The Next Best Book Club discussion
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Top Ten Books to Avoid
My problem with the Dan Brown books was that so much of his information was inaccurate. I'm all for conspiracy novels, but it would have been better if he hadn't needed to "adjust" the facts to make it all work out. And I've read lots of other books with the same basic premise of the Da Vinci Code so there wasn't much suspense for me.Emily - I'm reading Portrait at the moment and am actually enjoying it. Not in the sense that I can't put it down, but it's an interesting read.
Otherwise there aren't many books that I truly despised - the only two that come to mind are Old Man and the Sea and The Sun Also Rises. Obviously not a huge Hemmingway fan.
Macy, I read Da Vinci Code a few days after finishing Umberto Eco's Foucault's Pendulum and just couldn't shake the feeling that I was reading a Cliff Note's version of the first book written by a monkey with a typewriter. I agree with Emily on her opinion of The Scarlet Letter: yick!
Logan - Love the image of a monkey at the typewriter, puzzling over a tricky plot twist. I haven't read any Umberto Eco, I have some on my shelves but just haven't gotten to them yet.
Well, if there is one book that I'll avoid reading until the end of time, it's The Da Vinci Code. Why don't I just go ahead and make it ALL Dan Brown. I'm not trying to be a book snob, because I certainly read some trashy stuff, but I think there are better things to waste my time with...like cleaning the tile grout with a toothbrush.My list of books that I've read and wished I hadn't are as follows (in no particular order because they were all horrid):
1. The Lovely Bones by Alice Sebold
2. A Lesson Before Dying by Ernest Gaines
3. The Reader by Bernhard Schlink
4. Daughter of Fortune by Isabel Allende
5. Ellen Foster by Kaye Gibbons & A Virtuous Woman by Kaye Gibbons
6. Girl in Hyacinth Blue by Susan Vreeland
7. Odd Girl Out by Rachel Simmons
8. Icy Sparks by Gwyn Hyman Rubio
9. Breath, Eyes, Memory by Edwidge Danticat
10. Chicken Soup for...(insert any ending here) by Jack Canfield, et al.
As you can see, a good portion of these have ended up on Oprah's Book Club at one point or another. Thankfully, they weren't enough to put me completely off her selections because I have been able to find a few gems along the way. However, it seems that she often picks sentimental pap for the sake of making everyone depressed.
I'd recommend giving him a try. His books are dense and packed with history, but exceedingly enjoyable. My personal favorite is The Name of the Rose, a murder mystery set in a 14th century Franciscan monastery that has one of the best libraries in all of literature.
I just picked up The Name of the Rose on the week-end and can't wait to get to it.I remembered another book I ended up loathing but that was very well received and that was the Stone Diaries by Carol Shields.It was captivating at first but what a depressing read.
So many people have recommended The Stone Diaries to me, but I just get a bad vibe from it every time I pick up a copy in the store so it has yet to come home with me. Glad to hear that someone didn't care for it. Makes me feel a little less crazy.
Sorry for getting off subject...Charity, what books that Oprah has endorsed do you consider "gems"? Perhaps they'll be ones that I haven't read and will add to the ever-growing TBR pile.
Thanks!
Theresa,I myself,enjoyed Drowning Ruth.
Aren't there laws against that, Sherry?
I really enjoyed Drowning Ruth too. I believe I have read it 2-3 times over the years.
This is interesting because I enjoyed at least 10 of the books on others combined avoid lists. I can think of 3 books that hurt me to finish:
1) Moby Dick - I read it because it was a classic. I liked the actualy plot parts but the descriptions of various whales, the color white. I couldn't take it.
2) Who Moved My Cheese - We were asked to read this for management training. Waste of my time.
3) Gerald's Game by Stephen King - I generally like his books, some a lot better than others, but this was just a disgusting book. Not even horror, just disgusting.
1) Moby Dick - I read it because it was a classic. I liked the actualy plot parts but the descriptions of various whales, the color white. I couldn't take it.
2) Who Moved My Cheese - We were asked to read this for management training. Waste of my time.
3) Gerald's Game by Stephen King - I generally like his books, some a lot better than others, but this was just a disgusting book. Not even horror, just disgusting.
I just thought of another book that I just couldn't finish. War of The Worlds. I don't know if it was just me, but it was so dry that I ended up picking something else up and never got back to it.
*L* What Logan...Drowning Ruth or reading about it? :)There should be a special icon for sticking one's tongue out at somebody for cheeky remarks.
:) There definitely should, Sherry. :PLisa, you hated American Psycho?
Okay Catamorandi I agree with your list for the most part with the exclusion of Jane Austen even though Northanger Abbey was not her best novel by any means. But can we please add anything by Thomas Hardy and William Faulkner... for me Hardy is like wanting to strangle everyone insight. My bookclub RAVED and GUSHED all about Tess of the D'Ubervilles and I just don't get it. I thought it was the worst piece of ^$!! imaginable. Faulkner was a bit better but I just could not get into him at all. To me it was like having Jeff Foxworthy drunk and speaking in my ear the whole time I read Absalom, Absalom! by Faulkner. That was too weird of a time for me to handle!
