Most boring book you've read?

[barcasmith]

In high school, college, etc. What is the book that cured insomnia for you and why was it so dreadful?

[aoVI]

If I can slightly change the parameters of the question to books that were difficult to get through or were just bad:

The Fountainhead by Ayn Rand.

Apparently I do not share the point of view of the author. I found I did not care for (what I saw as) the selfishness of the main characters, and when she introduced the artists who were obviously set up to be uncreatives, I thought the things they were working on sounded intriguing. I did finish the book, and found value in the reading, but it was not an experience I enjoyed fully. Not bad reading, but work.

Naked Lunch & Cities of the Red Night by WS Burroughs.

Again, not bad but difficult. I love Burroughs, but find the large number of graphic descriptions of sex in both books uncomfortable. Red Cities seemed to have at least one per chapter. Naked Lunch was the better of the two.

Paul of Dune by Brian Herbert and KJ Anderson.

I am a sucker for space and sci-fi. I read the original Dune by Frank Herbert a dozen times, as well as multiple readings of the rest of the Frank Herbert written Dune series. I knew the two authors (B Herbert and K Anderson) had written many books in the Dune Universe since Frank's death but had mostly ignored them. I picked up Hunters of Dune (which picked up where Frank's last book ended) and while some things bothered me, it was entertaining and felt like I wanted to read more. I could not find the next book, so I picked up Paul of Dune, set between Frank's Dune and Dune Messiah.

They took way too many liberties with the story, going as far as to state the original series was an inaccurate history, drastically changing most all the main characters motivations, personalities, and life stories. Not an alternate reality but a complete gutting of the masterworks upon which these two authors stood. I got about three-quarters through before discarding it. First time I ever actually threw a book away.

[seismic1]

Some of those Ludlum (Bourne) stories didn't make much sense to me years ago. The plots just didn't work for me. Having watched a couple of the movies more recently, I saw little that changed my opinion.

[Toaster]

"The Making of Americans" by Gertrude Stein. Stein was a weirdly experimental writer; this book is basically a set of descriptions of people, and is ostensibly about two characters marrying, and relies on a sort of weird repetition-- You can hear her read from the book: http://www.brainpickings.org/2013/01...-of-americans/

I finished the whole thing. I am insane.

[ambientsketchbook]

I fought my way through two woeful Dan Brown efforts, The Da Vinci Code and Digital Fortress. It goes to show that lack of natural writing ability is no barrier to success! In the same vein, I also read the first few chapters of my wife's copy of 50 Shades of Grey. Truly, truly abysmal.

[Ahornberg]

Harry Potter

[manducator]

I think that 'Naked Lunch' from William S. Burroughs is the only book I never finished reading. I didn't understand a thing about it. And it wasn't a language thing, it just didn't make sense to me.

[windspace]

Many years after school, I tried to read War and Peace. I really love Tolstoy's characters, and his depictions of the culture and landscapes of the period. But I just could not slog through all the 'soap-opera'ish stuff.

[Toaster]

I think that 'Naked Lunch' from William S. Burroughs is the only book I never finished reading. I didn't understand a thing about it. And it wasn't a language thing, it just didn't make sense to me.

It's not really meant to make sense in any traditional way. It's not a narrative, more a collection of images and stories about addiction. Burroughs said you can read the chapters in any order. There's a vague thread running through it about a junkie traveling to various places. Sort of.

I'm surprised to see it mentioned twice in a thread about 'boring books'. Naked Lunch is a lot of things-- obscene, weird, etc. But boring? Hardly.

[aoVI]

I think that 'Naked Lunch' from William S. Burroughs is the only book I never finished reading. I didn't understand a thing about it. And it wasn't a language thing, it just didn't make sense to me.

It's not really meant to make sense in any traditional way. It's not a narrative, more a collection of images and stories about addiction. Burroughs said you can read the chapters in any order. There's a vague thread running through it about a junkie traveling to various places. Sort of.

I'm surprised to see it mentioned twice in a thread about 'boring books'. Naked Lunch is a lot of things-- obscene, weird, etc. But boring? Hardly.

Oh, not at all--as I said I was changing the parameters of the question to include books that were difficult reading.

[manducator]

It's not really meant to make sense in any traditional way. It's not a narrative, more a collection of images and stories about addiction. Burroughs said you can read the chapters in any order. There's a vague thread running through it about a junkie traveling to various places. Sort of.

I'm surprised to see it mentioned twice in a thread about 'boring books'. Naked Lunch is a lot of things-- obscene, weird, etc. But boring? Hardly.

I have bought the book, I know I will start reading it again and I know it's a book praised by many.

It's not a 'traditional' book and I should read it with other expectations. Maybe I'm not ready for it yet.

[seismic1]

Many years after school, I tried to read War and Peace. I really love Tolstoy's characters, and his depictions of the culture and landscapes of the period. But I just could not slog through all the 'soap-opera'ish stuff.

I started reading "War and Peace". It was chapter 3 before I realised it was in Russian:confused:

[Synthetic Aurality]

Spensers "The Faerie Queene". Freakishly mind-numbingly turgid.

"A Crown of Swords" by Robert Jordan. The further into the whole Wheel of Time series, the more of a struggle it was to give a damn and the more I started rooting for the bad guys. I got to the point where I was working on a parody of it involving the Power of Sardines...

[Synthetic Aurality]

Many years after school, I tried to read War and Peace. I really love Tolstoy's characters, and his depictions of the culture and landscapes of the period. But I just could not slog through all the 'soap-opera'ish stuff.

I started reading "War and Peace". It was chapter 3 before I realised it was in Russian:confused:

Неалфавит отдать его ? :eek:

[seismic1]

Я очень люблю пиво