The Most Overrated Books Showing 5,001-5,050 of 5,680

[Anne Hawn]

I'm reading The Haj and I am looking for books that tell the Palestinian story with an authentic voice. Anyone got any ideas?

[Kallie]

Anne Hawn wrote: "I'm reading The Haj and I am looking for books that tell the Palestinian story with an authentic voice. Anyone got any ideas?"

What a good idea. I was looking and found this:

http://tinyurl.com/l7rogg7

I would want to read Palestinians. Glad you asked.

[Karen]

Kallie wrote: "Anne Hawn wrote: "I'm reading The Haj and I am looking for books that tell the Palestinian story with an authentic voice. Anyone got any ideas?"

What a good idea. I was looking and found this:..."

I loved the Haj. Both sides write biased. I have been interested in reading "Uneasy Lies The Head" by the late King Hussein of Jordan- he has always fascinated me, and I hope to come away with a better understanding.

[Kallie]

Suad Amiry is reviewed on Goodreads and several books listed.

[S.W.]

I thought Clavell's Whirlwind offered a fair and sympathetic rendering of the Islamic fundamentalist viewpoint.

[Monty J]

S.W. wrote: "I thought Clavell's Whirlwind offered a fair and sympathetic rendering of the Islamic fundamentalist viewpoint."

I didn't know Clavell finished that novel. Thanks for reminding me of it.

[Kallie]

Any writer is biased but the authentic Palestinian voice Anne wants would most likely come from a Palestinian writer.

[Karen]

Kallie wrote: "Any writer is biased but the authentic Palestinian voice Anne wants would most likely come from a Palestinian writer."

I understand that- The Haj was written in the time period of about 1948, Uneasy Lies The Head was written about that same time period- which, I think, is that period that people, myself included, need to understand (and may never) and maybe that's not what Anne was asking for. The Haj is historical fiction while the other is written by Hussein about his grandfathers assasination, his fathers very short time as next in line king ( he was schizophrenic and could not rule) and King Hussein then taking over when he was just 17 years old.

[Kallie]

Karen wrote: "Kallie wrote: "Any writer is biased but the authentic Palestinian voice Anne wants would most likely come from a Palestinian writer."

I understand that- The Haj was written in the time period of a..."

They both sound interesting and informative. I would like to learn more about all that too. I wish our policies were more knowledge-based, in a positive way.

[Karen]

Kallie wrote;
"They both sound interesting and informative. I would like to learn more about all that too. I wish our policies were more knowledge-based, in a positive way."

Oh that would be great! The lack of understanding is profound I think when it comes to the Middle East, and I am limited in discussing it because of my own lack of understanding- but I have always been interested in the time period of Israel's founding and right before that, and how Jordan in particular responded. The recent news has renewed my interest- but I don't want to talk politics so I'll stop here!

[Mochaspresso]

Cemre wrote: "I'm going to ask something that is completely unrelated to everything we've discussed, but this discussion does seem to be a one where everyone says everything they want say so I'm going to ask it ..."

I think it's fair if the production remained true to the original work.

[Victoria]

The Handmaid's Tale . that was the most boring grueling uninteresting book, WHY so much hype?

[Gary]

Cemre wrote: "Do you think that it's fair to add a play to the "read list" when you've not read it but watched it on scene ? Thoughts?"

I think it's fair, but I probably wouldn't do it myself. I don't usually note the "audio books" or other adaptations on GR either just because I don't really consider that a "reading" experience, and don't necessarily consider it worth documenting for myself (or for anyone bothered to look at what I'm doing on GR....) However, I wouldn't say that everyone else needs to adopt that personal use of a website.

Arguably, the performance of a play might fall more on the side of a film adaptation than an audio book, depending on the "interpretation" of the text, but they are generally on a level. A play might even clarify the text here and there in a way that a reading doesn't, and one does get more of a sense of character from a group of actors than from a single reader.

Plus, a play is meant to be performed, so there's a good argument to be made that one is absorbing the proper form if one sees it live on stage. So, again, while I probably wouldn't do it myself, I think there's a good argument for doing so.

[Sye]

I have to say Heart of Darkness. Honestly, it's terrible. There's nothing notable about the book except for it's incredible amount of ambiguity, which does encourage a lot of discussion. That explains why it's such a staple text for high level or collegial English classes. I've yet to hear an English teacher or an English student praise the book for how beautiful it is or the importance of the novel. Even for the time period it was written in, it did little to enlighten or to inspire.

