Sara Mac Posted December 23, 2009 Share Posted December 23, 2009 The Lost Symbol by Dan Brown. I finished it but it was the worst written, most boring plodding book I've ever read. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nakia 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. Though I enjoyed Twilight, I think this was the funniest thing I've read all day. I don't get all the crazy love and obsession with Twilight. It was fun, but not the best I've read. And after seeing Edward shirtless in the movie, I am definitely not on Team Edward at all. Barf. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Elaine Posted December 23, 2009 Share Posted December 23, 2009 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. I loved I Know This Much is True. I finished She's Come Undone but did not love it like I did IKTMIT. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Elaine Posted December 23, 2009 Share Posted December 23, 2009 Most depressing book? Revolutionary Road. I wanted to stick my head in the oven after finishing it. That book messed me up for weeks! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Joanne Posted December 23, 2009 Share Posted December 23, 2009 As I posted in the other thread, my reading has been limited by necessity due to homeschooling, my school and work. The worst were 3 books I read for a recent school research paper. They shall remain nameless. I also didn't like "Kill Phil" (it's a poker book) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mommy22alyns Posted December 23, 2009 Share Posted December 23, 2009 Well, I ditched Edith Wharton's The Children a few chapters in. I struggled mightily through Portrait of a Lady. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LibraryLover Posted December 23, 2009 Share Posted December 23, 2009 I know I read a Jodi Picoult book at the insistence of a friend. I don't remember which one, so I assume it was awful. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hsmom3tn Posted December 23, 2009 Share Posted December 23, 2009 Am I the only one who loathes The Good Earth? ((shudder)) Probably not the only one... but I finally read that book this year and I thought it was great! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hsmom3tn Posted December 23, 2009 Share Posted December 23, 2009 That's OK. I have Oprah on my side. ;) :001_smile: :lol: 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. I bought IKTMIT, but haven't been brave enough to start it yet. :001_huh: 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 I hated the movie, so I've been reluctant to read the book... maybe I should skip that one... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Crissy Posted December 23, 2009 Share Posted December 23, 2009 I know I read a Jodi Picoult book at the insistence of a friend. I don't remember which one, so I assume it was awful. I have read just one Jodi Picoult book, My Sister's Keeper. The premise was fascinating, but there was so much about her writing that I didn't like. My friend claims Ms. Picoult as her favorite author, but from the summaries she shares with me, I feel I will have the same issues reading her other books that I had with the first one I chose. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hsmom3tn Posted December 23, 2009 Share Posted December 23, 2009 Well, I ditched Edith Wharton's The Children a few chapters in. I tried to read Ethan Frome this year and couldn't get into it. :( I have read just one Jodi Picoult book, My Sister's Keeper. The premise was fascinating, but there was so much about her writing that I didn't like.My friend claims Ms. Picoult as her favorite author, but from the summaries she shares with me, I feel I will have the same issues reading her other books that I had with the first one I chose. Jodi Picoult's books are like a train wreck that I can't help looking at... but I always hate them in the end. :confused: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Quad Shot Academy Posted December 23, 2009 Share Posted December 23, 2009 The Shack Hands down. No question. (And I'm actually not even talking about the theology.) :D :iagree: :iagree: :iagree: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
eaglei Posted December 23, 2009 Share Posted December 23, 2009 Always Looking Up by Michael J. Fox. I loved his Lucky Man, so I'd expected to enjoy this one too. Touched By a Vampire: Discovering the Hidden Messages in the Twilight Series by Beth Felker Jones. She must have known someone big at the publishing company. And they should have lost their job over this. Glenn Beck's The Christmas Sweater. I'm in love with Glenn...just not his fiction. Saving Alice by David Lewis (husband of Christian author Beverly Lewis). I liked reliving the "good books" thread! Some of our reading interests must be similar! I, too, enjoyed Lucky Man, although I didn't like some of the language, and was a bit disappointed with Always Looking Up. I enjoyed The Christmas Sweater until the ending . . . Same with Saving Alice - didn't care for that ending . . . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
