Worst book you ever read?

[OceanGirl]

Harry Potter must be added to the list, as well. I mean, I have never read it and I don't plan on it. Listen, people...I am the children's department lead bookseller for Barnes & Noble in my city. I know a thing or three about kids books and I HATE those books. "Why?" you ask. "You can't judge them, you never read them!" No, I can't. But I can judge how people act about them. There are PLENTY of other quality kids books out there. Fantasy tales, wizard tales, friendship tales..whatever, that completely have more value, fun and education than those oversized, overrated tomes. There can't possibly be anything so great about a story of a boy wizard and the problems he encounters at his academy that would treat the rise of this series as though it were the Bible. Some people follow it religiously and seeing people turn out for "Potters" (as we call them at B&N, meaning a mass selling of the latest Harry Potter book at midnight) and how they behave is sickening. So, therefore, I must rank Harry Potter and all those stupid books into that category of some of the worst trash ever written. I am prepared for the reprocussions of this post, but hey...it's my opinion. This is an opinion thread.

 

[OceanGirl]

I loved Gatsby.

What did you hate about it?

Okay, what I hated was the plot. Rich guy after a girl. For one, I do not care to have people's wealth rubbed in my face...even in books. So that was a turn off. Plus the writing style was so dry I could light a forest fire with it. Just a big waste of ink and paper.

 

[ZiSunka]

Huh. I thought it was one of the most romantic books I have ever read.

But to each his/her own!

 

[OceanGirl]

Huh. I thought it was one of the most romantic books I have ever read.

But to each his/her own!

LOL! Yep. See, I found it the opposite of romantic!

 

[elf_lady_9]

Okay, what I hated was the plot. Rich guy after a girl. For one, I do not care to have people's wealth rubbed in my face...even in books. So that was a turn off. Plus the writing style was so dry I could light a forest fire with it. Just a big waste of ink and paper.

lol that's an interesting way of summing up an incredibly complex and multi-layered work of fiction. i think the whole point of the book was not to rub the characters' wealth in your face, but rather to illustrate the ultimate meaningless of riches and the shallowness and selfishness of rich people. Tom and Daisy and their friends are rich and seem to have a good life, but they really have miserable lives, and ruin other people's lives as well with their carelessness. Gatsby isn't a good person, but he's the only one who actually cares about something(Daisy), which makes him the only sympathetic character besides the narrarator.

i didn't like the plot either, but i liked the book way better than some of the other required high school reading, like The Scarlett Letter and Wuthering Heights . horrible plot aside, i actually love F. Scott Fitzgerald's writing style. after reading Gatsby in class i went to the library and got a book of his short stories, so i could read something of his that wasn't so depressing, and i really liked them. some of his stories are really beautiful. the Roaring Twenties was such a cool time period.

 

[Lessien]

i didn't like the plot either, but i liked the book way better than some of the other required high school reading, like The Scarlett Letter and Wuthering Heights . horrible plot aside, i actually love F. Scott Fitzgerald's writing style. after reading Gatsby in class i went to the library and got a book of his short stories, so i could read something of his that wasn't so depressing, and i really liked them. some of his stories are really beautiful. the Roaring Twenties was such a cool time period.

You didn't like The Scarlet Letter? But....but that's one of my favorite books....

 

[Lessien]

Another book I'd have to add to this list would be Leven Thumps and the Gateway to Foo. It was written well enough to keep me reading from the horribly contrived beginning all the way to the deus ex machina ending, but AT LEAST every two pages, it said something about fate and how much the characters from Foo trusted it.

Plot: Foo is the world that dreams and imagination come from. An evil guy named Sabine (yes, he is a guy) wants to take over and get back to the real world, taking half of Foo with him. This will destroy imagination forever. A guy named Leven Thumps is the only one who can stop him. Every adult in the book (except for the ones in Foo) is portrayed as evil, clueless, or useless in one way or another.

Though this book does have one stregnth, and that's what kept me reading: It's hilarious. I actually laughed out loud more than once--and not always from the book's sheer stupidity. But I didn't bother picking up the sequal.

