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Least Favorite Books of 2021
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Bonnie G.
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Feb 10, 2021 12:20PM
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I know it’s only mid-feb but I don’t know if I’ll read a book I hate more than I hated Mexican Gothic.
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I keep being tempted because I love the cover, Generally I don't like horror so that has helped me resist. Knowing this really helps!
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Tori, what did you hate? It’s fair to say everything 😂 I am not a horror reader but sources I trust, like the Book Riot podcast, have loved it.
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This is helpful, Kris. i rarely like gothic. On the short list of books (5 that I can think of) I literally physically tossed away from me in disgust are both The Tenant of Wildfell Hall and The Mysteries of Udolpho and though there was no book hurling I really hated the gothic ubertext, Wuthering Heights. (But I loved both Frankenstein and Dorian Grey so its not an absolute.)
It was slow moving, boring, and at times so confusing. Parts of the middle of the book read like a random sentence generator to me. Like those bots that will generate Office episodes after you have it “read” all the scripts. This was probably purposeful because of the plot but I didn’t think it worked because the book was narrated in the third-person, not first. Why should the narrator be confused??! I also thought it was eroticizing sexual assault, which I wasn’t a fan of. Finally. The ending sucked!!!! I gave it 2 stars, and I almost DNF’ed it, but I wanted to know how it ended, and then was wildly disappointed. I don’t want to get more specific than this because of possible spoilers, but I could go on and on. Apparently it’s going to be a Hulu limited series? That author must have the BEST agent. I will not be watching though. Not even when I’m bored in a pandemic. I will add that I also read and hated The Guest List, which a lot of people liked and was a Goodreads Best, so maybe it’s just me.
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Bonnie G. wrote: "Tori wrote: "I know it’s only mid-feb but I don’t know if I’ll read a book I hate more than I hated Mexican Gothic."I keep being tempted because I love the cover, Generally I don't like horror so..."
That's exactly why I haven't read it! The cover is so good but... I don't do horror
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I keep being tempted because I love the cover, Generally I do..."
SO good. Really! I want to hang that cover art on my wall.
I would have said I don't do horror, but I sort of loved The Southern Book Club's Guide to Slaying Vampires so I know there are exceptions that prove the rule.
This has been a horrid year for books! My book group is reading a Frederick Backman book and I am leading the discussion-- and I quit it!
Other books I got through but was not so keen on was Susannah Clarke's Piranesi (great idea but her way of telling annoyed me) and Rumaan Alam's Leave the World Behind which was boring with bad writing.
I'm currently reading Lenny Kravitz's memoir and being reminded why I hate memoirs. Now if he was lying in bed next to me reading it, I would be more forgiving but I even tried the audio book and it didn't make me swoon.
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My book group is reading a Frederick Backman book and I am leading the discussion-- and I quit it!
Other books I got through but was not so keen on was Susa..."
LOL, Lenny is invited here when you are done with him. I have had a great reading year so far! I did recently read a disappointing (though not offensively bad) romance - Ten Things I Love About You - but I have read a dozen really good books in 2021, so I am totally okay with that.
Pamela wrote: "This has been a horrid year for books! My book group is reading a Frederick Backman book and I am leading the discussion-- and I quit it!
Other books I got through but was not so keen on was Susa..."
Which Backman book? I have liked some of his work much more than others.
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Bonnie G. wrote: "LOL, Lenny is invited here when you are done with him. I have had a great reading year so far! I did recently read a disappointing (though not offensively bad) romance - Ten Things I Love About You - but I have read a dozen really good books in 2021, so I am totally okay with that.reply | flag *
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I quit Lenny, If he wants me to read it. he has to come and read it to me. I really hate memoirs! I thought Lenny's I might like as a) he's hot and b) I know lots of his family members and have met him a number of times. But no... it doesn't have his energy or soul and is just flat. Brother's dying to read it so will deliver it this weekend with his Christmas present, which only took 4 months to get here from Germany.
