The worst books I've read in the first quarter of 2009.
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1ShaggyBag
Finding that I am having a dickens of a time posting the best books I've read in the first quarter of 2009 (not to mention most of 2008), I thought I might put up a thread for the worst. If y'all don't think this is a good idea, I imagine I'll find out soon enough...and take it down.
Here are my own personal "I can't believe some editor somewhere said yes" choices for the first three months of 2009.
1. Any book by Kathleen McGowan which would count as one truly awful book to me. These books represent the worst of "working the angles." Almost as if one programmed a computer, asked it for every tired old plot point, every timely topic, and how to make things as simple as possible to cast the widest financial net possible. Then asked someone who couldn't write to write it.
2. The Story of Edgar Sawtelle (Not a bad writer, just a mess of a story...what story?)
3. The Memory Keeper's Daughter (Ditto.)
4. I, Lucifer: Finally, the Other Side of the Story (Wretched writer posing as clever tiresome one-note writer. You know how they say "The Devil always gets the best lines." Not in this book.)
5. The Eight. Finally, after all these years, thought I'd try it. It tried me. To the limit.
Here are my own personal "I can't believe some editor somewhere said yes" choices for the first three months of 2009.
1. Any book by Kathleen McGowan which would count as one truly awful book to me. These books represent the worst of "working the angles." Almost as if one programmed a computer, asked it for every tired old plot point, every timely topic, and how to make things as simple as possible to cast the widest financial net possible. Then asked someone who couldn't write to write it.
2. The Story of Edgar Sawtelle (Not a bad writer, just a mess of a story...what story?)
3. The Memory Keeper's Daughter (Ditto.)
4. I, Lucifer: Finally, the Other Side of the Story (Wretched writer posing as clever tiresome one-note writer. You know how they say "The Devil always gets the best lines." Not in this book.)
5. The Eight. Finally, after all these years, thought I'd try it. It tried me. To the limit.
2thomasandmary
Interesting post. I was planning on reading The Memory Keeper's Daughter, maybe I should reconsider.
3SqueakyChu
I couldn't finish The Memory Keeper's Daughter (read in a previous year) nor was I particularly interested in finishing Skeletons at the Feast (this quarter). The first bored me, and the second started out trivializing the Holocaust and offended me.
The book I did finish and liked the least was the nonfiction The Woman Who Can't Forget by Jill Price. I kept hoping it would get better. It didn't. I usually don't finish books I find mediocre or that don't hold my interest so my book ratings tend to be mostly 3 to 5 stars.
The book I did finish and liked the least was the nonfiction The Woman Who Can't Forget by Jill Price. I kept hoping it would get better. It didn't. I usually don't finish books I find mediocre or that don't hold my interest so my book ratings tend to be mostly 3 to 5 stars.
4tiffin
I didn't like "The Memory Keeper's Daughter" either. It was a couple of years ago that I tried it but I think it felt trite at the time.
When you get to be of middling years, you quickly put aside books which don't grab you, at least I do. I don't want to waste my good reading years left to me reading dreck. Like Squeaky, my reads range between 3-5 because of that.
When you get to be of middling years, you quickly put aside books which don't grab you, at least I do. I don't want to waste my good reading years left to me reading dreck. Like Squeaky, my reads range between 3-5 because of that.
5LisaCurcio
Fortunately, only two!
Arsonist's Guide to Writers' Homes in New England by Brock Clarke--billed as funny, but I think "pathetic" is a better description.
A Thousand Days in Venice by Marlena De Blasi--not a book about Venice, but a book about De Blasi "me, me, me, me" and a few mentions of the Venetian she married late in life.
Arsonist's Guide to Writers' Homes in New England by Brock Clarke--billed as funny, but I think "pathetic" is a better description.
A Thousand Days in Venice by Marlena De Blasi--not a book about Venice, but a book about De Blasi "me, me, me, me" and a few mentions of the Venetian she married late in life.
6ShaggyBag
What fun! I haven't been slapped on the wrist and it's such an interesting topic! Plus, I've just remembered a thing I read early in Jan. that made me stomp about the room. I Feel Bad About My Neck. A half hour's "light as a dust bunny" read for 20 bucks. Not only is it not funny, it's not insightful. Bleh.
7thekoolaidmom
lol.. okay, let's see... Arsonist's Guide is on Mt. TBR, as is Memory Keeper's Daughter. I've been touching Edgar Sawtelle everytime I go to the library, but haven't taken it home yet.... Hmmm...
As for my worst books list:
sadly, I'm going to have to say Brisingr, but more because I loved the first two books so much and was expecting more from this book. It drug on forever.
And I wasn't too terribly keen on Silas Marner. I thougth the language was unnecessarily thick. Austen wrote around the same time period and is more readible. This book felt like Eliot was trying to write like Hardy... only more boring.
As for my worst books list:
sadly, I'm going to have to say Brisingr, but more because I loved the first two books so much and was expecting more from this book. It drug on forever.
And I wasn't too terribly keen on Silas Marner. I thougth the language was unnecessarily thick. Austen wrote around the same time period and is more readible. This book felt like Eliot was trying to write like Hardy... only more boring.
8karenmarie
#1 ShaggyBag - I put The Memory Keeper's Daughter down after about 80 pages. Drek.
I liked The Eight - just couldn't stand The Fire, the sequel. Convoluted drek.
I liked The Eight - just couldn't stand The Fire, the sequel. Convoluted drek.
9LisaCurcio
>#7: I can't say Brisingr was a "worst book", but I do agree that it seemed it would never end and did not measure up to the first two. And then to find out there is going to be a fourth book when this one was supposed to be and should have been the last!
10DFED
Mine was Books by Larry McMurtry! I kept hoping the story would have some sort of plot. Unfortunately, it reminded me most of listening to a grandfather ramble on and on about "the good ol' days."
11JenniferGillis
It's funny, because when someone pans a book that I like I immediately think I must have missed something. I really liked Edgar Sawtelle, although I admit I was put off by the Oprah recommendation. I didn't think the story was a mess at all--it was just very involved. I also really love dogs, and I thought the author did a wonderful job at portraying dog thought and behavior.
12ShaggyBag
#11. Interesting you saying you were put off by Oprah's recommendation. I feel the same way. I wonder if she actually reads all these books considering how busy she is, but whoever on her team does pick them, they're very uneven, and sure to be "inspirational" in some way or another. If no one minds my cynicism, I suspect they're there thanks to a little push from the publisher. Who could miss how important it is to sales to get Oprah plugging it? In fairness to O, the money (if this happens, and I have trouble imagining it does not, people being people, and business being business) is sure to go to one of her favorite charities. And that's good. The bad part is the huge sales of something like Eckhart Tolle when there are brilliant books out there, like The Secret Magdalene. I, myself, am pushing this one. But I'm not Oprah. But if I were Oprah, oh the books I would recommend.
13shootingstarr7
I read The Memory Keeper's Daughter last year and was extremely disappointed in it. Prior to reading it, I had only heard good things about it. After reading it and disliking it, I started to find all sorts of people who didn't care for it either.
I wouldn't say any of the books I've read so far this year were truly bad, but I was pretty disappointed in Palace Circle by Rebecca Dean. It had a lot of potential to be a quality historical fiction about a subject that doesn't get much fictional attention (the relationship between the UK and Egypt between 1911 and 1941), but it was just too watered down in some places.
There were one or two others that I was pretty indifferent about (The Vanishing Act of Esme Lennox by Maggie O'Farrell and Canvey Island by James Runcie), but I think those were more my issues than anything wrong with the book. They just failed to really impress me.
I wouldn't say any of the books I've read so far this year were truly bad, but I was pretty disappointed in Palace Circle by Rebecca Dean. It had a lot of potential to be a quality historical fiction about a subject that doesn't get much fictional attention (the relationship between the UK and Egypt between 1911 and 1941), but it was just too watered down in some places.
There were one or two others that I was pretty indifferent about (The Vanishing Act of Esme Lennox by Maggie O'Farrell and Canvey Island by James Runcie), but I think those were more my issues than anything wrong with the book. They just failed to really impress me.
14KQuest
Ah, The Eight. Thinking it might be up my alley as a retired fantasy seeking philosophy prof (is this unusual?), I began to read it. As I can read, and hopefully understand, Ludwig Wittgenstein (not that I like him, I don't), I thought this might be a bit of a romp. I was wrong. Dreadful claptrap.
16Whisper1
I've read some wonderful books thus far this year. Of the 70 thus far, only three were books I felt strongly about to recommend staying away from:
Grief by Andrew Holleran.. so bad that I cannot even remember the story line. It was boring, of that I am quite sure.
A Slobbering Love Affair: The True (And Pathetic) Story of the Torrid Romance Between Barrack Obama and the Mainstream Media by Bernard Goldberg
Bernard Goldberg was the thing pathetic about this book! His self righteous, nasty mean spiritedness was way to scathing for me. He had some valid points, but in the telling he was way to pompous and off putting for me to wade through it all.
90 Minutes in Heaven: A True Story of Death and Life by Don Piper...
The author was too sanctimonious and preachy. The story really wasn't about life after life, it was all about the author....ugh.
