Books you loathed

[AusMarchBride]

I thought I'd start a thread for books that you've read that you hated. If you can, explain why you hated it.

I'll start by offering:

The Outsider (The Stranger/L'Etranger) by Albert Camus. Had to read it for school, thought it was absolutely pointless and mind numbingly boring.

I also dislike anything by Charles Dickens. I just find his style of writing so difficult to plough through.

[Sevilla]

She's Come Undone by Wally Lamb (this was an Oprah book club book that my friend convinced me to read in high school *puke*, i hated it and thought it was a pointless, depressing story)

A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man by James Joyce

Paradise Lost by John Milton

[mgrace]

The Five People You Meet in Heaven

Eats, Shoots and Leaves

and another vote for She's Come Undone

[Secret_Squirrel]

The Davinci Code. The characters were too thin to care about (Silas was the only partly interesting one) and it was way too formulaic and manipulative for me. And considering it's subject matter, it had such potential for a good conspiracy story!

I read another Dan Brown book and it was the same way. I think must have a novel-writing formula checklist and he just picks a new subject matter and checks off the list.

[hockeybrat]

I had to read a William Faulkner novel once for school and it was horrible.

Oh and "Waiting for Godot"

[alootikki]

Recently, Reading Lolita in Tehran . I was so excited to start reading it - I'm always interested in books on women's issues in the Middle East. But for some reason I just couldn't get into it, couldn't follow exactly what was happening, and the narrator got on my nerves! Very disappointing - I'm still wondering what I missed, given all the rave reviews.

And I agree on Faulkner.

[bookworm]

Another vote for She's Come Undone...blech, that was awful.

I also loathed Songs in Ordinary Time (Mary McGarry Morris)--another downtrodden woman book.

After that, I stopped reading Oprah books. Then I broke that rule for The Corrections. Nope, that was horrible. I sped-read that one b/c there was supposed to be a book discussion at the local Borders. I showed up, and no discussion. It was major insult to injury.

[shimmerstar]

Candide- I had to read it three times in school. So stupid and not funny at all.

Waiting For Godot- we had to read this and then act out the chapters in college. Ugh.

The First Days of School- a manual for teachers. Everyone else I know raved about it. I think the guys advice is ridiculous and almost insulting to my intelligence. Plus, none of it would work for kindergarten.

The Child Called It books- Call me heartless, but I had to read these for a book study and I hated them. The story is very sad, and I think his writing style is terrible. It just bugged me to no end.

Siddartha, Beowulf, A Separate Peace, The Scarlet Pimpernel- All of these were high school requirements. I guess I just don't like being told what to read.

[Katy]

The Child Called It books- Call me heartless, but I had to read these for a book study and I hated them. The story is very sad, and I think his writing style is terrible. It just bugged me to no end.

I liked what he was trying to say, but good gracious, isn't he on like five books already?!?!

She's Come Undone, I have to agree in that I didn't like it one bit (and why I rarely bother to read Oprah's recommendations). I'm not a fan of "literature" but I so do like "chicklit"

Anything by Nicholas Sparks, I think his style is so simplistic. I had to put The Notebook down after just a couple chapters, it just didn't grab me (I hope the movie's better)

That's all I can think of off the top of my head right now...

[hockeybrat]

I am a dork for not posting WHY I didn't like the books:

William Faulkner book - I just didn't like his writing style. It bored me to no end.

Waiting for Godot - We didn't act it out like Shimmerstar but we listened to it on audio tape and the conversations:
Character A: "Let's go"
Character B: "We can't"
Character A: "Why not"
Character B: "Because we're waiting for Godot"
Character A: "Ahhhhhhh"
for the whole damn book annoyed me :mad:

See, it has been over 10 years and I still remember that maddening book!

[filmgirl7]

I'm currently reading The Poisonwood Bible and feeling so irritated by it. The topic is interesting and she tells the story from five points of view, but the problem is I don't like any of the five characters!

I just read My Sister's Keeper and that bugged me because I felt like it was so melodramatic.....I felt kind of embarassed at the chapter ends, as the author attempted to leave the reader with some type of hook or punch that was just really transparent to me. Does anyone know what I mean?

I can really understand what you all mean about Nicholas Sparks. Sometimes his characters are embarassingly earnest.....or maybe the dialogue just isn't good. I read the books so I can feel all mushy inside.....but I chastise myself for indulging in that sort of thing. :p

[k8lyn]

i have to agree about "reading lolita in tehran." i had the same problem with "life and death in shanghai." in both books i found the authors to be a bit. . .i don't know. . .arrogant isn't the right word. especially "life and death in shanghai" the narrator keep saying, "of course, everyone else thought all was hunky-dory, but i knew the truth." i think that those authors were incredibly strong to live through what they lived through, but can they stop patting themselves on the back? it was a bit annoying.

[Tandis]

"From a Buick 8" by Stephen King. DH and I just listened to it this past week on CD - for three days during a trip because it was soooo long. Maybe we just got bored with it, but it was so descriptive and there was so much detail about stuff that didn't matter! Just tell the story about the car already and who cares about some guys ruining a woman's skirt, or all the pointless, mind numbing details about life in a troopers barracks in PA!

Not only did it seem like an ego trip for Stephen King, but he made Western PA sound like hickville from the 19th century. Extremely annoying, and we stopped listening to it around CD 9 (out of 12)

[dionysia]

There are several books I read in high school (e.g., Wuthering Heights, The Sound and the Fury) that I hated, but I think I should give them another shot now that I'm older. ;)

Di

[filmgirl7]

"From a Buick 8" by Stephen King. DH and I just listened to it this past week on CD - Extremely annoying, and we stopped listening to it around CD 9 (out of 12)

OMG ME TOO!!! :eek:

[Tandis]

I am so glad we're not alone! :D I was reading the reviews on Amazon and it seemed like everyone loved it. I was trying to figure out what book they were reading, because I know it wasn't the one we listened to ;)

We are curious as to how it ended though. Just not enough to torture ourselves with finishing it.

