Best/Worst books you ever read

kfallon · 24-04-2011 05:39PM #1

For me there are 3 books I can remember not leaving down once I started reading them:

The Van
The Biography of Vincent O'Brien (by his wife Jacqueline)
Paolo Di Canio's autobiography

The worst, by far, was 'Emma' for the Leaving Cert, what a load of bollix, boring as fook!

I'm also hoping to get some ideas for my next purchase from the replies even if it is AH!

FortuneChip · 24-04-2011 05:43PM

I, Lucifer by Glen Duncan was a great read, some hilarious stuff in it.
Count of Monte Cristo is probably my fav book though. Got through it in about a week, just couldn't put it down. Some overly convenient twists in it, but all in all, it was amazing, Edmund Dantes is a hero!

I hated War & Peace (although I'm not sure I can say that if I didn't in fact finish it). Got about 400 pages in, and thought, when is stuff going to happen?

ArtyM · 24-04-2011 05:46PM

PEIG = worst ever

red menace · 24-04-2011 05:46PM

FortuneChip wrote: »

I, Lucifer by Glen Duncan was a great read, some hilarious stuff in it.
Count of Monte Cristo is probably my fav book though. Got through it in about a week, just couldn't put it down. Some overly convenient twists in it, but all in all, it was amazing, Edmund Dantes is a hero!

I hated War & Peace (although I'm not sure I can say that if I didn't in fact finish it). Got about 400 pages in, and thought, when is stuff going to happen?

Digital Fortress by Dan Brown easily the worst book I ever read

alexa5x5 · 24-04-2011 05:53PM

Best, The Lord of the Rings books.

Worst, PS I love you

Biggins · 24-04-2011 05:54PM

Best book I've read recently: http://lnw.me/fJ6hN9
"Confessions of a Prairie Bitch: How I Survived Nellie Oleson and Learned to Love Being Hated"

Extremely funny, sad, shocking, informative and certainly an eye opener to the real world of television making.

WARNING: Adult themes/topics. NOT suitable for young readers.

(Available in eReader format too)

In_My_Tree · 24-04-2011 05:55PM

The worst book I ever read was The Bible.

Oh snap!

Kevin Duffy · 24-04-2011 05:56PM

The Da Vinci Code for the worst. I still feel it's a stain on my soul that I read it.

Apart from the classics I adore like Huck Finn, Cannery Row and TKAMB, maybe the best (though I understand the problems with it) I've read and I'd recommend if you haven't read it already, is Shantaram.

ArtyM · 24-04-2011 05:57PM

Best - East of Eden

Blazer · 24-04-2011 05:57PM

red menace wrote: »

Digital Fortress by Dan Brown easily the worst book I ever read

Any of Dan Brown's books really...They're great upto 3/4 of the way in and then it's like he just loses complete interest and writes the shíttiest ending he can think off so he can rush off and start the next book...and do it all over again.

mikemac · 24-04-2011 05:59PM

I don't buy books realy anymore, you can get audiobooks from some subscription sites or itunes

Best-Black Diamonds by Catherine Bailey
Loved it.

Worst, forget the name but that Dan Brown book and they were investigating something in ice. Terrible description from me but man, what an awful book

Hookah · 24-04-2011 06:00PM

The best would easily be the Baroque Cycle by Neal Stephenson. All 3000 pages of it.

I pine for an Eliza De La Zeur to my Jack Shaftoe.

Tonyandthewhale · 24-04-2011 06:01PM

Kevin Duffy wrote: »

The Da Vinci Code for the worst. I still feel it's a stain on my soul that I read it.

Apart from the classics I adore like Huck Finn, Cannery Row and TKAMB, maybe the best (though I understand the problems with it) I've read and I'd recommend if you haven't read it already, is Shantaram.

Great book.

brummytom · 24-04-2011 06:02PM

Enduring Love was good up until about 3 chapters from the end, just sort of tailed off.

