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worst book you read
message 51:
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Caroline
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Mar 30, 2011 05:48PM
I don't know if it was because I had to read it for school or because of how it was written, but I couldn't stand Heart of Darkness. I thought I would like it since I was interested in the subject, but I could barely get past the first couple of pages.
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I've never read Heart of Darkness, but I had to read Conrad's Lord Jim in school and did not like the book at all. And I recently tried to reread it, and I still do not like it.
Amanda wrote: "George wrote: "Congratulations! Maybe you had a good teacher like myself, ha!"A couple, but mostly I've just always had an in born desire to read good books and so went out seeking them and enjoy..."
Even with such a desire...a crappy teacher can instantly suck the fun and desire out of any book!
"Worst book I ever read?" Honestly, I'd have to say my own. Not any one in particular, just any one. First off, I found that my own book(s) do absolutely nothing to expand my consciousness of the world around me, the meaning of life, or even just who I am. Throughout the book(s), I was constantly nagged by a overwhelming shadow of deja vu. The plot was predictable. It was as if I was inside the writer's head. I knew every twist before it turned, and the conclusion was obvious to me from the first chapter. Nothing I wrote surprised me in the least. The red herrings (more like sardines) were akin to boring commercials that simply interrupted the show and annoyed me. And the characters, oh my god, the characters. I recognized them, one and all, as people I know in real life. Despite my disclaimer that all characters were purely ficticious, I was not fooled. I knew them all - childhood friends, eccentric relatives, ex-girlfriends and other enemies, even my cellmate. The author is a hack, a charlatan. I have half a mind to write to my publisher and demand a refund. Or better yet, the FBI for the man has stolen my identity and my intellectual property. If this were not April Fool's Day, and therefore a federal holiday, my solicitors would be in contact with my barristers.
Will wrote: ""Worst book I ever read?" Honestly, I'd have to say my own. Not any one in particular, just any one. First off, I found that my own book(s) do absolutely nothing to expand my consciousness of the w..."A Hack? A Charlatan? I'll have you know, sir, I am a well respected author - among both my peers in the literary community and the thousands of readers who do me the honor of subscribing to my works. You are a Philistine. No, you are unworthy of being a Philistine. You are a Neanderthal. Whereas I have a fan club of loyal readers, you have a club of wood. Why you wouldn't know literature if William Shakespeare and Charles Dickens pelted you with volumes of the Oxford English Dictionary from the roof of the New York Public Library. You would simply bat them away with your club. I assure you, April Fool's Day or not, my attorneys and my publisher's legal counselors would relish an opportunity to meet with both your solicitor and your barristers. A charlatan, indeed!
"Wide Sargasso Sea" actually made me want to throw the book across the room and say 'no more!!' and it's a short book. I also wasn't a fan of "The Time Traveler's Wife". I couldn't finish it. It was so depressing. I wanted to go back in time and prevent it from being written. Then again, that's my opinion. Enough people liked it for a movie to be made.
Will wrote: "Will wrote: ""Worst book I ever read?" Honestly, I'd have to say my own. Not any one in particular, just any one. First off, I found that my own book(s) do absolutely nothing to expand my conscious..."Thank for for the laughs Will....
Amanda wrote: "George wrote: "As someone who taught English literature for 32 years, I would say that you might come back to a book that you hated in high school and try it again. I've done that myself and gained..."I also enjoyed most of the books I read at school. Pride and Prejudice is still one of my favourites.
George wrote: "As someone who taught English literature for 32 years, I would say that you might come back to a book that you hated in high school and try it again. I've done that myself and gained a new apprecia..."I've actually been thinking about doing this with Jane Eyre, The Great Gatsby, and The Joy Luck Club.
I dont know, I might do it sometime this year for the other group I'm in "50 books a year"
I can't remember ever reading a book I thought was the 'worst' book I ever read but I certainly have read a lot I didn't like. The one I disliked the most is easy - Erehwon by Samuel Butler. Gnirob would have been a more appropriate title.
Twilight and books affiliated with Stephanie Meyers. And I wasn't a big fan of Heart of Darkness or Lord Jim. Just not a big fan of Conrad. And I've tried 3 or 4 times to read The Mayor of Casterbridge, and I can never get into that as well.
Mod
And I wasn't a big fan of Heart of Darkness or Lord Jim. Just not a big fan of Conrad. And I've tried 3 or 4 times to read The Mayor of Caster..."
I certainly am not a fan of Joseph Conrad, nor have I ever been able to read Ayn Rand without cringing. I have not read the Twilight series and I don't think I ever want to, either.
I definitely second the Twilight books as the worst I have read. I didn't think they were well written at all, and I really don't understand why they're so popular. Same with Dan Brown's Da Vinci code. Maybe my expectations were just too high because of all the hype.
