BikeBookBread Posted December 22, 2009 Share Posted December 22, 2009 :lol::lol::lol: I have tears running down my face! That is one of the best quotes ever!!! :lol:! Then you have to read this blog post by Tim Challies... :smilielol5: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Heather in WI Posted December 22, 2009 Share Posted December 22, 2009 The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo (zzzzzz....) :iagree: I could not get into that book! I knew I should be able to .... I read a million glowing reviews and then ... meh. I also was shocked that I didn't like Madame Bovary. I really wanted to like it ... but alas! I could care less that at some point in this novel she would end up having an affair. (Right? I guess I just assumed she would, LOL!) Finally, Norms and Nobility. I loved the first chapter ... and then .... four chapters in and I gave up. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Heather in WI Posted December 22, 2009 Share Posted December 22, 2009 Then you have to read this blog post by Tim Challies... :smilielol5: :lol::rofl::lol::rofl: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LibraryLover Posted December 22, 2009 Share Posted December 22, 2009 Pillars of the Earth for my book group. So much paper to say so little. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Trixie Posted December 22, 2009 Share Posted December 22, 2009 I'm with Peela; I don't usually give a bad book more than a chapter or so. (It took me decades to give myself permission to do that!) However ... I did read one bad book this year because the premise was so interesting that I had to know how it played out: "Sarah's Key." It was so badly written that I cannot understand how it reviewed so well. I had to choke it down. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
6packofun Posted December 22, 2009 Share Posted December 22, 2009 Then you have to read this blog post by Tim Challies... :smilielol5: ROTFL!!!! Dd and I just read that and had tears in our eyes! :lol: Thanks, that's a good one...I'm going to pass it along! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Heidi @ Mt Hope Posted December 22, 2009 Share Posted December 22, 2009 Then you have to read this blog post by Tim Challies... :smilielol5: Thank you, thank you. That positively made my day. :lol: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
moki4 Posted December 22, 2009 Share Posted December 22, 2009 The Shack (didn't even finish it)... Latest book from John Gatto. I thought it would be different. To me, it was really a book of antiintellectualism and anarchy.:glare: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
coffeefreak Posted December 22, 2009 Share Posted December 22, 2009 The only bad book I finished this year was, "Managers of their Schools" by Teri Maxwell. Like everyone else, I toss books that I can't get into or I don't like, but I had to finish this one. It was so disturbing to me! 200 pages on why you should use Textbooks!??!:001_huh: memo to self. . .Don't buy The Shack :D Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Elaine Posted December 22, 2009 Share Posted December 22, 2009 We Were the Mulvaneys. I tried, twice, to get through it.:glare: It was maddening! I felt like throwing the book against the wall and shouting, "Shut up about the %#(& farm already!" Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
6packofun Posted December 22, 2009 Share Posted December 22, 2009 I tend to not finish really bad ones, too. Of those I did finish, I hated I'm Perfect, You're Doomed: Tales from a Jehovah's Witness Upbringing by Kyria Abrahams the most. Nothing redeeming at all and I was hoping she'd come to terms with *something*, but no. So it was a totally pointless memoir type of thing. Lots of those lately, though. :001_huh: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kewb Posted December 22, 2009 Share Posted December 22, 2009 I read a few bad ones for book club. They were awful. Just awful. Dahlias Gone by Katie Destill. Handle with Care by Jodi Picoult The Condition by Jennifer Haigh Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
i.love.lucy Posted December 22, 2009 Share Posted December 22, 2009 Scarlet Feather by Maeve Binchy was probably the biggest waste of time this year. I kept hoping it would get better/more interesting/have a point. It wasn't awful, but it was an awfully long book to say nothing. I read a few books with very little redeeming value in the romance category, but at least I was entertained. :) I kinda wish I hadn't read Outlander, though. I felt the same way about Tara Road. I kept on reading, trying so hard to like it. In the end I felt like: *shrug* Then you have to read this blog post by Tim Challies... :smilielol5: :w00t: Hilarious! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
