Which books did you hate that you still read all the way through?OK, way OT, but fascinating

On Mar 25, 7:12*pm, tanadashoes wrote:
I've read Herman Melville's "Moby Dick" understood the plot, meaning and
so forth and hated it. *Ray Bradbury wrote some of my favorite books,
but "Something Wicked This Way Comes" is not one of them. *Carolyn
Hart's Ghost and Henry O series are not among my favorites, although
I'll read them if desperate. *JD Salanger's "Catcher In The Rye" sucked
in my opinion. *I hated "Lord Of The Flies" but it was exquisitely
written. *I know there are others, but I'm sure that you'll remind me of
them with your replies

For a long time I had a compulsion to finish books, so I can probably
give several answers if I sit here and think about it. Then I was
reading _Dhalgren_ by Chip Delaney, an author whose books I generally
like a lot, and threw it against the wall of my room, where it may
remain to this day. Since I know that I lived in that room in the late
Seventies, I can give the approximate time when I stopped feeling
compelled to read books. I'm not going to punctuate the following list
of books I didn't like but finished. Insert __ around the titles.

Silas Marner, had to read it in high school, several Faulkner novels
before I gave up on him, Play Poker like the Pros, because I was paid
to review it, The Picasso Flow, also wrote a review and had to finish
it to do so, Lord of the Flies, because I read it before I gave up
finishing every book I started, there were others but it hurts
thinking about them.

I liked Catcher somewhat but I was pleased to read later that Salinger
didn't like the little creep protagonist _either_ Of course,
Heinlien's _Tunnel in the Sky_ is a much better "kids cast away" novel
than LotF. I loved Melville and re-read MD every once in awhile.

--
Will in New Haven

On 26/03/2011 02:12, tanadashoes wrote:
I've read Herman Melville's "Moby Dick" understood the plot, meaning and
so forth and hated it. Ray Bradbury wrote some of my favorite books, but
"Something Wicked This Way Comes" is not one of them. Carolyn Hart's
Ghost and Henry O series are not among my favorites, although I'll read
them if desperate. JD Salanger's "Catcher In The Rye" sucked in my
opinion. I hated "Lord Of The Flies" but it was exquisitely written. I
know there are others, but I'm sure that you'll remind me of them with
your replies

When I first read your post, I thought I've never read a book I didn't
like; I liked Moby Dick and Catcher in the Rye, haven't read Lord of the
Flies but I've seen the film. But then I remembered the huge
disappointment of reading Paulo Coelho's The Alchemist. There was lots
of hype around the book and I kept on reading, hoping to get to the good
part, but it never came. I was so angry at myself for buying the hype
and, even worse, buying the book! Another huge disappointment was The Da
Vinci Code, but at least I didn't pay for that one. :P

--
Marina, Miranda and Caliban.
In loving memory of Frank and Nikki.

Judith, try again with The Time Traveller's Wife, it's worth the
effort. I was in tears by the end, and that doesn't happen often with
me.

Back on topic (for the thread, not the ng), I read Captain Corelli's
Mandolin and was absolutely furious by the end of it, I kept expecting
something to happen and nothing ever did. It was a complete waste of
time.

There are four books that I've picked up and never got past the first
chapter. The first is Austen's Pride and Prejudice. I have tried more
times than I care to remember, at first I thought I wasn't old enough
to appreciate it. Now I think I'm too old to appreciate it. It's just
dull and I find the plot and characters immensely boring. I can't even
watch it on TV or on film. The second is Jackie Collins' The Stud,
which I picked up when I was staying at my mother's house a couple of
decades ago and there was nothing else to read. I decided after one
chapter that I'd prefer to read nothing. The third was a 'medical
thriller' that started with an account of a surgeon messing up an
operation. Again, I was staying at someone else's house and picked it
up idly. Yuck, it's the first time a book has put me off an entire
genre! The fourth was Twilight. I was in a library and at a loose end
so picked it up. If it had been my own book I would have thrown it
against the wall by page 3, but as it wasn't, I put it back on the
shelf. I LOVE vampire and werewolf stories, but Twilight is a badly
written abomination.

