Book lovers discussion

Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell makes my list. Any book that has 3 page footnotes should have both the editor & the author stuck in the stocks for a day or two.

Wicked... too drawn out and the author drags his feet IMO. Great idea, but most of what he wrote was drab and I got the impression he was avoiding making a point because it just might make the novel short. I ditched this novel about 3/4 into it, yes, yes... poor wicked witch, so abused and misunderstood, blah, blah, blah. L. Frank Baum did it best, you still die, and I still don't care.

The Snowman's Children, another slothful tale that was hard to drive though. The story is literally all narrative, and he doesn't give you much to attach yourself to any of the characters. I can't really put my finger on it, I really wanted to like the story. Maybe it was the every other chapter flashback? Either way, this novel didn't float my boat at all.

How could I have forgotten Skin Trade by Laurell K. Hamilton?!!! A once wonderful author who descended into the depths of sexual depravity & didn't even have the decency to be interesting about it. Instead, she managed to bore me while writing about kinky sex! Very bad, indeed.

Jim wrote: "How could I have forgotten Skin Trade by Laurell K. Hamilton?!!! A once wonderful author who descended into the depths of sexual depravity & didn't even have the decen..."

YIKES!!!!
Bored not even outraged,that istruly BAD!

I made a mistake. It was Blood Noir that I hated so badly that I wouldn't buy "Skin Trade" although I'm hearing it was better.

Porn doesn't outrage me. It's fiction, after all - entertainment of my choice. Only 'factual' writing that isn't can cause outrage. I've read text books that were more interesting than Hamilton's sex scenes, though. That truly is bad.

I repeat YIKES!!!!
Textbooks better than sex scenes?you are right that truly is BAD!

It's a book that I probably really should have loved (being a literature student), but I couldn't stand Heart of Darkness (Conrad). Thank god it was so short though, because I don't think I could have endured much more. I know it's a book that's meant to be one of the greats of literature, and I usually agree with those lists of 100 books everyone should read etc, but unfortunately Heart of Darkness REALLY didn't do it for me...

Harriet, all I have to say is "the horror! the horror!" I felt exactly the same way! :)

I absolutely hated The Tuesday Erotica Club by Lisa Beth Kovetz. I couldn't even bare to pass that one on to anyone. (Goodwill got it.)

Elyssa wrote: "I absolutely hated The Tuesday Erotica Club by Lisa Beth Kovetz. I couldn't even bare to pass that one on to anyone. (Goodwill got it.)"

EEeeK!

Eyes Like Stars. Totally hard to follow, way too many plots in one book, no explanations what so ever...it was like the writer took ten different stories and smooshed them all together using scotch tape. Apparently there is a to be a sequel...which I plan to skip.

Also, Wicked. Too many plot lines were simply dropped, the explanations for certain events were weak and some of the characters were baseless...

Sadie wrote: "Harriet, all I have to say is "the horror! the horror!" I felt exactly the same way! :)"

The horror indeed! I really wanted to like it as well... Shame.

Jessica wrote: "Eyes Like Stars. Totally hard to follow, way too many plots in one book, no explanations what so ever...it was like the writer took ten different stories and smooshed them all together using scotch..."

Good to see I'm not the only one who didn't like EYES LIKE STARS!!

Melodie wrote: "Jessica wrote: "Eyes Like Stars. Totally hard to follow, way too many plots in one book, no explanations what so ever...it was like the writer took ten different stories and smooshed them all toget..."

Yeah, it was really hard to follow and all over the place. I realyl didn't get attached to any of the characters at all and still don't understand the point of the story. :\

Twilight, New Moon, Dawn are the books I hated because Stephanine Meyer broke the rules about vampires. Why can't the vampire kids just take night classes instead of changing the entire vampires only sparkle in the daytime thing so the handsome/beautiful vampires teenagers doesn't wind up shrieking, smoking and melting whenever a window shade is drawn up on a noon day?

Patrick wrote: "Twilight, New Moon, Dawn are the books I hated because Stephanine Meyer broke the rules about vampires. Why can't the vampire kids just take night classes instead of changing the entire vampires on..."

I really didn't mind a different take on vampires in those books. Seems everyone takes a liberty or 2 any more when it comes to vamps!

His Dark Materials by Philip Pullman and Da Vinci Code were really terrible. The former definitely works on a great idea with animal daèmons (companions) but burns itself out after the first 100 pages but Da Vinci Code I couldn't stand, unfortunately -compulsive disorder- I had to haul my ass all the way to the end as I can't stand an unfinished book! Which makes me hate these books even more!

I hated Neverwhere A Novel. I finished it cause I feel like I have to finish one once I start but this one I just punished myself by sticking with it.

King wrote: "but Da Vinci Code I couldn't stand, unfortunately -compulsive disorder- I had to haul my ass all the way to the end as I can't stand an unfinished book! ..."

haha me either! even as i'm weeping for it to stop i'll grit my teeth and slug through to the end, at the very least to find out how things are wrapped up.

Running with Scissors. Absolutely despised it! Couldn't even finish.

The Red Pony was forced on me several times during my school years. I managed to never read it through, but hated it so much that it turned me off of all John Steinbeck's books for years. Until my son turned me on to Of Mice and Men. I read it & loved it. Then I went on to read several more of his books & liked them. I've never tried reading the "Red Pony" again. I probably should.

Eat, Pray, Love
The Heart Is a Lonely Hunter
and I just could not stick with
The Poisonwood Bible

City of Bones

No redeeming qualities... I hate not finishing a book and I left this one after about 100 pages.

