What book(s) did you finish even though you didn't like it? - Page 5

astra · 03-05-2009, 01:12 PM

I am struggling through Islanders by Yevgeny Zamyatin
It is a short story, so hopefully by tomorrow evening I will finish it then back to Liveship Traders.

Ziguezon · 03-05-2009, 01:19 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by GeoffC

I found the first, maybe, 2 or 3 books good - but then the overall franchise no longer 'gelled' with me for some reason ....

I only read the original Dune books written by Frank Herbert, so can't comment on
the later additions to the series. I agree that the first couple were not too bad, especially the first. It's possible that the later ones written by Brian Herbert are
written in a different style, and would be more enjoyable for me.

Daithi · 03-05-2009, 05:27 PM

After reading through other peoples' posts I kept saying "Oh yeah, I didn't care for that book either." I found Walden pretty boring as he keeps saying the same things over and over again. I liked Civil Disobedience though (it was short). I also read the Hobbit and liked it, so I started Lord of the Rings and just couldn't finish it. Tried reading the Bible as a teenager -- didn't finish.

Books I've slogged through and finished even though I was just reading to finish it --
To the Lighthouse by Virginia Woolf
Sound and the Fury by William Faulkner
On the Road by Jack Kerouac
Angela's Ashes by Frank McCourt
Frankenstein by Dean Koontz

I liked some of these books, On the Road in particular, they just started getting long and monotonous after awhile (like Walden). However, I couldn't stand Virginia Woolf and wish I would have just stopped reading. I also won't read another book by Dean Koontz -- I just couldn't wait to get to the end of the book -- horrible.

GeoffC · 03-06-2009, 04:26 AM

Ah - one from my weak memory ....

"Shardik" by Richard Adams ....

pshrynk · 03-06-2009, 09:10 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by GeoffC

Ah - one from my weak memory ....

"Shardik" by Richard Adams ....

You're a better man than I, Geoff. After Watership Down, I thought I'd found a new author to absorb every word. Then I started reading Shardik. There were actual dents in the wall from every time I tried to get into that book.

astra · 03-06-2009, 09:14 AM

Shardik? Was it a name of Bear from the Dark Tower?

HarryT · 03-06-2009, 09:16 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by rlparker

Honestly, I do. I've enjoyed the Dickens books I've read on my K1, and right now, I'm finding that Dumas wrote page-turners! I think that many people get turned off of the "classics" when they're forced to read them in high school, before they have the maturity or depth to really understand them.

I couldn't agree more. Dickens is not a children's author; one has to be an adult to appreciate his satire and wit.

GeoffC · 03-06-2009, 09:20 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by astra

Shardik? Was it a name of Bear from the Dark Tower?

Shardik was a bear - but I think the one you are referring to was from a Stephen King novel ...

Steven Lyle Jordan · 03-06-2009, 09:34 AM

Okay, I just finished Edison's Conquest of Mars. It did turn out to be a lot like watching a Flash Gordon movie serial, in terms of its "quaint" ideas about Mars and technology, and in its melodramatic storyline. Even beyond the Victorian cadence, which I wrestle through regardless, I just found myself struggling to finish this one, hoping I'd find a diamond in the rough in there somewhere.

On the other hand... reading it tended to remind me that a great deal of our present science fiction (cough!-Star Trek!-cough!), mine included, will be considered equally as "quaint" to future readers. It gives one pause to consider what of our current writing will transcend the present age, and what will end up in history's discard bins...

catsittingstill · 03-06-2009, 09:49 AM

There were a few books in high school that I finished because I had to: four Faulkner novels that turned me off Faulkner forever (don't remember their titles; can't read Faulkner again because I might start one of them.)

But the one that pops to mind at the moment is _There Will Be Dragons_ by John Ringo. Completely terrible. Total failure to think through the obvious social consequences of his technology, seriously degrading to women, Mary Sue main character and--where I'd been hoping that the characters I cared about might actually play a significant role in the final struggle--they got shoved off to the side.

Bleagh. Cured me forever of even considering a book with that author's name on the cover.

kwjones · 03-06-2009, 09:51 AM

The Sea Wolf - Jack London (I was in the 3rd grade when I read it. Too much philosophy for a 9-10 year old)
The Mysterious Island - Jules Verne (I was in the 5th grade when I read this one)

Both are currently loaded on my Sony and I have every intention of giving them another chance since it's been over 20 years since I've read them.

pshrynk · 03-06-2009, 10:08 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by catsittingstill

There were a few books in high school that I finished because I had to: four Faulkner novels that turned me off Faulkner forever (don't remember their titles; can't read Faulkner again because I might start one of them.)

But the one that pops to mind at the moment is _There Will Be Dragons_ by John Ringo. Completely terrible. Total failure to think through the obvious social consequences of his technology, seriously degrading to women, Mary Sue main character and--where I'd been hoping that the characters I cared about might actually play a significant role in the final struggle--they got shoved off to the side.

Bleagh. Cured me forever of even considering a book with that author's name on the cover.

Isn't _There Will Be Dragons_ one of Ringo's novels that he claims he only writes because he sells copies, but is disgusted with the story and character? I remember reading an interview about that. He has a series that started with him writing something to get the "Shit" out of his brain so he could write something else, shelved it as a bad go, and only brought it out because he mentioned he had something at a conference and everyone wanted to read it. Then everyone bought it . Then everyone demanded a replay. If you read it as parody and like a "Colbert Report" take on the world, maby it wouldn't be as grim.

astra · 03-06-2009, 10:55 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by GeoffC

Shardik was a bear - but I think the one you are referring to was from a Stephen King novel ...