eaglei Posted December 23, 2009 Share Posted December 23, 2009 Prairie Tale. Melissa Gilbert's autobiography. I loved Little House ... I couldn't put it down, it was like a bad train wreck, but I really wish I hadn't checked it out at the library. ... Waaaaaay more than I need to know about anyone. :iagree: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lionfamily1999 Posted December 23, 2009 Share Posted December 23, 2009 "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. Glittering in a field? I've managed to not read those. My sister loves them. She's the one that had me read Wicked and Son of a Witch. They were okay. Nothing to rave about, but m'eh, I didn't wish I could take back the time, iykwIm. I've been tempted to try Twighlight, just to get her off my back, but now I'm thinking ignorance is bliss :lol: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
eaglei Posted December 23, 2009 Share Posted December 23, 2009 Absolutely did not like "The Great Gatsby" by F. Scott Fitzgerald. As others have posted, I generally will not finish a book that I do not like, but since this is a *classic* I had never read, I was determined to finish it. What a waste of time! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lionfamily1999 Posted December 23, 2009 Share Posted December 23, 2009 Absolutely did not like "The Great Gatsby" by F. Scott Fitzgerald. As others have posted, I generally will not finish a book that I do not like, but since this is a *classic* I had never read, I was determined to finish it. What a waste of time! All I remember about that book (read it in high school) was something about a woman being hit by a car and her b00k flopping back and forth. I didn't like it much either and just skimmed it, but that popped out at me :lol: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Cindie2dds Posted December 23, 2009 Share Posted December 23, 2009 (edited) The Time Traveler's Wife. I kept reading because so many people said it was an amazing book, a must read! Too choppy, too much s3x, and overall just pathetic. Sorry if you liked it. :blush: Edited December 23, 2009 by Cindie2dds Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stacia 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. Time Traveller's Wife was only slightly better, but still an appalling waste of perfectly good trees. :party:Perfect summary, Audrey! Dr. Strange and Mr. Norell (I think I got that title correct). My brother raved about it but I found it so boring. Couldn't get into that one when I tried it a few years ago. URGH. Didn't even come close to finishing it. Picked it up after my sis left it at my house on her last visit. (The Jane Austen Book Club) Oh yeah... another one I didn't finish because I disliked it. Wow, it's funny to read this thread. I've seen quite a few on here that I started & never finished (& promptly forgot about, until being reminded of them in this thread, lol). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stacia Posted December 23, 2009 Share Posted December 23, 2009 Glittering in a field? I've managed to not read those. My sister loves them. She's the one that had me read Wicked and Son of a Witch. They were okay. Nothing to rave about, but m'eh, I didn't wish I could take back the time, iykwIm. I've been tempted to try Twighlight, just to get her off my back, but now I'm thinking ignorance is bliss :lol: LOL. Well, I'd go w/ your gut. (Read Anne Rice's vampire books or The Historian instead. Please.) If you decide to read Twilight, you can't say I didn't warn you! :lol: (BTW, here's a great Twilight-related post that echoes a lot of my thoughts on it.... One of my favorite quotes includes, "...a vampire that glitters like diamonds in the sunlight to attract prey — sorta like a stalky My Little Pony with fangs".) :D Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LauraGB Posted December 23, 2009 Share Posted December 23, 2009 Well, its probably not fair, because I never finished either one, but Outlander (Gabaldon) and The Lost Symbol (Brown). At least with The Lost Symbol, I go back every now and then and read a couple more pages, and plan to finish it someday... Not so with Outlander. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Cindie2dds 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. .. .) :iagree: It was highly recommended at a used book store I frequent. I didn't make it past the first chapter. Should have done that with Time Traveler's Wife. :glare: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Audrey Posted December 23, 2009 Share Posted December 23, 2009 Well, its probably not fair, because I never finished either one, but Outlander (Gabaldon) and The Lost Symbol (Brown). At least with The Lost Symbol, I go back every now and then and read a couple more pages, and plan to finish it someday... Not so with Outlander. Ah... Outlander. I didn't comment on that because the OP asked what was the worst we'd read this year, and it's been years since I lost several hours to that preposterous assemblage of loo roll only marginally disguised as tome. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kls126s Posted December 23, 2009 Share Posted December 23, 2009 Anyone else think it's funny that this thread is twice as long as the "favorite books of this year" thread? :laugh: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Osmosis Mom Posted December 23, 2009 Share Posted December 23, 2009 Running with Scissors. Guess I hadn't read the reviews on that one. Way too much "private" info to be in a book, imo. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Snickerdoodle Posted December 23, 2009 Share Posted December 23, 2009 I did not like The Road by Cormac McCarthy. