Books to avoid like a bookworm on a diet

Karlusss · 27-06-2007 6:12pm

I found Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance to be astoundingly poor.

Considering it came with a blurb declaring it king of the book universe, and the reviews people I know gave it, I was a bit surprised when it turned out to be boring muck.

Extreme-LoopZ · 14-07-2007 2:14pm

I'm suprised nobody has mentioned Catcher in the Rye yet. I can't believe I wasted so much of my youth on this book. I tried to make myself like it, because of it's 'status', before I finally accepted it for what it is - an abysmally written piece of garbage.*It really is the worst goddamn book I've ever read.It really is*.

RawK · 14-07-2007 8:41pm

loopz, it has been mentioned already... more than once

RawK · 14-07-2007 8:45pm

Karlusss wrote:

I found Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance to be astoundingly poor!

aye, you're not the only one, im pretty sure i fell asleep during that book, and woke up near the end... blah blah blah etc

theCzar · 14-07-2007 9:03pm

Anything by Jules Verne, but especially twenty thousand leagues under the sea. It might have enthralled a Victorian audience hungry for the exotic but to a modern reader its the most pedantic drivel you could find in a lifetime. Pages and pages of descriptions of marine life is dull. I don't give crap about the enchanting colours of marianus prophylaxis decadii

I've read Journey to the centre of the earth too, and I think what annoys me most about Verne is his annoying habit of deflating any tension or suspense that might have previously been present.

It seems to me, that whenever something exciting is about to happen, the narrator hits his head and wakes up after the excitement is over and we get a couple of dull paragraphs summary of what might have been an exciting chapter.

Attack by giant squid would be a good example of this phenomenon.

The best thing about Verne's books are their merciful brevity

[/rant]

Extreme-LoopZ · 14-07-2007 9:25pm

RawK wrote:

loopz, it has been mentioned already... more than once

I've looked through the entire thread and can't see it mentioned anywhere. Oh yes, also, Robinson Crusoe. Had a stab at this a while back and it bored me to death.:o

RawK · 14-07-2007 10:41pm

aaah... my appypollyloggies there friend, i'm after mistaking this thread with a similar one on another forum I know, where it has arised!
whoops

Zaph · 14-07-2007 11:08pm

I wouldn't worry too much Loopz, if a book is that bad it deserves to be mentioned many times to warn the rest of us of it's awfulness. Never read Catcher in the Rye myself, but Franny & Zooey by Salinger is terrible sh1te too.

norrie rugger · 19-07-2007 10:02am

King's the Dark Tower series

All because of the crappy "I can not think of a real ending" ending.

I'm sorry but taping on a crappy ending, knowing it and telling people two pages to go not to read it as you may be disappointed is total tripe.
I mean you read 7 (yes SEVEN) books and he says to not read the ending as it may be considered crap.

He even has the nerve to say and i paraphrase "don't go further in this book, as you may not like the ending. instead try to imagine that he gets everything that he wants and lives happily ever after with all his friends"

I'm sorry King but I bought those books so that you could tell me the story.
If I wanted to imagine the ending why would i bother buying books at all?
And if i COULD imagine an ending and story, then i would be writing books myself

Also the fact that he ties it in with nearly every other book he has ever written screws them up also, especially The Talisman and The Black House

End rant

Esmereldina · 19-07-2007 11:10am

RawK wrote:

aye, you're not the only one, im pretty sure i fell asleep during that book, and woke up near the end... blah blah blah etc

I read this years ago and I loved it!

I think it depends on how much hype you hear about a book before you read it though. If I'd heard a book was going to be that good Karlusss, I'd probably be disappointed too

Tar.Aldarion · 19-07-2007 11:14am

norrie rugger wrote:

King's the Dark Tower series
All because of the crappy "I can not think of a real ending" ending.

I'm sorry but taping on a crappy ending, knowing it and telling people two pages to go not to read it as you may be disappointed is total tripe.
I mean you read 7 (yes SEVEN) books and he says to not read the ending as it may be considered crap.

He even has the nerve to say and i paraphrase "don't go further in this book, as you may not like the ending. instead try to imagine that he gets everything that he wants and lives happily ever after with all his friends"

I'm sorry King but I bought those books so that you could tell me the story.
If I wanted to imagine the ending why would i bother buying books at all?
And if i COULD imagine an ending and story, then i would be writing books myself

Also the fact that he ties it in with nearly every other book he has ever written screws them up also, especially The Talisman and The Black House

End rant

I'm four books in.

Esmereldina · 19-07-2007 11:29am

stevejazzx wrote:

Re: Dickens
Lads seriously, a great writer one of the 'untouchables' in litreary history I would've thought. I can imagine that a lot of people read fragments of his books and decide they're long winded.