There's only one book I've completely given up on because I found it
too dense, it was a hard sf book that I really struggled with, and
although I was actually interested in the ideas, the story wasn't good
enough to keep me reading. I can't remember its name or author
though.

Jeanette

"Marina" wrote in message
...
On 26/03/2011 02:12, tanadashoes wrote:
I've read Herman Melville's "Moby Dick" understood the plot, meaning and
so forth and hated it. Ray Bradbury wrote some of my favorite books, but
"Something Wicked This Way Comes" is not one of them. Carolyn Hart's
Ghost and Henry O series are not among my favorites, although I'll read
them if desperate. JD Salanger's "Catcher In The Rye" sucked in my
opinion. I hated "Lord Of The Flies" but it was exquisitely written. I
know there are others, but I'm sure that you'll remind me of them with
your replies

When I first read your post, I thought I've never read a book I didn't
like; I liked Moby Dick and Catcher in the Rye, haven't read Lord of the
Flies but I've seen the film. But then I remembered the huge
disappointment of reading Paulo Coelho's The Alchemist. There was lots of
hype around the book and I kept on reading, hoping to get to the good
part, but it never came. I was so angry at myself for buying the hype and,
even worse, buying the book! Another huge disappointment was The Da Vinci
Code, but at least I didn't pay for that one. :P

--
Marina, Miranda and Caliban.
In loving memory of Frank and Nikki.

It's interesting how tastes vary. I loved the Da Vinci Code.

Joy

"NettieCat" wrote in message
...
Judith, try again with The Time Traveller's Wife, it's worth the
effort. I was in tears by the end, and that doesn't happen often with
me.

Back on topic (for the thread, not the ng), I read Captain Corelli's
Mandolin and was absolutely furious by the end of it, I kept expecting
something to happen and nothing ever did. It was a complete waste of
time.

There are four books that I've picked up and never got past the first
chapter. The first is Austen's Pride and Prejudice. I have tried more
times than I care to remember, at first I thought I wasn't old enough
to appreciate it. Now I think I'm too old to appreciate it. It's just
dull and I find the plot and characters immensely boring. I can't even
watch it on TV or on film. The second is Jackie Collins' The Stud,
which I picked up when I was staying at my mother's house a couple of
decades ago and there was nothing else to read. I decided after one
chapter that I'd prefer to read nothing. The third was a 'medical
thriller' that started with an account of a surgeon messing up an
operation. Again, I was staying at someone else's house and picked it
up idly. Yuck, it's the first time a book has put me off an entire
genre! The fourth was Twilight. I was in a library and at a loose end
so picked it up. If it had been my own book I would have thrown it
against the wall by page 3, but as it wasn't, I put it back on the
shelf. I LOVE vampire and werewolf stories, but Twilight is a badly
written abomination.

There's only one book I've completely given up on because I found it
too dense, it was a hard sf book that I really struggled with, and
although I was actually interested in the ideas, the story wasn't good
enough to keep me reading. I can't remember its name or author
though.

Jeanette

A discussion in the movie thread reminded me of another book I hated -
Stephen King's Cujo. I like most of his books, some quite a lot, but that
definitely wasn't one of them. I'm a bookaholic, but if I were stranded on
a desert island and that was the only book there, I still don't think I'd
read it again.

Joy

Lesley wrote:
On Mar 26, 7:33 am, "news" wrote:
and "The
Time Traveler's Wife"

What is it with that book? everyone I know likes it- a friend even
gave me a copy she saw in the charity shop because she was sure I'd
love it and usually anything she recommends is good- she's introduced
me to a couple of favourite authors of mine. I tried but after page 5
I gave up! (And I don't usually give up that quickly)

Lesley

Slave of the Fabulous Furballs


I've just downloaded that as an audio book, now I wonder how far I'll
get before I delete it.
--
Adrian

On Mar 26, 8:58*pm, "Joy" wrote:
"NettieCat" wrote in message

...



Judith, try again with The Time Traveller's Wife, it's worth the
effort. I was in tears by the end, and that doesn't happen often with
me.

