@Gabriela I’m not a teacher yet. I’m in school and when I have my own classroom I vow to never ever ever teach a Ray Bradbury book (unless my admin says I have to). Lol! My job is providing assistance to students in any subject they need help with. English is my specialty though.
But to answer why it’s so important, it speaks to the slippery slope that is censorship. Once we limit freedom of speech or burn a couple of books in front of a library, where is the line going to be unless someone stands up and says enough is enough.
Catcher is one of those books best suited for a certain age (15-22ish) and was better 30 years ago. It now feels dated, but I recall liking it when I read it about age 16. When I re-read it in my late 30s, I didn’t have the same feeling at all.
@Annette, it’s incredibly preachy. It seriously felt like he read Mata Hari’s Wikipedia page and then decided she must be the most deplorable human being ever. What I’m about to say could be perceived as spoilers but I personally don’t think so.
* * * *
She had the WORST early adulthood experiences and it’s like NOPE, those don’t cause her ANY trauma. She runs from an abusive husband and leaves behind her daughter, but you’d think she doesn’t care because she’s too busy doing whatever in Paris. There are records that show she wrote her daughter often, and tried to send them but who knows if she got them.
He name drops people for the sake of letting you know time period, like Picasso, but they hold no relevance to the story. They’re literally mentioned just so he can say she met Picasso.
Twilight series. Read it in college after my friends hyped it up. Didn’t have the heart to tell them I thought it was garbage. Atrocious writing, no character development, thin plot.
Annie Freeman’s fabulous traveling funeral. My DIL lent it to me to read on a cruise. If it had belonged to me, it would have gone overboard. It annoyed me beyond belief.
It’s so interesting to see how everyones tastes differ! I can’t remember what mine was called but it was a romance (only book on my goodreads with 1 star) – girl meets deaf guy who writes music and falls in love, he has a girlfriend already and cheats on her with the female lead. It’s just a mess. So bad. Wish I could get that time back lol
What didn’t you like about A Spool of Blue Thread, @Bonnie? I just finished it, along with An Amateur Marriage and Noah’s Compass. Anne Tyler’s writing style is sorta meandering, but I’m kinda obsessed with her.
Afterlife by Marcus Sakey. I thought this might be a good story as it was optioned for a movie by Brian Grazier and Ron Howard, but the story was long and boring. Frankly, I’m surprised I finished the book. I hung in there hoping it would improve, but alas, it did not.
World War Z isn’t an awful book but I could never finish it. Only book I’ve ever not finished… it was like reading a very boring documentary. And I love anything zombie apocalypse! ? so much disappointment. I tried SEVERAL times to read it.
I read the whole dang 1st novel for NO other reason than to be able to say with confidence, that this is trash. As a high school English teacher, it horrifies me that this novel was marketed to pre-teens as a “love story”.
The historian by Elizabeth kostova! Horribly dry and I was the only one of about 4 friends that was able to read the whole thing because I forced myself to lol plot was very anticlimactic
What about Kostova’s The Swan Thieves, though? The reason I hated The Historian is bc I loooooooved TST. Read it twice and listened to Treat Williams read it.
I’ll say this for it, it was vivid enough to stay with me. And it’s the only book I wanted to throw at the wall when it ended. I missed the Hamlet part until after I finished it.
I agree Priscille, the imagery was the only thing that kept me pushing through it. But I disliked it enough to give it to our neighborhood free library, and I NEVER give my books away. :\
@Laura, I loved her language; I loved her depth of perception; I loved her connection to her hawk; I loved her description of the natural world in general. I love all raptors, and hawks passionately. I also acknowledge it was a difficult book about grief and pain and loss, which are hard to live through, and her descriptions of her darkness were hard to read sometimes, but also deep, perceptive and profound. The PBS show featuring her and her “new” hawk was wonderful. What did you dislike about the book? (P.S. You have the job I always thought I should have had! ?)
Terry Brooks, Sword of Shannara, or Sha-Na-Na, or whatever it was. I still don’t understand why the Tolkien estate didn’t sue, not only for plagiarism, but for plagiarism by an idiot who didn’t understand how literature works.
@Ergene i did not like the characters and girl on a train was very slow for much of the book. Too much time on the train and not enough movement to the story.
The Horse Whisperer by Nicholas Evans. The ending in the book was ridiculous. This is one of the rare cases when you should watch the movie and skip the book.
Movie was even worse. They wrote a book about how obnoxious it was to film called The Devil’s Candy: The Bonfire of the Vanities Goes to Hollywood. Film critic for the Wall Street Journal wrote the BEST expose about that book and movie. Her name, Julie Salamon. Reading it is like revenge for time lost.
Burnt mountain by Anne Rivers Siddons, the only reason I got through it was I was listening to it in the car and kept listening bc I couldn’t believe how bad it was.
@Nancy yes, she had Boy Scouts using cell phones in 1996, nope don’t think so and then the last page got supernatural and there had been none in the book up until then. She really had trouble finishing that book.
50 Shades of Grey, I felt like I needed a red pen in hand..those books surely had no editor. If it did that is the worst editor in the history of the profession.
Self published drivel that somehow became the book for people without taste. I’d go on a rant about it being abuse as hell vs real bdsm but that’s not a place I want to go
The worst books I did not really read, because I never got very far. The Celestine Prophecy takes the prize for causing me to bail out the earliest. Really hurt because I paid full price for the hardcover.
I had about 5 people in my book club tell me how great it was. I can’t believe I finished it considering that I usually give a book 50-75 pages and then quit. But, these ladies are usually right on. Oh, horrid. Worst mystery ever.
The Girl With The Dragon Tatoo; culminating a longstanding frustration with Scandanavian translations into English, which began with Smilla and her sense of snow :)…If Nesbo wasn’t so damn good, I scream at him too..lol
Perfect Touch by Elizabeth Lowell. It was on the NYT adult summer reading list in 2016 and I had never read one by her before. I gave it a *2 because I was feeling generous. I can’t see myself reading anything else by her, unless shipwrecked with nothing else.
Lord of The Flies. I had to read it in high school, I wanted to put it down and read the SparkNotes, but it was one of those car wreck books, you know you shouldn’t show down and look at the accident, but you do.
