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Top Ten Books to Avoid
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Lori, Super Mod
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Nov 27, 2008 08:05AM
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heya, mine have probably been said before, but here goes:1. 100 YEARS OF SOLITUDE - too many characters with the same or similiar names, makes for a very confusing and unpleasant read. plus, it got more and more tedious as it went on
2.CATCH 22 - this is supposed to be one of the funniest books ever written, yet it had only one joke which was repeatedly rehashed again, and again...
3. Ulysess [can't spell:] completely pointless to attempt it. confusing, tedious and very, very, very long. will never finish it...
A Confederacy of Dunces, John O'Toole - I am one of the few who really disliked this book. I did not find Ignatius J. Reilly at all a sympathetic character, nor did I find the shenanigans entertaining in the least. I am not one for "humor at the expense of others", even if it is considered "satire".The Shipping News : A Novel, Annie Proulx - I disliked this for similar reasons as Confederacy of Dunces; I remember hating Quoyle's children for making fun of him because of his weight, etc., and the entire story wound up leaving a bad taste in my mouth. This is one that I have promised my mom and oldest brother I would re-read at some point as they especially liked it and thought I was being too hard on it.
On the Road, Jack Kerouac - I have tried this book numerous times and have failed each and every time to get past the first three pages. Apparently the Beats and I just don't mix.
Watership Down, Richard Adams - Like On the Road I have picked this up several times only to put it back down after only a small handful of pages. This, however, has nothing to do with the writing or subject matter; I saw the movie when I was young and I have never been the same again. Picking up the book and beginning to read about the cute little bunnies makes that childhood trauma flare up and I just can not do it.
Candide, Voltaire - I was not amused nor interested by anything in this book.
Ulysses, James Joyce - Pretentious for no good reason.
The Corrections, Jonathan Franzen - I've been told this is a good book, but dysfunctional family stories never sit well with me.
As a rule I do try to read all the books I've started, even if I do not like it - I feel it's only fair to the author to give them a fair shot. This is what I can come up with off the top of my head. I may add more as I pull them from the recesses of my mind where I sent them to begin with because of their amount of suckage.
No!!! Now my heart bleeds - I LOVE watership down ;-(The Crown Conspiracy (Oct 2008) - Fantasy Book Critic Review | Avempartha (April 2009)
Sarahchrissy, I just have to defend One Hundred Years of Solitude for a bit. Whether or not you thought the story was tedious, it's worth it just to read the closing paragraph of the book. It's one of the most beautifully written paragraphs I've ever read.
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LOL thanks Lori - and sniff Fiona - another stake into the heart - she lets out a wailing cry and falls to the bed dramatically.The Crown Conspiracy (Oct 2008) - Fantasy Book Critic Review | Avempartha (April 2009)
Hmmmm didn't know there was a film...I do recall a friend who had a rabbit and it had a tendency to throw stuff out of its hutch but I don't think that is any reason to have ill feelings toward the great rabbits of Watership.The Crown Conspiracy (Oct 2008) - Fantasy Book Critic Review | Avempartha (April 2009)
Thanks for the info - I'll see how I can get my hands on it. The Crown Conspiracy (Oct 2008) - Fantasy Book Critic Review | Avempartha (April 2009)
I think I saw that movie or tried to watch it...
Yeah, I love the movie version of Watership Down as well as the book. I cry whenever the song "Bright Eyes" starts... I would say what happens to make me cry at that moment of the film, but I don't want to spoil it for anyone who hasn't read the book.
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I was a little taken aback when I first saw the cartoon. I liked it, just wasnt expecting it to be so bloody and haunting.. that little grey rabbit gave me the heebie jeebies... the one who could see into the future.
You mean, Fiver, I'm fairly certain, but he was brown though he looked gray in some of the night scenes.
Grrr... I think a re-read of Watership down is going back on my list as well -- Maybe I can make it one of my face2face groups reading assignments....Wife of GR author: Michael J. Sullivan | The Crown Conspiracy (10/08) | Avempartha (04/09)
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who was the grey one with the hair on his head.... BigWig???
