Tough reads & why they're tough for you?

VOLVO))) · May 14, 2011, 12:31:05 PM

The first book in the Dark Tower series, The Gunslinger. I plowed through it because I thought it was boring. I realized it needed to be boring, because the desert is fuckin' boring. I've probably read it 3 or 4 times, now, though. Those books = masterpieces. Not so much 6/7, but the rest are GODLIKE.

Eyehatehippies · May 15, 2011, 06:09:40 AM

I've never understood why Stephen King spends so much time focusing on his horror writing, which is...adequate and sells well, but he's never going to be a Lovecraft or a Poe, his true vision/will lies elsewhere, and his endings/resolutions are often times unsatisfying. His fantasy, however, is close to the best. Eyes Of The Dragon? The Talisman? Those are some of the best pieces of modern fantasy that I can think of, and I really should read all of The Gunslinger novels, as what I have read has been spellbinding.

So many books, so little time...

lowdaddy · May 15, 2011, 07:00:03 AM

the talisman, eyes of the dragon, and the gunslinger were three of my favorite books when i was a kid. i haven't read any of that stuff in close to two decades though. i would like to revisit them but am afraid that, if i read that stuff now, i would see how poor a writer king really is and ruin the memory of those books. i think i read everything king published up through needful things or somewhere in there. he was my favorite as a kid. i haven't read anything of his in a very long time now. i picked something of his off the shelf at the bookstore a while back and read a couple of paragraphs. stilted. jagged. bad writing. once you've read enough truly great writers, gods who could throw down the line smooth and with power it's tough to go back and read a second rater like king. when, occasionally, i pick up something of his and read a few lines i find myself thinking, "jesus, couldn't he have found a better way to say that?" my two cents and it's certainly not a shot at those who still enjoy him so please don't take it that way. in fact i probably will revisit one of the three books mentioned above at some point. the memory of reading them the first time is really powerful for me. i just worry that rereading one of them now will tarnish that memory.

MadJohnShaft · October 16, 2011, 02:14:25 PM

Seven volumes of Proust's 'In Search of Lost Times' which used to be called Remembrance of Things Past.

Should I bother? I can get Vol 1 and have at it.

RageofKlugman · October 17, 2011, 07:15:57 AM

I clearly missed this thread the first time around and its an interesting read. I've always found Joseph Conrad's books to be heavy-going, if ultimately worthwhile. I find his writing very dense, for want of a better word, and requires ALOT of concentration to follow. Perhaps because he learnt English quite late in life his use of language seems less 'natural' to a native English speaker? I'm not sure.

Volume · October 17, 2011, 08:35:24 AM

Dostoevsky's The Idiot and Crime & Punishment are tough. I almost finished The Idiot, C&P I only got as far as a chapter or two.

RageofKlugman · October 17, 2011, 09:09:21 AM

I found Crime and Punishment to be hard work as well, but I couldn't really tell if that was because of Dostoyevsky or the rubbish 19th century translation I was reading. I subsequently read a newer translation of the Brothers Karamazov and it was much easier to follow.

Damocles74 · October 25, 2011, 11:05:05 PM

Those Stephen King short stories are among the best in his oeuvre (Mrs. Todd's Shortcut!)

I have the complete set of 2nd edition (uncut pages and vellum protected illustrations) Charles Dickens novels and they can be an insufferable read, although, it can be said that he basically invented the way in which celebrate (a victorian) christmas. Reading CD is like picking up a Ric and trying to play like Chris Squire.

alfie · November 18, 2011, 05:14:28 PM

Star Maker by Olaf Stapledon. A great, very deep concept, but fuck me did I find it hard reading a book with no dialogue or characters. Maybe reflects badly on me, but really had to grit my teeth to get through it, glad I did in the end, as the overall feeling is good to look back on, but has put me off reading any more of his work, even though I may be missing out.

RageofKlugman · November 21, 2011, 10:26:19 AM

QuoteStar Maker by Olaf Stapledon. A great, very deep concept, but fuck me did I find it hard reading a book with no dialogue or characters. Maybe reflects badly on me, but really had to grit my teeth to get through it, glad I did in the end, as the overall feeling is good to look back on, but has put me off reading any more of his work, even though I may be missing out.

I'll second that. Stapledon's books are really impressive for the sheer number of staple sci-fi plots he anticipated, but they aren't a whole lot of fun to read. I wouldn't worry about not reading his other major book, First and Last Men, as it covers pretty similar ground to Star Maker.

libertycaps · December 25, 2011, 05:41:05 PM

Yet another historical interpretation of Jesus Christ, his works, life, etc. by 2 admitted Master Masons from the UK. I really enjoy spec non-fiction like this. Tough cuz alot is hard to digest and some is a bit difficult to swallow, but it is entertaining and dove-tails with alot of other like-minded reading i've done from quasi-academia and/or "researchers" on the subject. If i owned my own business (or had something to gain from having shared interests with Masons) i could see myself being a Blue Lodge Mason by now. Would sooner that than go the church. But since i'm a Union wage slave, it don't make alot of sense to bother.