Grief by Andrew Holleran.. so bad that I cannot even remember the story line. It was boring, of that I am quite sure.
A Slobbering Love Affair: The True (And Pathetic) Story of the Torrid Romance Between Barrack Obama and the Mainstream Media by Bernard Goldberg
Bernard Goldberg was the thing pathetic about this book! His self righteous, nasty mean spiritedness was way to scathing for me. He had some valid points, but in the telling he was way to pompous and off putting for me to wade through it all.
90 Minutes in Heaven: A True Story of Death and Life by Don Piper...
The author was too sanctimonious and preachy. The story really wasn't about life after life, it was all about the author....ugh.
17VioletBramble
Worst books so far:
The Thin Place by Kathryn Davis. I had been looking forward to reading this book. It was a really boring book. Even a character who can bring people back from the dead couldn't make this book interesting to me.
The Clue of the Missing Bagpipies. Nancy Drew Mystery Stories #41 Typical Nancy Drew. I'm just tired of her being such a know-it-all in every book.
Is Sex Necessary? Or Why You Feel The Way You Do by James Thurber and EB White. I gave this a rating of 2/5 -- my lowest so far. A humour book that was not funny and really outdated.
I feel like I should add The Late Hector Kipling by David Thewlis. I gave it a 3/5 and thought it was well written, but, it was VERY dark and not what I was expecting.
The Thin Place by Kathryn Davis. I had been looking forward to reading this book. It was a really boring book. Even a character who can bring people back from the dead couldn't make this book interesting to me.
The Clue of the Missing Bagpipies. Nancy Drew Mystery Stories #41 Typical Nancy Drew. I'm just tired of her being such a know-it-all in every book.
Is Sex Necessary? Or Why You Feel The Way You Do by James Thurber and EB White. I gave this a rating of 2/5 -- my lowest so far. A humour book that was not funny and really outdated.
I feel like I should add The Late Hector Kipling by David Thewlis. I gave it a 3/5 and thought it was well written, but, it was VERY dark and not what I was expecting.
18SqueakyChu
--> 16
A Slobbering Love Affair: The True (And Pathetic) Story of the Torrid Romance Between Barrack Obama and the Mainstream Media by Bernard Goldberg
Bernard Goldberg was the thing pathetic about this book! His self righteous, nasty mean spiritedness was way to scathing for me. He had some valid points, but in the telling he was way to pompous and off putting for me to wade through it all.
Which reminds me of another book I hated, again, prior to this year. It was the despicable The Truth About Hillary by Edward Klein. It was one book I really felt like throwing across the room when I was done - only it was a library CD, and I had to return it. It's hard to understand why people who disagree with a politician write such hateful books.
A Slobbering Love Affair: The True (And Pathetic) Story of the Torrid Romance Between Barrack Obama and the Mainstream Media by Bernard Goldberg
Bernard Goldberg was the thing pathetic about this book! His self righteous, nasty mean spiritedness was way to scathing for me. He had some valid points, but in the telling he was way to pompous and off putting for me to wade through it all.
Which reminds me of another book I hated, again, prior to this year. It was the despicable The Truth About Hillary by Edward Klein. It was one book I really felt like throwing across the room when I was done - only it was a library CD, and I had to return it. It's hard to understand why people who disagree with a politician write such hateful books.
19VisibleGhost
Hey! I've got twins upthread. I've finished 33 books this year. I've started 37 others that I haven't finished. Some of them I'm sure I'll never get back to. If I'm not enjoying something I move on. Sometimes before page ten, other times with only one chapter left. I don't follow anyone's rule on long to give a book. I only listen to my own inner reader. I don't think it's quite fair of me to opine on how bad a book is if I don't finish it because- who knows?- it might have come together in the end. But I'm just not going to finish a book so I can give it a 1/2 star rating and grouse about it. Therefore, my ratings tend to be high because I don't usually rate the unfinished books.
20ronincats
There were 3 books that were disappointing. None of them were awful or pathetic, but they just weren't that good for me.
Goblin Quest by Jim C. Hines
The Alchemyst by Michael Scott
The Stepsister Scheme by Jim C. Hines
and one that was a touch lower on the scale:
Ginnie Come Lately by Carola Dunn
Goblin Quest by Jim C. Hines
The Alchemyst by Michael Scott
The Stepsister Scheme by Jim C. Hines
and one that was a touch lower on the scale:
Ginnie Come Lately by Carola Dunn
21Fourpawz2
In The Shadow ofthe Sun King - was just all-around bad
Ella Minnow Pea was disappointing; and
I know some of you will scream in horror, but I thought that the Edgar Allen Poe stories that I forced myself to read before finally giving up in the middle of The Fall of the House of Usher were just awful. Won't be going there again - ever.
Ella Minnow Pea was disappointing; and
I know some of you will scream in horror, but I thought that the Edgar Allen Poe stories that I forced myself to read before finally giving up in the middle of The Fall of the House of Usher were just awful. Won't be going there again - ever.
22msmystic
I threw The Historian out a window. My husband found it in a bush and brought it back. So then I decided to keep a box for such things. It now contains The Memory Keeper's Daughter, a book by Anne Coulter someone must have left by mistake, Wicked (terrible, terrible, to be allowed to use Oz like that), The English Patient, and The Devil Wears Prada. A few more and I'll take them all to the Salvation Army.
But I do like Edgar Allen Poe, especially his poetry.
But I do like Edgar Allen Poe, especially his poetry.
23thomasandmary
Wow! I guess since your husband found it in a bush you really did throw it out a window. That's hysterical. I've never had such a violent reaction to a book, but my daughter did when she was about 17. She was reading Stuck in Neutral which I had never read (and still haven't) which had received good reviews, but I had warned her that it was going to be a very sad book. She tried it anyway and ended up bawling and throwing the book against her bedroom wall. I hope you two violently passionate people never meet each other!!! Instead of a pillow fight, I can picture a book fight.
24dk_phoenix
>22 msmystic:: HAHAHAHAHA...!!! I remember throwing the Historian across the room several times when I was trying to get through it... yes, that book can literally spark such reactions... I believe my friend did the same thing, too.
This year so far, my worst reads have been:
1) A Different Kingdom - Paul Kearney: Dull, ultra-sexed trite (between thirteen year olds) that markets itself as fantasy. No thanks... can't believe I actually finished this one.
2) Big Boned - Meg Cabot: A boring, plotless, very unclever end to what should have been a strong chick-lit mystery trilogy.
3) The Wild Wood - Charles de Lint: It just didn't grab me... I finished it feeling very disappointed, since I'd heard such great things about it.
4) Once Bitten, Twice Shy: Jaz Parks #1 - Jennifer Rardin: Very crappy supernatural chick-lit. Like... seriously crappy. Just don't even bother.
This year so far, my worst reads have been:
1) A Different Kingdom - Paul Kearney: Dull, ultra-sexed trite (between thirteen year olds) that markets itself as fantasy. No thanks... can't believe I actually finished this one.
2) Big Boned - Meg Cabot: A boring, plotless, very unclever end to what should have been a strong chick-lit mystery trilogy.
3) The Wild Wood - Charles de Lint: It just didn't grab me... I finished it feeling very disappointed, since I'd heard such great things about it.
4) Once Bitten, Twice Shy: Jaz Parks #1 - Jennifer Rardin: Very crappy supernatural chick-lit. Like... seriously crappy. Just don't even bother.
25girlunderglass
thekoolaidmom, agreed on Silas Marner. Bores me to death.
2009:
And then we have Twilight of course. I won't bother to recapitulate all the things that are bad about that one. And "The Nail and Other Stories" by Pedro Antonio de Alarcon. Nothing exciting there.
The Boredom Prize for last year, however, goes to The Adventures of Augie March.
2009:
And then we have Twilight of course. I won't bother to recapitulate all the things that are bad about that one. And "The Nail and Other Stories" by Pedro Antonio de Alarcon. Nothing exciting there.
The Boredom Prize for last year, however, goes to The Adventures of Augie March.
26BritAnnia
Worst read for me so far this year was the latest Inspector Lynley mystery, Careless in Red by Elizabeth George. A disappointment as I have enjoyed the earlier books in the series. Elizabeth George's writing seems to be going downhill with ever increasing speed.
So many needlessly ostentatious words, some within the same sentence as eye roll inducing slang. Not a good combo.
The characters were all horrid with ridiculous names, and all were cardboard replicas of each other. Lynley's supposedly so devastated over his wife he can't function, yet he falls for a vapid woman in just a few days? BLEUGH!
So many needlessly ostentatious words, some within the same sentence as eye roll inducing slang. Not a good combo.
The characters were all horrid with ridiculous names, and all were cardboard replicas of each other. Lynley's supposedly so devastated over his wife he can't function, yet he falls for a vapid woman in just a few days? BLEUGH!
27ShaggyBag
Book throwing! Never actually threw one, but did leave one on a public bench once. Just closed it and walked away. She's Come Undone.