[apoppy]

I didn't like The DaVinci Code either. I was especially irritated at how dumb the supposedly brilliant Langdon was! I was an art history major, so I should have known better than to have read this book, but I was curious since it was so popular. It was not so much the conspiracy theory--which was somewhat interesting if not particularly original--but how Langdon couldn't figure out the simplest clues, clues that any professor in the arts should have been able to solve in seconds. Just thinking about it now annoys me. I read Angels and Demons too just to give Dan Brown a chance, but it wasn't much better. Anyone else think Brown imagines himself as Langdon? I have no idea why that annoys me but it does.

I also disliked The Nanny Diaries and the Shopoholic series (or at least the first two books which are all that I have read). I have difficulty with a lot of chick lit, as it seems to be about vapid, selfish, meek (or ridiculously bitchy), unlikable women.

I should probably just avoid the bestseller rack... :rolleyes:

[Natasha]

Ugh, anything Dan Brown is irritating. I think jonathon Kellerman is, too. Umm, trying to remeber the title, but it was a book about an autistic boy/man who lives with his dad. There's a dead dog involved, and it takes place in the UK. Such a waste of time...

[Witty Username]

Another one who didn't really like She's Come Undone.

My all time favorite book to loathe is Rabbit, Run by John Updike

[KaliLily]

The Sun Also Rises by Ernest Hemingway. I just couldn't get into it.

[Zelda Von Yitz]

Grossed me out and offended me (and I'm no prude)

Goodbye, Janette by Harold Robbins - too graphic with sexual and physical violence.

[daener]

Another vote for She's Come Undone . So, who DID like this book?

Another of my least favorites is Atlas Shrugged, although I love the title and the passage in which it appears. Otherwise, I really didn't care who John Galt was, nor about any of the other characters.

I'm sure I'll think of more....

[curlyjr]

I hated She's come Undone too.
But my vote for worst book ever would be Stephen King's Gerald's Game.

I feel bad for the tree that was cut down to make the paper to publish that piece of crap.

[Wrighty26]

I actually did like She's Come Undone... :o

However, I do think Dan Brown is seriously overrated (Da Vinci Code frustrated me too...Stupid!).

I love Barbara Kingsolver, but I lost interest in The Poisonwood Bible halfway through the book. Thank goodness she made up for it in Prodigal Summer!

I also could NOT for the life of me get into The Corrections by Jonathan Franzen. I tried, I really did.

I also cannot read anything by Nora Roberts. I don't know what it is, but I find her books boring.

I also have not been able to finish Atonement by Ian Mcewan. Every now and then I pick it up hoping that I can get into it-- and I end up falling asleep!

[myshel]

I hated, hated, hated Moby Dick. As an English major and teacher, I know I'm supposed to love it for the symbolism but all of those mindless chapters on whales just got to me. UGH!

[MLA]

Loathed? I don't know if I've ever loathed a book, but I didn't like I Know This Much Is True by Wally Lamb -- really a waste of time, in my opinion.

Also, I really didn't like Catcher in the Rye -- mabye because I read it in my 20's, and I was past the whole teen angst thing. I just didn't care about Holden Caulfield's problems. He seemed ridiculously self-centered and pessimistic to me . . .

[Reenie]

I hated, hated, hated Moby Dick. As an English major and teacher, I know I'm supposed to love it for the symbolism but all of those mindless chapters on whales just got to me. UGH!

Oh, me too (and I am an English teacher, too!)! I also didn't like The Red Badge of Courage, and I hated Heart of Darkness. Anyone want to take away my degree or certification yet? :p

[linda_loo]

Trout Fishing in America
and
The Door in the Wall

Both were books I had to read in school, I could not get into them, and got bad grades.

[craftyT]

More votes for Waiting for Godot - Absolutely drove me crazy! & The Corrections - I just couldn't tell where it was going :confused: so I stopped reading after the 3rd or 4th chapter

The Book of Ruth - one of Oprah's early book club selections - such a disappointment all the way through.

Wake Up Sir by Jonathan Ames - a terrible book about a guy that has a butler for no reason (seriously, the guy is a total loser) - again, stopped reading a few chapters into it

[Mellow_Water1]

My 11th grade English teacher raved about She's Come Undone especially when she saw that I liked The Lovely Bones. It was okay. A bit too depressing for my tastes, but not bad.

I've never loathed a book, but I wasn't too fond of The Lord of the Flies when I read it in 9th grade. I didn't really like the boys' personalities, but other than that, I can't remember why.

[LittleFredPunkinHead]

Anything by Hemingway- blah.
Although I was entertained by "The Davinci Code," I really disliked "Angels & Demons."
But a book I really loathed? "The Cabinet of Curiosities" by Douglas Preston and Lincoln Childs. It was utterly unbelievable, and the dialogue was terribly trite.

[katmg]

I didn't like To the Lighthouse very bleah to me. But then again, I read it in high school.

I had to read 5 Faulkner novels in high school over 2 years. By the time that last one rolled around I just couldn't care anymore. Yeah, yeah symbolism...blah.

I'll have to tell DH about this thread. Last night he told me that I'd read any collection of words on a page, even if they didn't make sense. Guess, I've can disprove that now! ;)

[meganth]

Rule of Four, which was supposed to be last summers da Vinci Code but really just plain sucked.

[emmjay]

I hated A Prayer for Owen Meany - I thought it was ridiculous. The "symbolism" was too obvious and the ending was too contrived. Also it was recommended to me by a few people who raved about it, and the fact that it didn't live up to my expectations probably contributed to how much I hated it.

I don't really like books like The Corrections or She's Come Undone or Oprah books in general - I get the sense that these authors aren't trying to tell a story, they're trying to win a literary prize (if that makes any sense).

