Worst book you had ever read?

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  • Gyoza11
    Gyoza11 Posts: 143 Member
    The owner of my favorite comic store recommended me Dark Harvest. Worst book EVER! I honestly don't know if he just has bad taste or if he just saw the short awkward girl and immediately assumed I have the IQ of potato...
    This book even won some award... The storyline is overused and predictable. You can see how hard the author is trying to be smart and daring but it's not the least bit immersive, just plain boring.
  • atsteele
    atsteele Posts: 1,358 Member
    The Shack and Kite Runner are tied for worst book IMHO. Both were torturous to finish.
  • alcon79
    alcon79 Posts: 193 Member
    The Twilight series didn't bug me too much. I took the writing and the plot for who it was meant for (teenage girls), but the last book I wanted to throw across the room. Biggest waste of time!

    I hate The Hobbit. It took me 15 years to finally finish that book. I'd pick it up so many times because people said it was great and finally forced myself to read it when the trilogy movies came out and ugh....not sure why I needed to torture myself.

    Wuthering Heights is one of my favs.
  • kehowe83
    kehowe83 Posts: 79 Member
    worst book ever was Elizabeth Tudor, Vampire Slayer.
    Granted, I bought it because the title made me laugh so hard I couldn't resist, and I really should have known better. I think I got about a quarter of the way through and was like "oh please, this is sooo retarded!".

    Worst movie from a book - CUJO!
    I LOVED the book, and felt so bad for Cujo. The movie completely made the dog this total evil creature and they let Tad (I think is his name) live!

    UGH!
  • Lyndi4
    Lyndi4 Posts: 442 Member
    I can't really think of a book that I thought was just bad. I have had some that didn't catch my attention and some that were a bit strange, but I usually read books that have been recommended by a friend or that have received good reviews from magazines or on TV. Maybe that's why I miss the bad ones. One book that was definitely different than I expected was Wicked. I had seen the play and loved it, so I decided to read the book, and I didn't think it was bad, but it was quite different than the play. Not what I expected and a little odd in parts.
  • katapple
    katapple Posts: 1,108 Member
    Handmaid's Tale by Margaret Atwood

    Running with Scissors: A Memoir by Augusten Burroughs...so disturbing

    I'm sure there is more, as I am in a book club and I am known as the Debbie Downer of the group. I just enjoy reading, even if I don't like the story...
  • jenlb99
    jenlb99 Posts: 213 Member
    Anything by Danielle Steele.

    My cousin keeps giving me the books she's read, and 70% of them are Danielle Steele. I've TRIED to read four of her books, because hey, she's been around forever so there must be SOMETHING good about her novels, right?

    WRONG. I can't even slightly immerse myself in them. Normally, I finish every book I start, but hers are so bad, I can't be bothered.

    Horrible! lol

    I also tried Twilight and gave up after the first 60 pages. Pure garbage -- and I LOVE Vampires! Twilight Vampires are NOT Vamps, sorry.
  • Temporalia
    Temporalia Posts: 1,151 Member
    worst book ever was Elizabeth Tudor, Vampire Slayer.
    Granted, I bought it because the title made me laugh so hard I couldn't resist, and I really should have known better. I think I got about a quarter of the way through and was like "oh please, this is sooo retarded!".

    Worst movie from a book - CUJO!
    I LOVED the book, and felt so bad for Cujo. The movie completely made the dog this total evil creature and they let Tad (I think is his name) live!

    UGH!

    Any book from Stephen King made into a movie is bad. The Shining is the closest, the rest, I can't begin to tell you, Dreamcatcher was a great book, but the movie was horrible. There's so much missing from the books in the King's movies.

    I read 2 Twilight books, stopped at the beginning of the 3rd one, couldn't deal with her whining so much and being so emotionally unstable, I threw the book away.

    Lord of the ring was difficult to read, but was worth it in the end, the Hobbit was super easy compared to it.
  • rblair_22
    rblair_22 Posts: 202 Member
    I mostly read true crime but for a change i decided to read my first Stephen King book "IT" im down to my last 100 pages finally.. I might read another one of his not sure yet. Im like the above poster though if im not captivated early on I toss it. Great post though Id like to see what NOT to read.

    All I can say is I hope you don't end up with the same feelings on King that I have. Love his books. Hate his endings.

    The ending of the Dark Tower nearly killed me. I love King, and I will concede that some of his works are stronger than others. I had purposefully waited to read the Dark Tower series until book 7 was out. He almost killed m the Summer he released The Green Mile one portion at a time. So I just waited, knowing that The Dark Tower was his masterpiece.

    I won't spoil it for anyone, but I was just about destroyed at that ending.

