Worst Book of the Year for You

[Brandie]

History of Love was mine. Couldn't get into it.

[Kendall]

Water for Elephants was a complete waste of my time.

[Lori]

My two worst books were Heart of Darkness and Uncle Tom's Cabin.

HoD because because Conrad's wordiness drives me insane. It's like, "OK! It's (&^*%*% black already! Not "like ink and night and Joseph Conrad's soul!" Twenty words to say what two words could say? Give me a break! Just watch Apocalypse Now and you'll get the gist and a much more plotline.

And Uncle Tom because it was poorly written. Stowe's authorial intrusions were just that--intrusions. My professor tried to make them seem like devices and were magically wonderful, but I knew better.

I guess that became a rant, huh?

[Bloomin’Chick (Jo) aka The Eclectic Spoonie]

I couldn't stand Uncle Tom's Cabin back when we had to read it in grade school, 7th grade I believe. I still have my copy but have never ventured a re-read!

[Dolly]

Visions of Sugar Plums, I thought was cheesy, I usually like Janet Evanovich but this one I didn't like.

Love Walked In and Life of Pi, I couldn't get into these books and didn't finish them

Barrel Fever, I like a lot of David Sedaris writing, but for some reason, I didn't like this one.

[Rachel]

Twilight..and The Kite Runner. Atleast I finished Twilight. But, The Kite Runner..now that was a complete waste of my time!

[Sheila , Supporting Chick]

I find it facinating how different people have such different tastes in books, and some love what others hate. It's fun reading what everyone else lists for their worst book, because I read and enjoyed many of them, such as:
The whole Twilight series (loved it, hope she publishes Midnight Sun!),
The Shack (shows God is there even when bad things happen)
The Road (I love apocalyptic fiction, and loved how this book showed the true power of love between a parent and child).

Now my worst books were:
Moby Dick (I know it is supposed to be a 'classic', but it took me 7 months to finish, just because it was so boring!)
Blindness by Jose Saramago (sick, depraved, unrealistic look at blind people, have no interest in seeing the movie!)

[Holli]

I agree with you Sheila, its interesting huh? I like seeing the differences in others and I also love finding ones who loved the ones I did. That's what is so great about this group!!

[Hannah]

I know what you mean too, Sheila. I just read Jessica Z. after several people talked about how much they loved it, but I just didn't know what to think of it after finishing. It's interesting to read this thread & I try not to get too worried when I see that someone hated a book that I plan on reading. Everyone's likes and dislikes are unique! :)

[Tish]

Mine was Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close. I could not get past page 90. I did not like the style of writing.

[Shelby *trains flying monkeys*]

Hannah I wasn't crazy about Jessica Z either. I just couldn't get interested in the characters.

[Vicki]

I think my worst books of the year were The Book Borrower and The Virgin Suicides. I could not finish either and ended up putting them on Paperbackswap, incomplete. I usually have to finish a book, but I just could not.

[Jackie]

I really disliked Memory Keeper's Daughter. I started it, put it down, restarted and put it down again. I'll try one more time before I give up for good.

It goes against my nature not to finish a book, no matter how horrid it is. Part me of doesn't like the feel of unfinished business and another part of me is hoping the author will redeem himself/herself before get to the end.

[Hannah]

Shelby, I felt the same way. I did love Patrick & Jessica's relationship but the rest of it was bleh.

Jackie,
I do the same thing. I feel like I have to finish a book even if I don't enjoy it. It's sad, but I've probably wasted a lot of time on so-so books. I should really stop!

[Tera, First Chick]

I used to feel the same way. Really it has been goodreads and mostly the chicks that have opened my eyes. There are SOOOO many good books out there waiting to be read, that I want to read. I simply found I could no longer justify wasting my time on books that weren't cutting it. My time is precious and so are books. I just decided I couldn't waste either on books that didn't do the service of grabbing me within the first 50 pages.

That said... The Memory Keepers Daughter... not a fan. I really wanted it to be a great book and it just wasn't. It had so much potential in my mind but it fell short.

[Rachelle]

The History of Love was very bad for me along with Saturday by Ian Mcewan, that one I couldn't finish

[Deb]

I agree with you Tera I wont make myself finish books anymore.

I could not finish Anansi Boys or The Shack.

