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Political polemics, for one. Utopian novels, for another. Haggard Send a noteboard - 06/09/2009 05:29:54 AM
This is a website where people post reviews of books and exchange ideas with each other about what to read.

But...let's be honest: there is a lot of crap out there. I found myself reading a tortured book on Biblical history that failed to back up any assertions with evidence (or by pointing out a dearth of evidence, as applicable). It was awful. Had I known how truly awful it was, I would never have bought it.

Similarly, I am on a personal crusade to have all books by the Brontes removed from required reading in all schools, everywhere. At a very minimum, Wuthering Heights, perhaps one of the worst "classics" written in the English language.

We have a finite amount of time to read things, and so it is useful to not waste that time reading crap.

So please, tell me books that you absolutely HATED, and why you hated them. Just make a list of anything and everything that comes to mind. That is the sum total of my survey.


I hate reading political polemics from both the right and the left. Talk about arguments with no evidence. Yikes! At best many of them offer only anecdotal (and often apocryphal) evidence.

I also despise most of the utopian novels I've read - Bellamy's Looking Backward, Gilman's Herland, Rand's Atlas Shrugged, Callenbach's Ecotopia, etc. Aside from the clunky writing, the tedious proselytizing makes me want to vomit. I suppose these novels may be important from a historical perspective but as literature they are seriously lacking.
*MySmiley*
I'm drinkin' some George Jones,
and a little bit of Coe
Haggard's easin' my misery
and Waylon's keepin' me from home
Hank's givin' me those high times-
Cash is gonna sing it low
I'm here gettin' wasted-
just like my country heroes -Hank III
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So...what books DON'T you like? Сталин - 06/09/2009 04:57:28 AM 1977 Views
I have a couple I really disliked Brian - 06/09/2009 05:28:38 AM 1374 Views
I agree. Seriana Sedai - 06/09/2009 05:49:28 AM 1378 Views
Ohhhh quotefail! Brian - 06/09/2009 05:54:02 AM 1426 Views
I saw that. Seriana Sedai - 06/09/2009 06:03:29 AM 1266 Views
You actually read Monkey Bridge? Сталин - 06/09/2009 02:47:39 PM 1270 Views
Haha, I'm surprised anyone has heard of it here Brian - 06/09/2009 04:43:59 PM 1253 Views
Some examples Ellestra - 07/09/2009 08:25:37 PM 1176 Views
You think Battlefield Earth is bad, try reading his Mission Earth series. *NM* Brian - 08/09/2009 02:09:22 AM 686 Views
I read those in high school. I liked them. Stupid comic escapism. *NM* TaskmasterJack - 08/09/2009 02:18:31 AM 737 Views
I read them when I was in high school too...at least the first 3 or 4 Brian - 08/09/2009 02:47:12 AM 1297 Views
Re: I read them when I was in high school too...at least the first 3 or 4 TaskmasterJack - 08/09/2009 04:18:07 PM 1398 Views
Re: I read them when I was in high school too...at least the first 3 or 4 Brian - 08/09/2009 06:26:00 PM 1251 Views
No, thanks. I think all my masochism got spent on Terry Goodkind *NM* Ellestra - 08/09/2009 07:25:41 PM 710 Views
Political polemics, for one. Utopian novels, for another. Haggard - 06/09/2009 05:29:54 AM 1195 Views
People always recommend I read Ayn Rand Сталин - 06/09/2009 02:51:25 PM 1357 Views
I started The Fountainhead. It was pretty dreadful. *NM* Ghavrel - 06/09/2009 08:44:31 PM 723 Views
I don't have enough hours in the day to detail this or something even worse Larry - 06/09/2009 05:45:35 AM 1339 Views
