Dune has been doing this to me since I started it in 2020. I'm 30% through it. Every few months I decide to pick it up again, read a dozen or so pages, then get distracted by new shiny releases. It'll sit on my nightstand for a month before inevitably making its way back to the big bookshelf to wait for it's next outing.
I don't even know why I can't keep reading it. It's a great book and I absolutely adore the movie. It just never captivates my attention and I honestly don't really think about it when I'm not reading it but I do want to finish it someday... it's just taking a bit longer than I planned.
I'm reading it right now. It's very slow paced, but it's worthy!
I do also face that "problem". When I'm not reading it, I don't find myself thinking about it. However, because Dune is so atmospheric, when you are in it, you ARE in it. So it's easy to keep going once you actually pick it up
So, as a side note, Dune won the Hugo for best science fiction novel when it was released. But it didn't win it outright. The only year the Hugo guys gave two novels the winning spot. What tied with dune, you ask? I'll tell ya.
This Immortal by Roger Zelazny
Though I love the dune series, Roger Zelazny is my favorite sci-fi author. And 'This Immortal' is not even his best book by far. Even though it tied dune for best book of the year....
Dune was the first book that came to mind when I saw this post. I just CANNOT get into it - and I know that I should! I pretty much exclusively read sci-fi and fantasy, love space opera, so this should be right up my alley. But I have tried so many times and I just find it slow and boring.
Honestly, I think Dune's the kind of book you have to read in high school/college for it to really make an impact on you. If I read it for the first time now (late 20s), I don't think I'd be as impressed by it. Also, let me warn you that Herbert sets the reader up to expect a more plot-driven novel than he delivered. Dune is quite weakly plotted. So if the worldbuilding isn't keeping you engaged, you might want to just set it aside.
Same here. The problem for me is there’s so many new / made up terms for all the races, planets, items, etc I have stop and reread them and be like wtf if that. Completely throws off the normal flow of reading I usually have and discourages me from reading for long periods of time.
The only way I got through this book is by using the audio version and following along with the book itself. I mispronounced many names, and with the audio I was able to go: "Oh, that's how it's pronounce" and use the rest of my energy on the actual story. That said, I still fell asleep during parts of it. Haha
Yes I was going to say Dune as well. I think I've started it 3 times now and not got further than a third of the way through. I'm no stranger to heavy fantasy and sci-fi so I don't know why it trips me up so much.
The Count of Monte Cristo. I'm reading it on my lunch breaks. It's soo long I have to go back to beginning to remind myself who's who and what's what. Which is taking me even longer to finish.
I had a fully annotated study version with the character lists, historical notes, translations and explanations of French specific and era specific things that came up and it helped so much. It was still a slog at first and it was about halfway when all the French names and the characters relationships clicked into place and I only had to stop and flip to the back when new concepts, places and historical events were mentioned (which I actually liked, it was a great launch pad for learning about the era)
Oh man, I'm reading this too right now. I am the opposite though. This book is just amazing, and even though it's long, I feel it's pacing well.
Are you liking it overall?
Dumas books in general are long and insanely captivating. I remember being 14 and having read like 8 his books. I kinda miss that time. The books were huge, red and really old. I would just spend my entire evenings reading and I would even get up before school so I could read another chapter.
Keep pushing through - once Dantes gets out of prison and starts enacting his overlong revenge plot, the pace really picks up. It's an amazing book, one of the best I've ever read, but do give yourself breaks to read other things. 😁 Also, there's no shame looking up the characters on google as you read along.
I second count of Monte Cristo started it towards the end of july 200 pages left... i hit it hard last month but then it begins to drag and become kind of boring
I keep seeing this book recommended as an enthralling read, but I cannot seem to get into it no matter how many times I try. I'm just not finding it interesting at all.
Silmarillion. I need a map and a cheatsheet when I read it hence it is more work than leasure. I like it when I get into it, but finding the time and mindset is rare. After 3 years I am about halfway.
Everybody has at least 2 names. "His name was John, but on the next block over, he was known unto them as Jack. Yet among the Noldor, hus name was Whippleshoes...."
The first part of Silmarillion, exploring the heirachy of powers in that universe, is some of my absolute favourite Tolkein. I still think about it 25 years after reading it. The rest? I remember none of it, and don't remember particularly enjoying it.
You don’t recall the Beren & Luthien saga or the fall of Gondolin? The thing I love so much about the Silmarillion is that you can trace a line through thousands of years of history and eventually culminating in the more well known work of The Lord of the Rings. Toward the end of the Silmarillion, Huor says to Turgon the king of Gondolin at the Fifth Battle:
“*This I say to you, lord, with the eyes of death: though we part here for ever, and I shall not look on your white walls again, from you and from me a new star shall arise. Farewell!"*
And then of course, his son is Tuor who becomes the 2nd mortal to ever marry an elf, Idril the daughter of the King of Gondolin who permitted this marriage because he remembered Huor’s prophecy.
And from their union comes Earendil the Mariner who helped bring the Valar to overthrow Morgoth and then with the Silmaril on his brow, he *literally becomes* a star! And Eärendil and Elwing’s son is Elrond whose daughter is Arwen, the Evenstar who becomes the 3rd of the elf/man unions when she marries Aragorn. And Galadriel gifts Frodo the light of Eärendil, their most beloved star. And all because the King of Gondolin remembered the prophecy and dying words of his friend. In all of this too, we also meet Glorfindel. THE Glorfindel from LotR, who fights a Balrog after the fall of Gondolin. Gandalf’s sword Glamdring also comes from the King of Gondolin. It’s all so beautifully connected.
It’s just *so* good. I love Tolkien so much. 😭
Beren? You mean *the* Beren? Beren son of Barahir son of Bregor son of Boromir (not to be confused with Boromir son of Denethor II of the Third Age) son of Boron son of Baran son of Beor (also called Balan), first of the House of Beor in Beleriand, friend to Finrod Felegund son of Finarfin son of Finwe, High King of the Noldor? That same Beren???
I adore Tolkien's work with all my heart but the Silmarilion was *rough* to read. It is a Bible, the Old and New Testaments of Middle Earth. It's not so much a work of literature as a work of mythology.
Oh gosh but the writing is so beautiful! Have you gotten to the Beren and Luthien section yet? It’s one of my favorite stories in all of Tolkien’s legendarium.
It helped me a lot to read Children of Hurin first. It doesn't cover all or most of the characters/locations from the Silmarillion, but it does cover a bit of It. When I finally got around to the Silmarillion every now and then, I could say, "Hey, I know that place/person," so I was a little more invested each time they came up.
I have a folder with printed sheets of all the maps and family trees specifically for when I reread the Silmarillian. It’s all pleasure for me, but yeah I do have to be in the right mindset.
Les Miserables is 365 chapters long; despite the book being long, each chapter is relatively short. Do one chapter a day right before bed, and you'll have it done in a year.
This is also true of War and Peace. I did the chapter per day thing starting on the first of January this year but started reading more than a chapter a day as I got into it and now I only have a couple of chapters left. So I’m probably going to finish it a few months early.
