Famous books you never cared for/understood the appeal of?

For me it's The Dark Knight Returns by Frank Miller. I don't see what's so good about it that other Bat-tales have not eclipsed and it's characterization of Bruce Wayne is not something that sits well with me. He was brutal, ruthless and used guns. Not the self-controlled, extremely disciplined person that the character is suppose to be. And it was way too over-the-top for something that is suppose to be dark and grounded. Like, old-man Bruce tearing though break ways with his bare hands? Riiiight. That is not Batman, a master tactician. Don't get me started on its gross miss-characterization of Supes. Wasn't mature, was dark just for darkness, and nothing special about the plot.

 

I am, and even still, I was like, there is no way I will ever, evah remember and follow the names of all these Ainur and Maiar and everything else because 1) too many sound-alike names, and 2) I generally don't give a shit, in that I don't have the zeal or drive that would normally motivate a person of faith to learn and remember these things in religious texts. I'm not a theist, so I wouldn't do it for an actively used religious text, let alone a pretend one.

 

Any Dickens book. Too dark and miserable for me. Especially these two, which I've read:
Oliver Twist- Some poor street urchin gets beaten left and right by half the population of London, used as a means to further selfish goals and all for what? To say that he had a rich daddy all along? The hell? What the hell kind of a story is that?

A Christmas Carol- An old miser teaches us that anyone can overcome a lifetime of greed and hatred in under twelve hours by getting scared shitless by three ghosts and feeling sorry for Token Inspirationally Disabled Child™. Tiny Tim should've simply come out and said, "Hello, Guv! I'm Tiny Tim and I'm disabled. That's my whole character. Feel sorry for me please."

 

Oh, I just adore Charles Dickens. But I realize that I'm in a small club that barely remains, practically speaking. Lol.

I like dystopian stuff, though.

 

Haha, yeah, I totally agree then.

 

Name of the Wind and all the others that followed.

There is just too much. Too many characters, too much to going on, too much, too much, too much.

It gave me anxiety to try and follow. Lol. I felt like I was reading the Begats of the Bible.

 

Dickens seems to have lost a lot of love in the past half a century. It's not hard to see why, I guess, stuff like Great Expectations and Tale of Two Cities are alright, Tale of Two Cities might be his finest work. But really George Eliot is basically Dickens, only she's actually consistently good.

 

I don't really understand the appeal of Where the Red Fern Grows and Bridge to Teribethia. Spoilers ahoy, but why is it that books where the main character suffering some personal tragedy that causes him to grow into adulthood so cherished?

 

I never liked Where the Red Fern Grows. I'm with you, there.

I think they're cherished because they're relatable. Most people can pin-point a specific trauma where they changed and matured.

 

For me that was when I first come to terms with the fact I had moved out of my parent's house, and more specifically the after-morning agony of having decided to have jelly for tea to find I couldn't physically poop.

 

This must be an English thing, because the more I try, the less I understand ... Lol.

 

You ever try eating a huge bowl of jelly by itself? Don't. Just don't.

 

Haha! Noted. Though, I'm not sure I'd ever have considered it.

 

I carried through with Silmarillion. I did. I read it for the respect of Tolkien. And also as a material for my Bachelor thesis.
And also because I bought the book. Meh.

 

I've just heard what you would call 'Jelly' I would call 'Jam'. Is that true? :/

 

Jelly in America is the same thing as jam, but without chunks of fruit.

So, it's very possible that you have a completely different understanding of jelly than I do.

 

A huge bowl of Jam sounds like a good idea.

 

What is "jelly" to you?? This is killing me.

Also, that's one reason I had such a hard time understanding it. It seems that eating a bowl of jelly or jam, as I understand it, would have an opposite effect to constipation ...

 

Unless it's Marmalade, and then you'll be shitting worms.

 

Is it called 'Jello'?

 

Yes!

Okay, that I can understand. Haha.

 

That and coffee. My new diet.

 

Jello and corn snacks and potato chips. Sigh. You Americans ...

 

I know, right!?

 

Peristalsis is overated. I had to struggle through the end.