Yup, Stephen King's The Dark Tower series.

Daithi · 03-06-2009, 03:28 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by catsittingstill

There were a few books in high school that I finished because I had to: four Faulkner novels that turned me off Faulkner forever (don't remember their titles; can't read Faulkner again because I might start one of them.)

Quote:

Originally Posted by kwjones

The Sea Wolf - Jack London (I was in the 3rd grade when I read it. Too much philosophy for a 9-10 year old)

Forcing kids to read Faulkner (unless a short story) in high school or The Sea Wolf in 3rd grade is nuts. This will just turn kids off reading.

CCLady · 03-06-2009, 07:42 PM

As an English major, I had to slog through a lot of books I hated. However, the absolute all-time worst that I did force myself to finish is Gone With The Wind. The writing is sappy, the characters are repugnant. . .and I have encountered waaaaaay too many people who seem to think it's non-fiction!

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03-05-2009, 01:12 PM	#61
astra The Introvert Posts: 8,307 Karma: 1000077497 Join Date: Jan 2007 Location: United Kingdom Device: Sony Reader PRS-650 & 505 & 500	I am struggling through Islanders by Yevgeny Zamyatin It is a short story, so hopefully by tomorrow evening I will finish it then back to Liveship Traders.

03-05-2009, 05:27 PM	#63
Daithi Publishers are evil! Posts: 2,418 Karma: 36205264 Join Date: Mar 2008 Location: Rhode Island Device: Various Kindles	After reading through other peoples' posts I kept saying "Oh yeah, I didn't care for that book either." I found Walden pretty boring as he keeps saying the same things over and over again. I liked Civil Disobedience though (it was short). I also read the Hobbit and liked it, so I started Lord of the Rings and just couldn't finish it. Tried reading the Bible as a teenager -- didn't finish. Books I've slogged through and finished even though I was just reading to finish it -- To the Lighthouse by Virginia Woolf Sound and the Fury by William Faulkner On the Road by Jack Kerouac Angela's Ashes by Frank McCourt Frankenstein by Dean Koontz I liked some of these books, On the Road in particular, they just started getting long and monotonous after awhile (like Walden). However, I couldn't stand Virginia Woolf and wish I would have just stopped reading. I also won't read another book by Dean Koontz -- I just couldn't wait to get to the end of the book -- horrible.

03-06-2009, 04:26 AM	#64
GeoffC Chocolate Grasshopper ... Posts: 27,599 Karma: 20821184 Join Date: Mar 2008 Location: Scotland Device: Muse HD , Cybook Gen3 , Pocketbook 302 (Black) , Nexus 10: wife has PW	Ah - one from my weak memory .... "Shardik" by Richard Adams ....

03-06-2009, 09:14 AM	#66
astra The Introvert Posts: 8,307 Karma: 1000077497 Join Date: Jan 2007 Location: United Kingdom Device: Sony Reader PRS-650 & 505 & 500	Shardik? Was it a name of Bear from the Dark Tower?

03-06-2009, 09:34 AM	#69
Steven Lyle Jordan Grand Sorcerer Posts: 8,478 Karma: 5171130 Join Date: Jan 2006 Device: none	Okay, I just finished Edison's Conquest of Mars. It did turn out to be a lot like watching a Flash Gordon movie serial, in terms of its "quaint" ideas about Mars and technology, and in its melodramatic storyline. Even beyond the Victorian cadence, which I wrestle through regardless, I just found myself struggling to finish this one, hoping I'd find a diamond in the rough in there somewhere. On the other hand... reading it tended to remind me that a great deal of our present science fiction (cough!-Star Trek!-cough!), mine included, will be considered equally as "quaint" to future readers. It gives one pause to consider what of our current writing will transcend the present age, and what will end up in history's discard bins...

03-06-2009, 09:49 AM	#70
catsittingstill Guru Posts: 643 Karma: 551634 Join Date: Dec 2007 Device: Kindle 1.0.8, iPod Touch, Kindle Keyboard	There were a few books in high school that I finished because I had to: four Faulkner novels that turned me off Faulkner forever (don't remember their titles; can't read Faulkner again because I might start one of them.) But the one that pops to mind at the moment is _There Will Be Dragons_ by John Ringo. Completely terrible. Total failure to think through the obvious social consequences of his technology, seriously degrading to women, Mary Sue main character and--where I'd been hoping that the characters I cared about might actually play a significant role in the final struggle--they got shoved off to the side. Bleagh. Cured me forever of even considering a book with that author's name on the cover.

03-06-2009, 09:51 AM	#71
kwjones Groupie Posts: 178 Karma: 1546 Join Date: Feb 2009 Location: Rising Sun, MD Device: Sony PRS-505; Motorola Droid	The Sea Wolf - Jack London (I was in the 3rd grade when I read it. Too much philosophy for a 9-10 year old) The Mysterious Island - Jules Verne (I was in the 5th grade when I read this one) Both are currently loaded on my Sony and I have every intention of giving them another chance since it's been over 20 years since I've read them.

03-06-2009, 07:42 PM	#75
CCLady Enthusiast Posts: 45 Karma: 92 Join Date: Oct 2008 Location: Culver City, CA Device: Kindle1, Kindle 3 wi-fi 3G, Kindle basic, Kindle Fire	As an English major, I had to slog through a lot of books I hated. However, the absolute all-time worst that I did force myself to finish is Gone With The Wind. The writing is sappy, the characters are repugnant. . .and I have encountered waaaaaay too many people who seem to think it's non-fiction!