Least Favorite Books of the Fall 2013 Challenge

[Dlmrose, Moderator Emeritus]

What were your least favorite books of the Fall 2013 Challenge?

[Andy]

Gileadspending that much time inside the head of a clergyman really didn't do much for me
In the Skin of a Lionthe tunnels under Toronto weren't much better

[Dana]

Although there was a book I couldn't even make myself finish, of the books I did finish, Lilith's Brood: Dawn / Adulthood Rites / Imago was my least favorite.

[[deleted user]]

Fudge Cupcake Murder
Beautiful Creatures
Fire Burn and Cauldron Bubble
Gone Girl
Stoker's Manuscript

Dull and have no substance

[Susan A]

WORST
The Lives of a Cell: Notes of a Biology Watcher From the GR description: "Elegant, suggestive, and clarifying, Lewis Thomas's profoundly humane vision explores the world around us and examines the complex interdependence of all things." This was not my experience. Mostly, I felt like WTF is he writing about? It rambled and rambled, seemed disjointed and choppy flitting from one thing to the next. Also, it was too out-dated. I picked this one off the college reading list.

Step on a Crack -- this was picked from the Zodiac task. I think the last James Patterson novel I read was maybe 15 years ago. Is this what all of his books are like? And they are best sellers? This is why I try not to read best selling authors. This was just awful. First, what is the reading level for this? 3rd grade? I guess the content isn't. What's up with the chapters? All of the chapters were less than 3 pages long. I think this book had over 70 chapters. The exclamation points were distracting. The story -- where to start? The mystery was weak. But the MC? I think we were supposed to like him...however, he has ten kids and he doesn't get home on Christmas Eve until 2am? He tells his kids on Christmas morning that they should not have waited for him to wake up to open their presents? How about you just tell them you don't give a shit about them? In the beginning of the book he is walking through the streets of NY with the 10 kids in a line a la , with the oldest in the front and the 3 year old bringing up the rear. Really? Your 3 year old half a block away while walking through the city?
I know...picky crap...but it all just fueled my hatred of this book.

[[deleted user]]

Susan A wrote: "WORST
The Lives of a Cell: Notes of a Biology Watcher From the GR description: "Elegant, suggestive, and clarifying, Lewis Thomas's profoundly humane vision explores the world around ..."

That's one of his strange collaboration books. I've read a couple of his earlier solo books and while they're not great they are page turners. He's very tuned in to what sells and tries to ensure that even his series books can be read without having to read anything else in the series. I read one that had a revelation at the end which intrigued me so I read the next one but the next book was written as if it never happened.

You may be interested in this article http://usatoday30.usatoday.com/life/b... which details exactly how Step on a Crack was written.

[Susan A]

Thanks! That was interesting.

[Jayme(theghostreader)]

Pigletto wrote: "Fudge Cupcake Murder
Beautiful Creatures
Fire Burn and Cauldron Bubble
Gone Girl
Stoker's Manuscript

Dull and have no sub..."

I liked Fudge Cupcake Murders and Beautiful Creatures.

[Jayme(theghostreader)]

I didn't like House of Stone.

[Deborah]

Pigletto wrote: "Fudge Cupcake Murder
Beautiful Creatures
Fire Burn and Cauldron Bubble

I read Fire Burn in the last challenge and hated it:)

This challenge:

Tiger's Curse
The Vampire Tapestry
The Picture of Dorian Gray
13 British Horror Stories
Blue Bloods

[Ann A]

Andy wrote: "Gileadspending that much time inside the head of a clergyman really didn't do much for me
In the Skin of a Lionthe tunnels under Toronto weren't much better"

I agree with you on these two books, Andy!

[Dee]

Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil

[[deleted user]]

The Courtier's Secret: aka one dimensional characters do very boring things

Crossed: aka what happened to all the good stuff from the first novel?

Where'd You Go, Bernadetteaka maybe I don't get it because I'm from Seattle?

[Eepa *mm loving bookworm*]

The House of Silence - Volume 1 My main reason for picking this book was another challenge in MM romance group and it was also the only reason I ever finished it. Total waste of time with way too many characters and non stop sex. I don't have nothing against PWP per se but almost 300 pages is way too much.

[Megan]

Hana C wrote: "Crossed: aka what happened to all the good stuff from the first novel? "

The good stuff comes back in the third one, Reached. I was disappointed with Crossed when I read it, too.

[[deleted user]]

Ms Anderson wrote: The good stuff comes back in the third one, Reached. I was disappointed with..."

Reached was better than crossed, but still not as good as the first one. I think if the author had dragged out the love triangle to the third book and made it central (no pun intended!)instead of the social commentary and politics- then the latter would have actually had more impact.

On another note I probably should include Extremely Loud and Incredibly Closeto this list- even though I gave it an ok rating. By the conclusion I understood the novel and had some respect for what it achieved- however just because I can appreciate it doesn't mean I have to like it!

[Fandury]

The Arrivals - this story left me utterly cold, I never developed any connection to any of the characters, the ending felt very rushed and the main villian never felt like a real threat...

The Seven Whistlers This book lacked any kind of character development and the main relationship between the granddaughter and her grandparents felt unreal, which took away any feeling of horror or suspence.

[Lacy]

I really disliked this book and gave it zero stars. The main characters were awful and ignorant people. Everytime they had a chance to learn something and become better people they reverted right back as before.

[Sandy, Moderator Emeritus]

Andy wrote: "Gileadspending that much time inside the head of a clergyman really didn't do much for me
In the Skin of a Lionthe tunnels under Toronto weren't much better"

We read Gilead in my library book group in the summer, and I thought it was one of the most tedious books I ever read.

[Sandy, Moderator Emeritus]

I tried to read one that my husband picked up at the library - Other People's Rejection Letters: Relationship Enders, Career Killers, and 150 Other Letters You'll Be Glad You Didn't Receive. I expected it to be funny, maybe in a mean sort of way, but it was just stupid and boring. When I came to a mortgage foreclosure notice - nothing weird or funny or odd about it, just a foreclosure notice - I gave up. Yes, I'm glad I didn't receive it myself, but I don't see any reason to enclose it in a book, either.

[Kristina Simon]

My least favorite of the Fall 2013 season:



Tedious, both of them. Guns, Germs, and Steel would have been an interesting National Geographic article. Unfortunately, the book was 500+ pages of repetition.

[Mabeelle]

1*

2*

[Anne (Booklady)]

My least Favorite Books:

1 Star:

The writing was not that I remembered of Scott Turow. And Alice talks, talks, and talks - drove me crazy!

2 Stars:

[Lorna]

Least favorite books Fall 2013

[Jayme Pendergraft]

All two stars:

The Revised Fundamentals of Caregiving
Anansi Boys
Reliquary (done with this series now)
Mr. Churchill's Secretary
Cleopatra's Daughter

[Claire]

The Color Of Water In July by Nora Carroll

[Tammy AZ]

Flash and Bones - And yet I go back for more punishment as I'm currently reading the next one in the series and it too will make my worst of list for this round!

Boy Still Missing

Gulp: Adventures on the Alimentary Canal

All were two stars for me but I think the last two were more because I had higher expectations that they did not meet.