funschooler5 Posted December 22, 2009 Share Posted December 22, 2009 The Twilight series (made it through the whole series), and the Southern Vampire series (didn't make it past the first book). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BigMamaBird Posted December 22, 2009 Share Posted December 22, 2009 Something about a cat in a library - Dewey something? It came highly recommended, but I found it very dull. I read about 6 chapters and decided that I just wasn't going to bother finishing it. Moved onto the Girl with the Pearl Earring instead and thoroughly enjoyed that. I know this thread is about bad books, but I had to agree, I loved Girl with a Pearl Earring. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Perry Posted December 22, 2009 Share Posted December 22, 2009 :lol::lol: So you're saying I should stop feeling guilty about the fact that I recently took it out of the library, read "Call me Ishmael" and a bit more of the first pages a few times, then it lay under the bed for a while, and then I brought it back. :tongue_smilie: I was not encouraged when I flipped ahead and read excerpts, so that didn't help.... You saved yourself a lot of time. I made it about halfway and it didn't get any better. Don't feel guilty! I'm sure you used all those potentially wasted hours to make this world a better place! :D Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mommyfaithe Posted December 22, 2009 Share Posted December 22, 2009 The Time traveler's Wife...What a piece o' cr@p...just awful... ~~Faithe Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nakia Posted December 22, 2009 Share Posted December 22, 2009 The Time traveler's Wife...What a piece o' cr@p...just awful... ~~Faithe Oh yes! How could I forget? I think you and I might be the only people on Earth who don't love this book though. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
orangearrow Posted December 22, 2009 Share Posted December 22, 2009 I don't really know if it was the "worst" book I read this year, but it was, by far, the most disappointing - Breaking Dawn (4th book in the Twilight series). They lost me by the end of the first chapter or so and it just went downhill - quickly - from there. Ugh. I just pretend the series ended with the 3rd book and I make up my own happy endings for everybody. :D Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mommyfaithe Posted December 22, 2009 Share Posted December 22, 2009 This may make me the worst homeschooling mom ever, but, I hated Moby Dick so much I couldn't make my dd15 read it for her Lightning Lit class. We skipped it. I was trying so hard to get through that book, but, I just couldn't do it. I am like this with Red Badge of Courage. I CAN NOT and WILL NOT make my kids read this book. It is worse than a snoozer! :tongue_smilie: Faithe Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mommyfaithe Posted December 22, 2009 Share Posted December 22, 2009 Oh yes! How could I forget? I think you and I might be the only people on Earth who don't love this book though. Glad to have company...but sorry you were subjected to that garbage too. :001_smile: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TravelingChris Posted December 22, 2009 Share Posted December 22, 2009 I hated Time Traveler's Wife. I didn't read that this year. This year I didn't read any books I didn't like since I only read books I do like except if I am in something like a book club or teaching a class. I want to join a book club this upcoming year since I really miss being in one. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dragons in the flower bed Posted December 22, 2009 Share Posted December 22, 2009 The worst book I read all the way through was definitely Twilight. I wouldn't have gotten past the first paragraph if I had been reading it for pleasure. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SusanAR Posted December 22, 2009 Share Posted December 22, 2009 The Help. The rating on Amazon is 4+ with over 1000 reviewers! The charactrers were VERY stereotypical and had NO depth whatsoever. The author thinks you aren't smart enough to pick up on their stereotype, so she reminds you ad nauseum. I finished it only because I read it while I was traveling and didn't have anything else to read :glare: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alice Posted December 22, 2009 Share Posted December 22, 2009 I'm embarrassed not to have enjoyed it... Moby Dick. Don't be embarrassed. I did make it all the way through but wish I had given up and used those countless hours doing something more productive and enjoyable. Seems I'm in good company, my other worst read was The Shack. Blech. Then you have to read this blog post by Tim Challies... :smilielol5: :lol::lol::lol::lol: Ok, now that might make best blog posts of the year. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Katia Posted December 22, 2009 Share Posted December 22, 2009 (edited) I hated Time Traveler's Wife. I didn't read that this year. I didn't read it this year, either, but I thought it was the most dreadful book I had ever read. It had been recommended so highly....and I tried to like it....I kept plowing though thinking it would get better, but it just got worse. Yuck. Piece of cr@p is right. This year the worse book I read was Twilight and whatever the second book was. My dd was reading them, and I wanted to see what she was reading and be aware of the content...sheesh. Even dd admitted it was bad, thank God, but she read them because her friends were reading them. It was a good lesson for her; that she doesn't have to like something just because her friends do. Edited December 23, 2009 by Katia Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rwjx2khsmj Posted December 22, 2009 Share Posted December 22, 2009 Pilgrim's Progress would be mine. I didn't finish it and this was at least the second time I've tried. Maybe third time will be the charm. