Really Rubbish Books

I'm a completely unadventurous reader because I hate reading badly written books. So I don't branch out in case a book is badly written. Many years ago I belonged to, I think, World Books and bought a number of Booker prize winners, thinking to improve my literary scope. I was bored rigid by most of them, though I suspect that I might like them better if I tried them again.

I really like late 18th and most 19thC literature; I think it's an acquired taste as you have to get used to the verbosity (Jane Austen actually scores by not being verbose) but I cannot stand Wuthering Heights. I think it's the product of a seriously warped mind.

I read The Da Vinci Code. It was OK, but I really couldn't see what all the fuss was about.

I couldn't get through Catch 22; the 'catch' got really boring after a while.

Dislike Henry James, everything apart from the Aspern Papers. A whole chapter to describe 5 minutes of time? No thanks..

I cannot bear anything written in the present tense, especially if it's set way back in time. I have, somewhere, a copy of Hilary Mantel's first Cromwell book but I can't bring myself to read it...

I tend to read non-fiction most of the time. Particularly 18th/19th C history. I bought a book by everyone's favourite TV historian, Lucy Worsley and it was terrible. Ungrammatical, confusing and repetitive.

Oh, and I have A Thousand Splendid Suns. Everyone should read it. It is so good and utterly harrowing. I can't bring myself to reread it (though I'd like to) because it's so harrowing.

When I first had a Kindle - quite a few years ago now - I downloaded books because they were either free or very cheap. Mostly they were rubbish, badly written and boring. I know better now and will download a sample if I’m not sure about a book.
I hated the Da Vinci Code
Loathed the Hundred Year Old Man who climbed out of a window (or whatever it was he did.)
Despaired at The Girl on a Train and The Lovely Bones.

However, the only book I have given up on was Doctor Zhivago. I once happened to mention to a snooty work colleague that I loved the film. She lent me the book and I just couldn’t read it and gave up early on. When my colleague asked me what I had thought of it I lied and said it was wonderful! I think she probably guessed that I had never read more than a few pages. I lived in fear for weeks thinking that she would start quizzing me for I was young and stupid then and she was “old” and scary!

I cannot bear anything written in the present tense, especially if it's set way back in time. I have, somewhere, a copy of Hilary Mantel's first Cromwell book but I can't bring myself to read it...
Me neither, MaizieD, I really struggled through a couple of chapters. A pity, because it was a very interesting period of history looked at from a different perspective.
I have deleted it from my Kindle

i was told The other Boleyn was really good, highly recommened, then I got the book and before i started i was a little put off, it is going to take me forever to get through it, thats a bit off putting for me, i also bought richard osmans book Thursday club, it came highly recommended , i have read it and am still not sure, for me it was a little complicated and a lot of characters although his wit did come through, has anyone else read it

All my friends were raving about My Brilliant Friend by Elena Ferrante but I was massively disappointed. I eventually finished it but won’t be reading any more of hers. I can’t stand Thomas Hardy either, reading Tess of the d’Urbervilles for A level put me off for 30 years, then I read Jude the Obscure and it was even worse.

I read at least 500 books a year, real and kindle

You read around 10 books every week? . How on earth do you ever get anything else done? Like cooking, shopping, housework - or even eating and visiting the loo? I would have to stay awake all night to get through 10 books a week.

Jaxie I'm glad to hear your views regarding Lincoln in the Bardo, that's how I felt about it "unreadable"

Loved Carlos Louis Zafron's Shadow of the Wind fired up an interest about Spain in that austere and still repressive post Spanish Civil war period for me

I have to say I loved a thousand splendid suns sooo much.
Also surprised nobody has mentioned theBeekeeper of Aleppo, another wonderful book. But I always go back to Cutting for Stone a firm favourite.
I have put down too many that I couldn’t get on with.
Now what about Crosstitch that turned into the Outlander series. I read a few...

I said that I’m going to start reading A Thousand Splendid Suns later today. Now I’m wondering if I can take the sadness again.
I’ve read The Kite runner Runner twice.

I agree vampire queen I hate Dickens as well. We were given one term at school and then did "Hard Times ", for A level. I bought it for Christmas for DH he was turning into a Mr Bounderby.
We did Hardy at the same time and I loved him, I cannot even watch a Dickens film I never know if they are exaggerated to make you look closely at the characters. I gave up on the new film of David Copperfield the other week. Same irritations.