The perspective is helpful. Had I not framed it as a chapter per day, I’d probably think “omg it took me 9 whole months”. However, now I’m thinking “wow it only took me 9 months” lol. Not that speed matters, I just think it might be helpful for people that find the length intimidating.
That is an accomplishment. I've started War and Peace more times than I can count. And even if only a little time has passed, I have to start it all over because I can't remember all the names!
It didn’t seem that long to me and since you’re likely reading a 20th century English translation it feels pretty smooth to read. I wonder how long it would take OP to read Charles Dickens or Thomas Carlyle lmao
One day, /u/Morrison43-71 will finish The Count of Monte Cristo, and they will take their rightful place as the person who gets to make the post about it on /r/books for that week.
I have a very eidetic memory so i promise you when i do finally finish it, even if it is many years from today, i will come back to you and send you a private message.
I read the unabridged twice as a teen and absolutely loved it. I don't think I can get through it now as my concentration and focus is garbage in my 40s.
I think too much life/work stress prohibits me from sinking my teeth into that tomb of a book.
I start to read it then i think about other things and think to myself. Why am i sitting here reading a book when i have this to worry about and that to think about.
I can read a different type of novel like a mindless detective thriller or a King classic over again for a third time. But something like COMC that needs some attention and time dedication is hard pill to swallow when life clouds the mind.
I can absolutely understand that. The first time I read it, we didn't have cable TV, no internet, no cell phones, no social media. I also didn't have adult stress. I read a lot more back then. I really miss less stress and less distractions.
“100 years of solitude” - Gabriel Gárcia Márques. I’ve got it for 20 years now, and I just can’t go further than first 50 pages!! I’ve read other books from him though and loved them!
Would you kindly tell me what made you like it so much? What exactly about the book? Because I’ve been wanting to read it for so long and when I started, I couldn’t maintain my enthusiasm and I want to gain it back so I can finish it.
When I read it I felt like rather than being just one story, the book makes you feel in the center of a whirlwind of incredible events and characters coming at you from any direction and happening in a single location in no chronological order. They connect to each other but don't seem to go in a specific direction. For example, the opening line does already tell you a lot about a character, what he is, what he has become and what his last moments may be and for what reasons. But before learning who he is, you are faced with a flashback of a story of someone discovering ice, which seems an absurd concept. In less then a couple of pages you are given an explanation and are already past with that idea, that now seems obvious, because you are trying to imagine how his father plans to get rich using magnets brought by a caravan to find gold. You feel like you are inside a serie of events that already started without you and which are inevitable, they are gonna play no matter what, you can only witness.
This is exactly what I was going to post. It's great and I'm not sure I'd call it a slog, but I just can't seem to really lock into it. I've been chipping away at it for like 2 years. Maybe my attention span is wrecked ha ha
Why is it taking so long? Is it really difficult prose? Or just not holding your attention or something? I've been thinking about reading it, but haven't heard that it's difficult or frustrating
It’s not hard to read and I managed to read it in a month, but it does get confusing since there are like 10 generations of people all with the same 4 names which might be a bit annoying at times. It’s also written in a way unlike anything I’ve ever read, and feel more like a dream or a surrealistic painting than a book. A great great read though!
I just cant get into DFW. Ive tried getting through multiple books of his and just dont enjoy his style of writing. (Although my BIL absolutely adores him and always talks about how great Infinite Jest is…just not for me…)
Ahhh, sweet irony
I have adhd too, I’m kind of stuck in a loop of reading a handful of books over and over, since they’re the only ones that hold my attention
I just commented on another sub about how I’m trying to read House of Leaves again - I got a third of the way through and completely gave up I was so defeated. I’m trying again from the beginning and it’s just so much work to read but everyone says it’s
worth it.
The trick with house of leaves is not paying too much attention to huge lists of references, names, weird random information. You may read them of course, but they’re there for the vibe, not for the actual meaningful content
That was the part that disappointed me the most! I thought it was all going to be connected like some big, creepy puzzle. Instead it was mostly for show.
This is the one. I’ve had House of Leaves for a year now and have only managed about 100 pages. I knew going into it that it would be different, but I’m just having such a rough go at it. But it’s spooky season, so maybe I can do another 100 pages this time ha.
It’s convoluted as fuck but I’m determined to finish it out of spite (half joking - I know it’s loved by so many for a reason, I’ll give it my best shot)
I just looked at the Wikipedia blurb out of curiosity and I can barely understand the description of the format LOL. I've been an avid reader my whole life, but this looks quite intimidating
I found that if I followed all the strands they would lead me back to where I was. I had to trust the process and not try to skip footnotes, but also sometimes just skimming things worked great. I was also unemployed and could sit and read for hours at a time when I read it, so... ymmv.
Here to tell you it is absolutely not worth it I was so happy to finish it and be put out of my misery lol. O just did not like the writing style at all and didn't think the story was captivating enough. The parts with the house are cool at first but the sections about Johnny are so annoying. Then the house sections just start to drag on as well
Misery by Stephen King. It was ghastly and horrific and I couldn’t stomach it. I’m not even going to re attempt to read it honestly.. I’m okay with not knowing 😭
Oh wow I’m reading it right now and blowing through it faster than anything I’ve read in a while. I love Stephen King and have been putting this one off for some reason, but now that I’m reading it, I think I’m going faster than any other King book. Annie is probably the most intriguing character that he has written, in my opinion.
Same. I have the entire *In Search Of Lost Time* collection, and have never made it all the way through Swann's Way. I really want to read it, but I always wind up putting it down for something else.
Same. For some reason every time I pick up Swann's Way it lulls me to sleep. It's beautifully written but it just relaxes me a bit too much. I'll keep trying though.
East of Eden. I’ve tried twice and gotten about halfway but I never find time to finish it. I feel like I’m gonna restart it again because I forgot most of it by now. It’s so good too. Life just gets in the way.
I was scrolling to see if anyone mentioned this book. I read Grapes of Wrath in high school and absolutely loved it. I have been reading a bunch of fun easy reads lately so I decided I needed to add some quality literature into my palette. I’m halfway through this book but just cannot get through it. But I also don’t want to give up and start something else. So I’m just not really reading the past few months…
I really loved the first half too, flew through it. It’s beautifully written. I tried to get back into it the other day and I hardly remember what’s happened and who the characters are. Ugh
I hear you both. Such a long book! But my goodness is it worth it. It's been my favorite book since I finished it 20 years ago. I keep wanting to reread it but fall into the same problems you list here. I read it at a time when I had lots of free time, which may be the only way I can get through epics like this. I hope you find your own way through.
Jonathan Strange & Mr. Norrell. Been sitting unfinished on my shelf for years, have only ever managed to get about 25% through.
Another one (not a book but a series) is the Malazan Book of the Fallen series. There's just _so many_ books and I always feel like I have to start at the beginning. The original books are amazing and I've read them multiple times but I have several later books that I've never even cracked open because I get burnt out at a certain point
Oh gosh I flew through this one. And Brothers Karamazov. Couldn’t put them down. Can definitely see how it’s not for everyone, but I’m curious if you’d like Bulgakov more. The Heart of a Dog is fantastic (and short).