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lionfamily1999 Posted December 23, 2009 Share Posted December 23, 2009 LOL. Well, I'd go w/ your gut. (Read Anne Rice's vampire books or The Historian instead. Please.) If you decide to read Twilight, you can't say I didn't warn you! :lol: (BTW, here's a great Twilight-related post that echoes a lot of my thoughts on it.... One of my favorite quotes includes, "...a vampire that glitters like diamonds in the sunlight to attract prey — sorta like a stalky My Little Pony with fangs".) :D Now, that would've gotten my attention 25 years ago :lol: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Greta Lea Posted December 23, 2009 Share Posted December 23, 2009 I agree...I didn't finish it...only read a few chapters..just horrible! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MIch elle Posted December 23, 2009 Share Posted December 23, 2009 Anna Karenina - UGH! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Michelle in GA Posted December 23, 2009 Share Posted December 23, 2009 1. The Shack-could NOT get into this 2. My Sister's Keeper, by Jodi Picoult--depressing, and I hated most of the characters 3. The Alchemist--I liked it at the beginning, but then, it felt like a very long winded, "mystic" lecture. Whoever said the Time Traveler's Wife was just so-so. I agree! In fact, I had a terrible time slugging through that one. As for The Good Earth...I LOVED that book:) Great post! It's neat to see how differently(or the same), we interpret books! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
aggieamy Posted December 23, 2009 Share Posted December 23, 2009 Well, its probably not fair, because I never finished either one, but Outlander (Gabaldon) and The Lost Symbol (Brown). At least with The Lost Symbol, I go back every now and then and read a couple more pages, and plan to finish it someday... Not so with Outlander. I am so glad to read that I'm not the only person in the world that didn't LOVE Outlander. I read it but at the end all I could think was that it was a romance type novel. I handed it off to my sister who will probably love it but I won't be rushing out to buy any of the sequals. I can't really define what I didn't like about it other than it seemed like a romance novel. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
coffeefreak Posted December 23, 2009 Share Posted December 23, 2009 AUGH!!! I can't take it anymore!!! I LOVE The Time Traveler's Wife! LOVE LOVE LOVE IT!!! Ok, I feel better. Carry on :blush: Dorinda PS - I read Wicked the year it came out and I don't understand that book At all!!! What a sick guy! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mommy22alyns Posted December 23, 2009 Share Posted December 23, 2009 Oh, I also ditched The Lovely Bones too. Somewhere between sick, trite, and depressing. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Crissy Posted December 23, 2009 Share Posted December 23, 2009 I am so glad to read that I'm not the only person in the world that didn't LOVE Outlander. I read it but at the end all I could think was that it was a romance type novel. I handed it off to my sister who will probably love it but I won't be rushing out to buy any of the sequals. I can't really define what I didn't like about it other than it seemed like a romance novel. I have tried a few times to get into Outlander. My sister passed the entire series on to my, but they just sit on the shelf. I don't think I have made it past the third chapter. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Audrey Posted December 23, 2009 Share Posted December 23, 2009 I have tried a few times to get into Outlander. My sister passed the entire series on to my, but they just sit on the shelf. I don't think I have made it past the third chapter. Trust me. It doesn't get any better from there! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LauraGB Posted December 23, 2009 Share Posted December 23, 2009 I have tried a few times to get into Outlander. My sister passed the entire series on to my, but they just sit on the shelf. I don't think I have made it past the third chapter. Page 63 here. 13 pages past the If Nothing's Happening By Page 50 Rule. I tried really hard to like it because I feel bad disregarding an author's hard work, but I just couldn't do it w/that one. (And I really liked the Time Traveler's Wife, too. Not sure I'd read it again, but I liked it when I read it the first time. Although, I agree with another poster that some of the s*x was a bit TMI - for me, anyway) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hsmom3tn Posted December 23, 2009 Share Posted December 23, 2009 Running with Scissors. Guess I hadn't read the reviews on that one. Way too much "private" info to be in a book, imo. If asked what was the worst book I'd read in 2008, that would be it. Terrible book. :glare: AUGH!!! I can't take it anymore!!! I LOVE The Time Traveler's Wife! LOVE LOVE LOVE IT!!! Ok, I feel better. Carry on :blush: Dorinda PS - I read Wicked the year it came out and I don't understand that book At all!!! What a sick guy! okay, I was all set to agree with you.... but I also loved Wicked. I'm starting Son of a Witch now. :D Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Renai Posted December 23, 2009 Share Posted December 23, 2009 Treasure Island. I started Robinson Crusoe about 3 weeks ago, but haven't the motivation to finish it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ciyates Posted December 23, 2009 Share Posted December 23, 2009 Don't stone me but Twilight had to be the all time worst book I have read. I liked Wicked. Having heard about the Shack I have avoided it. I am currently reading Blame and if something doesn't change soon it is on its way to the so dull I would rather watch the news pile. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
