# Worst/Best Book You Have Read?



## koolmnbv (Mar 25, 2009)

Subject Basically says it all.

Whats the worst book you've read?
Whats the best book you've read?


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## NogDog (May 1, 2009)

Does a book you only started but never came close to finishing count as "worst," or does it have to be the worst book you ever _finished_ reading?


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## pidgeon92 (Oct 27, 2008)

One of the most _abysmal_ in recent memory was this one:



I read it several months ago, and I really think (despite what I have read to the contrary) the current movie The Orphan is based on this. This book was awful. It actually inspired me to review it on Amazon; I just couldn't believe all the five star reviews, and wanted to save people from making the same mistake I did.


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## marianneg (Nov 4, 2008)

Wow, it's hard to find the _very_ worst (or best)! Here's the worst book I've read lately (ie., on the Kindle):


I think the last 5-star book I read was:


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## Neekeebee (Jan 10, 2009)

would have to be the worst book I've read recently. (Apparently, according to the Amazon reviews least, a lot of people would disagree.) Luckily, it was a free Kindle book.

Best book? Probably the first two or three in George Martin's _A Song of Ice and Fire_ series. 

Ooops! And _Pride and Prejudice_. 

N


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## NogDog (May 1, 2009)

I think of anything I've read at all recently, this was the worst:

I won't say it was absolutely horrible, but between the complete failure to make me visualize the locations, the way virtually every character confrontation was too easily resolved, and some pretty weak science, I'm frankly amazed that I actually finished it. I'm pretty sure that if I thought really hard about it I could think of worse books I've read, but I've probably buried them somewhere in the least used file cabinets of my mind.

As far as best, that's difficult to say, as there are so many different criteria. If I go by number of times I've read a book, though, the hands-down winner is Roger Zelazny's first "Amber" series: _Nine Princes in Amber, The Guns of Avalon, Sign of the Unicorn, The Hand of Oberon,_ and _The Courts of Chaos_: original, beautifully written (as with all of his work), and deeply satisfying. Of the great classics, probably my favorite is Melville's _Moby Dick_. Of relatively recent books, I'd have to pick something from the Discworld, probably:


But ask me again tomorrow, and I'm sure I'll change my mind on many of these.


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## CS (Nov 3, 2008)

marianner said:


> Wow, it's hard to find the _very_ worst (or best)! Here's the worst book I've read lately (ie., on the Kindle):


I hope you at least got it when it was 25 cents.


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## Daisysmama (Nov 12, 2008)

Plutonium Murders: An Alex Seacourt Thriller: A Novel (Hardcover)
by Robert Charles Davis  
Robert Charles Davis (Author) 
› 

This was the WORSE book I have ever read....and I did read it almost to the end just to see how ridiculous it could get.  I think it was and indie publication that was the biggest waste of dt's ever.  Thank goodness it isn't available on Kindle!!!


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## Scheherazade (Apr 11, 2009)

Best book is hard but the worst book I've read in recent memory despite all its acclaim and awards lauded upon it was...



... conveniently linked for those of you who want to share in my misery. It was one of two novels I was made to read for my Craft of Fiction class among other short stories and one novel we were allowed to pick for ourselves. It was such a pain to get through, the characters are not likable at all and it was just really bad and really long.

This on the other hand was a really good book and I couldn't put it down...



So I will make this the best book I was forced to read in my Craft of Fiction class. It's an amazing story and told really well by Dave Eggers... and it has a Kindle edition too unlike the worst one above so it wins even more points. It made me look up more on Valentino and he really has had an amazing life. He's quite a good speaker to boot.


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## redshift1 (Jun 20, 2009)

Worst....... any book by James Rollins 

Best......... Blood Meridian by Cormac McCarthy


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## TSinGA (Jul 2, 2009)

The worst = A Salty Piece of Land by Jimmy Buffet.  I know somewhere someone likes this stuff... but not me.  What was I thinking?

Best...

Most recently, The Book Thief

but really too many to name.


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## koolmnbv (Mar 25, 2009)

NogDog said:


> Does a book you only started but never came close to finishing count as "worst," or does it have to be the worst book you ever _finished_ reading?


I say if its bad enough to quit you can still post it.


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## intinst (Dec 23, 2008)

The worst - Lord Jim, I have tried 5 times to make it through this book down the years. In the past, never made it more than three chapters before giving up,                            with the Kindle I made 5, but still could not keep me interested enough to finish .

The Best -  The Lord of the Rings, I have read it at least yeary (sometimes as much as 5 timein a year) ever since 1967.


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## marianneg (Nov 4, 2008)

CS said:


> I hope you at least got it when it was 25 cents.


Oh, of course!


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## worktolive (Feb 3, 2009)

This book was beyond awful. Absolutely the cheesiest, stupidest book I've ever read. By the end of the first chapter or so I just wanted to pitch it, but it was for my bookclub so I read to the bitter end. The worst thing about it is that it is so obviously fake, yet many people read this nonsense and actually believed that the author was writing a true story masquerading as fiction as opposed to a total hoax. 


As for the best, it's hard to choose because I've read so many great books over the years, but if I had to pick, I'd go with the Lord of the Rings. You just can't beat Tolkien. I actually tapered off and then stopped reading fantasy after that because nothing could ever match up.


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## bjazman (Aug 1, 2009)

Best:

the LOTR trilogy (plus the Hobbit)

Atlas Shrugged

the Last Catholic in America series (first one followed by "do black patent leather shoes really reflect up?" and "the unoriginal sinner and the ice cream god") by john powers.  Growing up Catholic in Chicago in the 60's.


worst- hard to say.  i've started many (mostly non-fiction) that i gave up on 

b


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## mackmom (May 22, 2009)

Apparently it's not a very popular opinion, but the worst book I ever read was Anna Karenina. I did read the entire book, although I wanted to poke my eyes out with a fork before I finished. I'm taking a big chance posting that here because in other forums I have been the target of a lot of "hate-posting" for stating that opinion. I was accused of being completely illiterate, as well. (Please be nice!   )

My favorites are LOTR trilogy and The Crystal Cave (and those following) by Mary Stewart. The latter isn't on Kindle so I click on it about every other day.