I would also like to concur with all the Dickens haters out there! I had to read Hard Times for the Leaving Cert., and after spending a year analysing it, I think I can safely say it is 'The Worst Book Ever Written' TM
Stupid sentimental Victorian moralism :mad:

Corruptedmorals · 20-07-2007 12:54pm

Extreme-LoopZ wrote:

I'm suprised nobody has mentioned Catcher in the Rye yet. I can't believe I wasted so much of my youth on this book. I tried to make myself like it, because of it's 'status', before I finally accepted it for what it is - an abysmally written piece of garbage.*It really is the worst goddamn book I've ever read.It really is*.

Seconded. Maybe not worst but up there.

Maccattack · 20-07-2007 12:59pm

ones without pictures

galactus · 20-07-2007 1:03pm

norrie rugger wrote:

...rant...

I packed in during Book 2 (or 3). The bit with the weird crabs on a beach etc.

I did enjoy Book 1, which has a great opening line:
"The man in black fled across the desert and the gunslinger followed".

Pyjamarama · 20-07-2007 1:04pm

Esmereldina wrote:

I would also like to concur with all the Dickens haters out there! I had to read Hard Times for the Leaving Cert., and after spending a year analysing it, I think I can safely say it is 'The Worst Book Ever Written' TM
Stupid sentimental Victorian moralism :mad:

Argh that book gives me nightmares!! As in it was living hell to read it :mad: AND analyse it AND write an essay on it

Hippo · 20-07-2007 1:05pm

Esmereldina wrote:

I would also like to concur with all the Dickens haters out there! I had to read Hard Times for the Leaving Cert., and after spending a year analysing it, I think I can safely say it is 'The Worst Book Ever Written' TM
Stupid sentimental Victorian moralism :mad:

No arguing with Hard Times, a bizarre choice for the leaving cert, it's comfortably his worst book. But there's plenty of others he wrote that were terrific.

Esmereldina · 20-07-2007 5:57pm

Hippo wrote:

No arguing with Hard Times, a bizarre choice for the leaving cert, it's comfortably his worst book. But there's plenty of others he wrote that were terrific.

Yeah I'd say there probably are better ones by him but I'm still not into the moralism, sentimentality, stock characters and angelic dying children that seem to come in most Dickens books! I disagree with the idea of 'classics' in general, and am of the view that while it may have struck a chord with a victorian audience, times have changed now and he doesn't have much to say to me (unless I wanted to find out about victorian society).

I like my literature nice and disposable

ZorbaTehZ · 20-07-2007 10:47pm

Extreme-LoopZ wrote:

Oh yes, also, Robinson Crusoe. Had a stab at this a while back and it bored me to death.:o

Robinson Crusoe is my favourite book, and was probably the book that actually got me interested in literature. What did you find boring about it?

theCzar · 20-07-2007 10:54pm

ZorbaTehZ wrote:

Robinson Crusoe is my favourite book, and was probably the book that actually got me interested in literature. What did you find boring about it?

I liked it too, but any book will have its fans and detractors. I love plenty of the books listed on this thread so go figure. :rolleyes:

I mean, I've seen Dickens and Pratchett defamed.

ZorbaTehZ · 20-07-2007 10:59pm

theCzar wrote:

I mean, I've seen Dickens and Pratchett defamed.

I couldn't agree more. I was shocked to see Dickens here ... one of the greatest story-tellers I've ever read.

BossArky · 25-07-2007 2:07am

Let me add the following "paper": London Lite

Missus Pongo · 25-07-2007 1:37pm

I've been reading it for months and I don't know why. Kind of like saying your prayers at bedtime long after you've stopped believing in God. The final words are "To be continued". Please, please, Norman, no more.

Mind you, it was well ripped off for the film The Good Shepherd.

brianthebard · 25-07-2007 1:50pm

theCzar wrote:

I mean, I've seen Dickens and Pratchett defamed.

And thank god for that!

Red Hand · 25-07-2007 1:57pm

brianthebard wrote:

And thank god for that!

Pratchett? What don't you like about him?

AJG · 30-07-2007 3:43pm

I think someone already mentioned 'The Alchemist' but for the life of me I couldn't figure out why it was so revered. It was like a poor man's Borges or Marquez whose '100 years' I really liked namely because it was unlike anything I'd ever read.

katems · 31-07-2007 10:36am

"She's Come Undone" by Wally Lamb - awful awful book - nothing redeeming about it in the slightest

The_Minister · 31-07-2007 4:09pm

Don't diss Pratchett, he's amazing.

"Jane Eyre" is awful, good god that book is overrated

Hermy · 11-08-2007 5:39pm

'The Castle' by Iain Banks - one of the most mind-numbingly frustrating books I have ever read!

looksee · 11-08-2007 5:55pm

Love Jane Eyre, I can see why it wouldn't appeal to everyone, but its one of my favourites.

The 'Earth's Children' series is desperate rubbish but every now and again I disengage my brain and read it again....

Wuthering Heights and James Joyce's Ulysses are two pet hates, but there are lots of books that I just couldn't be bothered reading, nothing to do with how 'good' they are - pretty well any spy or detective story, and, rather unreasonably, anything that has been translated.

Books to avoid like a bookworm on a diet

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