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I think what bothered me most about The Da Vinci Code (with all the hype) was the attitude that Dan Brown's idea was so novel, so new. BS, I say, I had read some French non-fiction books on the theory that Jesus Christ and Mary Magdalene ended up in France long before Dan Brown's book was published.
The worst book I've ever read was Mein Kampf by Adolf Hitler in my junior year of high school. I've always been fascinated with Nazi Germany and devoured every book on the subject that I could get my hands on so when I saw Mein Kampf on my history teacher's bookshelf I started reading it and he let me take it home. I read a lot of it despite how much it bored me but a little more than half way through I gave up on it. SO incredibly BORING.
I'd have to put The Chronicles of Narnia on my absolute worst list simply because of the awful, preachy, heart-wrenching betrayal of the ending. After 7 books of heroism and sacrifice, the last thing I ever expected was for the kids to die a senseless death, just so they could be (ahem) saved.One of the few books I've ever tossed in the garbage.
Oh, Sally, you've reminded me of a book even worse than Mein Kampf. The Bible! That's the worst book I've ever attempted to read. I've thrown away a few bibles when I was quite young. Now whenever someone gifts me one (which happens often) I sell it or trade it at a used book store because I can't bear to throw books away, even books as terrible as the bible.
To anyone who knows this book, this probably won't be a surprise, but I didn't find anything of worth in Henry Miller's Tropic of Cancer. Naked Lunch, I liked because of it's experimentalness.. with Tropic, it just read like one big misogynistic pretentious splurge of conciousness.
She'Davia wrote: "Jane Eyre tops the chart for me. I found it incredibly boring and the lack of emotion turned me off of the book. I had to read it for school. The line the killed me was"Reader, I married him."
L..."
I'm not defending Jane Eyre (I didn't like it too much, either), but a lot of times restrained or unexpressed emotion is stronger than the alternative (beating the reader over the head with "how you feel") because it allows the reader to react on her own, instead of being forced into a sentimental reaction.
As for me, I love Ursula K. Le Guin's writing (especially her fantasy) but hated The Dispossessed: An Ambiguous Utopia. I was one-third of the way through before I stopped and nothing had happened.
I'm going to say "Petals in the Wind" (the sequel to Flowers in the Attic) was one of the worst books I've ever read (all the way through--i won't count the ones i put down after the first few chapter).
The worst book I read was Echo by Francesca Lia Block. It was one of those books that tried to be artsy but failed miserably, instead leaving me confused and aggravated. To this day I'm still not sure if it was meant to be fantasy or if the main character might have been a touch mad
The worst book i have read recently was Don DeLillo's White Noise. I found it utterly pointless and it took me weeks to read it. I kept hoping it would go somewhere lol.I also tried to read Heart of Darkness a few weeks ago and gave up after 25 pages, something I never do, no matter how bad the book is.
Worst book I've ever read would have to be Diary of a Jetsetting Call Girl by Tracy Quan. I don't know what compelled me buy it or read it. I found the protagonist annoying and minor characters weren't much better.
Mod
The two worst books I've ever read are White Fang and Call of the Wild both by Jack London. I don't think I ever finished either of them because I just couldn't stand them. I had to read them for school and just went on cliff-notes the day before the test. I can't even look at those books I just don't like those books and I couldn't tell you why. It's just one of those things you can't explain...
The Grapes of Wrath by John Steinbeck. I tried my hardest to read it but found myself getting more and more annoyed the further I got into the book.
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I've never been able to get into Steinbeck. Just because something is considered a classic does not mean you have to like it.
Wuthering Heights. I have never so thoroughly hated a book from beginning to end. The characters were completely unsympathetic, and symbolism seemed to get a higher priority than plot. There's 10 or more pages of description for every sentence of plot.
This is a great forum, so many different viewpoints. Actually The Grapes of Wrath by John Steinbeck is among my favorites. I have read it many times.All the hardships that pepole endured during those days were caused by big banks and corporations. Is the same pattern somehow being repeated once again? Will the people be innocent victims this time, or is there a better way?
Sarah wrote: "Oh, Sally, you've reminded me of a book even worse than Mein Kampf. The Bible! That's the worst book I've ever attempted to read. I've thrown away a few bibles when I was quite young. Now whenever ..."I tried reading the Bible once cover to cover. I got about halfway through Song of Songs and gave up. Once you get to all the hymns it gets extremely boring. I was very religious at that point as well. Have never read Mein Kampf though.
Bright Purple: Color me Confused
This book was not boring, it just really frustrated me.
This book was not boring, it just really frustrated me.