Allie wrote: "Which Backman book? I have liked some of his work much more than others."My Grandmother Told Me--- the kid and grandma annoyed me too much and all the fairytale stuff- whatev
I was equally hesitant reading Ove but he won me over and I loved him
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Pamela wrote: "Allie wrote: "Which Backman book? I have liked some of his work much more than others."My Grandmother Told Me--- the kid and grandma annoyed me too much and all the fairytale stuff- whatev
I was..."
Ah, I haven't read Grandmother. I think by the time I got there I had already started to get burned out on him, and this is not convincing me I should revisit!
Bonnie G. wrote: "You have met Lenny?! Please tell me he is that hot in person. ..."Somehow I only see lady beauties in the flesh. Elle Macpherson, dumb as a rock and 12 feet tall. Helena Christensen, as beautiful as the day. Nigella Lawson, only time I have ever been completely starstruck and unable to speak.
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Somehow I only see lady beauties in the flesh. Elle Macpherson, dumb as a rock and 12 feet tall. Helena Christen..."
Picture it, NYC 1987 (yes, I am old) I was in the Village waiting to meet friends for brunch at The Blue Note and went into a storefront someone had rented next door to sell all sorts of random odd lot things. I was flipping through some cheap framed prints (I was a student, so I was broke) and looked up and Aiden Quinn was across from me flipping through a separate print pile. This was Desperately Seeking Susan era Aiden Quinn, and at the time he was my number 1 celebrity crush. I was trying to be cool but I kept looking up and then away. Finally he looked up and smiled this 100 watt grin at me and I froze....and then ran out of the store.
That is my most embarrassing celeb story (well I have one this year with Olivia Munn, but I still think the Aiden story wins.) Stick around and I will tell you my favorite celeb stories. There are some good ones.
Excellent! I was once waiting for a takeaway and the bloke next to me was struggling with his crossword. I helped him (it was something about Stuart Goddard standing firm) and then realised he was from a sketch comedy show. I no longer remember the name of the restaurant, the actor or the TV show but I remember the crossword clue...
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Bonnie G. wrote: "Alicia wrote: "Bonnie G. wrote: "You have met Lenny?! Please tell me he is that hot in person. ..."Somehow I only see lady beauties in the flesh. Elle Macpherson, dumb as a rock and 12 feet tall. ..."
My favorite was when I met Patty Hansen at Marshall Field's. As with Elle, about 12 ft tall; not realizing it was actually her, I said 'wow. did anybody ever tell you that you look like Patty Hansen?'. Her reply' did anybody ever tell you that I AM Patty Hansen?'. I let out a bark of laughter, she did the same, we chatted for about 32 seconds and I went back to work. Gorgeous woman, totally freckled!
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Somehow I only see lady beauties in the flesh. Elle Macpherson, dumb as a rock ..."
Ha! That is a great story. I have a similar one with Olivia Munn, but she was less charming. She was walking her dog in Tribeca and I was with a friend at an outdoor table at Bubby's. And I said to my friend (in what I thought was sotto voce) how come being a Covid shut-in makes me look like crap and makes her look like Olivia Munn?" She looked at me, eyes shooting daggers (I don't know, maybe she was smiling under her mask, but I don't think so) and as soon as she looked at me full-face I knew that it was Olivia Munn. I have no idea why that would have pissed her off, but it happened. (Also, she was wearing the cutest dress ever. I think it was Theory, but I am not sure.)
I'm not 100% surprised by that somehow. She seems a bit charmless. And also like she vanity searches her name and will come busting in to give us a piece of her mind.
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Ha! I SO hope that happens! How mad could she be? I did compliment her dress. And her dog was cute.
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How often do folks here DNF books? I do it very rarely--some OCD compulsion forces me to read most of them to the end, no matter how awful. And I hate it, because then I am just wasting time reading things I hate. This applies only with physical books--I quit audiobooks ALL the damn time.
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I have upped my DNF numbers in the last couple years. I have 45 books on my DNF shelf, and that is in about 7 years.) I have so many books on my virtual and IRL bookshelves begging for attention, so I can't see wasting time on something that is not working. As a general rule, I am much more likely to DNF romance than other genres because I read romance 100% for pleasure, so no pleasure = no finish.
