# Which books are you embarrassed to hate?



## emapocalyptic (Apr 21, 2010)

An interesting thread about not liking Wuthering Heights has made me wonder which books you guys hate, and don't usually admit to hating.

I'm currently experiencing this with 'The Time Traveller's Wife' - it feels like I am the only person on the planet that just couldn't stick it out. I could rant about it, but I won't, suffice to say I couldn't stand it. 

So, anyone want to confess with me?


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## padowd (Jan 14, 2010)

I was wondering about that book. We saw the movie a few nights ago and really liked it and I wondered if the book would be as good or better.


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## austenfiend (Nov 17, 2009)

J. D. Robb _In Death_ series. I love all her books written as Nora Roberts, but I really don't care for these books at all. Everyone else just raves, so I've been embarrassed to say I didn't like these. I even tried to read a few of them again recently. Nope, still don't like them.


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## imon32red (Jun 15, 2009)

I don't really get embarrassed by not liking a book.  If other people think a book is wonderful and they feel the need to tell me about it, I don't mind telling them why I hate it.

One that comes to mind is the last book in the Harry Potter series.  It was terrible, slow, and boring.  In fact the great wizard Harry Potter wasn't great at all with magic.  He always took a backseat to Hermione.  I thought it was a poor ending to the series.


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## vickir (Jan 14, 2009)

I've decided not to be embarrassed by not liking a book. As my late mother always said, if everyone else didn't prefer chocolate ice cream, there might not be enough French vanilla for her.


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## dollcrazy (Jan 12, 2009)

vickir said:


> I've decided not to be embarrassed by not liking a book. As my late mother always said, if everyone else didn't prefer chocolate ice cream, there might not be enough French vanilla for her.


I love it!


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## Geemont (Nov 18, 2008)

I'm not at all embarrassed to say this, but I didn't like the Harry Potter books all that much.  The first was an entertaining, light-weight novel.  I don't have kids and generally don't like stories about kids, but it was OK.  The second and third weren't as good as the first, but readable enough.  The forth and fifth didn't hold together and had a bad case of the sequel slumps.  I didn't bother with the last two books.


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## NogDog (May 1, 2009)

I cannot recall ever feeling embarrassed about not liking a book (and I can be a tough critic to please at times  ). Perhaps I'm just too egotistical to ever worry about having better tastes than the general masses?     Or perhaps more seriously, my world view is likely not "average" -- whatever that is -- and I know my priorities and preferences for what makes a good book do not necessarily jibe with those of many others.


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## William Meikle (Apr 19, 2010)

>Which books are you embarrassed to hate?

None. Why should I be embarrassed about my opinion? It's as valid as that of anyone else.


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## Meemo (Oct 27, 2008)

I'm not particularly embarrassed about it, but one book that "everyone seemed to love" but I just didn't enjoy was "The Bridges of Madison County".  I finished it, but I just didn't get why it was such a sensation.  (And it was one of those rare cases where I thought the movie was much better.)

I'm another who never got through all the Harry Potter books - I think I read the first two and that was enough for me.  My (grown) daughters both loved them - me, I waited for the movies.


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## scottnicholson (Jan 31, 2010)

Not embarrassed, but I think Moby Dick and As I Lay Dying have probably killed off more potential lifelong readers than any two books in the English language.

Scott


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## intinst (Dec 23, 2008)

Lord Jim is the book that I have found impossible to read and therefore also impossible to stand. Many people love it, but I will never be a convert.


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## NogDog (May 1, 2009)

scottnicholson said:


> Not embarrassed, but I think Moby Dick and As I Lay Dying have probably killed off more potential lifelong readers than any two books in the English language.
> 
> Scott





intinst said:


> Lord Jim is the book that I have found impossible to read and therefore also impossible to stand. Many people love it, but I will never be a convert.


And I quite liked both _Moby Dick_ and _Lord Jim_ (though I'm totally unfamiliar with _As I Lay Dying_). _Vive la difference!_


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## Susan in VA (Apr 3, 2009)

vickir said:


> I've decided not to be embarrassed by not liking a book. As my late mother always said, if everyone else didn't prefer chocolate ice cream, there might not be enough French vanilla for her.


A wise woman!


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## ayuryogini (Jan 3, 2010)

Meemo said:


> I'm not particularly embarrassed about it, but one book that "everyone seemed to love" but I just didn't enjoy was "The Bridges of Madison County". I finished it, but I just didn't get why it was such a sensation.


Me, too. I not only disliked it, but it made me angry, and not much makes me angry (not even waiting for 2.5 or the Guardian )

BTW, My daughter and I both loved Time Traveller's Wife, much more than the movie.
As nogdog said,_ Vive la difference!_ (je les adore!)


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## marianneg (Nov 4, 2008)

Some that I really didn't like that I know others love are _Watership Down_, _Catcher in the Rye_, _A Tale of Two Cities_, and _The Great Gatsby_. I do sometimes wonder if I should give any of them another try as an adult, but I'm not embarrassed about it.


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## davelitt68 (May 26, 2010)

I am not embarassed about it but I didn't like "Lovely Bones"


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## sherylb (Oct 27, 2008)

Not embarrassed, just didn't like Twilight. Ugh!


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## Margaret (Jan 1, 2010)

I usually don't have a problem with letting it be known that I don't like something. _Lord Jim_, _Moby Dick_, and anything by either Thomas Hardy or James Joyce are all books that I have disliked in a very vocal manner. However, I must admit that I am often reluctant to confess that I also don't like anything written by Nicholas Sparks. I have no problem with most tear jerker or romantic type books, and I am not a hard hearted person, but I just can't get into Sparks' stories. There - I've said it! (Just don't tell anybody my real name.)

