I did something I hate doing. I put a book down and I don’t plan on picking it up again. Ever. Wait, it gets worse. What could possibly make it worse, you ask? It’s a Star Wars book. I know! Star Wars: Millennium Falcon to be more precise. It just wasn’t good! I got about halfway through and I hate to say it, but I just wasn’t enjoying it. The thing about me, is that I like things big. Say what? I like reading stories that are epic in scope. And when I read Star Wars books I want good versus evil, galaxy-ending stakes, that span over a series of books, with cliffhangers and battles galore!
What is Star Wars: Millennium Falcon about then? It’s a standalone adventure where Han and Leia investigate the history of the Millennium Falcon, which it turns out is a key to finding a hidden treasure. Really? Is that really the case? And they never found the clues that have been hidden on the Falcon until now? Lame. And the story is just filling in a lot of backstory about who piloted the Falcon before Han. But who wants to know all that? It takes away from the mystique of Han and his ship. According to this book, he’d only owned it for five years before meeting Luke and Obi-Wan. Who wants to know that?
So I made the tough decision to put it down. I told myself I was just going to read something else for the time being, and then go back to it, but I know that’ll never happen. Now I’m reading Hero, which was a pretty big deal about a year ago and everyone was talking about it, but as usual I’m late to the party. But I read the other day that Showtime is turning it into a series, so that’s pretty cool. The book is about a gay high school student who discovers he’s a superhero. I’m just two chapters in, but I love it already. I don’t think I’ve ever read a book with a gay protagonist before (unless you count David Sedaris, but that’s non-fiction). I didn’t realize what a difference it would make, but it’s really quite refreshing. I may never go back to breeder books ever again! Kidding.
So what was the last book you stopped reading halfway through because it was so awful?
I don’t remember the names, but there have been several recently. I’ve gotten pretty good at putting down books if they don’t interest me part of the way through. The worst is a book that’s JUST good enough to keep me going, but then never actually justifies it so that I feel grumpy at the end, like I completely wasted my time. Bleh.
Right now I’m reading “Home” by Marilyn Robison and also “Twilight”. I really like both, but Twilight is the one that has most of my attention right now.
I do love “Hero.” Maybe I’ll start rereading it.
The last book I quit halfway through was called “The Town that Forgot how to Breathe.” It was a sci-fi book about a fishing town in Canada where people were dying because… wait for it… they forgot… wait for it… how to breathe. It was terrible and convoluted and there was something about a psychic little girl who smelled like dead fish. Ugh!
I love Stephen King. I read my first King novel when I was just a tyke — probably way too young really. “The Stand” is possibly the most brilliant American novel ever written. However, quite possibly the worst book I’ve read anywhere was a King’s “Lisey’s Story.” Made it through about a third of it and just couldn’t take it anymore. It was going nowhere. And it was boring. And the character development — usually his strong point — was total snail’s pace. Ugh.
I’m currently not reading anything due to my busy schedule, though I just finished rereading the “Watchmen” graphic novel to prep for all the movie hoopla. It’s funny to remember how groundbreaking it was back in the 80′s, but is total ho-hum now.
Good for you. Life is too short to spend time finishing a book you’re not enjoying. Once I get a few chapters into something and discover I’m not enjoying it, I think of all the books on my TBR pile and how one of them is almost certain to give me more pleasure than what I’m currently reading. Makes jettisoning it much easier.
I’m contractually bound not to discuss the last thing I read that made me toss it across the room out of frustration. But I can say that HERO is good and you should keep at it. Then, if you’re in the mood for some fantasy, give THE AMULET OF SAMARKAND a try. Not a gay protagonist but told from the POV of a djinn with a sense of humor just wicked enough to suggest he might bat for our team.
The last book I didn’t finish was The Plague Dogs by Richard Adams. I loved Watership Down, but I couldn’t get into the Plague Dogs. I made it more than half way through, but he last quarter was an act of tenacity rather than actual interest.
I have only ever put down 2 books in my entire life. The second one was just a few months ago, but I have no idea what it was called or what is was about, I just remember it was horrible. I can read pretty much anything, so it has to be a real piece of crap for me not to finish it.
in response to Dave S. – I also agree 100% with you on Stephen King – I’ve read just about every book (except Carrie – had just seen the movie too many times to really enjoy the book). I started Lisey’s Story and it took about a year to get through it, because I kept putting it down. It was super slow, it picked up a little in the middle, and the end was “eh.” I think what got me was the baby-talk all the characters insisted on using. But the part where the guy used a can-opener on Lisey as torture was pretty cool – just because it’s something I hadn’t heard of before.
Anything by Tollkien. Also, the books that True Blood are based on, but I might go back and give those another chance.
