I know it is a horrible thought..hating a book..but I know we all have some books that we just absolutely HATED..so come one..fess up...what books did you hate?? maybe they were school reads or really popular books that you just wanted to like..but just could not bring yourself to enjoy reading them! Let it out...lol

*also..remember to keep this nice..as one book that you loathe could be another person's favorite! *

i hated anything by thomas hardy. i hated a prayer for owen meany. i didnt hate but was not a fan of when you are engulfed in flames.
i was not down with harry potter (i know, what a sin.)

im sure there are plenty more from high school. haha

hmm..good question..there is a bunch of random books that I didn't really care for..but I can't think of one that I really hated soo much. I really really didn't like Gulliver's Travels.

Heart of Darkness. Siddhartha. Bookends A Novel. Inkheart.

I held back a lot. I get the feeling that there are two that I'm missing that I know I really really hated.

To The Lighthouse
Water for Elephants (GAG!)
Catcher in the Rye (but I'm going to try it again)
Secret Life of Bees

so many more. but most of them were forced reads and those mentioned above weren't (except for Lighthouse)

Justine, I've tried to read Siddhartha a million times and just can't bring myself to focus so I'm glad to hear someone say it wasn't the best book in the universe.

most recently for me were Franny and Zooey and A Heartbreaking Work of Staggering Genius and I think I disliked them for similar reasons

Lynn, I loved Secret life of bees, its one of my favorite books, sad you didn't enjoy it.

I really disliked these books:
Witch & Curse
The Andromeda Strain (I'm going to try and read this one again though)

I've gotten into many fights with people for the book I hate the most. It really p's me off, I wish people would just respect my opinion....I'll give a hint though. Its the cornerstone book of Roman Catholocism.

Other books I hate are anything by Nicholas Sparks and Dan Brown.

Lynn, I agree completely, I HATE Catcher in the Rye.

I too hated Heart of Darkness. If you have to read the book, just watch Apocalypse Now and remember that HoD is critiquing British colonialism and not the Vietnam War.

I also didn't like Atonement. I read it before I saw the movie. And omg Briony. I wanted to wring her bloody little neck after about five pages. Watching the movie didn't change this perception. On the plus side, it got me out of a reading slump.

There were several from high school that I opted to read the Sparknotes for, such as The Scarlet Letter and 1984, which I fully intend on re-reading. No such sentiments towards HoD though.

i know that this is such a classic, especially for girls, but i abhorred anne of green gables.
i've never really like that style of book (it reminds me of chick lit for little ones), but i just found anne really annoying.

i wish that i did like it, because i love a series, and there are quite a few. i've just never been able to finish it.

Lynn: I LOOOVED Water For Elephants!

Haha this thread makes me so sad! I'm just going down the list reading like "WHAT?! But that book is so good!"...."WHAT?!?"..."WHAT?!?" I'm so overprotective of the books I love...

Also, I didn't hate this book, but it annoyed the crap out of me so much so that I couldn't finish it (and that is extremely unusual for me. Usually I'm one of those people who will always finish a book no matter what). Outlander. The way she wrote the Scottish brogue completely drove me crazy. Add to that some domestic violence and I needed to put it down. I thought I would love this book, because everyone recommended it so highly, but I was super disappointed.

Ah, there are so many good books in this list! But I'm the same as you Kelsey, so overprotective of the books I love. I didn't like Of Mice and Men either.

so why do we continue reading the books we hate? Obviously we have to read some books for school but other than that why punish ourselves?

personally I'm stubborn and if I decide to do something I will do it come hell or high water. I also like to say that I read a book in its entirety so people can't say "it gets really good at the end". I have given up on books but I'm pretty sure they will haunt me.

Molly: I don't mean to detract from your thread but my boss asked me the same question today and I thought it fit in

One of the reasons I keep reading them is so that I can say that I've read it. I love being able to say "yes I've read that" if someone asks me about a book (part of that comes from working as a bookseller I suppose). That way I can give a real reason for liking it or disliking it.

This is a really interesting discussion! I love how one person's favourite book is anothers most-hated-book-of-all-time!

