Books That Took Time

[WALDENPOND]

I have a pile of books that are covering an old dining room table in a spare room. I can't get into them yet but know later on are worth another read. Just looking at a lot of my favourite books it seems that they have needed to be read in stages or even read multiple times before being a favourite. Even if you hated it the first time you read it are there any books that were worth the wait?

 

[Palmer Stoat]

I have a pile of books that are covering an old dining room table in a spare room. I can't get into them yet but know later on are worth another read. Just looking at a lot of my favourite books it seems that they have needed to be read in stages or even read multiple times before being a favourite. Even if you hated it the first time you read it are there any books that were worth the wait?

If I didn't like a book the first time, I wouldn't bother rereading it. It works the other way, though. Quite a few books that I liked a lot on first reading, I didn't like as much on the second reading: Tomcat in Love (O'Brien), God Is a Bullet (Teran), Cat's Eye (Atwood), Villette (Bronte), and a bunch of others.

One book that sat on my bookshelf for over a decade before I read it is Ulverton (Thorpe). Really liked it when I finally got around to reading it. Same with Satanic Verses (Rushdie).

 

[RolandF1]

I've got some novels like Dune and Eye of the World sitting on my shelf for a decade unread. Lolita too but don't feel comfortable reading that on the train lol.

Took me over a decade to finally read Magician and its two sequels. I kept thinking I wouldn't like them after reading things like Tolkien and Le Guin. But in the end I really enjoyed Magician, the two sequels less so.

I've been slowly working my way through Philip K Dick short stories for a long time but fear the inevitable end because I like them so much.

 

[Allan Shorty]

Started Proust in 2007. Have almost finished. Have been almost finished for six months.

 

[WALDENPOND]

In Search Of Lost Time? Enjoyng it?

Started Proust in 2007. Have almost finished. Have been almost finished for six months.

 

[Allan Shorty]

In Search Of Lost Time? Enjoyng it?

Yeah worth persisting for sure.

 

[Ocha905]

Don Delillos 'White Noise' springs to mind. It's not heavy or hard to read but it took me three months to read due to intensely disliking it. Read it again for reasons unknown and was really suprised- it's actually good.

 

[Allan Shorty]

Is frank hardy 'power without glory' worth the time? I've always wondered whether to bother.

 

[Baudelaire]

Is frank hardy 'power without glory' worth the time? I've always wondered whether to bother.

If you enjoy Australian politics/writing/setting and especially if you are a lefty I would say yes.

His granddaughter Marieke Hardy got me onto Frank through one of the articles she writes. I think it's a good book.

 

[Allan Shorty]

If you enjoy Australian politics/writing/setting and especially if you are a lefty I would say yes.

His granddaughter Marieke Hardy got me onto Frank through one of the articles she writes. I think it's a good book.

Thanks it's the setting I'm intrigued by.