i.love.lucy Posted December 23, 2009 Share Posted December 23, 2009 I have tried a few times to get into Outlander. My sister passed the entire series on to my, but they just sit on the shelf. I don't think I have made it past the third chapter. I forgot about Outlander. I think I read 10 pages and thought...meh. I thought it was just me, since I hear raves about it! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Heather in Neverland Posted December 23, 2009 Author Share Posted December 23, 2009 the If Nothing's Happening By Page 50 Rule. Now this is a rule I should consider. I always finish a book...even if it is awful. It's compulsive. And sometimes I keep hoping the book will redeem itself like "it can't possibly be as awful as it seems so it is going to get better any minute now." And here is another confession: I have a strange desire now to look into some of these "awful" books you have all named (like Outlander) just to see what is so awful about them. What is WRONG with me? Sheesh. Is there such a thing as literary rubber-necking? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TexasRachel Posted December 23, 2009 Share Posted December 23, 2009 The Friday Night Knitting Club. It's the knitting part that sucked me in. Well, that and the fact that it was a "sale" book on Audible.com. Maybe it was the narrator, but ugh. Yuck. Ugh. Me too. I read *two* knitting books last year and both of them weren't worthy of being used in the bathroom. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ginevra Posted December 24, 2009 Share Posted December 24, 2009 Is there such a thing as literary rubber-necking? :lol: You coined it! I love it! I bet you are one of those people who say, "Eww! This food tastes awful! Here, taste it!" I'm always like, "Uh. No thanks." :D Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hornblower Posted December 24, 2009 Share Posted December 24, 2009 (edited) Well, I liked Outlander. Seems like few people want to admit it :lol: Romance writers & readers generally consider it romance though Gabaldon herself has sometimes been quite snippy about it not being romance & I believe she's turned down invites to speak at romance writer conventions. :001_rolleyes: Whatever. For the record, I write and read romance and don't find it sneer worthy. :D It's not the best book I read (& I read it years ago) but I did enjoy it - though there is a violent sexual assault at the end which I think could have been handled better. Dh read this book too & liked it until that point..... I read the first sequel and liked that too but by the 3rd, Gabaldon was losing me. I do pick up her Lord John books once in a while & generally enjoy them. Edited December 24, 2009 by hornblower Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nakia Posted December 24, 2009 Share Posted December 24, 2009 The Outlander books are my favorite books ever!!! I love them. I am #4 on the library list to get Echo in the Bone, and I CANNOT WAIT!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Cindie2dds Posted December 24, 2009 Share Posted December 24, 2009 If Nothing's Happening By Page 50 Rule. Wonderful! This is exactly what I'm going to do the next time I get a "must read" from someone and I'm tempted to do some "literary rubbernecking." :D Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LibraryLover Posted December 24, 2009 Share Posted December 24, 2009 One of my closet friends in our hs group wants the lot of us hsing group knitters to read The Friday Night Knitting Club. She's a pretty smart cookie, so I wasn't concerned that it might be awful, & requested it through ILL I need to ask what is wrong with it. :tongue_smilie: Should I pretend to have read it? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
greensummervillian Posted December 24, 2009 Share Posted December 24, 2009 I haven't read all the responses, but I doubt I'm the first to say this. The worst book I read this year has to be Twilight. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
greensummervillian Posted December 24, 2009 Share Posted December 24, 2009 As for Outlander, I enjoyed them at first. I just recently finished "Echo in the Bone." I like it in that way you like your family members who you would never be friends with if they weren't related to you. I guess I mean I feel devoted to the characters because I feel like we have a history together. If I were to pick up the series right now I wouldn't want to continue. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sassenach Posted December 24, 2009 Share Posted December 24, 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 couldn't finish She's Come Undone. It definitely falls on my worst list, but that was a few years ago. I'm sure he was a lovely teacher! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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