Okay,  I got the idea for this post from The Writer’s facebook post which got it from a post by HuffPost Books.  It’s quite simple, really.

What book or books could you never manage to finish?

Photo: David Whittle.

I checked out some of the responses.  The Hobbit ranked right up there.  I have to admit, that one took me many, many tries over decades.  I first attempted it in junior high.  A couple of people couldn’t get through The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo by Stieg Larsson.  I finished that last week.  Though it started rather slowly, I finally got into it.  Not as much as I thought I might given all the hoopla that surrounded the book.  My husband read it first and passed it on to me.  He recently gave up on the second in the series, though, The Girl Who Played with Fire.  It bored the crap out of him.  Still, I’ll check it out.

The reality is that I try to finish every book I start.  It bothers me if I can’t – or don’t – for whatever reason.  Nonetheless, I’ve got a few books I had to put down.  There was Tom Clancy’s Without Remorse.  It wasn’t a Jack Ryan novel, but one that dealt with Mr. Clark/John Kelly.  I should’ve liked it, but I didn’t.  I know something by Stephen King is on my list too.  While I loved his book on writing, aptly named On Writing, I have a hard time reading any scary, horror stuff.

The book I most regret not finishing is Salt: A World History by Mark Kurlansky.  I enjoy watching documentaries on TV, and salt arguably played a major role shaping civilization.  The facts Kurlansky provided to support this hypothesis were fascinating – until I fell asleep night after night.  (Despite the fact that I suffer regularly from insomnia.)  Please – no one take this as a review of Salt.  Try it.  Lots of people loved it; fifty-eight gave it five stars on Amazon.

Now it’s your turn.  What books make up your list of shame?  We can compare notes and commiserate, maybe tell each other what we missed.  I just hope no one mentions Moby Dick; it’s been on the shelf…waiting…eternally next in my reading queue.

Author: Laura

Laura Salamy is a published author. Her essays and short stories have appeared in print and online. As the owner of The Polished Paragraph, she edits and proofreads other writers of all kinds. She is currently an assistant editor for the lit journal Fifth Wednesday, and she blogs on the fourth of every month for get born magazine. In her past life, Laura spent many years in the environmental, health and safety industry. She also worked for a non-profit completing grant applications and doing other "stuff." In her spare time, Laura creates colorful and less-than-traditional hooked rugs and mats. Many are "up-cycled" from old clothes, funky fabrics, and notions. She lives in Massachusetts with her husband, a teenager (oh no!), and two silly dogs.