P.S. I just noticed the Nicholas Sparks thread below for the first time. I guess I am not alone.


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## David McAfee (Apr 15, 2010)

I couldn't get into LORD OF THE FLIES at all. I tried, I really did, it being a classic and all. 

But nope. Not for me. I started reading it six years ago and it remains unfinished to this day.


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## Addie (Jun 10, 2009)

marianner said:


> Some that I really didn't like that I know others love are _Watership Down_, _Catcher in the Rye_, _A Tale of Two Cities_, and _The Great Gatsby_. I do sometimes wonder if I should give any of them another try as an adult, but I'm not embarrassed about it.


*gasp* I loved _Watership Down_. Although, I think that may have had a lot to do with the fact that I had a bunny when I read the book and so was in this massive loving-all-things-bunny phase. 

I don't get _Catcher in the Rye_ at all. I don't know why it's considered a great work. I think the writing is different and interesting but not groundbreaking. I also extremely disliked _The Great Gatsb_y (both movie and book), _The Scarlet Letter_ and _Profiles in Courage_. I don't feel embarrassed for disliking a book, but I do kind of feel bad disliking a well-respected book. Or maybe it's not so much that I feel bad, but I become puzzled and wonder if there's something wrong with me.

To be fair to _Profiles in Courage_, I was forced to read it for school during a time when I hated all things nonfiction. So perhaps if I went back now, I'd be able to appreciate it.


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## emapocalyptic (Apr 21, 2010)

Hmm, seems 'embarrassing' was a poor word to choose...

I read three pages of the first Harry Potter and abandoned it. I thought the writing was terrible and the story and them too derivative to waste the time. Twilight was another I started and abandoned - that was one I had to read for my book club (chosen by the teen member unsurprisingly) but it was just awful.

But like many have said here, each to their own. I loved Catcher in the Rye for example, but have met many people who didn't. I think I mentioned embarrassment with the TT's Wife because people are so passionate about it, making my dislike of it seem like I am the odd one, and probably because I have a tendency towards being easily embarrassed.


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## Mike D. aka jmiked (Oct 28, 2008)

"Hate" is a pretty strong term. It gets thrown around far too much these days as a substitute for "don't like".

I can think of books I haven't enjoyed- _Naked in Death,_ for example. Another is _Diving in the Wreck_ by Kristine Kathryn Rusch (because it was almost unreadable, being written in 1st person present tense). Didn't much care for the Rings Trilogy, but I made it all the way through. I liked the movies a lot. 

I can't remember ever hating a book. Or being embarrassed because I didn't like one.

Mike


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## mlewis78 (Apr 19, 2009)

When I was 16, I found Moby Dick very dry but got through it (had to for school).  I keep hearing now how great it is, so I plan to read it again and have it on my kindle.  Have had it on there for at least a year and don't know just WHEN I will read it.  I also put some other Melville classics on it.


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## eldereno (Dec 27, 2009)

I was given *TWILIGHT* by a friend. I finished it but was not so blown away that I felt I needed to buy the rest of the series.


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## jesscscott (Aug 5, 2009)

sherylb said:


> Not embarrassed, just didn't like Twilight. Ugh!


Same, I'm not embarrassed to admit what I like and don't like. I really hated James Frey's AMLP too, hmph!


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## Ty Johnston (Jun 19, 2009)

Not one particular book, but I can't stand Charles Dickens. I've read Great Expectations, A Christmas Carol and tried to start Oliver Twist. I find Dickens has great, iconic characters, and for his time period he's a heck of a good plotter, but his prose bores me nearly to tears. And it's not just because he's an _old _writer. I love many of the classics. Moby Dick is one of my favorite reads, and I know it bores many people.


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## PG4003 (Patricia) (Jan 30, 2010)

I just don't get all the vampire books.  I know they are very popular now, but I can't even bring myself to read them.


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## Tripp (May 28, 2009)

PG4003 said:


> I just don't get all the vampire books. I know they are very popular now, but I can't even bring myself to read them.


I can't say, "Me too!" fast enough. I don't get vampires at all. I also couldn't read more than a few chapters of, "The Vampire Lestat". It creeped me out too much.


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## Ann in Arlington (Oct 27, 2008)

I don't mind Vampires as part of a horror or thriller plot. . .you know, where the point is to kill them.  'Cause, you know, they're evil.  But it's not my favorite sort of reading.

I totally don't get how one can have a romance with a human.  'Cause, besides the evil thing, they're dead.


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## lonestar (Feb 9, 2010)

Not embarrassed by it-  I did not care for The Lovely Bones.


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## Susan in VA (Apr 3, 2009)

Ann in Arlington said:


> I totally don't get how one can have a romance with a human. 'Cause, besides the evil thing, they're dead.


In books, I'd agree with that. But did you ever watch _Love at First Bite_? The movie equivalent of beach reading, but cute and funny, and even romantic in a weird way.


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## lonestar (Feb 9, 2010)

Susan in VA said:


> In books, I'd agree with that. But did you ever watch _Love at First Bite_? The movie equivalent of beach reading, but cute and funny, and even romantic in a weird way.


I loved that movie. Haven't seen it in years.


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## Imogen Rose (Mar 22, 2010)

emapocalyptic said:


> An interesting thread about not liking Wuthering Heights has made me wonder which books you guys hate, and don't usually admit to hating.
> 
> I'm currently experiencing this with 'The Time Traveller's Wife' - it feels like I am the only person on the planet that just couldn't stick it out. I could rant about it, but I won't, suffice to say I couldn't stand it.
> 
> So, anyone want to confess with me?


