Really Rubbish Books

I enjoyed Sarah Water's books until The Paying Guest just couldn't get to grips with it at all. Glad someone mentioned Susan Howatch I must go and dig one out of the back of the cupboard. Just reading The Thursday Murder Club I agree the way it is written is very odd at least it doesn't take long to read.

Luckily I do all my books through audible and will absolutely get a refund if the books a dud.

Sarnia

MerylStreep

Up until a few weeks ago I’d never read a book recommended by someone I didn’t know, but a poster recommended
Where The Crawdads Sing. I absolutely loved it: one of those books I never wanted to end.

I have a friend who up until a few years ago read the most awful rubbish ( I make no apologies for that statement)
One day I gave her The Far Pavillions: she absolutely loved it. It changed her reading choices.

I read Where The Crawdads Sing too. An excellent read and what an ending! It is one of those books that stays with you after you have finished it.

Isn’t it funny, a while ago there was a thread about books and so many GNs hated Where the Crawdads Sing that I vowed never to try it.
I’ve got The Goldfinch ready to read and am now wondering if it’s worth the bother after the comments here. On the other hand I loved Catch 22 about forty years ago so perhaps I shouldn’t be so influenced by others opinions. Likewise Jane Austin, Dickens, Tolstoy. Loved them all. I’m struggling to think of anything I’ve hated. Oh wait a minute, that awful Sebastian Faulks thing set in the Great War, can’t remember the title. The tv dramatisation wasn’t any better. I’m sure there are others but they’ve disappeared from my memory thank god!
This is my main reason for never wanting to join a book club, having to read somebody else’s choice of book would be torture.
I could list hundreds of books I’ve loved but that’s not what this thread is about.

I'm very much like your grandmother I'm afraid. The one exeption being Laurence Stern's "Tristram Shandy" I have started this book countless times and failed to finish every time. Shame because I spent 12 years of my life living within walking distance of Shandy Hall!

50 Shades of Grey !
I read a sample of it on my Kindle, that was enough. So boringly badly written.
BUT ! Then I read the comments from other readers, they were brilliant, so funny, I laughed my socks off.
If I hear 50 Shades mentioned I just start laughing.

'A Horse Walks Into a Bar' by David Grossman was chosen by our book group. Everyone assumed everyone else loved it and we had to wait for the meeting to find out that no one had liked it at all. We couldn't remember who had suggested it and no one owned to recommending it.

I still reread and enjoy Miss Read occasionally and I also enjoyed The Midnight Library. I tried the first Robert Galbraith/J K Rowling Cormorant Strike book and did not enjoy it at all. I found it trite, derivative and the description of the hero reminiscent of a Mills and Boon novel. I soon gave up on that one. I tried and failed several times to read The Lord of the Rings. Many of the Booker prize winners and nominees are unreadable in my opinion. Arty and pretentious. I remember a few years ago there was one book on the long list that had a capital letter on the first word and a full stop after the last with no other punctuation inbetween because, apparently, "we can see beyond the need of such things these days." Needless to say l was not tempted to buy the book. About fifteen years ago, I thought it disgraceful that I had never read The Pilgrim's Progress. About halfway through, I had totally lost the will to live and abandoned it. The book l have detested most still has to be The Portrait of a Lady by Henry James, which l had to read for A level. Never was one word used where thirty would do. Boring would not do justice to how l felt about this book. After nearly forty years l still shudder at the thought of it.

Fanny I loved Maeve Binchy’s book’s especially the earlier ones, no great works of literature but just knew I was going to like the characters and the way the story all came together.

Did not get on with the Lord of the Rings books but throughly enjoyed all Harry Potter books.
Enjoyed the first two Hilary Mantell books about Oliver Cromwell but just couldn’t get through the last one. So many characters I got completely lost, although they did read it on radio 4 so used to listen to it then.
It’s funny how some books just grab you and others you think you are going to enjoy leave you cold.
I think some books are better listened to than read if that makes sense

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

vampirequeen

I hate Dickens. There I've said it and now I'm going to hide behind the sofa . It's not the stories but the way they're written. The only book of his that I finished was Hard Times. I had to read it as part of my degree. I called it Hard Going and forced myself to read a chapter each day until it was over.