Just for all you Dan Brown hatas Angels and Demons was a much better read than the Davinci Code. His other ones I tried to read but just could NOT get into them.Also Tess of the D'ubervilles was a waste of anyones time I feel.I hated it, hated it, hated it .
Scott, I have always been curious about Angels and Demons, I might pick it up if I see it on sale ...
Gotta add anything by Jodi Piccoult. Now I just wish I could take my own advice. I know her books are supposed to make you think and her typically ambiguous endings are play into that, but most of the time I usually just end up wishing she would just commit to an actual ending. A few others:
Shutterbabe: A supposedly feminist memoir about being a war photojournalist that is all about the men she slept with and how they messed up or shaped her life. Naming all the chapters after each conquest...well, let's just say it didn't help her cause.
Life of Pi: Everyone loves it, but I am still ruing the day I gave into the hype and actually read it and then continued to read it despite the fact that it felt like punishment. It didn't change my life or my point of view. I just wanted the tiger to eat him and be done with it.
She's Come Undone: Is there a more annoying character in any novel?
I think Mc Ewan may have 2 of the worst books I've read ATONEMENT and SATURDAYI didn't finish Atonement and I don't remember anything about Saturday even though I only read it t last month
I guess it's like when someone is in a really bad accident and survives -they don't remember the accident itself
I was in a really bad,moralistic, didactic book called Saturday but can't remember it
what does anybody like about this guy?
Anything by Jane Austen. I know that's sacrilege, but here are my least favorites:1) Pride and Prejudice
2) Emma
3) Mansfield Park
A few more additions:
4) The Hours - Michael Cunnigham
5) A few more demons - Kim Harrison
6) Entranced - Nora Roberts (Either Nora gets it really right or really, really wrong.)
Hey Jim, I saw the movie version of Atonement and if it holds true to the book, I definately agree that it was horrible.
I'm actually one of the few people that enjoys Dan Brown. Admittedly, the Da Vinci Code is extremely overplayed by now, but I've found his books are perfect for slow days at work. They move at a fast enough pace that I can get through them very quickly (and thanks to the ridiculously short chapters, I'm always at a decent stopping point). They're great for when I want something entertaining to read, but don't have the time to become emotionally invested in a new novel.I might be alone in this, but I absolutely cannot stomach Jane Eyre. Horrible, horrible, horrible.
For years I've been trying to get through The Illuminatus Trilogy , but time & again it's proving itself to be an impossible task.
The Poe Shadow is one of the worst books I have ever read. I wanted to fall madly in love with it & had been expecting to do just that, but it's so awful. I'm a huge Poe fan and the fact that a book about him is among the worst books ever feels like a stab in the heart.
Leah - can I just say how much I LOVE LOVE LOVE your hair!!!!!! That look is awesome ... I have been every shade in the rainbow but that is just great!
:) Thank you so much!
Leah - can I just say how much I LOVE LOVE LOVE your hair!!!!!! That look is awesome ... I have been every shade in the rainbow but that is just great!Now please continue with your scheduled hate of authors and books guys ...
BTW I have never read Jane Austen, but because everyone looves her so much in here I bought Emma, and I am planning to read it soon, now I'm starting to think it was a mistake?
Well, you'll never know if you don't try. And since it isn't a series, if you hate it, you won't feel obligated to read them all!
Lorena, I have read a couple of Austen's books and Emma is the most palatable.
Thanks for the support guys, I think I owe it to myself to try at least one of her books, to see what the fuzz is all about. ;o)
I don't have 10, but here are a few of mine...Jane Eyre - I know so many loved this, I just couldn't take it.
The Gathering - just insanely dull
Heart of Darkness - forced to read this in high school and hated every minute of it
The Notebook - ugh!
Dr. Strange and Mr. Norell - Don't know what possessed me to read this, let alone finish it!
Jenna, I haven't read the Notebook, but it is one of my favorite movies. Ok, don't tell any of my guy friends that I just said that!! Maybe it was just good acting, but I thought it was a fantastic love story. That being said, I read Bend in the Road and wasn't that impressed with the writing.
Mod
I'm going to have to go with my Top 4 Worst Books:1. Ender's Game/Orson Scott Card. Freaking disturbing book.
2. Grapes of Wrath/John Steinbeck. I know, I know. A classic, and I even grew up near where it was written, but I've never read a book so boring in my life.
3. The Red Badge of Courage/Stephan Crane. Ick. I'm pretty sure the author had some blood lust to take care of.
4. David Copperfield/Charles Dickens. I was forced to read it in high school, and it did not go over well. I'm sad to see that Tale of Two Cities is on here so many times though. It's definitely my favorite Dickens.
Geez, since I really liked all of the books that you listed, Rachel (with the exception of Ender's Game which should arrive at my house by Monday) I guess I should take a good look at your one star books!
