violin for one, Oh the drugery...
Ceili, if you are going to read Rice, I suggest you stick to the Vampires and Mayfare Witches. At least those are entertaining.
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