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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 2059 Views
I have a couple I really disliked Brian - 06/09/2009 05:28:38 AM 1438 Views
I agree. Seriana Sedai - 06/09/2009 05:49:28 AM 1453 Views
Ohhhh quotefail! Brian - 06/09/2009 05:54:02 AM 1527 Views
I saw that. Seriana Sedai - 06/09/2009 06:03:29 AM 1342 Views
You actually read Monkey Bridge? Сталин - 06/09/2009 02:47:39 PM 1346 Views
Haha, I'm surprised anyone has heard of it here Brian - 06/09/2009 04:43:59 PM 1330 Views
Some examples Ellestra - 07/09/2009 08:25:37 PM 1266 Views
You think Battlefield Earth is bad, try reading his Mission Earth series. *NM* Brian - 08/09/2009 02:09:22 AM 724 Views
I read those in high school. I liked them. Stupid comic escapism. *NM* TaskmasterJack - 08/09/2009 02:18:31 AM 772 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 1372 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 1487 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 1329 Views
No, thanks. I think all my masochism got spent on Terry Goodkind *NM* Ellestra - 08/09/2009 07:25:41 PM 750 Views
Political polemics, for one. Utopian novels, for another. Haggard - 06/09/2009 05:29:54 AM 1283 Views
People always recommend I read Ayn Rand Сталин - 06/09/2009 02:51:25 PM 1436 Views
I started The Fountainhead. It was pretty dreadful. *NM* Ghavrel - 06/09/2009 08:44:31 PM 757 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 1421 Views
The Wanderer's Tale by David Bilsborough. Craig - 06/09/2009 06:24:49 AM 1417 Views
YES! Jessie - 07/09/2009 06:10:29 AM 1284 Views
Oh, a lot of things. But I wonder. rebelaessedai - 06/09/2009 07:00:34 AM 1418 Views
Re: Oh, a lot of things. But I wonder. Brian - 06/09/2009 07:05:51 AM 1376 Views
! rebelaessedai - 06/09/2009 06:50:42 PM 1366 Views
Re: ! Brian - 06/09/2009 07:22:43 PM 1249 Views
Well, I do plan on reading it. rebelaessedai - 07/09/2009 03:38:26 AM 1348 Views
In fantasy, Vellum and Ink were terrible Сталин - 06/09/2009 02:54:05 PM 1332 Views
Duly noted! rebelaessedai - 06/09/2009 06:51:22 PM 1328 Views
Oh plenty Geoff - 06/09/2009 09:37:23 AM 1385 Views
I hated Wuthering Heights more than Jane Eyre, but I hated Jane Eyre, too. *NM* Сталин - 06/09/2009 02:54:49 PM 806 Views
I was never forced to read Wuthering heights Geoff - 06/09/2009 03:44:59 PM 1441 Views
I disliked both as well... more than disliked. *NM* Jacob - 09/09/2009 08:59:37 PM 805 Views
Well... Jacob - 09/09/2009 09:01:18 PM 1340 Views
I like all books I have ever read. jh - 06/09/2009 12:09:51 PM 1425 Views
You hated The Brothers Karamazov? Сталин - 06/09/2009 02:59:16 PM 1389 Views
Umm, yeah. jh - 06/09/2009 03:28:30 PM 1523 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 771 Views
Oh man, the prologue to the Wife of Bath was horrible. Brian - 06/09/2009 05:11:39 PM 1279 Views
The Canterbury Tales are not Old English. They are Middle English. Сталин - 06/09/2009 05:59:59 PM 1448 Views
Indeed, translating old english, and reading middle english are very very different Brian - 06/09/2009 07:11:13 PM 1355 Views
Edit: ignore this, what I had before was blatantly untrue *NM* IndigoAjah - 07/09/2009 12:11:37 AM 783 Views
As I'm translating some ancient Greek right now, I call bullshit on that. *NM* Ghavrel - 06/09/2009 08:45:46 PM 720 Views
EDIT: Last post was basically equally bullsh*t IndigoAjah - 07/09/2009 12:17:01 AM 1333 Views
I was going to, but I felt I had already been pedantic enough. *NM* Сталин - 07/09/2009 02:34:04 AM 783 Views
Jane Eyre. Chas - 06/09/2009 05:13:27 PM 1386 Views
The Clan of the Cave Bear by Jean M. Auel AgentOrange - 06/09/2009 05:58:39 PM 1366 Views
Must remember this. *NM* rebelaessedai - 06/09/2009 06:53:08 PM 753 Views
What do you mean? *NM* AgentOrange - 07/09/2009 10:43:58 AM 789 Views
Re: The Clan of the Cave Bear by Jean M. Auel Nolan - 06/09/2009 08:08:21 PM 1358 Views
well it was the best book in the series *NM* random thoughts - 14/09/2009 04:37:27 PM 717 Views
Catcher in the Rye and Heart of Darkness, among the "classics." *NM* Master Radishes - 06/09/2009 08:15:12 PM 772 Views