 

[Questor]

Guaranteed: any vampire novel, worse if written by Anne Rice.

 

[elf_lady_9]

You didn't like The Scarlet Letter? But....but that's one of my favorite books....

well.....it was really interesting and i enjoyed reading it. i can see why you like it. but i just couldn't stand the ending! i mean, c'mon. she suffers for her "crime" for ten years, while her wimpy boyfriend gets away with it, then when Dimmsedale finally gets a backbone and agrees to run away with her, he dies, and then finally her creepy husband dies too(which in my mind is the best part of the book) and she gets a chance to go away to Europe and start a new life w/ Pearl. but does she stay there....NO! of course not. because that would give the book a *gasp* semi-happy ending. she leaves Pearl and goes back to the stupid town with the stupid prejudiced villagers to punish herself some more. i could handle the unjust punishment, i could handle the lovers never getting together, i could handle Dimmesdale dying, but i just couldn't take that ending. it was sooo annoying. all right already, she's been punished enough, she just needs to ask God for forgiveness and move on with her life!

*pants and gasps with outrage and annoyance*

 

[Questor]

Reminds me of Gone With the Wind. Just because Scarlett O'Hara was like a prize Arabian horse, with good breeding and amazing high spirits, she was extremely ill-treated by Rhett Butler. He was not man enough to see her as the unique woman that she really was.

Forever Amber written by author Kathleen Winsor also depicted such a strong heroine, portrayed perfectly by Linda Darnell in the film of the same title. If one can locate this movie, it is well worth the rental.

In this category also, Frenchman's Creek, by Daphne DuMaurier and perhap's Joan Fontaine's greatest perfomance, better than in Rebecca, but with a proper leading man.

The French Lieutenant's Woman, by John Fowles is also another book/film that depicts the strong-willed, in this case, mysterious, heroine.

 

[Lessien]

well.....it was really interesting and i enjoyed reading it. i can see why you like it. but i just couldn't stand the ending! i mean, c'mon. she suffers for her "crime" for ten years, while her wimpy boyfriend gets away with it, then when Dimmsedale finally gets a backbone and agrees to run away with her, he dies, and then finally her creepy husband dies too(which in my mind is the best part of the book) and she gets a chance to go away to Europe and start a new life w/ Pearl. but does she stay there....NO! of course not. because that would give the book a *gasp* semi-happy ending. she leaves Pearl and goes back to the stupid town with the stupid prejudiced villagers to punish herself some more. i could handle the unjust punishment, i could handle the lovers never getting together, i could handle Dimmesdale dying, but i just couldn't take that ending. it was sooo annoying. all right already, she's been punished enough, she just needs to ask God for forgiveness and move on with her life!

*pants and gasps with outrage and annoyance*

Yeah, the ending was pretty sad. But if Hester had run away with Pearl, then that wouldn't have fit in with Hawthorne's worldview. And in the end, Hester wasn't that bad off--I mean, she was respected in the community, she helped others...And if she had run off and begun a new life in Europe, then she wouldn't have been able to help others in her community. AND, in Europe, my guess is that Hester would've felt really guilty.

But I still wanted Hester and Dimmesdale to be together....

 

[notanordinarygirl]

Harry Potter must be added to the list, as well. I mean, I have never read it and I don't plan on it. Listen, people...I am the children's department lead bookseller for Barnes & Noble in my city. I know a thing or three about kids books and I HATE those books. "Why?" you ask. "You can't judge them, you never read them!" No, I can't. But I can judge how people act about them. There are PLENTY of other quality kids books out there. Fantasy tales, wizard tales, friendship tales..whatever, that completely have more value, fun and education than those oversized, overrated tomes. There can't possibly be anything so great about a story of a boy wizard and the problems he encounters at his academy that would treat the rise of this series as though it were the Bible. Some people follow it religiously and seeing people turn out for "Potters" (as we call them at B&N, meaning a mass selling of the latest Harry Potter book at midnight) and how they behave is sickening. So, therefore, I must rank Harry Potter and all those stupid books into that category of some of the worst trash ever written. I am prepared for the reprocussions of this post, but hey...it's my opinion. This is an opinion thread.