Bridges of Madison County! What kind of mother would leave her children with the burden that she didn’t love their father…only stayed with him. Because of them…had an affair … Keep it to yourself lady!
I enjoyed the movie. Much better than the book. Fascinating that this could happen in the setting and during that time period. Sad for the children but only happiness that women ever had in her hard-working life. She should not have kept a journal.?
Didn’t hate it hate it but it did drive me nuts with “the day of the bbq” I wish instead of that she would have used the date of that day ? glad I finished it though.
Allegiant (Divergent series) by Victoria Roth. So terribly disappointed in the ending. Several others I can’t think of, probably because I’ve chosen to forget them. Lol. ?
i enjoyed the first 2 as well. Had high hopes too. Very disappointing ending. Ruined the whole story for me. She shouldn’t have died. She was the heroine. She and Four should’ve been together in the end. A happily ever after. ?
Yes, I always hate when the main character dies! I remember starting Allegiant, wondering why Veronica Roth had decided to suddenly alternate between Tris and Four as narrators. I guess the tragic ending explained that!
My son went from being a strong reader to having ZERO interest in starting another series after he read that, I just didn’t realize it! We listen to audiobooks together and discuss them (like he and his dad are finishing up A Tale of Two Cities this week) and he’ll read gaming books, but I can’t convince him to pick up another series!
@Julie There are many great series out there. My kids loved so many. Yes, they were disappointed with this ending as well, but found others. Your son will too. Is he interested in mostly fantasy/sci-fi or more categories? Google teen book series, there are tons of great books out there for him. ?
@Julie I understand that. I have a 15yr old girl and a 18 yr old boy. ??♀️ & Yes. I’m experiencing that myself. I wish they were toddlers again! It was much easier! I absolutely empathize with you. ?
@Julie My daughter is a freshman and they just finished Romeo and Juliet, now on To Kill a Mockingbird. She’s hating this class. She only likes to read what she likes, and it’s not Shakespeare or old books. Lol. It’s been a real struggle. ??♀️
Twilight, hands down. I know I wasn’t the target audience but I read it to see what my daughter was so excited about. All I kept thinking was that I should mail the author a thesaurus.
Atlas Shrugged by Ayn Rand. Where do you start? Poorly written, one-dimensional characters, a gigantic book that could’ve been written in 150 pages. Poor plot consideration, manifesto-like, stupid theories. I hated it thoroughly.
I have this sitting on my computer tower at work. A friend loaned it to me, it is her favorite book. I just don’t have the energy too begin something that intense!! Can you (or anyone ) give me the cliff notes so I can give this back to her?
All main characters are blonde. Good people are all industrialists and rich. (And they smoke like Ayn Rand did! Eewwww) Her philosophy is that you must be intensely selfish if you want to get things done. And when you do. All the money must go for you alone. Society be damned. Even love must be a selfish exercise based on worthy accomplishments. And you should cheat or drop your significant other if you find better people. And you mustn’t spend a single moment thinking about your ex. Damn him or her if they weren’t blonde. Oppps! All industrialists should be blonde. All Gov sucks the life out of everybody. And the blonde industrialists go on a strike when they don’t get their way. They go live in a community nobody knows exist. The Gov can’t get them there where they are able to throw multiple wordy laden hissy fits! There is even a tirade against Robin Wood. And there’s one (blonde too) terrorist in the book who steals from the Gov and the poor to give it back to the blonde rich people on a strike! In the ‘real’ world. Gov cannot survive without blonde industrialists to suck the money off them. And industrialists come around and kill all the evil Gov people. That’s the book. Just as ridiculous and one-dimensional as all that. Hitler would be proud of Ayn Rand. https://www.cliffsnotes.com/literature/a/atlas-shrugged/book-summary
I decided I should get off my lazy butt and look it up myself…. even the summary in Wikipedia is awful!
“Despite the risk, Jim and his allies at Associated Steel invest a large amount of capital into building a railway in the region while ignoring the more crucial Rio Norte Line in Colorado, which has been threatened by the rival Phoenix-Durango Railroad after the former began transporting supplies for Ellis Wyatt, who has revitalized the region after discovering large oil reserves. ”
Oh em gee!.
Yup, I’m giving it back with a kind “it’s not my cup of tea, but it really made me think”….. Think about what the heck they are trying to say!!!
@Staci The book is horribly written. Pure gibberish. Try the first chapter and go no further I say. Ayn Rand is horrendous. To think she had one of her followers as the head of the FED Alan Greenspan commanded US economics for nearly 30 years. And she is recommended reading by US Republican big wigs is one reason why we see so much rubbish in this world. I reckon she’d be a Trump supporter of the first order. I was absolutely disgusted by her. Dumb as dumb can be! 🙂 x
Probably the first, and one of the few, books I couldn’t finish. WAY to Republican for me, and also really BORING! I started it because I read somewhere that it was supposed to be the second-most life-changing book (after the Bible). NOT!!
Oh Good Lord. I read this rubbish. I wanted to cry when I finished. I should be an author… people write such rubbish and make millions. I reckon I could do better! Seriously! ?
We were forced to read it in my AP Lit class because my teacher was SUPER obsessed with it and preached the genius of the book, but . . . I’ve been reading classics my entire life and my literary instincts just rebelled against whatever Beloved was.
@Sharifah I expected a lot because the writer is from Princeton, and I want to go to that school. But I was heavily disappointed and very annoyed by the entire thing ?
@Bonnie Robert F. Goheen Professor of Humanities . . . I actually do like the humanities but there are other more specific humanities classes I’d rather take
Ergene Kim, Toni Morrison’s books are always slightly confusing to me. I got through the Bluest Eyes and reread for a better understanding, but Beloved was a burden I beared and would never revisit. And I still love Oprah in spite of the movie.
@Sharifah my friend @Kara disliked Beloved as well but read Bluest Eye and recommended that I read it, so I probably will and make my judgement on it once more. I agree that Beloved was a burden though. A burden I did NOT want to bear
Scarlett. I loved Gone With the Wind and was excited to start a sequel but it was truly awful. Poorly written, characters didn’t ring true, and the plot was not believable.