    Me Too! I love his Dark Tower series, but when I finished book 7 i was like "seriously!!!!" I wanted to cry it made me so mad!
  • katapple
    katapple Posts: 1,108 Member
    oops, how could I forget:

    The Room: a novel by Emma Donoghue

    The 5 year old didn't need to talk like that, His mother talked fine and he watched Dora, OK?? If anything he should have a slight accent because of it... Had a really hard time reading through that
  • misskerouac
    misskerouac Posts: 2,242 Member
    I don't know if i've ever considered a book "bad"
    Sure, maybe some haven't caught my attention so I stopped reading them, doesn't mean someone else didn't love it.

    I read the twilight books, all 4 of them, are they profound? God no. But did they take me out of my world and into theirs for a few hours? yes. They were fun. No harm no foul.

    Catcher in the Rye I read when i was 17 and I loved it. But I felt a connection to Holden that maybe some people didn't.

    Now for me the ones that I stopped reading

    A Tale of Two Cities cant' do it. I tried, I re-read the first 30 pages over and over and would get so bored that I would not remember what i just read and have to start over

    Drive:The Secret to what motivates us this one I am slowly still working through. It's fascinating but since it's more a collaboration of research and studies it's harder to get wrapped up in.
  • pastryari
    pastryari Posts: 8,646 Member
    The Twilight series didn't bug me too much. I took the writing and the plot for who it was meant for (teenage girls)

    ^^^This. It wasn't as bad as everyone is making it seem considering the fact that it was for young teens. You need to take that into account! The story was perfect for young girls, the writing was perfect for young girls. I didn't care for the books either, but I think everyone needs to get over the Twilight craze AND the Twilight bashing.
  • lostsanity137
    lostsanity137 Posts: 298 Member
    The Twilight series didn't bug me too much. I took the writing and the plot for who it was meant for (teenage girls)

    ^^^This. It wasn't as bad as everyone is making it seem considering the fact that it was for young teens. You need to take that into account! The story was perfect for young girls, the writing was perfect for young girls. I didn't care for the books either, but I think everyone needs to get over the Twilight craze AND the Twilight bashing.

    I do agree that it was meant for teenage girls, but not everyone can relate to Bella! I WAS a teenage girl when it came out and I just couldn't relate. For me, if I can't relate to the character and like the same people the main character likes or want the same things, then I usually don't enjoy the book despite the age group it is intended for. Twilight is only one example for me, though I have had books where I didn't relate for the most part but they would have the ONE character that would keep me going.
    However, I don't HATE Twilight, or the people who do like it, but I definitely don't enjoy it. :/

    To each his own.
  • I forget the name - but it's an autobio of some gal who cant' remember crap....and I'm feeling very dementia'ish having forgotten the name - but in the first chapter she's saying how she can't remember A STINKIN THING..yet 2 chapters later she's remembering a thread on a button on a coat at a party - and she remembers EVERY STINKING THING! Pfft - lame. But I wrote this comment becuse of Eat Pray Love, which I'm listening to and really into. I think it's her voice.....really soothing. And I'm sort of interested in her travels.
  • Hoppymom
    Hoppymom Posts: 1,158 Member
    I started the Twilight series along with my daughters. I never got beyond book two. Just didn't think they were that great.
    Couldn't get into Watership Down either.
    Most recently my family has been reading The Hunger Games. I got half way through the second book and had to stop. Man's inhumanity to man sickens me in real life. Haivng to read about it and the fact that they were exploiting children made me ill. I just couldn't finish. The kids are still telling I have to finish them because they are so good. My oldest son (33) says he is reading them becase of the exploitation. He feels that we need to hold the microscope up to society and talk abou the horrors. I tell him I've met the kids in my classroom who have been exploited for sex, been beaten, or who were born drug- addicted or with alcohol in their systems. Harming children so adults can be happy? FAIL.
  • angied80
    angied80 Posts: 713 Member
    I gave up on the Girl with the Dragon Tattoo after the first few chapters. Couldn't get into it. I saw the movie (not the one with Daniel Craig) and really enjoyed that but man, just cannot do the book.

    I liked The Host better than the Twilight books. I did read them all :embarassed:

    I had to stop reading James Patterson. I think that has more to do with being annoyed by him through social networks than his writing, but I cannot bring myself to read him anymore.

    You have to get past the first few chapters.. then its VERY interesting!
  • The Odyssey by Homer. Bleh. I really do not understand what the enjoyment in that book was.
  • flea2449
    flea2449 Posts: 499 Member
    I know I'm gonna be alone on this one, but I am reading The Hunger Games and for whatever reason, I'm just not that into it. Wouldn't say it's the worst book I've ever read, but everyone keeps talking about how awesome it is. I'm on chapter 4 and bored to death!