Oh, and The Da Vinci Code gets a thumbs down from me as well. Not that Dan Brown cares. ;)

[wendalah]

I didn't like "The Lovely Bones."
I could not get into "DaVinci Code" for some reason (I need to try again).
I hated "The Girls' Guide To Hunting & Fishing."
I HATED "God-Shaped Hole." Anyone read that? Talk about self-involved tripe.
I loved "She's Come Undone" and "I Know This Much Is True."

[pickle]

I absolutely loathed The Lovely Bones. It's about the only book I can think of that I finished reading and thought that it was an utter waste of my time.

[alootikki]

I hated The Vine of Desire , which is the sequel to Sister of my Heart, by Chitra Divakaruni. Awful, awful plot continuation, disappointing character "development", and an unsatisfying ending. If you read the first book, don't read the sequel!

[shimmerstar]

Asianbear, I think you are talking about "The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Nighttime" or something like that.

I'm finding that I really like a lot of the books mentioned, esp. the Stephen King ones. But he can almost do no wrong in my eyes. ;)

Add me to the list of people who did not like "She's Come Undone".
And sorry to those who like him, but I can't stand the way Nicolas Sparks writes. I read "A Walk to Remember" and it made me gag, kind of like the way 7th Heaven makes me gag. But my two best friends rave about him so I have to be careful!

[ejs]

Another Atlas Shrugged loather. It seemed like physical agony to get through that book.

The Secret History by Donna Tartt. A friend gave it to me because it was his most favorite book ever. I hated it. Then I made my mom and DH read it so I could have validation about how awful it was.

The Five People You Meet in Heaven I loved Tuesdays with Morrie. I hated this book. It just seemed pointless to me.

The Emperor of Ocean Park by Stephen Carter. It dragged and dragged and dragged.

I'm sure I'll come up with more.

[Vegastrtle]

I liked She's Come Undone (I think there was one other).

I hated Lord of the Flies in highschool (I couldn't even finish it)

Most books I can value as entertaining even if they suck...but I just stopped reading my airport read..called A Change of Face (or something like that)..I just couldn't like the characters or the way it was written.

[lawyerlee]

I hated, hated, hated The Old Man and the mfing Sea. I hate that old man, and I sorta hate Hemingway for it, too. :mad:

I enjoyed She's Come Undone and I Know This Much is True, particularly the latter.

[Boopy]

I also did not like The Notebook. I think it was a little too sweet and sappy for me. I rented the movie thinking it might be better, definitely not. Had to turn it off after about 20 minutes.

I also hated The Devil Wears Prada, The Red Badge of Courage & A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man. Well, that's a rather random list!

[Myra]

Hated The Pact by Jodi Picoult. What a waste of time. So many of the legal details in the book were wrong, and hey, here's a thought--if your girlfriend is suicidal and won't say why, try a shrink instead of a bullet to the head. I sent it to my cousin b/c I wanted her to hate it with me, but she couldn't get past page 5.

And I agree with the poster who wrote that The Emporer of Ocean Park dragged. I could add several chick lit books to this list, but with those...I should know better than to read them.

[EmilyZA]

I LIKED She's Come Undone!

I didn't like Wedding Seasion...
http://images.amazon.com/images/P/1400051452.01._AA240_SCLZZZZZZZ_.jpg

After about 15 pages I just couldn't take this anymore...
http://images.amazon.com/images/P/0060529709.01._AA240_SCLZZZZZZZ_.jpg

[Millie03]

My votes are for The Awakening and anything Hemingway.

I remember reading one of his books in high school (I think The Sun Also Rises) and being so annoyed by the dialogue that I wanted to throw it across the room.

"I Love you"
"No, I love you"
"No, I love you"
"No, I love you"

Blech.

My question is: how do classics become classics if so many people hate them? Is it just because we were forced to read them we naturally hate them??

[hub1176]

Honestly I hate anything on the Oprah book club - it seems like there all the same plot with different character names.

I hated The Firey(sp) Cross by Diana Gabaldon - didn't take the story any further and seemed more like an advertisment for the La Leche League.

Any of Steven Kings newer stuff - just bores me

[camberne]

I couldn't make it through required reading in high school - Crime & Punishment. It was literally so bad that I literally retained nothing I read; and after two miserably failed quizzes, my English teacher gave me two other books to read in its place! I love that woman!!

I didn't care too much for The Fountainhead, which I bought twelve years ago because I was told it was a must-read. Wasn't for me.

There are a couple of lurid romance writers who I can't believe found someone to publish their crap, but I don't remember their names. Wasn't worth remembering.

I very much enjoyed both A Separate Peace and Lord of the Flies which I bought and sent to NY for my son to read while he's away this summer (our house up there doesn't have a TV).

[FallingforPhil]

I hated "Heart of Darkness" and "The House of Seven Gables." Had to read both for HS English classes. Ugh. Both were pure torture, especially Heart of Darkness--I had to do my senior term paper on it!

I didn't think "She's Come Undone" was too bad.... :o

[PG-rated]

I hated The Five People You Meet in Heaven and The Bridges of Madison County (I read it when I was bored one day - shoulda stuck to watching the paint peel), although I did like the Bridges movie. I read about two pages of The DaVinci Code and gave up...the premise offends me, anyway, but I wanted to see what people were talking about.

I liked The Curious Incidence of the Dog in the Nighttime, but I think anyone who picks it up expecting a mystery will be disappointed. It's really a character study - the plot isn't that important. I also liked The Poisonwood Bible, but if you read Things Fall Apart it's clear that Poisonwood Bible is just a rehash of a much better book.

Possessing the Secret of Joy by Alice Walker - I wanted to like it, but just couldn't. It was trying too hard to make an Important Statement.