[Jennifer W]

3 books I wanted to read for quite a while but when I finally got to them I didn't get anywhere were:
Doctor Zhivago by Boris Pasternak
The Tenderness of Wolves by Stef Penney
and
The Rest of Her Life by Laura Moriarty

The 2 that I did manage to make it through, but barely were:
Atonement by Ian McEwan
and
Catcher in the Rye by JD Salinger

[Lori]

I'm thinking I'll have to start a 50 page trial and then I can quit reading policy. My me-reading time is so precious that I can't waste it on boring books. Of course I might want to apply that to my school books, which wouldn't be good.

[Jamie (The Perpetual Page-Turner)]

i hate not finishing a book..i mean.. i really don't want to waste my precious reading time..however..there have been some books that if I would have quit..I would have really missed out on! its tough for me.

[Jackie]

I know it's probably counter productive to finish a book I don't like or force myself to read a book I'm just not feeling, but it's been a hard habit to break.

Aside from the OCD part of me that just has to finish the book, I think another reason it's a hard habit to break is because I've bought most of my books, I don't want to feel like I've wasted money.

There is not a solid public library system with in driving distance yet. They were planning to open a branch pretty close that would be worth driving to once a week or every 2 weeks but those plans have been put on hold due to county budget shortages. And the used book stores that are within reasonable driving distance are also very lackluster. Goodwill's selection is nothing to write home about aside from the fact that my DH hates for me go into that area because its crime rate is terrible.

To spend even $10 on a book and then not read it? Oy vey. I wish there were some other options for cheap reads, I do use Paper Back Swap but books move slowly sometimes.

[Courtney]

My worst was The Dirty Girls Social Club. It was horrible and excruciating. I stuck it out and ended up finishing it in a month which really made me mad because it threw off my 50 books in a year goal. I will never waste my life on another one of Alisa Valdes-Rodriquez's books.

btw, I love chocolate & shopping. I especially like them together! ♥

[Lori]

Jamie, I don't think there have been many (if any, now that I think about it) books that I had to push myself through and then ended up loving. For me, it would be a waste. I mean, I had to push myself through Great Expectations and it took me 3 months to finish (I wasn't reading it the whole time) and I don't feel I gained much from it. But if that happened during the summer, when I have a lot more time on my hands, I'd push through but during the school year I need a book just to escape.

Jackie, I know what you mean about having bought most of your books. I hate not finishing a book or reading it and not liking it because I feel like I've wasted my money. I'm trying to decide if it's best to keep the books I didn't like and then try them again later or if I should sell/donate them.

[Katie]

I'm a book finisher, too. I always say I'll stop after 50 pages if I don't like it, but by that point I feel like I've committed and I can't ever make myself put it down. I think it's because I always hold out hope that the author will redeem themselves.

[Lori]

I usually will go for 50 and then stop if I don't like it, but usually if I can make it to 50 I'll keep going (unless the book is like 800 pages). I've quit books after 20 pages because I felt no investment whatsoever in them.

[Holli]

I know within the first 50 or so pages whether i will like it or hate it. If after 50 pages I have no desire to pick it back up again and I'm actually doing things like laundry, or dishes, instead of reading the book....I give up on it. But if one little thing intrigues me in the first 50 pages and I'm still wondering about it after I set it down then I know I'm gonna like the book.

[Hannah]

Jamie, I feel the same way. I'm always afraid that if I don't finish a book I might miss something that would have been meaningful or changed my mind about it.

[Marsha]

I used to be a dedicated book finisher, too, but around the time when I turned 40, I decided that life was too short to waste time reading something I was just tolerating. If I find I have to force myself to open a book that I've started and put down, then it usually goes back to the library or back on the shelf. I might have missed out on a book that got better after a few more pages, but then again, if the next book I picked up was great, then that makes up for it.

[Someone]

Kendall wrote: "Water for Elephants was a complete waste of my time."
Kendall, I'm sorry you didn't like that book. That is one of my all time favorites. It's not heavy or meaningful but soooo, entertaining. What didn't you like about it?

[Someone]

Dolly wrote: "Visions of Sugar Plums, I thought was cheesy, I usually like Janet Evanovich but this one I didn't like.

Love Walked In and Life of Pi, I couldn't get into these books and didn't finish them

Barr..."

Dolly, try and give, "Life of Pi" another shot sometime and look at it as if it were a person, coming into his own self actualization. The whole book is a metaphor on life. If you look at it that way you may like it better. Just a suggestion. I used to be a dedicated book finisher. Not anymore, but that book made a big impression on me at the time.

[Stacy]

April wrote: "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 ..."

I agree with April: I hated The Almost Moon and Running With Scissors.

I tried reading The Doctor's Wife and couldn't get into it. I did finish Girls in Trucks and wondered why I wasted my time.