Worst book you ever read?

[Lessien]

My daughter and I thought they were a blast to read,and we read them(all 12) together though we are in 2 different states. Of course we knew they are fiction,and to my understanding they are not portrayed as anything else.

However,you have a point about this new series,and I have no intention of starting it. BTW neither of us "bought" the books,we got them from our libraries,LOL!

Well, at least you didn't buy them....you would've spent a small fortune! jk.

And when I said that they shouldn't be taken seriously...well, let's just say I know some people who think the events of Revelation will come to pass exactly like they did in Left Behind.....

 

[sister_maynard]

Probably those are the counterparts of those who think every word of the The Da Vinci Code is the unvarnished truth. Some people just don't bother to think about the facts.

 

[ZiSunka]

At first I thought they just really wanted to reach people, inform them of End-Times events. Then I thought they were just really fascinated with Revelation. Now I'm beginning to suspect that they're just trying to make money.

By book four, I couldn't tell who was Christian and who wasn't anymore. The Christians acted like the nonChristians, God hardly got a mention anymore, the Bible was extraneous to the story, their behavior was identical to the nonChristians (cheating, lying, sneaking, stealing, shooting, etc.).

I just figured they were written to make the End Times drama appealing to nonChristians.

 

[Lessien]

Well, you got farther than I did. I didn't even make it through the second book, they were so bad.

 

[meh]

Angels and Demons. I don't even know why I bought it. I had to force myself to finish it. Hated it.

 

[Nienor]

Angels and Demons. I don't even know why I bought it. I had to force myself to finish it. Hated it.

I liked it better then da Vinci Code...

 

[sister_maynard]

Dan Brown has one tired plot that he recycles for every book he writes; only the names and the exact natures of the scandals and secrets change.

 

[Nienor]

Yeah - I noticed that when I was easily able to predict the bad guy after reading the first one...

 

[ModernDaySpyridon]

Well, you got farther than I did. I didn't even make it through the second book, they were so bad.

I couldn't even make it past the first two chapters of the first book...and that was when I believed in a pre-trib rapture.

Horrible writing, wooden dialogue...terrible.

Even worse though, was Solar Flare by Larry Burkett.

I don't know if I have ever read a more poorly written book than this.

I especially loved it when the conservatives were the good guys, and the "liberals" were the ones who led to the destruction of society as we know it.

I hated it..and that's when I was a conservative.

 

[Lessien]

I couldn't even make it past the first two chapters of the first book...and that was when I believed in a pre-trib rapture.

Horrible writing, wooden dialogue...terrible.

Even worse though, was Solar Flare by Larry Burkett.

I don't know if I have ever read a more poorly written book than this.

I especially loved it when the conservatives were the good guys, and the "liberals" were the ones who led to the destruction of society as we know it.

I hated it..and that's when I was a conservative.

Never read Solar Flare, and from your description, I don't think I want to. I'm a moderate (I think. That may change in the future, though), but I HATE writing that demonizes one particular party that isn't neccessarily evil.

 

[MarvinAndroid42]

Back when I was younger, say 13-14, I was getting into reading more books.
So I thought. "Hey, why don't I get this book. It looks good, the cover's pretty, it's in the bestsellers' section..." (this was before I had any taste in picking out a book.)
I bought White Oleander.

I was pretty grossed out and half-traumatised by the crude sexual storylines running throughout the book. The descriptions weren't lengthy but weren't brief either. This teenage girl becoming casually and degradingly promiscuous, an adult man getting into a sexual relationship with the girl, basically all this disgusting stuff I didn't know I was going to be reading in a perfectly nice looking book (never judge a book by the cover!) I thought it would be okay because they had made this movie about it that previous year (I hadn't watched it, but the actors involved seemed respectable), and it was on Oprah's book club (now I realise that should only mark down a book's reputation!)... but then it turned out to be horrible and revolting.

Anyway, reading halfway-ish through the book, I stopped. I didn't want to remember I had ever read any of the book, and ripped the book to pieces.

I'm not a "prude", but I want decency and reverence if I'm ever going to be reading anything of a sexual nature. And to buy a book without any prior knowledge to the sex and low-nature it was going to contain... I regret it.

My experience with this book is a contributing factor (albeit small factor) into why I only read classic novels, hate Oprah's book club, and scoff at reading books for their pop bestseller value.

