The Most Begun "Read but Unfinished" (Started) book ever

There are many books, whether contemporary or classic, which are often picked up by readers and started but that the readers never finished.

This is NOT about it being a bad book. It's more or less about it being hard to actually finish, as in it can be quite a challenge to read it.

What do you think is the most initated/begun book ever?

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All Votes Add Books To This List

1	Catch-22 by Joseph Heller 3.99 avg rating — 831,872 ratings score: 206,563, and 2,080 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
2	The Lord of the Rings by J.R.R. Tolkien 4.53 avg rating — 676,961 ratings score: 181,896, and 1,834 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
3	Ulysses by James Joyce 3.75 avg rating — 128,112 ratings score: 162,028, and 1,633 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
4	Moby-Dick or, The Whale by Herman Melville 3.54 avg rating — 561,519 ratings score: 134,532, and 1,361 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
5	The Holy Bible: King James Version by Anonymous 4.44 avg rating — 293,103 ratings score: 123,480, and 1,250 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
6	War and Peace by Leo Tolstoy 4.16 avg rating — 328,624 ratings score: 104,152, and 1,059 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
7	Atlas Shrugged by Ayn Rand 3.69 avg rating — 390,403 ratings score: 100,238, and 1,013 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
8	One Hundred Years of Solitude by Gabriel García Márquez 4.11 avg rating — 972,729 ratings score: 91,559, and 932 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
9	Anna Karenina by Leo Tolstoy 4.09 avg rating — 849,297 ratings score: 89,440, and 911 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
10	Don Quixote by Miguel de Cervantes Saavedra 3.90 avg rating — 271,289 ratings score: 80,561, and 826 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
11	The Silmarillion by J.R.R. Tolkien 4.01 avg rating — 293,413 ratings score: 80,033, and 814 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
12	Crime and Punishment by Fyodor Dostoevsky 4.27 avg rating — 905,964 ratings score: 74,428, and 765 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
13	Wicked: The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West (The Wicked Years, #1) by Gregory Maguire 3.54 avg rating — 597,776 ratings score: 71,518, and 726 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
14	Les Misérables by Victor Hugo 4.20 avg rating — 798,356 ratings score: 69,705, and 717 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
15	Wuthering Heights by Emily Brontë 3.89 avg rating — 1,808,531 ratings score: 67,155, and 688 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
16	Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen 4.29 avg rating — 4,276,255 ratings score: 61,642, and 632 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
17	On the Road by Jack Kerouac 3.61 avg rating — 411,672 ratings score: 55,299, and 567 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
18	Infinite Jest by David Foster Wallace 4.26 avg rating — 92,017 ratings score: 54,177, and 554 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
19	The Hobbit (The Lord of the Rings, #0) by J.R.R. Tolkien 4.29 avg rating — 3,981,359 ratings score: 48,952, and 507 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
20	Life of Pi by Yann Martel 3.94 avg rating — 1,625,957 ratings score: 48,868, and 504 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
21	Great Expectations by Charles Dickens 3.79 avg rating — 803,679 ratings score: 48,362, and 500 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
22	A Tale of Two Cities by Charles Dickens 3.87 avg rating — 948,108 ratings score: 47,173, and 489 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
23	Dracula by Bram Stoker 4.01 avg rating — 1,276,881 ratings score: 45,380, and 469 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
24	Lolita by Vladimir Nabokov 3.88 avg rating — 851,378 ratings score: 44,393, and 458 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
25	Gravity’s Rainbow by Thomas Pynchon really liked it 4.00 avg rating — 44,177 ratings score: 44,180, and 455 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
26	Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance: An Inquiry Into Values (Phaedrus, #1) by Robert M. Pirsig 3.78 avg rating — 230,614 ratings score: 41,203, and 424 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
27	Jonathan Strange & Mr. Norrell by Susanna Clarke 3.86 avg rating — 236,636 ratings score: 41,117, and 421 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
28	The Iliad by Homer 3.91 avg rating — 455,765 ratings score: 40,933, and 430 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
29	The Divine Comedy by Dante Alighieri 4.08 avg rating — 152,917 ratings score: 40,488, and 426 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
30	The Canterbury Tales by Geoffrey Chaucer 3.52 avg rating — 222,022 ratings score: 38,732, and 406 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
31	Paradise Lost by John Milton 3.84 avg rating — 166,136 ratings score: 38,075, and 396 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
32	The Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne 3.43 avg rating — 866,051 ratings score: 37,959, and 395 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