Lordy, too many books to count. If you haven’t caught me in the first couple of chapters, you lose. And I really have to grit my teeth to get through anything written in first person. There is only one series by Jeaniene Frost that I love in first person and its because you don’t notice it. I just like to get perspective from all the characters not just one. I read alot though, I read about 15-20 books on my 3 week vacation so when you read that much there are bound to be lots which fall by the wayside. Too many good ones to slog through the crap.
If you are looking for a book with a gay hero Craig I highly recommend Tanya Huff’s Smoke series. She’s Canadian and its set in Vancouver where her main protaganist Tony is gay (with a vampire ex-lover – but don’t let that put you off). Its really funny and snarky and is considered urban fiction I guess, lots of fighting demons, wizards and ghosts but in a fun way that isn’t too dark, plus dealing with Tony and Henry’s friendship after they split, Tony’s mad crush on his TV star coworker, lots of wacky secondary characters. Anyway, there are three books (I’m hoping for a 4th). I’ve read them over and over because I just love the characters and the writing style. My recommendation of the day. 2 thumbs up.
I have to say the book I couldn’t get though was Two towers. I read the hobbit when I was about 15 and loved it. I tried to go back and read the LOTR trilogy and only got though half of it. I know I should have my geek card revoked but I just can’t stand Tolken. And I think
And Hero looks interesting so I am going to have to hurry up and finish Papertowns and Alice in Wonderland so I can go read it.
The last book I didn’t finish was Missisippi Sissy, which read like a therapy session at a shrink and I didn’t feel compelled enough to suffer through it. I read it for our Gay Book Group in Orlando and all except one voted after the discussion not to recommend it.
I loved Hero when I read it last year and reread it a few times, so I hope you enjoy it as much as I did. If you want fantasy with a gay protagonist try Mercedes Lackey’s ‘Last Heral Mage’ trilogy.
Wow – someone else who’s read Tanya Huff! How cool, Tam.
I’d second her recommendation. I read tons of sf, horror and cyberpunk books in the 90′s and many of them had gay protagonists, which was very refreshing. Another great vampire series is the Austra family books by Elaine Bergstrom. Her vampires are fairly classy.
I also remember one of my favorite books/authors being Drawing Blood and Lost Souls by Poppy Z. Brite. I’m not sure if you would like them or not Craig because they are very heavy on the sex and gore (defintely skip Exquiste Coprse – that I did have to stop midway) . The characters however were great, particulary the warped love story of Trevor and Zach in Drawing Blood.
Those are the ones that first come to mind, I’ll let you know if I remember others.
I don’t read nearly as much as I used to so I usually finish the ones I do start. Right now I’m reading Peyton Manning’s bio after finishing Eli Manning Making of a Quarterback. Yes, I’ve become so obsessed with Football, it’s crept into my reading as well.
Glad to read that I’m not the only one who doesn’t like Tollkien. Midway through 2 towers I started to skip pages and chapters if nothing interesting was happening and the last 60 pages of Return had me deeply depressed.
I haven’t touched a Stephen King book in almost 20 years. I never got through Tommyknockers and that was the last. My favorite of his’ is IT, though, that read like a movie. The Stand (78) was also fab.
Ohhh Michelle. Supernatural AND Tanya Huff? And sexy vampires? Are you my soul mate?Oh, well maybe not so much with the football thing, although I don’t mind football and even had CFL season tickets for a couple of years in my youth. Oh hell, I can deal with football.
Craig: I am taking the Golden Compass with me on my trip, lots of time hanging in airports and flying and on the train so I should have it read and will report back upon my return (or during since I’ll have internet access).
Bernd: I’ve never read Tolkien (I keep feeling like I should just because everyone seems to have) but you read like I watched the movies “fast foward” “watch movie” “fast forward” “watch movie”.
I love reading Tolkien! Such beautiful writing. And while I love the movies, I kinda hate them for being so darn long and preventing me from watching them more often. Who has 3-4+ hours to sit and watch a movie? Anyone?
Tam: I’m excited to hear what you think of The Golden Compass! Yay!
I’ve never read any Steven King. I need to work on that.
Michelle: Ack! “Drawing Blood” was one of those few books that I didn’t finish! I just couldn’t figure out why Brite wrote the book — it just never seemed to have a point. And the characters were so…I don’t know…unbelievable? Yeah, that’s a good word. Brite never convinced me that the characters could ever live in the real world. It just seemed very self-indulgent to me.
I never picked up another Poppy Z. Brite book. Let me know if I’m missing the boat.
Bernd: Tommyknockers was one that could definitely knock you off the King fence. Not his best by a longshot.
I absolutely loved IT. Great book. I so loved the characters that I didn’t want it to end.
If you get a chance, read Needful Things. Really good.
