Read with Abandon? October 25, 2007
Today’s suggestion is from Cereal Box Reader
I would enjoy reading a meme about people’s abandoned books. The books that you start but don’t finish say as much about you as the ones you actually read, sometimes because of the books themselves or because of the circumstances that prevent you from finishing. So . . . what books have you abandoned and why?
I’ve abandoned a few books this year. Here is my list:
1. Bel Canto by Anne Patchett
I can’t for the life of me figure out what anyone sees in this book. I was bored to tears. Every other line is devoted to a flowery description of the central character’s fabulous voice. I get it! She’s amazing! No need to pound me over the head with that fact! I gave it 200 pages to do something for me, and it didn’t.
2. Harvesting the Heart by Jodi Picoult
Now this is an author I like. My Sister’s Keeper was terrific. But there were just too many coincidental things happening here to make it even remotely believable. I didn’t care about the characters. I lost interest and never went back to it.
3. The Heart is a Lonely Hunter by Carson McCullers
This is a classic, written in 1940, and chosen by Oprah for her Book Club. Lots of prose, not plot driven at all. I tried to like it. I may go back to it. Probably not.
4. When Crickets Cry by Charles Martin
Very sappy and predictable. Too manipulative. Would probably do well on the Lifetime channel.
5. A Tree Grows in Brooklyn-
I know, I know. I will give it another try.
Filed under: blogs, books, Family, reading | Tagged: book clubs, bookclub, books, classics, literature, meme, Oprah, reading |
Books on the Brain 
I’m one of the minority who actually liked Bel Canto – 200 pages – WOW. I don’t give books more than about 50.
BookGal, I think I stuck with it as long as I did because I had read a good review, so I kept thinking, “It has to get better.” For me, it just never did. What did you like about it?
I’ll play and reference the link back to you! As for Bel Canto, I liked it only OK.
Hi Care, Cool! I look forward to seeing it@
Hi there! Just a quick note to tell you that I saw you on the WordPress Dashboard ~3:30 pm today!
Oh yeah? That explains the recent jump in my stats. I was wondering what that was about! Thanks, Care!
Invisible Man by Ralph Ellison. Everybody I know loved it, and what I have read is good but not good enough for me to take the time to read. So I have only read 250 pages of it. Maybe I should give it another shot?
I’m a big fan of both Bel Canto and A Tree Grows in Brooklyn, but your mention of The Heart is a Lonely Hunter reminded me of book that I didn’t abandon but sure wish I had. McCullers’ other work, The Member of the Wedding. Thought it was just awful.
Seriously, A Tree Grows in Brooklyn?? That’s my all-time favorite book. You should give it another try. The last time I read it (the sixth? time) I read about half, put it down for more than a year, then picked it back up again and finished it in a couple of days. I enjoy the book every time I read it.
[…] at Books on the Brain invites me to another MEME which I’ve been putting off. Have I ever walked away from a […]
BookMama, I know, everyone loves that book. I read about half of it and put it down for A YEAR or so.. I do plan to try again. It’s not that I didn’t like it, I just never was motivated to go back to it.
I made it through Bel Canto, but only by sheer willpower – I absolutely wouldn’t recommend that book to anyone.
I can’t think of a book that I read recently that I gave up on – oh, wait, yes I can:
Straight Up and Dirty by Stephanie Klein. I have read her blog and thought I’d be interested. I couldn’t have cared less. Her writing was way too fake; the label name dropping alone drove me to boredom. It seemed she was just trying to convince everyone that she was *perfect*. I didn’t even pass it on, I threw it in the trash – I couldn’t bear to push that book on anyone else. Although I know that people have read it and liked it, it was not for me.