Back on topic (for the thread, not the ng), I read Captain Corelli's
Mandolin and was absolutely furious by the end of it, I kept expecting
something to happen and nothing ever did. It was a complete waste of
time.

There are four books that I've picked up and never got past the first
chapter. The first is Austen's Pride and Prejudice. I have tried more
times than I care to remember, at first I thought I wasn't old enough
to appreciate it. Now I think I'm too old to appreciate it. It's just
dull and I find the plot and characters immensely boring. I can't even
watch it on TV or on film. The second is Jackie Collins' The Stud,
which I picked up when I was staying at my mother's house a couple of
decades ago and there was nothing else to read. I decided after one
chapter that I'd prefer to read nothing. The third was a 'medical
thriller' that started with an account of a surgeon messing up an
operation. Again, I was staying at someone else's house and picked it
up idly. Yuck, it's the first time a book has put me off an entire
genre! The fourth was Twilight. I was in a library and at a loose end
so picked it up. If it had been my own book I would have thrown it
against the wall by page 3, but as it wasn't, I put it back on the
shelf. I LOVE vampire and werewolf stories, but Twilight is a badly
written abomination.

There's only one book I've completely given up on because I found it
too dense, it was a hard sf book that I really struggled with, and
although I was actually interested in the ideas, the story wasn't good
enough to keep me reading. I can't remember its name or author
though.

Jeanette

A discussion in the movie thread reminded me of another book I hated -
Stephen King's Cujo. *I like most of his books, some quite a lot, but that
definitely wasn't one of them. *I'm a bookaholic, but if I were stranded on
a desert island and that was the only book there, I still don't think I'd
read it again.

Joy

I like Cujo, but it is hard to read, it's very claustrophobic. It's
been a long time since I re-read it though. The only King book I will
never re-read is Cell, which was utter pants. I'm glad I didn't give
up after that though, because his more recent books have been pretty
good.

I can't watch Pet Sematery though, I just find the story too horrible
to watch as a film, although I can handle the book (despite the poor
cat episode).

Jeanette

"NettieCat" wrote in message
...
On Mar 26, 8:58 pm, "Joy" wrote:
"NettieCat" wrote in message

...



Judith, try again with The Time Traveller's Wife, it's worth the
effort. I was in tears by the end, and that doesn't happen often with
me.

Back on topic (for the thread, not the ng), I read Captain Corelli's
Mandolin and was absolutely furious by the end of it, I kept expecting
something to happen and nothing ever did. It was a complete waste of
time.

There are four books that I've picked up and never got past the first
chapter. The first is Austen's Pride and Prejudice. I have tried more
times than I care to remember, at first I thought I wasn't old enough
to appreciate it. Now I think I'm too old to appreciate it. It's just
dull and I find the plot and characters immensely boring. I can't even
watch it on TV or on film. The second is Jackie Collins' The Stud,
which I picked up when I was staying at my mother's house a couple of
decades ago and there was nothing else to read. I decided after one
chapter that I'd prefer to read nothing. The third was a 'medical
thriller' that started with an account of a surgeon messing up an
operation. Again, I was staying at someone else's house and picked it
up idly. Yuck, it's the first time a book has put me off an entire
genre! The fourth was Twilight. I was in a library and at a loose end
so picked it up. If it had been my own book I would have thrown it
against the wall by page 3, but as it wasn't, I put it back on the
shelf. I LOVE vampire and werewolf stories, but Twilight is a badly
written abomination.

There's only one book I've completely given up on because I found it
too dense, it was a hard sf book that I really struggled with, and
although I was actually interested in the ideas, the story wasn't good
enough to keep me reading. I can't remember its name or author
though.

Jeanette

A discussion in the movie thread reminded me of another book I hated -
Stephen King's Cujo. I like most of his books, some quite a lot, but that
definitely wasn't one of them. I'm a bookaholic, but if I were stranded on
a desert island and that was the only book there, I still don't think I'd
read it again.

Joy

I like Cujo, but it is hard to read, it's very claustrophobic. It's
been a long time since I re-read it though. The only King book I will
never re-read is Cell, which was utter pants. I'm glad I didn't give
up after that though, because his more recent books have been pretty
good.