The Wanderer's Tale by David Bilsborough. Craig - 06/09/2009 06:24:49 AM 1308 Views
YES! Jessie - 07/09/2009 06:10:29 AM 1198 Views
Oh, a lot of things. But I wonder. rebelaessedai - 06/09/2009 07:00:34 AM 1334 Views
Re: Oh, a lot of things. But I wonder. Brian - 06/09/2009 07:05:51 AM 1300 Views
! rebelaessedai - 06/09/2009 06:50:42 PM 1288 Views
Re: ! Brian - 06/09/2009 07:22:43 PM 1184 Views
Well, I do plan on reading it. rebelaessedai - 07/09/2009 03:38:26 AM 1249 Views
In fantasy, Vellum and Ink were terrible Сталин - 06/09/2009 02:54:05 PM 1264 Views
Duly noted! rebelaessedai - 06/09/2009 06:51:22 PM 1246 Views
Oh plenty Geoff - 06/09/2009 09:37:23 AM 1310 Views
I hated Wuthering Heights more than Jane Eyre, but I hated Jane Eyre, too. *NM* Сталин - 06/09/2009 02:54:49 PM 761 Views
I was never forced to read Wuthering heights Geoff - 06/09/2009 03:44:59 PM 1356 Views
I disliked both as well... more than disliked. *NM* Jacob - 09/09/2009 08:59:37 PM 772 Views
Well... Jacob - 09/09/2009 09:01:18 PM 1268 Views
I like all books I have ever read. jh - 06/09/2009 12:09:51 PM 1351 Views
You hated The Brothers Karamazov? Сталин - 06/09/2009 02:59:16 PM 1282 Views
Umm, yeah. jh - 06/09/2009 03:28:30 PM 1443 Views
Canterbury Tales by Chaucer. In Ye Olde English, it's harder to translate than ancient Greek. *NM* IndigoAjah - 06/09/2009 05:07:49 PM 736 Views
Oh man, the prologue to the Wife of Bath was horrible. Brian - 06/09/2009 05:11:39 PM 1206 Views
The Canterbury Tales are not Old English. They are Middle English. Сталин - 06/09/2009 05:59:59 PM 1369 Views
Indeed, translating old english, and reading middle english are very very different Brian - 06/09/2009 07:11:13 PM 1263 Views
Edit: ignore this, what I had before was blatantly untrue *NM* IndigoAjah - 07/09/2009 12:11:37 AM 745 Views
As I'm translating some ancient Greek right now, I call bullshit on that. *NM* Ghavrel - 06/09/2009 08:45:46 PM 687 Views
EDIT: Last post was basically equally bullsh*t IndigoAjah - 07/09/2009 12:17:01 AM 1259 Views
I was going to, but I felt I had already been pedantic enough. *NM* Сталин - 07/09/2009 02:34:04 AM 750 Views
Jane Eyre. Chas - 06/09/2009 05:13:27 PM 1285 Views
The Clan of the Cave Bear by Jean M. Auel AgentOrange - 06/09/2009 05:58:39 PM 1290 Views
Must remember this. *NM* rebelaessedai - 06/09/2009 06:53:08 PM 718 Views
What do you mean? *NM* AgentOrange - 07/09/2009 10:43:58 AM 748 Views
Re: The Clan of the Cave Bear by Jean M. Auel Nolan - 06/09/2009 08:08:21 PM 1280 Views
well it was the best book in the series *NM* random thoughts - 14/09/2009 04:37:27 PM 678 Views
Catcher in the Rye and Heart of Darkness, among the "classics." *NM* Master Radishes - 06/09/2009 08:15:12 PM 727 Views
Ooh! I second Catcher and the Rye. What a piece of garbage. everynametaken - 06/09/2009 08:20:00 PM 1131 Views
I couldn't finish Heart of Darkness random thoughts - 14/09/2009 04:39:00 PM 1316 Views
Vellum by Hal Duncan and The Years of Rice and Salt by Kim Stanley Robinson everynametaken - 06/09/2009 08:16:12 PM 1344 Views
Hm. Novo - 06/09/2009 11:20:40 PM 1265 Views
Dubliners and A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man Vodalus - 06/09/2009 08:24:07 PM 1246 Views
I liked a Portrait of the Artist, personally, though the (lack of real) punctuation grated *NM* IndigoAjah - 07/09/2009 12:18:50 AM 660 Views
I didn't mind Portrait of the Artist as a Young Dog...I mean Man Сталин - 07/09/2009 02:40:14 AM 1236 Views
Shame on you. Those books are truly Great. Especially Portrait. Joker - 12/09/2009 10:52:40 PM 1270 Views
