What is the worst book you have wasted your time on and why?

[Mixofsunandcloud]

I never read Merrick, even though I had it. But that reminds me that I absolutely hated the ending of Memnoch the devil.

[Justin]

I dont know but he bored me to tears

[Tressa]

Lauren wrote: "Tressa, I still have it and have been considering giving it a second chance. I had major issues with the professor. We had different ideas about a play that we had to read. After that, she would c..."

Oh, I see why there's a bad association for you. I was lucky to have professors embrace other opinions about plays, novels, poems, etc., but my husband and a friend had a similar experience in school and to this day my husband doesn't like to analyze works.

[Graeme]

The worst book I've ever read was La Squab: The Black Rose of Auschwitz. It was so bad that when I finished ploughing through it for review I put it in the recycling instead of taking it down the charity shop, because I didn't want to inflict it on anyone else.

The second worst book I've ever read was Relentless. A completely self indulgent pile of shite that absolutely insulted my intelligence as a reader.

[Gabbiadini]

James clavell's shogun was a two month bore fest . The tv adaptation seemed good what bits I'd seen and I thought I'd read the book -- big mistake I found it overly detailed self indulgent and dull!

[The Angry Lawn Gnome]

A Heartbreaking Work of Staggering Genius

My eyes were on the pages, and the pages turned. I finished it. But I haven't a clue what it was about, why I stuck with it or -- most of all -- how this pile of self-indulgent steaming dung found its way to a publisher.

[The Angry Lawn Gnome]

Traci L. wrote: "Ugh. I never finished Moby Dick. One day I want to. But just... ugh. Most boring book I have ever (tried to) read."

I actually liked Moby Dick -- but only as an audiobook. Bits like the "The Sermon" truly came alive via spoken voice...though I must admit my mind wandered through all the tedious meanderings about types of whales, types of ships, and such things.

[[deleted user]]

I tried reading Moby Dick when I was a teenager. I went through a faze of reading classics. Most I loved, some not so much. I feel I should try it one more time now that I'm older to see if I appreciate it more... or not. The first time I tried to read Frankenstein (same time) I hated it. But I read it a year ago and I now consider it one of the best books ever written.

[The Angry Lawn Gnome]

Traci L. wrote: "The first time I tried to read Frankenstein (same time) I hated it. But I read it a year ago and I now consider it one of the best books ever written.
..."

Sad to say, your Av reminded me of a series that gave me the exact opposite experience. Quite liked the first six Dragonlance™ books when I first read them as a Freshman in college. (Yeah, I'm that old.) Detested them when I tried to re-read them a few years ago.

When I hit some passage about a silver-haired elf-queen bathing in a silvery spring under a silver moon my eyes came very close to permanently crossing. Not sure why writing of that sort bothers me now, but didn't bother me then, but it didn't and now it does. Go figure.

Would I consider them a bunch o' books I wasted my time upon? Definitely maybe.

[[deleted user]]

Funny - I was just thinking I need to change that. I had Alice in Wonderland and got tired of looking at it. I know what you mean though. Dragonlance was my first love and will always have a place in my heart but its definitely a series you need to read a youth to enjoy. I can still enjoy it somewhat, and I will always adore Raistlin, but I can never enjoy it as I did before. You know?

[Christian]

Not going to name names, but I did read a book once in which the protagonists (a gay couple) were so nauseatingly saintly where I thought 'these guys aren't real people, they're Mother Theresa in male drag'. I get the need to reverse some of the demonisation done to LGBT characters over the years, but condescending tripe helps no-one.

[The Angry Lawn Gnome]

Mark wrote: "James clavell's shogun was a two month bore fest . The tv adaptation seemed good what bits I'd seen and I thought I'd read the book -- big mistake I found it overly detailed self indulgent and dull!"

A friend and I still get giggles about that "Man on hill, saving face," line. Though in all honesty I can't remember if it is only in the book, only in the TV movie, or in both.

[The Angry Lawn Gnome]

David wrote: "for king I would say the Tommyknockers..must have been all the drugs."

To my mind, King was at his absolute worst with
Rose Madder. I think after finishing that one I stayed away from him for five or so years.

[Char]

Traci L. wrote: "I tried reading Moby Dick when I was a teenager. I went through a faze of reading classics. Most I loved, some not so much. I feel I should try it one more time now that I'm older to see if I appre..."

Traci, that is so funny! I went through a classics phase as a teenager too, and I just loved Frankenstein and Dracula. I recently re-read both (within the last year or two), and Dracula held up for me but Frankenstein did not. On this re-read I wondered what I ever liked about it and ended up dropping my rating from 5 stars to 3.

