Booking with Abandon

what books have you abandoned and why?

In the course of my reading, I have abandoned quite a few books for varied reasons. The ones I remember most are:

1. Ulysses by James Joyce: I could never go beyond page four. It simply did not interest me. God knows, I tried.

2. The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho: I read it halfway through but abandoned it. The simple philosophy did not gel with me. I am yet to pick up another Coelho.

3. A Passage to England by Nirad Choudhury: The language detracted me from reading it beyond page forty.

4. For Whom the Bell Tolls by Ernest Hemingway: I can't read Hemingway for nuts. This is not the first Hemingway I abandoned. The Old man and the Sea is the only Hemingway I have ever finished.

5. A House for Mr Biswas by V S Naipal: For some reason, though I identified with the characters, I could not finish it. May be some day..

6. Exodus by Leon Uris: I started it when I was in school. It was too horrifying at that time for a 15 years old. I suppose it is time to pick it up again.

The list is pretty exhaustive....:D