You'd think I would be a big fan of *The Time Traveller's Wife*, but I couldn't stick it either. Another one is the *Kite Runner*.


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## cruising ann (Apr 2, 2010)

Where the Heart Is.  Horrible book,   really great movie.  

The movie At First Bite is a hoot.  Try and watch it everytime its on TV.


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## Leslie (Apr 7, 2008)

I Rose said:


> You'd think I would be a big fan of *The Time Traveller's Wife*, but I couldn't stick it either. Another one is the *Kite Runner*.


I am glad you brought up the *Kite Runner*. I thought it was good, up until the absolutely awful ending. Everyone kept raving about that book and I decided they all stopped reading before the end because the ending wrecked it, IMHO. In this way, I didn't hate the book, but I was disappointed in it.

L


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## Lyndl (Apr 2, 2010)

I finished Time Traveller's Wife.. and felt really flat.  I remember thinking  "Is that it? "
That said, I enjoyed the movie. One of the rare occasions where it was more entertaining than the book. Probably helped that I knew how it ended.


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## Daniel Arenson (Apr 11, 2010)

I disliked "Life of Pi" and I disliked "The Five People You Meet in Heaven".  Both are hugely popular, won awards, have million of fans, etc... but I could barely read them.  I'm not really embarrassed about it, but they are not Twilight; they are considered "good books", but I found them poorly written.  Of course, just my humble opinion!


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## meljackson (Nov 19, 2008)

scottnicholson said:


> Not embarrassed, but I think Moby Dick and As I Lay Dying have probably killed off more potential lifelong readers than any two books in the English language.
> 
> Scott


As I Lay Dying actually did make my son stop reading for months. He's not exactly an avid reader but he always has a book going. It just takes him several weeks to finish it. He had to read As I Lay Dying for school and checked it out at the local library. After 3 weeks it was time to renew it and he asked for my card that had the phone number to the library so he could call and renew. Funny thing was they give you a slipcover for the card and the ad on the cover was a local funeral home. He didn't really look, just dialed the number and said he would like to renew the book As I Lay Dying. They put him on hold for a few minutes then finally came back and said, "I don't know if this is a prank call or not but this is a funeral home..." We haven't let him live that one down yet. But yeah, he really hated that book.

Melissa


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## Daniel Arenson (Apr 11, 2010)

Leslie said:



> I am glad you brought up the *Kite Runner*. I thought it was good, up until the absolutely awful ending. Everyone kept raving about that book and I decided they all stopped reading before the end because the ending wrecked it, IMHO. In this way, I didn't hate the book, but I was disappointed in it.


I loved "The Kite Runner" personally. But like with any other artwork, good fiction is a matter of opinion.


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## Daniel Arenson (Apr 11, 2010)

AddieLove said:


> I don't get _Catcher in the Rye_ at all. I don't know why it's considered a great work. I think the writing is different and interesting but not groundbreaking. I also extremely disliked _The Great Gatsb_y (both movie and book)


I loved Catcher in the Rye. Gatsby bored me.


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## Daniel Arenson (Apr 11, 2010)

David McAfee said:


> I couldn't get into LORD OF THE FLIES at all. I tried, I really did, it being a classic and all.


I loved Flies.


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## AnelaBelladonna (Apr 8, 2009)

The Count of Monte Cristo.  I tried 2 different translations and while one was much better than the other, they both (to me) lost their way about halfway through.  I love the story but just couldn't finish the book.


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## dnagirl (Oct 21, 2009)

This thread should be called, "Popular/critically acclaimed books you dislike strongly."  LOL!

Personally, I loathe anything by Toni Morrison.  I know, they are "cultural masterpieces" but I think her writing style really stinks.

I also dislike Ernest Hemingway.  I don't get how a man who writes in paragraph-long sentences is so revered as a great author.  I cannot read him.  I have tried.  I even went to his house.  It didn't help.


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## Leslie (Apr 7, 2008)

DArenson said:


> I loved Catcher in the Rye. Gatsby bored me.


Ditto.


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## Daniel Arenson (Apr 11, 2010)

Leslie said:


> Ditto.


Back in the pre-Amazon era, a handful of critics decided what the classic books are. Their tastes did not always match the tastes of the average reader. Gatsby might be a good example of that. Today, we hear about the great books on blogs, Amazon reviews, Kindleboards, etc., so the books that become popular more accurately indicate what readers (as opposed to critics) love.


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## Addie (Jun 10, 2009)

AnelaBelladonna said:


> The Count of Monte Cristo. I tried 2 different translations and while one was much better than the other, they both (to me) lost their way about halfway through. I love the story but just couldn't finish the book.


_The Count of Monte Cristo_ is my favourite book of all time. _East of Eden_ is my second favourite. 
So ... you should probably always avoid my book recommendations.


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## Neekeebee (Jan 10, 2009)

meljackson said:


> As I Lay Dying actually did make my son stop reading for months. He's not exactly an avid reader but he always has a book going. It just takes him several weeks to finish it. He had to read As I Lay Dying for school and checked it out at the local library. After 3 weeks it was time to renew it and he asked for my card that had the phone number to the library so he could call and renew. Funny thing was they give you a slipcover for the card and the ad on the cover was a local funeral home. He didn't really look, just dialed the number and said he would like to renew the book As I Lay Dying. They put him on hold for a few minutes then finally came back and said, "I don't know if this is a prank call or not but this is a funeral home..." We haven't let him live that one down yet. But yeah, he really hated that book.
> 
> Melissa


Funny! 