As for the other books, I think each one in some way inspires, exposes, connects, or has a lesson to teach -- if not from the book itself, but society's reaction to them (especially Twilight. I could do a research paper on what the popularity of the series symbolizes for our current society.).

It could be argued that Heart of Darkness offers the same things and I just don't see it. However, when it's not only myself but essentially every person I've talked to about the novella agreeing it lacks all the typical qualities of a classic, only succeeding in satisfying the thirst of critics to analyze a work to death, perhaps my thoughts have credibility.

[Kallie]

Sierra wrote: "I have to say Heart of Darkness. Honestly, it's terrible. There's nothing notable about the book except for it's incredible amount of ambiguity, which does encourage a lot of discussion. That expla..."

Ambiguity was never the attraction for me, to any Conrad novel or story though Conrad's style is subtle, evocative and atmospheric and he refrains from preaching, relying solely on narrative and characterization to tell his moral tales. His work is about good vs. evil and moral corruption -- which Heart of Darkness is about, basically, given that a man succumbs to being worshiped like a god because he convinces himself that the poor 'primitive' characters in the story need him to fill that role. Nearly all of Conrad's novels and tales (except The Secret Agent) originate in the evils of colonialism. I think an insightful study of his work would be more relevant and worth my while than any study of Twilight. I'm somewhat curious to hear why that is so popular, but the thesis in Rabid: A Cultural History of the World's Most Diabolical Virus will probably suffice for me.

[Mochaspresso]

Victoria wrote: "The Handmaid's Tale . that was the most boring grueling uninteresting book, WHY so much hype?"

I don't think it's the feminist manifesto that some people try to make it out to be and from what I understand, the author doesn't seem to want it to be seen as such either, but I didn't find it boring at all. Quite the opposite.

[Mochaspresso]

Edward wrote: "Mochaspresso wrote: "Cemre wrote: "I'm going to ask something that is completely unrelated to everything we've discussed, but this discussion does seem to be a one where everyone says everything t..."

I thought that "The Perks of Being a Wallflower" was pretty true to the book.

[Len]

I agree most passionately with ULYSSES. What a waste of paper. Oh, the trees that have been sacrificed in vain for that piece of trash.

deleted user wrote: "Which books do you think are overrated?

Here's a quick sampling from various internet sites that recommend skipping these:
The Catcher in the Rye
Moby Dick
The Great Gatsby
Waiting for Godot
The..."

[Karen]

Len wrote: "I agree most passionately with ULYSSES. What a waste of paper. Oh, the trees that have been sacrificed in vain for that piece of trash.

deleted user wrote: "Which books do you think are overrated?..."

Ullysses was certainly not a piece of trash, explain.

[Corey]

The Grapes of Wrath

[Dana]

The Thorn Birds. I read it in 1978, everyone was rhapsodizing about how wonderful it was, and to me it was just ok. The Thorn Birds is to books what The English Patient is to movies.

[Monty J]

Corey wrote: "The Grapes of Wrath"

Another Right Wing troll pissing on Steinbeck?

(Winks and rolls eyes.)

[Mochaspresso]

I must read this Ulysses.

[Paul Martin]

Mochaspresso wrote: "I must read this Ulysses."

Don't give into the pressure of the cultural elitists, it's overrated gawwwrbage.

[Mochaspresso]

Edward wrote: "Mochaspresso wrote: "I must read this Ulysses."

I think you'll be sorry, maybe solaced by the fact that "Finnegan's Wake" is even more ........... Unkind, again.

Suggest you try the first few pa..."

TY. :)

It's actually available for free via project gutenberg. So no harm, no foul. Although, in less than a 1/2 minute of reading I had to google "Chysostomos". I guess this is going to happen a lot. Perhaps I need to hold off and get a better/annotated edition.

[Karen]

Paul Martin wrote: "Mochaspresso wrote: "I must read this Ulysses."

Don't give into the pressure of the cultural elitists, it's overrated gawwwrbage."

Paul- I thought you liked Ullysses.

[Karen]

Monty J wrote: "Corey wrote: "The Grapes of Wrath"

Here we go again. Another Right Wing troll, pissing on Steinbeck."

So, if a person doesn't like "Grapes Of Wrath" she or he is a right wing troll? People are free to like what they want here. I am not referring to myself regarding this book, I rated it 5 stars, I just don't like the name calling, especially coming from you Monty. I have seen no evidence that Corey is a troll.