It’s interesting to see how many disliked 50 Shades. I tried 3 times to read it and just couldn’t get past 60 pages. Considering all the hoopla, I thought it was just me……..
I think I watched part of the movie but they sure ran the book to the ground in all of the schools I went to in high school. I read that book so many times I lost count. lol
Testimony by Anita Shreve. Such detailed sexual acts of children was very very disturbing. I can’t figure out why the author felt this needed to be described so graphically it was horrible. After the first few chapters it went right into the garbage. It was disgusting trash I will never buy one of her books ever again
Another one was A Ghost Story by Peter Struad I think his name is. Anyway, every character had generic names and the writing reminded me of something I’d have written myself in middle school.
Oh really? I completely enjoyed the Lord of the Rings series, and it is probably one of the only fantasy series that I like. However, I can see where you may think the story may get long and dragged out, so I respect your opinion 🙂
I tried so many times to love it, I want to, and I probably could if I really sat down and gave it time. I think it just lost me in a lot of areas. I respect yours ?
Probably the ones I was assigned to read in high school. If it wasn’t assigned, I would probably eventually choose it on my own later. I’m almost 50 now, and some are more work to get through than others. No worst comes to mind.
Can’t say it’s the worst, but I sure hated the book Jewel, by Bret Lott. It was so depressing. I could not find any redemption in the book at all. I don’t mind sad books (in fact, most of my favorites could fall into that category), but this book was a tragedy for nearly every character. What did all y’all think?
The Killer Inside Me by Jim Thompson
Also disliked 1984 and Fahrenheit 451
I am glad I am not the only person on the planet that didn’t like 1984 or Fehrenheit
Hated 1984 but loves Fahrenheit 451
I hate Fahrenheit 451 but my students read it so I have to slog through it and pretend it’s great every year. Blah
hahah you’re a great teacher ! Why is that book so important to read anyway?
@Gabriela I’m not a teacher yet. I’m in school and when I have my own classroom I vow to never ever ever teach a Ray Bradbury book (unless my admin says I have to). Lol! My job is providing assistance to students in any subject they need help with. English is my specialty though.
But to answer why it’s so important, it speaks to the slippery slope that is censorship. Once we limit freedom of speech or burn a couple of books in front of a library, where is the line going to be unless someone stands up and says enough is enough.
@Katrina you’re still a teacher even if you don’t have your own classroom! You help students ?
The ideology behind the book is interesting! Maybe it’s the way it’s written ??♀️
Fifty shades- I only read a few chapters xx
That gave me a headache. And I like naughty books!
I just couldn’t get on with it at all xx
The typos… and calling herself a goddess? Just no.
“She bit her lip…” Vomit! The writing was so bad and redundant.
Horrible! Couldn’t get past the bad writing. Badly needed an editor. (And technically I didn’t read it. I quit!)
Recently I read the Perfect Nanny. Dislike! I had to read catcher in the rye. I didn’t like it.
I hated ‘The Catcher in the Rye!’
I didn’t like it either!! Just finished it.
Really enjoyed Nanny. Loved Catcher.
James Patterson. I will never read anything he has written again
Ugh, me too! Every single character talks to you using the same tone. So annoying!
Catcher in the Rye and I’m sorry to admit it but Call of the Wild.
I just didn’t get Catcher in the Rye!
Catcher is one of those books best suited for a certain age (15-22ish) and was better 30 years ago. It now feels dated, but I recall liking it when I read it about age 16. When I re-read it in my late 30s, I didn’t have the same feeling at all.
Call of the Wild is on my list of Worst Books I’ve Ever Read too. SO boring.
The Host.
The Spy by Paulo Coelho
? I’m still so angry about this book
Why? I bought this not long ago and thought it looked good.
@Annette, it’s incredibly preachy. It seriously felt like he read Mata Hari’s Wikipedia page and then decided she must be the most deplorable human being ever. What I’m about to say could be perceived as spoilers but I personally don’t think so.
* * * *
She had the WORST early adulthood experiences and it’s like NOPE, those don’t cause her ANY trauma. She runs from an abusive husband and leaves behind her daughter, but you’d think she doesn’t care because she’s too busy doing whatever in Paris. There are records that show she wrote her daughter often, and tried to send them but who knows if she got them.
He name drops people for the sake of letting you know time period, like Picasso, but they hold no relevance to the story. They’re literally mentioned just so he can say she met Picasso.
Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close
Me Before You traumatized me. Absolutely. I finished it in like 24 hours and have hated it for years.
Twilight series. Read it in college after my friends hyped it up. Didn’t have the heart to tell them I thought it was garbage. Atrocious writing, no character development, thin plot.
Agreed!
Yup. Poor trash, poorly written!
Annie Freeman’s fabulous traveling funeral. My DIL lent it to me to read on a cruise. If it had belonged to me, it would have gone overboard. It annoyed me beyond belief.
It’s so interesting to see how everyones tastes differ! I can’t remember what mine was called but it was a romance (only book on my goodreads with 1 star) – girl meets deaf guy who writes music and falls in love, he has a girlfriend already and cheats on her with the female lead. It’s just a mess. So bad. Wish I could get that time back lol
Rebecca Heal yes! I agree that was one good redeeming quality and a really neat add on
The Christmas Wedding by James Patterson. So awful!
Something Borrowed. I read it on my honeymoon. Terrible book.
It’s a tie between the Twilight Saga and the Fifty Shades of Grey trilogy. I’m ashamed to say I read them at all!
Jonathan Livingston Seagull by Richard Bach, I was trying and trying to find that deep philosophy in it and I didn’t. And Fifty Shades of Grey
Infinite Jest
The Road
Threw that book across the room when I was finished with it.
Agreed @Susan. That was a terrible book. I slogged all the way through it!
I got very tired of hearing them constantly congratulate themselves for being strong powerful women. Seriously, get OVER yourselves!
Shades of Gray.