But BritAnnia, I know exactly what you mean about Elizabeth George. When I read her very first books, I was quite impressed. You all know how it is when you find someone you want to read, that excitement seeing a new book out. But then I noticed I was less and less excited and it all came apart when I read What Came Before He Shot Her. I just pushed myself through. And when it was over, I knew it was also over between me and Elizabeth.
As for Twilight and its ilk, (ie: The Historian), I seem to be one of the few mortals left who doesn't want to live in the same body forever feeding on human beings. Seems all you need to have a bestseller is pop a vampire into the plot.
But BritAnnia, I know exactly what you mean about Elizabeth George. When I read her very first books, I was quite impressed. You all know how it is when you find someone you want to read, that excitement seeing a new book out. But then I noticed I was less and less excited and it all came apart when I read What Came Before He Shot Her. I just pushed myself through. And when it was over, I knew it was also over between me and Elizabeth.
As for Twilight and its ilk, (ie: The Historian), I seem to be one of the few mortals left who doesn't want to live in the same body forever feeding on human beings. Seems all you need to have a bestseller is pop a vampire into the plot.
28Cait86
#22 - You didn't like The English Patient!! It is one of my all-time favs. Oh well, "not every book is for every body"
29SqueakyChu
--> 27
... but did leave one on a public bench once. Just closed it and walked away. She's Come Undone.
You sound like a BookCrosser. :)
... but did leave one on a public bench once. Just closed it and walked away. She's Come Undone.
You sound like a BookCrosser. :)
30mjs1228
#26 BritAnnia,
I actually enjoyed most of Careless in Red except for the dreaded Daidre Trahair. I still can't decide what's worse: the fact that Daidre is several cliches in one character or the fact that she's basically a stalker.
I actually enjoyed most of Careless in Red except for the dreaded Daidre Trahair. I still can't decide what's worse: the fact that Daidre is several cliches in one character or the fact that she's basically a stalker.
31mckait
#1 Kathleen McGowan.. I agree... I read that book of her personal delusion
(The Expected One) and will never read another ~ gak! It really looks as if she is styling herself at the expected one, up to and including the photo and the ring...
Edgar.. I completely agree
The Eight as well as The Fire were terrible reads.
The Memory Keepers Daughter, however I liked a lot.
Arsonists Guide Terrible!
My own terrible read was The Terror
(The Expected One) and will never read another ~ gak! It really looks as if she is styling herself at the expected one, up to and including the photo and the ring...
Edgar.. I completely agree
The Eight as well as The Fire were terrible reads.
The Memory Keepers Daughter, however I liked a lot.
Arsonists Guide Terrible!
My own terrible read was The Terror
32tiffin
Amazon sent me a copy of The Secret by mistake (someone else's order) so before I sent it back, I read a bit of it.
urk urk urk
ghastly
urk urk urk
ghastly
33FicusFan
Hello all, I wandered over from the 100 book challenge thread. There seems to be more going on over here.
Oh dear I have The Expected One by Kathleen McGowan to read.
I read The Eight several years ago and thought it was horrible. I also didn't care for Wicked, I read it when it first came out. It started out OK, but quickly became boring and repetitive.
I read The Historian last year. What a long and boring slog. Hated the young daughter in the modern day as the narrator. Author should have focused on the past events, and come up with a real ending.
This year I have had the following clunkers (anything under 3 stars)
A Tree Grows in Brooklyn by Betty Smith, just couldn't keep reading, so I gave up. Just very slow and boring, didn't care about the characters. RL book group read.
The Perfect Scent by Chandler Burr - non-fiction, ER book about following the development of 2 perfumes (Paris, NYC). The author tried to do too much, and gave too many details, jumped around and had no center.
The Story of the Cannibal Woman by Maryse Conde. Badly written, lacking in real story, and terrible, terrible main character: A completely empty well. RL book group read.
The Ridiculous Race by Steve Hely, non-fiction, humorous travel book. Like being trapped going round the world with Bevis and Butthead's older brothers. RL book group read.
First Death by Laurell K. Hamilton, Graphic Novel, supposed to be a prequel to book 1 (Guilty Pleasures). Minimal new material, just a rehash. Only half a book, but at full price. This stinker was my choice.
Sway by Zachary Lazar. When its not being boring, and bland it is obsessed with cool visuals. Complete lack of story. Another choice of mine.
Anna and the King of Siam by Margaret Landon. What a slog. Very oddly written; at one point Anna stops referring to her son by name and starts to call him 'boy', like some nameless pet. Lifeless, patronizing, and possibly inaccurate. RL book group read.
The Art Thief by Noah Charney. Art centered mystery with just the worst most florid writing outside of a bodice-ripper,with terrible characters, it jumps around and has no center.
A book I picked.
I am hoping that I have gotten my stinkers out of the way and will have better sailing for the rest of the year. I should say that not all the books marked as a book group read are from the same group (or I would quit).
Oh dear I have The Expected One by Kathleen McGowan to read.
I read The Eight several years ago and thought it was horrible. I also didn't care for Wicked, I read it when it first came out. It started out OK, but quickly became boring and repetitive.
I read The Historian last year. What a long and boring slog. Hated the young daughter in the modern day as the narrator. Author should have focused on the past events, and come up with a real ending.
This year I have had the following clunkers (anything under 3 stars)
A Tree Grows in Brooklyn by Betty Smith, just couldn't keep reading, so I gave up. Just very slow and boring, didn't care about the characters. RL book group read.
The Perfect Scent by Chandler Burr - non-fiction, ER book about following the development of 2 perfumes (Paris, NYC). The author tried to do too much, and gave too many details, jumped around and had no center.
The Story of the Cannibal Woman by Maryse Conde. Badly written, lacking in real story, and terrible, terrible main character: A completely empty well. RL book group read.
The Ridiculous Race by Steve Hely, non-fiction, humorous travel book. Like being trapped going round the world with Bevis and Butthead's older brothers. RL book group read.
First Death by Laurell K. Hamilton, Graphic Novel, supposed to be a prequel to book 1 (Guilty Pleasures). Minimal new material, just a rehash. Only half a book, but at full price. This stinker was my choice.
Sway by Zachary Lazar. When its not being boring, and bland it is obsessed with cool visuals. Complete lack of story. Another choice of mine.
Anna and the King of Siam by Margaret Landon. What a slog. Very oddly written; at one point Anna stops referring to her son by name and starts to call him 'boy', like some nameless pet. Lifeless, patronizing, and possibly inaccurate. RL book group read.
The Art Thief by Noah Charney. Art centered mystery with just the worst most florid writing outside of a bodice-ripper,with terrible characters, it jumps around and has no center.
A book I picked.
I am hoping that I have gotten my stinkers out of the way and will have better sailing for the rest of the year. I should say that not all the books marked as a book group read are from the same group (or I would quit).
34leahbird
the only thing i've read this year that i really really didn't like was Confessions of a Jane Austen Addict by Laurie Viera Rigler. i picked it up at the library the other day because it sounded like a fun, light read. AND IT WAS TERRIBLE. gag. ick.
i kept reading it (while i sympathize with visibleghost, i almost always make myself finish a book... hoping it gets better), and it just made less and less sense. i was embarrased to think that this author claims to love Austen SOO much, and this book was meant as a sort of tribute, but she couldn't tell a story at all.
if this book is a testament to Jane Austen, then Twilight is a testament to Dracula, and i just can't believe that.
i kept reading it (while i sympathize with visibleghost, i almost always make myself finish a book... hoping it gets better), and it just made less and less sense. i was embarrased to think that this author claims to love Austen SOO much, and this book was meant as a sort of tribute, but she couldn't tell a story at all.
if this book is a testament to Jane Austen, then Twilight is a testament to Dracula, and i just can't believe that.
35wunderkind
There have been only two books I've read so far this year that frustrated me to the point that I actually yelled at the books: The Magic Christian by Terry Southern and The Elegance of the Hedgehog by Muriel Barbery. I only finished both because I feel guilty hating a book that I haven't finished.
37tiffin
I was just thinking that, mckait, because I thoroughly enjoyed Wicked. Chacun à son goût indeed!
38ShaggyBag
FicusFan, should I ever be tempted to join a book reader's group, I will reread your letter. Bad enough trying to get into, much less read all of, some of what's out there on my own...but to be required to. Ouch. Other than that, did I laugh or what! Funny funny. Love to laugh.
I have no idea what you'll make of The Expected One. It's so awful, the rest of what I so thoroughly dislike seems brilliant by comparison. But there seems to be a flock of loyal McGowan fans out there. For the life of me, why??? No accounting for tastes as tiffin is saying.
As for me, I am sooooo glad to have begun this thread. First it tells I am not alone. And second, I can see what I don't even have to try to read. Such a relief.
I did read The Road. Easy peasy writing. Very suitable for the subject which is, in a bunch of words: the total lack of hope. Nothing left. Over. Kaput. Going to die. Nothing to live for. No Life. Forgeddit. And then he pulls a Deux ex machina out of his butt and I just sat there and groaned. Not going to say more for all who have not read the book. But at least McCarthy can write, unlike McGowan who ought to have her typing privileges taken away. And her crayons locked up.