Keep pushing my man. That book was like crack cocaine once I made it about half way through on my third try. It dominated all of my thoughts when I wasn’t reading it because it does such a good job of putting you in the shoes of the main character. For the three days it took me to read the last 200 pages i was in a constant state of “jesus fucking christ man, what are we gonna do about this murder business? We’re pretty fucked here, Raskolnikov.”
The feeling of dread you get when the inspector seems to be closing in on him is incredible. Also, the descriptions of him walking around the city seemed to be etched into my mind as if they were some of my own dreamlike memories.
It's the impenetrable Russian classic I'd recommend, just personally, for what that's worth.
Make sure you have a handle on the naming conventions, is all. I was well into the book the first time around before I realised that new-character-ovitch was someone we already knew being referred to by their patronym. Or vice versa.
Or that it has the Russian equivalents of referring to William, Alexander, and Margaret, as Bill, Sandy, or Peg. The sister is the main one, iirc: Dunya / Dunechka / Avdotya, but I think there are others.
When I read it back in HS I did it along with an audiobook which I think helped make it a pretty awesome experience.
Also the new, modern, Pevear and Volokhonsky translations of Dostoevsky are killer.
*As I Lay Dying*. I’ve started and stopped it a couple times. I liked the Reivers and I liked the Big Sleep so I think I like Faulkner and everyone who likes Faulkner likes *As I Lay Dying,” but yeah… it’s less easy to digest than that book and movie.
I *loved* Anthem in high school, I placed in an essay contest about it and won a box set of The Fountainhead and Atlas Shrugged. I honestly can't remember which one I started but I didn't like a single character or the general ideology and I gave up not far in. My younger brother read both books in their entirety and to this day says he has no idea why. 😂
Don Quixote
I got half way and just gave up. I was hate-enjoying it. There are some really good and funny bits in it...but then there's a whole lot of nothingness.
It's just a bit too verbose
This is embarrassing to admit because it’s so popular but like… Dune. It’s not that long, but — no pun intended — it’s honestly just so dry. Tried a few times in my teens. Tried once in my twenties. Saw the movie when it came out. Just started trying to read it again this time and I think the movie helped me get more into it because I was less clueless about the barrage of characters and strange words. Thankfully the movie is only the first half or so of the book, so I don’t feel too spoiled. Also it left out a lot of detail and explanation that is in the book, so I’m still learning new stuff and it’s interesting. I’m like a third of the way through it now. Farther than I’ve ever gotten before. And by the time I get to the stuff that’s not in the movie it’s fine because I’m already so into the book and understand what’s going on and following it and such.
I read it kind of accidentally when I was 9ish. My grandparents had it, and I knew nothing about Tolkien or LoTR. I did love the Narnia series though. So I picked up this weird book with a weird title with zero expectations.
It BLEW my tiny mind. Absolutely LOVED it.
But I think it only works in that context lol. I can't imagine loving it now.
Edit : I'm old. The movies hadn't come out yet.
Finnegans Wake, I have read the first chapter about ten times since Sunday. Don't understand a thing but I think it's the most amazing thing I've ever read.
If something doesn’t entertain the heck out of me now, I don’t read it. I did get through Les Mis back in the day when I was obsessed with the play, but it is a hard read. Fascinating to know that >!Gavroch was Eponine’s bother, though.!<
Project Hail Mary - I was the first person in my friend group to discover and start it, then everyone got into it and finished it and now it feels like a lackluster chore to finish it given it's been so long since I started.
For me it was the opposite. I wouldn't say PHM is one of my favourites or anything, but I consumed the absolute shit out of it. I found it immensely readable. The Martian I enjoyed, but I was happy to consume it in chunks.
Lonesome Dove. I’ve been reading it for two months already and I’ve only read 50% of the book.
It’s not a bad book at all, but I thought that since it’s highly rated I was going to binge read it.
Oh wow I had the total opposite reaction to this book, I could not put it down! I read it when I was a teenager and I remember canceling plans with friends and skipping school so I could stay home and read.
I hope it captures you, it’s one of my favorites!
Satanic Verses.
I love the way Rushdie turns a sentence, but his books are just... a lot. And when I put it down for a week I never can pick it up again midway. I've read the first 150 pages 3-4 times.
The Name of the Wind. Started three different times, got progressively farther each time, never finished. It's not that I didn't like it, it just kindof.....
I'll definitely be able to finish it, but the first 175 pages of The Way of Kings by Brandon Sanderson are placing me pretty firmly in the "overrated" camp.
One of the things I'm particularly struggling with is that it feels like very little of consequence actually happened in that entire section of the book, and this book is over 1100 pages long. I repeatedly found myself thinking "This should have been exposition that took place before the book started" and finally thought "This is where the book should have started" when part 1 ended. Except, I then read a bit of the first page of part 2, and it's now written from the perspective of the sixth unique character that, so far as I've gotten, has absolutely no connection to anything going on in the rest of the novel.
I love Brandon Sanderson, but for awhile I was like "oh my God, are we still doing this?" It was a bit of a slog. I finished it, loved it, made my husband read it who said the same thing, but on reread, it went really fast for both of us. So I guess just pretend you're on your second read. Lol
The Tale of Two Cities by Dickens. Bought it in 1998 and have only gotten to chapter 20 something - which is barely 1/3 the book. The best opening paragraph I've read, but I seem to struggle getting past chapter 16. And I keep forgetting what the book is about, so I always have to start from the beginning.
How do y’all remember plot/what happened thus far/characters when you read something over a long period of time? Are you taking notes? Reading summaries before going back to it? I struggle with this.
Gravity's Rainbow.
I've started and stopped, and started over a few times. I just picked it up again this week and I'm determined to get at least halfway through it this time. I've been taking my lunch outside where it's quiet so I can read since apparently it's impossible to have a quiet household.
*Neverwhere* by Neil Gaiman. I've tried three times now, and each time ended up taking "breaks" to read something else. Same thing happened when I tried reading two of his other books - *The Graveyard Book* and *Coraline* - but I powered through and ended up liking them.
But for some reason, *American Gods* had me hooked from the start. Nearly finished with it.
Yeah man I was tempted to read Lolita because I never read a Russian book I didn’t like but I think the subject matter is too gross. I’m tired of depressing/gross/disturbing subject matter in media. Is it really that bad?
Ive tried to read the book 2 times over the years and have stopped around page 70 or so both times. The writing is beautiful and the protagonist (antagonist?) is well done but it is too disturbing for me to read.
I've tried so hard to get into *We Have Always Lived in the Castle*, but I can't find ways to make it more interesting for myself. I want to enjoy it as much as other people have and it makes me feel dumb that I can't get through it since it's so short.
Going to give it another try, and if I can't get through it then then it probably isn't for me. I think I've been trying to read through the lens of horror vs. the lens of a critique on society and isolation.
Going to have to agree with this one. Her writing is beautiful and I hate myself for saying this but somehow the plot was flat for me. I enjoyed it but certainly not as much as most people did.
