Books People Can't Finish

[Gazella]

I just stumbled upon this article when searching books people find difficult to read. It's an eight month old article but I found it really interesting.

I haven't read any of the books mentioned. My friend read Catch-22 and loved it. And I know a lot here consider The Lord of the Rings a favorite.

I find it interesting that these are books that were actually bestsellers and popular (still are) when they first released and in terms of the classics, mentioned in a lot of 'must-read' lists.

Lord Of The Rings' And 'Atlas Shrugged' Top List Of Books People Can't Finish

They may be some of the most famous books in history, but "Catch-22," "Atlas Shrugged," and "The Lord of the Rings" are among 10 of the most "abandoned" books, according to reader-driven book recommendation website Goodreads.
Interested in why people set aside their books, Goodreads analyzed which books were most frequently shelved by its users.

The top five most abandoned contemporary books included J. K. Rowling's "The Casual Vacancy," "Fifty Shades of Grey," and "Eat Pray Love." "The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo" and "Wicked" were also frequently discarded.

And when it came to the most frequently started but unfinished books ever, they were all classics: "Catch-22," "The Lord of the Rings","Ulysses", "Moby Dick", and "Atlas Shrugged" were the five least-finished books.

Almost half of Goodreads users said the reason they stopped reading was because the book in question was either too slow or boring. But a whopping 38% say they always finish their books, even if they set it down and pick it back up years later.

See the full infographic below.

Article: http://www.businessinsider.com/most-...odreads-2013-7

[Pulpmeister]

Interesting--I did read LOTR in its entirely quite a few years ago, never tried Ayn Rand at all. I can't think, off the top of my head, of any book which I started and then failed to finish.

Mind you, I have never started War and Peace.

[Gazella]

Originally Posted by Pulpmeister

Mind you, I have never started War and Peace.

One of the most difficult work of fiction.

[Catlady]

I'm still trying to get through Anna Karenina, which was assigned summer reading in high school. I generally don't abandon books once I start them, though.

[Yapyap]

I read both War and Peace and Anna Karenina multiple times in my teenage years (although I skimmed the war parts in War and Peace on re-reads, IIRC). I found neither of them particularly difficult, but I think with books one reads in translation, a lot will depend on both the quality of the translation and general familiarity with the era / cultural background in question.

Originally Posted by Gazella

I find it interesting that these are books that were actually bestsellers and popular (still are) when they first released and in terms of the classics, mentioned in a lot of 'must-read' lists.

I think this makes a lot of sense - it's the popular, mega-selling books, or the "must-read" classics that will have the most people giving them a go - because they're best-selling or on multiple "must read" lists.

Obviously these are going to be the books that will be picked up the most - and that will include people with only a passing interest in the book or even in the entire genre, people who figure they might as well see what all the fuss is about, and then decide/realise it's really not to their taste after all.

[Gazella]

Originally Posted by Catlady

I'm still trying to get through Anna Karenina, which was assigned summer reading in high school. I generally don't abandon books once I start them, though.

I recall my sister saying that this book has a lot of characters and at times it was hard to keep up. But, she eventually finished it and has become one of her favorite books. In War and Peace, Tolstoy mentions too many details, the names are hard, and a lot of times the narrator goes off-topic. But I guess this was the standard with Russian literature, most are long and ponderous.

[Gazella]

Originally Posted by Yapyap

I read both War and Peace and Anna Karenina multiple times in my teenage years (although I skimmed the war parts in War and Peace on re-reads, IIRC). I found neither of them particularly difficult, but I think with books one reads in translation, a lot will depend on both the quality of the translation and general familiarity with the era / cultural background in question.

What editions of both novels do you have? My War and Peace copy is by Modern Library. I read that Pevear and Volokhnosky's translations are the best.

Originally Posted by Yapyap

Obviously these are going to be the books that will be picked up the most - and that will include people with only a passing interest in the book or even in the entire genre, people who figure they might as well see what all the fuss is about, and then decide/realise it's really not to their taste after all.

Well said. I agree.

[Yapyap]

Originally Posted by Gazella

What editions of both novels do you have? My War and Peace copy is by Modern Library. I read that Pevear and Volokhnosky's translations are the best.

I don't think my editions are going to be very helpful, seeing as they're in Estonian.

I have no idea about the English ones (or the quality of them), unfortunately.

[Gazella]

Originally Posted by Yapyap

I don't think my editions are going to be very helpful, seeing as they're in Estonian.

Oh, lol okay.

[Tarana]

A lot of people who would not otherwise read Lord of the Rings or Moby Dick are at least ATTEMPTING it today. So, I wouldn't look at it as a downtrend. I also have never finished Moby Dick, not because it is boring or slow, but that the writing is difficult. I've read LOTR twice and listened to it once, but would not attempt it again due to short-term memory issues. Strangely, I have no problem with Dostoevsky and his books tend to intimidate a lot of people.

[Jane Oldaker]

I think I gave up on the idea of reading War and Peace, without ever actually trying.

[faithbw]

I started Anna Karenina in high school, got a little over a hundred pages in and stopped. I use to feel bad and say to myself that I would finish it someday but now I don't fool myself. I know I won't pick it up again. I have some other classics that I haven't finished either. At this point in my life, I don't feel bad for not finishing a book, especially if it's fiction. Time is short and I'm not going to waste what free time I have slugging through a book that bores me.

[rkomar]

I'm surprised that "Catch-22" is on the list. Now Heller's "Something Happened" being on the list wouldn't surprise me. I had a friend in grad school who polled fellow grad students and never found anyone who actually finished that book after starting it. Apparently nothing ever happens in the book that anyone could notice.

[silverraven]

Originally Posted by rkomar

I'm surprised that "Catch-22" is on the list. Now Heller's "Something Happened" being on the list wouldn't surprise me. I had a friend in grad school who polled fellow grad students and never found anyone who actually finished that book after starting it. Apparently nothing ever happens in the book that anyone could notice.

I finished it. Threw it across the room when I did. I don't know why I wasted so much time on it.......
Now, if I start a book and don't like it, I put it down. I just won't waste time on a book I don't like. So I guess the book was good for something.
S

[rkomar]

Originally Posted by silverraven

I finished it. Threw it across the room when I did. I don't know why I wasted so much time on it.......
Now, if I start a book and don't like it, I put it down. I just won't waste time on a book I don't like. So I guess the book was good for something.
S

Karma to you for actually finishing it. You are a rare bird.