Um...


Okay... The fans are somehow... part of the books?


(I'm using this post as an opportunity to subscribe to this thread, too... I've never read more than half of the books, but I find the comments on them hilarious! This was a great idea! )

 

[notanordinarygirl]

You didn't like The Scarlet Letter? But....but that's one of my favorite books....

I remember that book! I had to "read" it for my English class, but never finished it even though I liked it a bit, because the teacher's exams were just that easy.

 

[OceanGirl]

Um...


Okay... The fans are somehow... part of the books?


(I'm using this post as an opportunity to subscribe to this thread, too... I've never read more than half of the books, but I find the comments on them hilarious! This was a great idea! )

You misunderstood. But I am not going to argue. This isn't a debate thread.

 

[witherandbloom]

Life After God by Douglas Coupland

Life After God- I found it incredibly juvenile and petty. I expected more from the title and author who had so easily caught my attention in a Kamloops, BC bookstore.
THEN: .(My life is defined by God, how can there be a life AFTER God?) Life AFTER God? If there was/is a God at all, could He really just disappear? Could the life of some peanut overshadow and steal centre stage from the Creator, Ruler of Eternity?
NOW: Looking back, the concept was as impotent as the writing within the book. Deeper thoughts can be found in Sunday's funnies.

 

[The-Doctor]

I have to say the Davinci Code...I thought it was very badly written...i gave up after chapter 1!

 

[Paddington]

^ Really? I didn't like the story much apart from the fact that the twist at the end was good.... but I had to commend the easy writing style.

 

[Woohaar]

The Catcher in the Rye - had to read it for yr 13 english

 

[fanatiquefou]

Harry Potter must be added to the list, as well. I mean, I have never read it and I don't plan on it. Listen, people...I am the children's department lead bookseller for Barnes & Noble in my city. I know a thing or three about kids books and I HATE those books. "Why?" you ask. "You can't judge them, you never read them!" No, I can't. But I can judge how people act about them. There are PLENTY of other quality kids books out there. Fantasy tales, wizard tales, friendship tales..whatever, that completely have more value, fun and education than those oversized, overrated tomes. There can't possibly be anything so great about a story of a boy wizard and the problems he encounters at his academy that would treat the rise of this series as though it were the Bible. Some people follow it religiously and seeing people turn out for "Potters" (as we call them at B&N, meaning a mass selling of the latest Harry Potter book at midnight) and how they behave is sickening. So, therefore, I must rank Harry Potter and all those stupid books into that category of some of the worst trash ever written. I am prepared for the reprocussions of this post, but hey...it's my opinion. This is an opinion thread.

If you haven't read them, then you have no business deciding that they're the worst trash ever written. How can you possibly know that other books have "more value, fun and education" than Harry Potter if you've never actually read the books? It's not their fault that they've become so huge - you do realize that when the first book was first published, there was no hype, no marketing, nothing? It was almost entirely by word-of-mouth of kids who loved the book that the series grew in popularity. Now the series has millions of kids reading and enjoying it who might otherwise have never voluntarily picked up a book. And the coolest thing is, after Harry Potter, they go on to read other books. I've worked in a bookstore children's department, too, and I can't tell you how many times I had kids come up to me asking for something to read after Harry Potter. These books have been the gateway into reading and literature for countless children, and I think that's something to celebrate, whether you like the books or not. And I certainly don't think anyone who hasn't read them can decide, out of all the trashy books that have been published, that they're somehow the worst ever.

 

[NuncDimittis]

Thomas Pynchon's Gravity's Rainbow

Frequently digressive and often playfully self-conscious, the novel subverts many of the traditional elements of plot and character development, traverses detailed, specialist knowledge drawn from a wide range of disciplines, and has earned a reputation as a "difficult" book. Some critics have called it "mindnumbingly dense". They are correct.

In 1974, the three-member Pulitzer Prize jury on fiction supported Gravity's Rainbow for the award. However, the other eleven members of the board overturned this decision, branding the book "unreadable, turgid, overwritten, and obscene." They too were correct.

If you need a fire....burn this first!