I have no idea what you'll make of The Expected One. It's so awful, the rest of what I so thoroughly dislike seems brilliant by comparison. But there seems to be a flock of loyal McGowan fans out there. For the life of me, why??? No accounting for tastes as tiffin is saying.
As for me, I am sooooo glad to have begun this thread. First it tells I am not alone. And second, I can see what I don't even have to try to read. Such a relief.
I did read The Road. Easy peasy writing. Very suitable for the subject which is, in a bunch of words: the total lack of hope. Nothing left. Over. Kaput. Going to die. Nothing to live for. No Life. Forgeddit. And then he pulls a Deux ex machina out of his butt and I just sat there and groaned. Not going to say more for all who have not read the book. But at least McCarthy can write, unlike McGowan who ought to have her typing privileges taken away. And her crayons locked up.
39tiffin
and now you have given me a laugh, shaggy, at the image of a deux ex machina coming out of McCarthy's nether parts. In Greek tragedy, it was often in the form of a God being lowered to the stage to save the day. The image of salvation coming from, er, somewhere else was very funny.
Ficus, I liked your summary too.
Ficus, I liked your summary too.
40mckait
You know what is worse than The Expected One?
Somehow ending up with two copies of it. I sent one to someone in Canada..
We have not spoken since, but I am not sure if the two events are related.
I have no idea what I did with the other, I may have mooched it out or just given it away. I am pretty sure I stopped short of shredding it into the cat box. In a way it is worth the read just to see how bad it is! And who knows, someone might like it. I fear that there is a sequel. Eeep
Somehow ending up with two copies of it. I sent one to someone in Canada..
We have not spoken since, but I am not sure if the two events are related.
I have no idea what I did with the other, I may have mooched it out or just given it away. I am pretty sure I stopped short of shredding it into the cat box. In a way it is worth the read just to see how bad it is! And who knows, someone might like it. I fear that there is a sequel. Eeep
41sgtbigg
Without a doubt the worst book I've read this year was It's a Job, Not a Jail: How to Break Your Shackles When You Can't Afford to Quit. I don't usually read self help type books and this reminded me why. Apparently the solution to on the job happiness is sucking up to the boss, who knew? The second worst book I didn't actuall finish so it's possible it got better. The Life You Can Save: Acting Now to End World Poverty, again not a book I would usually read but I saw the author on The Colbert Report so I thought I'd give it a try. I only made it through about 30 pages. If you buy bottled water, take vacations, or spend money on anything beyond necessities then you are responsible for world poverty and when any of the world's poor die it is your fault. Blah, blah, blah.
42TrishNYC
I have to agree about The Art Thief. In fact I have to say its one of the worst books I have ever read period. It was obvious that the author was too pleased with himself for all his knowledge of the art world and forgot to try and write a real book. Gosh, I am having horrible memories of how much I hated this book.
My worst book of the year so far Retail Anarchy:A Radical Shopper's Adventures In Consumption by Sam Pocker. Sheesh...what a self righteous writeup. "Yup, I am great, yup, I am good at buying things pointlessly just because they are on sale". All he needs is a halo for his saintly shopping habits.
My worst book of the year so far Retail Anarchy:A Radical Shopper's Adventures In Consumption by Sam Pocker. Sheesh...what a self righteous writeup. "Yup, I am great, yup, I am good at buying things pointlessly just because they are on sale". All he needs is a halo for his saintly shopping habits.
43FicusFan
#38 ShaggyBag, I actually belong to 4 book groups, so no one group has all the stinkers. While there are some bad ones, you also get good ones, and books that you would never have picked up - I like stretching my reading bounds.
#39 Tiffin, Thank you. I felt I had to say why I disliked the book, but didn't want to overwhelm with details or a rant.
#40 Mckait, and I put the sequel on my wish list to pick up when it went into paper. I will definitely read the first book before risking a second purchase.
#42 TrishNYC, yes the book was putridly written. I also got the sense that the author was trying to use the character Gabriel Coffin as a stand in for himself. I noticed it when I looked at the LT author page and he has the same background as the character.
44mckait
#38, I somehow missed your description of The Road until now. I completely agree with your assessment!
ficus.. if you read the sequel, and remember to.. will you let me know what you think? I seriously really, really wanted The Expected One (clearly, since I ended up with 2 copies. ) I was so utterly disappointed and well, sort of disgusted by what I perceived as the author seeming to me to make this book all about herself.. ugh!
I would like to know how you feel about book2 :)
ficus.. if you read the sequel, and remember to.. will you let me know what you think? I seriously really, really wanted The Expected One (clearly, since I ended up with 2 copies. ) I was so utterly disappointed and well, sort of disgusted by what I perceived as the author seeming to me to make this book all about herself.. ugh!
I would like to know how you feel about book2 :)
45FicusFan
mckait, I will post what I think of book2, if I get it. I now have to find book1 and read it first. If I also think its a stinker, I won't buy or read book2.
I don't buy books until they go into paper, so I have a while before I could buy it any way.
I will try to remember to let you know mckait.
46mckait
Thanks ficus. I wish I still had one of those copies of book 1 to send to you, but maybe the library?
47FicusFan
Thanks for the offer, but I have book1 , I just have to find it in my apartment, and then find time in my reading schedule.
48ShaggyBag
Let me tell you a story, something I heard from an agent friend. Simon & Schuster, the publishers, had an editor and that editor was working on a book he'd bought from a fellow named Dan Brown. Five years of back and forth trying to pull together something called The Da Vinci Code and still it stank. S&S got fed up with both their editor and Brown. And they fired the editor and told Brown to take a walk. They walked over to Random House, struck another deal, and the gold mine was on. S&S sat back, stunned. Five years they sunk money into that book, and for what? So they went looking for something, anything, to jump on the wagon they'd sent packing. And they found The Expected One. Thinking Brown's book was bad, and yet seeing it sell, they no longer worried about the quality of The Expected One. It was close to Brown's idea, they could fly in its slipstream. They paid McGowan a chunk of change for a three book deal. And then they got the book. Horrible. (Not to mention the secret agenda of their new author who seems to want to establish herself as a living goddess.) But they'd paid their money, so they hyped the thing to the hilt. Hyping usually pays off, at least in the short run. So McGowan sells. Bottom line: money for S&S. A platform for McGowan to get enough plastic surgery to embarrass Cher and a host of fans who believe her. Life is strange. But so interesting.
49mckait
Shaggy..
Terrific story :)
Now mind you, I did like Da Vinci Code but liked Angels and Demons more.
I am glad that I didn't imagine Mcgowan's agenda!
Please feel free to tell us as many stories as you like ~
Terrific story :)
Now mind you, I did like Da Vinci Code but liked Angels and Demons more.
I am glad that I didn't imagine Mcgowan's agenda!
Please feel free to tell us as many stories as you like ~
50FicusFan
Angels and Demons stank too. Surely they couldn't have been surprised that Da Vinci was putrid too ?
Though A&D was around a while before the hoopla of Da Vinci took off. Dan Brown is from my state and he used to come to some of the local stores to flog A&D in the beginning.
52FicusFan
Mostly its the lame 7th grade writing and the stupidity of the plot and how the characters behave. It wouldn't even be a blip on the radar, except it gets so much hype and then the movie was even worse than the book.
53mckait
I agree, the movie was bad. Still, I liked the books.
Now his other books, his not-vatican books.. not so much.
eta
Although I have to admit, I did enjoy the Vatican getting their collective panties in a twist over a novel and movie..
Now his other books, his not-vatican books.. not so much.
eta
Although I have to admit, I did enjoy the Vatican getting their collective panties in a twist over a novel and movie..
54glassreader
NOOOO!!!! I loved The Historian!!!! :) I think it's great that people can read the same books and get totally different reactions.
My worse so far for the year: Beasts of No Nation by Uzodinma Iweala and Night by Elie Wiesel. Both had been on my TBR pile for a long time and I was so disappointed when I finally got to them.
My worse so far for the year: Beasts of No Nation by Uzodinma Iweala and Night by Elie Wiesel. Both had been on my TBR pile for a long time and I was so disappointed when I finally got to them.
55mckait
In general, I find that most of the books Oprah suggests (Night), require large doses of prozac or something to get through.
56Cait86
I am curious as to why you did not enjoy Night, glassreader? It is, after all, a true story about one of the most devestating events in our history, and it is told by a man who experienced Hell on Earth when he was only 14. I think it is a book that everyone should read at least once, if only so that our knowledge of the Holocaust does not fade. What about it disappointed you?
57ShaggyBag
So interesting. glassreader loves The Historian, but does not care for Night. And Cait likes Night. I wonder, Cait, did you like The Historian? I know it's an old saw but if we didn't have such differing tastes, how many good writers would never see the light? Or bad writers for that matter.
The Wizard of Oz books are not really written all that well, not compared to Winnie-the-Pooh or Wind in the Willows, but Baum created an unforgettable world. He also created North America's first (and last?) homegrown fairytale. I devoured Oz as a kid. I'd do it again if I could get my hands on one of the original books.