Craig: Start with King’s “Carrie” or “Salem’s Lot” — both are a quick reads and really really good. Or pick up his first collection of shorts “Night Shift,” which is also a lot of fun.
I tried to read Tolkien, but just couldn’t get through it.
I’m talking to myself again…
Yeah, we see that a lot from you Dave S.
And it was SORELY missed last week, I mean, did you LOOK at the comments numbers while you were gone? Seriously?? It was like the Dow Jones…
Just to add to the conversation and since my brain is filled with cotton candy today so work is pretty much a write-off, I can’t read scary books. I’m so wimpy. And Stephen King is scary to me. Well, not the man personally, although I think he’s a little freaky. No gore please.
Damn, another freaking headache that even drugs hasn’t staved off this morning.
Ha. I stopped reading Catcher in the Rye after maybe 10 pages. I was being forced to read it in high school and I just couldnt’ get into. I feel it’s important to mention that I have A.D.D. and absolutely no respect for the classics…..
….ok that’s not true. I have some respect for them…..but that doesn’t mean i have to read them.
Craig, who has time to watch those long Lotr movies? I had this summer. On my 11+ hours flight from Israel to Newark they had VOD in coach and I watched all 3 of them. Total bliss, my fastest transcontinental flight ever. But you have a point, I own the extended versions and almost never watch them.
I don’t think I’ve ever put a book down because it’s bad. Even the worst one I’ve read, “Hey, Joe”, I suffered through to see how it ended. I know I’ve put plenty of books down while in the middle of them since things just got too busy to keep reading, King’s IT is one of them, but the intention is there to pick them up again.
Gay protagonists? I love those books! If you want to keep with that theme, I would highly recommend “How I Paid for College” and “Attack of the Theatre People” by Marc Acito; “Boys Like Us” and its sequels by Peter McGehee and “Out of Bounds” by Mike Seabrook.
ADD = Another Dating Desaster (yes, I know, it’s from Sex and the city)
If we’re talking books we HAD to read, for me in university it was A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man by James Joyce. I think I too made it to page 10 and was thankful for class discussions when it came exam time. It sat on my book shelf for probably 5 years with the bookmark still at page 10 until I got rid of it. BORING!
But FDot, you don’t have to read the whole book to see how it ends. I am horrible for skipping to the end, reading it, then going back and reading the rest if I think its worth it. That’s bad right? Patience is not one of my virtues I guess.
Tam, why do I think that you watched different parts of the movies, than I would have? Except for their action-sequence I ff through all Arven and Treebeard stuff.
Sorry to hear that you still have your head-ache. Maybe you should head to the next pharmacy and get Tylenol Head & Sinus. You’ll still have your head-ache but will be to spaced out to care.
Count me in as someone who could never make it more than 50 pages in, in any Tolkien novel. I tried as a child and an adult. nope, not for me.
On another note a year ago I bought a “serious” novel called the childrens hospital. It was about a second biblical flood and this childrens hospital was the ark and everyone in the hosptital that day survived and the rest of humanity was wiped out. Then the children started getting better and the non sick people started dying. yeah. it was so HORRIBLY DEPRESSING, my boyfriend was finally like, you don’t have to read this you know. so I stopped.
On the opposite end of the spectrum. I did recently start reading Tales of the City by Armistead Maupin. It’s a whole series and I can’t put them down. Very Very good books and a fun read. I read the first one in a day….I couldn’t put it down.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tales_of_the_City
Bernd: Yeah yeah yeah. Not enough nudity I tell ya. Battles, schmattles. Who needs em.
I’m serious considering Joe’s recommendation for drugs.
Tam: Honestly if you’re stopped up go get some “Simply Saline” a little nasal lavage will help. It’s horrible while you’re filling your sinuses with saline but after a while it makes you feel so much better.
Daytime Theraflu is also very good without making you too woozy.
but yeah tylenol cold and sinus will make you feel crazy.
Joe: I’m not stuff up yet, I’m afraid that the sneezing this morning may be a sign. But feeling a little crazy would be good right now. Sleeping in this morning and running around like a maniac not to be late didn’t help.
The last book I couldn’t finish was Michael Chabon’s The Yiddish Policeman’s Union. I took it out of the library TWICE just to try and finish but I couldn’t. And it’s a bad sign when your not interested in who done it in a mystery novel. It’s really too bad because I love Michael Chabon.
I tend to like Stephen King but The Cell really turned me off of him for a while, I actually groaned while reading it, and they’re suppose to be making a movie of it :/ I hear the Dark Tower series is suppose to be very good.
Read LOTR in my teens and made it through it. I do put it on my favorite book list.
I would recommend The Story of the Stone by Barry Hughart.
If you want a really different sort of book that also features a gay protagonist, I can highly recommend “A Strong and Sudden Thaw.” You can find it on Amazon.com. It takes place in an America of the future and has some sci-fi/fantasy elements to it.