I can't watch Pet Sematery though, I just find the story too horrible
to watch as a film, although I can handle the book (despite the poor
cat episode).

Jeanette

***

I might read Pet Sematery again sometime, but it was pretty hard to take. I
didn't know there was a movie of it, but wouldn't want to see it. That
reminds me. Remember when they made a movie of "The Shining"? I was really
annoyed that they advertised it as "Stanley Kubrick's 'The Shining" - until
I saw it. Then I figured Stephen King probably told them to do it that way,
because it sure wasn't his story. Years later, he supervised the making of
a TV movie of it, which was quite good.

Joy

NettieCat wrote:

Judith, try again with The Time Traveller's Wife, it's worth the
effort. I was in tears by the end, and that doesn't happen often with
me.

That movie is on my DVD-by-mail queue, but it never seems to make it to
the top. I also like the *idea* of it (as Judith wrote), but it seems
to be focused mostly on a romantic relationship, and that's not usually
what I read (or watch) sf/f for. Or am I wrong about this one?

There are four books that I've picked up and never got past the first
chapter. The first is Austen's Pride and Prejudice. I have tried more
times than I care to remember, at first I thought I wasn't old enough
to appreciate it. Now I think I'm too old to appreciate it.

LOL! I've never read any of that type of classic literature, other than
Little Women. It doesn't appeal to me, either.

The second is Jackie Collins' The Stud,

OMG, talk about going to the opposite extreme. That one is probably
not dull enough. (Well, or else dull in a completely different way.)

The third was a 'medical
thriller' that started with an account of a surgeon messing up an
operation. Again, I was staying at someone else's house and picked it
up idly. Yuck, it's the first time a book has put me off an entire
genre!

I used to *love* medical thrillers. Michael Palmer, Robin Cook, etc. But
I did get tired of them after a while. They're all very similar and they
tend to involve evil or just sick people - like people who would tamper
with medication to kill random people, etc. At this point, I just don't
want to contemplate the existence of such people. Creepy events, yes.
Creepy people, no.

And in one of Robin Cook's books, some corporate goon type was trying to
intimidate a woman who was looking into something she "shouldn't" have
been, and to show her how ruthless he was, he killed her cat right in
front of her - after having the cat on his lap and petting him as he
warned her to quit investigating. I never forgave Robin Cook for that.

The fourth was Twilight. I was in a library and at a loose end
so picked it up. If it had been my own book I would have thrown it
against the wall by page 3, but as it wasn't, I put it back on the
shelf. I LOVE vampire and werewolf stories, but Twilight is a badly
written abomination.

You're not alone. The Twilight books are almost universally reviled
among vampire story fans above the age of 15.

Joyce

--
The average, healthy, well-adjusted adult gets up at seven-thirty in
the morning feeling just terrible. -- Jean Kerr

NettieCat wrote:

The only King book I will never re-read is Cell, which was utter
pants.

Now there's an expression I've never heard - "utter pants". What does
it mean? Scary? Stupid? Boring? Inquiring minds...

I've also never heard of "Cell".

One of my favorite King books tends to be most King fans' least
favorite: "Gerald's Game". That might be because it was the first King
book I ever read, and it scared the hell out of me. After that, I
never got quite as scared reading his books. His writing style is
entertaining, and the setups are usually great - he really good at
creating atmosphere and mystery. But the conclusions are usually
pretty disappointing, IMO.

One of his short stories didn't disappoint, though - "The Mist". And
the reason is that he leaves a lot to conjecture. He doesn't try to
explain it all at the end, and therefore doesn't come up with a lame
or silly reason why things happened. I watched the movie based on it,
which I also liked, but the ending was quite different. A very dark
ending, IMO.

I can't watch Pet Sematery though, I just find the story too horrible
to watch as a film, although I can handle the book (despite the poor
cat episode).

You know, I've always been a little nervous about either reading or
watching that one, for that very reason. So thanks for the warning -
it's settled now!

Joyce

--
The average, healthy, well-adjusted adult gets up at seven-thirty in
the morning feeling just terrible. -- Jean Kerr