33	Heart of Darkness by Joseph Conrad 3.43 avg rating — 513,701 ratings score: 37,026, and 385 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
34	The Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger 3.80 avg rating — 3,528,772 ratings score: 36,552, and 382 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
35	A Confederacy of Dunces by John Kennedy Toole 3.89 avg rating — 275,765 ratings score: 35,079, and 365 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
36	The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy (Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, #1) by Douglas Adams 4.23 avg rating — 1,843,512 ratings score: 34,736, and 362 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
37	Love in the Time of Cholera by Gabriel García Márquez 3.94 avg rating — 505,352 ratings score: 34,197, and 355 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
38	Lord of the Flies by William Golding 3.69 avg rating — 2,908,100 ratings score: 32,048, and 336 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
39	The Grapes of Wrath by John Steinbeck 4.01 avg rating — 907,613 ratings score: 32,032, and 337 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
40	Sophie’s World by Jostein Gaarder 3.96 avg rating — 259,690 ratings score: 30,992, and 322 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
41	A Brief History of Time by Stephen Hawking 4.21 avg rating — 432,668 ratings score: 30,942, and 324 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
42	1984 by George Orwell 4.19 avg rating — 4,609,410 ratings score: 30,710, and 324 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
43	The Satanic Verses by Salman Rushdie 3.71 avg rating — 65,796 ratings score: 30,608, and 317 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
44	The Brothers Karamazov by Fyodor Dostoevsky 4.37 avg rating — 332,969 ratings score: 29,559, and 312 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
45	Dune (Dune, #1) by Frank Herbert 4.27 avg rating — 1,365,027 ratings score: 28,703, and 301 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
46	The Sound and the Fury by William Faulkner 3.85 avg rating — 182,266 ratings score: 28,215, and 297 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
47	Atonement by Ian McEwan (Goodreads Author) 3.94 avg rating — 520,241 ratings score: 27,094, and 282 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
48	The Fountainhead by Ayn Rand 3.88 avg rating — 323,588 ratings score: 26,260, and 276 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
49	The Name of the Rose by Umberto Eco 4.14 avg rating — 365,069 ratings score: 25,793, and 275 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
50	Jane Eyre by Charlotte Brontë 4.15 avg rating — 2,096,924 ratings score: 25,751, and 270 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
51	A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man by James Joyce 3.64 avg rating — 152,059 ratings score: 25,018, and 261 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
52	Frankenstein by Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley 3.87 avg rating — 1,603,064 ratings score: 24,391, and 260 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
53	Finnegans Wake by James Joyce 3.68 avg rating — 12,896 ratings score: 24,131, and 253 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
54	Gone with the Wind by Margaret Mitchell 4.31 avg rating — 1,208,646 ratings score: 23,839, and 252 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
55	Naked Lunch by William S. Burroughs 3.46 avg rating — 91,356 ratings score: 23,480, and 247 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
56	Interview with the Vampire (The Vampire Chronicles, #1) by Anne Rice 4.02 avg rating — 589,873 ratings score: 22,166, and 233 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
57	Walden by Henry David Thoreau 3.78 avg rating — 189,417 ratings score: 21,978, and 233 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
58	The Odyssey by Homer 3.81 avg rating — 1,082,174 ratings score: 20,800, and 226 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
59	Twilight (The Twilight Saga, #1) by Stephenie Meyer 3.65 avg rating — 6,587,434 ratings score: 20,572, and 217 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
60	The Historian by Elizabeth Kostova 3.80 avg rating — 265,690 ratings score: 20,210, and 210 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
61	Mrs. Dalloway by Virginia Woolf 3.79 avg rating — 307,162 ratings score: 20,103, and 212 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
62	The Fellowship of the Ring (The Lord of the Rings, #1) by J.R.R. Tolkien 4.39 avg rating — 2,811,601 ratings score: 19,834, and 211 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
63	Vanity Fair by William Makepeace Thackeray 3.80 avg rating — 128,237 ratings score: 19,755, and 208 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
64	Du côté de chez Swann (À la recherche du temps perdu, #1) by Marcel Proust 4.14 avg rating — 58,157 ratings score: 19,542, and 206 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
65	Eat, Pray, Love by Elizabeth Gilbert (Goodreads Author) 3.63 avg rating — 1,745,082 ratings score: 19,207, and 202 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
66	The Count of Monte Cristo by Alexandre Dumas 4.30 avg rating — 914,890 ratings score: 18,958, and 203 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