[Nicole]

Hands down, Twilight. That woman cannot write. The book did make me laugh though. I read it because everybody was raving and ranting about it. I love vamps and werewolves, so I was thinking, "Why not?" Blah

[Shawn]

metro 2033
450ish pages of a guy walking in darkness and eating mushrooms while meeting people with weird names that will die in 3 pages. yep I just told you the whole plot.

[Angie]

I was given that as a present and after I got into it it was okish but I wouldn't read it again. My worst read would have to be the twilight books, especially the second one. But they were all bad, really bad and the film's were worse. How can vampires not have fangs, it drives me crazy.

[Tiffany]

The worst book I ever trudged through was Snuff

I forced myself to read it because I really love some of Palahniuk's other books, but this one was just terrible and pointless. I hated every character, and it got a bit too graphic for my tastes too.

[Olga]

I know many of you will disagree but for me the worse book I have ever read is Anne Rice's Interview With the Vampire. I flung the book across the room when I read the last word (and I'm the kinda gal who won't even dog-ear a page or open the book past a 100 degree angle). I found the author's concept of love ridiculous and boring. I don't know if I'd feel that way now - I read it about 20 years ago - but there is so much to read I doubt I'll ever have the time to give it a second chance.

[Sean]

Gotta be The Da Vinci Code. Had great potential. Loved all the hype and controversy, but the ending blew chunks.

[Kelly]

I can honestly say, the book I'm reading right now is most likely the worst book I have read, possibly ever, but definitely within the past 10 years.

It's a self-published work, and before you anybody rolls their eyes, I've found a lot of really great novels that have been self-published, even if maybe they needed an extra round (or two) of editing.

Having said that, this book is not one of those. The author just can't write. Period.

But, I was given it as a review copy, and that's why I'm trying to slog through it to the end so I can give a review of 100% of the work. Honestly, I'm sticking with it because I'd like to find just one redeeming quality of the book so the whole review won't be negative, but it's not looking that way.

[Dasha]

Twilight series. Mom bought it, because at that time everyone was reading it. I had no more new books to read and so, I decided to read that. Worst idea ever. I want that time back.

[[deleted user]]

My mom bought me Twilight too. The salesperson told her it was the "next Harry Potter" and my mom figured because I love fantasy so much that I would love it. Yeah. Not so much. Not the worst I've read. But definitely not Harry Potter.

[Angie]

I only looked on some of it soon the computer and it was bad enough that I didn't buy it. It was really bad, so that can go on my list as well.

Misty I like the rusty nails though,I can totally agree.

[Squire]

I've gone back and finished all the books I could remember that I'd never finished; though, right now, NOS4A2 and The Chosen currently reside in my "Unintersting and Unfinished" file.

[Angie]

I liked NOS4A2, but couldn't get into double feature. Nick ,my son, his worst book was false memory by Dean koontz. He really didn't like it, with the hypnotic suggestion to rape and murder. I didn't like it either.

[Holly]

I can't say I have ever wasted much time with a book I didn't like in my free-choice reading. If the book is bad, I just stop reading it. However, during my years in our education system I had reading assignments that definitely qualify as a huge waste of time......and they were all written by Ernest Hemingway. His subject matter was always very testosterone oriented and repulsive.

[Craig]

Servant of a Dark God. Bought it from the Dollar Store for three dollars, and it remains the only book in my lifetime that I didn't have the willpower to read all the way through.

[Tom]

I would say, Bite by Richard Layman. The whole thing was implausible to the nth degree, to me that is.

[Justin]

Craig,
I think the simple fact you bought it from the dollar store should have been your red flag. I mean maybe theres rare gems of books in dollar stores but highly unlikely.

[L.G.]

Blood Canticle. Let me put this into context a little. I was a huge Anne Rice fan even though I'd noticed a decline in her work, especially after Memnoch the Devil. However, this book sealed the deal for me. She managed, at least in my opinion, to pretty much gut two series in the same novel, a feat I've yet to see repeated (and hope never to see again).

Admittedly, she has suggested that this is the end of at least the Vampire Chronicles, but this book was so unenjoyable for me that it has basically coloured all of my memories of the previous books. I cannot read them (even the ones that are good) without remembering how everything ends in one big mess of a story. I'm not usually overly critical but this book really, really made me feel like I'd completely wasted my time.

[Lara]

50 shades of grey. Bought it because they were trying to remove it from libraries. I hated both characters with a passion me and I kept hoping the sex scenes would get better. (They didn't). After ranting how bad it was my husband asked why I kept reading it. I told him I wanted to finish it so I said I read it and could say how bad it was. When a book about BDSM isn't titillating there is a problem.

