Is there a book that you wish you could "unread"? One that you disliked so thoroughly you wish you could just forget that you ever read it? (Suggested by C in DC)
I'm one of those people who rarely stops reading a book after starting it, so there are a few books that I wish I had never picked up. As for "unreading", I don't think I want to forget that I read those books; at least I should be able to remember not to read the same books (or similar ones) in future.
If I had to mention books that I would rather never have read, I'd name Lucky Jim by Kingsley Amis, Nineteen Seventy Four by David Peace, Catch-22 by Joseph Heller and The Road to Gandolfo/Omaha books by Robert Ludlum.
Do you ever continue reading a book despite knowing that you won't like it, thereby adding list of books to "unread"? Or do you stop reading the moment you know the book isn't the kind you like? I believe I'm in the minority that reads books anyway even when the know they don't like it.
8 comments:
I'm pretty much the same way - once I start a book, I finish it whether I like it or not. LOL As for unreading a book, I don't want to do that because at least I know I don't particularly like that author or genre. I figure it's part of the learning process.
Thanks for answering. I used to read everything to the end. Then I finally met a book I just couldn't finish (Dandelion Wine - I think I stopped 20 pp from the end), and since then I'll let go if I'm struggling to read something.
I just can't finish books if I don't like them. I do try to get past the first few chapters...if it doesn't grab me by then, it gets swapped out on Paperbackswap....maybe someone else will enjoy it!
@Yvonne. Yeah, that's one good thing about books we don't like -- we can avoid that author in future.
@C in DC. Thank you for suggesting the question in the first place. Btw, that book must have been really bad for you to give up just 20 pages from the ending. :)
@Missy. That's the wise thing to do... There are too many good books out there for us to waste time on those we don't like. But somehow, I end up reading till the last page anyway; that's something I haven't been able to change about myself.
@Prachi. I loved the Potter books and have probably read them a bit too often. Sad to hear that you didn't enjoy them.
I love most books and have pretty eclectic tastes in reading, but have to agree Road to Omaha was a huge disappointment, once a good author strays from his/her forte they inevitably produce a real lemon, so why do so many of them do it? I'm in the category where I mostly have to finish a book, but pick it to death in my head all the way through to the end. I admit there have been a couple of books I haven't finished,usually because I can't get through the first few pages, and they were so forgettable, I forget the titles.
@littlebear. I too usually hate to put down a book once I started it, but lately I've become more open to the idea of not finishing a book, because I have too little time these days and I don't want to waste it on books I would want to "unread".
As for The Road to Omaha, I promised myself I wouldn't read Ludlum again, but when I did break that promise, (by reading The Scarlatti Inheritance recently) I was pleased to see that it was a really good book.
It's hard for me to finish a book I just don't like. So, I just pick up another to take it's place. As long as I'm reading something and growing, I'm good. I pray that when you have time, you could stop by my site and check out the beginnings of my first book; and comment. I'd really appreciate that. I really dig your site.Keep writing and asking questions the world needs to hear your voice.
Robminx
www.robminx.wordpress.com
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