67	The Old Man and the Sea by Ernest Hemingway 3.80 avg rating — 1,150,545 ratings score: 18,822, and 203 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
68	The Book Thief by Markus Zusak (Goodreads Author) 4.39 avg rating — 2,562,209 ratings score: 17,241, and 185 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
69	The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald 3.93 avg rating — 5,248,295 ratings score: 17,094, and 185 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
70	Little Women by Louisa May Alcott 4.15 avg rating — 2,237,203 ratings score: 17,050, and 182 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
71	The Time Traveler's Wife by Audrey Niffenegger (Goodreads Author) 3.99 avg rating — 1,786,343 ratings score: 16,476, and 176 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
72	The Origin of Species by Charles Darwin 4.01 avg rating — 114,671 ratings score: 16,331, and 177 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
73	The Da Vinci Code (Robert Langdon, #2) by Dan Brown (Goodreads Author) 3.92 avg rating — 2,354,237 ratings score: 16,024, and 171 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
74	The Pillars of the Earth (Kingsbridge, #1) by Ken Follett (Goodreads Author) 4.34 avg rating — 764,697 ratings score: 15,864, and 167 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
75	Gödel, Escher, Bach: An Eternal Golden Braid by Douglas R. Hofstadter 4.29 avg rating — 49,399 ratings score: 15,230, and 159 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
76	The Trial by Franz Kafka 3.96 avg rating — 326,485 ratings score: 14,557, and 157 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
77	A Clockwork Orange by Anthony Burgess really liked it 4.00 avg rating — 712,877 ratings score: 14,535, and 161 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
78	Eragon (The Inheritance Cycle, #1) by Christopher Paolini (Goodreads Author) 3.95 avg rating — 1,779,456 ratings score: 14,262, and 152 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
79	American Gods by Neil Gaiman (Goodreads Author) 4.11 avg rating — 926,453 ratings score: 14,226, and 154 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
80	Sense and Sensibility by Jane Austen 4.08 avg rating — 1,191,267 ratings score: 13,995, and 152 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
81	The Lovely Bones by Alice Sebold 3.85 avg rating — 2,355,380 ratings score: 13,957, and 149 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
82	The Mists of Avalon (Avalon, #1) by Marion Zimmer Bradley 4.13 avg rating — 206,545 ratings score: 13,902, and 148 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
82	Middlesex by Jeffrey Eugenides 4.03 avg rating — 639,496 ratings score: 13,902, and 149 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
84	The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain 3.83 avg rating — 1,266,385 ratings score: 13,814, and 152 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
85	The Shack by William Paul Young 3.83 avg rating — 652,254 ratings score: 13,783, and 145 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
86	Midnight’s Children by Salman Rushdie 3.98 avg rating — 123,907 ratings score: 13,746, and 147 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
87	Foucault’s Pendulum by Umberto Eco 3.91 avg rating — 70,120 ratings score: 13,425, and 145 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
88	David Copperfield by Charles Dickens 4.03 avg rating — 238,888 ratings score: 13,132, and 144 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
89	The Unbearable Lightness of Being by Milan Kundera 4.11 avg rating — 470,603 ratings score: 12,799, and 139 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
90	Beloved by Toni Morrison 3.95 avg rating — 436,280 ratings score: 12,756, and 139 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
91	Animal Farm by George Orwell 3.99 avg rating — 3,891,962 ratings score: 11,733, and 130 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
92	Gulliver’s Travels by Jonathan Swift 3.58 avg rating — 274,300 ratings score: 10,901, and 122 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
93	The Master and Margarita by Mikhail Bulgakov 4.29 avg rating — 354,299 ratings score: 10,840, and 120 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
94	Lady Chatterley's Lover by D.H. Lawrence 3.50 avg rating — 125,787 ratings score: 10,731, and 118 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
95	A Heartbreaking Work of Staggering Genius by Dave Eggers 3.69 avg rating — 180,562 ratings score: 10,352, and 111 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
96	For Whom the Bell Tolls by Ernest Hemingway 3.98 avg rating — 293,893 ratings score: 10,248, and 115 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
97	In Cold Blood by Truman Capote 4.09 avg rating — 660,400 ratings score: 10,238, and 114 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
98	A Game of Thrones (A Song of Ice and Fire, #1) by George R.R. Martin 4.44 avg rating — 2,493,249 ratings score: 9,274, and 101 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
99	Cryptonomicon (Crypto, #1) by Neal Stephenson (Goodreads Author) 4.24 avg rating — 112,273 ratings score: 9,212, and 98 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
100	The Red Badge of Courage by Stephen Crane 3.29 avg rating — 104,414 ratings score: 9,013, and 99 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars

