What Books Do You Dislike?

WildCityWoman · Fri Feb 01, 2008 7:57 pm

That's always interesting to hear - what people DON'T like.

For instance, I, unlike many readers, do NOT like the book 'Catcher in the Rye'. Yet, it's an all time favourite with others.

I also didn't like Lord of the Flies - the only reason I suffered through it was because it was a mandatory read when I did comp/lit gr. 10 to 11 at Burnhamthorpe Collegiate here in Toronto.

Those two books I can live without, thanks.

Mr. Pessimistic · Fri Feb 01, 2008 8:42 pm

The Xtian Bible. I just dont get it...

Atlas Shrugged. Characters are so shallow and thin and so is the 'plot'.

Mr. P.

FannieB · Tue Feb 05, 2008 5:26 am

Stephen King - I tried to read "It" when it came out and it just went on and on with too much detail about nothing. ick. Although I did read one of his latest, Cell, as a quick fluff read. Not my usual genre or storyline but fun for what it was. I've also gotten two copies of Liseys Story and can't get into it...again with the rambling detail...

I wish I could appreciate what others do about King.

Ophelia · Tue Feb 05, 2008 5:56 am

FannyB,

I also couldn't get into Stephen King's novels when I tried.

I think many young people are interested in him, and at a guess I'd say he has more staunch supporters among men than women...

Penelope · Tue Feb 05, 2008 4:56 pm

A Short History of Tractors in Ukrania - it was supposed to be funny!!!

It was like an itch I couldn't reach to scratch!!

Constance963 · Thu Feb 07, 2008 10:27 am

I love Stephen King but I think he's an acquired taste. The first book of his that I read was the Eyes of the Dragon when I was 11. I got into his books at a young age so maybe that's why I still like his work. I am currently reading Lisey's Story and the rambling is pretty bad, I admit. But I'm used to his style.

One book I couldn't get into was the Russian Debutante's Handbook. It got decent reviews so I decided to try it and I couldn't get past page 100. It's one of very few books that I never finished.

Audrey · Thu Feb 07, 2008 11:28 am

I know this may be a sin...

Jane Eyre By Charlotte Bront

Penelope · Thu Feb 07, 2008 12:50 pm

Audrey - I would once have said it is because you are American that you couldn't get Jane Eyre. But my daughter who was born and bred here, quite close to the Yorkshire Moors, also hated her.

You could try - The Wild Sargasso Sea - by Jean Rees. That is about Mrs. Rochester - the mad woman in the tower (as we get older, we all relate to her - believe me). It is a very good read anyway.

Constance: You are obviously much younger than I. When I was 12-13, I used to read Dennis Wheatley....and I still like his books. They scared me stiff...but he has gone out of fashion. He has had a tremendous effect on my psyche. Like Stephen King - his characters get under your skin, but without the bad language. I love Stephen King - his books frighten me to death - but the trouble is with such awful bad language, it gets into your vocabulary - and I wouldn't want people to hear the 'words' I was thinking!!! So I stopped reading him in case the words slipped out and shocked my family!!! :lol:

evendeathmaydie · Fri Feb 08, 2008 12:22 am

I know what you mean about the language getting into your mind. Tom Clancy books do that to me. Is it really necessary to drop the f-bomb every two paragraphs? I also don't really like Steven King, but that might be because practically nothing scares me, and he tries to hard to be scary.

I could probably be burned at the stake for this, but I've never been able to read more than a half page of any Charles Dickens work, except a children's illustrated version of David Copperfield, which took me about half an hour to read. I know they left something out of it.
I tried to read Tale of Two Cities, and gave up in disgust.
I love all the movies made of A Christmas Carol, though, especially the Muppets' version.

Ophelia · Fri Feb 08, 2008 3:31 am

Hello Abigail, I'm glad you're back.

I was also going to put Dickens on this thread, but first, why do you call him Charles BLEEP- Bleep as in "Bore" ?