***LOL*** Jeremy- that's another way to get suggestions ... ;o)
In the wake of The Da Vinci Code, which I have finally admitted to enjoying..haha.. I read a few religous/historical/thrillers and I can't say that any of them excited me. The Book of Air and Shadows was the best of the bunch, though the ending disappointed me deeply. There was one called The Codex that floored me with its blandness. I don't know. It's exciting to see this little genre flourish (historical-lit-fiction?)because it incorporates history, religion and literature. But as much as people seem to lash out at Da Vinci Code (and I can't defend it on its literary merit; it's not the best written book in the world..haha), I have to be honest and say I roared through it and felt no shame in reading it. I guess I'm a little off the subject..haha. Just proceed through this little genre with caution is what I say.
Jesse - enjoy your commentary. I wonder if what happened is that all these people are trying to cash in on the success that Dan Brown had and I think the people are just writing for money and not for the passion, well, you probably already know that.
Thanks Jeremy. I think you've hit it on the head. A phenomenon like Brown's book will always usher in a slew of similar works. Especially in niche-driven, genre novels. Rosemary's Baby and The Exorcist ushered in a lot of demonic books. Stephen King ushered in a huge market for horror. And most, of course, are quite inferior to the emulated.
Mod
I do have to admit tho, I managed to find a fave author of mine, David Maine, during my hectic search for more christian fiction, and while his novels are not conspiracy, they are a whole new breed of religious fiction.... he takes a character from the bible and turns them into a human being, gives them life and purpose beyond what we knew through the bible (for those of you who may have read from it... which I havent). If you are interested, check out my reviews of his novels on my bookshelf. Definitely worth checking out if you are interested in those style novels...
Alright, you David Maine pusher :) Tell me which novel I should put onto the TBR list.
Thanks Lori, I will check out your reviews. Sounds intriguing.
Mod
Monster 1959, his newest novel, is this great campy 1950's style giant monster king kong/godzilla story (a departure from his other three novels which are all biblical fiction). Pulpy and funny and well executed!
I'd love to know if anyone reads him, what you think of him!
I am sure there have been tons of books that I started and then could not finish, but I can only name a few.LOVE IN THE TIME OF CHOLERA
Hmmm, That's the only one I can think of right now. I am reading ATOINMENT right now and I noticed that it has been a hit or miss for some people. So far, I'm sticking with it.
Here we go:Catch 22 - want to love it but can't get past the first few pages
Sophie's World - is this a novel or a philosophy study book? Either way, it was a few days of my life wasted.
One hundered Years of Solitude - how does everyone manage to love this when it's impossible to get past page 5. What the hell is it about?
Cloud Atlas - abandoned. Weird and not my cup of tea at all.
French Lietentenants Woman - such a shame cos my favouite books are The Magus and The Collector by Fowles but I just can't get into this at all.
Special Topics in Calamity Physics - dire.
Boof,I had real trouble with Sophie's World as well.I really wanted to like this book but I could seldom get pass the first chapter.
Okay I am soooo happy to see Catch 22 here. I am returning it to the library tomorrow. I have just not been able to get through it as much as I have wanted to. It may be mindset, I will try it again one day, I hate being defeated :)I am ducking now:
Eat, Pray, Love. What drivle (sp?) Had it not been on the "bestsellers list" at the library which means I was forced to choke it down over 7 days, I probably wouldn't have finished it.
Don't get me wrong, she had some brilliant lines, maybe even a chapter or two. But what self-indulgent garbage that had to be slugged through to get to it. Oh too be paid to spend a year discovering myself, and have to keep a diary along the way...life is so hard. wah wah
Ahhh vent over. I feel bad, a huge part of the problem was probably the hype that was all built up around it. The "hype" seems to be the downfall to a lot of books :P
Ahhhh just remembered, I was planning on reading Sophie's World. Oh, just what I needed, another book to read. Not to mention with all the books I've bought and haven't read...AHH!
Gee whiz - I've only just started on Catch-22, and I thought something was seriously wrong with me! The blurb on the book ("An apocalyptic masterpiece") and the fact that "The classic #1 bestseller" is splashed on the cover didn't help any!But - I'm one of those who'll try to finish the book once I start it, so altho I'm already at chapter 9 and still can't see where on earth the story's going, I'm sluggishly plodding along, thank you.
Isn't there ANYONE who's got anything nice to say about this book?
Mod
I'm very ashamed to admit this, but I have failed on multiple occasions to get through The Iliad. *Runs away and hides*
I don't think you should be ashamed... thats one HEAVY book!
The Next Best Book Club
Books mentioned in this topic
The Lays of Beleriand (other topics)The Catcher in the Rye (other topics)
The Martian Chronicles (other topics)
The Old Man and the Sea (other topics)
The Things They Carried (other topics)
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Authors mentioned in this topic
V.C. Andrews (other topics)Charles Dickens (other topics)
Steve Berry (other topics)
John Steinbeck (other topics)
Dan Brown (other topics)
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In fact, at this moment I can only think of 2...
1. Angela's Angela by Frank McCourt. I realise this was loved by a lot of people, however I've got no idea why... I thought it was extremely boring.
2 The Thomas Berryman Number by James Patterson. I hate to call one of my favourite authors, but this book was TERRIBLE. Rubbish plotline, dragging scenes... drivel.