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2,503 books · 13,018 voters · list created July 31st, 2008 by Leila (votes) .

Tags: abandoned, begun, challenges, classic, dnf, fiction, gave-up, literature, unfinished

12 likes · Like

Lists are re-scored approximately every 5 minutes.

People Who Voted On This List (13018)

Leila 993 books
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Collin 173 books
5 friends

Barbara 3610 books
28 friends

Heather 506 books
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Nicole 2449 books
74 friends

Antoine 949 books
177 friends

Ryan 347 books
86 friends

Littlecinnamon 941 books
35 friends

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Post a comment »
Comments Showing 1-50 of 317 (317 new)

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message 1: by Erica (new)

Dec 17, 2008 04:44AM

I think you should add Wicked. I know 3 people including myself who have started reading this book but put it down cause it was so HORRIBLE!

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message 2: by Annie (new)

Jan 30, 2009 11:41PM

Add 'Great Expectations' and 'Wicked'

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message 3: by Leila (new)

Jan 30, 2009 11:48PM

Erica and Annie - you can, if you'd like, add the books by your own :) You can do so by searching for the books where it says 'find/add books to list', in the top column on the righ :)

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message 4: by Annie (new)

Jan 31, 2009 02:46AM

perfect, thanks :)

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message 5: by Philip (new)

Mar 14, 2009 01:26PM

Some people consider CATCH-22 to be the funniest book they've ever read - I wouldn't know, because I've never been able to get through more than 40 or 50 pages, and didn't find those particularly fun. ATLAS SHRUGGED reads like a dream compared to this one (and I've read ATLAS SHRUGGED 2-and-1/3 times!)

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message 6: by Arthur (new)

Mar 14, 2009 03:17PM

Philip wrote: "Some people consider CATCH-22 to be the funniest book they've ever read - I wouldn't know, because I've never been able to get through more than 40 or 50 pages"

Could not agree more.

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message 7: by Tish (new)

May 24, 2009 10:50PM

i jsut added Thomas Pynchon's Mason & Dixon. it is written in old english and after about 20 pages of not understanding the Kings english,i gave up
tish

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message 8: by Rachel (new)

Jun 04, 2009 03:29PM

Please keep trying with Catch-22. It is truly worth the effort. I admit that I had help with my first reading of the book; it was assigned reading in a Humanities class. I was definitely not interested--but I am SO glad I struggled with it and discovered the humor and the humanity.

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message 9: by Arthur (new)

Jun 05, 2009 03:20PM

There are so many good books out there that I don't see a point of struggling when I can simply enjoy reading. It is a hobby, not a job.

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message 10: by Joseph (new)

Jun 29, 2009 01:48PM

Oh God, The Crying of Lot 49! It's the shortest book on my 'to read' shelf and every time I pick it up I put it down after 3 pages.

Whoever enjoys Pynchon must be mad!

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message 11: by Victoria (new)

Jul 04, 2009 12:48PM

The Mists of Avalon was awesome. I couldn't put it down!! Although it is sort of long i suppose. And not everyone is obsessed with King Arthur books :)

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message 12: by Amy (last edited Jul 08, 2009 04:04PM) (new)

Jul 08, 2009 04:03PM

The Ground Beneath Her Feet, by Rushdie

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message 13: by Anna (new)

Jul 13, 2009 10:11PM

The Old Man and the Sea is so short. I got through that one real quick before I ever thought it was boring or anything like that.

