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Biblio Files: Episode 17 | Unfinished Books on AADL.TV

When

Thursday January 21, 2021: 6:00pm to 6:10pm  Add to Calendar /   Add to Google Calendar

Where

AADL.TV

Description

What's a book that you almost finished but decided to quit reading?

Each week, a few AADL staff members have a brief chat where they answer one question – from "What's your favorite classic?" to "What book didn't live up to the hype?".

Join the conversation in the comments section. What book would you have picked for this week's Biblio Files?

This video premieres on AADL.TV.

Comments

I really enjoyed this episode! I have the same qualms about wanting to finish books but sometimes not really being able to read one. more. page. I always feel guilty if I have to stop reading a book without finishing it. There's probably a support group for that somewhere! :)

Christopher, I'm relieved to hear you admit you couldn't persevere through The Idiot. I am a great lover of Russian literature, history, culture... and I struggled mightily with both The Idiot and Brothers Karamazov. I've attempted multiple times over the last 20 years with the latter - somewhere in the middle/toward the end I get so fed up I just have to put it down. I have had no issue with reading other long, epic Russian works.

Glad to hear other bibliophiles sometimes have to call it quits and put a book down! I'm currently reading an historical fiction book on Clementine Churchill that I thought I might have to throw in the towel on, but I gave it another try last night and I think I might be able to persevere.

Thanks for your comment and we're glad you enjoyed this episode. It's good to know I'm not the only one who has struggled with The Idiot! I also love Russian literature and just couldn't manage another page. It may always stay on my shelf as an unfinished title. And that's okay. Thanks again for watching!

Thank you for sharing this video! It's nice to hear that everyone has their own method for deciding whether or not to finish a book that's not clicking right away.

I had the same issue with Trust Exercise! I've read other books by Susan Choi and enjoyed them, but I had trouble getting into this one. Just as I started to care about some of the characters, it becomes clear that another character (I won't say who, to avoid spoilers) is really creepy, and I just couldn't get myself to read further. I ended up looking up what happened on wikipedia, and I think that book would not have been a good fit for me. It reminded me of A Little Life - well written, but too heavy for me.

I once forgot to bring a book for a very long plane ride, and I bought Crime and Punishment because it was one of the only paperbacks at the airport bookstore. I read maybe 80% of the book, but as soon as I had other books available, I put it down and never picked it up again! It's not that I never read anything depressing, but these two books just were not for me.

Thanks for your comment and for watching the show! I'm glad to hear someone else had trouble getting into "Trust Exercise." I also wonder if I wasn't in the right mood to dissect the long chapters? I *wanted* to like it.

It took me a long time in my life to realize that was it was okay to quit reading a book and move on to the next one, and I'm glad I learned that.

"A Little Life" is one of those books I have put on hold several times, but never got to reading it, so I think I'll keep it on the back burner. Especially when there are SO many other books out there that may be a better fit to the time/mind/space of the reader.
-Amanda