I read a great book on holiday last year called Ghost, by Robert Harris. Incredible book, literally couldn't put it down. I think I read the whole thing in a day.

Worst book? I'm going to be crucified but... anything by Dickens. It's just tedious.

steddyeddy · 24-04-2011 06:03PM

The selfish gene and sasquatch the apes amongst us are among the best the worst would be any dan brown dribble.

windowgobo · 24-04-2011 06:05PM

Mr. Nice best book.

Rochester · 24-04-2011 06:06PM

The worst ever, so far at least:

The Slap by Christos Tsiolkas.

Foul language being one of the reasons.

im invisible · 24-04-2011 06:07PM

Trainspotting is a great book, probably my favourite, untill i read Cloud Atlas by davìd mitchell,

ladysarastro · 24-04-2011 06:10PM

favourite book ever is The Gargoyle. keep rereading it!!

worst was probably one by jordan...

beano345 · 24-04-2011 06:12PM

best:

1984 - george orwell
count of monte cristo - alexander dumas
the running man - stephen king
cosmos - carl sagan
papillon - Henri Charrière

worst:
naked lunch - william burroughs

mikemac · 24-04-2011 06:14PM

My second post but I'll include this one as non fiction

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fast_Food_Nation
Fast Food Nation, have read it several times.

There was a film with Bruce Willis, Greg Kinnear and Avril Lavigne. Film is an insult to the book, a truely awful film

But the book is great and a real education

krudler · 24-04-2011 06:14PM

ladysarastro wrote: »

worst was probably one by jordan...

Jordan is probably the only person who's written more books than she's ever read.

elefant · 24-04-2011 06:18PM

My favourite books are all the Ross O' Carroll Kelly novels. Just incredibly funny.

I don't think I could name the worst book I ever read. If it doesn't interest me, I just don't read it anymore, and put no more thought into it. I wouldn't class any book as bad, just certain books interest me less. Dan Brown's books mightn't be the best written or the most intellectual stories you'll come across, but they're enjoyable for what they are.

Jazzy · 24-04-2011 06:18PM

beano345 wrote: »

best:

1984 - george orwell
count of monte cristo - alexander dumas
the running man - stephen king
cosmos - carl sagan
papillon - Henri Charrière

worst:
naked lunch - william burroughs

nice list... i liked naked lunch tho!

Deus Ex Machina · 24-04-2011 06:20PM

At the moment I think Blood Meridian by Cormac McCarthy is my favourite book, and I'm going to end this comment now before I reconsider.

starviewadams · 24-04-2011 06:21PM

Read a great book about globalization by Joseph Stiglitz last week,very eye opening!
One of my favourite books ever is Home Before Night by Hugh Leonard,had to read it for school years ago and I loved it,same with To Kill A Mockingbird!

Worst book I've had the misfortune to read would have to be The Rock's autobiography,even as a 12 year old I knew it was trash!

Icaras · 24-04-2011 06:22PM

I liked filth a lot, small gods by terry prachett. Book by I M Banks was the worst loads of detail but nothing really happened.

ciano1 · 24-04-2011 06:23PM

Pffft... Books are nothing else than the internet made from a tree!

Queen-Mise · 24-04-2011 06:25PM

im invisible wrote: »

Trainspotting is a great book, probably my favourite, untill i read Cloud Atlas by davìd mitchell,

Agree completely. Cloud Atlas is brilliant - and what's weird is I couldn't tell you why. Trainspotting is weird to read - reading in a scottish accent.

I am after reading the three books of The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo - enjoyed them.

Worst book I ever read was - The Sword & the Stone, I threw it in the bin after reading about a third of it. It was awful. After that then probably a lot of chick lit, some of it is truly woeful.

leahyl · 24-04-2011 06:28PM

Not without my daughter - amazing and gripping story, fantastic read

Biggins · 24-04-2011 06:31PM

ciano1 wrote: »

Pffft... Books are nothing else than the internet made from a tree!

Best/Worst books you ever read

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