I tried, but could not force myself into Night or The Book Thief. Since I didn't actually finish either, I can't honestly say they were "worst reads." But I'm finding it harder and harder to read something that doesn't provoke some sort of interest by page 10. It's getting frustrating. Is it me? We're buried under Young Adult books that are cluttering up the Best Seller lists. The not-to-be-believed Anne Coulter sells like gum. Oprah (I'm with you all the way mckait) sells soap in book covers. She appears to have a huge heart but very little brain when it comes to books. And her slightest utterance on the subject makes a writer rich. Wha?
Where's Dorothy Parker when you need her? She who said of a Katherine Hepburn performance, "She ran the gamut of emotions from A to B."
The Wizard of Oz books are not really written all that well, not compared to Winnie-the-Pooh or Wind in the Willows, but Baum created an unforgettable world. He also created North America's first (and last?) homegrown fairytale. I devoured Oz as a kid. I'd do it again if I could get my hands on one of the original books.
I tried, but could not force myself into Night or The Book Thief. Since I didn't actually finish either, I can't honestly say they were "worst reads." But I'm finding it harder and harder to read something that doesn't provoke some sort of interest by page 10. It's getting frustrating. Is it me? We're buried under Young Adult books that are cluttering up the Best Seller lists. The not-to-be-believed Anne Coulter sells like gum. Oprah (I'm with you all the way mckait) sells soap in book covers. She appears to have a huge heart but very little brain when it comes to books. And her slightest utterance on the subject makes a writer rich. Wha?
Where's Dorothy Parker when you need her? She who said of a Katherine Hepburn performance, "She ran the gamut of emotions from A to B."
58mckait
It is, after all, a true story about one of the most devestating events in our history, and it is told by a man who experienced Hell on Earth when he was only 14
Enjoy seems to be the wrong word somehow, for a book with that description. I don't feel that I have to participate in one of the most gruesome times of our history, which is why I avoided it. (And Ann Coulter~ pheew!)
I dearly loved Katharine Hepburn, have seen most if not all of her movies, read books about ( and by) her.
I am looking forward to The Book Thief and The Historian someday. They're on my tbr shelves.
Having so many people who read promises a very wide variety of opinions, thank goodness :)
Enjoy seems to be the wrong word somehow, for a book with that description. I don't feel that I have to participate in one of the most gruesome times of our history, which is why I avoided it. (And Ann Coulter~ pheew!)
I dearly loved Katharine Hepburn, have seen most if not all of her movies, read books about ( and by) her.
I am looking forward to The Book Thief and The Historian someday. They're on my tbr shelves.
Having so many people who read promises a very wide variety of opinions, thank goodness :)
59FicusFan
I also thought both Night and Beasts of No Nation were terribly poor.
Night was simply forgettable, It had almost no emotional resonance and was so thin I couldn't remember anything about it once it was done. I didn't expect a wallow in horror, but I also didn't expect it to be so anodyne.
Beasts of No Nation was a problem for me because of the pidgin, the lack of depth, and the jumping around in terms of the story. The author tried to tell it from a small child's perspective, and all those issues ring true for a small child, but as a reading experience it left me cold.
60Cait86
You are right, mckait, enjoy is the wrong word - I guess I was just wondering why glassreader found it disappointing. I hope I didn't come across as criticising - I agree with ShaggyBag, it would be unfortunate if we all liked and disliked the same books. Oh, and I haven't read The Historian. :)
While I am not a huge Oprah fan, I wouldn't say that she has "very little brain when it comes to books." I haven't read a lot of the books she has chosen, but I have read, and loved, The Reader, Night, and The Road. Plus, she has chosen a lot of classics too - Anna Karenina, East of Eden, Love in the Time of Cholera - and I know a lot of people who have read them because of her recommendations. Like I said, I don't really like her very much, and I don't watch her show, but anyone who can get people to read is ok in my books.
No offense meant, BTW, we all have different opinions, and that is one of the things that makes life interesting! :)
While I am not a huge Oprah fan, I wouldn't say that she has "very little brain when it comes to books." I haven't read a lot of the books she has chosen, but I have read, and loved, The Reader, Night, and The Road. Plus, she has chosen a lot of classics too - Anna Karenina, East of Eden, Love in the Time of Cholera - and I know a lot of people who have read them because of her recommendations. Like I said, I don't really like her very much, and I don't watch her show, but anyone who can get people to read is ok in my books.
No offense meant, BTW, we all have different opinions, and that is one of the things that makes life interesting! :)
62tiffin
I thought The Book Thief was a stunning book, one of the most remarkable I've read, hitting every emotional note pitch perfect and leaving me wrung out by the end. I don't think it is a YA book at all but a story for all of us. So there you go: a subjective medium, proven yet again.
63loriephillips
I really liked The Book Thief. It was one of my favorite reads for 2008. Although I don't like most of the Oprah pics, I loved The Story of Edgar Sawtelle.
I recently gave up on His Excellency: George Washington. I found it incredibly dry and boring, although I know a lot of people loved it.
I recently gave up on His Excellency: George Washington. I found it incredibly dry and boring, although I know a lot of people loved it.
64BritAnnia
I also loved The Book Thief, though I recall the first few chapters seemed strange because of Zusak's writing style. Once I'd hit my stride with the feel and flow I couldn't put the book down. I also really like his other book, I Am the Messenger. Great stuff.
It's great to be able to share which books we didn't like and to hear why someone else did enjoy them. Sometimes it can make me think twice, and othertimes... nah! ;P
It's great to be able to share which books we didn't like and to hear why someone else did enjoy them. Sometimes it can make me think twice, and othertimes... nah! ;P
65glassreader
#56- Cait86, not sure what it was about Night that turned me off. I think for me it just fell flat for what it could have been. I have been to Auschwitz and Birkenau and when I read about those places through his eyes it was slightly empty in comparison to what I felt being in those places myself. I guess my point is that visiting those places 50+ years later roused in me great emotion. I thought that someone who had been through that would write something that would rouse the same emotion. However, there were some moving parts. The end where he talks about ignoring his dad was heartbreaking and his slow turning away from God as well.
I loved The Book Thief!
I loved The Book Thief!
66Cait86
#65 - Thanks for explaining glassreader! I am envious that you have visited Auschwitz-Birkenau. I know it must be an horribly emotional place to visit, but also really important to see. I will get there one day.
67SqueakyChu
--> 65
I have been to Auschwitz and Birkenau and when I read about those places through his eyes it was slightly empty in comparison to what I felt being in those places myself.
Then *never* read Fateless by Imre Kertesz, the Hungarian author who writes about the concentration camp with no emotion whatsoever.
Sometimes I think that writers purposely take the emotion out of Auschwitz stories just to increase the numbers of people who will, in fact, read them.
What about the Pulitzer Prize-winning graphic novel Maus by Art Spiegelman? Have you read it? How did it affect you if you did? If not, do you intend to read it?
Having lost my maternal grandparents in Auschwitz, I always feel compelled to read about that experience, albeit in small doses and at long intervals, if only to feel a bit closer to them (who I never met).
I have been to Auschwitz and Birkenau and when I read about those places through his eyes it was slightly empty in comparison to what I felt being in those places myself.
Then *never* read Fateless by Imre Kertesz, the Hungarian author who writes about the concentration camp with no emotion whatsoever.
Sometimes I think that writers purposely take the emotion out of Auschwitz stories just to increase the numbers of people who will, in fact, read them.
What about the Pulitzer Prize-winning graphic novel Maus by Art Spiegelman? Have you read it? How did it affect you if you did? If not, do you intend to read it?
Having lost my maternal grandparents in Auschwitz, I always feel compelled to read about that experience, albeit in small doses and at long intervals, if only to feel a bit closer to them (who I never met).
68glassreader
#66- Very emotional, but worth it.
#67- I think you may be right about taking out the emotion of the writing to sell more books. It really bothers me when something bad has happened and people want it sugarcoated. If we don't want things repeated, it's important to hear the truth. Life is dirty.. get over it.
I haven't read Maus. Is it something you would recommend?
#67- I think you may be right about taking out the emotion of the writing to sell more books. It really bothers me when something bad has happened and people want it sugarcoated. If we don't want things repeated, it's important to hear the truth. Life is dirty.. get over it.
I haven't read Maus. Is it something you would recommend?
69SqueakyChu
It really bothers me when something bad has happened and people want it sugarcoated. If we don't want things repeated, it's important to hear the truth. Life is dirty.. get over it.
The book to which I was referring, Fateless, is not sugar coated. It is without emotion (and probably a book without peer in the way it depicts the Holocaust). It's excellent.
Maus (both books 1 and 2) are "must reads" even if you've never picked up a graphic novel before in your life. It's heavy in its topic, but provides some lighter relief during the course of the book. You'll see what I mean when you read it.
Sometimes I think that writers purposely take the emotion out of Auschwitz stories just to increase the numbers of people who will, in fact, read them.
I personally think this is important. There are some audiences to which you don't want to direct too much of an emotional burden. The faint of heart, for example, or school-age children. And yet, you do want to teach them about the mistakes of history.
The book to which I was referring, Fateless, is not sugar coated. It is without emotion (and probably a book without peer in the way it depicts the Holocaust). It's excellent.