Signature of All Things and A Spool of Blue Thread were terrible and Pretty Girls traumatized me for life
What didn’t you like about A Spool of Blue Thread, @Bonnie? I just finished it, along with An Amateur Marriage and Noah’s Compass. Anne Tyler’s writing style is sorta meandering, but I’m kinda obsessed with her.
@Denise I can imagine someone saying they didn’t like it or found it depressing, bur NOT saying it’s a ” bad book”.
Afterlife by Marcus Sakey. I thought this might be a good story as it was optioned for a movie by Brian Grazier and Ron Howard, but the story was long and boring. Frankly, I’m surprised I finished the book. I hung in there hoping it would improve, but alas, it did not.
World War Z isn’t an awful book but I could never finish it. Only book I’ve ever not finished… it was like reading a very boring documentary. And I love anything zombie apocalypse! ? so much disappointment. I tried SEVERAL times to read it.
I liked it MUCH better on audio.
Maybe I need to try that then.. ?
@Chelsea I couldn’t finish it either
It was an absolute bore.
I agree with @Leah, the audio was really good! I love zombies ?♀️ ?♂️
Fifty Shades of Gray suuucccks
Yup
Like a 12 year old trying to write a dirty book. So terrible!
The editor should be ashamed.
I read the whole dang 1st novel for NO other reason than to be able to say with confidence, that this is trash. As a high school English teacher, it horrifies me that this novel was marketed to pre-teens as a “love story”.
After being tricked by Twilight I refused to even glance at the 50 Shades books.
The historian by Elizabeth kostova! Horribly dry and I was the only one of about 4 friends that was able to read the whole thing because I forced myself to lol plot was very anticlimactic
Ah, I love this book! Just read it for the third time, lol.
I loved it too!
Oh I loved The Historian!!!!
What about Kostova’s The Swan Thieves, though? The reason I hated The Historian is bc I loooooooved TST. Read it twice and listened to Treat Williams read it.
I’ve only read the historian, haven’t tried any of her other books
I loved the historian
Room
I literally finished reading Room a week before the Cleveland kidnap victims escaped. https://g.co/kgs/2oKnG7
Story of Edgar Sawtelle
Yes
I DONT CARE IF IT IS HAMLET! I hated it too.
It was along way to go for a bad ending.
I was going to add this one if no one else had it listed. Hated it.
I was so annoyed with it!
I’ll say this for it, it was vivid enough to stay with me. And it’s the only book I wanted to throw at the wall when it ended. I missed the Hamlet part until after I finished it.
I agree Priscille, the imagery was the only thing that kept me pushing through it. But I disliked it enough to give it to our neighborhood free library, and I NEVER give my books away. :\
@Kelley you would agree with this I seem to recall…
That was hard to get through!
Edgar Sawtelle was pretty awful
Summer Sisters
Not one of Judy’s best!
I just couldn’t stand it.
I read that years ago…hated it. Haven’t read another one of her books since.
We were on vacation as I was reading it. I threw it in a trash can at a gas station. I NEVER throw books away. I thought it was pornagraphic.
That’s too wide a chasm for mr because I would give up on and not read it through???
Hannibal
H is for Hawk
Oh! Isn’t that funny? One of my favorite books! I love everything she writes (her columns in the New York Times are incredible too.)
@Lorien , I thought that I would love it. I worked as a park naturalist, am a science teacher and love hawks. Lol. What did you love about it?
@Laura, I loved her language; I loved her depth of perception; I loved her connection to her hawk; I loved her description of the natural world in general. I love all raptors, and hawks passionately. I also acknowledge it was a difficult book about grief and pain and loss, which are hard to live through, and her descriptions of her darkness were hard to read sometimes, but also deep, perceptive and profound. The PBS show featuring her and her “new” hawk was wonderful. What did you dislike about the book? (P.S. You have the job I always thought I should have had! ?)
Thx for ur awesome response. Will write when I can.
Among Strange Victims-hated it so much. Saddest thing was that it had potential not to be so.
Tie…The Twilight Series and The 50 Shades of Gray Series.
Vanity Fair.
Gone Girl
ME TOO!!! I still get angry! I felt so manipulated.
Behind Her Eyes by Sarah Pinborough. If I’d been reading a paper copy and not my kindle I would’ve thrown it against a wall.
I liked that book until the ending. Pissed me off! ?
Yes, exactly!! It was good and then turned into pure trash.
50 Shades series. I read them all because I tend to be a completist, but they’re just odious.
Yes, but I still one them. Poor writing. I just skip to the parts I like. Lol
Why We Broke Up and I just could NOT finish Red Queen
I struggled with Red Queen and it was an audiobook, couldn’t finish it.
@Angelica I rolled my eyes so many times! Lol
the last of the mohicans
Terry Brooks, Sword of Shannara, or Sha-Na-Na, or whatever it was. I still don’t understand why the Tolkien estate didn’t sue, not only for plagiarism, but for plagiarism by an idiot who didn’t understand how literature works.
Oh, just remembered Tess of The D’ubervilles. Not a Thomas Hardy fan.
Me too. Main heroine just irritated me the whole time
50 shades shades of grey
Atlas Shrugged
Oh God! I taught sophomores and they were enamored. Couldn’t wait until they grew up!
It’s one of those books that teenagers think is so deep, then they start paying taxes and realize it’s bullshit.
‘The Catcher in the Rye’ is my absolute least favorite, and I suffered through ‘Elphame’s Choice’ by P.C. Cast…. I found it in an airport.
I have to agree!! I suffered through The Catcher in the Rye thankful it was so short!
for whom the bell tolls
Me too
Seemed really boring and drawn out?
Behind closed doors was so bad, too. Such a ridiculous situation!!!
Burgess brothers, gone girl, girl on a train, my name is Lucy Barton
agree with you on Gone Girl & Girl on a Train
for both the books I honestly disliked all the characters
What were your reasons?
I agree with you on the first three so I’ll probably skip Lucy Barton!
@Ergene i did not like the characters and girl on a train was very slow for much of the book. Too much time on the train and not enough movement to the story.
Burgess brothers was very slow too. I had read a review that said it was going to be funny. Not funny at all.
The Alchemist
Yes! Forgot that one!
Agree!! I couldn’t finish it!
The Horse Whisperer by Nicholas Evans.