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## koolmnbv (Mar 25, 2009)

mackmom said:


> Apparently it's not a very popular opinion, but the worst book I ever read was Anna Karenina. I did read the entire book, although I wanted to poke my eyes out with a fork before I finished. I'm taking a big chance posting that here because in other forums I have been the target of a lot of "hate-posting" for stating that opinion. I was accused of being completely illiterate, as well. (Please be nice!  )
> 
> My favorites are LOTR trilogy and The Crystal Cave (and those following) by Mary Stewart. The latter isn't on Kindle so I click on it about every other day.


Everyone has an opinion. It is not wrong for you to state yours, especially when asked for it. Even if someone (or possible almost everyone) does not agree with you that still does not make their opinion right and your wrong.

I can't speak for everyone but I for one will not blast you for that and I can bet on most of the other members feeling the same.

Thanks for posting your opinions and welcome to KB!


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## worktolive (Feb 3, 2009)

mackmom said:


> My favorites are LOTR trilogy and The Crystal Cave (and those following) by Mary Stewart. The latter isn't on Kindle so I click on it about every other day.


Oh wow, The Crystal Cave - haven't thought about that series in years. I clicked on it for you!


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## mackmom (May 22, 2009)

koolmnbv, thanks for the welcome and the kind words! I don't really know what went wrong with Tolstoy and me, but it did go terribly wrong. I know it's a very beloved book by many and I was hoping to have the same experience with it.

worktolive, THANK YOU!! I first read The Crystal Cave in 1973 and they are still my favorites. I have recently had the pleasure of turning on some youngun's to the series who loved them as much as I do.


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## intinst (Dec 23, 2008)

mackmom said:


> Apparently it's not a very popular opinion, but the worst book I ever read was Anna Karenina. I did read the entire book, although I wanted to poke my eyes out with a fork before I finished. I'm taking a big chance posting that here because in other forums I have been the target of a lot of "hate-posting" for stating that opinion. I was accused of being completely illiterate, as well. (Please be nice!  )
> 
> My favorites are LOTR trilogy and The Crystal Cave (and those following) by Mary Stewart. The latter isn't on Kindle so I click on it about every other day.


Hey, I said Lord Jim was My worst and I have seen here where others list it as their favorite. That is why there are so many different author and books, everybody is different and likes a variity of things.


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## Leslie (Apr 7, 2008)

Of books that we are supposed to read that are supposed to be great, I couldn't stand *The Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man* by James Joyce; *The Great Gatsby* by F. Scott Fitzgerald; or *Great Expectations *by Charles Dickens. Plowing through those soured me on ever reading anything again by those authors (although I think I have read *A Christmas Carol *but I might be wrong--only have seen the movie). I also have no interest in going back and trying to re-read any of them to see if I like the now that I am an adult. Once was enough!

For modern books, I think we have dicussed *Isle of Dogs* by Patricia Cornwell. What a steaming pile of garbage. I actually threw it away in the trash. I wouldn't disgrace the library by passing it along.

L


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## Scheherazade (Apr 11, 2009)

Leslie said:


> I think I have read *A Christmas Carol *but I might be wrong--only have seen the movie). I also have no interest in going back and trying to re-read any of them to see if I like the now that I am an adult. Once was enough!


A Christmas Carol is all I feel like it's worth reading by Dickens personally. If you don't remember if you read it or not you should! It's short and really one of his more enjoyable books. The humor in it still surprises me whenever I pick it up for a quick read.


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## MikeD (Nov 5, 2008)

The worst is easy - "The Sound and the Fury" by William Faulkner.

The best is more difficult to choose from. Maybe LOTR, maybe "Island" by Aldous Huxley.


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## WalterK (Mar 2, 2009)

Best is difficult to say, but most engaging might be...



- Walter.


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## mlewis78 (Apr 19, 2009)

It's hard to pick a best, but since I just read them two years ago, I could pick the Harry Potter series in its entirety, with Deathly Hallows as the best of those.

Worst:  The Da Vinci Code, although I'm sure that there are worse books that I've completely forgotten about.


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## RaymondBenson (Aug 1, 2009)

For me it's impossible to name THE best and THE worst... it's easier to name a few titles.  I imagine that books I've read more than once would have to have been pretty darned good for me to re-read them:  all the Ian Fleming Bond novels, Richard Adams' "Maia", Ken Grimwood's "Replay", Tolkien's "The Lord of the Rings", Ruth Rendell's "A Judgement in Stone", Kingsley Amis' "Lucky Jim", Stephen King's "The Shining" all come to mind.  

For worst... well, there have been many I started and didn't finish, so I guess those would count... I must say there are a handful of authors who are "best sellers" and I can't fathom why they've reached that pinnacle.  

Raymond
www.raymondbenson.com


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## Ty Johnston (Jun 19, 2009)

Yep, I'm another reader who would have a difficult time name THE best and THE worst book I've ever read. Though I can list some bests and worsts.