[amew]

I am not really a fan of anything by Hemingway, but the only required reading book I ever really loathed was "The Hobbitt." I know people love it, but I just wanted Bilbo to be eaten by some sort of dragon or something so the book would end. As for non-required reading, there have been plenty of chick lit kind of things that have left me unsatisfied ("The Girls Guide to Hunting and Fishing," mentioned earlier, being one), but nothing comes to mind that really rises to the level of loathing. I, too, thought "The Notebook" was a sappy mess. I kind of liked "She's Come Undone."

[ShamrockBride]

a big vote for she's come undone.. i think we have a winner

[Sposa06]

Anything. By. Hemingway!

I also hated Bless the Beasts and Children (Glendon Swarthout) and Pigs in Heaven (Barbara Kingsolver). Bless the Beasts and Children was a pointless pile of drivel assigned to me in high school. I generally liked my reading assignments, but this book and I did not see eye to eye.

And, for some reason, I have to finish each book I start. But this led to me wanting to throw things whenever I made myself pick Pigs in Heaven back up. I enjoyed The Poisonwood Bible - it's not a favorite and I'm not itching to reread it, but it was worth the time it took to read it, and I liked Anatole - so I know it's not necessarily Barbara Kingsolver, but I hated Pigs in Heaven. The story was probably the dumbest idea for a book anyone has ever had, and on top of that, it was poorly written.

Incidentally, I LOVED Everything is Illuminated!

[wendalah]

Oh, how could I forget "I Don't Know How She Does It"????
I HATED that book. Wanted to stuff a dirty rag in the protagonist's mouth.

I was mildly annoyed by "Little Earthquakes" too. Why does Jennifer Weiner always have to repeat the Cannie character in all her books?

For those who hated "She's Come Undone," what did you not like? Just curious. I didn't find Dolores to be unlikable or annoying at all.

[Surftraitor]

Books I hated or just couldn't finish due to lack of interest...

The Secret Lives of Bees--didn't float my boat. Seemed a bit juvenile, perhaps because the main character was a teen??

Bergdorf Blondes--HATED this book, yet read the whole thing. Hated all the characters. They're all selfish rich snobs.

Memoirs of a Geisha--I just couldn't get into it. Made it only 40 pages

Cold Mountain--another book that I wanted to love, yet couldn't get beyond 40 pages.

Poisonwood Bible--was a struggle, but I was so interested in finding out what happened in the end. Skimmed a lot of pages.

[alootikki]

wendalah , Jennifer Weiner is a "larger woman" herself, so that's probably why there's always a Cannie character in her books (and maybe also why the Cannie-type is typically the most likeable character). I liked Little Earthquakes, but thought that some of the storylines were a little too over-the-top.

Surftraitor , I didn't like the Secret Life of Bees either - after all the hoopla, I was expecting something a whole lot better than that!

[wendalah]

I know she's a larger woman, and it's fine that she makes a good case for larger women. But I started to find it wearing a bit thin by her third book. The personalities of her larger women characters vary very little, which is mildly annoying to me. It goes without saying that larger women are allowed to have a varying range of personalities. They can even be bitches, for heaven's sake!

[alootikki]

They can even be bitches, for heaven's sake!

Agreed! I found the perky character in that book the most annoying though - come ON, would you really go for that many months without even talking to your husband about what's bothering you? Anyway - I'll still buy her new book that's coming out in September :)

[wendalah]

Yes, I admit I will be reading her next book too!
Her writing is entertaining and light, which I do enjoy.

[1MegMeg]

Oh, how could I forget "I Don't Know How She Does It"????
I HATED that book. Wanted to stuff a dirty rag in the protagonist's mouth.

Agree! I couldn't even finish this book, I despised so much (and I hate not finishing books, but I hated this book more)!

On the other hand, I loved A Prayer For Owen Meany and The Secret History.

[fuzzy]

We Were the Mulvaneys.

It might have been a good story -- I honestly was just so mad the the rape was the cause of the family's unraveling and the family's essential exile of the daughter was outrageous. Made.Me.So.Mad.

[berry]

Oh, me too (and I am an English teacher, too!)! I also didn't like The Red Badge of Courage, and I hated Heart of Darkness. Anyone want to take away my degree or certification yet? :p

That is my least favorite book of all time! I still remember forcing myself to read it for school (8th grade?) I really hated it.

I just read Pledged (the one about sororities) which everyone seemed to like, but I couldn't stand it. I thought it would be interesting but I really felt it was the same old story over and over. I stopped about 1/2 way through.

[laura]

...

[SiValleySteph]

I'm still irritated by this book.

http://images.amazon.com/images/P/0800718372.01._AA240_SCLZZZZZZZ_.jpg

I bought it because it was on the discount rack at Borders Express for $2 and the cover made it look like a silly chick-lit book that I could read in the bathtub without much thought. It turns out it's a Christian book in disguise. :p Plus, the dialouge/actions were ridiculous. The main character falls for this missionary whose idea of flirting is throwing food at him. :confused: And the guys in the book were all in awe of their one married friend who was actually having sex. :rolleyes:

This book annoyed me to no end, but I had to finish it because I can not start a book and not finish. I did regale my co-workers with re-enactments from the book the next day.

I feel like the book should have had a cross on it or something so that when I'm in a mainstream book store, I don't accidentally buy Christian literature. Okay, I'm just joking about that, but man, this book sucked!

[silvergrey]

We Were the Mulvaneys.

It might have been a good story -- I honestly was just so mad the the rape was the cause of the family's unraveling and the family's essential exile of the daughter was outrageous. Made.Me.So.Mad.

I totally agree! The writing was actually quite good, I thought, but I just could not get into it b/c of what you described above.

I can't believe I'm going to admit this, b/c everyone raves about this book, but I hated The Unbearable Lightness of Being. I like books w/good solid characters that you can really care about, but the characters in that book were paper thin, and annoying to boot.

[Ohana]

I hated Wuthering Heights and only finished the darn book because I wasn't going to let it get the better of me.