MadJohnShaft · December 26, 2011, 09:59:40 AM

I'm a third into 1Q84 and loving it - I'm going to tackle White Teeth next if I can't get into Infinite Jest yet again.

http://www.amazon.com/White-Teeth-Novel-Zadie-Smith/dp/0375703861/ref=pd_rhf_ee_p_t_1

mortlock · December 26, 2011, 10:40:41 PM

all books are tough reads for me..i hate to read..it puts me to sleep, not out of boredom..but it fucks up my eyes and makes me tired..i can only read magazine and newspaper length articles..i know book people blow through a good book in a matter of hours..more pages than i could read in a month..

black aspirin · December 27, 2011, 07:13:21 PM

Shit, most philosophy is tough to read...but usually worth it. The first time I tried to read The Brothers Karamazov was confusing...there are so many characters, and they are referred to by multiple names/nicknames. One moment he's Dmitri Karamazov, and two sentences later, he's referred to as Mitya. I was going to actually write them all down to make it simpler to follow, but somehow I've managed to keep up on this 2nd attempt.

RAGER · December 29, 2011, 04:15:00 PM

Quote from: black aspirin on December 27, 2011, 07:13:21 PM
Shit, most philosophy is tough to read...but usually worth it. The first time I tried to read The Brothers Karamazov was confusing...there are so many characters, and they are referred to by multiple names/nicknames. One moment he's Dmitri Karamazov, and two sentences later, he's referred to as Mitya. I was going to actually write them all down to make it simpler to follow, but somehow I've managed to keep up on this 2nd attempt.

This is on my radar to read even though I'm not much for Russian society books but it's interesting how obsessed they were with French, English ,and Viennese culture. Try reading Anna Karenina.
And the nickname thing Stepan=Stiva,Konstantin=Kostya,Darya=Dolly,Ekatarina=Kitty.

And it seems to change is someone if referring to someones wife formally and etc....

MadJohnShaft · December 31, 2011, 08:11:37 AM

The Possessed s an excellent bio on tackling Russian lit, and funny.

http://www.amazon.com/Possessed-Adventures-Russian-Books-People/dp/0374532184/ref=sr_1_7?ie=UTF8&qid=1325337035&sr=8-7

MadJohnShaft · January 06, 2012, 04:40:40 PM

Thought of the joke finally.

Tough reads & why they're tough for you?

I was holding the shit upside down.

Chovie D · January 06, 2012, 04:44:24 PM

ggod luck with this one.
http://www.amazon.com/Rising-Up-Down-Set/dp/1932416021

RAGER · January 06, 2012, 05:14:08 PM

Have you attempted to read those? Not me ever.

diasdegalvan · January 07, 2012, 03:29:30 AM

I've tried to read Growth of the Soil twice now by Knut Hamsun both times got to about page 40. A very slow and boring read.

The Shocker · January 10, 2012, 12:19:44 PM

I'm having trouble with We Need to Talk About Kevin. Interesting subject matter, but the entire novel (so far) is written as a series of letters from Kevin's mom to Kevin's dad. Interesting style in theory, but actually reading it kind of sux.

Dunedin · January 28, 2012, 04:32:03 AM

Has anyone read The Urth of the New Sun by Gene Wolfe? I read the Book of the New Sun first and while it's not exactly easy going nothing prepared me for the vast swathes of impenetrable text that make up this novel. Thing is, Wolfe is such a genius I actually enjoyed not knowing what the fuck he was talking about for page after page. I believe there are companion texts by other writers explaining the book, I definitely need to get hold of one.

alfie · January 29, 2012, 05:04:41 PM

I picked up the "Severian" or something in a charity shop a while ago, think it is the whole 3 of the series in one book. Was looking forward to it after reading the 5th Head of Cerebus and being blown away by his writing style. Hopefully, as you suggest, the confusion is enjoyable, will let you know when I get round to it.

mortlock · February 02, 2012, 01:36:03 AM

Mr. Poopypants · February 05, 2012, 01:16:13 AM

Quote from: deaner33 on January 10, 2012, 12:19:44 PM
I'm having trouble with We Need to Talk About Kevin. Interesting subject matter, but the entire novel (so far) is written as a series of letters from Kevin's mom to Kevin's dad. Interesting style in theory, but actually reading it kind of sux.

Sounds like an epistolary novel, which I've never really liked. The style was pretty popular in early American and British lit. Some modern writers use it with great effect, but it's nothing new or interesting (for me at least).

The ME text Piers Plowman by Langland is quite a daunting read, very difficult to understand without a good understanding of the Bible, medieval allegory, and basic Middle English lexicon. It requires patience to read also. For those who like Chaucer, this is pretty much just the opposite. Very weighty and not much humor. Still, it's a must read if you're into medieval literature.