*BESTS * (at least those off the top of my head)
In Cold Blood by Truman Capote, Education of a Wandering Man by Louis L'Amour, World War Z by Max Brooks, The Three Musketeers by Alexandre Dumas, The Stand by Stephen King, Moby Dick by Herman Melville

*WORSTS* (off the top of my head)
The Silmarillion by ole J.R.R., anything by Charles Dickens, The House of the Seven Gables by Nathaniel Hawthorne, Lisey's Story by Stephen King


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## mlewis78 (Apr 19, 2009)

darkbow said:


> Yep, I'm another reader who would have a difficult time name THE best and THE worst book I've ever read. Though I can list some bests and worsts.
> 
> *BESTS * (at least those off the top of my head)
> In Cold Blood by Truman Capote, Education of a Wandering Man by Louis L'Amour, World War Z by Max Brooks, The Three Musketeers by Alexandre Dumas, The Stand by Stephen King, Moby Dick by Herman Melville
> ...


Oh, I'd forgotten about In Cold Blood, which was a great read. See? I can't name a best. Too many great books.


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## 4Katie (Jun 27, 2009)

mlewis78 said:


> Worst: The Da Vinci Code, although I'm sure that there are worse books that I've completely forgotten about.


I'm so glad someone else said that. I actually thought it was a great book - until the end. After all the history, mystery and suspense, it just... ended. Like he ran out of paper and said, "Let's wrap this thing up!"

I don't think I've ever been so disappointed in a book.


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## Chloista (Jun 27, 2009)

I have to agree about "Lisey's Story" by Stephen King.  I forced myself to finish it -- depressing and not very good.  King is one of those authors who churns out a lot of books -- I would say 1/4 of them are good.


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## drenee (Nov 11, 2008)

Worst!! 
What was I thinking? It had some good parts, but not enough to make me want to finish it.

Best: That's just too hard to answer. 
deb


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## Kristena (Nov 18, 2008)

It's really hard to name the best book I've read since it depends on my phase in life.

HOWEVER! The worst book that pops right into my wretched brain is Tom Wolfe's The Bonfire of the Vanities

The Bonfire of the Vanities: A Novel

I did finish it only because my roommate (at the time!) said it was her most favorite book. Such blech. Plus, she's no longer my friend (the old roommate.)


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## Mikuto (Oct 30, 2008)

Chloista said:


> I have to agree about "Lisey's Story" by Stephen King. I forced myself to finish it -- depressing and not very good. King is one of those authors who churns out a lot of books -- I would say 1/4 of them are good.


I liked Lisey's Story, personally, but I can see why people didn't.

As for the worst book I've ever read? I'm not the type of person to dislike required reading, but A Separate Peace by John Knowles was the worst thing I ever had to slog through during school.



I can't choose bests on anything, but I will say that the best book I read RECENTLY was Garden Spells.


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## Chloista (Jun 27, 2009)

I loved "Bonfire of the Vanities" -- thought it a great satirical take on our culture and justice system back when it was written... and perhaps even now.

I like Tom Wolfe, though.  I recently ordered a book I haven't read in years by Wolfe:  "The Right Stuff."


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## threeundertwo (Jul 25, 2009)

I'm afraid a few of my worsts are other people's bests and vice versa.

Worst:  Beloved, Atlas Shrugged, Twilight, The Waves (by Virginia Woolf), Scarlett (sequel to Gone With The Wind)

Favorites:  Pride and Prejudice, Lord of the Rings, Gone With the Wind, A Christmas Carol, Great Expectations, Nicholas Nickelby. . .(I love Dickens)


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## koolmnbv (Mar 25, 2009)

threeundertwo said:


> I'm afraid a few of my worsts are other people's bests and vice versa.
> 
> Worst: Beloved, Atlas Shrugged, Twilight, The Waves (by Virginia Woolf), Scarlett (sequel to Gone With The Wind)
> 
> Favorites: Pride and Prejudice, Lord of the Rings, Gone With the Wind, A Christmas Carol, Great Expectations, Nicholas Nickelby. . .(I love Dickens)


I loved twilight and I didnt like Great expectations, but im with ya on most the other ones.


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## mlewis78 (Apr 19, 2009)

Ayn Rand (Atlas Shrugged) is so over-rated.  I read it many years ago.  Very easy page-turner.  It's quite manipulative and has been used to justify a certain brand of politics.


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## sjc (Oct 29, 2008)

I can't recall my worst:

Though I can say...I do NOT agree with many of Oprah's book picks.  She likes dark, depressing, deep material.  Her picks often include drugs, rape, abuse and incest.  Not for me.  Oh, I know a couple she picked and I didn't care for...White Oleander, A Thousand Acres.


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## mlewis78 (Apr 19, 2009)

I read A Thousand Acres before she recommended.  I've read a few of Jane Smiley's books.

There was another book that she recommended a long way back that I read, partly because the author had gone to my alma mater, UNC-G.  It was one of the most depressing things I'd ever read.  Can't remember what it was but it had a southern couple after the Civil War or later in 19th c. and all that they went through as they moved -- think it was from NC to SC.  I don't even remember if I finished it.  Probably did.  Some of her later book club picks were good though.  I like deep but sometimes depressing is not good for me.


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## mlewis78 (Apr 19, 2009)

The book was Gap Creek. Guess I could add that one to my "worsts".

http://www.oprah.com/article/oprahsbookclub/pastselections/obc_pb_20000118_about

Marti


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## mlewis78 (Apr 19, 2009)

One of Oprah's picks that I liked a lot was _*Poisonwood Bible*_.


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## sjc (Oct 29, 2008)

So, I'm not alone in not liking some of the Oprah picks.  I thought I was just an oddball.  Glad I've got company.


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## Ann in Arlington (Oct 27, 2008)

I've read several of Oprah's picksand I can't think of one I really liked.  There was one I began to read because it had gotten a lot of super rave reviews.  But, as I was reading, I just kept thinking, "what's the big deal; this is, at best, O.K.".  Then I heard that Oprah had been going on about how much she loved it, and I knew that there was no point in me going any farther with it.