Shelli wrote: "Eat, Pray, Love
The Heart Is a Lonely Hunter
and I just could not stick with
The Poisonwood Bible"

WHAT!??!! Shelli, you didn't like EPL? I'm shocked! Stunned! I am just beside myself. WHY have you kept this news such a secret?!

Hahaha .. hohoho ... geez I crack myself up.

In case you were wondering, it's a very slow day at work for me...

Kaliki, Shelli is going to give Elizabeth Gilbert another chance with Committed: A Skeptic Makes Peace with Marriage -- LOL *ducking to avoid a book that Shelli throws at me**

ROTFL!!

Oh sorry! Where have I been during all this fun....at school conferences!!!!Did you say I can throw Liz's new book at someone???? Yipee....I'm in!!!!
Melissa....I know your surprised....I think I've posted on all my current clubs, so I'll have to join some new ones just to express my feelings!!! It just seems such a shame to waste a chance of ripping on that book!!!!

~♡Katie♡~ wrote: "Jessica wrote: "City of Bones

No redeeming qualities... I hate not finishing a book and I left this one after about 100 pages."

really? i loved this book its one of my all time ..."

I liked this book too!

Shellie it's me you can throw the book at ... **ducking** hee hee missed again! Yeah, we were wondering why you weren't chiming in at that, right Kaliki?

I was a little worried, yes. But then I thought maybe she was so absorbed in Committed that she couldn't put it down to get on goodreads. :D

(I am ducking now too!)

Kaliki wrote: "I was a little worried, yes. But then I thought maybe she was so absorbed in Committed that she couldn't put it down to get on goodreads. :D

(I am ducking now too!)"

Hysterical!! **WHOOSH***

Really couldn't get into IT and The Andromeda Strain, generally a book has to be incredibly bad for me to give up on it because I hate not finishing something. IT was way too long to grind through and Andromeda Strain was so dull I actually fell asleep reading it.

The most recent was The Lovely Bones. Not that i hated it, but i just couldnt see what all the fuss was about.

I'm with you Yasmin, I didn't get the hype either. It was ok, but nothing great.

I've found that I don't like to read books during their "hype" period. I always expect so much and then get disappointed. If I wait...I usually enjoy it more.

I must confess it is the same for me....:-)

My family & I have often discussed that about hyped movies & books. We're almost always disappointed. Do we get our hopes up too high, so that nothing can measure up? Or is what 'everyone' loves just not for us?

I just think that a lot of people will say they love a book when it comes out as part of the sheep mentality....As they do not wish to be the first dissenters.....

I'm not sure, but I know personally, when I read something really good and don't expect a lot..it's a great feeling!!!!

i know...its one thing to find a book to not quite be the new biblical sending you were expecting, but i was disappointed in Bones. i so wanted it to be as good as it promised. the idea of it was interesting, the execution somewhat lacking...:(

I'm with Shelli! I couldn't stand Eat, Pray, Love. And I found The Poisonwood Bible incredibly boring... I also severely disliked Annie Dillard's Living By Fiction

I won't bother with that one then Jen!!

I read all of the Twilight books and hated them - I put the last book down and was so dissapointed, I was really over it by the end of the second book but I had them all and they were easy to read.

The hatred has just built up over time! I think they send such a terrible message to girls (but I don't want to get into a rant). In terms of story everything was just too perfect for Bella - I hated how she turned and didn't even get the blood lust, that could have been really exciting but no, she just gets the eternal beauty and boyfriend.

This ended up longer than I had intended...

*didn't hate this book, just very disappointing and wanted to do a little vent/soapbox action.

Finished up Mr. Shivers, great idea, but IMO the pacing was slow and the first half of the book was repetitive and lacked any character development. The latter half of this book did make up some ground where the first half failed, but not enough to overcome my disappointment about the wasted time I spend reading things that didn't really matter to the story. This novel would be much better if it was chopped in half to novella size, given a shot of better character development during the first half. I think the author shows some promise, but needs to work on some key area's before publishing another one.

I really dislike Jane Austen - and I remember having to read William Golding's The Spire at school and hating it!
(I know I'm not going to be very popular for not liking Jane Austen!)

Liz wrote: "I read all of the Twilight books and hated them - I put the last book down and was so dissapointed, I was really over it by the end of the second book but I had them all and they were easy to read...."

I read the first & barely finished it. I didn't think much of Meyers as a writer. Each additional reference to Edward's pale, hard chest had me close to screaming. When I pictured him, that's all I saw - a pale, flat chest. Yuck! My daughter went on to read the next 3 books, although I don't know why. Like you, she didn't like them. I figured life was too short & avoided them.

How's this for sacrilege: I can't read Dickens. I think that his stories are great, but it's the physical writing which I just can't penetrate, it is so forced, labored, convoluted and filled with superfluous characters and scenes. Have you ever had a conversation with someone who can't help but digress and digress and digress from their original topic that you forget what it was? Well, that's how Dickens writes. Great, long passages of details about a character who will appear and then never been mentioned again in the narrative. I can't stand that. Some LOVE that; this I understand. I'm just not one of them. I like a nice lean, tight story. So, as far as Dickens goes, I'll wait for the movie.

Ivan, I agree with you. Dickens was paid by the word & wrote like it, IMO.

I really couldn't get on with The Dirty Havana Trilogy. I read about six chapters and just put it on a high shelf (out of the way of the children!!!). The author's (whose name escapes me) absolutely MORBID obsession with sex and sexuality was quite depressing. In a word GRUBBY!