"The Most Boring Book" I read or tried to read - Page 10

JSWolf · 03-30-2009, 10:11 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Dr. Drib

I found The Silmarillion quite palatable if one approaches the work as a Creation Myth.

Don

I found it boring as can be and I did read it from cover to cover.

JSWolf · 03-30-2009, 10:14 AM

Another books I'll list as boring and dreadful is Outlander by Diana Gabaldon.

It was just a silly romance with some awful time-travel tossed in. And I didn't like the main character. She was just depressing. And her lover was just two-dimensional. Overall a really bad read.

weateallthepies · 03-30-2009, 12:32 PM

I'm going with a non fiction book I tried to read...There and Back Again: An Actor's Tale - A Behind-the-Scenes Look at Lord of the Rings by Sean Astin.

I thought it would be an interesting insight into the making of the films. It really wasn't and came across as one long whine.

Yirabeth · 03-31-2009, 12:17 AM

Hard to pick ONE most boring book I've read...I guess the Bible is up there though. Assorted other books where I thought, will this ever end??! Silmarrilion, definitely...although I liked The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings. The Dune books. Any book by Isaac Asimov..I read two or three, and vowed never to pick up another of his books..I don't remember the titles I actually read though. But they read like technical manuals..I want to be entertained! If I want a technical manual I'll get one of those not a "fiction" book...

I plan on working my way through the "1000 books" list I found here, though, so I'm sure this will change

I LOOOOVE Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy...I've read the book about 10 times over the years, and my ex-boyfriend from England had the BBC radio show on disc that I loved listening to. We've broken up though so I'm not likely to get my own copy

But dang I wish I could get that...hehe

~Yira

RWJ · 03-31-2009, 01:27 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by JSWolf

Another books I'll list as boring and dreadful is Outlander by Diana Gabaldon.

It was just a silly romance with some awful time-travel tossed in. And I didn't like the main character. She was just depressing. And her lover was just two-dimensional. Overall a really bad read.

I like romance. I like historical fiction. I like sagas. And yet I just can't get into the Outlander books, either.

BlackVoid · 03-31-2009, 05:33 AM

C. J. Cheryh - Cyteen

JSWolf · 03-31-2009, 08:16 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by RWJ

I like romance. I like historical fiction. I like sagas. And yet I just can't get into the Outlander books, either.

I found that the Outlander also went on too long as well.

texasnightowl · 03-31-2009, 12:46 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by RWJ

I like romance. I like historical fiction. I like sagas. And yet I just can't get into the Outlander books, either.

I did read Outlander many years ago (early 90's). For the life of me now, I don't remember much of anything about it except time travel and boring. I think I even made myself read the 2nd book in the series. I have since completely ignored them. If someone literally paid me to read them, I might consider it but since that is highly unlikely I will continue to blissfully ignore them.

phenomshel · 04-04-2009, 11:59 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by JSWolf

You didn't like The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy? That's treason. Seize him. Toss him out an airlock after reading him Vogon poetry.

You'll have to seize me too...I read it. When I could stay awake.

HarryT · 04-05-2009, 09:48 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by BlackVoid

C. J. Cheryh - Cyteen

Wow - one of my all-time favourites!

MV64 · 04-10-2009, 06:48 PM

The Fellowship of the Ring and the Two Towers were awful, in my mind.

I love the story (read them long before the movies), but the constant diversions into pointless descriptions of what they were having for dinner, and the endless rhymes and songs made FOTR unreadable. The Two Towers was better, but not by much.

However, Return of the King was great, and the Hobbit was entertaining as well.

kaan · 08-02-2009, 04:39 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by rcuadro

I could not finish Gerald's Game by Stephen King... Ugh

I'll have to second that!
Even when I began skipping entire chapters, the story still seemed to stand still.

If non-fiction applies then this redbook from IBM takes the lead in boredom:
http://www.redbooks.ibm.com/abstract...7489.html?Open

Unfortunately I'm having the exam at the end of this month

Verencat · 08-02-2009, 05:36 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by HarryT

Provided you can keep track of who's who amongst the literally hundreds of characters, many of whom have very similar names. My printed edition of it comes with a handy bookmark which has all the "family trees" printed on it!

I wish I had that! After a while, I stopped reading and wrote down the characters names and their roles in the story, just to be able to keep reading the book. I loved it though.

Very few books bored me enough to make me quit reading: Proust's À l'Ombre des Jeunes Filles en Fleurs lost me after...something like fifteen pages, and Stendhal's The Red and the Black has put me to sleep a few days in a row before I gave up. Although I was pretty young when I tried them both, maybe I could give it another go now...

Requiem · 08-02-2009, 06:25 PM

This thread actually caused me to join the forums though I have frequented them many times before. To commit a little blasphemy here, I think anything by Shakespeare is dreadfully dull. (I know these aren't books per se) The stories themselves when broken down can fit in about 3 pages of typical succinct writing, and they all tend to end the same.