At this point, if I see "Oprah pick" on a book, I pass right over it.  Just a matter of different tastes, I guess.


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## sjc (Oct 29, 2008)

Ann:  I always knew I liked you...now I know why...lol.


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## patrisha w. (Oct 28, 2008)

MikeD said:


> The worst is easy - "The Sound and the Fury" by William Faulkner.
> 
> The best is more difficult to choose from. Maybe LOTR, maybe "Island" by Aldous Huxley.


I went to college in Mississippi so you can imagine how much Faulkner *I* had to read! The only good thing I could say about Faulkner is that in the 60's, there were many people in Mississippi I ran across who were like the Snopeses!

Patrisha


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## Cowgirl (Nov 1, 2008)

sjc said:


> So, I'm not alone in not liking some of the Oprah picks. I thought I was just an oddball. Glad I've got company.


When Oprah started out with the book club I thought she made some great selections. Poisonwood Bible is probably my favorite book from the last 10 years. But she went through a dark period where all her book selections were dark and depressing. I agree with Marti that Gap Creek was one of her worse picks.
I'm not a Dickens fan with the exception of Great Expectations.


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## hackeynut (Dec 16, 2008)

Best:  5th in a series, but I started here. Just amazing.

 The worst ending in a book I loved. The book is so damn good you can forgive the abrupt and embarrassingly awful ending.

Worst:
 A book so awful it became my first Amazon review

 It is hard to explain the pure nightmare that is this awful book.


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## Carol Hanrahan (Mar 31, 2009)

It is hard to think of the worst book. I generally won't finish a book if I'm not liking it.
However, I do recall finishing this one and wondering why I wasted my time:



My all time favorite, because I've read it more times than any other book:



A couple other favorites: As I Lay Dying, by Faulkner and In Cold Blood, by Capote.


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## Selcien (Oct 31, 2008)

I'll limit myself to books on the Kindle since the vast majority of DTB's I have read were read over a decade ago, at the very least.

Best.

_The Secret Life of Bees
Blood and Chocolate
Distant Cousin: Repatriation_

Worst:

_Living Dead In Dallas
Private_


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## LauraB (Nov 23, 2008)

My worst of recent memory:
What ever happened to Anna K. ?


Spoiler



(She threw herself under a train, finially, thank Goodness)


 http://www.amazon.com/What-Happened-Anna-K-ebook/dp/B001BADGHM/ref=ed_oe_k

The Divinci Code

Best:
Travels with Charlie, Steinbeck http://www.amazon.com/Travels-Charley-Search-America/dp/B001BC6GN6/ref=ed_oe_k
The Count of Monte Cristo, Dumas

Road Dogs 

The Tourist 


Hemingway, Men Without Women


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## LauraB (Nov 23, 2008)

sjc said:


> A Thousand Acres.


Just and aside, A Thousand Acres is an attempt at an updated try at King Lear. Dark and Depressing.


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## Roy White (Jun 17, 2009)

Best. Does the Bible count? Its the best but not the most entertaining.... 

My best is The Lord of The Rings. (My DX's name is Tom Bombadil) And worst? 

Oh boy.. I've read alot of bad books I havent bothered finishing,,,, (And forgotten them...) TomClancy's Op center novels immediately jump to mind. Borrriinggg..... 

One of the worst i've read recently is Children of Hurin by J.R.R.... So he gets the prize for the best AND the worst.


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## DYB (Aug 8, 2009)

These are tough.  I'd say the worst book I read in some time is "The DaVinci Code."  I just couldn't believe how crappy Brown's writing was, how childish.  I'd expect better prose from a high school student!  The story itself has a promising concept - there are certainly important ideas in the book that deserve to be discussed.  But Brown ruins it all by essentially turning what should have been a philosophical and historical exploration of religion into pure fantasy.  It's simply preposterous.

The best - well, how can one even begin!  "Pride and Prejudice," "Howards End," "The House of Mirth," "All The Pretty Horses," "The English Patient," "The Count of Monte Cristo," the list goes on and on.


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## fancynancy (Aug 9, 2009)

I think my favorite book of all time has to be Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen.  Worst is a bit harder, as I rarely read bad books.


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## tommy jonq (Jul 28, 2009)

Let's clarify our terms a bit. James Joyce's "Ulysses" is everything it's cracked up to be [the "best" novel ever written in English], but if you're not familiar with the dialect and subject matter and about a billion pieces of trivia, then I can certainly see why you wouldn't "like" it. "The Lord of the Rings" is, quite frankly, a pretty terrible "novel," but it's definitely enjoyable, anyway. "The DaVinci Code" has got to be within 1 to 10 places of being the worst piece of garbage ever to pass itself off as a "book" (and I am not counting amateur fiction here, only the stuff peddled by the big-time houses) and yet someone, somewhere must have liked for some reason. So how can you say it's a completely "bad" book?

Having said all that, "Salem's Lot" by Stephen King is not only the best/second best/third best Vampire novel ever, it's a damned good novel, vampire or otherwise. "Some Came Running" by James Jones is 1200 plus pages, and I wish it were 3000. Or maybe 5000.

On the other hand, the all-time worst, and I mean worst in EVERY category you can possibly think of, book, has got to be "The Pilgrim's Progress" by John Bunyan. The only reason it deserves mentioning at all is because, not only was it a smash best-seller for over two hundred years, but also because of the monstrous impact it has had on our culture, including literature, down to this very day . The inane nonsense passing itself off as prose in this completely meritless tree-killer has permeated every aspect of Western "civilization," including the tendency of mass media to assume, as often as possible, that the average reader is dumb enough to like a book this retarded. Like, for example, The DaVinci Code-a book that has a LOT more in common with The P's P than you might think. It's one thing to insult the intelligence of the reader; it's another thing entirely to insult the intelligence of an otherwise useful pile of blank paper.

