The worst book you've ever read or had to have read

Yeah, the language also had something to do with it *g*

 

"Treason" by Ann Coulter: The vitriolic rhetoric spewing from that woman's pen is beyond what I'd imagined. What few rational points she made in the book were lost in the sea of hate and fear-mongering she sold to her sheep.

"Eyes of the Dragon" by Stephen King: I'm not sure if that's the correct name of the book, but I am sure that I didn't make it past page thirty. Terrible, terrible book.

 

I wouldnt say the worst book, but a book that i just cannot finish is a novel called Shadow Gate, by Kate Elliot... it sthe second book (going to be 7 all up). I just got half way through book two and said "no more". She just keeps adding new charcters from all over the place (their must be like 15 main charters and they just dont go anywhere. It annoyed me to the book of no return.

 

Anything and everything by Herman Melville - most specifically Bartleby, The Scrivener. I wanted to die.

And a book I was forced to read in 8th grade called The Cure. I can't remember how it ended or who it was by, I just remember wanting to burn the thing.

Recently, there was a book which I can't remember the title or author of, which I picked up in a bookstore in Oxford because I wanted something to read. I couldn't get past five pages. The writing was horrible - it literally made no sense. Everything was confused and jumbled. I've never not finished a book before, but that one...ugh. Couldn't do it.

~Christian

 

The Series of Unfortanute Events - My brother made me read it and it was horrible. This child's series is nothing more then an antagonizing read that is repetetive and boring.

 

aww i liked "Bartleby" he was the first person to go "postal." Driven mad by all the postage sent to the "dead letter office."

 

The Plague Dogs definitely comes to mind. I don't know what it was about it, but I really didn't feel bad for the main characters, and the little dog was annoying.

I might get scolded (or, perhaps, killed) for saying this, but I HATED 1984. Well, I liked it at first, but some of the plot twists really didn't sit well with me, and I felt the ending was very unsatisfying. It probably isn't fair to say it is a 'bad' book- it is very clever and whatnot, but it was not an enjoyable read, at all.

Oh, and Things Fall Apart. Bloody missonaries. So incredibly annoying.

I must also mention Their Eyes Were Watching God. So, a girl who is 1/4 African American runs around Florida and marries a few different guys while trying to find happiness? Ok...

I could go on.

ETA: NIGHT! (By Elie Wisel.) Dog, how I hated that book! Luckily it is a short book, which is the only reason I didn't quite get around to shooting myself so I could get out of having to sit through any more of it. Reviewing my list, I have to say this book was WAY worse than the others I listed, and the only reason I didn't list it originally is because I was doing my best to forget I ever experienced the painful process of turning its pages.

 

I've read some dog's droppings in my time... the last piece of canine excrement that I read was called Helen of Troy by Margaret george. It was so tedious and repetative.

 

Artermis Fowl... I tried to read this book when I was like 14 or 13. I'd got it for my birthday. I began reading and got to about 2nd chapter before realizing I abolsutely hate him. He a contrived ***hole, who had no redeeming qualities.

Deltora Quest: You want cliche, read this? I actually enjoyed these until I read some real fantasy (Try Ian Irvine) but it's so painfully cliche.

Technically I can put this down as it's been put into a book. High School Musical! Kill me. That is all.

 

Snap by Alison McGhee. I think it's boring and dumb. I've read it several times and haven't gotten anything out of it any time I've read it.

 

I can't believe there are people dissing on Bartleby and Catcher in the Rye in this thread.

Call me Ishmael, but sometimes I think people say such things simply to be contrary.

I bet lunch on somebody having already called Kafka "mediocre" in this thread, and Twain "trite and transparent."

 

Is that the one where they break into the teachers house? And the guy is a ghost or something?

If it is i actually own that book, and agree that it wasn't that good...

 

I think the only book I hated reading was To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee.

I just couldn't get into it and Scout Finch annoyed me so much!!!

 

Some stinkers I've read:

The Shadow Mouse of Everjade. I mean, it was funny, but mostly because it was so awful I kept wincing every few words. I admittedly have not finished it; it was really quite bad, and I don't have that much free time, but I may go back to finish it eventually.

Eldest, by Christopher Paolini. Now, I liked Eragon, because I really haven't seen very many companion-animal plots in which the animal is a character all its own. And Saphira was a really fun, snarky, intelligent character in the first book. But Eldest dragged - the elves were kind of neat, but the moral lessons were annoying, and then Eragon got de-scarred by magic so that he is suddenly better/faster/stronger than other people. Damnit, Chris! It's more fun to read about the hero when he's imperfect. Now he's starting to seem like a Gary Stu, which is no fun at all.

The Catcher in the Rye. I understand why it won a Pulitzer; no one had previously attempted to write a wangst novel. But hopefully they will never try again. It wasn't horrible, but it was awfully tedious.

The Heart of Darkness. Your Mileage May Vary - and I have friends who love this book. Nonetheless, it took me more than a month to slog through, just because I couldn't stand to read more than a page or so at a time.

I suppose that's about it for now.

 

The Sign of the Chrysanthemum. I was young when I read it and had a hard time understanding it, so I didn't really like it too much. I still have a hard time understanding a lot of books, but I'm getting better. I just thought you all should know.

 

The Basic Eight by Daniel Handler. Great Author, crap book...

 

The Quest - Wilbur Smith

I'd heard good things about his others, but I was pretty dissapointed with this one. I didn't even finish it... it's sort of lying abandoned on my bookshelf.

 

The third book in 'A Series of Unfortunate Events'...UGH. We had to read it for English...it was most irritating book I have ever read. I wanted to squish it into a mushy pile with the wheel of my grandfather's milkfloat.

 

Which one is that, the Lumbermill one?

 

Hope I dont get flamed for this one... =P

I absolutely loathe anything written by JRR Tolkien; The Hobbit was almost bearable, and the Lord of the Rings trilogy was one big, dry spell.

Similarly, I detest the entire Narnia series, by C.S. Lewis (although The Screwtape Letters) was wonderful, in comparison). All I got from the series was a massive Judeo-Christian analogy, and I thought it was poorly written to boot.
Curiously enough, both Lewis and Tolkien were said to have collaborated on their works together. Hmm.

Perhaps my general distaste for fantasy doesnt help anything...

-D

 

I absolutely despised the book A Separate Peace. It was so painfully masculine that I swear I grew a mustache while I was reading it. Gene was annoying and petty, and Finny was sort of an imbecile.

It was such a pain to try to read.

 

Awww, i absolutely love JRR Tolkien's writings.

I hates the odd books by dean koontz.. hes a good writer, but i mean the books got alot of hype from public reviewers and the series wasn't all that good in my opinion.

 

Awe. I loved the first odd book. The second and third are... not as good.

 

Yea, i only read the first one and didn't enjoy it..

 

I've tried reading several of Jane Austen's books and I stop after a few pages. I actually made it about 30 pages into Pride and Prejudice but that's only because I saw the movie so I actually understood a little.
I have a hard time with the language in older novels. Shakespeare is the equivalent of watching paint dry to me.
I only enjoyed Macbeth in HS because we watched the movie clips after each section so you got a feel for the scene.