Books That Suck!

[Lammycat]

 

Peace Like a River by Leif Enger

 

 

Wow, "hated?" I've read this book 4-5 times and think it's one of the best books I've ever read. The language is rich and the imagery is very well crafteed. To each his own, and all. Love the writing in this book.

[isadorah]

This is one of the worst books I've ever read:

 

 

The story is fairly compelling, but the writing is horrid. Not only is Brown an awful writer, but his editor is obviously an idiot.

 

 

I am SO glad this made it in at the top of the thread. I made it to page 20 of this and HAD to put it down because the writing was so horrid.

[Oil Can Boyd]

Now, I'm right there with you on this one. I can't follow Eggers at all.

I was OK with Heartbreaking Work ... although I understand why some people don't like it. But I really recommend both What is the What and Zeitoun even if you dislike Eggers. They are both really great stories and Eggers' voice is pretty absent.

[Guest Speed Racer]

Wow, "hated?" I've read this book 4-5 times and think it's one of the best books I've ever read. The language is rich and the imagery is very well crafteed. To each his own, and all. Love the writing in this book.

 

Ditto that. Peace Like a River was a fine book; I can't wait to read Enger's most recent book, too. I didn't think I was going to like it, but it was so well-written and just plain great.

 

I'd have to say that topping my Books That Suck! list would be A Million Little Pieces and My Friend Leonard. I read the first on the recommendation of a friend. I didn't really mind the style of writing until I realized that, if books were friends, this is the friend who takes a perfectly fine story about a party he went to and adds some embellishments about the party getting busted by cops and how he sucker-punched, like, three frat guys and then went to McDonalds and there were HOOKERS there, man! I read MFL just to see what the next party he went to was like.

 

I can say happily that I have never cracked open Davinci Code, and have erased all memories of my experiences regarding Beloved. A Farewell to Arms was kind of a drag, though.

[Good Old Neon]

I’ll third or fourth everyone on The Confederacy of Dunces, though hate is much too strong a word – my problem, is that after multiple attempts, I cannot get past the second chapter.

 

I started Palahniuk’s Snuff, but put it down before finishing it – that one I did hate. His first few books were fun, Fight Club, Survivor and Lullaby, hell, Choke was ok as well, but his writing and characterizations are so one dimensional, that all his stories, and all his characters sound and feel like copies of a copy of a copy.

 

I could probably list a half dozen Stephen King novels, but it really would be too easy. Which is unfortunate, because some of his early stuff is excellent. I recently re-read The Mist, and was surprised by its greatness. Like Palahniuk, he has settled on a formula, and each story’s little group of survivors bear a striking resemblance to characters from previous works. Plus, his writing, especially his dialog, is just so fucking cheesy at times.

[Wendy]

I’ll third or fourth everyone on The Confederacy of Dunces, though hate is much too strong a word – my problem, is that after multiple attempts, I cannot get past the second chapter.

 

Weird - that is where I got stuck too. Never tried another go-around. I sort of feel better about myself knowing I'm not the only one.

[NightOfJoy]

A Confederacy of Dunces is an awesome book. A true American classic. Probably one of my top ten favorite books of the twentieth century.

 

Indeed.

 

Moby Dick as well.

[cryptique]

Man, I'm saddened to learn that so many people get turned off by A Confederacy of Dunces.

 

Oh well, nothing I can do about that I suppose. But I really love that book.

[NightOfJoy]

Man, I'm saddened to learn that so many people get turned off by A Confederacy of Dunces.

 

Oh well, nothing I can do about that I suppose. But I really love that book.

 

Whats not to love, its f'n hilarious. I've never had another book make me cry with laughter before or since reading it. Hell, I loved that book so much, I stole my "name" from it.

[Kevan]

What is the What by Eggers was really good.

 

I've started War and Peace like 3 times and always lose steam in the.. early hundreds someday though. I can't even remember most of the books I've disliked because I just put them down at that point (usually pretty early). I can't understand wasting my time reading a book/author I dislike. my GF almost always finishes a book once she starts it. Que sera...

[yermom]

Hated Beloved. Had to read it 3 times in college for 3 separate classes. Toni Morrison is my homegirl, though. She’s from Lorain, OH. I LOVED Sula, though.

 

Other books that sucked: (for me)

A Separate Peace. I had to read it in 9th grade and then had to teach it when I was student teaching.

Haunted by Chuck Palahniuk. I liked the short stories, but the overall story was dumb.