PS "The Great Gatsby" is the second-best novel.


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## Patra (Feb 24, 2009)

I don't know about worst _ever_ (I tend to try to put them out of my mind), but the worst lately was "The Grove."

The best ever was actually a trilogy: The Mark of the Lion series by Francine Rivers.


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## Roy White (Jun 17, 2009)

Pilgrims progress is a great book.


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## evpseeker (May 29, 2009)

One of the worst books I've ever "tried" to read was a freebie on Amazon...... Elric:The Stealer of Souls. I forced myself through 62 pages then gave up and deleted it.

I've read so many good books it's hard to pick one.


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## Paegan (Jul 20, 2009)

Worst I've read is _Atlas Shrugged_ . what a piece of pompous, egotistical drivel. _Angela's Ashes_ comes in a close second.

Best I've read lately .. _In the Spirit of Crazy Horse_ by Peter Matthiesen


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## Betsy the Quilter (Oct 27, 2008)

Aaah, I did like _Atlas Shrugged_ back in the day...must be ten years since I've read it though, and my first edition is SO BIG not sure I want to read it again.
_
To Kill a Mockingbird_ is my favorite book AND movie of all time.

I have a hard time picking a worst--if they're really bad I can't finish them, but I rarely don't finish a book. One was one of Oprah's picks that started out with some kid drowning in a river. Don't remember the name, but it was so depressing I never finished it.

Just finished _The Talbot Odyssey_ by Nelson DeMille, whom I normally like (beach read kind of stuff) but I thought it was not very good....I really couldn't recommend it.

There have been a couple of samples I've downloaded from Amazon that have made me profoundly grateful for the sample feature of the Kindle. 

Betsy


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## CeliaHayes (May 25, 2009)

Of the best books - too darned many to mention, but of the very, very worst book that I ever picked up - and gave up about halfway through 600 and some pages, was a godawful POD historical novel called "The Cobbler of Normandy" by Otto Berliner. I had committed to review it for one of the websites I contribute too, and I was too new and trusting about the reviewing game to check out a sample chapter on-line first, before committing to a review. _(I have since wised up - thank g-d for the "search inside" feature.)_ "Cobbler" purported to be about the French Underground, just before D-Day, and OMG, epic fail on every level - plot, characters, historical details, conversation ... the scenes of sexual encounters were, awful just cringe-making.
The pity was, it might have been a pretty nifty book, and the author had a fascinating background - but he couldn't write for s--t and paid no attention to his editors.

600 pages ... I packed it in when he described a sooper-seeecrit basement room insulated with Styrofoam. In Occupied France. In 1940.


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## Leslie (Apr 7, 2008)

CeliaHayes said:


> 600 pages ... I packed it in when he described a sooper-seeecrit basement room insulated with Styrofoam. In Occupied France. In 1940.


How about a double gay wedding. In a church. In England. In 1813. Argh!

That would be *Phyllida and the Brotherhood of Philander* by Ann Hereenden which is one of those books that was jaw-droppingly preposterous that I kept reading to see if the author would out-do herself and she did...over and over and over, right up to the end which was the aforementioned wedding. (Never mind that one of the grooms was already married...LOL).

L


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## akpak (Mar 5, 2009)

I had trouble coming up with a "worst" book... I tend to either forget bad books instantly, or never even finish them.

I finally settled on Wicked. Took me forever to get through that, I just... Didn't like it.

There are plenty of books that I don't think are up to their hype (Dan Brown comes to mind, Twilight et al also), but I tend to just enjoy them for what they are... Guilty pleasure pulp!


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## drenee (Nov 11, 2008)

I want to thank everyone who also dislikes Oprah's picks.  I, too, thought it was just me.  I read one of her picks, She's Come Undone, and threw it right into the trash.  It was years ago and I remember it as very dark and depressing.  I have felt that Oprah, or whoever makes her choices, is trying to make a statement rather than find a really good book to read.  
deb


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## jaybird123 (Mar 10, 2009)

Favorite book: Shogun, by James Clavell and I would put Lonesome Dove as a close second.  There are a bunch of others which I will add if there is a thread for a "top 50" list--which I'm sure a lot of people on this forum could fill easily. 

Worst book: The Bourne Supremacy by Robert Ludlum, I couldn't even finish it.


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## Aravis60 (Feb 18, 2009)

It would be hard to pick the best. There are so many books that I love, many of which have already been mentioned in this thread. But the worst is much easier. That would have to be A Clockwork Orange by Anthony Burgess. I had to read it in college and it just wasn't my thing at all.


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## imon32red (Jun 15, 2009)

DYB said:


> These are tough. I'd say the worst book I read in some time is "The DaVinci Code." I just couldn't believe how crappy Brown's writing was, how childish. I'd expect better prose from a high school student! The story itself has a promising concept - there are certainly important ideas in the book that deserve to be discussed. But Brown ruins it all by essentially turning what should have been a philosophical and historical exploration of religion into pure fantasy. It's simply preposterous.
> 
> The best - well, how can one even begin! "Pride and Prejudice," "Howards End," "The House of Mirth," "All The Pretty Horses," "The English Patient," "The Count of Monte Cristo," the list goes on and on.


It's funny how many people said that The DaVinci Code was the worst book. I thought it was ok but I actually liked Angels and Demons.

I have a long list of best books too.

Enders Game - Not Available on Kindle
Battlefield Earth - Not Available on Kindle
The Count of Monte Cristo


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## 1131 (Dec 18, 2008)

akjak said:


> I had trouble coming up with a "worst" book... I tend to either forget bad books instantly, or never even finish them.
> 
> I finally settled on Wicked. Took me forever to get through that, I just... Didn't like it.


