Chicks On Lit discussion
Worst Book of the Year for You
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For me it was Vernon God Little by DBC Pierre. I found it so bleak and depressing.One I didn't finish was Second Glance by Jodi Picoult. It just didn't hold my interest and I had no desire to finish it at all. Quite unusual for me!
Yeah, I didn't wind up liking Curious Incident, but since I didn't finish it either (just read maybe 20-30 pp.), I didn't put it here.At what point do you allow yourself to give up, Tera? DId you keep on with Curious because it was a CoL read?
Didn't love The Shack like everyone else I know did. Or Hunger Point (older novel). Or Love & Respect, which I was told was the best marriage book ever.
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Oh and The Wind Done Gone. HORRIFIC!
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I think it's okay to remember that and not feel obligated to any book regardless of who recommended it or who loves it because books are so personal.
I also don't really like chocolate and as a woman you should see the open mouth looks I get when i admit that some want to strip me of my X chromosome.
LOL Tera!I don't like to shop (HATE it), so I know what you mean!
Great post Tera! I also am not that fond of chocolate!
Keep in mind that these are books that I thought were so bad/boring that I couldn't even trudge through them and finish like I usually do;If There Be Dragons by Kay Hooper
Cat's Eye by Margaret Atwood
2 out of over 60 isn't bad! I'm quite proud of myself for choosing books that I end up liking :)
What didn't you like about Chelsea Handler's book, Ashley? I have it on my list (I do think she's very funny on TV) and I'm intrigued why you hated it.
Ashley, the same question to you concerning the red leather diary? why was it so bad?
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The diary form didn't work for me either with this book.
The Story of Edgar Sawtelle. I know, a lot of people loved it, but I am not among them. I liked parts of it and I strongly disliked others, but I really hated the ending. So much that I wished I hadn't wasted my time reading it, my money buying it, and I didn't even want it in my house any more! And I blamed myself for being shocked at the ending, because I did actually know what other literary work the book was based on, and I should have been expecting it.I am afraid that Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close is also on my worst list. I liked the character of Oscar and that was the only reason I finished it (although I ended up skipping all the parts that Oscar didn't narrate, just to get through it and find out what happened to him). I just couldn't stand the style, the format, the graphics, the way every conversation was all bunched together in one big paragraph... well, you get the idea.
I saw Tera's other thread so the title is fresh in my mind but, I did not like
A Thousand Splendid Suns
So far, I've tried to get into Sawtelle 2x and haven't been able to. Not thrilled to know the ending is discouraging. Wondering if I should remove it from my TBR?
I didn't like The Wind Done Gone, Red Leather Diary, History of Love, the Curious Incident book, and I'm afraid I'm not going to like Edgar Sawtelle either. I don't have any desire to read it just based on the description but I'll give it a go and see what happens.Tera...I too am not overly thrilled with chocolate and would rather have the chalky candy or the sour candy LOL
I'm with you on the chocolate thing. I'd much rather have sour candy or gummy candy.
Gosh, Laura, Holli, and anyone else concerned, sorry if I semi-spoiled the ending of Sawtelle. A lot of people liked it, after all. Anyone who is still determined to read it, and hasn't already bought a copy, is welcome to mine! I'll mail it anywhere in the continental US!
You didn't ruin it for me Marsha.... no worries!!
I think it's funny that lots of people have said they don't like chocolate, but NO ONE has said they don't like to SHOP.Online shopping, OK. I hate wandering from store to store trying to find something I could find in 2 minutes, at the best price, online.
I love to shop. I even go just to walk around, without buying anything. I get the itch to just go to the mall for no reason at all.
I do the same Kristen...I'm a big-time lover of browsing. Sorry Laura, can't agree with ya on this one! LOL
I'm like a guy on shopping. I want to get in, and get out. Or better yet, buy online, and not have to battle the crowds at all. (hate crowds)Bah Humbug!
Me too, Laura! I hate the mall. When I absolutely must go there, I'm on a mission to get what I need and then quickly escape. Online shopping is the best.Memory Keeper's Daughter was probably my least interesting read this year so far, although it was not horrible or anything.
I didn't love The Shack either although I couldn't say it was my least favorite. It definitely wasn't "life changing" like everyone told me it was! LOL I'm reading Chelsea Handler's Are You There Vodka? and man, it's rough getting through it. I'm having the hardest time. I don't know her but from how the book is marketed she seemed to have my kind of sense of humor and she definitely does NOT. Someone else mentioned it was their worst book up top and even though I'm not finished yet it just may be mine too.
I have to go with The Gargoyle as the most disappointing read of the last year. I had so looked forward to reading it, and it took me forever to get through it. I probably should have just put it aside. There were some good parts in it, but overall, it was a book I just wanted to be done with.
I might cry because you didn't like Margaret Atwood, Anastasia!!! Have you read any of her other stuff? I think she's a genius and I worship her. I downloaded some podcast she does, but it was boring. Now I was definitely disappointed in that! I haven't read a lot of these others you guys are talking about. shopping--no
chocolate--yes (though not to DIE for)
I loved the red leather diary. I CRIED my eyes out!
As for Sawtelle, I haven't heard many rave reviews. I wonder why Oprah chose it...?
Kissing Frogs by Laura Marie AltomI knew it wasn't going to be great literature, but even for a light read it was horrible.
There were a couple that I found disappointing. They just didn't live up to all the hype surrounding them. They were:
Confessions of an Ugly Stepsister by Gregory Maguire
Freakonomics by Steven D. Levitt
The Year of Magical Thinking by Joan Didion
The History of Love was my least favorite novel this year, in fact, I didn't finish it which is rare for me. I almost started Edgar Sawtelle last night, but just can't for some reason. There is always another book on my "to-read" shelf that grabs my attention more. I'm sure I'll get to it someday....As for shopping, I love it - online and in the stores! I also love candy and chocolate, but try to stay away from both - so sad.
worst book of the year:cat's eye..i'm with you Anastasia.