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love when the seagull calls them stupid for not having mates. his accent just makes me lol.
1. Heart of Darkness - felt like the longest book ever written2. Great Expectations - I don't really do Dickens, for some reason I can barely read a paragraph without loosing concentration, and every time I thought the books is finished, it went on.
3 The scarlet Letter
Saturday by Ian Mcewan...I have never hated a book so thoroughly. Bee Season by Myla Goldberg. This book started out with promise, but spiraled into an unpleasant mess.
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Ummm... most of them Indonesian books, but maybe... just maybe, you would have heard it somewhere.1. Any Indonesian teen-oriented Harlequin-esque novel, usually dubbed 'chicklits' or 'teenlits'. I'd like to call them "Embodiment of Sinetron Devil", pun intended :P
2. Supernova (Dewi Lestari). Critical acclaim! Brilliant storyline! LOL. Yeah right, it gives me headaches with its topsy-turvy helter-skelter writing. Oh, there's even that 'confusing quasi-transcendental thought process' bonus. Great.
3. Bu Kek Sian Soo series (Kho Ping Hoo). Definitely not recommended for snowballing/DragonBall effect haters, since even i could be appalled by it. That's after i read Dragon Ball, btw.
4. Harry Potter series (JK Rowling). Okay, this one i did not hate as much as the others, although the concept has died on me... but wait, there comes the rabid fans!
Ooh, they are frothing all over and starting to brandish their hammers of smiting! Better run!
The thing i loathe the most from HP is the fans. Not to go all Pars Pro Toto here, but when you met too many rabid shipping fans, you'd begin to loathe the book itself. Oh, and i only bought them up until the fourth. after that, those rabid fans killed off a small part of me and i stopped buying.
To Dessa: I totally agree with you on Wicked - especially when compared with the musical, which was fantastic IMHO. But Grapes of Wrath I'll have to respectfully diagree. While I realize it is dense and some of the writing take a long time to get to where you are going...I think it is a wonderful book and is still one of my favorites.
Wife of GR author: Michael J. Sullivan | The Crown Conspiracy (10/08) | Avempartha (04/09)
Well, I just "wasted" a good hour reading this WHOLE post. And it was an hour WELL wasted. How wonderful to read what people think about books. And how for the most part, people agree about certain ones. Very enjoyable to read what you all had to say!I am usually reluctant to tell people about the books I didn't care for (as I dislike the word "hate")as they are for the most part tremendously judgmental about them. I try and read to broaden my mind, but I also love fluff. Totally. And YA. LOVE that stuff. And to some, that makes me less of a reader in their eyes (because I don't like/care for some of the "classics" or what they are reading). OR, I am a "smarty-pants" who is showing off. There are days I feel I cannot win.
However, that said, I feel I can list my list here. While I know there are people who will disagree with me, it won't be in the vein as mentioned above. That is VERY refreshing to me!! So thanks to this group for making it a safe place to civilly discuss our dislikes.
(There are more than 10...I hope that is OK!..I just kept thinking of ones while I read all the previous posts) :-)
In no particular order:
1. The Good German ~ Joseph Karon/While a good topic and subject, the story at times REALLY dragged for me and to be honest, the ending was a HUGE letdown. While I am glad that I read it, I did NOT enjoy it while I was reading it.
2. Lord of the Flies ~ William Golding/Sorry Lori!! I had to read this in school and I remember crying though most of it. I was so upset and angry that CHILDREN would do these things to each other. Very disturbing.
3. Almost Moon ~ Alice Sebold/ LOVED "The Lovely Bones" and "Lucky". DID NOT love this one. I don't think I made it past chapter 2. ICK!
4. Jane Eyre ~ Charlotte Bronte/This book was SO hard for me to read. I just don't get all the "flowery" language and just lots of things about this book. I know its a "classic", but sometimes, I think the "classics" are the hardest to read....at least for me. But I keep plugging away. I did like the story though. It was the way it was told (language and how it flowed)that bugged me to NO end!!