Bonnie G. wrote: "Jennine wrote: "How often do folks here DNF books? I do it very rarely--some OCD compulsion forces me to read most of them to the end, no matter how awful. And I hate it, because then I am just was..."That makes sense! It's not like you're reading something that's "good for you," so to speak. I need to do the same thing. I agree that there's no sense in finishing something you're not enjoying!
Jennine wrote: "How often do folks here DNF books? I do it very rarely--some OCD compulsion forces me to read most of them to the end, no matter how awful. And I hate it, because then I am just wasting time readin..."I have no problem DNF if I'm not enjoying it, or (for things that are more educational) if I'm not getting anything out of it, etc. Even if it's super late in the book. Or like, I quit a fantasy-ish series in the middle of book 3 because it stopped being fun. Life is too short for hate-reading!
Allie wrote: "Jennine wrote: "How often do folks here DNF books? I do it very rarely--some OCD compulsion forces me to read most of them to the end, no matter how awful. And I hate it, because then I am just was..."Sometimes, when OCD reading is preventing me from DNFing, I will go to the very end and see what happens. I am the rare weirdo who doesn't care about spoilers--if the ending seems good, I will be glad to read the rest and see how they got there!
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Amen sister! With literary fiction I will sometimes push through because often it takes some time to establish a narrative and because I enjoy well written prose even if its not going someplace I am interested in getting. Romance though, I want pleasure, I want gratification, and I want it NOW! That said, I have kept reading certain books that are bad because I am amazed at how bad they are so I guess I sometimes hate read. See, e.g., https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
True, sometimes hate reading can be fun! It's like movies that are so bad they're good, vs. just plain bad. Hahahahaha! That review is fantastic. And that book sounds AWFUL. Empurpled, indeed. I guess that author was also very proud of their "apex of her thighs" description. Blargh.
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Hahahahaha! That review is fantastic. And that book sounds AWFUL. Empurpled, indeed. I ..."
It was a total hate read after the second reference to said apex. Writing the review was so much more fun than reading the book. And thanks for the compliment!
Bonnie G. wrote: "Since we are in this discussion, I will mention my least favorite books af the last couple months (both DNF'd) Shipped and The Road Trip. The first one had the most ..."Totally agree on Shipped. Both the lead and her sister were totally unlikeable, the hero was a cardboard cut out, there was no chemistry and the writing and plotting were completely pedestrian if not outright bad at times. I am sort of surprised I finished it but at some point I just pushed through, I am very content to toss a book aside if it feels like a waste of time because it doesn't grab/hold interest or the writing is bad.
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I was bummed because the premise and the cover of Shipped were fun. Lately I have noticed a spate of books where the women leads are VERY high maintenance and not particularly pleasant and the men are obsessed with them and willing to do anything for them. Its not good.
Jennine wrote: "How often do folks here DNF books? I do it very rarely--some OCD compulsion forces me to read most of them to the end, no matter how awful. And I hate it, because then I am just wasting time readin..."Not often - less than once a year. Sometimes I persevere because SO many people have said a book is great, sometimes it is because I just can't believe a book is so bad.
Jennine wrote: "How often do folks here DNF books? I do it very rarely--some OCD compulsion forces me to read most of them to the end, no matter how awful. And I hate it, because then I am just wasting time readin..."I'm with you, Jennine, I have maybe not finished less-than-a-handful of books in my entire life. I just have such extreme respect for someone who could write a book and get it published. Writing is hard; writing well and consistently is miraculous! I feel that even if it's not to my tastes, I want to respect their effort - and maybe it's going to take me someplace new.
I am also the girl who'd look around incredulously at people who would sleep through university lectures. I'd be thinking: but, but . . . you could be LEARNING something. That person up there is an expert, they prepared a whole semester of progressively more complicated concepts for you to take in. That you paid for. And now you're going to skip it? Ack!
So anyway, FOMO makes me finish books, I guess.