I remember when I was reading Fried Green Tomatoes there were some parts that I absolutely hated, which made me not like the book much as a whole. But I felt like I needed to grit my teeth and get through it. I read that in high school though when my reading time wasn't as precious. Nowadays, if I don't like something, even if it's for school, I don't waste my time on it. MY reasoning is that I deserve to read something I enjoy when I'm on my time and if it's for school and I don't like it, it's going to take up so much time to read that I won't get other homework done.

this was a great thread as well.

What are some books you loathed?

I really disliked Robinson Crusoe, The Lord of the Flies, and Heart of Darkness. I don't know what it is about them...but I just hated them through and through.

The American Woman. It was such a long, torcherous read for me, but I stuck it out and finished it. Mostly because all my other books were packed for moving and I was extremely pregnant and couldn't do much.

What a good topic!!! Hmmm, Sex and the City (if that should even be considered a book), Wicked and The Lovely Bones. I actually like Catcher in the Rye!

I love that we are so diverse. I couldn't imagine hating a book, but some of the ones mentioned I have read and enjoyed, while others were boring or just not my cup of tea.

The Thirteenth Tale
How could I forget how much I hated this?!

Haha I haven't really read this thread until now and it kind of frustrates me and makes me laugh! Sorry had to be honest! I loved Catcher in the Rye, The Lovely Bones, Of Mice and Men, anything by Nicholas Sparks, and anything by Dan Brown! It is ironic that those books are actually probably some of my most favorite books ever! Haha.

Of Mice and Men, Lord of the Flies, To Kill a Mockingbird..

I did have to read all of these books for school a few years back. So maybe thats why I didn't enjoy them..

The book I really disliked this year was Identicle by Ellen Hopkins, not sure if anyone is familure with her work. She writes novels using poetry stanzas, and uses a really unique writing style to tell the story. However her most recent novel, Identicle was a really big disapointment for me. There was so much hype about the book and when I finally got it and read it I was disgusted with it. The story wasn't original at all and the plot was disturbing even for her. Far too graphic for the young adult audience it was amied at.

Anna Karenina. 200 pages into it and I just couldn't finish it.

The Hours. I've read it twice.

Siddhartha. Blugh.

Why the Dalai Lama Matters. I found Thurman's attitude offensive in some parts.

The last twilight book (couldnt finish it)

Atonement (forced myself to finish it)

That's all I can think of. It takes a lot to say I hate a book. Atonement... I shudder just thinking about it.

Lynn, I love To the Lighthouse, but I have studied it a fair amount.
Angabel wrote: "Anna Karenina. 200 pages into it and I just couldn't finish it.

The Hours. I've read it twice.

Siddhartha. Blugh.

Why the Dalai Lama Matters. I found Thurman's attitude offensive in some parts."

Angabel, The Hours is one of my favorites, I also thought the movie was an atrocity.

I hated Old School by Tobias Wolf because I strongly disliked the main character.

I don't remember why I hated The Hours. I've never seen the movie. I've read the book twice and both times just couldn't really appreciate it. I think it might have something to do with the fact that a man writing it made it not convincing enough.

I think Woolf is just one of those people.. you either like her or you hate her. I appreciate her contributions to literature but I have tried and tried to read Lighthouse (one day I may actually finish it!) and I just can't. The Hours, on the other hand, I enjoyed. Atonement as well (I have no intentions of watching the movie. It looks like it would ruin it for me)

Lynn, you're probably right. Also, I don't mean to sound pretentious so apologies in advance if I do, but reading critical articles about the two novels of hers that I've read and discussing To the Lighthouse in a class has furthered my appreciation of her work.
EDIT: Lynn, I seriously recommend not seeing Atonement, as I they altered the way the story ended and it just did not work nearly as well as the ending in the book, in my opinion.

I really disliked Of Mice and Men when I was in high school. I haven't touched it since, but I love the other books and writings I've read from Steinbeck. Perhaps I should pick it up again.

I still to this day hate Tess of the D'Urbervilles and Great Expectations. Ugh.

This thread makes me so happy to see that others disliked Atonement as well. I really hated that book! Keara, I couldn't agree with you more, I also shudder just thinking about that awful book.

Atonement is in the next five books that I'm reading. This makes me want to put it off even longer.

Zen and the Art of Motercycle Maintenance, and A Confederacy of Dunces.

but ahhh i LOVED Atonement, Lord of the Flies, Great Expectations, Heart of Darkness, Secret Life of Bees, and I'm halfway through Water for Elephants ... and so far I like it!!