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message 14: by Emma (new)

Jul 21, 2009 07:06PM

I couldn't get through Wicked even though I tried like eight times. I was totally surprised that such and awful book was that popular.

But American Gods and The Book Theif...? I loved those. I couldn't put either of them down.

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message 15: by Jay (new)

Jul 30, 2009 03:34AM

Holy shit who actually struggles with Heart of Darkness? Joyce, Pynchon, Wallace, Tolstoy... all of these make sense. How is Conrad so high on the list?

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message 16: by Leila (new)

Jul 30, 2009 11:37AM

Jorge Luis wrote: "Holy shit who actually struggles with Heart of Darkness? Joyce, Pynchon, Wallace, Tolstoy... all of these make sense. How is Conrad so high on the list?"

I had a VERY hard time with that book :) Couldn't get through it.

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message 17: by Chuck (new)

Aug 01, 2009 12:05AM

Leila wrote: "I had a VERY hard time with that book:) Couldn't get through it" Was referring to Heart of Darkness. Just go rent Apocalypse Now and then reread. Same story, even to the name of the antagonist.

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message 18: by b (new)

Aug 15, 2009 02:24AM

Catch 22 is absolutely worth the read. Stop being a bunch of quitters and try again.

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message 19: by Khanh (new)

Sep 11, 2009 01:57AM

I had such a hard time with One Hundred Years of Solitude, it became a chore having to keep up with all the similarly named characters and different side-stories, moving from past, present to future. I know thats the whole point with 'magical realism' but it was very distracting & I have a short attention span.

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message 20: by [deleted user] (new)

Sep 18, 2009 07:50PM

Helter Skelter and In Cold Blood are the only two books I've never been able to finish.

There are paragraphs in books that make my eyes glaze over...as much as I like Tom Clancy books just about any paragraph that goes into detail about weaponry has me glazing, but I can push through to get to the next paragraph that draws my interest. It happens in other books too, were I might've figured out the plot or the characters are all over place and I get confused or I don't like the language or the politics are annoying or a whole host of things yet I "keep on keeping on" and plug away until the book is finished.

In the two books I voted for I literally put them down and chose to not finish them. Maybe when I'm older...

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message 21: by [deleted user] (last edited Sep 26, 2009 06:10AM) (new)

Sep 26, 2009 06:10AM

Erica wrote: "I think you should add Wicked. I know 3 people including myself who have started reading this book but put it down cause it was so HORRIBLE!"

Thanks for the warning as I have even come close to buying this book. There are so many many books I have started but been UNable to finish. Sometimes I do go back to them 2 or 3 times and finally do finish them but I sure prefer the ones I cannot put down and must stay up all night to read.

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message 22: by [deleted user] (new)

Sep 26, 2009 06:29AM

Emma wrote: "I couldn't get through Wicked even though I tried like eight times. I was totally surprised that such and awful book was that popular.

But American Gods and The Book Theif...? I loved those. I ..."

I made it thru The Book Thief but it wasn't easy. I couldn't read American Gods. I didn't like the title but the book was worse. I got half way before giving up.

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message 23: by Thom (new)

Sep 26, 2009 02:51PM

Jorge Luis wrote: "Holy shit who actually struggles with Heart of Darkness? Joyce, Pynchon, Wallace, Tolstoy... all of these make sense. How is Conrad so high on the list?"

I think I can answer for Conrad, though I swear I finished every word of Lord Jim, Victory and others. He's a gorgeous but self-conscious stylist. "Get on with it, already" I want to shout. ....Then again, some people love the very feature others hate. I guess that's why bald guys are able to score.

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message 24: by Thom (new)

Sep 26, 2009 03:38PM

Der Zauberberg. I am ashamed to say I just don't get its appeal. I tried to care about Hans Castorp but just wound up thinking about tuberculosis and wondering what all these people were going on about and why. My Ugly-Americanism is showing, I guess. I'm not saying The Magic Mountain isn't one of the Century's great novels, I'm sure it is. I'm saying I, personally, couldn't get WITH it, and because I could not--I don't know WHY not.