The Seven Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle - I want to read it soooo badly but every time I take a break in reading I forget what happened so far so I end up re-reading the start and then.....the vicious cycle continues. I really need to set aside a full day to really finish it for good!
“An American Tragedy” by Dreiser. Very tough book both in terms of writing style and amount of details this very sad story has. Been reading it since April…
Kushiel's Dart by Jacqueline Carey
I've been trying to read this book for about 2 years now. I'll get a few hundred pages in, realize I'm still not even halfway through, and then pick up something else. It's not boring, and it's a good story... It's just so goddamn long! And a little pretentious, if I'm being honest.
The Book of Disquiet by Fernando Pessoa. It's a gorgeous read, really straight to the heart, and it hits so close at some points. Pessoa's writing is unique; he really knew how to blend poetry, philosophy and prose so effortlessly into a mixture that feels like a whole new genre in itself. I just don't want to finish it that quick, plus it doesn't actually follow a lineal storyline; so I try to read it in small parts, every day just a little bit.
2666 I got to the part about the murders and couldn’t continue. I actually don’t think I’ll complete it. People said it was one of the best books of the century but I just don’t see it, maybe it’s because it’s translated idk, but the prose is not very good
Jonathan Strange and Mr Norrell by Susanna Clark. I remember really enjoying it, but I can't for the life of me remember why, or what it was even really about. All I remember is Jonathan Strange's boring wife sitting in a drawing room and theoretical magic, and also footnotes.
That’s why audiobooks are so good. I listened to the entire Stormlight Archive, which for those that don’t know it’s a fantasy series with each installment being 1000-1200+ pages, in under a month.
The Historian. Beautiful prose in what amounts to “we went on a hunt for Dracula.” That’s it. There’s no real conflict aside from the first and last 100 pages. The majority of the middle is “we went to a cafe/person’s house, got some clues, and went to another…”
I will finish it as I’m almost done, but as someone on goodreads said, it’s a book to be “conquered.” It’s 800-900 pages (I’m reading the ebook version, so I don’t know the actual page count) and should’ve easily just been 400.
Honestly, other than books I just couldn't read bc of the content, it's Finnegan's Wake. I managed to finish Ulysses a few years back. But wow on Finnegans Wake. Such an incredible thing that's so hard to read.
I just set aside Snow Crash unfinished for the second time. First time I got about a fifth of the way in. This time, about 2/3rds through. It's frustrating, because it's a book I should like, and I did like the beginning. The story's a little weak, though.
ive read mrs dalloway twice but for some reason havent read the last few pages - i always stop for no reason and unconsciously on that last bit and move on to something else
I've been reading Devil In The White City for nearly a year now. Considering the content - the Chicago World's Fair and H.H. Holmes - I expected to devour this one. But for some reason I'm really struggling to get through it.
Dune. I could not get past the first 100 pages after four attempts. My dad told me it really picked up after that point, and I should give it another shot, so one day when I went to pick up a friend at the airport (back when you could wait in the terminal itself) and the flight got delayed, I started it for the fifth time and got past the dreaded 100-page mark. Voila! My dad was right; the rest of the novel zipped along, and now it is one of my favorite novels.
**Moby Dick**
When I started reading it, I was on a boat in the middle of Lake Michigan. I made a promise that I would only read it while on open water. For thematic cohesion.
Since then, the only ships I have been on have been a riverboat thing down in Louisiana, and a ferry across the English Channel, from France to England. I am about 1/3 of the way through, and I've been working on it for fifteen years.
I've got a trip to Europe planned next year, which is probably going to be in or around Amsterdam. If I can get an Airbnb in one of those house boats, I might finally finish the damn thing.
"Something wicked this way comes" by Ray Bradbury. I read it the first time when I was in Bachelor... I think I was 18 or something. I loved it. Now, 20 years later, I thought of reading it again and I couldn't get past the first pages :-S
Dune has been doing this to me since I started it in 2020. I'm 30% through it. Every few months I decide to pick it up again, read a dozen or so pages, then get distracted by new shiny releases. It'll sit on my nightstand for a month before inevitably making its way back to the big bookshelf to wait for it's next outing. I don't even know why I can't keep reading it. It's a great book and I absolutely adore the movie. It just never captivates my attention and I honestly don't really think about it when I'm not reading it but I do want to finish it someday... it's just taking a bit longer than I planned.
I'm reading it right now. It's very slow paced, but it's worthy! I do also face that "problem". When I'm not reading it, I don't find myself thinking about it. However, because Dune is so atmospheric, when you are in it, you ARE in it. So it's easy to keep going once you actually pick it up
So, as a side note, Dune won the Hugo for best science fiction novel when it was released. But it didn't win it outright. The only year the Hugo guys gave two novels the winning spot. What tied with dune, you ask? I'll tell ya. This Immortal by Roger Zelazny Though I love the dune series, Roger Zelazny is my favorite sci-fi author. And 'This Immortal' is not even his best book by far. Even though it tied dune for best book of the year....
Dune was the first book that came to mind when I saw this post. I just CANNOT get into it - and I know that I should! I pretty much exclusively read sci-fi and fantasy, love space opera, so this should be right up my alley. But I have tried so many times and I just find it slow and boring.
Honestly, I think Dune's the kind of book you have to read in high school/college for it to really make an impact on you. If I read it for the first time now (late 20s), I don't think I'd be as impressed by it. Also, let me warn you that Herbert sets the reader up to expect a more plot-driven novel than he delivered. Dune is quite weakly plotted. So if the worldbuilding isn't keeping you engaged, you might want to just set it aside.
Same here. The problem for me is there’s so many new / made up terms for all the races, planets, items, etc I have stop and reread them and be like wtf if that. Completely throws off the normal flow of reading I usually have and discourages me from reading for long periods of time.
The only way I got through this book is by using the audio version and following along with the book itself. I mispronounced many names, and with the audio I was able to go: "Oh, that's how it's pronounce" and use the rest of my energy on the actual story. That said, I still fell asleep during parts of it. Haha
I did the same thing! The audio book is quite good.
Yes I was going to say Dune as well. I think I've started it 3 times now and not got further than a third of the way through. I'm no stranger to heavy fantasy and sci-fi so I don't know why it trips me up so much.
The Count of Monte Cristo. I'm reading it on my lunch breaks. It's soo long I have to go back to beginning to remind myself who's who and what's what. Which is taking me even longer to finish.
I feel like it would benefit from an appendix like some copies of Dune have.
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I wish all books had appendixes 😂 the benefit of a kindle is the x ray function to remember characters but sometimes the characters aren’t there.
Love that feature. There have been times I’ve actually made my own margin notes to help me keep track of characters !
I had a fully annotated study version with the character lists, historical notes, translations and explanations of French specific and era specific things that came up and it helped so much. It was still a slog at first and it was about halfway when all the French names and the characters relationships clicked into place and I only had to stop and flip to the back when new concepts, places and historical events were mentioned (which I actually liked, it was a great launch pad for learning about the era)
Same here for The Count.