A Catcher in the Rye. The Holden character was a self absorbed, hypocritical sad sack. Maybe it’s because I’m a female that I don’t like it? Maybe because the ass that killed Lennon idolized it?

I didn’t like The Lovely Bones. I think it was the ending.

 

Simone DeBeauviore bores me. I read collection of short stories called The Woman Destroyed. Ugh.

I disliked Beloved too. It was a million years ago that I read it, but I remember complaining about it.

As a chick, I thoroughly enjoyed Catcher in the Rye but I think that has something to do with my being a bit of a self-absorbed, hypocritical, sad sack sometimes.

[mpolak21]

Apologies to Ron Cey:

[Guest Speed Racer]

Obviously knowing his story was a fabrication and that he would likely get caught, I'm surprised he named the book something that could so easily be manipulated into awful headlines about the scandal.

[watch me fall]

I hated:

 

A Heartbreaking Work of Staggering Genius by Dave Eggers (Couldn't get past the first few chapters)

 

Same here. I tried so hard but I only made it through maybe half the book. I haven't picked up any other Eggers book since.

 

I also cannot get through Atlas Shrugged.

[Lodestar]

At this risk of catching all kinds of flak...

 

[Good Old Neon]

At this risk of catching all kinds of flak...

 

 

You are dead to me – so very fucking dead.

[jimmyjimmy]

At this risk of catching all kinds of flak...

 

I can see that book turning people off. It's profoundly dark and somber.

I think it's brilliant too.

[Lodestar]

You are dead to me – so very fucking dead.

 

I tried. I really did. But I can't enjoy a book where the author appears not to care about a single character. As I read and read, I would continually forget what I'd learned only a page or two earlier... as if none of it were significant.

 

Sorry, Cormac.

[Good Old Neon]

I tried. I really did. But I can't enjoy a book where the author appears not to care about a single character. As I read and read, I would continually forget what I'd learned only a page or two earlier... as if none of it were significant.

 

Sorry, Cormac.

 

But the prose:

 

And the answer, said the judge. If God meant to interfere in the degeneracy of mankind would he not have done so by now? Wolves cull themselves, man. What other creature could? And is the race of man not more predacious yet? The way of the world is to bloom and to flower and die but in the affairs of men there is no waning and the noon of his expression signals the onset of night. His spirit is exhausted at the peak of its achievement. His meridian is at once his darkening and the evening of his day. He loves games? Let him play for stakes. This you see here, these ruins wondered at by tribes of savages, do you not think that this will be again? Aye. And again. With other people, with other sons.

 

[Lodestar]

But the prose:

 

And the answer, said the judge. If God meant to interfere in the degeneracy of mankind would he not have done so by now? Wolves cull themselves, man. What other creature could? And is the race of man not more predacious yet? The way of the world is to bloom and to flower and die but in the affairs of men there is no waning and the noon of his expression signals the onset of night. His spirit is exhausted at the peak of its achievement. His meridian is at once his darkening and the evening of his day. He loves games? Let him play for stakes. This you see here, these ruins wondered at by tribes of savages, do you not think that this will be again? Aye. And again. With other people, with other sons.

 

 

I'm too dumb to not need heart as well.

[isadorah]

I’ll third or fourth everyone on The Confederacy of Dunces.

 

 

 

me too on this one. i made it through the whole book, based on a recommendation of someone saying it was their favorite. yeah, NO. i was not a fan and did not find the humor in it either.

[NightOfJoy]

But the prose:

 

And the answer, said the judge. If God meant to interfere in the degeneracy of mankind would he not have done so by now? Wolves cull themselves, man. What other creature could? And is the race of man not more predacious yet? The way of the world is to bloom and to flower and die but in the affairs of men there is no waning and the noon of his expression signals the onset of night. His spirit is exhausted at the peak of its achievement. His meridian is at once his darkening and the evening of his day. He loves games? Let him play for stakes. This you see here, these ruins wondered at by tribes of savages, do you not think that this will be again? Aye. And again. With other people, with other sons.

 

 

I cant say how much I enjoyed reading this book.

[Edie]

Confederacy of Dunces was a bore. My old BF gave it to me to read as he loved it. I gamely finished it but would have put it down had he not insisted. This should have been a tip off

 

Also, I HATED Great Expectations. It ruined my sophmore year of HS English, and turned me off Dickens forever.

[Sweet Papa Crimbo]

All the Dune books written by Herbert's son after Frank died.

[bjorn_skurj]

I thought Confederacy of Dunces was a pisser. In general, I am pretty good at not reading bad books.