Is there a book that you wish you could “unread”? One that you disliked so thoroughly you wish you could just forget that you ever read it?
Oh, there are many! Here is a partial list, drawn from books I’ve reviewed here:
Runaway, by Steve Simpson. This is the actually the worst book I’ve ever come across, ever.
Firefly Lane, by Kristin Hannah. This book wasn’t horrible, but it wasn’t particularly good either. A bit of a waste of time.
My Stroke of Insight, by Jill Bolte Taylor. I know, I know, this book is about a heart-wrenching personal journey and mocking it surely makes me some kind of horrid shrew. Read the comments section if you don’t believe me!
It Starts with You!, by Julia J. Austin. It’s the kind of advice book that leaves you wanting to kill.
Atonement, by Ian McEwan. Brilliant prose, sucky plotting, left me angry.
Story of the Sand, by Mark B. Pickering. Another poorly written book that left me more frustrated than anything else.
Do you sense the theme here? Bad prose offends me. This is why.
And add all the chick lit and romance novels to that!
Booking through Unread
Hey, as I recall, Runaway provided lots of family entertainment…
The only one of those I’ve read is Atonement, but I’ll be sure to steer clear of the others!
JoAnn’s latest blog post:Booking Through Thursday – Unread
I couldn’t even finish Firefly Lane….I was mad, too, because I bought the book at BJ’s….and I almost NEVER buy books.
I’m quite a bit like you, I can forgive a lot of things, but bad prose–no way. You’re a writer, for heaven’s sake, get the words right.
The only differnece is that, in my opinion, Atonement was a phenomenal book with an interesting plot (in so much as how writers view their world and, perhaps, romanticize/enlarge it).
Heather’s latest blog post:Book Review: Escape
I really liked Firefly Lane. I listened to the audio and thought it was really good.
Melissa – Shhh I’m Reading’s latest blog post:Booking Through Thursday…Unread
I tried to read Atonement after seeing the movie and liking a short story I read by Ian McEwan, but I just could not finish it. I liked the movie, but the book’s plot just didn’t appeal to me.
Ashley’s latest blog post:Weekly Progress Report
That is quite the list. I could only read 100 pages of Atonement before I gave up. Not my cup of tea.
jess’s latest blog post:Review — What Would Jane Austen Do?
I love that your list has links so we can revisit with you just how bad these books were.
Kristen M.’s latest blog post:New Release: A Girl’s Guide to Modern European Philosophy
I was bored last weekend and picked up a book called “Singletini” by Amanda Trimble. (I was staying with friends – it was one of their books.) It was vapid and brain-dead even by chick lit standards. Don’t you love it when women insult the intelligence of other women?
EL Fay — oh, that’s the best type, isn’t it? Where the men are all neanderthals and the women are all twerps? Blech.
Kristen — Yup, I’m all about sharing the pain. I mean, the love.
Jess, Ashley — we should make a Didn’t Like Atonement club
Melissa — I think that a lot of the time books with iffy writing do better as audio versions; we don’t keep track of mistakes we hear the same way we do with mistakes we read. Glad you liked it, anyway.
Heather — to each her own! But you can’t join the DLA, I guess.
Missy — mine was an ARC through LibraryThing’s Early Reviewer program. I would have been mad if I spent money on it, too.
Joann — then my job here is done!
Mom — You’re right, we did have fun with it. But it probably wasn’t the type of fun that the author intended.
Gautami — I don’t mind chicklit, actually. It just has to be well written.
The last book I can remember wishing I had not read has got to be Freeman Walker. It had some really nonsensical plot elements going on, and the characters were just really annoying. A bad book all around.
zibilee’s latest blog post:A World I Never Made by James Lepore – 262 pgs