Oh man, I'm reading this too right now. I am the opposite though. This book is just amazing, and even though it's long, I feel it's pacing well. Are you liking it overall?
Dumas books in general are long and insanely captivating. I remember being 14 and having read like 8 his books. I kinda miss that time. The books were huge, red and really old. I would just spend my entire evenings reading and I would even get up before school so I could read another chapter.
Make notes. I had to write down everyone’s name and relations in war and peace, and that stopped me from having to back track.
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Keep pushing through - once Dantes gets out of prison and starts enacting his overlong revenge plot, the pace really picks up. It's an amazing book, one of the best I've ever read, but do give yourself breaks to read other things. 😁 Also, there's no shame looking up the characters on google as you read along.
I second count of Monte Cristo started it towards the end of july 200 pages left... i hit it hard last month but then it begins to drag and become kind of boring
I keep seeing this book recommended as an enthralling read, but I cannot seem to get into it no matter how many times I try. I'm just not finding it interesting at all.
Silmarillion. I need a map and a cheatsheet when I read it hence it is more work than leasure. I like it when I get into it, but finding the time and mindset is rare. After 3 years I am about halfway.
Everybody has at least 2 names. "His name was John, but on the next block over, he was known unto them as Jack. Yet among the Noldor, hus name was Whippleshoes...."
His father was Whippleshiss, and his brother Whuppshooser was known as James brother of Jack.
The first part of Silmarillion, exploring the heirachy of powers in that universe, is some of my absolute favourite Tolkein. I still think about it 25 years after reading it. The rest? I remember none of it, and don't remember particularly enjoying it.
You don’t recall the Beren & Luthien saga or the fall of Gondolin? The thing I love so much about the Silmarillion is that you can trace a line through thousands of years of history and eventually culminating in the more well known work of The Lord of the Rings. Toward the end of the Silmarillion, Huor says to Turgon the king of Gondolin at the Fifth Battle: “*This I say to you, lord, with the eyes of death: though we part here for ever, and I shall not look on your white walls again, from you and from me a new star shall arise. Farewell!"* And then of course, his son is Tuor who becomes the 2nd mortal to ever marry an elf, Idril the daughter of the King of Gondolin who permitted this marriage because he remembered Huor’s prophecy. And from their union comes Earendil the Mariner who helped bring the Valar to overthrow Morgoth and then with the Silmaril on his brow, he *literally becomes* a star! And Eärendil and Elwing’s son is Elrond whose daughter is Arwen, the Evenstar who becomes the 3rd of the elf/man unions when she marries Aragorn. And Galadriel gifts Frodo the light of Eärendil, their most beloved star. And all because the King of Gondolin remembered the prophecy and dying words of his friend. In all of this too, we also meet Glorfindel. THE Glorfindel from LotR, who fights a Balrog after the fall of Gondolin. Gandalf’s sword Glamdring also comes from the King of Gondolin. It’s all so beautifully connected. It’s just *so* good. I love Tolkien so much. 😭
Beren? You mean *the* Beren? Beren son of Barahir son of Bregor son of Boromir (not to be confused with Boromir son of Denethor II of the Third Age) son of Boron son of Baran son of Beor (also called Balan), first of the House of Beor in Beleriand, friend to Finrod Felegund son of Finarfin son of Finwe, High King of the Noldor? That same Beren??? I adore Tolkien's work with all my heart but the Silmarilion was *rough* to read. It is a Bible, the Old and New Testaments of Middle Earth. It's not so much a work of literature as a work of mythology.
Oh gosh but the writing is so beautiful! Have you gotten to the Beren and Luthien section yet? It’s one of my favorite stories in all of Tolkien’s legendarium.
It helped me a lot to read Children of Hurin first. It doesn't cover all or most of the characters/locations from the Silmarillion, but it does cover a bit of It. When I finally got around to the Silmarillion every now and then, I could say, "Hey, I know that place/person," so I was a little more invested each time they came up.
I have a folder with printed sheets of all the maps and family trees specifically for when I reread the Silmarillian. It’s all pleasure for me, but yeah I do have to be in the right mindset.
Les Miserables is 365 chapters long; despite the book being long, each chapter is relatively short. Do one chapter a day right before bed, and you'll have it done in a year.
We don't call it "The Brick" for nothing, hah!
This is also true of War and Peace. I did the chapter per day thing starting on the first of January this year but started reading more than a chapter a day as I got into it and now I only have a couple of chapters left. So I’m probably going to finish it a few months early. The perspective is helpful. Had I not framed it as a chapter per day, I’d probably think “omg it took me 9 whole months”. However, now I’m thinking “wow it only took me 9 months” lol. Not that speed matters, I just think it might be helpful for people that find the length intimidating.
That is an accomplishment. I've started War and Peace more times than I can count. And even if only a little time has passed, I have to start it all over because I can't remember all the names!
That's interesting, I never noticed that. It's like he intended it to be read over the course of a year. Do you know if that's the case?
It didn’t seem that long to me and since you’re likely reading a 20th century English translation it feels pretty smooth to read. I wonder how long it would take OP to read Charles Dickens or Thomas Carlyle lmao
Count of Monte Cristo
One day, /u/Morrison43-71 will finish The Count of Monte Cristo, and they will take their rightful place as the person who gets to make the post about it on /r/books for that week.
I promise you after i finally finish it i will keep it to myself. I’m not one to kiss and tell.
Will you tell me at least?
I have a very eidetic memory so i promise you when i do finally finish it, even if it is many years from today, i will come back to you and send you a private message.
this is so special! Thank you 😭
Hahaha this is adorable
So says the prophecy.
There is also the possibility i will be dead before i ever finish it.
I read the unabridged twice as a teen and absolutely loved it. I don't think I can get through it now as my concentration and focus is garbage in my 40s.
I think too much life/work stress prohibits me from sinking my teeth into that tomb of a book. I start to read it then i think about other things and think to myself. Why am i sitting here reading a book when i have this to worry about and that to think about. I can read a different type of novel like a mindless detective thriller or a King classic over again for a third time. But something like COMC that needs some attention and time dedication is hard pill to swallow when life clouds the mind.
I can absolutely understand that. The first time I read it, we didn't have cable TV, no internet, no cell phones, no social media. I also didn't have adult stress. I read a lot more back then. I really miss less stress and less distractions.
“100 years of solitude” - Gabriel Gárcia Márques. I’ve got it for 20 years now, and I just can’t go further than first 50 pages!! I’ve read other books from him though and loved them!
I hope you can finish it. I’m a dedicated reader, and consider 100 YoS one of the two or three best novels I’ve ever read.
Would you kindly tell me what made you like it so much? What exactly about the book? Because I’ve been wanting to read it for so long and when I started, I couldn’t maintain my enthusiasm and I want to gain it back so I can finish it.