I can’t put a book down. I feel terrible.
BUT the only time I did it was because of time. I was reading Atlas Shrugged a few summers ago and was LOVING IT, but hundreds of pages in, the school year began and I started reading for school and poor Ayn Rand was ignored.
I loved the book and want to finish the whole thing, but I’ll have to start from the beginning. X |
And speaking of books, I finished Wicked a couple days ago. It was so good!
As for Stephen King, the Dark Tower is the best series EVER and I don’t even like that kind of genre (not really horror… like science fictiony?) but it is BRILLIANT. I’ve read lots of King, but the Dark Tower is his best work. And the comics they’re coming out with now are great too! I think Craig should read this series.
I have to agree with Tam; “Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man” was crap! I also had to put down Stephen Kings “The Gunslinger” as I couldn’t get in to it.
One series I love is the Night Runner series by Lynn Flewelling; it has gay protagonists and is a great fantasy story (Elves, magic. epic adventure).
I will have to give “Hero” a read, thanks for the tip!
THE GUNSLINGER?! That makes me cry. It is the worst of the Dark Tower series (its all intro-like and so short), but you HAVE to get through it so you can realize the awesomeness of the others, ESP. the later ones (Song of Susannah and Wizard and Glass are both amazing, W&G being my fave of the series).
Enrico: So glad you liked Wicked. I loved it. I liked that it made you look at things in a different way. The musical not so much, fun but pretty fluffy. Have you ever read the original Wizard of Oz? I picked that up when my daughter was young to read to her and wow, it was a lot more violent and dark then the movie. Better IMO.
My Problem in that I just couldn’t connect with the main character, there isn’t enough back story, or even emotion from him for me to care about him or his story. I have been told that I was reading the revised version of the book, perhaps the original was better? If I get enough peer pressure I may pick it up again one day just to say I finished it.
Tam: I haven’t seen the musical but I hear its so different! I did read the original book (the other day in fact) so I could compare Wicked to the original. It is violent at times! Like when the tin woodsman cuts off all the heads of the Wicked Witch’s dogs (which was carried over to Wicked).
I actually have to do a presentation for the class based on the book and I’m doing a musical. I hope it goes well… Wish me luck! (It’s tomorrow).
M. Nicodemus – the character is built very well in the rest of the series, ESP W&G, the best book. Consider this peer pressure!
I saw that book at Barnes & Noble a couple nights ago and thought about you. It’s funny that you were probably reading it at that time. It’s too bad that it wasn’t good.
I’m looking forward to Jim Butcher’s latest installment of the Codex Alera series. It comes out a week from today, and I’ve already pre-ordered it. I highly recommend the series. The first book is The Furies of Calderon.
For books with gay protagonists, I’ve enjoyed three of Christopher Rice’s four books (The Snow Garden is just bizarre at the end). Thanks for the recommendation of Hero. I’ll check that out.
M. Nicodemus: I’ll have to check out that Night Runner series. Sounds interesting.
Dave: I haven’t read any of Brite’s books since they were released so its possible that I may not feel the same about them if I reread them now. I just remember loving them at the time, partly because they were different than other books I’d been reading.
Tam: Could be. So how do you like dogs? : ) I never ever expected to become a football fan since I hated ALL sports. Then I watched the Giants superbowl run dvds. My Mom explained the rules to me (amazing how much that helps!) and became addicted. Hope you feel better soon
Craig: I’ve seen the entire LOTR extended edition (including special features) several times. It’s great when you’re home stuck in bed. I do tend to love marathons though, as I’m doing now with Supernatural and did with Battlestar Galactica, thanks to you!
I read the books a few times. They are difficult but worth the effort.
IT is my favorite book of all time. If you’re going to read King, start there.
Dave S.: The Watchmen are NEVER ho-hum! And The Stand is outSTANDing!
I could never get into Tolkien books, I tried twice.
There have been several books of gay fiction (NOT porn), that I started, and went nowhere, so I put them down, knowing I’d never go back to them. No great loss either.
joemo: read ALL the Tales of The City books about ten years ago. LOVED THEM all!!! I have the newest one on my pile of ‘to-read’ books right now.
And Craiggers, Hero is an awesome read! Definitely one of the best books I read last year. Enjoy it!
HUGS…
Enrico: Good luck with your musical.
Michelle: Dogs are good, if they like my cats. Understanding the rules definitely helps. I like lots of sports live, I even played intramural girls hockey in university and I love going to games, but on TV not so much. My daughter knows waaaaay more about the players and teams thanks to her father. She keeps me up to speed on what’s happening. But we don’t watch NFL, have to support the national teams of the CFL.
Not sure I could read a book about sports though. I’m a fiction girl all the way.