5. The Memory Keeper's Daughter ~ Kim Edwards/There has been enough said on this one. While an interesting idea and topic, there is little room for sympathy for these people, especially the father. SIGH. ICK!
6. Daisy Miller ~ Henry James/ ONLY because she is so inappropriate and such a silly girl at times. SO annoying!!!
7. Atonement ~ Ian McEwan/Really?? Was this book REALLY necessary?? I am SO glad I am not the only one. And I give KUDOS to those who loved it. You all are better people than I!!
8. The Jane Austen Book Club ~ Karen Joy Fowler/PURE cattiness. If I want that I will call up my step-monster. It did nothing to make me want to read ANY Jane Austen (something I have been trying to gear up to do)!!
9. Bee Season ~ Myla Goldberg/I was really surprised by this book. And not in a pleasant way. The premise is great, but it just spirals down into a very ugly place and never quite redeems itself!
10. I'll Take You There ~ Joyce Carol Oates/There is 2 hours of my life I will never get back again. Not only did I NOT understand this book, I don't even know WHY it was written. IMHO, there is NOTHING redeeming about this book. YUCK!
11. Wicked ~ Gregory Maguire/I saw the musical and THEN tried to read the book. BAD move. Will never attempt to read it again. So bad. WILL see the musical again if I get the chance. Fantastic!
12. Angela's Ashes ~ Frank McCourt/ I was depressed for a month after reading this. I gave it to my boss (at the time), and he couldn't even finish it and HE IS IRISH!!! I get that its about his life and life was rough there, but it just was so sad and depressing. And I LIKE books like this normally. I don't know. I just didn't like it.
13. Daughter of Fortune ~ Isabel Allende/I don't even really remember this book. I do remember I DID NOT like it. I finished it, but GACK!!!
14. One Hundred Years of Solitude <--I couldn't remember who was who and which one of the same name was being talked about. I was SO confused. I gave up. I am sure its wonderful, but I really don't need added confusion in my life!! LOL :_)
Dawn, don't care about people who think you are less because you don't care about classics. Enjoy the YA, chick-lit and all the rest....I think some of them are sometimes even better than some classics..and I do like classics. You read books and that's what counts! And you enjoy what you read!
Dawn - Great well thought out post!! I have to agree with you on Wicked -- How FANTASTIC is that musical - it finally beat out Les Mes for me which was my all time favorite musical for like a decade!! - I realy feel for those people who saw the musical first. I did it the other way around and almost didn't see the musical because of my dislike of they story but my husband and middle daughter coaxed me ... then gave me the soundtrack and once I was hooked on the music they took me to it...Wow -- Can't believe I almost missed out on the such a great experience because of that ****** book!Wife of GR author: Michael J. Sullivan | The Crown Conspiracy (10/08) | Avempartha (04/09)
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Dawn, very well said! It speaks volumes to the group here, and i wholeheartedly agree. It is a wonderful place, and you should always feel comfortable discussing your likes and dislikes without worrying what people will say, if you will be attacked, or thought about negatively.
Thank you Dawn, and thank you TNNBC members...!!
:)
And thanks to you Lori! Super Mod you deserve some credit as well :)Dawn.
It is interesting... it seems the reason for your a lot of your dislikes seems to be how the book affected you emotionally as oppossed to the writing style.
I agree with you regarding Almost Moon. I actually thought the book was well written and I thought the author took a big risk with the idea of writing a book about killing your mother.
However, I just couldn't get past the idea. It horrified me.
I really liked Memory Keepers Daughter. However, I can see why some people didn't like it. The father is a character that could easily be despised.
Angela's Ashes is VERY depressing. The thing I liked about the book was how realistic it was. The fact that I had relatives that came over from Ireland myself, it was interesting to me.
I too am not a big classic reader.