Greyduster, I too loved the Far Pavilions, (41 years ago, when I was pregnant with DS), and have read all her novels as well as the three books of her autobiography. Also adore the John Masters books set in Asia.

This is a great thread. I read it with the 'Notes' app open on my phone so I can write down any recommended books that appeal to me. Handy for when I finish a book on my kindle and want to start another one.

Must add that I love 'On Chesil Beach' - someone above did not - and a couple of my all time favourites are Diary of a Nobody and Cold Comfort Farm. So funny.

I write books (for fun) as well as read them and, as others have mentioned, it is so annoying when a mediocre book, such as The Thursday Murder Club, is given rave reviews by other authors. I'm sure it's a reciprocity thing but unfair to the general reader.

NotTooOld I love Diary of a Nobody too.
It's one of my favourite 'comfort reads'
It would be great to hear about other's comfort reads

Happyhound
I didn’t like My Brilliant Friend, either, I didn’t take to any of the characters.

I was an academic and used to dipping into books and articles as part of my job, for years never read a book to the end as they were all textbooks and I didn't have time for anything else. These days I'll read a chapter or two and happily abandon a book if I don't enjoy it, I get a lot via kindle, so you can check out a sample for free before buying. I don't mind putting a bit of effort in to reading something that outside my comfort zone etc but what's the point of reading something you get nothing positive from? Life's too short!

vampirequeen I love Dickens, but do find his books such a struggle because of the cast of thousands involved by the time you have read two chapters. I enjoy the way he draws his characters - for the same reason I like Monica Dicken's books. She must have inherited this talent from her great grandfather. As a light read I have enjoyed Bill Bryson's books. Hilarious and informative; my OH, who rarely laughs out loud, had to stop reading ' A Walk in the Woods' on the train.

The worst book I ever read was for our Book Club so felt obliged to finish it. It was The Goldfinch by Donna Taart. Horrible book, horrible characters and oh so long! Others rave about it can’t think why!

Not fond generally of 19th century fiction with the exception of H G Wells, George Elliott and Henry James.

Also surprised nobody has mentioned theBeekeeper of Aleppo, another wonderful book

That's probably why it hasn't been mentioned dogsmother, because it is indeed a wonderful book. This thread is about terrible books

I used to persevere with books I wasn’t enjoying but don’t any more - why waste time on books you don’t like when there are so many wonderful books to enjoy? ?
It’s really interesting to see how subjective reading is. Like some others on here I think JK Rowling is totally overrated. I’ve tried Harry Potter and I ploughed through the first Cormoran Strike book as I enjoyed the TV series but found it long-winded and not particularly well-written. However I loved the Thursday Murder Club!
I’ve been a member of a book club for many years and don’t always like the choices (Jonathan Strange and Mr Norrell and My Brilliant Friend spring to mind) but I’ve also discovered many new authors whose books I probably wouldn’t have tried.
My biggest bugbear is badly written books - even if it’s a good story I can’t read it if the writing style, grammar etc is poor.

I'm glad it isn't just me who can't get on with The Thursday Murder Club.
And I find Jane Austen quite boring.
A favourite from years ago is Daphne Du Maurier and I'm trying to read them all again.

I know I shall be completely out of step with the majority but that Outlander series by Diana Gabaldon - a friend lent me them years ago.
The first one was ok but the one set in America was boring, repetitive and one of the most tedious books I've tried to read. I abandoned it halfway through and never revisited them.

Yes, I know, they are so popular, there is a TV series, everyone raves about wotisname so it must be me ?

The Ship of Brides I found really hard going but felt that I had to finish the voyage with them. Harrowing tale based on truth.

I love my kindle as you can get a free download, which you can then buy if you liked. Some kindle books start at 99p

Yes, I know, they are so popular, there is a TV series, everyone raves about wotisname so it must be me ?

No, it's not just you Callistemon. I read the first two books quite happily, but then it just all went downhill I'm afraid. And, OMG, the TV series, give me strength! Again, it started off OK, but by God did they drag it all out. There was so much ridiculous attention to minute detail it became mind numbingly tedious.

I have never really understood why it gets such rave reviews.