Ooh! I second Catcher and the Rye. What a piece of garbage. everynametaken - 06/09/2009 08:20:00 PM 1221 Views
I couldn't finish Heart of Darkness random thoughts - 14/09/2009 04:39:00 PM 1390 Views
Vellum by Hal Duncan and The Years of Rice and Salt by Kim Stanley Robinson everynametaken - 06/09/2009 08:16:12 PM 1428 Views
Hm. Novo - 06/09/2009 11:20:40 PM 1335 Views
Dubliners and A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man Vodalus - 06/09/2009 08:24:07 PM 1318 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 694 Views
I didn't mind Portrait of the Artist as a Young Dog...I mean Man Сталин - 07/09/2009 02:40:14 AM 1315 Views
Shame on you. Those books are truly Great. Especially Portrait. Joker - 12/09/2009 10:52:40 PM 1351 Views
What? Handel - 06/09/2009 08:28:17 PM 1503 Views
My problem with Wuthering Heights was the characters. Darth_Katie - 06/09/2009 09:40:24 PM 1334 Views
Re: My problem with Wuthering Heights was the characters. Handel - 07/09/2009 12:27:44 AM 1368 Views
Wait...you're a guy? Сталин - 07/09/2009 02:44:27 AM 1353 Views
Indeed. Handel - 07/09/2009 03:01:59 AM 1350 Views
Stars in His Pocket Like Grains of Sand random thoughts - 14/09/2009 04:41:16 PM 1547 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 1238 Views
War and Peace is pretty straightforward Сталин - 07/09/2009 02:43:25 AM 1373 Views
Jonathan Strange and Mr. Norell. Danu - 07/09/2009 12:54:41 AM 1376 Views
Shame! Shaaaaame! *NM* Craig - 07/09/2009 03:06:55 AM 724 Views
Jessie - 07/09/2009 06:13:26 AM 1271 Views
I'm not sure. Danu - 20/09/2009 04:19:52 PM 1627 Views
It probably doesn't help but Craig - 20/09/2009 06:17:34 PM 1717 Views
Don't flame me for saying it.... Erith - 07/09/2009 04:49:40 AM 1431 Views
Nah. rebelaessedai - 07/09/2009 05:18:23 AM 1282 Views
For me it was the other way around. jh - 07/09/2009 07:38:35 AM 1289 Views
You know, I kind of feel that way, too. Erith - 08/09/2009 03:40:58 AM 1299 Views
One last one: Mists of Avalon by Marion Zimmer Bradley *NM* Brian - 07/09/2009 07:44:48 AM 766 Views
*NM* Novo - 07/09/2009 10:33:08 AM 746 Views
Awww man, I thought we got rid of you! *NM* Brian - 07/09/2009 06:05:30 PM 700 Views
Have you ever seen the mini-series? Darth_Katie - 07/09/2009 05:42:45 PM 1377 Views
Never have I seen such good acting in such a dreadful movie/mini-series. Legolas - 07/09/2009 05:44:47 PM 1286 Views
I love really really bad TV movies sometimes....they make for lots of laughter Brian - 07/09/2009 06:06:38 PM 1241 Views
Actually, you might like it. As in, think it's good. Legolas - 07/09/2009 06:11:14 PM 1282 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 1231 Views
Yeah, you might like it then. Legolas - 07/09/2009 07:20:04 PM 1291 Views
A Confederacy of Dunces. nossy - 08/09/2009 06:13:59 AM 1366 Views
Crap. That's two people now. Chas - 09/09/2009 01:42:40 AM 1245 Views
Don't go by what I say. nossy - 09/09/2009 03:11:17 AM 1325 Views
Anyone with more than half a brain wouldn't. *NM* Brian - 09/09/2009 03:49:34 AM 774 Views
This sounds like a redshirt mission. *NM* Chas - 14/09/2009 01:12:17 AM 759 Views
Re: Hardy Cockatiel of Doom - 09/09/2009 02:42:39 AM 1197 Views
Aw. I liked Confederacy. *NM* Ghavrel - 09/09/2009 06:15:10 AM 742 Views
That probably makes sense for someone from the area though. nossy - 09/09/2009 08:02:23 PM 1377 Views
Oh, I forgot to mention Brave New World. Craig - 08/09/2009 06:26:29 AM 1215 Views
Wha? nossy - 08/09/2009 03:26:29 PM 1388 Views
Wha. Craig - 08/09/2009 06:43:12 PM 1209 Views
*stands and applauds * Here here *NM* M & M Maddy - 08/09/2009 08:19:53 PM 783 Views
The Road andOld Man and the Sea bme - 08/09/2009 04:16:11 PM 1283 Views
Time to give up your man card. *NM* Joker - 12/09/2009 10:53:56 PM 735 Views
The great Gatsby and Romeo and Juliett. M & M Maddy - 08/09/2009 08:24:23 PM 1300 Views
Word! Geoff - 08/09/2009 08:41:27 PM 1445 Views
Hitchickers guide to the galaxy and The Good earth by Pearl S. Buck Murtach74 - 09/09/2009 01:07:01 AM 1339 Views
Ah, man. I love both those books. *NM* nossy - 09/09/2009 08:08:00 PM 780 Views
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