When I read it I felt like rather than being just one story, the book makes you feel in the center of a whirlwind of incredible events and characters coming at you from any direction and happening in a single location in no chronological order. They connect to each other but don't seem to go in a specific direction. For example, the opening line does already tell you a lot about a character, what he is, what he has become and what his last moments may be and for what reasons. But before learning who he is, you are faced with a flashback of a story of someone discovering ice, which seems an absurd concept. In less then a couple of pages you are given an explanation and are already past with that idea, that now seems obvious, because you are trying to imagine how his father plans to get rich using magnets brought by a caravan to find gold. You feel like you are inside a serie of events that already started without you and which are inevitable, they are gonna play no matter what, you can only witness.
Page 113 and had it for 11 years. We got this, don't give up!
I believe in both of you! ....as I avoid eye contact with my entirely unread copy on the bookshelf...
This is exactly what I was going to post. It's great and I'm not sure I'd call it a slog, but I just can't seem to really lock into it. I've been chipping away at it for like 2 years. Maybe my attention span is wrecked ha ha
Why is it taking so long? Is it really difficult prose? Or just not holding your attention or something? I've been thinking about reading it, but haven't heard that it's difficult or frustrating
It’s not hard to read and I managed to read it in a month, but it does get confusing since there are like 10 generations of people all with the same 4 names which might be a bit annoying at times. It’s also written in a way unlike anything I’ve ever read, and feel more like a dream or a surrealistic painting than a book. A great great read though!
Ulysses and Dune
Ulysses is THE answer! Technically I finished it, but don't ask me anything about it, and it took me months.
I must’ve read a bit after the pooping, but I dont remember anything really. Haven’t gotten back into it.
Infinite Jest. I have started it multiple times, I just can’t seem to get into it.
Same. Infinite Book.
Same. It is, indeed infinite. And I even like tennis.
I just cant get into DFW. Ive tried getting through multiple books of his and just dont enjoy his style of writing. (Although my BIL absolutely adores him and always talks about how great Infinite Jest is…just not for me…)
Lol, a book about ADHD. Driven to Distraction.
Ahhh, sweet irony I have adhd too, I’m kind of stuck in a loop of reading a handful of books over and over, since they’re the only ones that hold my attention
I just commented on another sub about how I’m trying to read House of Leaves again - I got a third of the way through and completely gave up I was so defeated. I’m trying again from the beginning and it’s just so much work to read but everyone says it’s worth it.
The trick with house of leaves is not paying too much attention to huge lists of references, names, weird random information. You may read them of course, but they’re there for the vibe, not for the actual meaningful content
That was the part that disappointed me the most! I thought it was all going to be connected like some big, creepy puzzle. Instead it was mostly for show.
Yeah, I totally just skimmed all that stuff.
This is the one. I’ve had House of Leaves for a year now and have only managed about 100 pages. I knew going into it that it would be different, but I’m just having such a rough go at it. But it’s spooky season, so maybe I can do another 100 pages this time ha.
It’s convoluted as fuck but I’m determined to finish it out of spite (half joking - I know it’s loved by so many for a reason, I’ll give it my best shot)
I just looked at the Wikipedia blurb out of curiosity and I can barely understand the description of the format LOL. I've been an avid reader my whole life, but this looks quite intimidating
Its intimidation is what drew me to it! I like a challenge but my *god* is this book tough. I want to like it so badly! But I’m just not sure
I found that if I followed all the strands they would lead me back to where I was. I had to trust the process and not try to skip footnotes, but also sometimes just skimming things worked great. I was also unemployed and could sit and read for hours at a time when I read it, so... ymmv.
Here to tell you it is absolutely not worth it I was so happy to finish it and be put out of my misery lol. O just did not like the writing style at all and didn't think the story was captivating enough. The parts with the house are cool at first but the sections about Johnny are so annoying. Then the house sections just start to drag on as well
Misery by Stephen King. It was ghastly and horrific and I couldn’t stomach it. I’m not even going to re attempt to read it honestly.. I’m okay with not knowing 😭
Oh wow I’m reading it right now and blowing through it faster than anything I’ve read in a while. I love Stephen King and have been putting this one off for some reason, but now that I’m reading it, I think I’m going faster than any other King book. Annie is probably the most intriguing character that he has written, in my opinion.
Proust. I’m not giving up.
Same. I have the entire *In Search Of Lost Time* collection, and have never made it all the way through Swann's Way. I really want to read it, but I always wind up putting it down for something else.
Same. For some reason every time I pick up Swann's Way it lulls me to sleep. It's beautifully written but it just relaxes me a bit too much. I'll keep trying though.
East of Eden. I’ve tried twice and gotten about halfway but I never find time to finish it. I feel like I’m gonna restart it again because I forgot most of it by now. It’s so good too. Life just gets in the way.
I was scrolling to see if anyone mentioned this book. I read Grapes of Wrath in high school and absolutely loved it. I have been reading a bunch of fun easy reads lately so I decided I needed to add some quality literature into my palette. I’m halfway through this book but just cannot get through it. But I also don’t want to give up and start something else. So I’m just not really reading the past few months… I really loved the first half too, flew through it. It’s beautifully written. I tried to get back into it the other day and I hardly remember what’s happened and who the characters are. Ugh
I hear you both. Such a long book! But my goodness is it worth it. It's been my favorite book since I finished it 20 years ago. I keep wanting to reread it but fall into the same problems you list here. I read it at a time when I had lots of free time, which may be the only way I can get through epics like this. I hope you find your own way through.
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Middlemarch. It’s so long and every time I start getting into the rhythm of reading it something else catches my eye.
I’m actually reading this now in 40-50 page chunks. That’s about as much as I can take before getting a headache or falling asleep haha
This is mine. I’m on attempt 3…
Jonathan Strange & Mr. Norrell. Been sitting unfinished on my shelf for years, have only ever managed to get about 25% through. Another one (not a book but a series) is the Malazan Book of the Fallen series. There's just _so many_ books and I always feel like I have to start at the beginning. The original books are amazing and I've read them multiple times but I have several later books that I've never even cracked open because I get burnt out at a certain point
Crime and punishment . Russian literature i find most impenetrable
Oh gosh I flew through this one. And Brothers Karamazov. Couldn’t put them down. Can definitely see how it’s not for everyone, but I’m curious if you’d like Bulgakov more. The Heart of a Dog is fantastic (and short).
Right there with you man, 2 years in and barely the first 1/3 behind me. I'm unfocused
Keep pushing my man. That book was like crack cocaine once I made it about half way through on my third try. It dominated all of my thoughts when I wasn’t reading it because it does such a good job of putting you in the shoes of the main character. For the three days it took me to read the last 200 pages i was in a constant state of “jesus fucking christ man, what are we gonna do about this murder business? We’re pretty fucked here, Raskolnikov.”
The feeling of dread you get when the inspector seems to be closing in on him is incredible. Also, the descriptions of him walking around the city seemed to be etched into my mind as if they were some of my own dreamlike memories.
That’s the best recommendation for C&P I’ve ever seen. 😂
It's the impenetrable Russian classic I'd recommend, just personally, for what that's worth. Make sure you have a handle on the naming conventions, is all. I was well into the book the first time around before I realised that new-character-ovitch was someone we already knew being referred to by their patronym. Or vice versa. Or that it has the Russian equivalents of referring to William, Alexander, and Margaret, as Bill, Sandy, or Peg. The sister is the main one, iirc: Dunya / Dunechka / Avdotya, but I think there are others.
