well, THAT was the worst book ever!

[wolfie]

Can someone send me a summary of "the shack"? I really wanted to know what happened in the  book, but the parts that I browsed in the store didn't interest me. I was hoping someone put up a spoiler synopses on wikipedia but not yet. Since so many of you read it could you send me one?

I think the point of The Shack wasn't so much the plot but rather to challenge some traditional ideas of the character of Father/Son/Holy Spirit.  I havne't read it but the people I know who have talked about that, not the plot.

So we don't find out about what happened to the the daughter? I was only interested in the mystery part of the story - thus why I didn't want to actually read it.

[Giggity]

These kinds of threads are tricky, as one person's dreck is another's favorite book.  It's already borne out again here .

Yeah, but that's what makes 'em awesome! We're polite enough to be able to say a book bites rhino without implying that those who like it do likewise.  

(I am always interested in hearing why someone likes something I do not. Often, I find I've missed a redeeming feature. Not always, of course ... stupid White Oleanders ...)

[Ms_Shell]

Twilight. Utter garbage. I made myself read the first book because I told myself I couldn't just base my hatred of it on the few snippets I'd seen other places. I couldn't make myself read the rest of the series. There's this blog called "Mark Reads Twilight"--his reactions are pretty much what I think about it. It's not romantic when someone is watching you sleep and you don't know it. Or breaking and entering.

Me too.  I didn't like any of the books at all.  I found the characters horrible, the writing style puerile, and the plots twists baffling and ridiculous.  Plus, if DD ever decides to read them, I'm going to have to make sure I'm there to explain that a healthy relationship looks pretty much the opposite of Bella and Edward's.

[Giggity]

"Here. Read this, and don't ever ever do any of it."

[Petticoats]

For me it was "The Sound and the Fury."  I can sort-of, kind-of see the genious it took to write that type of novel, if I squint really hard.  But that book turned me off Faulkner for good.

My English teacher conveniently omitted the fact of Benjy's autism, and I spent the entire first section almost cross-eyed from frustration. I kept thinking, "This guy is supposed to be one of the best authors of our time! HOW!!!?!?!"

I think I've told this story on these boards before, but my refusal/inability to read The Sound and the Fury all the way through is why I ended up with a PhD instead of an MA.

It took me many years to develop the ability to walk away from a book I couldn't stand. It's been very freeing. One of the books I didn't make myself finish was by the guy who wrote Wicked, I think: a ghost story, and usually I love ghost stories. This turned out to be a depressing, disorienting, unnecessarily protracted voage with a main character I quickly came to loath. Started skimming and discovered that I hated even more where he took the story. Ugh.

The Nanny Diaries just horrified and depressed me. I know it was fictionalized, but I'm also sure there are indeed couples out there who have neglected accessory-baby children and conceive more of them to keep their marriages together, and the thought of all these poor kids just sucked all the humor out of the story for me. That, and the fact that the protagonist put up with such abominable and dehumanizing treatment. I kept reading in hopes that the nasty boss-lady would get her comeuppance, but the story ended with her having the upper hand of pretty much everyone. Gads.

Similarly, The Devil Wears Prada--I couldn't see the humor in the protagonist letting herself be treated that badly.

Anne Rice's The Mummy read like it was something she wrote when she was fifteen years old and then, decades later, when her publisher wanted more AR titles, she pulled it out of a drawer, dusted it off, and had it published.

[Sharnita]

Can someone send me a summary of "the shack"? I really wanted to know what happened in the  book, but the parts that I browsed in the store didn't interest me. I was hoping someone put up a spoiler synopses on wikipedia but not yet. Since so many of you read it could you send me one?

I think the point of The Shack wasn't so much the plot but rather to challenge some traditional ideas of the character of Father/Son/Holy Spirit.  I havne't read it but the people I know who have talked about that, not the plot.

So we don't find out about what happened to the the daughter? I was only interested in the mystery part of the story - thus why I didn't want to actually read it.

I think they might resolve the story but that isn't the main point, no.  I believe the main point is an exploration of the character of God.  The story is just used to illustrate things about God people might not always consider.

[Corbin]

Twilight. My son got really into them for a while, until I sat down with a highlighter and started pointing out things that were red-flags for abusive boyfriend...

I read part of an autobiography called Don't Lets Go to the Dogs Tonight...to this day it remains the only book I have never finished. In fact, I didn't even give it away...I burned it. The writing wasn't bad, but for some reason there was a scene in there that gave me nightmares for months. I was in a pretty emotionally vulnerable situation at the time so that might have something to do with it, but I will never try to re-read it.