The ending in the book was ridiculous.
This is one of the rare cases when you should watch the movie and skip the book.
Thank you! Sticking with the movie.
Platform by Michel Houellebecq. Self indulgent tripe.
Bonfire of the Vanities.
I hated Every. Single. Word.
Movie was even worse. They wrote a book about how obnoxious it was to film called The Devil’s Candy: The Bonfire of the Vanities Goes to Hollywood. Film critic for the Wall Street Journal wrote the BEST expose about that book and movie. Her name, Julie Salamon.
Reading it is like revenge for time lost.
Ha! I’ll have to check all that out now! Thanks! Worst book ever. Powered thru as part of bookclub. Which was made up of a lot of librarians.
I don’t finish if I don’t like do too many to list ??
Sometimes horrid fascination will get me through 50 pages or so.
Catcher in the Rye and The Great Gatsby
I hated ‘The Catcher in the Rye,’ but loved ‘The Great Gatsby.’
Didn’t like Catcher in the Rye either
I hated Catcher in the Rye, and I read it in my 20’s, when it should’ve appealed.
@Denise me too, and I was pretty emotionally erratic in my early 20’s. Maybe it takes one to know one.
Loved them both.
I loved that book
Crime and Punishment
I don’t know, I didn’t finish it…
I’ve had a few of those!
The Writing Class by Jincy Willett
Burnt mountain by Anne Rivers Siddons, the only reason I got through it was I was listening to it in the car and kept listening bc I couldn’t believe how bad it was.
Not one of her best….but I did read it.
@Nancy yes, she had Boy Scouts using cell phones in 1996, nope don’t think so and then the last page got supernatural and there had been none in the book up until then. She really had trouble finishing that book.
safe haven
50 Shades of Grey, I felt like I needed a red pen in hand..those books surely had no editor. If it did that is the worst editor in the history of the profession.
It was self published, which explains a lot actually.
I agree if she said “wow” one more time I was going to flip
Self published drivel that somehow became the book for people without taste. I’d go on a rant about it being abuse as hell vs real bdsm but that’s not a place I want to go
I love the joke that if he was poor trailer trash it would be assault but since he was super rich it was sexy lol.
Yeah because money makes it okay. It’s kind of sad but true.
The Christmas bride by James Patterson. Horrible!!
Was it Patterson or someone else? So hard to tell with his stuff anymore!
@Nancy it was definitely someone else. Just had his name at the top. I’d be embarrassed to have my name on it.
@Shannon as long as he gets the royalties, he don’t care!
@Susan true. It’s still the worst book I’ve ever read. I can’t believe I finished it!
@Shannon i might have to try it, you’re making me curious!
@Susan I can send you my copy! LOL
My school text books
Atlas shrugged
I have 2! Old Man and the Sea and Watership Down.
I loved those.
I am with you on Watership Down
Me too! I don’t get why Watership Down is so popular with people! I finished it but hated it.
I loved Old Man and the Sea
Loved both, lol
Billy Budd by Herman Melville. Ugh
Alice in Zombieland
The Woman who Would be @Barb. The absolute worst!!
The Goldfinch
Too funny…I really enjoyed that book so much that I wanted to reread it!!
The Twilight series, The Scarlett Letter, Anna Karenina, 50 Shades trilogy, Eat Pray Love, 13 Reasons Why, Looking for Alaska,Pygmy, The Notebook.
The worst books I did not really read, because I never got very far.
The Celestine Prophecy takes the prize for causing me to bail out the earliest. Really hurt because I paid full price for the hardcover.
Eggers’s The Circle…but, to be clear, I quit in tears after about 100 pages…
I totally hated that book! It was so ridiculous. I can’t not finish a book, so I did read the whole thing, but I wish I hadn’t even started it.
The DaVinci Code
I must confess I hate Dan Brown.
But the Freemason thing, being id been around them first hand and met a lot of influential people, very different.
Just found it to be hokey and breathless with a bad ending
Oh definitely
Boring!
Couldn’t finish it and it takes a lot for me to give up on a book!
Found it sacrilegious. Started a serious argument at bookclub. There are some things to sacred to you with even in supposition.
Stupid autocorrect and phone that doesn’t allow edits….. “too sacred for supposition “
That would definitely start an argument
Under the dome
It’s one of my favorites?
Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance.
This is on my “worst of” list too.
Wayfarer
Woman in cabin 10 is probably mine
NOOOO. This is in my to read pile. Really??
I had about 5 people in my book club tell me how great it was. I can’t believe I finished it considering that I usually give a book 50-75 pages and then quit. But, these ladies are usually right on. Oh, horrid. Worst mystery ever.
I’ve read all of Ruth Ware’s books and I’ll probably read the next one but except for the twist I think they’re all kind of meh.
It was just such a boring read. It literally took me forever to get through
In A Dark, Dark Wood pissed me off. The blurb on the front said that it was “so scary” and I waited and waited for some scary that never came.
@Michelina I felt the same way about it. So disappointing.
Well thanks for saving me time guys! Haha
Conrad’s Heart of Darness.
The Girl With The Dragon Tatoo; culminating a longstanding frustration with Scandanavian translations into English, which began with Smilla and her sense of snow :)…If Nesbo wasn’t so damn good, I scream at him too..lol
The Awakening
Perfect Touch by Elizabeth Lowell. It was on the NYT adult summer reading list in 2016 and I had never read one by her before. I gave it a *2 because I was feeling generous. I can’t see myself reading anything else by her, unless shipwrecked with nothing else.
the liar, was dreadful
Sword of Truth series and an indy published book
The Goldfinch/The Time Traveller’s Wife
Hated The Goldfinch- loved The Time Traveller’s Wife
Lord of The Flies. I had to read it in high school, I wanted to put it down and read the SparkNotes, but it was one of those car wreck books, you know you shouldn’t show down and look at the accident, but you do.
That one was hard for me to get through too. It was so disturbing. I also read it in high school.
I read it in middle school and my response was, “wow. So this is literature? I gotta read more literature!”
Bridges of Madison County! What kind of mother would leave her children with the burden that she didn’t love their father…only stayed with him. Because of them…had an affair … Keep it to yourself lady!