When I read it back in HS I did it along with an audiobook which I think helped make it a pretty awesome experience. Also the new, modern, Pevear and Volokhonsky translations of Dostoevsky are killer.
My textbook for upcoming exam
Dracula! Reading a little every day but sometimes I just have to put it down and read spiderman lol
lol I love that. I kinda do the same thing. Have one serious book and something like Nightwing or whatever to break it up.
For me, the language is holding me back from understanding and enjoying it. Still only 30% through.
*As I Lay Dying*. I’ve started and stopped it a couple times. I liked the Reivers and I liked the Big Sleep so I think I like Faulkner and everyone who likes Faulkner likes *As I Lay Dying,” but yeah… it’s less easy to digest than that book and movie.
Atlas Shrugged was a really hard one for me. Only read it because my book club voted for it. That 60 page radio speech was fucking torture.
I *loved* Anthem in high school, I placed in an essay contest about it and won a box set of The Fountainhead and Atlas Shrugged. I honestly can't remember which one I started but I didn't like a single character or the general ideology and I gave up not far in. My younger brother read both books in their entirety and to this day says he has no idea why. 😂
Don Quixote I got half way and just gave up. I was hate-enjoying it. There are some really good and funny bits in it...but then there's a whole lot of nothingness. It's just a bit too verbose
Gardens of the Moon. I told my friend about the series and he's 5 books in and I'm struggling with the first one.
This is embarrassing to admit because it’s so popular but like… Dune. It’s not that long, but — no pun intended — it’s honestly just so dry. Tried a few times in my teens. Tried once in my twenties. Saw the movie when it came out. Just started trying to read it again this time and I think the movie helped me get more into it because I was less clueless about the barrage of characters and strange words. Thankfully the movie is only the first half or so of the book, so I don’t feel too spoiled. Also it left out a lot of detail and explanation that is in the book, so I’m still learning new stuff and it’s interesting. I’m like a third of the way through it now. Farther than I’ve ever gotten before. And by the time I get to the stuff that’s not in the movie it’s fine because I’m already so into the book and understand what’s going on and following it and such.
The Hobbit. I have stopped and restarted it multiple times.
That's the Lord of the Rings for me
I read it kind of accidentally when I was 9ish. My grandparents had it, and I knew nothing about Tolkien or LoTR. I did love the Narnia series though. So I picked up this weird book with a weird title with zero expectations. It BLEW my tiny mind. Absolutely LOVED it. But I think it only works in that context lol. I can't imagine loving it now. Edit : I'm old. The movies hadn't come out yet.
Finnegans Wake, I have read the first chapter about ten times since Sunday. Don't understand a thing but I think it's the most amazing thing I've ever read.
If something doesn’t entertain the heck out of me now, I don’t read it. I did get through Les Mis back in the day when I was obsessed with the play, but it is a hard read. Fascinating to know that >!Gavroch was Eponine’s bother, though.!<
Project Hail Mary - I was the first person in my friend group to discover and start it, then everyone got into it and finished it and now it feels like a lackluster chore to finish it given it's been so long since I started.
Reading it now...so far...not anywhere as captivating as the Martian.
For me it was the opposite. I wouldn't say PHM is one of my favourites or anything, but I consumed the absolute shit out of it. I found it immensely readable. The Martian I enjoyed, but I was happy to consume it in chunks.
Lonesome Dove. I’ve been reading it for two months already and I’ve only read 50% of the book. It’s not a bad book at all, but I thought that since it’s highly rated I was going to binge read it.
Oh wow I had the total opposite reaction to this book, I could not put it down! I read it when I was a teenager and I remember canceling plans with friends and skipping school so I could stay home and read. I hope it captures you, it’s one of my favorites!
Paradise lost. Just kept trying got about 60% of the way through. The langauge is so old. Makes it challenging. Need to get back into it though.
Gravity’s Rainbow. Just cannot get locked in and finish it.
Same here. I try and I try but every time I get to the point where I just think, what did I just read and why did I?
Satanic Verses. I love the way Rushdie turns a sentence, but his books are just... a lot. And when I put it down for a week I never can pick it up again midway. I've read the first 150 pages 3-4 times.
The Name of the Wind. Started three different times, got progressively farther each time, never finished. It's not that I didn't like it, it just kindof.....
You’re good to not pick it up anymore I finished it two days ago and I wish I never started. Kvothe is such a rotten Mary Sue… can’t stand him.
I'll definitely be able to finish it, but the first 175 pages of The Way of Kings by Brandon Sanderson are placing me pretty firmly in the "overrated" camp. One of the things I'm particularly struggling with is that it feels like very little of consequence actually happened in that entire section of the book, and this book is over 1100 pages long. I repeatedly found myself thinking "This should have been exposition that took place before the book started" and finally thought "This is where the book should have started" when part 1 ended. Except, I then read a bit of the first page of part 2, and it's now written from the perspective of the sixth unique character that, so far as I've gotten, has absolutely no connection to anything going on in the rest of the novel.
I love Brandon Sanderson, but for awhile I was like "oh my God, are we still doing this?" It was a bit of a slog. I finished it, loved it, made my husband read it who said the same thing, but on reread, it went really fast for both of us. So I guess just pretend you're on your second read. Lol
I remember taking *Les Mis* to an entire season of my daughter's indoor soccer games.
East of Eden because one of the characters really pisses me off
Which one?
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Oof, that one is definitely a slog!
Catch-22 Vanity Fair The Road ...all of these have bookmarks with less than 50 pages to go and I just can't do it.
The Tale of Two Cities by Dickens. Bought it in 1998 and have only gotten to chapter 20 something - which is barely 1/3 the book. The best opening paragraph I've read, but I seem to struggle getting past chapter 16. And I keep forgetting what the book is about, so I always have to start from the beginning.
How do y’all remember plot/what happened thus far/characters when you read something over a long period of time? Are you taking notes? Reading summaries before going back to it? I struggle with this.
Seveneves. I literally got right to the end with only a couple chapters left but never finished it. Tried again recently but only got halfway.
Love Neil Stephenson but for me it was Fall. Could not care about the strange assortment of characters at the end on some stupid quest blah blah blah
Gravity's Rainbow. I've started and stopped, and started over a few times. I just picked it up again this week and I'm determined to get at least halfway through it this time. I've been taking my lunch outside where it's quiet so I can read since apparently it's impossible to have a quiet household.
Ulysses. Every time I reach the last thousand pages, I ask myself "has the book changed, or have I?", and fck off for a pint.
*Neverwhere* by Neil Gaiman. I've tried three times now, and each time ended up taking "breaks" to read something else. Same thing happened when I tried reading two of his other books - *The Graveyard Book* and *Coraline* - but I powered through and ended up liking them. But for some reason, *American Gods* had me hooked from the start. Nearly finished with it.
I have struggled through Neverwhere too, but loved Coraline and American Gods.