[Monty J]

Karen wrote: "Monty J wrote: "Corey wrote: "The Grapes of Wrath"

Here we go again. Another Right Wing troll, pissing on Steinbeck."

So, if a person doesn't like "Grapes Of Wrath" she or he is a right wing trol..."

I changed it to a question. Just before you posted, apparently. It was meant as sarcasm, but you can't see me wink or roll my eyes in text.

[Cosmic]

Mochaspresso wrote: "I must read this Ulysses."

I am still working through it. So far I am on chapter 16.

Here is a group that has worked through it and added a lot to my experience. Tom is currently reading it and making comments.

Aside from links that you will find on here is this one that made the book so much more enjoyable for me.


https://archive.org/details/Ulysses-A...

There are a cast of characters that read it. Sometimes the streams of consciousness are a little much. There is a lot to take in and I am sure I have hardly scratched the surface of understanding what Joyce was writing about. I don't think it is over rated however because it has influenced so many writers including Hemingway. Because of Hemingway's friendship with Salinger I believed that this book may have had an influence on Salinger as well.

[Heidi]

I rate Ulysses up there with The Communist Manifesto and In Search of Lost Time. One of those monster books that I just have to get to one day, if only to attempt to understand it.

[Karen]

Heidi wrote: "I rate Ulysses up there with The Communist Manifesto and In Search of Lost Time. One of those monster books that I just have to get to one day, if only to attempt to understand it."

I got parts of it, but appreciated it anyways. I'm glad I read it.

[Petergiaquinta]

I love Harold Bloom! Inscrutable and self-indulgent...what's not to love about this king-sized nabob of lit crit? What's that? Little he writes makes any sense to anyone but Harold Bloom? So what? He's Harold Bloom!

Here's my review of Hamlet: Poem Unlimited:

https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

Despite all that, I'm quite the fan of Harold Bloom. I'll forgive him for his overwhelmingly esoteric chubbiness. I like Genius and Shakespeare: Invention of the Human. And despite what you say, I like the way he's made lit crit a little more mainstream, a little less ivory tower.

[Michael]

I love Bloom's Modern Critical Views, a series of nearly one hundred compilations of critical essays concerning a wide variety of authors. Bloom's introductions are uneven and sometimes disappointing. He has little good to say about one of my favorite contemporary authors, Paul Auster

[Stephen]

LOOK, if one is reading a historical-based text (no matter fiction or -non) it good. Yeah? If your reading interests lean to the monthly rags---then, I'd say you're missing out. In considering to read essays, poetry, a novel, or a memoir. . .I'd trumpet one to ensure one's individuality. . .i.e., fuck '50 shades of grey' & explore Wittig,
Lautreamount, Nin, Cixious, Bataille, Barker, Baudelaire, Brillat-Savarin, Burton, Dickens, Zola, Wm. Burroughs. et al

[Monty J]

Stephen wrote: "fuck '50 shades of grey'"

I agree, but I've always been 90 degrees out of sync with pop culture. In the '60s I thought Elvis was a doofus (still do.) I craved Stan Kenton, Gerry Mulligan, Miles Davis, Quincy Jones, Count Basie, Louis Armstrong. Hardly noticed the Beattles.

Still, there's got to be a message in this 50 Shades mania. I'm just not sure what it is. Do that many women want to be submissive sex slaves? Whatever happened to women's lib?

[Mochaspresso]

You guys should visit Anne Rice's facebook page. She has posted why she defends books like Fifty Shades and some very insightful thoughts about her support of women writers who write erotic fiction in general. The message in Fifty Shades mania (imo) is that the moral majority brigade doesn't get to dictate what entertainment I am allowed to consume and enjoy.

[Mochaspresso]

A few of the comments that Anne Rice has posted on her FB page....


https://www.facebook.com/annericefanp...

"Fifty Shades of Grey’ Leads Weekend Box Office, Stirring Reflection on Sex Films" by Brooks Barnes and Michael Cieply from the New York Times. ---- Controversial as this film is, I see this as a good thing for women writers of erotica and erotic romance, and a good thing for women who enjoy erotica, and erotic novels and films. Comments welcome."

https://www.facebook.com/annericefanp...