Also didn't care for Bill Bud (by Melville, think Moby Dick, ten times more boring), A Prayer for Owen Meany, and that book about the Ya Ya sisterhood.

I thought The Lovely Bones was a great book, even though the end sucked. I think the author got bored and just stopped writing...

[EmilyZA]

Another book I didn't like was Everything is Illuminated by Jonathan Safran Foer. Heard great things about it, but just COULD NOT get into it.

[AusMarchBride]

I can't believe I'm going to admit this, b/c everyone raves about this book, but I hated The Unbearable Lightness of Being. I like books w/good solid characters that you can really care about, but the characters in that book were paper thin, and annoying to boot.

Oh that is SO true. For me, that's one of the most overrated books of all time.

And Bridges of Madison County, boring as heck. I'd rather watch grass grow than read it again.

[Tanya]

The Heart is a Lonely Hunter by Carson McCullers. Maybe I didn't get it, but ug. Anyone else read this?

Tourist Season by Carl Hiaasen. He is most known for writing "Striptease," which is apparently a decent book. Anyway, bizarre book. I had a BF who loved him as an author, but he didn't do it for me.

[magrat]

I generally avoid or don't finish books I don't think I'll like, so the only one I can think of is one we had to read in 7th or 8th grade - I am the Cheese. Everyone hated that one, and we all made fun of it, quoting lines from it for years. ("There's rewards, and then there's REE-wards" in a thick southern accent). We had to watch the movie too, just as bad. When our teacher asked if she should include it on the syllabus for the next year we all said yes, because if we had to read it, they should have to also! I recently put down Jewel in the Crown after getting halfway, even though I would have liked to be able to say I read it because it was just too tedious and annoying.

[SoCoWife]

A Painted House by JOHN GRISHAM sucked butt...I HATED that book not at all like his regular writing, two thumbs way down.

[Carrie K]

I hated "The Old Man and The Sea" and "Heart of Darkness". In fact, I think I faked reading them.

I think all of Carl Hiassen's books are a little whacked, but that's why I like him. Of course, so is John Irving and the only book of his I've been able to finish is "The World According to Garp".

[ginastorm]

"Billy Bud" by Herman Melville. Had to read it in high school. I thought it wouldn't be too bad because it was so short, but I was wrong! To make matters worse, we also had to watch the movie in high school!

"Tess of the D'Urbervilles" by Thomas Hardy. I did read this book & I didn't realize that she had been raped until my English teacher talked about it the next day in class. Very depressing and I really don't know why I had to read it!

[katmg]

"Tess of the D'Urbervilles" by Thomas Hardy. I did read this book & I didn't realize that she had been raped until my English teacher talked about it the next day in class. Very depressing and I really don't know why I had to read it!

Holy Crap! I really did sleep through all of senior year English class. I "read" that book and I didn't know she was raped. Dammit. Y'know...I got an A in that class and tested out of college English with an A as well. Makes me wonder what exactly they were testing on that AP exam.

[pocket]

Just read My Sister's Keeper by Jodi Picoult and HATED it.

[StacieLady]

Like water for Chocolate!

When I finished the book I threw it across the room!

[Sabrina]

Rule of Four, which was supposed to be last summers da Vinci Code but really just plain sucked.

I hated Rule of Four, too. I barely forced myself to finish it, it was so boring.

I also disliked both Uncle Tom's Cabin and Tess of the D'Urbervilles. I had to read both of them for school, so that might have something to do with it, though. I found them both booooooring. IIRC, I didn't finish either of them...

[wendalah]

Oh, I just remembered one I thought was totally overrated. That one that Sofia Coppola made into a movie. What was it called? About the sisters who killed themselves? I read that and thought--what is the point of this?

[greenbunny]

Just finished The Pilot's Wife. Garbage!

For those of you who have not read it:

angst, angst, angst, woe, woe, woe, betrayal, angst, woe, ALL BETTER!

[Myra]

wen--it was The Virgin Suicides. I wasn't too impressed with it either.

[ssstephanie]

I actually liked She's Come Undone. I'm also curious what some of you didn't like about it. Some parts and characters were disturbing, but overall I enjoyed it.

Hated:

Bless Me, Ultima
The Time Traveller's Wife
The Pact and Vanishing Acts- by Jodi Picoult (very disturbing)
Book of Ruth- T. Morrison
And I cannot stand those smut novels like Bergdorf Blondes, The Devil Wears Prada, etc. Bleh.
Just finished Valley of the Dolls, it was okay but overall pretty lame.

[kate]

I know this thread is super old, but, I also hated this book, and could not finish it. Anybody have anything new to add to the hate list?



I didn't like Wedding Season...
http://images.amazon.com/images/P/1400051452.01._AA240_SCLZZZZZZZ_.jpg
]

[maggieb]

I love Toni Morrison, but absolutely hated Paradise! I thought it was too out there even for her.

Another vote for She's Come Undone...I loved I Know This Much is True though.

[Txfish]

See, I don't remember disliking She's Come Undone, but I couldn't stand I Know This Much is True.

I cannot stand Hemingway, Faulkner, Hawthorne, or Melville. I hate reading Hawthorne so much, that I somehow managed to write a term paper on The Scarlet Letter without ever reading the book.

Also bad: The Virgin Suicides, The Lovely Bones, We Were the Mulvaneys (shudder, horrible book) or anything that is basically trying too hard. I couldn't even finish The Emperor of Ocean Park, and that is *extremely* rare. I'm a little sad that I forced myself to finish Empire Falls.

[Southlooper]

One the Road Jack Keruac - Can't understand why it's a "classic."
Grapes of Wrath Steinbeck - I know it was about the depression, but ugh!