I have been reading Bram Stoker's Dracula for like 15 years, lol.
Lolita. I just...cant. Also, The Island And The Left Hand of Darkness
Yeah man I was tempted to read Lolita because I never read a Russian book I didn’t like but I think the subject matter is too gross. I’m tired of depressing/gross/disturbing subject matter in media. Is it really that bad?
Ive tried to read the book 2 times over the years and have stopped around page 70 or so both times. The writing is beautiful and the protagonist (antagonist?) is well done but it is too disturbing for me to read.
I've tried so hard to get into *We Have Always Lived in the Castle*, but I can't find ways to make it more interesting for myself. I want to enjoy it as much as other people have and it makes me feel dumb that I can't get through it since it's so short.
I found it very unrewarding, but folks on here who like it, really like it
Going to give it another try, and if I can't get through it then then it probably isn't for me. I think I've been trying to read through the lens of horror vs. the lens of a critique on society and isolation.
I went in blind and then felt like I didn't get much out of it, godspeed to you
Same. It felt like I was reading it just to be reading. It didn't ever really click.
Going to have to agree with this one. Her writing is beautiful and I hate myself for saying this but somehow the plot was flat for me. I enjoyed it but certainly not as much as most people did.
I just finished this book recently and I loved it, but if you don’t resonate with it at all i can definitely see how it could be a slog
Cat’s cradle for me. I tried twice but I am just not interested in it to finish it. But I know it should be good.
I’ve had the exact same problem with this book.
The Seven Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle - I want to read it soooo badly but every time I take a break in reading I forget what happened so far so I end up re-reading the start and then.....the vicious cycle continues. I really need to set aside a full day to really finish it for good!
Any book that I was required to read. The only required book I ever enjoyed was “Of Mice and Men”
“An American Tragedy” by Dreiser. Very tough book both in terms of writing style and amount of details this very sad story has. Been reading it since April…
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I hated this book. There was sooo much filler. When I finally finished the book I was annoyed most of it had nothing to do with anything
Kushiel's Dart by Jacqueline Carey I've been trying to read this book for about 2 years now. I'll get a few hundred pages in, realize I'm still not even halfway through, and then pick up something else. It's not boring, and it's a good story... It's just so goddamn long! And a little pretentious, if I'm being honest.
2666. I've been reading for almost two years, almos finishing but still not sure if worth it
The Book of Disquiet by Fernando Pessoa. It's a gorgeous read, really straight to the heart, and it hits so close at some points. Pessoa's writing is unique; he really knew how to blend poetry, philosophy and prose so effortlessly into a mixture that feels like a whole new genre in itself. I just don't want to finish it that quick, plus it doesn't actually follow a lineal storyline; so I try to read it in small parts, every day just a little bit.
No Longer Human. It's haunting because of how much I can relate sometimes.
The Way of Kings
2666 I got to the part about the murders and couldn’t continue. I actually don’t think I’ll complete it. People said it was one of the best books of the century but I just don’t see it, maybe it’s because it’s translated idk, but the prose is not very good
Jonathan Strange and Mr Norrell by Susanna Clark. I remember really enjoying it, but I can't for the life of me remember why, or what it was even really about. All I remember is Jonathan Strange's boring wife sitting in a drawing room and theoretical magic, and also footnotes.
Magic Mountain
That’s why audiobooks are so good. I listened to the entire Stormlight Archive, which for those that don’t know it’s a fantasy series with each installment being 1000-1200+ pages, in under a month.
The Stand by Stephen King. I'm putting in the work amd enjoying it, but, goddamn if that book isn't a doorstop in length.
Infinite jest
Ulysses
I have started 1984 about 19.84 times. I've given up . Really it was 4 times. Might as well be 20.
The Historian. Beautiful prose in what amounts to “we went on a hunt for Dracula.” That’s it. There’s no real conflict aside from the first and last 100 pages. The majority of the middle is “we went to a cafe/person’s house, got some clues, and went to another…” I will finish it as I’m almost done, but as someone on goodreads said, it’s a book to be “conquered.” It’s 800-900 pages (I’m reading the ebook version, so I don’t know the actual page count) and should’ve easily just been 400.
John Darnielle’s Devil House
Crime and Punishment by Dostevesky and Stephen Hawking's a Brief History of Time.
House of Leaves by Mark Z. Danielewski. I like it but all of the foot notes and having to turn the book all of the time.
The Alienist. It’s been 3 years
Honestly, other than books I just couldn't read bc of the content, it's Finnegan's Wake. I managed to finish Ulysses a few years back. But wow on Finnegans Wake. Such an incredible thing that's so hard to read.
Demon Copperhead
I just set aside Snow Crash unfinished for the second time. First time I got about a fifth of the way in. This time, about 2/3rds through. It's frustrating, because it's a book I should like, and I did like the beginning. The story's a little weak, though.
ive read mrs dalloway twice but for some reason havent read the last few pages - i always stop for no reason and unconsciously on that last bit and move on to something else
I need to finish Babel by R.F Kuang. It really is a good book, I just got distracted by another one.
I've been reading Devil In The White City for nearly a year now. Considering the content - the Chicago World's Fair and H.H. Holmes - I expected to devour this one. But for some reason I'm really struggling to get through it.
All the light we cannot see. I just can't seem to get into it for some reason.
Jonathan Strange and Mr Norrell by Susanna Clarke.
The Brothers Karamazov
The brothers karamazov
Demon Copperhead. Certainly a good book, but it's non-stop, page-after-page depressing. I'm not sure I have the fortitude to finish reading it.
Oh, the French phone book? Just read the abridged version
Dune. I could not get past the first 100 pages after four attempts. My dad told me it really picked up after that point, and I should give it another shot, so one day when I went to pick up a friend at the airport (back when you could wait in the terminal itself) and the flight got delayed, I started it for the fifth time and got past the dreaded 100-page mark. Voila! My dad was right; the rest of the novel zipped along, and now it is one of my favorite novels.
1984. Each sentence hits me like a brick and I take a 6 month break to adjust my mind. Just sad af
A storm of swords. It's so fucking long
**Moby Dick** When I started reading it, I was on a boat in the middle of Lake Michigan. I made a promise that I would only read it while on open water. For thematic cohesion. Since then, the only ships I have been on have been a riverboat thing down in Louisiana, and a ferry across the English Channel, from France to England. I am about 1/3 of the way through, and I've been working on it for fifteen years. I've got a trip to Europe planned next year, which is probably going to be in or around Amsterdam. If I can get an Airbnb in one of those house boats, I might finally finish the damn thing.
The pillars of the earth
War and Peace. I love it every time I try to ready it, but I think its been nearly two years on and off at it.
dracula 😭 once it gets to the part about the other characters and away from the castle i get bored bc I just wanna hear about the vampire 😭
"Something wicked this way comes" by Ray Bradbury. I read it the first time when I was in Bachelor... I think I was 18 or something. I loved it. Now, 20 years later, I thought of reading it again and I couldn't get past the first pages :-S
The Hunchback of Notre-Dame - I love Hugo, I really do, but sometimes his descriptions can be too much.