I also despise anything by Stephen King, I have forced myself to read most of his works, including his writings as Richard Bachman and his even earlier writings i.e. the first Gunslinger. (ended up reading them all, despite the strange feeling I got, quite similar to the feeling I got when I watched Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas) His typical style is just such a turnoff for me that I can't even pay attention to his stories. I loved Michael Crichton when I was younger, but can't stand his self indulgence now.

For contrast my favorite authors are Steinbeck (Grapes of Wrath is my favorite book), Ken Follet but only the Cathedral books (Pillars of the Earth and World Without End), I happen to like Ernest Hemmingway, and have yet to figure out why. I also liked the Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini. (Though I didn't have as much love for his second book, A Thousand Splendid Suns).

There are many more books that I like in comparison to disike, but those specific authors and their works put a bile taste in my throat, possibly because shakespeare has been shoved there so much.

slayda · 08-02-2009, 09:20 PM

The Lonesome Dove was IMO the most boring I ever read even though it had national acclaim.

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03-30-2009, 10:14 AM	#137
JSWolf Resident Curmudgeon Posts: 74,543 Karma: 129670952 Join Date: Nov 2006 Location: Roslindale, Massachusetts Device: Kobo Libra 2, Kobo Aura H2O, PRS-650, PRS-T1, nook STR, PW3	Another books I'll list as boring and dreadful is Outlander by Diana Gabaldon. It was just a silly romance with some awful time-travel tossed in. And I didn't like the main character. She was just depressing. And her lover was just two-dimensional. Overall a really bad read.

03-30-2009, 12:32 PM	#138
weateallthepies Lord of the Pies Posts: 252 Karma: 103458 Join Date: Mar 2009 Device: Kindle Scribe, Kindle Oasis 3, Kobo Sage, Onyx Boox Leaf 2, iPad Pro	I'm going with a non fiction book I tried to read...There and Back Again: An Actor's Tale - A Behind-the-Scenes Look at Lord of the Rings by Sean Astin. I thought it would be an interesting insight into the making of the films. It really wasn't and came across as one long whine.

03-31-2009, 12:17 AM	#139
Yirabeth Member Posts: 14 Karma: 10 Join Date: Mar 2009 Device: eBookwise	Hard to pick ONE most boring book I've read...I guess the Bible is up there though. Assorted other books where I thought, will this ever end??! Silmarrilion, definitely...although I liked The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings. The Dune books. Any book by Isaac Asimov..I read two or three, and vowed never to pick up another of his books..I don't remember the titles I actually read though. But they read like technical manuals..I want to be entertained! If I want a technical manual I'll get one of those not a "fiction" book... I plan on working my way through the "1000 books" list I found here, though, so I'm sure this will change I LOOOOVE Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy...I've read the book about 10 times over the years, and my ex-boyfriend from England had the BBC radio show on disc that I loved listening to. We've broken up though so I'm not likely to get my own copy But dang I wish I could get that...hehe ~Yira

03-31-2009, 05:33 AM	#141
BlackVoid Evangelist Posts: 415 Karma: 510423 Join Date: Nov 2006 Device: Sony PRS-505	C. J. Cheryh - Cyteen

04-10-2009, 06:48 PM	#146
MV64 Addict Posts: 271 Karma: 2000000 Join Date: Jan 2009 Device: Sony PRS-505	The Fellowship of the Ring and the Two Towers were awful, in my mind. I love the story (read them long before the movies), but the constant diversions into pointless descriptions of what they were having for dinner, and the endless rhymes and songs made FOTR unreadable. The Two Towers was better, but not by much. However, Return of the King was great, and the Hobbit was entertaining as well.

08-02-2009, 06:25 PM	#149
Requiem Enthusiast Posts: 42 Karma: 490328 Join Date: Aug 2009 Location: USA Device: Asus Transformer	This thread actually caused me to join the forums though I have frequented them many times before. To commit a little blasphemy here, I think anything by Shakespeare is dreadfully dull. (I know these aren't books per se) The stories themselves when broken down can fit in about 3 pages of typical succinct writing, and they all tend to end the same. I also despise anything by Stephen King, I have forced myself to read most of his works, including his writings as Richard Bachman and his even earlier writings i.e. the first Gunslinger. (ended up reading them all, despite the strange feeling I got, quite similar to the feeling I got when I watched Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas) His typical style is just such a turnoff for me that I can't even pay attention to his stories. I loved Michael Crichton when I was younger, but can't stand his self indulgence now. For contrast my favorite authors are Steinbeck (Grapes of Wrath is my favorite book), Ken Follet but only the Cathedral books (Pillars of the Earth and World Without End), I happen to like Ernest Hemmingway, and have yet to figure out why. I also liked the Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini. (Though I didn't have as much love for his second book, A Thousand Splendid Suns). There are many more books that I like in comparison to disike, but those specific authors and their works put a bile taste in my throat, possibly because shakespeare has been shoved there so much.

08-02-2009, 09:20 PM	#150
slayda Retired & reading more! Posts: 2,764 Karma: 1884247 Join Date: Sep 2006 Location: North Alabama, USA Device: Kindle 1, iPad Air 2, iPhone 6S+, Kobo Aura One	The Lonesome Dove was IMO the most boring I ever read even though it had national acclaim.

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