But I also know a lot of people who loved the books I listed....

I really hated New Moon by Stephenie Meyer. As I just wrote in another thread, I really did like Twilight, particularly because I thought Bella was such an awesome character and I think how much I liked the book and the character made me hate New Moon so much more. I guess I felt like it made a huge irremovable stain on something new and pretty that I was very fond of.

Justine wrote: "Atonement is in the next five books that I'm reading. This makes me want to put it off even longer. "

If it makes you feel better, I liked it! haha. That's the thing... people will tell me they love/hate a book and so many times I feel the complete opposite way.

yay i just found this discussion! now for some venting.


The Devil Wears Prada the movie was okay, but I figured the book must be better since they usually are. Nope! I finished the whole thing but it was painful. Waaay too many unnecessary details that just made this book boring. She would mention things that didn't move the story along at all and had absolutely no point. It was like someone told her to make the book longer so she went back and added stuff.

The Notebook i know people love this book, and I looved the movie so I was kind of excited to read it. All i can say is that I really really disliked his writing style.

Breaking Dawnnow before you write me off as a twilight hater let me just say I loved the first book, like stayed-up-all-night-to-finish-it-loved-it, but I felt like they got increasingly worse. This book was just so ridiculous, which would be okay if it was entertaining, but it wasn't!

I Really loathed- Pride and Prejudice i have no idea why but i could not stomach her writing styles.

i wasnt really a huge fan of the sun also rises although it wasnt the worst ive read.

The only one I can think of at the moment is Lord of the Flies. I had to read it in high school and it was painful to get through!

For some reason I remember having a hard time getting through Death of a Salesman in high school...I want to give it another shot though. There was something else...I think it was All the King's Men?

Jess wrote: "I really disliked Of Mice and Men when I was in high school."

I'm glad I'm not the only one! I really didn't like the book.

Jess, Kimberly, I didn't like it either. I think I read a few pages and then Lenny just got on my nerves and I couldn't finish the book. So I read the Sparknotes, which didn't mention what happened at the very end. Luckily someone clued me in before we took the test and discussed the book.

I love Steinbecks writing and story telling, but I have decided I don't like some of the situations/characters actions. I really don't want to believe people treated other people in those ways. This came after reading Of Mice and Men, and then The Grapes of Wrath.

I really didn't like To Kill a Mockingbird or Romeo and Juliet (GAG!). I know, they're classics. But seriously? I had to read them (each!) 3 separate times for different classes because none of the curricula matched up. PAINFUL!!!!

Oh, and I HATED Brave New World. Over-pretentious and a bit too full of itself (redundant, I know) for my taste.

Okay, how can some of you guys hate Of Mice and Men and To Kill a Mockingbird? I suppose I probably wouldn't care for Of Mice and Men if I hadn't known going into it what it was supposed to symbolize, but it's so interesting and real. And Mockingbird is just amazing. How can you not like the best story ever told about racism and how to treat other people in general?

I don't HATE Catcher, because the story was decent, but I kind of hate it/Salinger just because it/he is so damn overrated.

I hated The Great Gatsby. That story wasn't even about anything. What the hell was the point of it? It's been a while, so maybe I should give it another try, but I just don't see what the big deal is.

I also hated Fahrenheit 451. That book was corny as can be, and the ending (if you can even call it that) was the worst. No closure, not to mention just plain dumb.

I have hated some stuff that I have read by Nicholas Sparks and James Patterson, but no surprises there.

And I couldn't stand Blue Like Jazz.

Jessi, The deal with Gatsby, at least as I understand it, is that it's about inventing your identity and the lies that we tell ourselves. Think about how unreliable and delusional most of the characters in that book are...but that's how a lot of people are. I'd say give it another try. I'm all about trying the books that I deemed unworthy to read when I was in high school (because I obviously had better taste than my teacher) and opted to read the Sparknotes on.

I just found this thread too, I think this will be fun :)

I hated Great Expectations when I read it in high school. Maybe I'll try it again but I think I'll still hate it.

I hate the Twilight series.

I wasn't a huge fan of Fahrenheit 451 either, for the same reason as you Jessi--I really liked it up until the ending, which I thought was just awful. I will think of others I don't like later haha.