 

[ZiSunka]

I remember that book! I didn't read it, but I remember it coming out and being very contraversial. Then they made it into a movie.

Here's a bad book story I forgot about! Thomas Tryon used to be one of my favorite authors when I was like in high school. Now I read his books and think, "What was wrong with me back then?"

 

[CelticRose]

If a book's that bad - or boring - I don't finish it so now I don't buy anything I don't know I already love & will reread.

 

[skeptic86]

Timeline by Michael Crichton

1. All the characters sucked, and I found myself hating all of them except the supposed bad guy.
2. He spent so much time describing the borring scenery and setting.
3. It was set in an era which I couldn't care less about.

Though, I found the only other book of his I read called Prey to be pretty good. And of course, Jurassic Park was an awesome movie.

 

[sister_maynard]

Back when I was younger, say 13-14, I was getting into reading more books.
I bought White Oleander.
I thought it would be okay because they had made this movie about it that previous year (I hadn't watched it, but the actors involved seemed respectable), and it was on Oprah's book club (now I realise that should only mark down a book's reputation!)... but then it turned out to be horrible and revolting.
My experience with this book is a contributing factor (albeit small factor) into why I only read classic novels, hate Oprah's book club, and scoff at reading books for their pop bestseller value.

I feel for you. I had a rather similar experience with a lousy Piers Anthony book (it had a gang-rape scene that freaked me out fairly badly) and have been put off most of his other stuff since, though he does have a handful of great books that I read before the bad one. I have to actually enjoy an Oprah's Book Club book; they're all touchy-feely emotional heaps of nonsense that make me grumpy, though perhaps she picked something nice a long time ago in a temporary attack of good taste.

 

[Neve]

While I Was Gone by Sue Miller is probably one of the worst books I read. It too was on Oprah's Book List. Even though the book was well-written, I just didn't like the storyline or the main character (actually, I don't think I liked any of the characters). I didn't mind the occasional profane language or the sex scenes, it was just how the story was - dark and melodramatic.

 

[Pogue]

I do too!! i can't believe i forgot to mention Wuthering Heights! I loathe it utterly!! it's a horrible miserable book about terrible things happening to selfish, cruel people who you can't even feel sorry for because they're so awful!

Could I join the I Hate Wurthering Heights Club? I was forced to read this as part of my GCSE course and hated every bit of it. I hated all of the characters- they seemed to be selfish and horrible or just really weak and one-dimensional, and the attempts at being some sort of Gothic horror were really poor. Why do people like it so much??

 

[elf_lady_9]

Timeline by Michael Crichton

1. All the characters sucked, and I found myself hating all of them except the supposed bad guy.
2. He spent so much time describing the borring scenery and setting.
3. It was set in an era which I couldn't care less about.

Though, I found the only other book of his I read called Prey to be pretty good. And of course, Jurassic Park was an awesome movie.

I've never read any of Michael Crichton's books, but the movie that was made out of Timeline was pretty awesome. of course, i think that any movie starring gorgeous Gerard Butler(from the Phantom of the Opera) is awesome... i'm also very partial to Paul Walker, so naturally i would love a movie with both those guys in it...

Could I join the I Hate Wurthering Heights Club? I was forced to read this as part of my GCSE course and hated every bit of it. I hated all of the characters- they seemed to be selfish and horrible or just really weak and one-dimensional, and the attempts at being some sort of Gothic horror were really poor. Why do people like it so much??

Sure you can join the club! i'm thinking of starting an "I hate Wuthering Heights thread." i don't understand why people like it either, or why they think Emily Bronte is such a genius. i think she was just a sick and twisted girl with way too much time on her hands. i mean, what kind of person comes up with horrible things like that? why would anyone even want to imagine and write about a character as depraved as Heathcliff, or as selfish as Cathy?

 

[Neve]

Sure you can join the club! i'm thinking of starting an "I hate Wuthering Heights thread." i don't understand why people like it either, or why they think Emily Bronte is such a genius. i think she was just a sick and twisted girl with way too much time on her hands. i mean, what kind of person comes up with horrible things like that? why would anyone even want to imagine and write about a character as depraved as Heathcliff, or as selfish as Cathy?

I only read half of Wuthering Heights because I was confused since Emily Bronte named two characters both Catherine/Cathy!

 

[ModernDaySpyridon]

I only read half of Wuthering Heights because I was confused since Emily Bronte named two characters both Catherine/Cathy!

And two characters named Heathcliff...