I never would judge book likes or dislikes, but I have to weigh in because several most-hated books on this list are among my top 10! The Scarlet Letter, Wuthering Heights, Jane Eyre, and Heart of Darkness are all great book loves of mine! I have read each at least a half- dozen times if not more, and Wuthering Heights has been in my top 10 since I was 12 or 13! This just goes to show that one man's trash is another man's treasure, as the adage says, right? What is my most- hated book? I despised The Road by Cormac McCarthy ... Now, I am a really big fan of the dystopian, post-apocalyptic, and science fiction genres, but that novel was the most bleak, hopeless, horrific, nightmarish, anxiety-inducing plot I have ever suffered through, and I would recommend it to absolutely no one! You may beg to differ ... It's all good!
Tuesdays with Morrie was the vilest thing I have ever read. My pain was only soothed by bathing my eyeballs in vinegar.
I think Ricky said it best. I can't handle anything by Hemingway. Especially The Sun Also Rises. First thier in the cab, then the cafe, back to the bullfight, then the hotel, back to the cafe...and I'm supposed to identify with some kind of mortal wound on page 46 according to my professor. Oh well.
Caroline wrote: "I don't know if it was because I had to read it for school or because of how it was written, but I couldn't stand Heart of Darkness. I thought I would like it since I was interested in the subject,..."I am with you - thought that was the longest short novel ever!
Julie wrote: "She'Davia wrote: "Jane Eyre tops the chart for me. I found it incredibly boring and the lack of emotion turned me off of the book. I had to read it for school. The line the killed me was"Reader, ..."
One of my favorites too. But since I do not like Pride and Prejudice (please don't6 take my woman card), I think I can imamgine that someone would feel that way about Jane Eyre.
Enrique's Journey. It makes me sick just thinking about it. The worst writing, worst plot, worst thesis I can possibly imagine. I can't believe we had to read such an enormously atrocious book for high school. There are so many great classics out there and they make us read this crap instead.
I was in AP lit and I read Age of Innocence. I could barely get through it. I thought it would be interesting because of the love triangles and betrayal and rebellious thought; it turned out to be just depictions of ridiculous things and all society talk with literally a hundred plus characters. definitely not for me.
The worst book I ever read was Ayn Ran's Atlas Shrugged. I have read books that ended weak, that I thought was weak in writing style, or I just didn't like were they went. However those are style choicesand as Kim said one's trash is another's treasure.
Atlas Shrugged stands out because I found her ideas offensive and disturbing. The part that I remembered the most was she killed a whole train filled with people and justified because they were type that was against the "hero". That kind of callous towards human life is just plain wrong and can't be justified.
Stephen wrote: "Tuesdays with Morrie was the vilest thing I have ever read. My pain was only soothed by bathing my eyeballs in vinegar."
I read it too and thought it was a bit sappy, couldn,t finish (well, I almost read all of it) . read also five people you want to meet in heaven, just as bad. won,t ever read any of his books again.
It's a tie between The Great Gatsby (yes, I know, literary heresy) and Piratica. Oh, god, Piratica was so bad.
Yeah, Alaska, I'm going to have to agree with you on The Scarlet Letter. Unlikable characters, formulaic chapters, not to mention I don't care one bit about some cowardly babydaddy's inner suffering. Man up and own your mistakes.Pearl and the witch lady were kind of interesting and I got a good paper out of it, but uuuugh.
Shannon wrote: "It's a tie between The Great Gatsby (yes, I know, literary heresy) and Piratica. Oh, god, Piratica was so bad."I hate "The Great Gatsby" too.
I also hate The Great Gatsby. Didn't have to read it in high school so finally read it a few months ago. LOATHE.
I am reading The Great Tatsby but it isn't holding my interest. I have a hard copy so I have moved on for the moment
Most boring book for me would be The Great Gatsby as well. And Encore Valentine. But the worst ever was The Demon Girl
I have two books that I wished I didn,t read , one the room and two davinci code. both were bad, poorly written. life is too short to reading books you don,t enjoy.
Fahrenheit 9 11 and The yard. Both dull and boring.
I loathed Gone Girl so much. I don't know why it exploded like it did. All the characters are terrible people, and there isn't a lot of fun in reading about two sociopaths being horrible to each other. It says a lot about your main characters when the sleazy lawyer is one of the only people who is actually a decent human. I read the whole thing only because there wasn't a full wikipedia summary and I wanted to know how it ended. That's partially because it was so outlandish that there wasn't any sane way for it to work out. Spoiler: It was insane
Banned Books
Books mentioned in this topic
Finnegans Wake (other topics)A Passage to India (other topics)
Infinite Jest (other topics)
Frankenstein (other topics)
The Catcher in the Rye (other topics)
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Tracy Quan (other topics)Francesca Lia Block (other topics)