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shawneinfl Posted December 22, 2009 Share Posted December 22, 2009 I couldn't make it through Water for Elephants and my husband made a gallant effort to read Moby Dick but floundered about halfway through. I did thoroughly enjoy Outliers and The Kite Runner. I'm going to read Skipping Christmas this week because it always makes me laugh. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MyLittleWonders Posted December 22, 2009 Share Posted December 22, 2009 For me, it was The Mists of Avalon. It came highly recommended on another board I used to frequent, and I trudged through the entire, depressing, frustrating thing hoping beyond hope that it would get better. I hated it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
*Inna* Posted December 22, 2009 Share Posted December 22, 2009 The Time traveler's Wife...What a piece o' cr@p...just awful... ~~Faithe :iagree: I was forcing myself to read on, hoping it'll get better. Nope. Dead depressing. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
happi duck Posted December 22, 2009 Share Posted December 22, 2009 Julie and Julia Q & A (Slumdog Millionaire) Kite Runner Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hsmom3tn Posted December 22, 2009 Share Posted December 22, 2009 The Greatest White Trash Love Story Ever Told, by Rhett Ellis. I kid you not; that's the title. Here it is: http://www.amazon.com/Greatest-White-Trash-Love-Story/dp/0967063167 It was awful. It was one of our book club picks. I think only one of the ladies in the group actually liked it. Next runner up for worst book this year would be She's Come Undone, by Wally Lamb. Hated it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kewb Posted December 22, 2009 Share Posted December 22, 2009 I did not hate The Time's Traveler's Wife but I can not say I enjoyed it either. I was left feeling apathetic about it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ginevra Posted December 22, 2009 Share Posted December 22, 2009 The worst was The Household Guide to Dying. I was expecting tongue-in-cheek humor, and there was that, but it got excessively, sickeningly, horrifyingly dark in the last third or so and I put it down and slunk away, feeling a little like I just witnessed the drowning of a kitten or something. :glare: Next, very close runner-up: Twilight. I don't get what everyone loves in that book. It really just did nothing for me. I finished it, but I kept waiting to be hooked. Instead, I kept looking to see how many more pages to go. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hsmom3tn Posted December 22, 2009 Share Posted December 22, 2009 The Almost Moon by Alice Sebold. I loved The Lovely Bones but this one was just awful and depressing. I actually read the whole thing but afterwards wished I hadn't. Just a hint, the first sentence in the book is "When all is said and done, killing my mother came easily." :iagree: Just read through all of the replies and had to agree with this one. I really liked The Lovely Bones so I read Lucky and The Almost Moon. They were both horrible. Some of the others that have been mentioned are favorites of mine, though, like Water for Elephants, The Twilight Saga, and The Time Traveler's Wife. I haven't read Atonement yet; but I remember I didn't like the movie until the end, so I wonder if the book will be the same... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Parrothead Posted December 22, 2009 Share Posted December 22, 2009 The second book in the Legend of the Seeker series. I enjoyed Wizards First Rule, passed it on to dh, and couldn't get into the next book. Dh on the other hand read the entire series. A big disappointment was The Lost Symbol. I read it through once rather quickly. Then on the second reading I realized that it wasn't ever going to be my favorite Dan Brown novel. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jeannie in NJ Posted December 22, 2009 Share Posted December 22, 2009 yay, thanks to those of you that also hated The Time Traveler's Wife. I was honestly wondering why I seemed to be the only one that hated this book, what was everyone else enjoying that I wasn't??? Well, glad to know that I am not alone. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stacia Posted December 22, 2009 Share Posted December 22, 2009 (edited) "Twilight". Mind-numbingly boring. Awful characterization. Simple sentences. Abuse & manipulation. And don't even get me started on the impact of these being 'role models' for teen girls. Argh. Once he started glittering in a field, I was done. Could not finish it. Thought "The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo" was a real let-down after so much hype. (Same w/ "The Time-Traveler's Wife" and "The Lovely Bones", both of which I read quite a few years ago, but figured I'd toss in here since I see others who weren't fans of them either.) However, I did read all 3 of those books all the way through. 