I'm not exactly embarrassed about it, but I feel kinda bad admitting that I really couldn't get into the _Twilight_ or the _Outlander_ series to people who are big fans.

N


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## blackbelt (May 4, 2010)

Not really embarrassed, but I do think James Joyce is trash, which puts me out of step with a huge group of academics who believe good fiction has to be unreadable to anyone who hasn't devoted a year or more to trying to pick through the detritus of an author's mind to manufacture something resembling a coherent throughline.


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## luvmy4brats (Nov 9, 2008)

Not embarrassed to say that I loathed the Twilight series (I read the first three at the insistence of the BRATs) and just couldn't force myself to read the 4th.

Also One Second After. I keep seeing how so many people love it and what an excellent book it is. I got 75% into it and finally gave up because it was making me twitch. If I wind up with an Utter Crap collection on my Kindle, this book would be at the top of the list (followed closely by The Lost Symbol)


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## Stormy (May 24, 2010)

David McAfee said:


> I couldn't get into LORD OF THE FLIES at all. I tried, I really did, it being a classic and all.
> 
> But nope. Not for me. I started reading it six years ago and it remains unfinished to this day.


I am so glad I am not alone I could not STAND it.


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## JetJammer (Jan 18, 2009)

Hmm, mine is anything by Ayn Rand.  For some reason she keeps coming up in various book clubs I belong to.  So far I've struggled through 3 of her books, including everyone's perennial favorite Atlas Shrugged.  While I can appreciate her writing style, her characters and story lines make me want to throw something - preferably the book  .


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## jorgeclam (May 28, 2010)

nice books i love to read it


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## Betsy the Quilter (Oct 27, 2008)

Not the same thing as embarrassed, but there are books I tend to not give an opinion on as their followers will publicly stone you. Among them are the Twilight books (and movies) and, while I didn't hate it, just thought it was ordinary, _The DaVinci Code_.

Betsy


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## KayInFL (Jan 3, 2010)

sherylb said:


> Not embarrassed, just didn't like Twilight. Ugh!


And all this time I thought I was the only one..........


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## teralpar (May 18, 2010)

One book that comes to mind--although I'm not embarrassed to admit that I disliked (hate is such a strong word in this case)--is *The Secret Life of Bees*. I just was not impressed _at all._


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## fancynancy (Aug 9, 2009)

I chose "Let The Great World Spin" for my book group, and turned out to be the only one who didn't appreciate it.  My group talked about the "beautiful writing" but I was unimpressed.  I like books where there are characters I can relate to, but there were none in Great World.  I couldn't understand what all the media praise and awards were about at all. 

I agree with those who commented on Catcher In The Rye.  I read it when I was a teenager and didn't appreciate it at all.  

For those who didn't like Great Gatsby, I would give it another try.  I read it 40 years ago and it still affects me to this day!


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## patrisha w. (Oct 28, 2008)

I'll go along with you on the Time Traveler's Wife. I couldn't finish it I was so irritated by it. Another one in The Help. Again, a non-finish.


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## patrisha w. (Oct 28, 2008)

lonestar said:


> Not embarrassed by it- I did not care for The Lovely Bones.


 I LOVED this book. As I was working in a library at the time, lots of patrons asked me what it was about. Hmmm, It was a bit difficult to explain why I loved a book that starts with the rape and killing of a child...


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## chipotle (Jan 1, 2010)

I have many, MANY more books I'm embarrassed to like!  

But to answer the question I guess I'd also say Nicholas Sparks. He seems very well-loved and certainly sells enough books. I'm definitely his target audience but I couldn't even finish the one book I tried to read (Dear John).


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## purplepen79 (May 6, 2010)

davelitt68 said:


> I am not embarassed about it but I didn't like "Lovely Bones"


Me either. And I had a hard time with _Kushiel's Dart_ -- great premise but the characters seemed shallow to me.


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## traceya (Apr 26, 2010)

Hi all,
Now I can't say I hate this book, because the truth is I never finished it, but I do find it incredibly embarrassing to admit that I don't like/couldn't get into 'Lord of the Rings'. 
I simply could never [and I have tried] get past Bilbo's stupid birthday party. I tried the movies, they didn't work for me either but can you imagine being a fantasy writer and owning up to NOT liking LOTR 

It's like being a Christian and saying you think the Bible's a bit flat - sacrilege

The other book/s that I'm not at all embarrassed to admit I cannot stand is the whole Twilight series.
I love, love, love vampires but they gotta be nasty, evil, blood-suckers for it to work for me but again I sometimes feel like I'm all alone in this one.

Cheers,
Trace


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## kae (May 3, 2010)

dnagirl said:


> This thread should be called, "Popular/critically acclaimed books you dislike strongly." LOL!
> 
> Personally, I loathe anything by Toni Morrison. I know, they are "cultural masterpieces" but I think her writing style really stinks.
> 
> I also dislike Ernest Hemingway. I don't get how a man who writes in paragraph-long sentences is so revered as a great author. I cannot read him. I have tried. I even went to his house. It didn't help.


I'm with you, dnagirl, altho "loathe" is a bit strong for me and anything. 
Can't read Morrison, or Hemingway, or O'Henry. I saw where _Lonsome Dove_ is soon to be an e-book. Blah! BO-ring. Grossly over written, and as a Montanan, I found some definite geographic inaccuracies. Not a McMurty fan. Not McCormick, either; and scratch N. Sparks from my to-read list.