[Adaya]

I just read through this entire thread. Wow, I'm really surprised at how different people can be in their tastes. I always wonder if it's cultural. My friends and I always have that debate. It's fascinating. ;)

I agree about not liking Lovely Bones and Grapes of Wrath. I couldn't get beyond the first 20 pages of the first one. Ick!!

[bunnybeth]

Beloved by Toni Morrison; required reading in college and I just couldn't stand it.

The Turn of the Screw by Henry James; my DH loves this story but I didn't like it even after he "explained" it to me.

Mr Darcy's Daughters by Elizabeth Aston; this is supposed to be a "sequel" to Pride and Prejudice but it's so not worthy of being related to anything Austin, it's just trashy.

[Sherb]

Let's see: Wuthering Heights. Actually anything by ANY of the Bronte sisters.

I know this much is true - read about 15 pages. I always read the whole book. Well, except this and Wuthering Heights - I made it 20 pages into that one.

Anything by William F. Faulkner (no the F. is not his real middle name ;) ) I've always maintained that he could have benefited greatly from a good editor.

[rangerwendy]

Catcher In the Rye - couldn't stand it when I read it in high school. Holden irritated the hell out of me. Such a whiny self-absorbed character

In The Hand of Dante by Nick Tosches. I tried this book twice. The first time I gave it about 30 pages and the seconnd time about 100 pages. Horrible!!

[BlackMagicRose]

I cannot stand Hemingway, Faulkner, Hawthorne, or Melville.

I could have wrote that myself!!! ;) These are all of the "classic" authors that I just can't stand!!! Don't get me wrong. I love a lot of "classics." I am a fan of Steinbeck(yep I love The Grapes of Wrath!), Kafka, Orwell and Harper Lee (among others) but the ones listed above make me shudder!

I hate reading Hawthorne so much, that I somehow managed to write a term paper on The Scarlet Letter without ever reading the book.

This is soooooo funny!! ;)

Catcher in The Rye is terrible and I also agree that Henry James is unbearable.

Am I the only one who does not like anything by Stephen King?? I could not get through any of his books. I also agree that The Rule of Four was bad.

I am sure there are more, but I have probably just wiped them from my memory.

[calliope_muses]

Watership Down

Hated, hated, hated those damn rabbits.

[Southlooper]

Catcher In the Rye - couldn't stand it when I read it in high school. Holden irritated the hell out of me. Such a whiny self-absorbed character


Oh, I forgot to put this on my list (maybe because I'm trying to wipe it from my memory.) I feel the same way.

[kissmary]

Another person who loathes Hemingway. I had to read his Across the River and into the Trees in high school, and then some of his short stories, and I can't stand his simplistic writing style.

[pixiecat]

Just finished The Mermaid Chair by Sue Monk Kidd (also wrote Secret Life of Bees) and now I wish I hadn't. I thought the protaganist was both dumb and selfish & she didn't spend enough time developing the more interesting characters. The plot was also very unoriginal.

[ignutzz]

The Scarlet Petal and The White I trudged through this whole freakin' book because I thought it might actually go some where... and then it just STOPPED! I think I did actually throw it across the room.

I also have never enjoyed any of the Margaret Atwood books I've come across. Ugh!

[Regina Phalange]

Wow! I can't believe so many people "loathed" She's Come Undone. It is one of my favorite books.

[ginadc]

Oh, thank dog. I thought I was the only person in the world who hated A Prayer for Owen Meany. My book club read it some years ago and everyone was just raving about it--I couldn't stand it. Hated all the characters and found it way too pleased with itself. Ugh. I don't usually dislike Irving, but this one made me want to hurl.

I probably would have hated Bridges of Madison County had I been able to read more than five pages of it without dozing off.

[bookworm]

Nope, not just you--hated Owen Meany, and actually between that, The Ciderhouse Rules and....another one I can't remember, John Irving is on my "hate" (you know, the writing, not the person) list in general.

[pocket]

Another book I didn't like was Everything is Illuminated by Jonathan Safran Foer. Heard great things about it, but just COULD NOT get into it.

Me too! DH loved it, but i couldn't even read 100 pages.

[mili04]

Most of the books I hated have already been mentioned in this thread. The big losers that stand out in my mind are She's Come Undone and Catcher in the Rye.


Memoirs of a Geisha--I just couldn't get into it. Made it only 40 pages
I'm so glad someone else feels the same way! That's about where I put it down too. I'm taking it with me on vacation to give it another try. I really want to see what everyone thinks is so special about this book.

[charmcitygirl]

loathed?
easy: Geek Love by Katherine Dunn

[laurenc]

i'm surprised no one has mentioned the devil wears prada. i grabbed it at the airport on a whim, and reading it makes me want to punch a window. i know the main character is supposed to be a bitch, but every other character seems so contrived and phony, so far from reality. and i get the sense that the protagonist's background and social life is a thinly-veiled version of the author's own life. i don't have any proof of that, but i just can't help feeling that if i were to meet the author, many of the protagonist's features would be so obvious.

i also didn't like she's come undone. i wanted to like it, but halfway through the plot came undone and it just didnt' work. the characters went from being sympathetic to just plain pathetic.

and, i didn't care much for the secret life of bees. not sure why. i think i just found it boring.

[wine_o_girlie]

I'm super picky, so I could go on for days...:)

True, genuine hates, not dislikes, that come to mind include,

Wicked- could not even get halfway
Anything written by Sophie Kinsella - shudder and why did I try to read 2 of her books?
Angels and Demons - hello gratuitous violence and poor writing
The Bridges of Madison County - or maybe just any and all Nicholas Sparks books. Sappy and trite.
My Sister's Keeper - ugh, sappy, and what a neat and tidy ending that was. :rolleyes:
Beloved - absolutely could not read this book

Dislikes include anything written by John Grisham after he achieved large amounts of commercial success (I think The Rainmaker did me in), huge ditto for Patricia Cornwall, The Davinci Code, The Lovely Bones, and anything by Jennifer Weiner (whose blog I like but her books are terrible and I cannot stand how she repeats characters from other books with such little imagination).

