Books I Quit

We've established that I like books.  I like to read books.  I like to shop for books.  I like to talk about books.

You know what I don't like about books...quitting them.  There are perfectly good reasons to quit reading a book.  I know this.  But, I don't do it.  Very rarely does a book bore me, annoy me, anger me, or confuse me enough to quit it.  There have been a few rare occasions, and I thought I'd share about those times. 

50 Shades of Grey by E.L. James:  The hype of this book interested me.  I don't read many books that have a phenomenal fan base surrounding them.  Never read Harry Potter.  Didn't read The Hunger Games.  I gave in and read the Twilight series.  I read Divergent but didn't read any others in the trilogy and don't plan to.  So...when I started seeing people talk about this book, and I mean people that rarely read, yet they actually read this...plus, the other readers from family members to friends, I thought I'd see what the fuss was all about.  I only had about 50 pages left to finish the book, I looked at my guy and said "I could care less how this ends", and he replied "Why are wasting your time?  You like to read.  Read something that you are interested in." So, I quit it.  I could care less about the characters.  Christian Grey did not excite me.  Anastasia Steele bored me.  I didn't care about them.  I didn't care what happened to the story.  I stopped.  I'm glad there are books that interest people enough to create hysterics around them, but usually, they ain't for me. 

Photo source

The Da Vinci Code by Dan Brown:  Another book with a lot of fans, and another one that I quit.  The reason I quit it sorta kinda seems ridiculous as I think about it.  I read thrillers with serial killings.  I've read books with abuse, rape, and addiction.  I've read books with so many sins I can't begin to list them all and enjoyed them too (such as The Dirt from Motley Crue).  But.  This one, I quit this one because the Christians seemed to be the corrupted, murdering bad guys.  I thought for sure that God would not be happy with me if I continued reading it.  Does it make sense?  No.  But, it happened.

Star Man: The Right Hand Man of Rock 'n' Roll by Michael Francis:  This is my kind of book...a memoir from a rough and tumble guy who ended up working in the music business for many acts in the world of music including Cher, KISS, Sheena Easton, Led Zeppelin, and my beloved, Bon Jovi.  He was head of security and tour manager and got to know some of those artists pretty well.  There's sex, drugs, and rock 'n' roll.  So.  Why did I quit this book?  I reached a chapter about a The Lost Week (I think it was called)...and it was going to entail explicit stories of sex and drugs with Bon Jovi.  Many of fans want to read these juicy details.  I don't.  Jon is on a pedestal with me.  I want him to stay there.  He is the only celebrity I feel this way about.  I respect his private life, he fights to be somewhat private, and he demands loyalty from those in his inner circle.  So.  I couldn't bring myself to read it.  Ridiculous?  Absolutely.  But, it's the truth.  It is still on my bookshelf at home.  Maybe, one day, I'll be brave enough to finish it.

The author of Star Man at JBJ's wedding - photo source

Our Mutual Friend by Charles Dickens:  My friend, jenn, is a fan of this book.  It is one of her favorite books of all time.  You can read about her admiration here.  She sent this book to me in a care package.  I needed to read it, right?  Right.  I tried.  I did.  Damn, if Mr. Dickens isn't a sunovabitch to read.  I think I kept it at my bedside for almost two years, trying to convince myself to read it.  I couldn't do it.  I don't know how far I got.  Maybe 100ish pages out of 800ish, but I couldn't do it.  I have another friend who is an English teacher and a fan of early British literature.  So much so that she got this tattoo of Charles Dickens.  I picked up Our Mutual Friend again after seeing her in May.  I think I read five pages (maybe) before saying goodbye to Dickens.

Tattoo by Gabriel Massey at Scorpion Studios, Houston TX

If you are familiar with Kristen, you know she loves herself some P&P (you tells you about that love here).  Kristen, I love you.  You are funny, pretty, smart, and make me smile on a regular basis.  I really wanted to read this book for you, but I couldn't........

Pride & Prejudice by Jane Austen:  So many characters.  So much dialogue.  I was either confused or distracted or lost or bored.  There are 5 Bennet sisters, and some of them have nicknames.  There's a few more sisters mixed in the story...sisters of suitors.  Oh, the suitors.  Mr. Collins & Mr. Bingley & Mr. Darcy & Mr. Wickham and some soldiers too.  Honestly, I couldn't keep them straight.  Maybe I'm not smart enough for Pride & Prejudice.  I need a family tree, a flow chart, and a dictionary to attempt to read this.  I probably should watch the movie instead.  I like Keira Knightley.

What are your thoughts about quitting books?  Any specific ones you quit that come to mind?