Is there a companion thread somewhere of the books people strongly LIKED? I won't give my list here, since it's not on the topic.

Oh, I'm definitely not embarrassed by these dislikes.


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## dobes (Feb 22, 2010)

Can't read Nicholas Sparks at all.  For classics - The Great Gatsby and Ulysses, which I dearly want to love but can't even read!  Not a Shakespeare fan! Love the language and poetry, but not down with the plots or characters. Love both Hemingway and Morrison, though! For contemporary -- The Help.  I read it all the way through because it was an easy, enjoyable read but I cringed at much of the dialogue and hated the tired idea of the white lady leading the revolution. Hard to say that when everyone around you is full of admiration!


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## Linjeakel (Mar 17, 2010)

It's so interesting reading this thread - I've been going 'Yes! I agree!' and 'No! How can you not like that' all the way through. There are quite a few 'classic' books that are revered that I can't seem to get through, but the one that comes to mind is "The Lord Of The Rings". I liked the Hobbit (though I can't say I _loved_ it). But LOTR? I have never read such a boring load of over indulgence in my entire life. I tried watching the movies thinking they would have to have condensed the 'story' into a manageable length, but even they were deathly boring. I know that they're hugely popular, so clearly others think quite differently. And that's wonderful! The world would be a boring place if we were all clones of each other.


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## Kristen Tsetsi (Sep 1, 2009)

I loved The Handmaid's Tale up until the last page - then I stopped loving it. Atwood had (I thought) put so much effort, thought, and work into the whole book, but the last page - the last paragraph - made me think she'd been writing and just thought, "Oh, eff it. I'm done. I'm just going to end this sucker."

I was SO disappointed. Not because the outcome was one I didn't want, but because it seemed so contradictory to the rest of the book and like she'd given it so little thought that I felt let down.


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## L.J. Sellers novelist (Feb 28, 2010)

I rarely keep reading a book I'm not enjoying long enough to hate it. Although many of the classics assigned in high school and college that I had to read certainly fit into this category. The bigger problem for me now as a novelist is that I usually can't talk about the books I don't care for because I often know the author and we just don't do that to each other.

But since this is a "confession" thread, I'll admit that I've never read any of the Harry Potter books, or anything with a vampire (except _Interview with a Vampire_, in high school), any book with a cat on the cover or title (except _PS Your Cat Is Dead_) or anything labeled chick lit. 
L.J.


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## mistyd107 (May 22, 2009)

Gone with the Wind I pretty much wanted to smack scarlet from day 1.


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## Neekeebee (Jan 10, 2009)

I have to admit I also can't seem to appreciate LOTR.  I think having _The Hobbit_ assigned as summer reading before my freshman year in HS spoiled the entire series for me. Didn't like it at all. LOTR is the only series that I've bought in both paper and e-format, but I just can't get myself to try to read it again. Love the films, though!

N


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## DYB (Aug 8, 2009)

The appeal of Nicholas Sparks eludes me.  I mean - seriously...  What's that about?

"The Lord of the Rings" is booo-ring!  Reading it felt like being constipated for months!

Don't even get me started on Dan Brown.

Ayn Rand - well, it's hard to separate her loathsome philosophies from the writing.  So I don't bother.  I mean, even if "Mein Kampf" was well-written I still wouldn't read it!


On the other hand, I love the "Harry Potter" series.  You really can't judge the series on the first two books.  To me it's with the 3rd (which remains my favorite) that it takes flight.  Rowling's writing style also shifts dramatically as the series progressed.  Someone once said that really there are no more new stories to tell - and I happen to agree with that.  So yes, the story itself is derivative - but it's what Rowling does with it that I found captivating.  "The Lord of the Rings" is also extremely derivative (let's start with Richard Wagner's "The Ring of the Nibelung" for starters, which he in turn adapted from Nordic myths and legends), but I don't hold that against it.  (I hold Tolkien's writing against it.  The man might have been a linguist, but reading his writing is like watching paint dry!)  

I also love "The Count of Monte Cristo," although I understand why someone would drop it half-way through.  It does begin to sag - perhaps an abridged edition would help those who lose interest?


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## Brett P (May 17, 2010)

One book I could just not get into was The Great Gatsby.  I'm sorry, I really just couldn't.

Another was The Sun Also Rises by Hemingway, I'm content with the writing style but nothing happens in that book.  They go to Spain.  The end.

And one more, The Scarlet Letter.  Overwrought prose and pretty much underwhelming storyline.

But I'm not exactly embarrassed to hate these supposed classics.  Because in my opinion, they aren't.

Wow, that was some unloading, there...


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## Leslie (Apr 7, 2008)

teralpar said:


> One book that comes to mind--although I'm not embarrassed to admit that I disliked (hate is such a strong word in this case)--is *The Secret Life of Bees*. I just was not impressed _at all._


I liked *The Secret Life of Bees* but I thought her second book, *The Mermaid's Chair*, was a huge boring waste of time.


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## Magenta (Jun 6, 2009)

I am never embarrassed about my personal opinion of anything.


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## Leslie (Apr 7, 2008)

kae said:


> Is there a companion thread somewhere of the books people strongly LIKED? I won't give my list here, since it's not on the topic.


Books Recommended by Our Members, which is stickied at the top of the board, is pretty much the "I loved this book" thread. I think people think two or three times before posting a book there--that's the list of exceptional reads that people really liked.

L


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## Taborcarn (Dec 15, 2009)

I wouldn't say I'm embarrassed by it, but there are few books that I've liked less than Heart of Darkness by Joseph Conrad.  It could be because it was a reading assignment in high school, but there were plenty of other assigned books that I liked.