The Chocolate War, The Bumblebee Flies Anyway etc. I got tossed out of an AP English course because she made us read those books and write reviews. I read them, and wrote my review. That I hated them, that they were boring and brutal without a point, etc. The teacher disagreed with me so strongly that despite my advanced reading scores and excellent grades she asked that I be placed in a regular class. I ended up getting my GED and going to college, where my Lit Professor shared my feelings

[Xallanthia]

So far there's very few books on here that I enjoyed and others hated; in fact there's only one where I disagree with the person's basic assessment But we tend to have similar taste.

For the Twilight haters, I have to mention I haven't even finished the first book (and generally agree with the negative commentary), but I *did* really enjoy this fanfic, Luminosity.  Basically Bella's character is completely different; came to it via Harry Potter and the Methods of Rationality, which again is a retelling with Harry being very, very different.

I really, really dislike Eragon etc.  I have actually read all three that have been published, because I bought the first two together and went through them superfast without really processing, then realized how awful, trite, cliche, etc. they were.  I called the ending of Book 2 from halfway through Book 1 based solely on the plot's resemblance to Star Wars, for example.  Years later I bought Book 3 while bored at an airport (terrible trip where my backpack, containing my reading material, was stolen and not recovered), and it completely confirmed and highlighted everything that was wrong with the first two.  Some people like to argue in its favor by saying how impressive it is for a 16yo's writing; I say that derivative drivel is derivative drivel and shouldn't be published no matter the author's age.

[jmarvellous]

Nanny Diaries/Shopaholic (and sequels)/Devil Wears Prada all blend together.
Yuck.

My relative bought me "The Recipe Club" for Christmas and I hated it. It was a terrible plot with two unlikeable characters, and writing it as letters didn't make up for it.

I really liked "Wicked" (and would love to see the show!) and Faulkner and Steinbeck and ... but I agree with a PP about "The Brothers Karamazov." I finally sold it this month after having it for 10 years and never finishing it. I loved "Crime and Punishment" though.

I also sold Mark Danielewski's "Only Revolutions" because I met him and really enjoyed him, but I couldn't get into it at ALL. I appreciate innovation in formatting and style but I felt like his attempt to be innovative got in the way of his storytelling.

I can't get into Joseph Conrad.

[readingchick]

A Farewell to Arms. I had to read this my sophomore year of high school, and to be honest with you eHellions I just didn't get it. It initially turned me off where Ernest Hemingway was concerned. What's weird is when I was in college I read Snows of Kilimanjaro (same author) and absolutely loved it.

America in the Gilded Age by Sean Dennis Cashman. Junior year academic superbowl, social studies team. I got the feeling Cashman was just talking over my head. I think everyone wanted to burn the book afterwards.

Portrait of a Killer by Patricia Cornwell. Couldn't stand it.

The Great Crash, 1929 by John Kenneth Galbraith. Nobody in my book club could get into it, so when we were supposed to be discussing the book we talked about other things.

[goldilocks]

Cold Mountain - most boring book EVER!!!

Hannibal - so dull I kept hoping he'd eat someone to liven things up.  I didn't finish the book and I always finish books.
I didn't read The Road - but the movie was so depressing I was sad for days.

[Sharnita]

The Boy in the Striped Pajamas.  It was horrifying.

[Miss Bee]

The only book worse than Twilight is the fourth one in the series, BREAKING DAWN.  Worst book ever written, imo, and I am not exaggerating in the least.  I was actually really into the series - then I read the finale.  She should've wrapped it up with Eclipse, that's all I'll say.  (And the first three aren't great writing at all, but it is an engaging story up through the third book).  

The other book I read that I really disliked that EVERYONE raved about at the time is BRIDGES OF MADISON COUNTY.  I saw no redeeming value in the story at all, and I'm not quite sure what the appeal was to everyone else.  (i apologize if you really liked this book, and I've just missed something... I don't apologize at all for BREAKING DAWN, though - I know a terrible piece of writing when I see one.)  

[Miss Bee]

Twilight. Utter garbage. I made myself read the first book because I told myself I couldn't just base my hatred of it on the few snippets I'd seen other places. I couldn't make myself read the rest of the series. There's this blog called "Mark Reads Twilight"--his reactions are pretty much what I think about it. It's not romantic when someone is watching you sleep and you don't know it. Or breaking and entering.

Me too.  I didn't like any of the books at all.  I found the characters horrible, the writing style puerile, and the plots twists baffling and ridiculous.  Plus, if DD ever decides to read them, I'm going to have to make sure I'm there to explain that a healthy relationship looks pretty much the opposite of Bella and Edward's.

Yes!  DD bought and read the books before I did and she recommended them to me.  After I read them, I made SURE I sat down with her and her friend and talked about how truly messed up Bella's relationship was with Edward; and what a healthier relationship would be like. 

[utkvolfan]

The Poisonwood Bible - my mom raved about this book. I read the first half and then forced myself to scan the rest. I will never get that time back and I will forever cheer on the snake.