I enjoyed the movie. Much better than the book. Fascinating that this could happen in the setting and during that time period. Sad for the children but only happiness that women ever had in her hard-working life. She should not have kept a journal.?
@Sue that’s right! She should have taken it to the grave with her.
But the sex passages were something else!! LOL
Love Story. Erich Segal.
Horrible movie, too. Just yeccchh.
It’s on my list of worst movies of all time too
Sappy and shallow.
A Little Life. Not because it was depressing, but because it was badly written and unforgivably long.
Brave new world … I hated the story it was about people escaping there problems with drugs. I had to read it in high school
Same.
I would put that one on the shelf, and try it again in about 15 years.
Oh my gosh, that’s one of my favorites! Lol!
@Staci it was written really well. But reading is an escape for me. I don’t want to escape my world into a world with similar problems lol
I just love the diversity here! Every book hated is someone else’s favorite!
The Cabin and The Woman in Cabin 10. Hmmm…maybe there’s a theme there. ?
50 shades. All 3
I always wanted to count how many times Anastasia said “holy crap” like the author doesn’t know any other expressions
But that would mean re-reading and that’s just not going to happen ???
gone with the wind – first and only book I never finished – boring boring
Omg that is my all time favorite book!!
Forrest Gump
The Bridges of Madison County –
Yikes! “Guttenburg’s Apprentice” (Christie) and “Church of Marvels” (Parry), which was a real bummer because I was kind of hopeful for that one.
Eat Pray Love. Self-absorbed drivel.
I agree. It was recommened by so many, but I had the same impression you did and couldn’t finish.
Yes!!! Wholeheartedly agree!
Our Town that we had to read in High School
GOD, yeah. So boring!
I just finished reading that again after hating it in high school. I actually enjoyed it this last time.
Truly madly guilty by Liane Moriarity…
Didn’t hate it hate it but it did drive me nuts with “the day of the bbq” I wish instead of that she would have used the date of that day ? glad I finished it though.
Oh no! I liked it a lot!
@Debora I just couldn’t finish it…left it half way?♀️
@Shipra I almost did too lol
Lord of the flies
I loved that one
@Nick me too!
Allegiant (Divergent series) by Victoria Roth. So terribly disappointed in the ending. Several others I can’t think of, probably because I’ve chosen to forget them. Lol. ?
I agree! I loved Divergent, and had high hopes for the rest of the series; but Allegiant was awful.
i enjoyed the first 2 as well. Had high hopes too. Very disappointing ending. Ruined the whole story for me. She shouldn’t have died. She was the heroine. She and Four should’ve been together in the end. A happily ever after. ?
Yes, I always hate when the main character dies! I remember starting Allegiant, wondering why Veronica Roth had decided to suddenly alternate between Tris and Four as narrators. I guess the tragic ending explained that!
My son went from being a strong reader to having ZERO interest in starting another series after he read that, I just didn’t realize it! We listen to audiobooks together and discuss them (like he and his dad are finishing up A Tale of Two Cities this week) and he’ll read gaming books, but I can’t convince him to pick up another series!
@Julie
There are many great series out there. My kids loved so many. Yes, they were disappointed with this ending as well, but found others. Your son will too. Is he interested in mostly fantasy/sci-fi or more categories? Google teen book series, there are tons of great books out there for him. ?
@Kelly, he’s 16 and fighting me on everything right now. The Divergent series thing was over 2 years ago.
@Julie
I understand that. I have a 15yr old girl and a 18 yr old boy. ??♀️ & Yes. I’m experiencing that myself. I wish they were toddlers again! It was much easier! I absolutely empathize with you. ?
@Kelly We did Red Badge of Courage together and I accidentally-on-purpose got him hooked on Atwood’s Oryx and Crake series on audio, so I still win!
@Julie
My daughter is a freshman and they just finished Romeo and Juliet, now on To Kill a Mockingbird. She’s hating this class. She only likes to read what she likes, and it’s not Shakespeare or old books. Lol. It’s been a real struggle. ??♀️
Bridges of Madison County
I take it back”Silas Mariner” by George Elliott ( actually a woman). OMG that book was so boring.???
Marner. It’s actually pretty good . . .
@Rosanne agreed
One of my worst reads.
The Great Gatsby
But oh that Robert Redford in the movie was the best. Haven’t read the book.?
@Sue It is my favorite book, but many people in this book have said they don’t like it. 🙁
The best novel ever!
Fifty Shades of Grey. I couldn’t bring myself to read any more after the first volume.
I made it through the 1st volume too. That was enough for me.
I tried watching the movie to see what the hype was about and I couldn’t watch it anymore after 15 mins into it.. smh
I couldn’t get through the first chapter. Horrible.
The Secret
I had a hard time with that one too.
Confederacy of Dunces. I read 100 pages, twice and could not finish it
I agree!!! Not funny at all
Twilight, hands down. I know I wasn’t the target audience but I read it to see what my daughter was so excited about. All I kept thinking was that I should mail the author a thesaurus.
They were a guilty pleasure for me, I like the movies too…so corny but somehow entertaining! It did drive me nuts how she kept saying chagrin lol
Where the Red Fern Grows…couldn’t take the dogs dying
I will never forgive that book for what it did to me.
First book ever that made me cry!
Atlas Shrugged by Ayn Rand. Where do you start? Poorly written, one-dimensional characters, a gigantic book that could’ve been written in 150 pages. Poor plot consideration, manifesto-like, stupid theories. I hated it thoroughly.
I have this sitting on my computer tower at work. A friend loaned it to me, it is her favorite book. I just don’t have the energy too begin something that intense!! Can you (or anyone ) give me the cliff notes so I can give this back to her?
All main characters are blonde. Good people are all industrialists and rich. (And they smoke like Ayn Rand did! Eewwww) Her philosophy is that you must be intensely selfish if you want to get things done. And when you do. All the money must go for you alone. Society be damned. Even love must be a selfish exercise based on worthy accomplishments. And you should cheat or drop your significant other if you find better people. And you mustn’t spend a single moment thinking about your ex. Damn him or her if they weren’t blonde. Oppps!