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## Leslie (Apr 7, 2008)

Taborcarn said:


> I wouldn't say I'm embarrassed by it, but there are few books that I've liked less than Heart of Darkness by Joseph Conrad. It could be because it was a reading assignment in high school, but there were plenty of other assigned books that I liked.


Unfortunately, assigned reading soured me on a lot of authors, including Charles Dickens, James Joyce, F. Scott Fitzgerald, and Ernest Hemingway. Of that group, the only one I have read since high school is Fitzgerald, when I read *The Curious Case of Benjamin Button* two years ago -- I only read it because of the movie. I didn't think that much of the story but I did like it better than the movie.

Because of my track record with assigned reading, I never took a literature course in college, since I didn't want to have more authors destroyed for me. I also play the "quasi-official" reading game with great trepidation, but so far it's been a moderate success.

L


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## Gwood (Apr 3, 2010)

Among more recent titles, I just can't get into Steven Erickson's 'Malazan' series. I can't count the number of people who have encouraged me to read them, and I marvel at his prose, but I just can't make it through his first book. Tried three times and it's just not for me.

I also bogged down halfway through Stephen King's Dark Tower series. I liked the first three, but I don't like Wizard and Glass, which most Dark Tower fans with whom I'm acquainted say is the best book.


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## kae (May 3, 2010)

Thanks, Leslie, for the "Sticky" thread info.


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## simonz (May 19, 2010)

Toni Morrison, _Beloved_. Was assigned this 20 years ago in an English Lit. class. After being force to read this so-called literature, I changed majors from English to Computer Science and never looked back.


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## terryr (Apr 24, 2010)

Geemont said:


> I'm not at all embarrassed to say this, but I didn't like the Harry Potter books all that much. The first was an entertaining, light-weight novel. I don't have kids and generally don't like stories about kids, but it was OK. The second and third weren't as good as the first, but readable enough. The forth and fifth didn't hold together and had a bad case of the sequel slumps. I didn't bother with the last two books.


That was EXACTLY how I felt about Harry Potter. I got the first one as a gift before it became popular here (it was a UK edition), and thought it was quirky and fun. Then they got darker... and by the time book four came, I was finished.

I also dislike some of the classics many of my writing/literary friends adore, like Wuthering Heights, Gone with the Wind, many Charles Dickens', and every single book we were forced to read in high school or college lit class (except for Light in the Forest, which I did like.)


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## planet_janet (Feb 23, 2010)

I couldn't get past the first chapter of The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo.  I just don't understand the craze surrounding that book at all, and I'm not embarrassed to admit it.


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## purplepen79 (May 6, 2010)

planet_janet said:


> I couldn't get past the first chapter of The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo. I just don't understand the craze surrounding that book at all, and I'm not embarrassed to admit it.


Thank you--I couldn't either. I don't know if it was the translation or what, but I found the writing rather dry and generic, the characters even more so, and if I can't get into the characters, I can't get into a book. I want a good plot as much as the next person, but if the characters don't engage me, the best plot in the world doesn't mean beans.


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## Tracey (Mar 18, 2010)

> I couldn't get past the first chapter of The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo. I just don't understand the craze surrounding that book at all, and I'm not embarrassed to admit it.





> Thank you--I couldn't either. I don't know if it was the translation or what, but I found the writing rather dry and generic, the characters even more so, and if I can't get into the characters, I can't get into a book. I want a good plot as much as the next person, but if the characters don't engage me, the best plot in the world doesn't mean beans


.

This was my first Kindle book, only because I had heard everyone rave about it. I was ready to put it down after the first 5% or so, but I thought I would give it a bit more a chance and then it really picked up.

Everyone that I have spoken to (even the die hard fans) have said that this is a really hard book to get into but once you are into it there is no turning back. Now I am nowhere near one of those die hard fans of his writing and this series but I might go and read the second one sometime and see how it is. If it is just as hard to get into then I will give up on this writer and series completely.

Now books that I disliked greatly......Tess of the D'urbavilles would be one (had to read it at school) hated it! Wuthering Heights is another I couldn't finish and The Hobbit. The last 2 I have tried many times to read and can never get past the first chapter.


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## Meemo (Oct 27, 2008)

planet_janet said:


> I couldn't get past the first chapter of The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo. I just don't understand the craze surrounding that book at all, and I'm not embarrassed to admit it.


The first chapter (or two) are definitely not easy to get through, but once you get past the whole background part, it's a completely different book (to me, at least). My daughter is thinking of reading it next and I told her not to give up, that the first 2 or 3 chapters are a bit tough to slog through. It's a bit like a lot of James Michener's books - great once you get past those opening 2-3 chapters.


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## Leslie (Apr 7, 2008)

Meemo said:


> The first chapter (or two) are definitely not easy to get through, but once you get past the whole background part, it's a completely different book (to me, at least). My daughter is thinking of reading it next and I told her not to give up, that the first 2 or 3 chapters are a bit tough to slog through. It's a bit like a lot of James Michener's books - great once you get past those opening 2-3 chapters.


I wonder if I would like this more as an Audible book? My husband has bought all three so I have them available in that format...

L


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## Meemo (Oct 27, 2008)

Leslie said:


> I wonder if I would like this more as an Audible book? My husband has bought all three so I have them available in that format...
> 
> L


Possibly - maybe you could listen to those first chapters, then pick up reading when the action picks up.