    It took me awhile to read these books! I started and I was so bored I gave up! Picked up again a few months later and kept on reading! They are GREAT books! You need to keep going! I'm not sure if I like the ending, but they are awesome books!
  • navvs15
    navvs15 Posts: 165
    :grumble: Twilight Ugh worst series every badly written with a poor message. I have yet to understand why " OMG my boyfriend left me now I'm gonna do stupid **** til I get his attention is suppossed to be a love story . What a message for young girls

    Sadly, some girls do that. :noway:
  • LeilaFace
    LeilaFace Posts: 390 Member
    Lost by Gregory Maguire, who wrote Wicked. He's a HORRIBLE author that wrote one good book and then coasted on it to sell really CRAPPY books.

    Glad to hear people hate the Twilight books every one tells me to read them and I refuse.
  • I gave up on the Girl with the Dragon Tattoo after the first few chapters. Couldn't get into it. I saw the movie (not the one with Daniel Craig) and really enjoyed that but man, just cannot do the book.

    I liked The Host better than the Twilight books. I did read them all :embarassed:

    I had to stop reading James Patterson. I think that has more to do with being annoyed by him through social networks than his writing, but I cannot bring myself to read him anymore.

    I felt the same way until i was halfway thru..Then I ran out and bought the next two in the series. Those are better reads in my opinion, but the ending of Dragon Tattoo is pretty good!
  • HappyHeart1993
    HappyHeart1993 Posts: 14 Member
    On my SIL's advice (should have been my first clue, lol), I read "The Alchemist". SIL and all these reviewers said it was "life-changing". Meh. Not so much. More life-changing advice can probably be found in "The Tao of Pooh", lol.
  • I'm a big scifi & fantasy reader. I loved The Hobbit and the Lord of the Rings trilogy but could not get into anything else Tolkien wrote. I like Koontz's early work. Phantoms, Lightning and Watchers were all good books in my opinion. King the same way, early stuff good, later stuff just writting for a check. And I could never read Twilight once I saw the Demotivational poster for it.
  • Jain
    Jain Posts: 861 Member
    I read a lot, alway have always will, but believe me when I say the Twish1te books have to be the worst if only for all the hype surrounding them. Talk about style over substance. And sorry, Vampires don't sparkle!:angry:

    Other than that, Eat Pray Love springs to mind. I thought I would enjoy it as she travels to all the places I've been, but found myself unable to finish the book, something that almost never happens.
  • AnninStPaul
    AnninStPaul Posts: 1,372 Member
    Atonement, couldnt even make it through the first 50 pages... although i fear that i was not in the right mindset (vacationing in punta cana)... maybe ill give it another try

    Don't bother, it's not worth it.
  • AnninStPaul
    AnninStPaul Posts: 1,372 Member
    The Twilight series didn't bug me too much. I took the writing and the plot for who it was meant for (teenage girls)

    ^^^This. It wasn't as bad as everyone is making it seem considering the fact that it was for young teens. You need to take that into account! The story was perfect for young girls, the writing was perfect for young girls. I didn't care for the books either, but I think everyone needs to get over the Twilight craze AND the Twilight bashing.

    I do agree that it was meant for teenage girls, but not everyone can relate to Bella! I WAS a teenage girl when it came out and I just couldn't relate. For me, if I can't relate to the character and like the same people the main character likes or want the same things, then I usually don't enjoy the book despite the age group it is intended for. Twilight is only one example for me, though I have had books where I didn't relate for the most part but they would have the ONE character that would keep me going.
    However, I don't HATE Twilight, or the people who do like it, but I definitely don't enjoy it. :/

    To each his own.

    "The story was perfect for young girls"? Are you nuts? "Here girls, is the meaning of your life: having a boyfriend. Without that, nothing else matters". That's the message of the Twilight series.
  • Trinasan
    Trinasan Posts: 44 Member
    Inheritance - Christopher Paolini. Bad bad bad. I should have counted all the times he used the word "alit" .. Drove me nuts. Total let down if you like that type of book.
  • sarahgilmore
    sarahgilmore Posts: 572 Member
    Sweet Valley High is better for young girls than Twilight!
  • LolaGotThin
    LolaGotThin Posts: 111 Member
    I'm sure it's been said several times already, but the Twilight saga. My mom bought the set for me as a gift and I was reading it along with two other friends who LOVED it. I just...I couldn't get past the crappy writing and the crappy plotlines and the crappy minutiae and the crappy character development. It was just. Crappy.

    Also, I'm not really a fan of Audrey Niffenegger. The Time Traveler's wife was mediocre, in my opinion, and Her Fearful Symmetry just pissed me off.
  • katapple
    katapple Posts: 1,108 Member

    Also, I'm not really a fan of Audrey Niffenegger. The Time Traveler's wife was mediocre, in my opinion, and Her Fearful Symmetry just pissed me off.

    OMG Her Fearful Symmetry was terrilbe! I was pissed at having read it to the end...maybe I shouldn't be in book club anymore...
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