Bonnie G. wrote: "Alicia wrote: "I'm not 100% surprised by that somehow. She seems a bit charmless. And also like she vanity searches her name and will come busting in to give us a piece of her mind."Ha! I SO hope..."
omg. Nothing worse than 'showing your ass' to erudite people; you get dragged in unforgettable ways. I would rather be compared to a butt-ugly velociraptor than be called 'charmless'.
Anita wrote: "Bonnie G. wrote: "Alicia wrote: "I'm not 100% surprised by that somehow. She seems a bit charmless. And also like she vanity searches her name and will come busting in to give us a piece of her min..."and... I had to do The Goog on her (still don't know who she is as an actor) - she's a gorgeous woman! Wth is her problem, with the awful attitude and attention-whoring on SocMedia? Rhetorical question, btw - I couldn't care less. But that must be a really shaky way to live, vanity-searching your name and then getting salty! Yikes!
Bonnie G. wrote: "Jennine wrote: "How often do folks here DNF books? I do it very rarely--some OCD compulsion forces me to read most of them to the end, no matter how awful. And I hate it, because then I am just was..."I've been DNF more lately, but if it's a romance or chick lit, I usually just keep going, even if it's annoying me--mostly because those are books I can finish really quickly, so I don't feel like I'm wasting a ton of time on them. I really wanted to DNF a book recently, but it was for my book club, so I skimmed through.
Laural wrote: "I'm with you, Jennine, I have maybe not finished less-than-a-handful of books in my entire life. I just have such extreme respect for someone who could write a book and get it published. Writing is hard; writing well and consistently is miraculous! I feel that even if it's not to my tastes, I want to respect their effort - and maybe it's going to take me someplace new...."https://twitter.com/MrSexsmith/status... sometimes you have to wonder what their editors were drinking though!
Anita wrote: "Bonnie G. wrote: "Alicia wrote: "I'm not 100% surprised by that somehow. She seems a bit charmless. And also like she vanity searches her name and will come busting in to give us a piece of her min..."I think I remember her writing a piece about the Fuggirls being mean which is probably why I am agin her.
Mind you, I frequently confuse Olivia Wilde and Olivia Munn so I wouldn't swear to which one that was.
Alicia wrote: "Anita wrote: "Bonnie G. wrote: "Alicia wrote: "I'm not 100% surprised by that somehow. She seems a bit charmless. And also like she vanity searches her name and will come busting in to give us a pi..."Sorry to say I'm so far out of the loop that I don't know either of them (kinda know Wilde's name...but that's it). Celebrity is such a Sword of Dam, sweatergawd. Stunning arrogance underpinned by staggering insecurity. Not a lifestyle I would want, being a donkey on the edge already.
Pamela wrote: "This has been a horrid year for books! Rumaan Alam's Leave the World Behind ... was boring with bad writing...."
Spooky to find a fellow sufferer. I'm currently toiling through Alam, after a recommendation from a book shop assistant. Not sure if the writing is bad - or just flat on purpose?
Bonnie G. wrote: "Allie wrote: "Life is too short for hate-reading!".."Amen sister! With literary fiction I will sometimes push through because often it takes some time to establish a narrative and because I enjoy..."
Fantastic review Bonnie. Nearly made me want to read the book though!
Jennine wrote: "How often do folks here DNF books? I do it very rarely--some OCD compulsion forces me to read most of them to the end, no matter how awful. And I hate it, because then I am just wasting time readin..."It's all that early training isn't it? Books are meant to be "good for you" in some way. But logically not all books can be good! And bad books stop you reading good ones. So I've trained myself out of the habit of ploughing on needlessly.
Setting up an "abandoned" shelf on Goodreads has made me feel less guilty too.
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Now that the school year is over, I have time (and the brain space) to read again! I agree with those who did not like Mexican Gothic! I read it for a book club and haaaated it, especially the ending. It did make for a spirited book club discussion.
I also came here to say that I slogged through The House of Gucci and was so mad at myself for not dnf-ing. I read it because of the Gaga Adam Driver movie, but I don't even know what will happen in the movie. It was 20% story 70% the history of the Gucci business. I don't mind reading about the history of something but it needs to be intertwined in the narrative. Would not recommend.
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