I think the biggest disappointment for me (sorry for those of you who loved it) was the final book in the Twilight series... I just felt she took some nasty and unnecessary turns in trying to end the story. It lost the guilty pleasure I felt reading it.Another disappointment was the fourth book of The Outlander series-- dare I say, boring. I've got the fifth book in my reading basket and I'm almost afraid to start it because I don't want to be disappointed.
Other than that, I've found something I've liked about most of the other books I've read...
Ok, I have been thinking about this one.... The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants...........very fast read, but when I finished it, I was like ok... and? Just nothing there
Twighlight............sorry, I know that just about everyone loves this one and the ones with it. I just don't care for vampire books. I tried this one to give it a shot.... it just secured my dislike of them.
Heidi, I agree about the final Twilight book. A complete departure from the previous three. "Nasty" and "unnecessary" are the perfect words to describe it.
i am with marsha, heidi and kat! hands down no contest on any planet i am aware or not aware of the worst book i read this year was the fourth book in the twilight series. i will never get any of those hours back in my life and it angered me! it's my fault i read the books based on nephew peer pressure! first time i ever succumbed to reading a book i didn't like based off of pressure from someone else! but i was fascinated, my nephew had never read a book in his life and he loved this book! so i read it for him and those hours are gone never to be retrieved again in this life time! 
The Monster of Florence was one of them for me. I tried just couldn't like it a bit. Also Patricia Cornwell's Isle of Dogs. Yuk.
Ironically there were 2 books by 2 of my favorite contmeporary authors to read were so bad I could barely finish them and was totally disgusted.The first being the 3rd and final in a series... Little Lady Agency and the Prince by Hester Browne
The other book is a 2 part series by Lee Nichols the Tales of A Drama Queen and The True Lies of a Drama Queen.
Very disappointing! I can almost read anything, but I wish I had waited to check out at the library insteading buying the Browne book. The other I did check out but was disgusted and could not finish the 2nd book past page 30.
The worst book I read this year was Double Bind by Chris Bojahlian (sp) It was so horrible I can't even believe it was published. I bought because it was on the recommended by the staff shelf at the bookstore. My goodness what a bad taste it left in my mouth.
I read a star trek book for a book challenge I was in...ughorama!!! Crucible Kirk: the star to Every Wandering by David r George III - bleckand I recently read a sort of local author Healing Noelle by Michael J Huckabee. It is supposed to be christian fiction meets nanotechnology and it really missed the mark.
My worsed book of the year was The Blue Bottle Club by Penelope J. StokesThe story itself sounded very good but had far too much religion in it, at least for me. The first 160 pages were okay but after that it got heavy. I only ended the book because I wanted to know the outcome of the story.
It was the first and last book I read by her.
I had a hard time reading Bram Stoker's Dracula. It was miserable for me. I trugged through it because I was hoping it would get better. Also, it's a classic and isn't everyone supposed to love the classics? Well I certainly didn't love this one.
The Almost Moon by Alice Sebold. I absolutely hated the main character and didn't feel sorry for her one bit.Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close- I just didn't get into it and ended up quitting about halfway through. It is very rare when I don't finish a book!
The Devil Wears Prada- pure yuck.
Running with Scissors- more yuck. I needed to take a shower after reading it.
Five Quarters of the Orange- Just didn't enjoy it at all.
Playing with the Grownups- This was an ARC that I was asked to review. I absolutely hated it!
The biggest disappointment for me this year was Paint it Black by Janet Fitch. I just couldn't get into it and I didn't care one bit about the main character and her punk world. I was intrigued, but not enough to sludge through it....took it back to the library without finishing.It was a HUGE disappointment for me because I absolutely LOVED While Oleander and I couldn't wait for Ms. Fitch to write another book. I'll still read the next book she writes though.
I'm with Heidi & Marsha on this one. Breaking Dawn is the worst book of the year for me. I really struggled to finish it. Stephenie Meyer should've left it as a trilogy instead of a happy ever after.So disapointing...
I’m a book finisher, even if I’m unhappy with it (here’s to hoping I’ll grow out of it at some point). But I was unable to finish Inside al Qaeda Global Network of Terror by Rohan Gunaratna. It was deplorable!!! There was no writing, it was just a bunch of facts all strung together. Blech! I was also bored to tears but finished: The Eye of the World by Robert Jordan, The Once and Future King by T.H. White, Twilight Memories by Maggie Shayne and The Satanic Verses by Salman Rushdie.
Sebold's MOON and Rushdie's SATANIC were two that I just couldn't get into, either. I've tried to read several of Rushdie's novels but just found them impenetrable and long-winded.However, I loved Rushdie's short stoires in East/West.
Kat - I'm with you ....I just couldn't stand Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants. I won't even put it on my read list :)
OK, 2 books..... I cna't believe that no one has mentionedTHE ROAD yet....that was the most depressing, non-story EVER!!!
Incredibly close....was also one that I couldn't finish. I did cheat and watch the movie since it was a real life book club pick, but that was tough, too!
The Secret.A New Earth.
Twilight.
Crap, crap and crap.
The Shack and Edgar Sawtelle Couldn't finish either.
Chicks On Lit
Books mentioned in this topic
The Year of Magical Thinking (other topics)Barrel Fever: Stories and Essays (other topics)
Water for Elephants (other topics)
The Story of Edgar Sawtelle (other topics)
The Shack (other topics)
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I'm sure someone's least favorite book will be someone else's most loved so don't take it personally but I'm interested to hear what was the waste of a perfectly good tree for you.