I really did not enjoy Wicked either and I really wanted to like it.



imon32red said:


> It's funny how many people said that The DaVinci Code was the worst book. I thought it was ok but I actually liked Angels and Demons.
> 
> I have a long list of best books too.
> 
> ...


The Count of Monte Cristo! My favorite book.


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## geniebeanie (Apr 23, 2009)

Best the lord of the Rings by Tolken
Worst Wicked.  Boring and trite.


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## hackeynut (Dec 16, 2008)

imon32red said:


> It's funny how many people said that The DaVinci Code was the worst book. I thought it was ok but I actually liked Angels and Demons.


Agreed. I have to agree with everyone who said it si terribly written. But for me it was sort of like a good summer movie (of course the Da Vinci Code move was terrible...). It wasn't the highest quality book, but it was a quick read and fairly damned entertaining.


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## Roy White (Jun 17, 2009)

Ohhh. I wanna change mine now to Shogun also.... Interesting how much I liked Atlas Shrugged also. I guess I'm one of the only ones who liked that best seller.......


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## mlewis78 (Apr 19, 2009)

Roy White said:


> Ohhh. I wanna change mine now to Shogun also.... Interesting how much I liked Atlas Shrugged also. I guess I'm one of the only ones who liked that best seller.......


Atlas Shrugged has a big following, but I'm not one of its followers.


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## LauraB (Nov 23, 2008)

Roy White said:


> Ohhh. I wanna change mine now to Shogun also.... Interesting how much I liked Atlas Shrugged also. I guess I'm one of the only ones who liked that best seller.......


I liked Atlas Shrugged as well. I have a sweat shirt that I bought from Signals catalog that is black with white print and simply says "Who is John Galt?" across the front. I get two types of comments when I wear it. Either stangers walk up to me and say "so who is John Galt?", and I have to look at my chest (because that is where they are staring) to remember what shirt I wore  Or they say, OMG I loved that book! I've not had one person in 8 years say they dislike it. People around my town must be a polite bunch  .
I've never read Shogun.


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## Rhiathame (Mar 12, 2009)

Mikuto said:


> I liked Lisey's Story, personally, but I can see why people didn't.
> 
> As for the worst book I've ever read? I'm not the type of person to dislike required reading, but A Separate Peace by John Knowles was the worst thing I ever had to slog through during school.


I enjoyed A Separate Peace, it was actually one of the few books that I read on my own only to find it requred reading a few years later for a Lit class. I can see how it is not for everyone and I can honestly say that if I had been forced to read it rather than picking it up on my own I might have felt differently. I am not fond of being forced to read anything.


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## marianneg (Nov 4, 2008)

Well, it's not my worst book ever, but one that lots of other people love that I hated was _Watership Down_.


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## prairiesky (Aug 11, 2009)

My favorite book of all time:  Beach Music by Pat Conroy  {I love his writing so have enjoyed any book by him.

I've forgotten the books I didn't like.  All gone!


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## jrector (May 24, 2009)

I usually don't finish really bad books, but I'll sometimes finish bad books that are entertaining.  Example...  I just finished 'Darkly Dreaming Dexter' and liked it even though the writing was silly, the characters were all unlikeable, and the ending was a cheap literary gimmick.  Still, it kept me turning the pages right up to the end, but I doubt I'll read any of the others. 

The best book I've read in the past few months was Lonesome Dove.


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## Meemo (Oct 27, 2008)

drenee said:


> I want to thank everyone who also dislikes Oprah's picks. I, too, thought it was just me. I read one of her picks, She's Come Undone, and threw it right into the trash. It was years ago and I remember it as very dark and depressing. I have felt that Oprah, or whoever makes her choices, is trying to make a statement rather than find a really good book to read.
> deb


I don't read a lot of Oprah's picks, but I did read "She's Come Undone" and I really liked it. Part of it was how much of that era he brought back to me, little things that I remembered from my childhood. But yeah, it wasn't exactly the feel-good novel of the year. And "Edgar Sawtelle" - I liked a lot of it, but man, the ending just ticked me off. I kind of expected it since it was always being compared to Hamlet - but still, when I got there it made me mad. I liked "Deep End of the Ocean", which was, I think, her very first book club book. But it wasn't a light-hearted romp either.

I agree that some of her picks are supposed to be "deep" - I remember her talking with (I believe) Toni Morrison about how having to read a passage over & over to get the meaning. "That's why they call it 'reading'", Morrison intoned. Well, I'm sorry - I've come to appreciate writers who can convey their meaning with an economy of words, rather than having to come up with incredibly convoluted paragraphs that I have to decipher. One of my favorite authors is Robert B Parker - I love that he can convey so much in so few words.


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## Leslie (Apr 7, 2008)

Meemo said:


> I agree that some of her picks are supposed to be "deep" - I* remember her talking with (I believe) Toni Morrison about how having to read a passage over & over to get the meaning. "That's why they call it 'reading'", Morrison intoned.* Well, I'm sorry - I've come to appreciate writers who can convey their meaning with an economy of words, rather than having to come up with incredibly convoluted paragraphs that I have to decipher. One of my favorite authors is Robert B Parker - I love that he can convey so much in so few words.


No, that's why they call it plowing, and I don't plow through books anymore...LOL

L


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## mlewis78 (Apr 19, 2009)

I keep forgetting that I have Edgar Sawtelle, because I bought it in hardcover DTB and it's in a small bookcase that I don't really see (on other end of sofa).  Haven't read it yet.  I bought it before I knew I'd buy a kindle.