All industrialists should be blonde. All Gov sucks the life out of everybody. And the blonde industrialists go on a strike when they don’t get their way. They go live in a community nobody knows exist.
The Gov can’t get them there where they are able to throw multiple wordy laden hissy fits! There is even a tirade against Robin Wood. And there’s one (blonde too) terrorist in the book who steals from the Gov and the poor to give it back to the blonde rich people on a strike!
In the ‘real’ world. Gov cannot survive without blonde industrialists to suck the money off them. And industrialists come around and kill all the evil Gov people. That’s the book. Just as ridiculous and one-dimensional as all that. Hitler would be proud of Ayn Rand. https://www.cliffsnotes.com/literature/a/atlas-shrugged/book-summary
I decided I should get off my lazy butt and look it up myself…. even the summary in Wikipedia is awful!
“Despite the risk, Jim and his allies at Associated Steel invest a large amount of capital into building a railway in the region while ignoring the more crucial Rio Norte Line in Colorado, which has been threatened by the rival Phoenix-Durango Railroad after the former began transporting supplies for Ellis Wyatt, who has revitalized the region after discovering large oil reserves. ”
Oh em gee!.
Yup, I’m giving it back with a kind “it’s not my cup of tea, but it really made me think”…..
Think about what the heck they are trying to say!!!
I couldn’t read it.
@Staci The book is horribly written. Pure gibberish. Try the first chapter and go no further I say. Ayn Rand is horrendous. To think she had one of her followers as the head of the FED Alan Greenspan commanded US economics for nearly 30 years. And she is recommended reading by US Republican big wigs is one reason why we see so much rubbish in this world. I reckon she’d be a Trump supporter of the first order. I was absolutely disgusted by her. Dumb as dumb can be! 🙂 x
@Sharron I read all of it. But wish I hadn’t.
Probably the first, and one of the few, books I couldn’t finish. WAY to Republican for me, and also really BORING! I started it because I read somewhere that it was supposed to be the second-most life-changing book (after the Bible). NOT!!
@Mindy Lucky you! I finished and I wanted to scratch my own eyes! I agree with you. It’s not a life changing book. Only life sucking! <3
The girl with the dragon tattoo
I read the series. Couldn’t put them down.
@Sue I can’t put down jo nesbo. Have you read him?
@Sue was so excited for Larson’s series but god, chapter after chapter of nothing happening, no progress being made. So disappointed
Have not read jo nesbo. Will look for him.
You, (C. Kepnes)just too creepy, base, struggled to p. 50, then baled.
The Celestine Prophecy.
Oh Good Lord. I read this rubbish. I wanted to cry when I finished. I should be an author… people write such rubbish and make millions. I reckon I could do better! Seriously! ?
Same here.
Me too. Awful.
Eat, Pray, Love
Yup….
Agree…
Beloved
Yeah.. The part with the cows…
Oh…. I did NOT like it AT ALL. I don’t know why everyone was so into it.
I didn’t understand either @Bonnie. I made myself read the whole book but wish I could take it back lol
We were forced to read it in my AP Lit class because my teacher was SUPER obsessed with it and preached the genius of the book, but . . . I’ve been reading classics my entire life and my literary instincts just rebelled against whatever Beloved was.
I had to read it for school and to pour salt in my wound we had to watch the movie. I wanted to like it, but I could not.
@Sharifah I expected a lot because the writer is from Princeton, and I want to go to that school. But I was heavily disappointed and very annoyed by the entire thing ?
@Ergene, maybe you should choose another school. You might end up with poor writing skills.
@Bonnie Fortunately I’m not interested in the class the author teaches! And there’s always the literature capital of Oxford in England.
What does she teach?
@Bonnie Robert F. Goheen Professor of Humanities . . . I actually do like the humanities but there are other more specific humanities classes I’d rather take
Ergene Kim, Toni Morrison’s books are always slightly confusing to me. I got through the Bluest Eyes and reread for a better understanding, but Beloved was a burden I beared and would never revisit. And I still love Oprah in spite of the movie.
It was horrifying, but I read the whole thing.
@Sharifah my friend @Kara disliked Beloved as well but read Bluest Eye and recommended that I read it, so I probably will and make my judgement on it once more. I agree that Beloved was a burden though. A burden I did NOT want to bear
@Ergene Let us know how that goes…
@Ergene I had to take my time with the Bluest Eyes. I liked it.
Something by Harold Robbins. I threw it in the trash.
The Girl You Left Behind
MOBY DICK!!
It was too much. I didn’t like it either. Not for me.
Same here!
Beloved
Freaking hated that book I didn’t even finish it just skimmed the ending for my class discussion
I had to read it for school too! Highly acclaimed confusion
50 shades ?
Duma key
Scarlett. I loved Gone With the Wind and was excited to start a sequel but it was truly awful. Poorly written, characters didn’t ring true, and the plot was not believable.
It was!
I knew better than to even try.
Twilight and 50 Shades. Unbelievably, both became best sellers and movies. ??
@Jessica
Let the Great World Spin
Really though.
I hated that Alaska book we did
I feel what I feel and I won’t apologize for it
Into the Wild??
YES. I HATED HIS PONTIFICATING
I had no idea you hated it that much lol also “Her” pretty bad
I often think about how much I disliked him. Him and the people from the book where they take a road trip
There is no worst books!
Forget Me Not…. author not worth mentioning. It was self-indulgent and predictable. Mostly self-indulgent.
The Great Gatsby.
I just did not like the main character. He bothered me. It could have been that I read it at the wrong point in my life. ??♀️
Marco Martinez lol. I’ll try. ?
It’s one of my favorite all time books about youth, naivete, & the inability to control one’s destiny.
Marco Martinez It’s a wonderful book. I catch something new each time I read it.
That one I loved!! Thanks ?
Twilight
A portrait of an artist as a young man
Finished? The Black Dahlia
Unfinished? The Falls by Joyce Carol Oates
Summer People by Marge Piercy. And Piercy is one of my favorite authors.
Warm Bodies, stick with the film.
Hands down the sword of truth series.