I make up my own :)
Thank you all for your kind words...it just re-enforces what I said and what I think of this group, which is by far my favorite!! @Kellie: I agree about Almost Moon. I am sure if I could have gotten around the subject matter, I would have found it to be a really well written book. Her others were. But the idea of killing ones mother was more than just horrifying to me, it was repulsive. And because of that (I just couldn't get past it at all), I never finished the book.
I wonder if I need to go back and re-read Memory Keeper's Daughter. Maybe I missed something that it seems like LOTS of people got. Hmmm...
I think some of the books turned me off because of writing style, but yes, I guess most are because of an emotional response. I guess I need to examine that. Hmmmm....again!!! :-)
And yes, THANK YOU to Lori. You rock. You make this such a great place and we are all grateful for the load you bear. May we all live up to what you promote everyday!!!
I think I am trying to start reading angela's ashes for more thna ten years but never manage to take it home because it already feels depressing just seeing the front cover.
Angela's Ashes was a little strange for me because it just didn't seem like there was anything really unifying it as a book. There was moments when it was totally hilarious, moments when it was achingly sad, moments when it caused you to reflect on society or religion. However, other than the fact that the main character was getting older, there was no real progression or growth from beginning to end; he just switched topics of conversation. I'm glad I read it, and I think it has some beautiful moments. Still, from what I've heard, I think his other books may be a better bet.
I've really enjoyed reading everyone's comments. My list is as follows:How To Be Good - Nick Hornby (and I LOVED High Fidelity)
Kite Runner - Khaled Hosseini - I just found the main character completely unsympathetic and it completely ruined it for me.
Atonement - Ian McEwan - See above.
Bridges of Madison County
Son of a Witch - Gregory Maguire - unlike a lot of you I absolutely loved Wicked. I just couldn't get into Son of a Witch.
The Devil Wears Prada - Lauren Weisberger - I found this book torturous. I couldn't relate to it on any level.
Half Asleep in Frog Pajamas - Tom Robbins is one of my all time favorite authors, but this one really bored me.
Susan, what didn't you like about bridges of madison county?
I read it a very long time ago so I must confess that my memory of it is foggy - however, I vividly recall absolutely despising it - enough that it was one of the first books I thought of when I saw this discussion topic. I believe one of the reasons was that I found it over the top sappy. Also, I felt like the author was writing exactly what he thought women wanted to hear, which I found extremely one dimensional and somewhat commercial. I can't give you much more than that because of my awful memory (it's the cross I bear!).
Jeane, now you're in Ireland you have to read James Joyce. :-) That should keep you going for a year (or two).
OOh, I had tried to put The Devil Wears Prada out of my mind...I was listening to it during my sculpture studio and I swore if she said "any girl would die for your position" again I would shove my chisel through my ear...no lie. I made with my hearing intact though. I won't see the movie. Not interested. Same with Twilight (not as horrible as I thought it would be, but not that great). I broke down and read the book, but I don't care enough to see the movie.
Some interesting choices and discussion (and yes, very refreshing that people can air their opinions freely too!).I enjoyed The Memory Keepers Daughter and loved The Kite Runner. I am in a book group and it is interesting how some people just do not like a book if they don't like the main character.
My choices: I have never been able to get past the first few pages of Heart of Darkness (although hubby just finished it and liked it) a total shocker for me was Seven Types of Ambiguity (written by an Australian author). I forced myself to read all 700-odd pages as my brother in law loved it, but it got worse not better. Another one not finished was Gould's Book of Fish (another Australian one). Don't be put off Australian authors though, I just happen to have read a few as I am Australian.
Petra, I am planning, the moment I get my library card, to try to read some books from irish authors, or books set in Dublin/ireland. I have ulysses at home and would read ubliners. I have to wait for Dubliners because I gave it for my boyfriend's birthday and I can't read it till he has read it...which means a lot of patience is needed. But I hope I can try out some of the typical, old, well known Irish treasures.
Meave Binchy is a guilty pleasure of mine. Kind of fluffy, but sort of rewarding and always pretty funny.^^
Abigail, I seem to adore Maeve Binchy her stories!
