The unreadables

I saw an ace post on Postcard Daydreams recently about 'The Unreadables'.  I can't be alone in having shelves full (rather more than I'd like to admit, in fact) of books I've never finished: perhaps it's a book that you just never have the urge to pick up, perhaps it's one that you've started and abandoned partway through.  And of course, what counts as an 'unreadable' to one person (which is perhaps a harsh term, maybe 'can't-be-bothered-to-readables' would be fairer) can be someone else's favourite book.

 

A Thousand Splendid Suns by Khalid Hosseini

Synopsis: Mariam is only fifteen when she is sent to Kabul to marry Rasheed. Nearly two decades later, a friendship grows between Mariam and a local teenager, Laila, as strong as the ties between mother and daughter. When the Taliban take over, life becomes a desperate struggle against starvation, brutality and fear. Yet love can move a person to act in unexpected ways, and lead them to overcome the most daunting obstacles with a startling heroism.

Years owned: Actually, this isn't even mine!  Lent to me by my friend Jen, with entreaties that I must read it, about three years ago.  Since when it has languished on my bookshelf.  Sorry Jen!

Attempted readings: None.  I am irrationally averse to reading anything that other people suggest (which can make book group a challenge!), and so it's very possible that I haven't read it purely because Jen told me I should.  I also tend to favour true escapism in novels: crime fiction, YA romances, anything light and funny.  The blurb referencing "starvation, brutality and fear" just doesn't leave me desperate to read it.

 

The Women's History Of The World by Rosalind Miles

Synopsis: Men dominate history because they write it. This book offers a reappraisal which aims to re-establish women's importance at the centre of the worldwide history of revolution, empire, war and peace. As well as looking at the influence of ordinary women, it looks at those who have shaped history.

Years owned: Five.  I think I bought this in a secondhand bookshop the first time I went to Hay-On-Wye.

Attempted readings: One.  And I have no idea why I abandoned it halfway through, because it's genuinely a fascinating read.  In fact, digging it out to write this post has convinced me to add it to my pile of books to take on holiday with me next week.  We're going, funnily enough, to Hay-On-Wye.

 

To Kill A Mockingbird by Harper Lee

Synopsis: 'Shoot all the bluejays you want, if you can hit 'em, but remember it's a sin to kill a mockingbird.' A lawyer's advice to his children as he defends the real mockingbird of Harper Lee's classic novel - a black man charged with the rape of a white girl. Through the young eyes of Scout and Jem Finch, Harper Lee explores with exuberant humour the irrationality of adult attitudes to race and class in the Deep South of the thirties. The conscience of a town steeped in prejudice, violence and hypocrisy is pricked by the stamina of one man's struggle for justice. But the weight of history will only tolerate so much.

Years owned: Three.  I bought it in an Oxfam bookshop and was determined to read it straight away...

Attempted readings: None, unless putting it in my bag every weekend for about a year counts as an attempt.  I just always seemed to find another book when I was out on my travels that I'd want to read more.  And lets face it, this is an iconic book, so the pressure of reading it and finding it somehow lacking is pretty big.

The News Where You Are by Catherine O'Flynn

Synopsis: Frank Allcroft, a regional TV news presenter, has just had a ratings boost. His puns, a website declares, makes him 'the unfunniest man on God's Earth'. Mortified colleagues wonder how he stands being a public joke.  But Frank doesn't mind. As long as Andrea and Mo, his wife and eight-year-old daughter, are happy, who gives a stuff what others think? Besides, Frank has a couple of other matters on his mind.

Years owned: Four

Attempted readings: Two.  I LOVED O'Flynn's debut novel, What Was Lost, so I was incredibly excited to find her second in a chazza shop not long after it's publication.  But I just couldn't get into it the first time round, so I left it on the shelf and returned to it a year later.  Same story, I got about 50 pages in and found my attention wandering.  Now I have to wonder if it's time for this to go back to the charity shop from whence it came?

 

Do you have an unreadables?  Or can you convince me to give any of these another try?