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I will admit to not reading classics. Every one I have tried gets abandoned very soon after starting. I guess it must be the older writing style that turns me off. I recently enjoyed watching the movie The Count of Monte Cristo (with Jim Caviezel). So I thought I would try reading the book. That endeavor lasted about three pages. I am embarrassed to say that the only classics that I have finished have been the ones I was forced to - by school assignment. Why anybody would want to read The Canterbury Tales is beyond me, but it was required in one of my college courses. It was in Olde English with translations off to the side. But to each their own - someone may enjoy that kind of reading ... just not me. I remember (vaguely) reading Beowulf in high school. I don't remember it being bad. The fact that I even remember it must have meant it was at least OK. But when I tried that one as an adult, I made it for about the same three pages that I did with the Dumas book.
Someday, I do plan to attempt The Swiss Family Robinson and Treasure Island. I have seen movies of these and liked them. But I fear the books may turn me off as other classics have. But I want to try anyway.
In the Hey!! Let's get some action going thread, there was recently mention of Anne of Green Gables. People seemed to like that one. I've never read it. But I did read most of the "Look Inside" teaser on Amazon after seeing the mention in the thread and I will admit, I liked it at least a little bit. Not my normal type of reading for sure, but I did keep reading that teaser for quite some time. I may try that one as well, especially since it's public domain now and you can get it free off of Gutenberg.
But I still think that if I ever finish more than a dozen classics in my entire life, that will be a miracle. I've only finished about six of them so far. I don't consider things like 1984, Animal Farm, Fahrenheit 451, etc. to be classics although in some sense I guess they are - just more modern classics. Those, I don't mind reading.
In any case, I would never consider any book so bad that nobody would want to read it (the subject of this thread). I know people have a wide variety of different tastes. I see this even in the Let's get some action going thread. There are many posted there that I just say to myself "No. Hard no." But then I will be surprised and find a different suggestion (from the same "Hard no" poster) that sounds appealing to me. You can just never tell what may flip somebodies switch at any given time. I can't tell you how many times I started and abandoned Clan of the Cave Bear. After years of trying, it finally clicked and I ate it up. Then devoured the next two in the series. Then stalled on the fourth. One of these years I hope to devour the fourth and finish the series. Even though I've been stalled on the fourth for a long long time now. I remember trying to read it during some of my kids T-Ball games in elementary school. My kids are in their 30's now...
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