[isobel]

Dislikes include anything written by John Grisham after he achieved large amounts of commercial success (I think The Rainmaker did me in),<b> huge ditto for Patricia Cornwall</b>, The Davinci Code, The Lovely Bones, and anything by Jennifer Weiner (whose blog I like but her books are terrible and I cannot stand how she repeats characters from other books with such little imagination).

So with you on Patricia Cornwall, I wish she would stop writing the Scarpetta novels so i could stop reading them. they had so much more depth any suspense in the first few. Now it is more about the interaction between the characters. I especially hate what she had done with Marino.

I have the same issue with James Patterson and his Alex Cross novels. However, my main complaint is that the mysteries in them make no sense anymore.

[Jenean]

"Prep" by Curtis Sittenfeld. I have actually gone up to people in a bookstore and told them to put it down because it was so Godawful.

The Shopaholic books.

[vwinkel]

I'm currently reading The Poisonwood Bible and feeling so irritated by it. The topic is interesting and she tells the story from five points of view, but the problem is I don't like any of the five characters!

I had the hardest time getting through this book and I also did not like the characters that much, but at the end I realized I liked it. The characters stayed with me in a way that no other book had done for me.

Shopaholic series - I can't stand it. I started the Wedding one and I couldn't stand the character. I stopped halfway through. I tried another one in the series and did the same thing.

I love Anita Shreve, but some of her novels just aren't up to par - Where or When was not a favorite.

[alootikki]

and, i didn't care much for the secret life of bees. not sure why. i think i just found it boring.

Yes - I never "got" the hoopla around this book.

[melmo]

Yes - I never "got" the hoopla around this book.

I agree completely. I kept waiting for something else to happen.

[CTs_Punkin]

I agree w/ the Shopaholics books HATED it, couldn't get past the first chapter. I just thought the main character was so irresponsible, I couldn't get past it. - however, I really liked her Can you keep a secret - I realize it wasn't a great literary feat, but thought it was cute.

I read Wicked and wanted to like it....but didn't

The Hours - couldn't get past page 30

[Angelfish]

I don't think I've posted here yet...

I actually liked both of the Wally Lamb books (She's Come Undone and I Know This Much is True). I also enjoyed The Da Vinci Code, which I finished reading yesterday.

But onto the topic of this thread, I was very disappointed in The Lovely Bones (it didn't do anything for me) and Wicked (I love the musical, but really did not like the book). But the worst book I ever tried to read was The English Patient. I got about halfway through it before giving up. I didn't watch the movie either.

[LaughAtlantis]

But my vote for worst book ever would be Stephen King's Gerald's Game.

I feel bad for the tree that was cut down to make the paper to publish that piece of crap.
I actually liked Gerald's Game but Dreamcatcher? Oh my God, that book not only made me sick from sheer gore and grossness, it also made no sense whatsoever. I had a pregnant friend who actually vomited repeatedly while reading the first few chapters. Stephen King's done some pretty great writing - I was a HUGE King fan for a long time - but I have boycotted him ever since Dreamcatcher. Wretched, wreched, bad, bad, bad. Blech.

And the Shopaholic books were all dreadful. I kept thinking that there had to be more to them that I just wasn't getting, but that main character just seemed like a flighty, stupid, annoying prat of a girl. I wanted to smack her.

I may get crap for this because I know a lot of women love this book, but I hated Jane Eyre with a passion. I just wanted her to grow a damned spine. And my God, the man has a crazy wife in the frickin' attic. LEAVE already!

Speaking of things in the attic - the Flowers in the Attic series by VC Andrews... holy crapola. What dreck.

[nawsgirl]

The Nanny Diaries- So repetitive, so ridiculous, so irritating. I only got through it because I was listening to the audiobook while walking or getting ready for bed, and it was from the library.

Sam's Letters to Jennifer- Cheesy, predictable, unbelievable. James Patterson should stick to mysteries.

Mr. Muo's Travelling Couch- this was written by Dai Sijie, who also wrote Balzac and the Little Chinese Seamstress, which I liked. This book however was narrated by someone who sounded like a pyschopath (audiobook again) and was about a guy trying to get lucky by analyzing dreams with some crazy judge who needs to sleep with a virgin. Very weird.

Gilead- I thought this was BORING. A very long letter to a son about his father's and grandfather's life. I kept waiting for something exciting to happen, but it never did.

[alootikki]

Prep - just finished it, and while I didn't actually loathe the book, I couldn't stand the main character. None of her motivations and actions made any sense to me. I wanted to slap her several times!

[Etoile]

Who was it that wrote The Unbearable Lightness of Being? Milan Kundis or something like that? I loathe that book. And my best friend loves everything he's ever written. Bleah.

[Etoile]

nawsgirl--you know, I actually really liked the Nanny Diaries, but the end made me so angry that I was upset for days.

[nettreefrog]

As I wrote on my bibliophil account...

Title : Oh, the Things I Know! A Guide to Success, or, Failing That, Happiness
Author : Al Franken

Honestly, I found the humor insulting and downright rude. I grimaced in a few spots...and felt that the best thing that I could do was give it away. I made it about 2/5ths of the way through...maybe a little longer. I lost track --the racial slurs and insults compounded into one long brutal experience.

[Myra]

Prep - just finished it, and while I didn't actually loathe the book, I couldn't stand the main character. None of her motivations and actions made any sense to me. I wanted to slap her several times!
I was ready to slap her too.

Really hated How to Lose Friends and Alienate People by Toby Young. I bought it because I liked the title, but it sucked. He just writes about meeting celebrities, messing up his life boringly, and how British people are different from Americans.

[magrat]

loathed?
easy: Geek Love by Katherine Dunn


Aw, I kinda liked that in a twisted sort of way :) Though I can definitely see why some people would hate it.