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message 25: by ღ Carol jinx~☆~☔ʚϊɞ (new)

Sep 26, 2009 06:34PM

Rachel wrote: "Please keep trying with Catch-22. It is truly worth the effort. I admit that I had help with my first reading of the book; it was assigned reading in a Humanities class. I was definitely not intere..."

I totally agree it is worth the effort. So is Great Expectations and A Tale of Two Cities.

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message 26: by Thom (new)

Sep 27, 2009 02:57AM

Canary wrote: "Erica wrote: "I think you should add Wicked. I know 3 people including myself who have started reading this book but put it down cause it was so HORRIBLE!"

Thanks for the warning as I have eve..."

Canary, Horrible how ? Gruesome ? Sadistic ? What ? I know nothing of it.

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message 27: by Thom (new)

Sep 27, 2009 03:00AM

Marianna wrote: "The Old Man and the Sea is so short. I got through that one real quick before I ever thought it was boring or anything like that."

I like it much better now that I'm an old man myself (68). Did you know that Sr. Fuentes was real ? He was Hemingway's boat pilot....died a few years back at very advanced age.

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message 28: by Thom (new)

Sep 27, 2009 03:04AM

Ingrid wrote: "I've tried to read The Life of Pi twice and couldn't get through it...it's one of the few books I've ever not finished."

My wife and I finished Life of Pi reading out loud to each other....kept hoping it would add up to something and were disappointed when it didn't. What you have here I think is the AFFECTATION of significance. What do these Canadians know about tigers named Richard Parker and why the hell should I care ?

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message 29: by [deleted user] (new)

Sep 28, 2009 04:21AM

Carol wrote: "Rachel wrote: "Please keep trying with Catch-22. It is truly worth the effort. I admit that I had help with my first reading of the book; it was assigned reading in a Humanities class. I was defin..."

I found it to be so amusing it wasn't an effort. If its an effort and you are not enjoying it why bother unless its a requirement for a class? I try to read only what I enjoy. Life is too short to read boring, painful pointless books.

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message 30: by [deleted user] (new)

Sep 28, 2009 04:24AM

Thom wrote: "Ingrid wrote: "I've tried to read The Life of Pi twice and couldn't get through it...it's one of the few books I've ever not finished."

My wife and I finished Life of Pi reading out loud to each o..."

How nice to read out loud to each other. I am rarely allowed to do that.

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message 31: by Mush (new)

Oct 02, 2009 07:39PM

I've started 49. I've finished 36.

Has anyone ever finished Ulysses? *giggle*

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message 32: by Alyson (new)

Oct 24, 2009 02:34AM

It's so interesting to see this list. Some of the books I totally agree with. I struggled and struggled through ATLAS SHRUGGED, I got like 2/3 of the way through, but my bookmark has been in that same spot for years.

And The SOUND and the FURY, that book makes me feel like a moron! I had to read each page twice until I gave it the obligatory 30 pages and gave up.

But LORD OF THE FLIES? I don't get it. I read it once in high school, and then read it again, in two days, for a college assignment.

I also loved THE BOOK THIEF and it kept me turning pages, but I've heard from others that it was difficult for them.

I think sometimes it's the narrative structure more than the lexile level that makes a book difficult. I know that was the case for me with THE SOUND AND THE FURY and I bet it's the case for others with LORD OF THE FLIES and THE BOOK THIEF.

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message 33: by Yvonne (new)

Oct 26, 2009 06:46PM

I just read Life of Pi for the second time. Finished it in 2 days, without stopping. One of my absolute favourites.

Couldn't get through Catch-22, American Gods; and once in awhile i pick up my unfinished Midnight's Children and give it a little go, only to get past a few pages only.

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message 34: by Susana (new)

Oct 27, 2009 12:16AM

I have tried to read Wuthering Heights three times at different points in my life, and have never made it past the first 20 or 30 pages, and I really don't know why.

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message 35: by Michelle (new)

Oct 27, 2009 07:42AM

I have a large imagination, so the annoying voice in this book was far too annoying for me to continue. I didn't get past chapter 2.