Maus (both books 1 and 2) are "must reads" even if you've never picked up a graphic novel before in your life. It's heavy in its topic, but provides some lighter relief during the course of the book. You'll see what I mean when you read it.
Sometimes I think that writers purposely take the emotion out of Auschwitz stories just to increase the numbers of people who will, in fact, read them.
I personally think this is important. There are some audiences to which you don't want to direct too much of an emotional burden. The faint of heart, for example, or school-age children. And yet, you do want to teach them about the mistakes of history.
70SmartaMarta
Really really hate the new trend towards "young" readers, catering to all their interests for the bucks. The woman who's writing The Host and whatever.
71mckait
I have been pondering this since yesterday. I cannot imagine any way to sugarcoat the holocaust . I also cannot imagine visiting the camps where so many lived and died so horribly. A trip to Gettysburg almost finished me off..
As for without emotion, I can imagine how that can be written, but not how it can be read that way unless one were completely unaware of what the holocaust was.
I have of course read a few books about this black mark on the history of mankind, but I have been careful of my choices. I know what happened. I do not need to spend to much time there.
That, of course is just me, and my feeling...
As for without emotion, I can imagine how that can be written, but not how it can be read that way unless one were completely unaware of what the holocaust was.
I have of course read a few books about this black mark on the history of mankind, but I have been careful of my choices. I know what happened. I do not need to spend to much time there.
That, of course is just me, and my feeling...
72tiffin
mckait, I'm of the same ilk.
I too was thinking about this. I wondered if someone who had lived through an experience like that one, so horrific that the story of it must be told to the rest of humanity, would have to keep the lid clamped down on their own emotions in order to survive the telling of it. There are certain horrors of humanity which can barely be spoken or written, let alone re-engaging one's emotions with them.
I too was thinking about this. I wondered if someone who had lived through an experience like that one, so horrific that the story of it must be told to the rest of humanity, would have to keep the lid clamped down on their own emotions in order to survive the telling of it. There are certain horrors of humanity which can barely be spoken or written, let alone re-engaging one's emotions with them.
73aethercowboy
I know it's not the first quarter, but man, I just finished reading an ARC of Pureheart by Rita Hsu Syers. That book was HORRID.
75StormRaven
73: Oh great. That's the next book on my TBR pile.
76glassreader
msg 72- I think you said it best tiffin-- the things that some people have suffered are so great that they may feel in writting about it they keep a tight lid on their emotions to survive the retelling. That's what turned me off to Night. I can only imagine the horrors the author went through and it just didn't come across in the book.
77SqueakyChu
--> 71, 72, 76
...and I would imagine just the opposite. I would think that the experience would have been so undescribable and personally humiliating and painful that to try to express it in words would be to trivialize it. I think that was the reason that there had been such a paucity of Holocaust literature for so long.
In my own family, I never heard a word about my parent's experiences living through that time period. It was only after I was an adult and could ask relevant questions that a *few* pieces of our family's story came forth. That information was not even forthcoming from my parents. I recovered it from my Israeli aunt who was elderly at that time. No one in my immediate family (two parents, seven aunts/uncles) of that generation is still alive. That's why I find Maus such a poignant piece of literature. It not only explores the details of the Holocaust and the Auschwitz experience, but also addresses the reluctance to speak about it until time almost runs out for sharing.
...and I would imagine just the opposite. I would think that the experience would have been so undescribable and personally humiliating and painful that to try to express it in words would be to trivialize it. I think that was the reason that there had been such a paucity of Holocaust literature for so long.
In my own family, I never heard a word about my parent's experiences living through that time period. It was only after I was an adult and could ask relevant questions that a *few* pieces of our family's story came forth. That information was not even forthcoming from my parents. I recovered it from my Israeli aunt who was elderly at that time. No one in my immediate family (two parents, seven aunts/uncles) of that generation is still alive. That's why I find Maus such a poignant piece of literature. It not only explores the details of the Holocaust and the Auschwitz experience, but also addresses the reluctance to speak about it until time almost runs out for sharing.
79SqueakyChu
Thanks for sharing, tiffin. I understand.
82glassreader
msg77- SqueakyChu- what a privledge to have a first hand account.
83SqueakyChu
--> 82
Sadly, a privilege I'd rather not have had.
Sadly, a privilege I'd rather not have had.
84glassreader
true :( any other books you would recommend on the subject?
85SqueakyChu
Det här meddelandet har tagits bort av dess författare.
86SqueakyChu
A few I'd recommend are are Night by Elie Wiesel, The Diary of a Young Girl by Anne Frank, Fateless by Imre Kertész, The Pianist by Władysław Szpilman and Schindler's Ark (or Schindler's List) by Thomas Keneally.
If you ever have the chance, visit The United States Holocaust Memorial Museum in Washington, DC, or Yad Vashem in Jerusalem, Israel.
If you ever have the chance, visit The United States Holocaust Memorial Museum in Washington, DC, or Yad Vashem in Jerusalem, Israel.
87Whisper1
Chiming in on The Book Thief. It is highly recommended by so many LT folk here on our 75 book challenge group that I was compelled to read it. I read 1/2 of it in one sitting yesterday..could not put it down.I fell asleep with the book in my hands.
IMHO, it is superb!
IMHO, it is superb!
88wrena
My father was in Dauchau toward the end of the war. He rarely talked about it. Again, somewhat dispassionite, it would seem. He did tell me some of the horrors once or twice. I mean truly horrific!
My mother has never been sure that he was really there, I think it is the distancing thing he always did. I will never forget him telling me, though, that the American soldiers were no saints and he thought everyone involved in WWII should be shameful.
My mother has never been sure that he was really there, I think it is the distancing thing he always did. I will never forget him telling me, though, that the American soldiers were no saints and he thought everyone involved in WWII should be shameful.
89StormRaven
81: I got an Early Reviewer copy, so I am obligated to read and review it. That doesn't make me any more excited by the prospect after seeing your reaction.
90tiffin
Yep, "horrid" in bold is a pretty strong statement, StormRaven. I'd be feeling deflated by that reaction too.
91Cait86
#84, 86 - I would add Survival in Auschwitz to SqueakyChu's list, and I second the rec of Spiegelman's Maus, which I read earlier this year.
92SqueakyChu
--> 88
Do you do any reading about the Holocaust, or do you avoid it? If so, do you have any books to recommend?
--> 91
I added the Primo Levi book you recommended to my wishlist.
Do you do any reading about the Holocaust, or do you avoid it? If so, do you have any books to recommend?
--> 91
I added the Primo Levi book you recommended to my wishlist.
93aethercowboy
>89 StormRaven:.
I survived by writing snarky comments in the margins. It was my lifeline. That and the determination to write the most scathing review I've ever written (even worse than my review of the Coraline Wii video game!). That was my fire.
I survived by writing snarky comments in the margins. It was my lifeline. That and the determination to write the most scathing review I've ever written (even worse than my review of the Coraline Wii video game!). That was my fire.
94loriephillips
#87 I'm so glad you are enjoying The Book Thief, Linda. I found it difficult to put down as well.
95AshleyMonahan
Found this! Love it. I can't believe how bad the Dexter books are. And that's not even comparing them to the TV show. Those writers are brilliant. Darkly Dreaming Dexter by Jeff Lindsay and all the others, are so poorly written and imaged. And the same goes for the books they based the show Bones on.
96FicusFan
Don't who or what Dexter is when its at home, but I quite like the Kathy Reichs books about Tempe Brennan.
Haven't read them all but the ones I have are interesting, and not badly written.
Have never seen the show Bones.
97thekoolaidmom
*hiss!* AshleyMonahan, bite your tongue! jk ;-)
I love Dexter, both in book and tv show form. I've watched all the shows that are on DVD (don't have HBO), but I've only read the third book of the series, Dexter in the Dark. I actually watched the show first, then saw the book in the credits and had to grab one of them. I like the author's alliteration, and his sense of humor. I laughed out loud often through the book.
I love Dexter, both in book and tv show form. I've watched all the shows that are on DVD (don't have HBO), but I've only read the third book of the series, Dexter in the Dark. I actually watched the show first, then saw the book in the credits and had to grab one of them. I like the author's alliteration, and his sense of humor. I laughed out loud often through the book.
99AshleyMonahan
Pooo, Koolaid. Dexter on TV was written by whoever writes the TV show. This person/team is brilliant and I don't miss an episode. Naturally I had to read the books since they're usually better, right? The Dexter in the books isn't the TV Dexter. He's not half as developed, his sister isn't really there at all, the stories don't hang together, no tension, his workmates have no character...basically, Lindsey came up with a great idea and couldn't carry it off. The wit of the TV Dexter comes from his complexity. The wit in the books hits once in awhile but a good line isn't coming from Dexter, it's just a line thrown in. Juvenile writing. Another case of differing tastes!
100KumarM
Cloud Atlas was terrible. Poor story, by the numbers scifi, bad writing. Can't be worse than that, especially if you're hoping for a good read. Also disliked The Story of Edgar Sawtelle. That was a mystery? The mystery is why people liked it. It's a dog thing?