I've got a new one for my hate list: Lullaby by Chuck Palahniuk.

[sheartm7]

I'll second this book: Vanishing Acts - by Jodi Picoult - totally sucked.

[prudies]

I liked Prep, but I did feel like there was something cold and distant about the main character. I can't really put my finger on it, but it was kind of off-putting.

As for me...I hated The Devil Wears Prada. I can't believe that sh*t got published, even with the good dish on Vogue and Anna Wintour.

ETA: laurenc - ditto!

[LittleFredPunkinHead]

I've got a new one for my hate list: Lullaby by Chuck Palahniuk.
And I actually liked that one... :)

[msnicolea]

In 7th grade we had to read Heart of Darkness-HATED it then, but really liked it as an adult. I also despised anything by Dickens.

I can't think of one I hated as an adult, really--if I hate it early on, I probably won't finish it!

Nope, not just you--hated Owen Meany, and actually between that, The Ciderhouse Rules and....another one I can't remember, John Irving is on my "hate" (you know, the writing, not the person) list in general.

Irving is my favorite author in the world.

bookworm= dead to me

;)

[ilovepink]

Another one for She's Come Undone. Way too depressing.

Not a Dickens fan either. Way too much detail, nothing for the imagination to invent, and his books move so slow I get bored after 2 pages.

Oprah's books are always depressing too. Yuck.

[bookworm]

Irving is my favorite author in the world.

bookworm= dead to me

;)

Oh, the humanity.... <sob>

One of my best friends loves Iriving too. We agree not to discuss it ;).

[sheartm7]

http://images.amazon.com/images/P/0553479350.01._AA240_SCLZZZZZZZ_.gif

This book is SO bad, it's taking all I have to finish it. I'm mostly laughing my way through it, as it's totally predictable and corny not to mention extremely repetitive.

[VASLP]

I agree about Lovely Bones! I friend of mine convinced me to read it because it "touched her so much" and she could "read it over and over again". I was so bored by the stupid book that I threw it across the room when I finished. Even my husband could tell that I hated it by the way I was making noises while I read and the facial expressions I made.

[jenahdawn]

I find it entertaining that about 1/4 of the loathed books are also on the favorites list.

NOT including "required reading" for high school (and some of college, the only English class I had required reading in was my Shakespeare class, and I was a theater major....)

I HATED "She's Come Undone"

I HATED "Valley of the Dolls" (I actually got out of the bathtub, dripping wet, walked into the living room, threw it on a chair and shouted to my husband, "I JUST WASTED FOUR DAYS!"~~~I tend to read in the tub or just before bed.)

"Cabinet of Curriosities" is the first book I said, out loud, "This is so dumb, I'm not going to finish it, life's too short." and stopped, about 30 pages in, returned it to the library and never felt guilty.

I admit to reading Cybil Shephard's autobiography....why? I don't know...

There was a terrible one I read a few months ago that I can't even remember the name...wait, "Cleopatra's Needle"

Other books I tried to start and realized I didn't HAVE to finish: The Notebook, The Egyptologist, the second in the Hitchhiker's series, and I am sure there are more. (It was so freeing realizing that I don't HAVE to finish a book I dislike!)

[jenahdawn]

forgot, "The Screwtape Letters" or whatever it is called.

[sheartm7]

http://us.penguingroup.com/static/images/us/readinggroups/covers/lake.gif

Couldn't even finish this one.

[curlyjr]

Another one I could not stand, "Tully" by Paulina simmons, I think. It is my sisters favorite book and I just found it annoying.

[ejs]

The Secret History
The Emperor of Ocean Park
Atlas Shrugged
The Five People You Meet in Heaven

[lbs27]

This thread title just caught my eye and I was going to come in here and post how much I hated The Five People You Meet in Heaven, but thought I'd get totally flogged for it (I haven't read any of the thread yet). Funny that ejs came in and posted right before me. ;) It's weird though because I really liked Tuesdays with Morrie.

I also hated the book that Sex and the City was based on--can't think of the name at the moment, but couldn't even finish it!

*going back to read through the rest of thread now*.

[bookworm]

I also hated The Five People You Meet in Heaven (though I cried my way through it), but I loved Atlas Shrugged.

[Nanner]

Most of the books I've loathed have already been mentioned, like She's Come Undone, I Know This Much is True, Da Vinci Code, and The Notebook.

One that hasn't been mentioned is Babbitt, by Sinclair Lewis. *snore* I had to read this in a college advanced lit. class, and I could not even force my way through it. I think I stopped about a quarter of the way through the book and took a D on the test!

And for those who asked why people didn't like the Wally Lamb books, this is my reason: they weren't just depressing, they were dePRESSING. When I read She's Come Undone, I thought it started off good, but the further along I got, the more depressed I got. Every time you think she's hit rock bottom, something even worse happens. Repeat 10 times. It just got tiring. I Know This Much is True was the same thing, except with schizophrenia.

[bookworm]

I agree about the depressing (though I didn't read I Know This Much is True because I hated his other novel so much)--and not depressing-with-a-purpose, just all-out-hate-life-depressing. Another in this category was Songs in Ordinary Time. After the combo of those two, I swore off Oprah books (until someone convinced me to read The Secret Life of Bees, which I really enjoyed).

[pixiecat]

secret life of bees - this was okay for me, but I HATED HATED the mermaid chair. Soooo lame, predictable. Also, must add Blessings by Anna Quindlen. Why oh why did I waste my life on that book??

I'm cool with The five people you meet in heaven - for what it is, I liked it well enough (also, I think it helps if you read these uber-popular books *before* they get too popular b/c then you don't have really high expectations)

I won't really read too much that Oprah has stamped b/c they tend to all be the same... depressing! Then again, sometimes there is a gem in there.

Also, it's been awhile, but I remember Atlas Shrugged as being very very good in college...