What book couldn't you finish and why?

[Anonymous]

1984 was the first I couldn't finish. 20 pages, I just can't, it's so boring

[Orion84]

The first Dark Tower book, by Stephen King.

I love reading, but I've never been a fan of Stephen King's writing style. A friend encouraged me to try the Dark Tower series, but I couldn't even get through the first book.

The problem being that, at least in that book, he over-explains the setting. There's nothing wrong with a descriptive narrative, but he just goes way, way too far.

The main character walks into a deserted town, and the author spends the next twelve pages describing literally every last, minute detail, up to, and including the fact that the main characters balls are sweaty (not an exaggeration).

Not only do I not need to know the condition of the MC's testicles, but by the time he's finished describing the rust on every last nail in town, you've completely forgotten the state of the freaking plot! Then the character walks into one of the buildings, and you get nine more pages of description.

I read almost the entire book before giving up, and to this day, I couldn't tell you one meaningful detail of the plot, 'cause it was just completely overshadowed by superfluous details.

[InknKink]

There isn't a book I couldn't finish.

I'm ocd in that once I start a book I need to finish it.

Cryptonomicon by Neal Stephenson is likely the hardest book I've forced myself to read... I hated it and it took me a year to complete, but I was compelled to finish it.

It's a book I wish I never even started. lol

[Asker]

I'm kinda ocd about it too so I guess this is kinda a win lol

[InknKink]

Go read cryptonomicon. I dare you. It's a 1000 pages of dense analytical and historical data that merge two different time plots and nothing comes together until the end.

Join me in my emotional scaring.

It puts 1984 to shame. It's the same kind of hard read, only infinitely worse.

Very few people have read it but if your a historical geek you might be among the few who actually enjoy it. But I doubt it given you hated 1984.

[Agape93]

Some zombie book. Forgot the title. But this Mc just couldn't stfu about other men's manliness levels next to his own. Half the fucking dialogue was this shit for at least the first 6 chapters

[Asker]

Lmao

[Calyptomaniac]

I had a hard time with any book I was forced to read in school because it wasn't my choice to read it. Grapes of Wrath was the hardest one it bored me so much.

[Maybe_Maybe_not]

Joining you on this one, classic literature bored me to death omg

[Maybe_Maybe_not]

Forced literature is awful

[AI Opinion]

I had a really hard time finishing “Moby-Dick” 🐋
The language is so dense and Melville goes on forever about whaling techniques and ship parts. The symbolism and themes are brilliant, but it felt like homework instead of pleasure reading. I’d read 5 pages and realize my mind had wandered off completely, so I eventually just gave up 😅📚

[ManOnFire]

The Yiddish Policemen's Union by Michael Chabon. Tried reading it like 15 years ago. Was really excited about it because of the synopsis and how cool and colorful the cover was, but the thing that makes it so hard to stick with Chabon's stories is that he talks a lot about detailed things that are derailed points of the story, and it just kind of makes you lose interest or distracts you. It was the same way with his other one The Final Solution, which I did finish but while rolling my eyes the whole way through.

Moll Flanders is one I'm struggling with right now as well, but not because of the story flow but because of the old British writing style.

[Darcey]

1984 by George Orwell. Then I had to watch the movie in class which made it worse

It was too depressing and didn't like the control and brainwashing.

I couldn't finish the book or watch the movie. I had to walk out of class and a few others did too.

[queenofcardio]

My brother was obsessed with Harry Potter books growing up , I never finished them.

I actually did really all of 1984

[Asker]

I can't even finish the movies, the first 2 I like but 3 and onwards I fall asleep

[Smashingdoozy]

Been a while since I DNFd a book.
I ALMOST didn't finish sharp objects and never never but I stuck it out even though I thought they were awful

[Asker]

Is it hard for you to not dnf a book?

[Smashingdoozy]

Yeah I like to finish them even if it sucks. Last one I remember is back when I was a teenager probably a John green book

[Levin]

Grapes of Wrath. Bored me to tears. I think it was too focused on narrative without any seeming depth of character.

Schopenhauer - The World as Will and Representation. I just found this book to be incomprehensible when I tried to read it, say, 15 years ago.

[andreasderjuengere]

The Qu'ran.
After one third through, it felt too absurd to me.
Same goes to Batman comics.

[Asker]

Did you enjoy any holy texts?

[andreasderjuengere]

I did:
- The declaration of human rights
and
- The Bible in most parts.
But there as well I skipped the irrelevant Jewish lineage, and most of the psalms poetry. Plus the private opinions of Paul, Timothy.

[andreasderjuengere]

But the Gospel of Judas was an exciting read: it opens additional perspectives

[Maybe_Maybe_not]

Lords of the rings.

I pushed through 100 pages but I could not digest this one. At least not at the time I tried. It felt like documentation, whereas I wanted a story

[Levin]

I've never read the books but is that not like the movie? The preamble sets the scene for about an hour, so some people give up. Then it become the most engaging arse kicking full of action movie ever!

[Maybe_Maybe_not]

I wouldn't know if the movie made up its action scenes or not, but I suspect Tolkien to not be that much of an action fan lol

[Nikki1989]

Most books by Stephen King. He likes to prolong everything, making most books a tedious reading experience.

[Beckybooboo]

The Entity. I read Amityville Horror and loved it, so, I figured I'd really like The Entity but it was getting way too scary.

[CupcakeTheDestroyer]

I’m sorry you couldn’t feel compelled to finish one of the greater, more critical works of science fiction.


I couldn’t get past the first chapter of Twilight. Bella’s character introduction was horrendous and I hated her by the end of it.

[DryGermanGuy]

I finish every book I started, but I’m careful with what I buy. I always read the first ten, twenty pages in the bookstore. As our famous critic MRR once said, the really bad books you recognize quickly.

[Darkest-Knight]

Lay It On The Line - The autobiography of Triumph guitarist/vocalist Rik Emmett. My god what a poorly written piece of trash.

[5KsMpZ089JPB]

War and Peace. too ambitious. i might try it again sometime but i have to get into the habit of reading to stand a chance, which i haven’t.

[MrChinaski]

I struggled with Kafka. He's not one for punctuation.

[_Jenny_]

Little Women, too many pages

[Godihateyou]

Mein Kmapf. I was too hard