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## Roy White (Jun 17, 2009)

OHHH! Now I  gotta switch my favorite book again! Beach Music is it! (Until someone else posts the name of a book I love)


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## drenee (Nov 11, 2008)

Roy, I can relate to your post.  I often forget about books until someone brings them to my attention.  
deb


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## Leslie (Apr 7, 2008)

I love me an F review on Dear Author! They are always so funny.

http://dearauthor.com/wordpress/2009/08/20/review-one-one-three-by-sasha-james/

Here's the book:



Supposedly the author is someone "famous" who is trying (try is the operative word here) her hand at erotica. Not too successfully, it sounds like! LOL

L


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## Archer (Apr 25, 2009)

Oh, Leslie! 
THAT was funny! Thanks. I'm home with the flu today...and this just made me realize that things could be a LOT WORSE! I could be reading that dumb book! 

Thanks again. (snicker! snork!)

'Archer'


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## Leslie (Apr 7, 2008)

Because I am insatiably curious, I actually downloaded the sample of One + One = Three. I couldn't even get through the sample. I gave up at the 50% point. Yes, it was that bad. Ugh.

L


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## Christopher Meeks (Aug 2, 2009)

The "best" has to be "best recently" because I love so many. It is a tie because the two books are so different.

The first is _Water for Elephants_ by Sara Gruen: 

It's not available for Kindle, but that may be because there are photographs in it. It's an amazing story of a veterinary student who, after his parents die, leaves college and joins a circus where he falls in unrequited love. He runs into problems because the object of his love is the wife of his sometimes violent boss. I loved the story so much, I used it in my college English class, and kids who had hated books all through high school became excited--they didn't know novels could be so interesting. Most of the class read ahead--a nice twist for an instructor in an English class.

My other new favorite is _The Scarecrow_ by Michael Connelly: 

I'm not a mystery fanatic, but Connelly's stories are rich in character, and I never figure the answers out in advance. Because I'm writing a mystery now, I've been reading a lot of mysteries, and Connelly is the best because his themes are so dark and rich. I'd compare him to Raymond Chandler, but Connelly doesn't use amazing similes ever, and humor is rare--but he's always gripping and has a sense of human behavior that's fascinating. He's my standard. I like Robert Crais's work, too, which has a lot of humor, great similies, and always compelling story lines, but sometimes he crosses the line into silliness. Still, I'm reading a lot of his stuff, too. I don't know why the Kindle List Maker isn't working well now, but _The Scarecrow _ is available for Kindle at http://www.amazon.com/The-Scarecrow/dp/B0029KHTA8

As for worst, I always stop if a book is too bad. I have too many other books I want to read.


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## Chloista (Jun 27, 2009)

I also recommend "Water for Elephants" -- terrific story.


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## Mikuto (Oct 30, 2008)

Rhiathame said:


> I enjoyed A Separate Peace, it was actually one of the few books that I read on my own only to find it requred reading a few years later for a Lit class. I can see how it is not for everyone and I can honestly say that if I had been forced to read it rather than picking it up on my own I might have felt differently. I am not fond of being forced to read anything.


I didn't find the story compelling, and they killed off the only character I found worth reading about. Probably better to re-read now that I'm an adult, but it was the only book I can ever recall really, really hating.


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## ginaf20697 (Jan 31, 2009)

The worst is The Historian. I hate that book so much it pisses me off just thinking about it. I kept reading and reading and reading hoping it would get better and not only did it not get better but the ending was godawful. I would've thrown it if it didn't weigh 5 pounds.


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## Ann in Arlington (Oct 27, 2008)

See, and I kind of liked _The Historian_. Not perfect, and not my favorite, but I liked it well enough that I would probably try something else by the same author.

Just goes to show that everyone likes different things. . . . .


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## Jen (Oct 28, 2008)

I second, third and fourth my worst as Wicked.  My friends talked me into going to the musical, so I decided to read the book first.  Hated the book.  ABSOLUTELY hated the musical.  If you've done both, you'll know that the two are nothing alike.  I can say the musical is barely loosely based on the book.  
Best of all time is a little hard, but I'd say my favorite book in the last few years was Pillars of the Earth.  Loved it, and that sent me into the historical fiction genre that I've discovered I love.


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## askenase13 (Mar 1, 2009)

Battlefield Earth is available on the Kindle. (I read it years ago and enjoyed it). It is VERY long. http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_ss?url=search-alias%3Ddigital-text&field-keywords=battlefield+earth


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## stitchbug (Sep 14, 2009)

Ah, my heart hurts just hearing someone didn't like The Great Gatsby! It's one of my favorites!
I actually loved every single book that was required reading in HS and college.

I can't really say what hte worst is....maybe I block them from my memory! LOL


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## MariaESchneider (Aug 1, 2009)

Oh, I enjoyed reading through this thread...

Okay, worst book I can ever remember reading was one I actually listened to on audio:  The Best American Mystery Stories edited by Otto Penzler.   These come out every year or so.  I think the year was 2000, but it might have been 1999.  (we had two different sets and both were just AWFUL.) All I know is that every single story was depressing or weird or just plain boring.  Some were so confusing they weren't even stories.   I was so dismayed that I will never read from that series again.  Ever.  I am not kidding.  Just awful stories.  There was one by Donald Westlake that was tolerably decent, but even that one was weird.   We were in a car driving and felt compelled to keep trying for an entertaining story.  There was one very long one that went on and on and on.  We finally turned it off.  We didn't care if the characters lived or died, but we knew it was bad when we were just hoping that someone would put a bullet through the main character (or the narrator) or whoever--just to end the da** thing.  


Best is probably still my tried and true favorite:  Patrica Briggs "When Demons Walk"   Just an all-around good, entertaining novel with all the right elements (for me)!


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## Betsy the Quilter (Oct 27, 2008)

stitchbug said:


> I actually loved every single book that was required reading in HS and college.


I guess I should have read some of the required reading... 