It’s interesting to see how many disliked 50 Shades. I tried 3 times to read it and just couldn’t get past 60 pages. Considering all the hoopla, I thought it was just me……..
To the Lighthouse and Unbroken
The Bluest Eye by Toni Morrison
This may be blasphemous ?, but the 30 word sentences of Pride an Prejudice drove me INSANE.
Love the movie couldn’t sit through the book. Total snooze fest
It wasn’t the worst but I just could not get into “The Night Circus”
Reading it now. But having a hard time?
It’s weird but I like it.
@Agnes I’m pretty good at following a non linear storyline but I couldn’t finish it. It was beautiful written but also incredibly boring.
I couldn’t read that either.
50 Shades was pretty bad but it was so bad it was good.
Tried to read: A Clockwork Orange. Did read: Life of Pi
I felt like life of Pi was confusing, it jumped around a lot, but I was like 16 when I read it so idk if that changes things lol
Clockwork, much like Trainspotting, takes patience. Both are worth the effort, but the language is difficult.
Cloud Atlas
The Spiral Staircase by Karen Armstrong
“American Psycho” by Bret Easton Ellis, which is a shame because I love the movie. 🙁
Same, loved the movie only finished 1/3 of the book.
Don’t bother with “Less Than Zero” by the same author. The movie was much better.
@Emmy he wrote Rules of Attraction too right?
Yes.
That was probably the most tedious book ever!
“The Turn of the Screw” just the writing was so confusing!
Heros of the Frontier by Dave Eggers – awful
The Notebook or To Kill a Mockingbird
To Kill a Mocking Bird is good but the movie is better. Unusual for that to be the case.
I think I watched part of the movie but they sure ran the book to the ground in all of the schools I went to in high school. I read that book so many times I lost count. lol
Testimony by Anita Shreve. Such detailed sexual acts of children was very very disturbing. I can’t figure out why the author felt this needed to be described so graphically it was horrible. After the first few chapters it went right into the garbage. It was disgusting trash I will never buy one of her books ever again
I love her books. I hope you will read other books which were great in my opinion. I don’t recall that book.
The Grapes of Wrath. Just hated it.
Another one was A Ghost Story by Peter Struad I think his name is. Anyway, every character had generic names and the writing reminded me of something I’d have written myself in middle school.
Peter Straub…and you’re right about Ghost Story..lol..but not as bad as the movie, which starred (believe it or not) Fred Astair..lol
THEY MADE THAT INTO A MOVIE!!?!?!
Yea…Melvin Douglas and Frec Astair..lol
Goodnight beautiful.
Forgot the author
Another one…. The Lord of the Rings series. I seriously can NOT sit through and watch/read any of the movies or books without falling asleep.
Oh really? I completely enjoyed the Lord of the Rings series, and it is probably one of the only fantasy series that I like. However, I can see where you may think the story may get long and dragged out, so I respect your opinion 🙂
Loved the movies. Forced myself to get through the books
I tried so many times to love it, I want to, and I probably could if I really sat down and gave it time. I think it just lost me in a lot of areas. I respect yours ?
Flowers in the Attic. Blecch.
Poorly written junk, yet oddly entertaining.
I so hated that book.
It was disturbing.
Read it when it was first published, at which point I decided that continuing to read a book hoping it would get better was a waste of time.
Eileen by Otessa Mosfegh & The Last Bad Man by Miranda July….ick. ??
Didn’t like Eileen by Otessa Mosfegh either. I have no idea why it was on the Booker Prize list.
Looking for Alaska or 50 Shades
The Manny – had to read it w a book club that didn’t last very long bc they weren’t readers.
Maybe One Day by Melissa Kantor ?
A virtuous woman
Gone Girl YUCK ?
Dr. Sleep
Where do I begin…..
Divergent….sucked.
The first Sookie Stackhouse Book…..I could not get past her damn name.
Scarlett
Beowulf
I couldn’t read that.
Anything by Faulkner. I can’t stand his books.
johnathan livingston seagull
Fifty shades books…Stopped after 50 pages
Alas, Babylon. Maybe it would be different if I read it now but in 9th grade it was the most boring book I have ever read.
It’s a toss up between Flowers in the Attic, Atlas Shrugged, and Moby Dick.
Flowers in the attic is what made me become a huge reader
Sometimes what appeals to one reader doesn’t appeal to another. It’d be boring if everyone liked the same thing. 🙂
HATED Moby Dick
Yep, I read that whole series and loved it.
@Sarah I always say if we all liked the same thing, what a boring world we would have!!!
VC Andrews was my obsession in high school. I tried to reread Flowers in the Attic as an adult and couldn’t get into it at all.
The hearing trumpet by leonora carrington
The Shack.
Loved that book! ??♀️
An Xin ?
I thought it was beautiful.
I loved The Scarlet Letter
I couldn’t read the Shack.
Worst book ever IMO.
The Goldfinch.
Ooh I hated that one too!
‘A Soldier of the Great War’ (novel) – HATED IT!!! ?
Probably the ones I was assigned to read in high school. If it wasn’t assigned, I would probably eventually choose it on my own later. I’m almost 50 now, and some are more work to get through than others. No worst comes to mind.
Gerald’s Game, S King
The movie was so bad ?
Fates & Furies
Agree! It was pretty awful.
Aww, I liked that one.
American war
Eat, Pray, Love
omg yes
The movie was terrible too. IMO
yes it was
Wasn’t a fan of Big Magic either.
I didn’t like this one either. It was disappointing.
Lincoln in the Bardo
I listened to it which I think make a real difference
I could not finish Wild Animus by Rich Shapiro. So egotistical! Yuk!
Wuthering heights
Absolutely!
Life of Pi
Sorry Mom, Moby Dick – hated it.
Running with Scissors
Mrs Dalloway by Virginia Woolf
Can’t say it’s the worst, but I sure hated the book Jewel, by Bret Lott. It was so depressing. I could not find any redemption in the book at all. I don’t mind sad books (in fact, most of my favorites could fall into that category), but this book was a tragedy for nearly every character. What did all y’all think?
Most of Tom Clancy books. Too much explaining or reasoning too little actions.