What? Handel - 06/09/2009 08:28:17 PM 1420 Views
My problem with Wuthering Heights was the characters. Darth_Katie - 06/09/2009 09:40:24 PM 1245 Views
Re: My problem with Wuthering Heights was the characters. Handel - 07/09/2009 12:27:44 AM 1286 Views
Wait...you're a guy? Сталин - 07/09/2009 02:44:27 AM 1278 Views
Indeed. Handel - 07/09/2009 03:01:59 AM 1290 Views
Stars in His Pocket Like Grains of Sand random thoughts - 14/09/2009 04:41:16 PM 1458 Views
Oh, and maybe it was lost on me, but I never got much joy out of War and Peace IndigoAjah - 07/09/2009 12:22:48 AM 1161 Views
War and Peace is pretty straightforward Сталин - 07/09/2009 02:43:25 AM 1295 Views
Jonathan Strange and Mr. Norell. Danu - 07/09/2009 12:54:41 AM 1302 Views
Shame! Shaaaaame! *NM* Craig - 07/09/2009 03:06:55 AM 691 Views
Jessie - 07/09/2009 06:13:26 AM 1200 Views
I'm not sure. Danu - 20/09/2009 04:19:52 PM 1547 Views
It probably doesn't help but Craig - 20/09/2009 06:17:34 PM 1632 Views
Don't flame me for saying it.... Erith - 07/09/2009 04:49:40 AM 1358 Views
Nah. rebelaessedai - 07/09/2009 05:18:23 AM 1214 Views
For me it was the other way around. jh - 07/09/2009 07:38:35 AM 1211 Views
You know, I kind of feel that way, too. Erith - 08/09/2009 03:40:58 AM 1238 Views
One last one: Mists of Avalon by Marion Zimmer Bradley *NM* Brian - 07/09/2009 07:44:48 AM 730 Views
*NM* Novo - 07/09/2009 10:33:08 AM 704 Views
Awww man, I thought we got rid of you! *NM* Brian - 07/09/2009 06:05:30 PM 668 Views
Have you ever seen the mini-series? Darth_Katie - 07/09/2009 05:42:45 PM 1287 Views
Never have I seen such good acting in such a dreadful movie/mini-series. Legolas - 07/09/2009 05:44:47 PM 1187 Views
I love really really bad TV movies sometimes....they make for lots of laughter Brian - 07/09/2009 06:06:38 PM 1163 Views
Actually, you might like it. As in, think it's good. Legolas - 07/09/2009 06:11:14 PM 1213 Views
I had a couple of issues with the book that I could easily see being removed from the movie Brian - 07/09/2009 07:01:40 PM 1153 Views
Yeah, you might like it then. Legolas - 07/09/2009 07:20:04 PM 1219 Views
A Confederacy of Dunces. nossy - 08/09/2009 06:13:59 AM 1294 Views
Crap. That's two people now. Chas - 09/09/2009 01:42:40 AM 1166 Views
Don't go by what I say. nossy - 09/09/2009 03:11:17 AM 1246 Views
Anyone with more than half a brain wouldn't. *NM* Brian - 09/09/2009 03:49:34 AM 732 Views
This sounds like a redshirt mission. *NM* Chas - 14/09/2009 01:12:17 AM 722 Views
Re: Hardy Cockatiel of Doom - 09/09/2009 02:42:39 AM 1132 Views
Aw. I liked Confederacy. *NM* Ghavrel - 09/09/2009 06:15:10 AM 705 Views
That probably makes sense for someone from the area though. nossy - 09/09/2009 08:02:23 PM 1286 Views
Oh, I forgot to mention Brave New World. Craig - 08/09/2009 06:26:29 AM 1152 Views
Wha? nossy - 08/09/2009 03:26:29 PM 1303 Views
Wha. Craig - 08/09/2009 06:43:12 PM 1142 Views
*stands and applauds * Here here *NM* M & M Maddy - 08/09/2009 08:19:53 PM 748 Views
The Road andOld Man and the Sea bme - 08/09/2009 04:16:11 PM 1189 Views
Time to give up your man card. *NM* Joker - 12/09/2009 10:53:56 PM 700 Views
The great Gatsby and Romeo and Juliett. M & M Maddy - 08/09/2009 08:24:23 PM 1222 Views
Word! Geoff - 08/09/2009 08:41:27 PM 1372 Views
Hitchickers guide to the galaxy and The Good earth by Pearl S. Buck Murtach74 - 09/09/2009 01:07:01 AM 1261 Views
Ah, man. I love both those books. *NM* nossy - 09/09/2009 08:08:00 PM 737 Views
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