Betsy


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## vikingwarrior22 (May 25, 2009)

Worst one: One of Steven Kings books from the mid 90s... The best in the past few years Tempo Rubato by Brendan Carroll


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## 911jason (Aug 17, 2009)

Hmmm...

*Best* is a tie between:



















I had a hard time picking which Lee Child novel to put in that tie, because really all of them are top notch thrillers. I guess I could say the same about W.E.B. Griffin, he can do no wrong as far as I'm concerned.

*Worst*:











I'm sure I've read worse, but this is the most recent really bad book I've read...

_--- fixed links_


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## JosieGirl71 (Sep 15, 2009)

Worst that I can remember is _White Oleander_. And I read the whole thing thinking, "It has to get better, right?" Nope. I also started _Deep End of the Ocean_ many years ago and did not like the way it was written. I might give it another chance now though.

There is no way to choose just one book as the best. And like others here, I'm sure I can keep adding to my best list the more I think about it (or the more I read this forum). Some of the books I have enjoyed the most are: _To Kill a Mockingbird_, _The Lovely Bones_, _My Sister's Keeper_, _The Diary of Mattie Spenser_, _Twilight_ series, _Harry Potter_ series...

P.S. I'm adding _Water for Elephants_ to my wish list.


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## Chloista (Jun 27, 2009)

The worst book I've read in a LONG time is "God Ain't Blind."  What a total waste of time.  Yet (much to my chagrin), I finished it because I'd put it on the Kindle.

Imagine soap opera at its worst.

Imagine trite situations.

Imagine foul language and grossness.

And to think a reading guide accompanied this awful book.

Yuck.

(Gee... should I stop mincing words and say what I really think??   )


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## worktolive (Feb 3, 2009)

Chloista said:


> The worst book I've read in a LONG time is "God Ain't Blind." What a total waste of time.


Yeah, I picked this one up because it was free, but about 20 pages into it, I stopped and realized that there was no way I wanted to waste any more time on it.


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## daveconifer (Oct 20, 2009)

WalterK said:


> Best is difficult to say, but most engaging might be...
> 
> 
> 
> - Walter.


Wow, I haven't thought about that since college in the mid-eighties. Great book although I'm not smart enough to really get it...


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## geniebeanie (Apr 23, 2009)

The worst was My Story by Sarah The Duchess of York  Very boring.
The best is a tie between the Hobbit and the three Lord of the Rings by JRR Tolken.


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## LaRita (Oct 28, 2008)

One of the best books I've ever read is And Ladies of the Club by Helen Hooven Santmyer. It's the story of two friends in a small Ohio town from just after the Civil War up to the 1930's. It's one I've read over and over, and I'm sorry it's not yet available for Kindle.

The worst? The one mentioned above (God Ain't Blind) is certainly among them.


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## Leslie (Apr 7, 2008)

I've read two really, really bad samples in recent weeks:





















This makes me glad I can get samples on my Kindle and not end up wasting my money on really awful books.

L


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## Jeff (Oct 28, 2008)

There have been other threads similar to this in the past, but this one is the most interesting and enlightening to me. It really was surprising to see how many of some poster's _best_ picks are other poster's _worst_.

_The Winds of War_ is probably my favorite book but perhaps not the best written:









As far as the worst book is concerned, I've decided recently that there is no such thing as a bad book, there are just some that don't suit my taste. There's almost always some redeeming element in every book I read. Books are wonderful things. I often think about how lucky we all are to have such unrestricted access to so many.


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## Debra Purdy Kong (Apr 1, 2009)

I've been mulling over my picks as I've read all the posts. The variety of opinions over the same book is really interesting. Anyhow, I can't name a book I hate because I tend to forget plots and titles of bad books. But I will say that I read one Danielle Steele book and couldn't stand it. I've also read one Thomas Hardy and didn't like him either. (Can't believe I named both authors in the same sentence. )

Anyhow, for the record, I liked Atlas Shrugged a lot back when I read it 20+ years ago. Don't know if I'd like it today. I've never read The Da Vinci Code and probably never will.

Best books for me would be To Kill a Mocking Bird, Pride and Prejudice, The Stone Angel by Margaret Laurence, Beloved by Toni Morrison, and any of Tony Hillerman's Jim Chee/Joe Leaphorn series.

Debra


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## LisaW. (Jun 1, 2009)

Off the top of my head, I'd have to say my favorite books are:
Graceling by Kristin Cashore and The Alleluia Files by Sharon Shinn

The two worst books I ever read (or began to read) are:
Like a Knife by Annie Soloman - This has good reviews at Amazon, but to me the entire dialogue between the hero and the heroine consisted of _My life was horrible because..., My life was more horrible because..., Oh, but my life was even worse because..._ This was a debut novel, and I usually give authors a second shot, but I never got around to reading any more books by this author.

Hounding the Pavement by Judi McCoy - This one also has mostly good reviews at Amazon, but before the 10th page, I had a 'What the heck' moment that I just couldn't get past. The sad thing is that in those few pages, I thought I knew what would happen at the end of the novel and what would happen between books one and two... and I was right. I jumped to the end, and then skimmed the sample of the next book... and sure enough, everything I thought would happen, did happen.


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## Chloista (Jun 27, 2009)

LaRita said:


> One of the best books I've ever read is And Ladies of the Club by Helen Hooven Santmyer. It's the story of two friends in a small Ohio town from just after the Civil War up to the 1930's. It's one I've read over and over, and I'm sorry it's not yet available for Kindle.
> 
> The worst? The one mentioned above (God Ain't Blind) is certainly among them.


Wow! "And Ladies of the Club" is a book you seldom hear mentioned as a favorite. Yet, I absolutely love that book, and have read it a few times. In fact, even though it isn't Kindled, I still have my paperback and now may read it yet again!


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