Great Books That Put You To Sleep

WerenCole · Jan 17, 2006

There are a very many works of great literary genius out there, and even books with great plots and mediocre writing, cult favorites and the like. Moby Dick is a classic and probably one of the strongest sedatives known to mankind. Do you ever find yourself enjoying a book but can't read more then ten pages before dozing off? You wonder what has happened to you normally stout reading ability when a book that is under two hundred pages takes three weeks to read?

Use this thread to discuss books that you enjoy, classics or books with good reputations that set you to sleeping in your recliner.

I'll go first. Currently I am reading the Pastures of Heaven by John Steinbeck. It is excellent, great prose from one of the greatest writers in the history of the world, but every time I touch it I am out for the count. Travels with Charlie is another Steinbeck that has done this to me but by no means is my case relagated only to Steinbeck.

Please discuss.

maestrowork · Jan 17, 2006

Any one of John Updike's.

TheGaffer · Jan 17, 2006

These aren't all necessarily classics, but here goes:

I tried Ian McEwan's Atonement, and couldn't get past the first 10 pages. I gave up on Neuromancer -- twice. The second time I almost hit page 30, so I figure in about 7 years, I'll finish the thing on my ninth attempt. The Pearl is a notoriously terrible book, and The Sound and the Fury made me want to spit nails. Cloudsplitter by Russell Banks was a confounding work as well.

cleoauthor · Jan 17, 2006

Greats Books That PUt You To Sleep

I'm with maestrowork. Just thinking about Updike puts me into a deep sleep. I don't get him. I really, really don't.

HERZOG also sends me immediately into the land of nod -- and snore!

TwentyFour · Jan 17, 2006

Shakespeare turns me comatose. I could not stand his writing in high school or college...Shakespeare...zzzzzzzzzzzzzz

DamaNegra · Jan 17, 2006

'Maria', by Jorge Isaacs. The only book I haven't been able to finish in my whole life. Can't say that 'The Metamorphosis', by Ovidio, is that exciting, but I HAVE to finish it for a class.

Oh, and 'Frankenstein'. I managed to finish it (not even my teacher did), yet it took me 2 weeks to read a book that would normally take me 4 hours at the most.

pepperlandgirl · Jan 17, 2006

I've had to read Frankenstein four times, total, for various classes. Man, I hate that book. It takes me weeks to get through it... and I can rarely muster enough enthusiasm to read more than five pages. What really kills me is that I can write a 20 page essay right now, even without re-reading it, defending it as one of the best and strongest novels in the history of English novels. I can tell you all the reasons you should absolutely read that book. I just really can't read it myself.

When I had to read Heart of Darkness, I really enjoyed it, but I couldn't go five pages without literally falling asleep. It didn't matter where I was reading it. At school, in class? Asleep in five pages. Once, I was waiting for my mom at her job, sitting in the break room, surrounded by people, and I still feel asleep. But I loved the book! I thought it was fabulous. Five pages at a time. In between naps.

I listened to a few of Shakespeare's plays on audio tape (er, actually on MP3 player), and for the most part, really enjoyed them, but Coriolonus knocked me right out, as did...um...one of the comedies that I can't remember...probably because I slept through it.

stormie · Jan 17, 2006

Two books come to mind: The Pearl by John Steinbeck (what is it with him?!) and Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte. I truly enjoyed reading both of these books, but could only read a few pages each night before my eyes were closing. A real deep sleep, no less. I could understand if they were books I had to read and were boring, but that wasn't the case. Wish I could explain it.

SpookyWriter · Jan 17, 2006

The bible. I find damnation comforting.

SC Harrison · Jan 17, 2006

The Castle by Franz Kafka. I've been trying to finish that book for almost three years. It's my emergency back-up book, in case my back-up book sucks too hard to keep reading. I'm lucky to get two pages into The Castle before the Sandman knocks me over the head with a blunt object. I don't know if it's the multiple points of view dialogue with no quotations crammed into the same huge paragraph that gets me, or the fact that everybody in the book is freezing their butts off while I'm snuggled in my bed, or maybe it's just that it's a painfully boring story with very little hope for the poor souls trapped in it.

It's a great book, though.

Sage · Jan 17, 2006

Charles Dickens. Sorry, but I was so bored w/ Great Expectations and A Tale of Two Cities when I read them in high school.

September skies · Jan 17, 2006

Pacific Between by Raymond Wong ... LOL - just kidding, Maestro.

maestrowork · Jan 17, 2006

Cold Mountain... It took me a while to read the whole thing...

JANE007 · Jan 17, 2006

Sage said:
Charles Dickens. Sorry, but I was so bored w/ Great Expectations and A Tale of Two Cities when I read them in high school.

I second that... It had been a long time since I read Great Expectations and I picked it up a few months ago and tried to read it (key word being tried). I gave it an honest go before I packed it in and said "why am I putting myself through this?". Every night I would be snuggly in bed with my lamp on ready to read and after a few pages zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz! mouth open full on drool.

scribbler1382 · Jan 17, 2006

The Mayor of Casterbridge by Thomas Hardy. Oh. My. Gawd! I kept screaming "would you just freaking sell her already!"

TwentyFour · Jan 17, 2006

I thought Bram Stokers Dracula was so flat! I read Frankenstein and had to analyze it for high school, but Dracula I could not finish! The characters mixed together because they were not described at all.

Puddle Jumper · Jan 17, 2006

Any book can put me to sleep - but that's usually due to lack of sleep. If I got a good night's sleep I can stay awake better. I read on my lunch break and there have been times I find myself wanting to lay my head on the table and take a nap while I'm reading.

September skies · Jan 17, 2006

maestrowork said:

I'm so sorry. I said I was kidding......

WerenCole · Jan 17, 2006

stormie said:
Two books come to mind: The Pearl by John Steinbeck (what is it with him?!) and Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte.

My copy of the pearl is 96 pages. Probably the thinnest book I know. . . I mean, that is the type of book that you should read in one sitting, but I do see how it can put one to sleep. With a lot of books that I find horrid (Lunar Park by Brett Easton Ellis is coming to mind) I just have to finish them so I can say that I conquered them before I cast them aside and deride them as crap. It puzzles me though when I find good story with good prose that has all the elements that I like and I cannot blow through it. I have been trying to read the Code of Four for a little while and it is doing the same thing to me.

ChaosTitan · Jan 17, 2006

Beloved by Toni Morrison. Song of Solomon was only mariginally better, and I will forever hate my AP English prof for forcing me to read them.

Great Expectations and The Great Gatsby both sent me into a coma. I'm sure there are others, but I must be repressing.... :Shrug:

underthecity · Jan 17, 2006

I couldn't get through Pride and Prejudice in high school and had to resort to the Cliffs Notes to make it through the class.

I've tried to read A Tale of Two Cities. I really have. I think I've made it to the second page.

I think. I don't remember; I was asleep.

allen

katee · Jan 17, 2006

Les Miserables
(English translation)

Lord of the Rings
(I only finished it to watch the movies.)

Anything by Jane Austen of which I hadn't seen a televised version.
(Once I've seen the story on TV, I can race through the book. Sad, I know, particularly since Pride & Pred and also Persuasion are two of my favourite books.)

kristie911 · Jan 17, 2006

Crime and Punishment
Moby Dick
Catch-22
Slaughterhouse Five

<snore>

And I've been working my way through LOTR for almost two years but I keep losing interest...

Shwebb · Jan 17, 2006

Silmarillion by Tolkien.

Perks · Jan 17, 2006

I know that Cold Mountain was supposed to have been tremendous, but I could never get past the first forty-odd pages. And I tried four times!

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