I see topics on different forums asking people what books they love the most. I'm looking for people to tell me what books they absolutely hated, could not get through, got through and were pissed that they bothered... etc That kind of thing.
What books did you hate? Why?
House of Sand and Fog- only Oprah book I ever read, HATED all the characters
I'm not too picky when it comes to books, but one book I am not able to stand is a book I had to read for my English class called Pigman. That book is terrible in my honest opinion. I didn't like Catcher in the Rye either. For a "classic", I thought it'd be so much better.
Original Post by girlplurality:
This thread makes me a bit sad...
How can you not like The Handmaid's Tale? And Grapes of Wrath? Sniff.
To the person that inserted the start of Beowulf in here: good work! I love Old English, took a module in it as an undergrad but I am rather poor at it. Sigh.Anyway, I tend to force myself to read books even if I'm not liking them that much, but the one I remember hating the most is The Dice Man by Luke Rhinehart. Pure trash. Oh, and I couldn't make it through The Fountainhead, either, but I don't think I missed out on much.
The Fountainhead sucked, but everybody should read Atlas Shrugged. And it's ok to skip past the preachy parts.
Original Post by coffincritter:
Original Post by girlplurality:
Oh, and I couldn't make it through The Fountainhead, either, but I don't think I missed out on much.
Me either! I also find it a bit telling that when people speak of Rand they talk about her philosophical views (which I don't quite care for), but never really about her storytelling or characters or any of the usual literary stuff.
That's because Rand is astonishingly unliterary. It's part of the problem with her philosophy - she is so uber-rationalist that the characters don't really have an emotional side that makes you respond to them. Her depiction of romance is laughably preposterous. And her philosophy is not anything groundbreaking ... read some Aristotle and some Nietzsche and you pretty much have it covered.
That said, everybody should still read Atlas Shrugged.
Don Quixote, hands down- worst book. Seventeen pages just to describe someone getting on their horse...zzzz...
Original Post by medveditsa:
Seriously? There are people who hated The Grapes of Wrath? This thread is getting me a little freaked out about my future as a literature professor.
I couldnt get past page 10. Oddly enough, that was the same semester I read Mrs. Dalloway. lol
Maybe I just hated that class. I might go back and try to read them again.
Original Post by lysistrata:
That's because Rand is astonishingly unliterary. It's part of the problem with her philosophy - she is so uber-rationalist that the characters don't really have an emotional side that makes you respond to them. Her depiction of romance is laughably preposterous. And her philosophy is not anything groundbreaking ... read some Aristotle and some Nietzsche and you pretty much have it covered.
That said, everybody should still read Atlas Shrugged.
i thought we the living was pretty good. and pretty literary. and bloody sad.
Original Post by pgeorgian:
Original Post by lysistrata:
That's because Rand is astonishingly unliterary. It's part of the problem with her philosophy - she is so uber-rationalist that the characters don't really have an emotional side that makes you respond to them. Her depiction of romance is laughably preposterous. And her philosophy is not anything groundbreaking ... read some Aristotle and some Nietzsche and you pretty much have it covered.
That said, everybody should still read Atlas Shrugged.
i thought we the living was pretty good. and pretty literary. and bloody sad.
I'll check it out.
I though Anthem by Ayn rand was pretty good too, for being as short as it was. My least favorite books are probably Middlesex and A girl's life online. I had to read both in high school and hated them both. I've heard Middlesex gets good about 200 pages in, but I think everything up to that point is terribly boring and not even worth it. The latter was just awful because the main character is so stuck-up, you simply can't feel sorry for her.
Also, the small bit I've read from Twighlight I didn't like. The author really doens't seem all that talented. I think people should pick up a more articulate book...like Interview with a Vampire!
I just remembered another! George Eliot's Middlemarch. It even admits it'll be boring before you start reading it: its subtitle is 'A study of provincial life'. I had to read it as an Undergrad, but I'm ashamed to say I read half of it, gave up, used wikipedia, and then just wrote about other books in the final exam instead. Luckily the course was flexible enough to allow me to do that, otherwise I would've been screwed!
Original Post by silversilhouette:
. I've heard Middlesex gets good about 200 pages in, but I think everything up to that point is terribly boring and not even worth it. The latter was just awful because the main character is so stuck-up, you simply can't feel sorry for her.
You're the only person I've ever heard say they hated "Middlesex". Then again, you said you didn't finish it.
Original Post by iechris:
House of Sand and Fog- only Oprah book I ever read, HATED all the characters
i haven't read house of sand and fog. i've kind of wanted to, because it's a great title and the cover was beautiful. but - well, did anyone else have an adverse reaction to oprah co-opting literature? i found that i didn't want to read anything with that big, stupid O on the cover, and even older books that i'd already read and liked, i didn't want to like them anymore once she got hold of them.
Not sure if this has been said yet but Stone Angel by Margaret Atwood. I'm a big fan of reading and love books, but this one was just atrocious. I only made it through half of it in the end, before tossing it away and picking up coles notes (it was a grade 12 english read for me. I loved the other books I read in english class over the years).
Original Post by decarswell:
Not sure if this has been said yet but Stone Angel by Margaret Atwood. I'm a big fan of reading and love books, but this one was just atrocious. I only made it through half of it in the end, before tossing it away and picking up coles notes (it was a grade 12 english read for me. I loved the other books I read in english class over the years).
ditto, dave. but the stone angel is margaret lawrence.
One of my favorite books ever was Lonesome Dove by Larry McMurtry. Against my better judgment, I read the sequel, Comanche Moon. I almost cried, it was so bad.
Original Post by pgeorgian:
but - well, did anyone else have an adverse reaction to oprah co-opting literature?
Well, it doesn't make me not like something anymore, but for stuff I haven't read yet, it does make me wonder why.
But yeah, it's kind of off putting. I give her full points for encouraging reading, and there are probably people who read classics that never would have before because of her. But I don't need Oprah telling me what I need to read, in much the same way that I don't need her telling me how I should decorate my house.
I hated The Chosen by Chaim Potok. I had to read it for english and it was probably the most boring book i've ever forced myself through.
Original Post by pgeorgian:
Original Post by iechris:
House of Sand and Fog- only Oprah book I ever read, HATED all the characters
i haven't read house of sand and fog. i've kind of wanted to, because it's a great title and the cover was beautiful. but - well, did anyone else have an adverse reaction to oprah co-opting literature? i found that i didn't want to read anything with that big, stupid O on the cover, and even older books that i'd already read and liked, i didn't want to like them anymore once she got hold of them.
This bugs me big time. I cannot buy a book with that big stupid O on the cover. Especially since she did that interview with Rohinton Mystry. I never watch Oprah, but tuned in that once especially because I heard he was on and I love his book A Fine Balance. She kept saying, "who knew, who knew?" Well, Oprah, just because you are not aware, it does not mean that everyone else is unaware too. She actually asked him why it couldn't have had a happier ending.
ha ha ha! OH, oprah! you and your happy endings...
that was a masterpiece though! I never really like books like that... but honestly... so incredible.
We the Living is AMAZING chchcheck it out!!!! It also is a little different from rand's other things.
as for my suck list: THINGS FALL APART by CHINUA ACHEBE~ so awful!!
Survivor by palanhuik was a total disappoinment after reading all of his other stuff
that's all for now... i need to go read more
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