h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone, having read it once already - not a very wise move to begin with.

I have only ever failed to finish a book once, as far as I can remember. It was also War and Peace, and it just took so so long to get into - then I went to America for a number of months and didn't have time to read something so consuming, so I read something a little lighter: Harry Potter.

I did, however, start a book well over a year ago, and considering its only a small book I still have about a third to read. This is a book called The Story of O by Pauline Reage. I found it in our hostel in Ft Lauderdale in Florida and picked it up to read with my super noodles for the mere fact it proclaimed that it was one of the most famous erotic classics.

To be honest its crap (excuse my eloquence) but I hate failing to finish something that I have started!

a couple of books:
thomas gifford - the assassini
ian rankin - the falls
denise mina - exile

..i am so lazy

I can identify with a lot of those that had been suggested.

I got half way through one of the Proust novels and will never open another again. It's just too sllllowww for anyone used to the pace of modern life.

I read half of crime and punishment before getting intensely irritated with the protagonist and putting the book down permanently.

I finished the island of the day before by reading diagonally. Baudolino is better but still drags more than the early stuff. I also finished Silmarillion by zipping through the dull bits.

Most recently, I'm having trouble finishing DH Lawrence, sons and lovers. I enjoyed travels in Italy but this is stodgy.

sprout

Still River - Hal Clement (but I will finish it, it's just a bit too hard science to be light reading.)

Also, The Mammoth Hunters, Jean Auel, but I have read it before. There are a lot of non-fiction ones, but I always intend to get them again and persist! I have a cupboard full of books I am going to read someday, but I keep getting new ones. Silly me!

On the Road, by Kerouac

It was one of those books I thought I should read, but it turned out slow, boring, confusing and basically a toss off. I think Truman Kapote was right when he said "this isn't writing, it's typing" about it.

I've started The little Friend by Donna Tartt twice, but don't seem to be able to get into it. I'll try again, though.

Queenbronners, you can find the bookworm society here... A745544 don't know how active it is though.

RF

Large Scale Motions In The Universe: About a third of the way through I realized I wasn't getting as much as I should be outa it(hense I was wastin my time). I decided I'd better take a step back into some more basic physics first. So, shortly thereafter, I found my way into theoritical physics(Brane,string, ect ect theories) been wastin my time on it ever sense, it's alot like sci-fi. Never made it back to astro-physics. Maybe next year.?.

The fiction section I've managed to keep up on, so far.

The last book I failed to finish was "The Glass Lake" by Maeve Binchey, because it was just too old fashioned and annoying. I enjoyed some of her books, particularly "Evening Class" and "The Copper Beach" was OK. I even managed to finish "Tara Road", despite the fact that the lead character, Ria, is a woman you could never tire of slapping but "The Glass Lake" went back to the library when I was less than a third of the way through it.

I started trying to read the Aerosmith biography (can't remember the title). I failed to finish it during the 3 week loan period (it was heavy going, all facts and no personality) and when I tried to renew it at the library I could not because someone else had requested it and I wasn't interested enough to re-request it myself.

Another book that I remember taking back to the library unfinished was "Rachel Wray" by Anthony Trollope, which is the most dire victorian novel I have ever attempted.

I am currently ploughing through "War and Peace" (which I rashly asked for as a Christmas present after Simon Schama championed it on The Big Read) and I'm up to Part 3 of book 2. I can't claim to be enjoying it (the characters are a tad superficial) but I am determined to finish it.

The Silmarillion - Tolkein - not as easy a read as the trilogy, just couldn't get through it, but have read the trilogy several times.

The Agony & the Ecstacy - Irving Stone - was overseas and picked this up in a bookshop, the English language section was a bit thin. Couldn't make myself be interested enough to finish it.

On the Road - Kerouac - found it to be lacking in substance and not as good as DiPrima's work which I had read first. Started reading it because I thought I should.

I hate not finishing a book. Am suddenly feeling the urge to dig through my shelves.

I have several books that I have been reading off and on for months or years. I haven't finished them but I do plan to someday. Does that count? I know there are some books that I've completely given up on too. My brother gave me a copy of a book by George Carlin that I didn't like enough to finish. Sorry bro.

I'm currently reading a book I bought years ago and started but didn't quite finish: The Quest for Merlin by Nikolai Tolstoy. I've almost finished it - only 1 chapter and the epilogue to go. That's further than I got last time.

Another book I started but didn't finish is Astronomy Before The Telescope which, as it's name suggests, is about how mankind studied the stars before we had telescopes to assist with accurate observations. It's a very serious and technical book and I gave up during the first chapter. I wasn't in the right frame of mind for it at the time. I'm determined to read it at some stage, though.

That reminds me - I never finished (hardly started in fact) The Coming of the King by Nikolai Tolstoy.

*adds it to reading list*

Read it but wish I hadn't bothered. Thought it pretenious twaddle.

Pretentious even.

Hey! Me too; I also started that same "Coming of the King" by Tolstoy and hardly got a crack in the spine.

There are afew others too:

The Tomyknockers by King who I adore. Turns out in his autobiography he mentions he was stoned writing this one; I guess you need to be likewise to read it....

And I can't remember the rest just now.......

*considers crossing Mr. Tolstoy off the list*

I quite enjoyed War and Peace but have not read any of Tolstoy's other stuff.

Someone else here mentioned Crime and Punishment, which I have started about three times (though not recently) and could never finish. But somehow I got through the Brothers Karamozov (sp?).

az

I've read Crime and Punishment. I found the main character intensely irritating and on several occasions I felt like giving up on the book. Something kept me going back to it, though, unlike Madame Bovary where my irritation at the 'heroine' made me quit half way through.

Yeah I know, it gets a bit annoying when you feel like giving the characters in a book a well-deserved smack about the head!

az