101avatiakh
Very interesting thread, we all have such diverse reading tastes. I have to agree with The Memory Keeper's Daughter which I read a couple of years ago and couldn't believe so many people recommended it.
Both Beasts of no Nation and Night have been outstanding reads for me.
This year I have not enjoyed Oranges are not the only fruit, maybe I was expecting a different book altogether. Also not on my hit list would be Peter Carey's My life as a fake and The secret history of Moscow by Ekaterina Sedia.
Both Beasts of no Nation and Night have been outstanding reads for me.
This year I have not enjoyed Oranges are not the only fruit, maybe I was expecting a different book altogether. Also not on my hit list would be Peter Carey's My life as a fake and The secret history of Moscow by Ekaterina Sedia.
102Happypages
I see a few people have thrown books. Most of the books I loathe I don't own so I can't throw them. Libraries hate that. But I would have thrown The Red Tent if I owned it. And every word Anne Coulter is allowed to write. Just remembered The Historian. A horrible read.
103mckait
I agree with you about The Red Tent and Anne Coulter. Nasty one there...
I hope I don't agree with you about The Historian, as I am looking forward to it :)
I hope I don't agree with you about The Historian, as I am looking forward to it :)
104sirfurboy
I think the worst thing I have read this year is Anthem - Ayn Rand. I have read worse books though. Anything by Dan Brown for instance (although his writing style is not terrible - I just can't stand the pathetic plot holes and the terrible research).
I also have been reading Murakami and have yet to find a book of his I enjoy - but that is probably a matter of taste, and the fact I don't know enough about Japanese culture to get all his cultural references.
I also have been reading Murakami and have yet to find a book of his I enjoy - but that is probably a matter of taste, and the fact I don't know enough about Japanese culture to get all his cultural references.
105ShaggyBag
So pleased to see remarks made about Anne Coulter. She frightens me a bit. Not that she lives and writes, but that so many people read her. If the world got really nasty and we all had to run for it, it's the Anne Coulter types who would make it nasty and who we'd be running from. And sirfurboy, Ayn Rand is the thinking man's Coulter, in my op. Ayn Rand makes a great case for greed and hatred and special people. She's very convincing. She also writes a lot better and deeper than Coulter, if you can call what Coulter spews "writing." And she sells too, years and years later.
But oh boy, The Red Tent. If someone here loves that book, I'd be so interested to hear your side. My side is with Happypages and mckait.
But oh boy, The Red Tent. If someone here loves that book, I'd be so interested to hear your side. My side is with Happypages and mckait.
106thekoolaidmom
ShaggyBag: You have bumped both The Red Tent and the Ann Coulter book I have right to the top of my TBR pile. :-) Any book that can create such rancor is definitely worth a read. And I like Ayn Rand, so if Coulter is comprable to her, I'm in :-D
107WilowRaven
I had The Memory Keeper's Daughter in my hand at the library the other night but put it back (had too many books already :) I'm thinking I won't be picking it up again!
I own The Red Tent....it's somewhere...I think I started reading it once but kinda remember not liking it very much...thanks for reminding me NOT to read it :)
I love Bones the tv show and Kathy Reichs and her Tempe Brennan series but only because I don't think of them as connected - very different tellings of the same character. Although, Reichs' last couple of books have been a little tedious to get through.
As far as my worst book so far this year - Solstice by David Hewson. Totally random book - not worth picking up if anyone finds it in a bargain bin somewhere.
I own The Red Tent....it's somewhere...I think I started reading it once but kinda remember not liking it very much...thanks for reminding me NOT to read it :)
I love Bones the tv show and Kathy Reichs and her Tempe Brennan series but only because I don't think of them as connected - very different tellings of the same character. Although, Reichs' last couple of books have been a little tedious to get through.
As far as my worst book so far this year - Solstice by David Hewson. Totally random book - not worth picking up if anyone finds it in a bargain bin somewhere.
108sirfurboy
Shaggybag, yes I agree Rand is better - see my review for Atlas Shrugged which I thought was good. It was particularly the Anthem I thought was a bad read.
Ann Coulter is, I think, an American phenomenon as I know the name but don't think I have seen her books. Probably just as well by the sound of it.
And #106, Dan Brown created lots of rancour, but he is definitely not worth a read! I don't think that is a good guide as to what is worth reading...although I admit I am now intrigued as to why Anne Coulter is so bad myself!
Like watching "Plan 9 from Outer Space", sometimes the worst stories are entertaining *because* they are so bad.
Ann Coulter is, I think, an American phenomenon as I know the name but don't think I have seen her books. Probably just as well by the sound of it.
And #106, Dan Brown created lots of rancour, but he is definitely not worth a read! I don't think that is a good guide as to what is worth reading...although I admit I am now intrigued as to why Anne Coulter is so bad myself!
Like watching "Plan 9 from Outer Space", sometimes the worst stories are entertaining *because* they are so bad.
109kgriffith
Based on my ratings, the worst books I've read this year so far are Marked (another YA vampire book, I know) after which I unfortunately have the rest of the series to read, and Alcatraz Versus the Evil Librarians. I don't think Sanderson is a bad writer; I just really dislike his style.
Another comment on The Book Thief, which, unless something unforgivable happens in the last 50 pages, is now among my top five books of all time... Zuzak's cadence can be disconcerting at first, but I love it for its uniqueness. So full of metaphors involving the senses. Tactile. Relentless. There are so many authors whose books I read and think, "Oh yeah, this kind of reminds me of so-and-so," or "Right, that's sort of how it was in such-and-such book." Not this one.
Another comment on The Book Thief, which, unless something unforgivable happens in the last 50 pages, is now among my top five books of all time... Zuzak's cadence can be disconcerting at first, but I love it for its uniqueness. So full of metaphors involving the senses. Tactile. Relentless. There are so many authors whose books I read and think, "Oh yeah, this kind of reminds me of so-and-so," or "Right, that's sort of how it was in such-and-such book." Not this one.
110BritAnnia
>109 kgriffith:, I totally agree with how you describe Zusak's writing, I love the uniqueness too. In a recent conversation about synesthaesia I thought 'that's just how Zusak writes'. I wonder if he has synesthaesia and is able to translate it to words on the written page for his readers. I look forward to reading more of his work.
111thekoolaidmom
#109 aglaia531: I like Marked, personally. While it'll never rank in the top 5 (or even 500) best books I've read, it is one I enjoyed reading.
Hell... maybe I'm not that hard to please.. lol.
sirfurboy: forgive me for a momentary weird mood earlier... I was shooting for snarky and got dumbass, I think. lol... I already have a Coulter book, How to Talk to a Liberal (If You Must) is the offending text, otherwise I wouldn't run out and get a book by her just for the sake of rancour. I try to make it a point to read at least one book by popular authors that way I can keep up with conversations. That's my Coulter and Digital Fortress is my Dan Brown, btw. I like a balanced library :-D
Hell... maybe I'm not that hard to please.. lol.
sirfurboy: forgive me for a momentary weird mood earlier... I was shooting for snarky and got dumbass, I think. lol... I already have a Coulter book, How to Talk to a Liberal (If You Must) is the offending text, otherwise I wouldn't run out and get a book by her just for the sake of rancour. I try to make it a point to read at least one book by popular authors that way I can keep up with conversations. That's my Coulter and Digital Fortress is my Dan Brown, btw. I like a balanced library :-D
112divinenanny
I love how most people seem to hate (and throw) most books I like. The Historian, The Eight, Twilight, The Expected One, The Da Vinci Code. I guess I read them (especially the last two) with a certain frame of mind. Yes it is cheap and mindless, yes the author probably believes whatever strange and in my mind untrue ideas he or she is presenting, but it can still entertain me for a day or two. With regards to The Expected One, as far as I can remember (with a limited memory and a read a long time ago) she said it in her book that she believes the story is about her... I must admit it did turn me off the book a bit, but I will still try the next one. Not the best books I read, but since I read on my way to and from work, mindless drivel is sometimes just a good escape from daily life.... ;)
113mckait
106 koolaidmom.. I would love to know what you think of both. I think Coulter is evil incarnate. She chills my blood. It is one thing to disagree with someone, but she does it with pure hate.
107 willow
I loved The Memory Keeper's Daughter!
107 willow
I loved The Memory Keeper's Daughter!
114tiffin
I found The Red Tent just meh. It didn't merit a "hate" but was definitely a beige read. Ayn Rand I read in my teens in the 60s. At the time I lacked the experience to assess where she stood politically but as I got older and gained this, I realised that she had left me with an understanding of a certain political mindset (note how carefully I am wording this to avoid giving offense) better than anything else could have, so she filled a purpose that way.
115kgriffith
koolaidmom - I think I'm more NOT looking forward to the rest because I've been reading books that are as enjoyable, but more engagingly written; I'll probably have fun with them when I get around to them. I read Marked in about an hour and a half, I think, so it's not like I couldn't get through it, or like it was a huge waste of time! I've also not really read any stinkers this year so far, so those two were just the ones that received the lowest ratings, not necessarily books I disliked :)
116thekoolaidmom
You know what I find funny about this thread (at least for me, I mean)? I'm going through these titles listed, some with more vehemence than others, and adding books to Mt. TBR... lol. What's up with that? It's like when you come across something that smells foul and turn to your friend/neighbor/spouse/child and say, "Omigod! You've got to smell this, it's just awful!' and the other person is compelled to smell it so that they can either concur whole-heartedly that "even STINK would say that stinks" or disagree that roses do not smell as lovely as that.