I don't have ten, but I can give you one right off the top of my head, The Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne. Half the time I couldn't even understand what was being said in this book, it's crazy.
Ooooh, I love threads like this.Here's a few of mine:
1. "Lisa, Bright and Dark" by John Neufeld.
I read this one years ago, and all I can remember about it is Lisa crashing through a plate glass window. In a book about someone's mental illness, you'd think the subject would at least be more memorable. It's not because the narrator, Lisa's friend, spends a lot of time yammering about her own life and her crush on Paul Newman.
2. "The Stranger" by Albert Camus
I hated this when I read it in high school. This guy commits a crime and at his trial they bring up that he didn't cry at his mom's funeral. And the guy's lawyer didn't bother objecting for irrelavance. Existentialism at its worst.
Gotta go. Boss is leaving.
The last book I started and couldn't finish was Almost Moon...something about it just made it unreadable for me.I loved The Kite Runner though...
The ones on my list are the ones I was forced to read in school - my policy since then is "don't finish a book you're not enjoying."The lucky books making the list:
Silas Marner - The capper was that we were assigned to DIAGRAM SENTENCES from it.
Endgame - Somehow I ended up reading this twice in one month, in two languages. Once in 20th Century British & American Drama, and once in Intro to French Literature. I hated it in both languages.
Descent into Discourse: The Reification of Language and the Writing of Social History - The professor in my Historiography class in grad school said he assigned it because he knew we would all hate it. We did! It was voted "book we'd most like to incinerate in a trash can at the end of the semester" that term.
In a lesser catagory of hatred, but still hatred:
The Pearl and The Red Pony - It wasn't that bad the first time it was assigned. The third and fourth times, not so much.
The Old Man and the Sea - The book that made me stop reading Hemingway.
Romeo and Juliet - I've always hated it. Don't like West Side Story (except for the music), either. (I love Shakespeare, by the way, just not this play.)
Ok, I'm back.To pick up from where I left off:
3. "The Red Tent" by Anita Diamant
Menstrual and childbirth bleeding take such a front and center role in this book that I was sure that's what was used to dye that tent red. And I don't consider myself religious, but making the biblical Jacob a sheep molester I thought was a bit much.
4. "A Year at the Movies" by Kevin Murphy
I'm a huge Mystery Science Theater fan, and when I found out that Kevin Murphy, one of the writers of the show was writing a book about going to a movie a day, I looked forward to the book for weeks. I expected acid reviews of Hollywood dreck, in the same vein as Mike Nelson's "Movie Megacheese". Unfortunately, it was extremely detailed descriptions
of all the theaters he attended, along with some complaints about how long movie previews take. Big letdown.
Logan wrote: "I can only think of one book off the top of my head that I would tell people to never bother with:The Blind Assassin by Margaret Atwood
I really can't think of another book that I despised from b..."
I try to ALWAYS finish a book, no matter what. I just can't. I finally, just this last week, allowed myself to lay this book aside. I am so surprised at all the great reviews, and am SO happy to see someone agrees with me!
I am very interested in the "story within a story", and that's probably the only reason I read as long as I did. The framework story just holds NO interest for me. I don't want to spoil anything for you. I was really looking forward to this book, too. I love some of Atwood's others, this just wasn't it for me. If you read it, let us know what you think.
One comes to mind, at the present moment is 1)Cathedral of the Sea
UGH! I'm suffering through it and have only 210 pages to go so I'm figuring I should finish it. Somebody HELP! Lol.
2) Time Traveler's Wife
3) Middlesex
4) Babel Tower
It's interesting how we can all read the same book and have such different responses!
Middlesex is sitting on my nightstand. I am embarassed to admit I only purchased it because of the heated debates on this site. I am reluctant to start it for the same reason! I keep thinking, "okay just this first, then I'll start it."
Kandice, I actually enjoyed Middlesex. Hopefully you will too. Controversial subjects don't really bother me and it's hard for me to get weirded out by things so maybe that's why I liked it.
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