I haven'r read any Dickens since it was compulsory at school.

I remember an interview with Meera Syal who studied English Literature, I think at university, and said that during that time it turned her off reading, my son said something similar when studying it at A level, at one time he thought that would be a preferred subject for university, but he felt, as I imagine others do, when everything has to be analysed in depth it sucks the joy out of reading.

Funny how people's tastes differ, isn't it?

I love several of the writers mentioned so far - Jane Austen, J. R. R. Tolkien, Hilary Mantel and Donna Tartt...And I can't bear Dickens. Don't really enjoy dramatisations of his novels either.

I can't read anything by J. K. Rowling, whether it is for adults or kids. I think she is a terrible writer with a flat, pedestrian style. Evidently I am in the minority, as she's now richer than God, but I don't understand her popularity as a writer. She has become quite a controversial figure now for other reasons, of course.

I don't like Salman Rushdie's work or magical realism in general. Seems like fantasy with literary pretensions. I'd rather have a wizard and a couple of orcs than someone wittering on about a girl who lives in a sea of magical words or something....

Can't bear chick lit either. I tried a couple of times but it was mind-numbingly dull.

‘ The Thursday Murder Club . Dull dull dull . I gave up on the audible version after 2 hours .’

Oh same here. I nodded off every time I tried.

Whereas reading the actual book, I found the story to be pacy & entertaining enough to counter the lockdown ennui.

My boss gave me a wonderful book (her words) and i tried the first few pages and hust thought why the hell am i reading this tosh. It was a Fern Britton not sure of the title something about a vicar's wife i think. Sometimes you wonder what gives these people the right to have their writing published.
Years ago i would have probably read it for escapism but now time is too precious for wasting it - unless it's a browse on gransnet of course.

I don't like:
Charles Dickens (creepy/mawkish)
Jojo Moyes (boring and implausible)

I will read pretty much anything else except 'misery memoirs'.

ANYTHING that has been translated from a foreign language. Absolute horror show. Possibly good in thier original tongue but they never, ever translate properly.

Couldn't agree more, Treetops05. Re spelling, I mean. It's a losing battle. I'm a school governor, and have given up on pointing out spelling and grammar mistakes in school documents, Think I'm viewed as an irritating pedant - which might be true, but really feel very strongly that any educational document should NOT have mistakes!

Usually I read a book to the end, but I couldn't finish The Lamplighters.

There was little dialogue and I lost all interest.

Kate Atkinson, wonderful

Kazuo Ishiguro: The Unconsoled. That is hours of my life I will never get back...

The Da Vinci Code. A real page-turner & I admit to enjoying it, but really.... absolute rubbish.

Jilly
I enjoyed Little Dorrit, and D H Lawrence is one of my favourite writers, especially Women in Love.

Delila
I know what you mean, I enjoyed the books, but I often wondered when they had time to grab a sandwich or go to the loo! And they seemed to be able to go days without any sleep.

Ha ha, yes, all completely implausible Sara. But never a dull minute....

I thought I couldn’t get on with Elena Ferrante until I had to read “My Brilliant Friend” in order to participate in a Zoom book group. Half way through I was totally converted and have read all her other novels. The same for “ Shadow of the Wind” by Zafron, which I’d dismissed on a previous reading as a piece of whimsy. As an ex- teacher of English, I used to dread having to teach some books that came on the syllabus, but ended up loving them, so perhaps sometimes it’s a matter of perseverance, but I certainly agree with some posts: “Lincoln in the Bardo” I found unreadable, also Tolkien, I bought Hilary Mantel’s books about Thomas Cromwell but couldn’t get past the first few pages. Maybe I should try again. I’m dreading presenting her “Fludd” to my book group as I expect they’ll hate it.