More on "Fifty Shades of Grey" as the movie makes history tonight and stirs up so much controversy. I'm an ardent feminist. I believe completely in the right of women to their own sexual fantasies. I believe in their right to write and read sexual fantasies, and I will always defend them (and men) against efforts to politicize or sanitize or patrol their sexual fantasies. There is inside of each of us a secret place where our desires rule without interference. That secret place is our imagination. Lecturing women on their fantasies, telling them NOT to like "Fifty Shades" because it includes abuse is just as bad, in my opinion, as telling women that "nice girls" don't imagine being kissed, loved, touched, ravaged, swept off their feet. "Nice girls" can imagine anything they want. And in literature, people can write whatever they want. Men have always enjoyed fantasies of being tied up and whipped by dominatrices. They have always had their erotica. They have always found their way to expensive brothels where professional dominatrices act out such rituals for their pleasure. Are women not equal to men? Don't women have the same rights as men? I'm shocked by all the preaching about "Fifty Shades." I stand up for women, for their freedom, for their rights, for their imaginations, their hearts."

[Mochaspresso]

Cemre wrote: "If it fetishizes abuse, it's bad. There was a recent, horrifying incident of rape and murder in my country. When they looked to the Facebook page of the killer, they've found out that he was a huge fan of a TV series about rape. I have some tolerance for "artsy eroticas" and pornography which is too kitsch to be taken seriously, but once it becomes mainstream, it's harmful.
"

I once read somewhere that Charles Manson was a fan of the Beatles and believed there were secret messages in one of their albums. Rape has been around for centuries. Before television. This man was mentally unstable and while his exposure to the TV show in question didn't help....I doubt that it was the true catalyst for his crimes either. The TV show isn't the problem. The man's mental illness was the problem.

Personally, I think that "Story of O" and some of De Sade's writing fetishizes abuse far more than Fifty Shades does. Fifty Shades is pretty tame in comparison.

[Mochaspresso]

Cemre wrote: "Catcher and John Lennon's murder, anyone ? ;)
I actually understand what Rice is getting at. I find strange that there's an OBLIGATION for female authors to be feminist. But ı don't think rape should be fetishized in mainstream media. People should know that this has consequences. Who reads Bataille at the end of the end of the day ? A couple of intellectuals who sometimes can abuse their wives but are significantly less fond of violent rape than illiterate TV show watchers. "

I've read some and I'm not particularly fond of rape fantasy (<-- I make a distinction between these and "bodice rippers") either, but in all honesty, Fifty Shades is unfairly getting this label, imo. The main characters are adults who enter into the relationship with each other willingly. I think "rape" is the chosen vilifying media buzz word selected to gain the most attention, create controversy and steer people away from the novels/movie.

[Mochaspresso]

Cemre wrote: "Ok, to be fair ı don't know much about Fifty Shades."

Stay ignorant. It isn't for everybody. Personally, I think the best way to read it is on vacation in a nice warm place with waiters that bring you fancy drinks all day.

If you read it in the dead of winter just to be pragmatic and to see what the fuss is, you'll probably be disappointed.

[Michael]

I'm not worried about the book's content, but I'm flabbergasted that anyone could get excited by such abysmal writing. If you're going to read erotica, why this dreck?

[Anne Hawn]

Kallie wrote: "Anne Hawn wrote: "I'm reading The Haj and I am looking for books that tell the Palestinian story with an authentic voice. Anyone got any ideas?"

What a good idea. I was looking and found this:..."

Wow! Kallie, that is just what I was looking for.

[Anne Hawn]

I am looking for the Palestinian point of view. I think good writers try to be fair even when they are telling their own story. Thanks to everyone for those selections.

I feel that good fiction often gives a clearer picture than non fiction when you are dealing with a subject as complex as the Middle East. It's a complicated and very emotional topic which often gets lost in non-fiction.

When I read The Haj years ago, I wondered how these two groups of people could ever get along, but the friendship between the main characters gives hope that there is a moderate view that could work.

[Monty J]

Mochaspresso wrote: "Rice: Men have always enjoyed fantasies of being tied up and whipped by dominatrices."

Really? What men?
Rice is pandering to her audience by twisting this into a feminist issue, and I think that's a distraction, a distortion even. We need to see this without glomming onto the usual political crutches.

I'm not criticizing or judging--okay, I AM judging the writing quality--I'm trying to understand this surprising phenomenon. I've seen words like "second phase of the sexual revolution" batted around in the news.

There have always been erotica and porn and kinky sex, well, as far back as Pompeii, that I know of. Why, now, this explosion of female interest in erotica?

