well, THAT was the worst book ever!

[Giggity]

I also find Philippa Gregory very annoying and particularly don't know what Elizabeth I ever did to her, because she really doesn't like her and that is clear in every book she's ever written mentioning her.  

Also Anne Boleyn.  I keep thinking "Jeez lady.  Did they kill your ancestors or something?"  Her hatred is very obvious as is her worship of Katherine of Aragon and (Bloody) Queen Mary .

Hmm.  Just from that, I would suspect that perhaps Ms. Gregory is Catholic.  I have no idea whatsoever; it's just what I would suspect, given the information at hand.  And no disrespect for followers of that faith meant whatsoever.

You best not be disrespecting my baby sister and my weird little niece! 

[Linley]

I just read A Discovery of Witches by Deborah Harkness.  Oh my gosh....592 pages and NOTHING happens! NOTHING - it was very frustrating to read because every time it seemed like something interesting might happen it did not.  There were maybe 3 points of action in the entire thing. Seriously there are "bad guys" but instead of actually fighting them or figuring out how to solve the problem the main characters run away - which might make sense IRL but is pretty unsatisfying as a conclusion to a story (Spoilers because the book was only published in Feb)

I was so annoyed when I was done that I actually tossed the book across the room in disgust.  I'd have thrown it out but it was a library book.  

My mother lent me that and I too wanted to fling it against a wall. My problem wasn't the ending (it's part of a series so I expected something unresolved) but the relationship between the two central characters was far too Twilight for me. He kept talking about how she was soooooo strong and independent but she seldom acts that way, she spends half the book taking naps because he told her to.

[Amava]

The Scarlet Letter - I was doing fine reading this despite my issues with the tone and dense symbolism...until I idly wondered what would happen if Granny Weatherwax and Nanny Ogg (from a favorite series of fantasy novels) showed up at this, that or the other point in the story.  Now I can't even see a copy of the book without breaking into giggles.

!!!!!!  What have you just done to me, giving me that image!  And it won't stop here!  It'll spread to other books!  I think it's alreading infiltrating Harry Potter!

Granny vs. Voldemort...oooh!  Vimes vs. Voldemort!

Is that my cow? It goes "Crucio"! It is Lord Voldemort! THAT IS NOT MY COW!!!

[jayhawk]

I had to read A Separate Peace in a college lit class of some sort.  THe book was okay, I guess; but the professor had to parse every.single.sentence.  Of course, then we went on to Don Quixote (which is awesome), but because of the "in-depth discussions" it was the longest dang semester of my life.

I don't have anything I really hated, but I don't see the attraction of Outlander.  I got through about the first 1/3, but then put it down.  THe main character seemed a bit too Ayla, Inventress of All for me.  Just my .02.

[aiki]

Just remembered one more series I can't stand - The Chronicles of Thomas Covenant, the Unbeliever. I nearly threw the first book across the room within the first few chapters, and never picked it up again.

Why? White font for spoilers below:

The main character has leprosy. He gets sent to a world where he doesn't have it. And pretty much the first thing he does is rape a girl.

And then, IIRC, spends the rest of the book whining "I'm a leper, I'm a leper, I raped her I raped her." Eh, if you're such a worthless excuse for a human being, just jump off a cliff already and spare us the next 400 pages , will ya?

[Miss Misery]

Twilight by Stephenie Meyer--a pathetic doormat must decide whether the emotionally abusive pedophile vampire or the emotionally abusive pedophile werewolf will run her life. Awesome.  Actually I made it about 200 pages into the first book which is nothing but page after page after page describing how beautiful, perfect, angelic, divine, exquisite, radiant, stunning, wonderful and dazzling that creepy control-freak Lord Stalker McSparklepants is. That's followed by page after page after page describing every last nanosecond of Princess Zoloft McAirhead's rather mundane days. Do I really need to know what she makes for dinner every night? It's rather amazing that Charlie didn't starve to death before Bella moved back in. I'm told a plot finally falls out of the sky around page 400, but I'm not going back to find out.

In The Cut by Susanna Moore--violent, sleazy pornographic trash that tries to pretend it's a gritty, erotic murder mystery, featuring the most blindingly stupid "heroine" to grace the pages of a book before Bella Swan came along.