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## Atunah (Nov 20, 2008)

Not embarrassed but I hated Pillar's of the Earth. I should have liked it, was sure i would, lots of good reviews. I tried and tried but it just was aweful to me. Right off the bat I thought it was horrible and the people like cardboard. 
Kept on trying to read, never did finish, its still somewhere buried on my Kindle's 100 pages. 

I am still baffled by that one. I was sure I would like it.

Don't think I'll be touching anything Oprah endorsed ever again


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## Geoffrey (Jun 20, 2009)

I first read Ayn Rand's _Atlas Shrugged_ when I was 13 or 14 and found it to be a simple glorification of greed and self-centeredness ... I re-read it again as an adult and still hated it.

I'm not embarrassed that I hate it, but I do keep that information to myself in most cases - since so many seem to love it.


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## DYB (Aug 8, 2009)

Geoffrey said:


> I first read Ayn Rand's _Atlas Shrugged_ when I was 13 or 14 and found it to be a simple glorification of greed and self-centeredness ... I re-read it again as an adult and still hated it.
> 
> I'm not embarrassed that I hate it, but I do keep that information to myself in most cases - since so many seem to love it.


I'm right there with you on Rand - but I don't keep it myself! The woman thought that a man who murdered and dismembered a young girl was the perfect Superman because he didn't feel bad about it. She definitely had a few marbles missing.


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## Neekeebee (Jan 10, 2009)

One thing I am embarrassed to admit to hating are books that people give me because they love them so much.  Then they'll ask me what I thought, and I'll usually lie and say it was good.  

I think it's because the few times people have asked me to recommend books that I liked and then came back and told me they thought the books were awful, it kind of hurt my feelings.    But then, maybe it was because they weren't very tactful about it, or it was just the "highly sensitive" in me.  

N


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## Jen (Oct 28, 2008)

I'm not really embarassed, but I loathed Wicked. Both the book, and the play. I read the book because I was being forced by some friends to go to the play, just hated both of them. Yuk.

I've never read Twilight, no desire to. I know I won't like those. I've never read Harry Potter, and I wonder if I ever do if I'll even like those. I loved the LOTR movies, but couldn't get past the first chapter of the Hobbit.



Atunah said:


> Not embarrassed but I hated Pillar's of the Earth. I should have liked it, was sure i would, lots of good reviews. I tried and tried but it just was aweful to me. Right off the bat I thought it was horrible and the people like cardboard.
> Kept on trying to read, never did finish, its still somewhere buried on my Kindle's 100 pages.
> 
> I am still baffled by that one. I was sure I would like it.
> ...


It's obviously the reason there are so many kinds of books - because Pillars and World Without End are two of my favorite books EVER. Different strokes!


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## crosj (Nov 8, 2008)

I am not embarrassed because I don't like a book.  Books are a choice that we make and if we are faced with a wrong choice
then so be it.  I just deleted the first women's detective club.. It has excellent reviews but not my cup of tea...


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## purplepen79 (May 6, 2010)

@ Tracy
@ Meemo

Thanks for the tip about _Dragon Tattoo_. Now that you mention it, someone at work said the same exact thing, that it was hard to get into at first, but then picked up. I'll have to give it another shot.

I have to agree about _Wicked_. Gregory Macquire has some great premises--I like the skewed fairy tale approach--but his writing style doesn't appeal to me. I've tried several of his books and just couldn't get into them.


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## arshield (Nov 17, 2008)

Jen said:


> I'm not really embarassed, but I loathed Wicked. Both the book, and the play. I read the book because I was being forced by some friends to go to the play, just hated both of them. Yuk.


Me too. I got through it but it took me months. I just don't get the excitement.


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## ScottLCollins (Dec 7, 2009)

I’m not really embarrassed I didn’t like the book The Catcher in the Rye, but I’m embarrassed it took me so long to read. It took me months to slog my way through that book. I just couldn’t get into it and would read a page and set it down for a week. Ugh.


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## CDChristian (Jun 4, 2010)

Hello, everyone! I've just joined the forum and this is my first foray into the boards. (I apologize if my signature appears wonky/or just doesn't appear at all.   )

I've read a few books that definitely make me feel as if I just don't get it.

Harry Potter---I read the first few pages before putting it down. The writing just didn't get me. Knowing more about the concepts of the books, I love the basic ideas but can't sit through the reading. I guess I'm blind to her style. 

Twilight---I really wanted to like this. Vampires, brooding, angst...this should have been the perfect literary heaven for me. I read 70 pages which was 50 pages longer than my "I quit!" point. I didn't like it. Maybe ten years ago I would have but even then I really don't think so. I like my vampires dark, villainous, and a bit sociopathic.

Catcher in the Rye---I read it in high school so perhaps I'd have greater appreciation for it now. Then, it didn't call all the great sweeping emotions it seemed to do for others.

Christine Feehan and Sherrilyn Kenyon books---I love to read and write dark, morally ambiguous romance fiction. Naturally, these two writers are often recommended to me based on their reputation in the paranormal romance community. I generally feel like a snot because although I've read several books by them, they don't fit the bill of what I'm looking for, and I hate to have relay that to the super-kind people who recommended them.


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## JumpingShip (Jun 3, 2010)

Atunah said:


> Not embarrassed but I hated Pillar's of the Earth. I should have liked it, was sure i would, lots of good reviews. I tried and tried but it just was aweful to me. Right off the bat I thought it was horrible and the people like cardboard.
> Kept on trying to read, never did finish, its still somewhere buried on my Kindle's 100 pages.
> 
> I am still baffled by that one. I was sure I would like it.
> ...