'Meh' is about the best comment I can muster on any of them. Also, wanted to be able to get into "Public Enemies", but it's just too detailed & jumpy. The concept is fascinating, but I'm not sure the execution is very good. Ended up not finishing it. As a rule, like Peela & others have mentioned, I don't finish books I don't like. (My overall #1 hated book that I did read -- and shouldn't have -- was "Perfume". Read it a few years ago & hated it, hated it, hated it.) Edited December 22, 2009 by Stacia Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Thea Posted December 22, 2009 Share Posted December 22, 2009 Next runner up for worst book this year would be She's Come Undone, by Wally Lamb. Hated it. Aw Man--Mr. Lamb was my high school Honors English teacher. Of his three novels, I liked "The Hour I First Believed" the best. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Snickerdoodle Posted December 23, 2009 Share Posted December 23, 2009 Well, I did get around to reading one of the popular titles. It seemed to be the place where adverbs went to die. ;) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Audrey Posted December 23, 2009 Share Posted December 23, 2009 Mine was a tie between The Lost Symbol (seriously, it is time for Dan Brown to retire from writing), The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo (zzzzzz....) and the Southern Vampire books by Charlaine Harris (just terrible in so many ways...whoever said these were better than the Twilight books has been smoking something :tongue_smilie:). I read Twilight. It was atrocious. I've read cereal boxes with more captivating plots and intriguing characters than that. Time Traveller's Wife was only slightly better, but still an appalling waste of perfectly good trees. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hsmom3tn Posted December 23, 2009 Share Posted December 23, 2009 Aw Man--Mr. Lamb was my high school Honors English teacher. Of his three novels, I liked "The Hour I First Believed" the best. I keep hearing that his other books are better, but haven't tried to read any of them yet. I'm sure I'll give them a try, but really did not like that one at all. Sorry. :( Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cammie Posted December 23, 2009 Share Posted December 23, 2009 I read a few bad ones for book club. They were awful. Just awful.Dahlias Gone by Katie Destill. Handle with Care by Jodi Picoult The Condition by Jennifer Haigh I second the vote for Handle with Care, I couldn't stand it! I don't buy her books but my mother always does and I always get tempted into trying them out. That is it, I am done, never again! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Thea Posted December 23, 2009 Share Posted December 23, 2009 I keep hearing that his other books are better, but haven't tried to read any of them yet. I'm sure I'll give them a try, but really did not like that one at all. Sorry. :( That's OK. I have Oprah on my side. ;) :001_smile: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jean in Newcastle Posted December 23, 2009 Share Posted December 23, 2009 Dr. Strange and Mr. Norell (I think I got that title correct). My brother raved about it but I found it so boring. (P.S. Moby Dick is one of my favorite books. .. .) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Crissy Posted December 23, 2009 Share Posted December 23, 2009 I keep hearing that his other books are better, but haven't tried to read any of them yet. I'm sure I'll give them a try, but really did not like that one at all. Sorry. :( I hated She's Come Undone, LOVED I Know This Much is True, and haven't been able to get past the first two chapters of The Hour I First Believed. I can certainly say this about Wally Lamb. He's not an author one can accuse of following a particular formula. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nd293 Posted December 23, 2009 Share Posted December 23, 2009 It was a book set in Israel, cashing in on the Dan Brown hype, gnostic gospels etc. It was dumbed down to an excrutiating level. And I cannot believe the author had ever been to Israel. Amongst other things, he said something about a character forgetting he was in Israel until he'd left the airport. No-one who's been through Israeli security checks could ever think that! Note to authors everywhere - don't set a book somewhere you've never been. Other people might actually have been there. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mary in GA Posted December 23, 2009 Share Posted December 23, 2009 URGH. Didn't even come close to finishing it. Picked it up after my sis left it at my house on her last visit. Mary Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Heidi Posted December 23, 2009 Share Posted December 23, 2009 I read Twilight. It was atrocious. I've read cereal boxes with more captivating plots and intriguing characters than that. You are a brave woman to utter such words. ;) I enjoyed it, much to my own embarrassment. But I know of MANY women who LOVED it. I'm not one of those. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Heidi Posted December 23, 2009 Share Posted December 23, 2009 Am I the only one who loathes The Good Earth? ((shudder)) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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