Isle of Dogs by Patricia Cornwell--Cornwell tries to write black comedy and fails really really badly. Some reviews compare it to Carl Hiaasen, which is an insult to Carl Hiaasen. See, Carl Hiaasen can write black comedy and write it well. Patricia Cornwell couldn't write black comedy if it meant the firing squad. Features characters blessed with such names as Trish Thrash, Unique First, Major Trader, Hooter Shook. One chapter features talking crabs and fish, another has a dog that can type. No, really. Just go check out all the one-star reviews at Amazon.com if you want a good laugh. They're way more entertaining than the book!

[Carnation]

What WAS the point of Silas Marner?   Our class had to read ancient, tattered copies of Silas Marner while the cool classes were reading Mr and Mrs Bo Jo Jones.

http://www.amazon.com/Mr-Mrs-Jones-Signet-Books/dp/0451163192

[Kimblee]

The Scarlet Letter - I was doing fine reading this despite my issues with the tone and dense symbolism...until I idly wondered what would happen if Granny Weatherwax and Nanny Ogg (from a favorite series of fantasy novels) showed up at this, that or the other point in the story.  Now I can't even see a copy of the book without breaking into giggles.

!!!!!!  What have you just done to me, giving me that image!  And it won't stop here!  It'll spread to other books!  I think it's alreading infiltrating Harry Potter!

Granny vs. Voldemort...oooh!  Vimes vs. Voldemort!

Is that my cow? It goes "Crucio"! It is Lord Voldemort! THAT IS NOT MY COW!!!

what series are you talking about? All i know is i wanna read it now.

[Linley]

Anything by Elfriede Jelinek except The Piano Teacher (the title of which is mistranslated and therefore annoys me endlessly). I have no idea what the Nobel Committee had in mind, I'm appalled by the very idea of them reading her books which are endless descriptions of graphic scrabble and violence towards women.

[joraemi]

I really disliked Pillars of the Earth and Edgar Sawtelle.

[bookworm317]

I have 2 books to add to the list.
  1. I Am the Cheese. Had to read this in high school. I swear, if my future children have to read this fecal matter, I'm telling them to just fail that section of English class.
  2. a spoof of 'Gone with the Wind'--I think it was called 'The Wind Done Gone and Blew Me Away'. I read this for US History in college.

[The Wild One, Forever]

What WAS the point of Silas Marner?   Our class had to read ancient, tattered copies of Silas Marner while the cool classes were reading Mr and Mrs Bo Jo Jones.

http://www.amazon.com/Mr-Mrs-Jones-Signet-Books/dp/0451163192

And here I thought I might be the only one who remembered M&MBJJ.  Evidently not.   

[Eisa]

The Scarlet Letter - I was doing fine reading this despite my issues with the tone and dense symbolism...until I idly wondered what would happen if Granny Weatherwax and Nanny Ogg (from a favorite series of fantasy novels) showed up at this, that or the other point in the story.  Now I can't even see a copy of the book without breaking into giggles.

!!!!!!  What have you just done to me, giving me that image!  And it won't stop here!  It'll spread to other books!  I think it's alreading infiltrating Harry Potter!

Granny vs. Voldemort...oooh!  Vimes vs. Voldemort!

Is that my cow? It goes "Crucio"! It is Lord Voldemort! THAT IS NOT MY COW!!!

*dies laughing*

Hmm, let's see, what else did I hate...I kind of have to agree with the Shopaholic series. I managed to read the first several and thought they were fine, but it does get really tiresome, like goodness, girl, LEARN already!

I actually liked the Babysitters' Club because of their simplicity and sameness. Although I usually skipped over the chapter where they introduced everyone.

[Giggity]

Silas Marner ... I had blocked that from my brain due to excessive boredom content. Gaaaaaah.

Why do English classes persist in introducing us to an author using that author's worst work? Great Expectations, I am looking right at you. Also Ethan Frome.

And as a corollary: why do they insist on making us READ Shakespeare, silently, to ourselves at home? Shakespeare is meant to be read out loud, to be performed, to be watched and heard.

[bobsyouruncle]

Why do English classes persist in introducing us to an author using that author's worst work? Great Expectations, I am looking right at you. Also Ethan Frome.

I could NOT agree more!