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message 36: by Arthur (new)

Nov 11, 2009 11:56AM

Yvonne wrote: "I just read Life of Pi for the second time. Finished it in 2 days, without stopping. One of my absolute favourites.

Couldn't get through Catch-22, American Gods; and once in awhile i pick up my u..."

WOW!
At leat I am not alone in my dislike of AG.
Thank you very much.

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message 37: by Xsupercharliex (new)

Nov 17, 2009 10:28PM

It's so odd that all the first 73 books on this list that I've read I have no problem with reading through at all, but the hardest of them all for me is the 74th. Am I just weird? I don't understand how the others are hard at all, but then everyone's different!

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message 38: by Xsupercharliex (new)

Nov 17, 2009 10:30PM

Thom wrote: "Ingrid wrote: "I've tried to read The Life of Pi twice and couldn't get through it...it's one of the few books I've ever not finished."

My wife and I finished Life of Pi reading out loud to each o..."

Oh wow =) I don't know anyone else who does that, how wonderful.

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message 39: by Morgan (new)

Nov 21, 2009 01:37AM

I always considered myself one to finish what I've started, but going throught this list and continually voting has shown me what a quitter I am. Then again, some of my favorites are on this list, but there is also ones that I certainly struggled to finish.

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message 40: by JoAnn (new)

Nov 22, 2009 04:33PM

Victoria wrote: "The Mists of Avalon was awesome. I couldn't put it down!! Although it is sort of long i suppose. And not everyone is obsessed with King Arthur books :)"

I totally agree! It is one of my all time favorite books!

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message 41: by JoAnn (new)

Nov 22, 2009 04:33PM

I totally agree! It is one of my all time favorite books!

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message 42: by JoAnn (new)

Nov 22, 2009 04:36PM

Kathy wrote: "Helter Skelter and In Cold Blood are the only two books I've never been able to finish.

There are paragraphs in books that make my eyes glaze over...as much as I like Tom Clancy books just abou..."

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message 43: by JoAnn (last edited Nov 22, 2009 04:38PM) (new)

Nov 22, 2009 04:37PM

Perhaps it is the blood and the gore. I can only read so much of that stuff and it starts to get to me!
Then, I usually put the book down, and seldom pick it back up!

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message 44: by Emma (new)

Nov 30, 2009 07:29AM

'Atlas Shrugged' is abominable to finish - it loses momentum very quickly, and I hit a road block around page 900. 'Catch 22', however, I re-read every year - it's my favourite. Several of these - Pride and Prejudice, any Gabriel Garcia Marquez, In Cold Blood (SUCH a compelling read), Middlesex, Atonement, both Salman Rushdie novels on the list- are books that I adored and could not put down. It's all about taste I think - there are several well-known works that I've struggled through on this list that people I know love. Admittedly also with 'The Satanic Verses' I though the first part was amazing, but had to struggle through the second part - after much delay and effort - and then loved the rest. Some books are a journey like that.

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message 45: by Toni (new)

Dec 07, 2009 01:08AM

Mine was New Moon. It was not hard to read just totally lost my interest.

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message 46: by John Murphy (new)

Dec 07, 2009 06:53PM

Atlas Shrugged was tough, but well worth the time.

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message 47: by Marty (new)

Dec 16, 2009 08:26PM

My high school English teacher had us read "A Tale of Two Cities" by Dickens. I had a rough time and essentially skimmed and skipped to meet minimum requirements for class discussion and obligatory paper. I saw the old black and white movie a few years later and was captured by the final line "Tis a far, far better thing I do than ere I've done before...tis a far better rest I go to..." (best I can do from memory) I read it and loved it.

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message 48: by Holly (new)

Dec 20, 2009 01:53PM

I started "invisible man" by Raplh Ellison in 2002 and I periodicall go back to finish it but i can't finish the last 100 pages. Something keeps compelling to put the book down

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message 49: by Selena (new)

Jan 14, 2010 07:42PM

I started reading "The Lovely Bones" and I thought it was great, but...I stopped before reading half the book because it started talking about Susie's sister way too much and it was boring. I think I could never actually read the whole book.

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message 50: by Gabriella (new)

Jan 18, 2010 06:47PM