First we had the Eat Pray Love explosion, now this same cohort of readers, overwhelmingly female--I read that somewhere--are jumping all over 50 Shades. What inner lives have they been leading that this poor-quality writing--I read a few pages, shrugged, and put it back on the shelf--appeals to?

It means something. I just don't know what yet.

Perhaps there is some femininist angle to it. I fell asleep on the train a few years ago and woke up sitting next to a pretty young well-dressed woman who started hitting on me, even though she had a boyfriend. Her card said she was on the payroll at NOW. That was anecdotal, but she did make the point that feminism's agenda gave women permission to have affairs, "just like men do."

Again I say, what men? Where are all these men having all these affairs? I've never met any. And B, it takes two to tango. There are the "other women" involved in the affair who know he's married and sometimes even prefer it that way. They're seldom and lightly, if ever, mentioned, while the guy gets vilified.

Anyway, why play to the lowest common denominator? There's one-upsman-ship and there's "one-downsmansman-ship.

[Monty J]

Michael wrote: "I'm flabbergasted that anyone could get excited by such abysmal writing. If you're going to read erotica, why this dreck?"

This is partly what I was getting at. Maybe it's one of the tropes of the erotica genre to have a crude literary style. Rough and clumsy writing may compliment atmosphere some way.

[Anne Hawn]

Kallie wrote: "Conrad's style is subtle, evocative and atmospheric and he refrains from preaching, relying solely on narrative and characterization to tell his moral tales. His work is about good vs. evil and moral corruption -- which Heart of Darkness is about, basically, given that a man succumbs to being worshiped like a god because he convinces himself that the poor 'primitive' characters in the story need him to fill that role. Nearly all of Conrad's novels and tales (except The Secret Agent) originate in the evils of colonialism. "

I agree, I am fascinated by Conrad. He uses the sounds of the English language to effect the reader subliminally. In the river scene, he uses melodic consonants to create a peaceful scene and then he begins to use fricatives which create a feeling of unease. Just a few minutes later, you see a man in a boat coming into view. He is a master at creating atmosphere. You are not told that someone is evil, but you sense it powerfully. I love his writing although it can be difficult.

[Anne Hawn]

Petergiaquinta wrote: "I love Harold Bloom! Inscrutable and self-indulgent...what's not to love about this king-sized nabob of lit crit? What's that? Little he writes makes any sense to anyone but Harold Bloom? So what? ..."

I'm with you, Peter. I have 3 books by Bloom on my nightstand now: How to Read and Why, Shakespeare: The Invention of the Human and ??? a book on poems, but I can't remember which.

[Karen]

Michael wrote: "I'm not worried about the book's content, but I'm flabbergasted that anyone could get excited by such abysmal writing. If you're going to read erotica, why this dreck?"

I read a preview of 50 Shades of Grey, which stopped just before the sex started. That's fine with me as I have no interest to continue the reading. What horrible writing! Every time the author set up a sexy scene the dialogue was so childish and dumb that any anticipation to read more steamy stuff was squashed immediately. I don't know about anyone else, but
I've never said "holy shit", "double crap", or "oh my" when I'm in a sexual situation.

[Gary]

Cemre wrote: "Another interesting thing is the idea that women are more easily affected by the things they read than men. When will we stop to think that the girls will get wrong ideas about life and get used to the fact that they just have a good time."

From what I can tell, people seek out material that supports their existing inclinations rather than encounter things that fundamentally change their minds. Occasionally, one will come across something that refines or redirects one's own ideas, but that's really more refinement than influence.

I mention it because according to various research in the last few years, women read more books than men. So, the stereotypical idea that women/girls are more "influenced" might be derived from the fact that they read more in the first place.

[Heidi]

50 Shades Of Grey is an enormous step back for women. Most people don't know about feminist theory or literary criticism, so here we have boatloads of people thinking that a relationship like Anastasia's and Christian's is amusing and okey-dokey. Try to rationalize it by all means, but it is an extremely unhealthy relationship and not something to be looked up to.
I agree with Monty about Anne Rice. And Mrs. Rice seems to be avoiding the issue - there is nothing wrong with women reading erotica - but 50 Shades of Grey is far more insidious than women wanting to be "kissed, loved, touched, ravaged, swept off their feet". There is something wrong with your significant other emotionally manipulating and controlling you and having that pass as being "loved".