Books that everyone likes except you?

I cannot get through anything with animals. Wind in the Willows, Tarka the Otter, White Fang to name but a few. As for Gerald Durrell - so tedious. I remember having to drag a bright dyslexic student through one of his. He hated it too but he wrote a, from the heart, response to the question on the exam paper, arguing that he should not be forced to study a book that he loathed just because a teacher chose it from a list. He did give reasons for hating it and must have had a sympathetic marker because he did pass (just!). I admired him for his bravery. I would have just jumped through the required hoops and I did, so I barely remember the books I had to study during my education.

Where the Crawdads Sing, The Time Traveller’s Wife, any of Richard Osman’s or Hilary Mantel’s books-it’s not that I haven’t tried them, just I either don’t like the style or I can’t get into them.
I often wonder how all these celebs have suddenly turned into authors. The only ones I remember I have ever stuck with are Alan Titchmarsh and Celia Imrie.

I really didn’t like Heart of Darkness - only persevered with it because it was one of the 12 (IIRC) I had to read for an OU course on the 19thC novel. Thank goodness I never needed to write an essay on it though. At least it’s short.

Another was Madame Bovary, which I did quite like, but now, when driving through France on the way to BiL’s place through a lot of rural villages and small towns - so often with all the shutters closed and nobody to be seen - I imagine Madame Bovary behind one of those doors, , quietly going out of her mind with boredom and frustration!

I’m an awkward so and so when it comes to books (and films). If everyone is reading something, I keep away from it.
I like to think I have discovered a book just for me and no one else knows about it. This means I read a lot of forgotten writers, as in the lovely Persephone editions.
When the fandom dies down, I sometimes read the extolled book or see the popular film and enjoy it, but that’s my quirk.

Yes hard going Heart of Darkness Witzend but I loved Bovary. Can’t stand magic realism, Philip Pullman, Angela Carter et al.
The classics are hard to beat on the whole.

I recall several years ago that everyone I chatted to was raving about a book by Alexander McCall Smith - hope my spelling is not wrong - and bought it was soon as i returned from holiday. What a disappointment!! To me, there was no real content to thee stories. As far as I remember, I didn't even finish the book. Never tried another by the same author.

Thought I was the only person who didn't like Hilary Mantell. Don't like Richard Osman's books either. But loved "Where the Crawdads Sing" and also "We need to talk about Kevin"

LilyoftheValley

I recall several years ago that everyone I chatted to was raving about a book by Alexander McCall Smith - hope my spelling is not wrong - and bought it was soon as i returned from holiday. What a disappointment!! To me, there was no real content to thee stories. As far as I remember, I didn't even finish the book. Never tried another by the same author.

I do agree about his books, I have read three of them, and they are very much the same.
The Joseph Conrad book too I agree on, such hard going!
I also do not like books by Joanne Trollope or all the popular books with titles such as ‘The little candy shop by the sea’ .
I did try the Harry Potter books, but they really are written for children, I do know adults who think them wonderful reading though.

I must be out of step with a lot of people on here, because I absolutely loved all of Tolkein's books. I read Lord of the Rings at a very young age and have loved it ever since. I've never NOT finished a book - even if I've picked up one I'm not particularly enjoyed, I have a compulsion to read it right to the bitter end. I wasn't a fan of Gone Girl or Girl on the Train though, or Time Traveller's Wife and yes, I gave into the hype and read 50 Shades, but couldn't get over how poorly written it was.