I read Pillars of the Earth a long time ago, when it was first published. I liked it, but it wasn't a page turner. I mean, I'm a fast reader, but it took me a long time to read that because I'd set it down, read some other book, and only come back to that when I didn't have anything else to read. A few years ago, I came across it at the used bookstore and bought it again. This time, it read better. Not sure why, but it almost seemed like a different book. However, I couldn't get into the follow up book that Ken Follett wrote.

For myself, I'm ashamed to admit that I hate Gone With the Wind. I tried reading it when I was about 19, and I just found Scarlett to be incredibly unlikable.


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## Geoffrey (Jun 20, 2009)

MaryMcDonald said:


> For myself, I'm ashamed to admit that I hate Gone With the Wind. I tried reading it when I was about 19, and I just found Scarlett to be incredibly unlikable.


Thank you. Let me come out of the GWTW closet and admit I never liked her in the novel.


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## Paegan (Jul 20, 2009)

JetJammer said:


> Hmm, mine is anything by Ayn Rand. For some reason she keeps coming up in various book clubs I belong to. So far I've struggled through 3 of her books, including everyone's perennial favorite Atlas Shrugged. While I can appreciate her writing style, her characters and story lines make me want to throw something - preferably the book .


I couldn't agree more. What an inane and selfish bunch of dribble.


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## Ciar Cullen (Jun 7, 2010)

The Time Traveler's Wife. Loathed it. I haven't met anyone who hated it like I do. Not even sure why it irked me so much. Anyone else?


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## JumpingShip (Jun 3, 2010)

Ciar Cullen said:


> The Time Traveler's Wife. Loathed it. I haven't met anyone who hated it like I do. Not even sure why it irked me so much. Anyone else?


I couldn't get into it either. I love time travel stuff and I guess I hoped it would be like Quantum Leap or something, but I just hated the voice of it. I honestly can't recall a single thing that happened in it.


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## Ciar Cullen (Jun 7, 2010)

Wow, Mary, you made me feel a lot better. I was writing a time travel and everyone kept pushing that book on me. Ugh. It's like the adult version of Twilight to me. A bit less brooding, but overall, enough of it.


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## TulipTrainer (Jun 6, 2010)

I have to say I am embarrassed to hate The Crucible and The Scarlet Letter. I know both are written by great authors, and I even love their other stuff. But they both just reek of 10th grade high school to me and my terrible teacher. I find the Ayn Rand trashing below amusing. I have not read her work, and I think there might be a reason for that.


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## Madeline (Jun 5, 2010)

Animal farm.  Hated having to figure out all the symbolism.


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## NogDog (May 1, 2009)

Madeline said:


> Animal farm. Hated having to figure out all the sybolism.


Eh, just listen to Pink Floyd's album "Animals" instead. You get the gist of the story (though from a view of capitalism instead of socialism), and it's much more enjoyable. It's also over in about 40 minutes.


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## Madeline (Jun 5, 2010)

NogDog said:


> Eh, just listen to Pink Floyd's album "Animals" instead. You get the gist of the story (though from a view of capitalism instead of socialism), and it's much more enjoyable. It's also over in about 40 minutes.


Sounds much more appealing. I didn't much like 1984 and Lord of Flies either, but they were at least easier to stomach than Animal Farm. It just drove me nuts!


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## mlewis78 (Apr 19, 2009)

Ciar Cullen said:


> The Time Traveler's Wife. Loathed it. I haven't met anyone who hated it like I do. Not even sure why it irked me so much. Anyone else?


I bought this book last summer because it was recommended by a lot of people on these boards. Haven't read it but saw the movie on dvd this week. I thought it was another Love Story. Very sappy. Hope the book is better.


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## Tracey (Mar 18, 2010)

I loved loved loved The Time Travellers Wife!  I couldn't put it down.

I saw the movie this last weekend and even though it did leave out some bits of the book, I still loved it.  I think it is one movie that converted the book half decently.


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## Ciar Cullen (Jun 7, 2010)

Maybe I should try it again, Tracey. You know there are moments in your life when a book is wrong for you.  I read shortly after Mum died--although I don't see the connection, I didn't like much of anything then.


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## Tracey (Mar 18, 2010)

> Maybe I should try it again, Tracey. You know there are moments in your life when a book is wrong for you. I read shortly after Mum died--although I don't see the connection, I didn't like much of anything then.


I would give it another go maybe. There are books that at one time or another you just can't get into. I was like that with the Outlander books, first time I tried, I couldn't get into it, the second time couldn't put it down.

Maybe your Mum's death struck a chord with the whole time travelling thing and he could go back and forward in time and see different things before and after certain people had died. I don't know, I think it would have struck a chord with me if someone close to me had passed away and I read this book too soon after.

But this book was definitely a book that is down as one of my all time favorites.


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## Imogen Rose (Mar 22, 2010)

Madeline said:


> Animal farm. Hated having to figure out all the symbolism.


One of my favorite books ever!


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## Erika (Dec 11, 2009)

A Game of Thrones. The reviews here and at Amazon were GUSHY and I totally got swept up by them and bought the Kindle version. It was a decent read until I got to the part where a thirteen year old girl gets it on with a barbarian twice her size and age. Not only once, but repeatedly throughout the plot. And... a whole bunch of other issues (too many switching character POVs coupled with nonexistent character voices, 99% of men being under the thrall of uncontrollable libidos & producing "bastard" children left and right, I didn't give a ~ about what happened to the main characters...).

Blah. I really wanted to like it, too. 

But I did really like The Name of the Wind, which was equally gushed about. But that's for another topic, I suppose.


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