#115 aglaia531: Yeah, my few titles offered weren't necessarily bad reads, just the lowest on the review pole.
#115 aglaia531: Yeah, my few titles offered weren't necessarily bad reads, just the lowest on the review pole.
117ShaggyBag
What I've found about myself on this thread is that I need to say something about all the stuff I read or try to read that I dislike. It feels somehow wrong to add a book to my shelf/list if I hated/disliked it. And yet to add it is the only way to express my feelings about it. But to add it is to bump up its "popularity." And boy, I hate doing that too. So I started this list. And now I don't have to add something like Running with Scissors, an execrable effort, to my list just as I would never display it on my own bookshelves for all who visit to see. I look back to the books I read when I was young and wonder, where have we come to praise books like Scissors? Are we really dumbing down in the good old Us of A as so many claim, or are we just falling under the spell of the politically correct Oprah crowd? And are publishers publishing too many books that cater to the momentary mass taste? They come, they go. What sticks? What's not just a good read this week, but a work that will last and last?
118thekoolaidmom
#117 ShaggyBag: A lot of what you just said was the reason that, up until a little over a year ago, I had always almost-exclusively read the classics, the rare exception was Stephen King and a couple other books. I've been working hard to make up for lost time by devouring as much contemporary books as possible.
I've not read Scissors, btw, but I watched the apallingly horrid movie and can only guess at how much worse the book is. I think it has an awful lot to do with a move in the educational system to raise up a generation of parrots and sheep who simply follow and do as they're told. Logic and reason have disappeared from the curriculum, a fact my mom informs me began before I was even born and I owe my ability to think to the training received every night, 5:30 pm sharp, at another disappearing part of American culture: The family dinner.
The question isn't are we being dumbed down, we are. Nor is the question by whom, because there are several sources (Oprah, the media, standardized testing, etc). The question should be WHY.... Why do the powers that be NOT want a thinking populus?
Things to make you go Hmm....
I've not read Scissors, btw, but I watched the apallingly horrid movie and can only guess at how much worse the book is. I think it has an awful lot to do with a move in the educational system to raise up a generation of parrots and sheep who simply follow and do as they're told. Logic and reason have disappeared from the curriculum, a fact my mom informs me began before I was even born and I owe my ability to think to the training received every night, 5:30 pm sharp, at another disappearing part of American culture: The family dinner.
The question isn't are we being dumbed down, we are. Nor is the question by whom, because there are several sources (Oprah, the media, standardized testing, etc). The question should be WHY.... Why do the powers that be NOT want a thinking populus?
Things to make you go Hmm....
119Artful
I really do enjoy this thread. I've been waiting until I found a really _really_ bad book before joining in although a number that have been mentioned get my vote for awful. Here's my contribution for not only bad but repulsive. The Almost Moon turned my stomach. And on top of that, the writing was almost worse than The Expected One. Or maybe it was a tie.
120mjs1228
The Loveliest Woman in America by Bibi Gaston
Disappointing but still pretty bad even without expectations. I'm not a fan of "let me tell you a story (insert topic here) but REALLY what I'm going to do is tell you all about ME and what it means to ME" books. Too much author equals a bad book unless its an autobiography. This one also had the disadvantage of some seriously overheated prose and some of the most laughable "insights" I've ever read. The belief that getting completely naked in the forrest is beneficial to one's mental health is certainly an interesting one but when the author has to climb a mountain in Germany just so she can strip down just like Grandma used to do I couldn't help wondering why she didn't go to the English Gardens in Munich. Nudity is legal there and you can pick up a game of naked frisbee while you're at it. Plus, hello, beer!
Maybe we need a category of "dumbest book I've read this year".
Disappointing but still pretty bad even without expectations. I'm not a fan of "let me tell you a story (insert topic here) but REALLY what I'm going to do is tell you all about ME and what it means to ME" books. Too much author equals a bad book unless its an autobiography. This one also had the disadvantage of some seriously overheated prose and some of the most laughable "insights" I've ever read. The belief that getting completely naked in the forrest is beneficial to one's mental health is certainly an interesting one but when the author has to climb a mountain in Germany just so she can strip down just like Grandma used to do I couldn't help wondering why she didn't go to the English Gardens in Munich. Nudity is legal there and you can pick up a game of naked frisbee while you're at it. Plus, hello, beer!
Maybe we need a category of "dumbest book I've read this year".
122FlossieT
The worst book I read in Q1 2009 was Dead Lovely by Helen FitzGerald. Horrible. Ridiculous plot, paper-thin characters, horrible things happening for no good reason.
My mother-in-law loved it (sigh).
There's a great thread somewhere on LT called something like 'Books Everyone Else Loves that You Hate' which is usually good for a giggle.
My mother-in-law loved it (sigh).
There's a great thread somewhere on LT called something like 'Books Everyone Else Loves that You Hate' which is usually good for a giggle.
123mjs1228
#122: FlossieT, I need the link to this thread because I feel like that sums up my reading life. :-)
124rainpebble
# 105>
If The Red Tent you are speaking of is the one by Anita Diamant---I am getting ready for ***hisses and boos***; I ABSOLUTELY loved it---to the point where I have loaned it out numerous times and reread it twice. I, in point of fact, love everything by her. (not that she has that much out there; she doesn't).
But on to my "rotten reads of the year":
1) The Summer of Naked Swim Parties
(I know, with a title like that what should I have expected? Well, I expected to relive my 70s, is what)
2) The Wedding by Sparks
3) An Absolute Scandal
4) Pieces of My Heart
5) Ya-Yas in Bloom
6) Skipping Christmas
7) The Sea Lady and
8) Conscience Point (an ER)
Wow, that seems like a lot of dislikes.
If The Red Tent you are speaking of is the one by Anita Diamant---I am getting ready for ***hisses and boos***; I ABSOLUTELY loved it---to the point where I have loaned it out numerous times and reread it twice. I, in point of fact, love everything by her. (not that she has that much out there; she doesn't).
But on to my "rotten reads of the year":
1) The Summer of Naked Swim Parties
(I know, with a title like that what should I have expected? Well, I expected to relive my 70s, is what)
2) The Wedding by Sparks
3) An Absolute Scandal
4) Pieces of My Heart
5) Ya-Yas in Bloom
6) Skipping Christmas
7) The Sea Lady and
8) Conscience Point (an ER)
Wow, that seems like a lot of dislikes.
125FlossieT
>123 mjs1228:: mjs1228, you can find it here. 429 messages long, though, so it takes a while to load...
126avatiakh
#124 nannybabette - You're not on your own, I also thought The Red Tent was a great read.
127torontoc
The worst book that I have read this quarter has to be The Crepes of Wrath by Tamar Myers. I can't say anything about the recipes that are in the book- they actually look good but I haven't tried them yet. The mystery part was bad. I really didn't like the part about the heroine keeping a small cat in her bra most of the time.
128thomasandmary
#124 I hope you meant trying to relive "the 70s" and not "my 70s" or else you
were one swinging septuagenarian! I wouldn't put it past anyone today though. My parent's doctor decided to retire now that he has turned 95. God bless him!
were one swinging septuagenarian! I wouldn't put it past anyone today though. My parent's doctor decided to retire now that he has turned 95. God bless him!
129dk_phoenix
>124 rainpebble:: I don't remember if I put my 2 cents in on this thread or not, but you're not alone... I read The Red Tent last year and thought it was very well done. I can see how some people would be offended by it, but I thought she did a very good job at capturing the sense of the time period. She changed a few key story elements near the end that really bothered me, but just as a book, I thought it was definitely worthwhile and plan to re-read again someday.
130rainpebble
Of course I meant "the 70s". Silly me. I have a whole 8 1/2 years until I reach the place I tried to put myself. Yikes!~! But those 70s.....hmmmmmmm. Miss 'em.
131WilowRaven
I hope the last 'worst' book I read this year :) -- Infected by Scott Sigler. You can read my review here:
http://www.librarything.com/topic/63428
-- Message 34.
There was nothing I liked about this book...and it looks like there is a squeal coming out - yikes!
http://www.librarything.com/topic/63428
-- Message 34.
There was nothing I liked about this book...and it looks like there is a squeal coming out - yikes!
132Shoosty
I have to say that I, Lucifer: Finally, the Other Side of the Story is one of the worst books I have read this year. I read the review on the back and thought I would try it. I couldn't finish it.
133alcottacre
#132: Skipping that one!
134EinKleinesHaus
Hi, I would need the help of somebody who has already read "The eight": could you help me? The question is just this: in the book a special code is described such that ages of people are expressed with numbers like 1914; would you know the rules of this code?
135EinKleinesHaus
Hi, I would need the help of somebody who has already read "The eight": could you help me? The question is just this: in the book a special code is described such that ages of people are expressed with numbers like 1914; would you know the rules of this code?