When I was at college, I notice that the books I hadn't enjoyed reading always seemed to attract the most boring professors, the most memorable example being a long series of lectures about Dombey and Son , in a droning tone of voice... Amazingly, I sat through them all (I hadn't yet learnt about voting with my feet).

So, what some fellow students and my colleagues often describe-- the scenario when a brilliant professor makes you love a topic you had previously not felt attracted to-- never happened to me.

I'm sure there must be many things to admire about a writer like Dickens, if only the subject matter, one learns a lot about nineteenth century England from reading him-- but then again, the nineteenth century in Europe was my least favourite era in history (and it was taught every year from the last year in high school and thoughout college); I would have been happy to hear about the Industrial Revolution, briefly-- ONCE.

Note: I have just read this post in preview, and what I really wrote in the first line, "D-I-C-K-E-N-S" has been turned into "BLEEP".
Have you been casting spells on these threads Abigail?

Constance963 · Fri Feb 08, 2008 9:31 am


	Penelope wrote: . Constance: You are obviously much younger than I. When I was 12-13, I used to read Dennis Wheatley....and I still like his books. They scared me stiff...but he has gone out of fashion. He has had a tremendous effect on my psyche. Like Stephen King - his characters get under your skin, but without the bad language. I love Stephen King - his books frighten me to death - but the trouble is with such awful bad language, it gets into your vocabulary - and I wouldn't want people to hear the 'words' I was thinking!!! So I stopped reading him in case the words slipped out and shocked my family!!!

I can't say his books really scare me too much. I think intrigue me is a better word

. I actually just enjoy his weird stories. Only a couple really scared me. They get too supernatural and far-fetched in the end for me to be scared. The Girl Who Loved Tom Gordon was a little scary because getting lost in the woods is a more real fear. Things that are reality based scare me more than supernatural stuff.

Loricat · Fri Feb 08, 2008 9:46 am

Penelope said:


	Quote: Audrey - I would once have said it is because you are American that you couldn't get Jane Eyre. But my daughter who was born and bred here, quite close to the Yorkshire Moors, also hated her. You could try - The Wild Sargasso Sea - by Jean Rees. That is about Mrs. Rochester - the mad woman in the tower (as we get older, we all relate to her - believe me). It is a very good read anyway.

It's funny. I love Jane Eyre, but could not get into Wide? Sargasso Sea. :doze:

Anyway...can't read any horror. Westerns don't interest me.

Books I have tried but couldn't get into:
Unbearable Lightness of Being
The Corrections

Penelope · Fri Feb 08, 2008 12:34 pm

I really loved ' The Unbearable Lightness of Being' by Milan Kunduras???......

But when the film was to be broadcast....and I suggested to my husband that we watch it....he was shocked.....it was a bit pornographic....

I just thought how great it would be to live in a society where they had that 'Cafe Culture' - sat around drinking coffee and discussing what the hell it was all about...

West Bank of Paris - Beatniks were like that once. So I suppose I am before the hippy era - more of a Beatnik me!!! :lol:

Penelope · Fri Feb 08, 2008 12:42 pm

Every time we try to type the name of the man who wrote 'Oliver Twist' we get a bleep. A few days ago I tried to say that Shakespeare and the man who wrote Oliver Twist - were nasty about the Jews. ie Shylock and Fagin.

Anyway I got Shakespeare and Bleep - I think it might be the CK thing - they think we are using the F-Word - Ha!!!! :lol:

DWill · Sat Feb 09, 2008 3:16 pm

It could have been immaturity, but our great classic, Moby Dick, no way. I fell asleep many times over that. I was especially annoyed at the parts where Melville would talk about whaling, once "proving" that whales were so numerous in the oceans as to be inexhaustible. Should I go back and give the great albino another chance? Anyone out there admire this book?

With the strong exception of Huckleberry Finn, I don't much enjoy Mark Twain. Oh, also Ernest Hemmingway is a writer whose reputation as a great writer is a mystery to me. I'm always open to reconsidering any judgment.

Will

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