Sunday, October 31, 2010

Weekly Geeks: The books you waited too long to read

Weekly Geek question:

Is there a book that has hanged around your reading pile for far too long before you got to it, A book that probably got packed away until you accidentally got to it or a book that you read a few pages in and never got back to.

I can cite many examples but here I will mention only a few.

1) The Blind Assassin by Margaret Atwood: I started it and somehow it did not hold interest. I read it again after 6 months and could not put it down. Maybe the first time around, the sheer number of pages (600+) intimidated me.

2) The Grapes of Wrath by John Steinbeck: I have loved all the Steinbeck's novels I have read. And this one supposed to be the best and I have not got around it. I start it and then somehow it does not get read.

3) The 19th Wife by David Ebershoff: It has a very interested premise but I have left it halfway through. And I will come back to it.

4) One Hundred Years of Solitude by Gabriel Garcia Marquez: I have read a lot of Marquez's works but yet to begin this book. I have owned it for ages now. 

And then I waited for 
5) The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet's Nest by Stieg Larsson: Due to a reading slump, I am taking ages to finish it!

How about you? Do you feel guilty about leaving a book in the lurch?

6 comments:

Margaret @ BooksPlease said...

The only one of those I've read,or started is The Blind Assassin - I really liked that one. There are several I've started and not finished - I'll write about them for my Weekly Geeks post.

I only feel guilty about leaving a book unfinished if it's one someone else lent it to me and said it was good.

Em said...

I've often found that beginning an Atwood book took a bit of time (and I am a huge Atwood fan) but once you actually got past that stage you just can't put it down.

No, I don't feel guilty about not reading the books on my shelves. I just don't have the time. Then, when it's time to choose a new book I love going through what I have and pick one up to suit my mood. However, I hate leaving a book unfinished, which is annoying because I might struggle for weeks to finish it rather than just put it down and move on.

Vasilly said...

A great way that I try not to feel guilty about unread books on my shelves is by getting rid of anything that's been sitting in my home for longer than two years. After two years a book is just taking up space. I have The Grapes of Wrath unread on my shelves. I don't feel guilty about having it because Steinbeck is one of my favorite authors ever.

Kerrie said...

doesn't seem that you really enjoy big books Gautami. I have done the same with the 19th wife too. My post is here

Megan said...

I loved, loved Steinbeck's East of Eden, but I haven't gotten to The Grapes of Wrath yet, despite my good intentions. So, I guess we're in the same boat! :)

Shelley said...

Grapes of Wrath is an amazing book! I hope you get to it soon. But really, it happens when it happens, right?