Bad Books or wish I hadn't bothered!

Catcher in the Rye. Despite being a lit buff and an English teacher (regarded as a literary snob by other English teachers), I'd never read this 'classic'. So finding a copy in the staff room, I took it home for the weekend and decided to treat myself.

What a pile of c**p. To sum up, spoiled little rich boy wingeing.

Not so much ‘bad books’ but books that just don’t appeal. For example, my son gave me ‘Life of Pi’, I tried it but just wasn’t me, although I’m sure others loved it.
TBH, I have many ‘worthy’ books on the shelf which have never been read, but might get a look in if stuck at home for the duration.

The above 2 are on my waste of time list too! Add to that 'To Kill a Mockingbird' Never did get that.

Bought a book after recommendation on here - Shipping News or Shipping Times something like that.... that was a load of c* too.

Sounds riveting Poppyred if you’re a ship’s captain or some such, one man’s meat etc.

Another vote for Catcher in the Rye. Self-absorbed whingeing, as already pointed out.

Had a go at Shades of Grey, but no, just no.

The Bell Jar - underwhelming.

Brave New World - I really tried. But no.

Wuthering Heights - whatever the attraction is, it passed me by.

The Dan Jones one, I've even forgotten what its called.

My daughter loved it, but I just couldn't get into it.

Oh I am so glad that I am not alone in finding Wuthering Heights less than wonderful . Wasn’t that enthralled by Vanity Fair either , but that might have been because I had to read it for school !

Dan Brown?
Just ignore me.

John Boyne’s “Ladder to the Sky”. I have never read a book where I have found so few likeable characters - in fact there was only one that I had any time for and she didn’t last long! I like John Boyne’s books, but definitely not this one!

C.P. Snow’s The New Men. What an awful grind!

Moby Dick. I wanted to sink that ruddy boat.
Middle March. Dry as dust.
Was never a Bronte fan at all.
DH Lawrence. Yawn.
Solzhenitsyn. Worthy and turgid.
The Shipping News is my favourite book ?

? Quaint indeed Irene! ??

I got quite excited about discovering Henry Miller (my English teacher, thinking she was "cool", mentioned it.). I rushed out to buy Tropic of Cancer.

Er - no thanks. The porny bits were disgusting, and the rest self-absorbed and turgid. Disappointing.

Some novels are more relevant in the time they were written
I liked Catcher In The Rye when I was 16 and it was in the 1960's. Life for teens is very different now.

I ahven't read it since, so 50 years ago, but if I remember it is the painful struggle to find connections as a teen who doesn't fit. Which is a common enough experience.
Many teens don't fell they fir in but they give it different names now.
Being a teen is often a tough time.

I didn't like Wuthering Heights but loved Jane Eyre.

sorry lots of spelling errors......in above post

Glad to have this thread Trisher.

The Lovely Bones, whimsical load of old tosh, I wanted to hurl it across the room when I finished it. Of late Lincoln in The Bardo, won loads of accolades wanted to like it, worse than the worst homework ?

Poppyred I can’t help it ! I hope it wasn’t me who recommended ?

Star of the Sea by Joseph O'Connor. A murder mystery set aboard a ship taking Irish emigrants to America during the potato famine. I really tried to enjoy it, but sad to say I became so fed up with it that I didn't finish it.

I was really pleased when I found a copy of The New Achilles by Christian Cameron on the library shelf but I just can’t get in to it. It was in the first few days of the corona virus announcements so that may have unsettled me. The library has closed now so I’ll keep it and try again in a week or two.

Another member of my reading group went to an enormous amount of trouble to get 10 copies of Wilt together as it had helped her through hard times and she hoped to share the experience with us. I’ve started it about three times but really not my type of book. This was pre-CV.

It seems that the more hype a book has now the less actual content in the story. I deliberately picked light easy reads when I last visited the library (a small satellite branch) and that seems to be working.

I’m currently reading Down & Out In Paris & London by George Orwell. I’ve never read it before, to my shame. I am not feeling the love at all. I’ll finish it just so I can say I’ve read it but it’ll go on my Bad Book pile.

Midnight's Children - didn't even get to the end of 1st chapter - oh and Moby Dick.

Loved John Boyne 'Ladder to the Sky', though.

MiniMoon Star of the Sea was one of my favourite books ever. A Richard and Judy's Book Club choice in the same time as the ghastly, for me at any rate,The Lovely Bones which was the overall winner for that year, an appalling book imo. Star of the Sea was runner up, another reason why I wanted to chuck "the bones" across the room. I do remember finding Joseph O' Connor's s book hard to get into initially but for me it was a masterpiece. However, one man's meat and all that!

Currently struggling with J K Rowling’s “The Casual Vacancy”. I have yet to find a sympathetic character in it, all self serving, nasty individuals. I’ll keep trying for now but may well give up.
Have to say I lived The Lovely Bones, and also enjoyed Brave New World, but that might be because it was part of my evening class A level English Literature class and the tutor was outstanding.