[Lara]

L.G. wrote: "Blood Canticle. Let me put this into context a little. I was a huge Anne Rice fan even though I'd noticed a decline in her work, especially after Memnoch the Devil. However, this book ..."

I found Anne hit her stride when she got successful. I enjoyed her books before Queen of the Damned. I gave up after Tale of the Body Thief and the Witching Hour (I hated the latter with a passion).

[Erin]

Recent memory: Whose Body? By Dorothy L. Sayers. I found the book to be extremely boring. The only positive things were that the book was short and I got it for free.

[Alondra]

Anything by Clive Barker. I want to like his work, but I don't. I apologize to all the Barker fans if it breaks your heart; but I don't apologize for his books not working for me.

I love Stephen King, and I know many HA members hate him; so we are even.

Not sure what it is about Barker, but I just cannot like his stuff... i just don't get it, i guess. Mister B. Gone was the last straw. I literally threw the book against the wall more than once. When i got to the end, i almost burned that book in the fireplace... truly.

[Angie]

I couldn't finish Memonoch the devil by Anne rice, it was easily her worst book, I don't have any idea why she wrote it. Another was The Swan by Elizabeth Kostova, it was boring and made no sense, I gave that one away!!

[Holly]

I made it through the first 100 pages of A Discovery of Witches.....and still regret wasting the time on those 100 pages.

[L.G.]

Lara wrote: "L.G. wrote: "Blood Canticle. Let me put this into context a little. I was a huge Anne Rice fan even though I'd noticed a decline in her work, especially after Memnoch the Devil. Howeve..."

I would have to agree with you there. But I persisted, if only because I kept hoping she would improve. Blood Canticle made it clear I'd wasted my time.

[Maggie the Muskoka Library Mouse]

Brave New World.

[Famine]

Richard Laymon's Darkness, Tell Us. Ugh. Almost a parody of Laymon's hammer horror style by a ghost writer, this book.... Cliche after cliche, flat blank canvas cast, virtually no plot whatsoever, horrible cop-out ending. I've deleted it from my library.

There are some other books I couldn't even bother finishing but as I can't recall them, I can't list them.

Bitterwood though was one. The first in a dragon series.

[Famine]

Squire wrote: "Books are mankind's greatest invention (other than DDT), so I don't consider finishing any of them a COMPLETE waste of time. But lately, I have been disappointed with the works of Brian Keene. For ..."

I agree! The first two or three I enjoyed, but couldn't bring myself to look at his others once I stumbled upon The Conqueror Worms.

[Rhian]

the worst book I wasted time on is the secret place by tana french, I was such a fool to give her a second chance after reading her first book in the woods, both books left many unanswered questions, the secret place had a supernatural element which is never explained and in the woods left an unsolved murder which was half of the whole story, she is now my most hated author

[Ed]

Most recently The Library At Mount Char. A jumbled mess of nonsense.

[Francesca]

There are only three books that I've given 1 star to on here (so far) and they were The Fault in Our Stars, Bridget Jones's Diary, and Attachments. I hated them. They all irritated and annoyed me for different reasons, I hated the characters in all of them, they were just the worst.

[Michael]

Gerald's Game by Stephen King. DNF. I believe it would have made a better short story.

[Steve]

9/11 Ten Years Later: When State Crimes Against Democracy Succeed by David Ray Griffin.
The author is arrogant and full of his own self importance.
A book full of hearsay and downright disrespectful towards the people who cannot answer his accusations - the victims.
He then proceeded to state that 7/7 in London was a cover up but gave no basis to his comment at all.
At that point the book exited my train window and hopefully and deservedly it has decomposed.
I cannot write any more other than to say I think it is the lowest of the low to make profit from the tragic death of now over 3,000 people.

[Lisa - OwlBeSatReading]

Jonathan Strange and Mr Norrell by Susanna Clarke. Talk about patronise the reader with 'impressive' knowledge and add 4 million footnotes. And that was just the first chapter. It makes a great doorstop though.

[Char]

[Laurie (barksbooks)]

Oh there are many but the most recent has to be Night Film. I am determined to finish the thing because I've already wasted half of my life listening to it on audio and I am almost there but it is tedious. It reminds me of the way I felt about The DaVinci Code which was another book that would not end. Rambling. tedious, exhausting and boring. So many people love this but I can't.

[Rhian]

Oh I absolutely loved Night Film it's definitely in my top 3 books I've ever read, I read it months ago and I still think about it often