# Ever read a highly recommended book that stunk?



## Zell (Dec 27, 2010)

Everybody has different tastes so what may be perceived as great and wonderful by some ends up being a total bomb for you.

Honestly, now, tell us which books were like that for you.

For me, *The Stand* by Stephen King did not live up to all the hype. It was a fair read but it wasn't even an 8 for me and certainly not a 9 or a 10 in my book (pardon the pun).

I do have to add that I really like King's writing style, and plan to read more of his works. I really liked some of his other books like *Under the Done*. A great story -- but don't take my word for it because you may hate it.


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## Daniel Arenson (Apr 11, 2010)

Off the top of my head..._ The Five People You Meet in Heaven, The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo, Life of Pi_, and _The DaVinci Code_. I don't know if they "stink" -- obviously many people enjoyed them -- but they weren't my cup of tea.


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## Geoffrey (Jun 20, 2009)

heh. To each their own. _The Stand_ is definitely in my top 100 of all time ...

.... but then I found Harry Potter to be unreadable.


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## Daniel Arenson (Apr 11, 2010)

Geoffrey said:


> heh. To each their own. _The Stand_ is definitely in my top 100 of all time ...
> 
> .... but then I found Harry Potter to be unreadable.


To each their own indeed. I love Harry Potter. Those books are among my all time favorites.


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## Zell (Dec 27, 2010)

Daniel Arenson said:


> To each their own indeed.


Yes, for sure.


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## Thalia the Muse (Jan 20, 2010)

I've had this experience many times! I heard rapturous praise for A Prayer for Owen Meaney and The Secret History, and hated them both. I don't love The World According to Garp, either.


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## Linjeakel (Mar 17, 2010)

Lord of the Rings - useful as a door stop, but not much else IMO.     I know many people love it and read and re-read it endlessly but I found it brain numbingly boring (much like the movies). War And Peace was an easier read....


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## Daniel Arenson (Apr 11, 2010)

Thalia the Muse said:


> I've had this experience many times! I heard rapturous praise for A Prayer for Owen Meaney and The Secret History, and hated them both. I don't love The World According to Garp, either.


I've tried to read several novels by John Irving, but I couldn't finish any of them.


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## Thalia the Muse (Jan 20, 2010)

I do think Cider-House Rules is terrific, so maybe give that a try unless you want to just wash your hands of the man forever.


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## Alice Y. Yeh (Jul 14, 2010)

Yes indeedy. The _Twilight_ series and _The Da Vinci Code_ come to mind. I couldn't make it past the first chapter of the latter one because the writing was so poor. Perhaps _Twilight_ was less irritating because my expectations were lower...

Nope. I still wanted to stake the overbearing male lead.


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## QuantumIguana (Dec 29, 2010)

Linjeakel said:


> Lord of the Rings - useful as a door stop, but not much else IMO.  I know many people love it and read and re-read it endlessly but I found it brain numbingly boring (much like the movies). War And Peace was an easier read....


In the immortal words of that sage, Bugs Bunny, "Of course, you realize this means war." Now I bet you'll dis Bugs, in which case I will have to do my best impression of an angry Yosemite Sam.

Seriously though, not everything is for everyone. If we could find a work that no one hated, I would be surprised. It's easy, of course, to create one that no one likes. Say if I had 300 pages of just the word "banana".


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## Thalia the Muse (Jan 20, 2010)

... then you'd have an audience of delighted monkeys.


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## NogDog (May 1, 2009)

I guess it depends a lot on what you mean by "stink." There have been plenty of books that were highly recommended but which I did not enjoy for many different reasons, but I wouldn't say in most cases that they "stunk", as the writing was decent and I could see why they might appeal to others. For instance, I tried _Naked in Death_ but could not finish it, yet I thought it was reasonably well written -- I just wasn't interested in that type of story. On the other hand, I couldn't get past the the first couple chapters of _The Pillars of the Earth_, as I found the writing very dry (go ahead, try to find a metaphor or simile on any random page) and also found the characters less than interesting (maybe they got interesting later, since so many people loved it?). I won't say it was horribly written, but it was not well enough written for my tastes to carry the characters I didn't care for and/or believe as well as some of the side plots and repetitious, overdone violence (again, for my tastes).


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## Zell (Dec 27, 2010)

NogDog said:


> I guess it depends a lot on what you mean by "stink."


"Stink" as defined by you. It's defined differently by everyone.


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## James Everington (Dec 25, 2010)

Shadow of the Wind by Carlos... someone? So bad I can't even be bothered to look up his proper name. Maybe it was then translation, but pseudo-poetic language (the title says it all) and a plot so wispy it was non-existant.

Worst thing was it was a present so I felt obligied to slog through the thing to the end.


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## Atunah (Nov 20, 2008)

Pillars of the Earth for me. I kept trying and reading. I finally gave up as I rather have another rootcanal than finish  . I did get to more than half the book so its not like I didn't give it a chance. I am still baffled why I didn't like it as the subject matter is exactly what I like. Its not the violence, that doesn't bother me. It was the writing I guess. I kept shaking my head thinking, are you serious? Really? 

I am disappointed I didn't like it.  . I did love the TV adaptation though, so go figure.


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## Alle Meine Entchen (Dec 6, 2009)

This happens quite often w/ me. The other women in my book club don't have the same taste in books as I do, so I'm always the one going, "yeah, I didn't like it" or, "didn't you notice the huge plot hole?". The Wensday letters was the one where I realized I don't have the same taste. Everyone loved it and I thought it was completely unrealistic. The one realistic thing the author wrote about was the one thing the others complained about not being likely (a 30 something brother calling his 20 something sister "twerp" and "farthead" is hugely likely, I have brothers, I know).

I also really didn't like the Da Vinci Code. Part of that is the fact that I read Angels and Demons beforehand and I still think


Spoiler



you can't top a priest setting himself on fire ontop of the vatican.


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## tim290280 (Jan 11, 2011)

I've read a number of books that were meant to be bestsellers and worth reading. My greatest annoyance is with Stieg Larson's books at the moment. Everyone is raving about them, and yet the things I hated about them are openly conceded by the fans as 'something you have to get past'. A short list of recent disappointments:

The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo - Stieg Larson
Exit Music - Ian Rankin
The Whole Truth - David Baldacci
R is for Ricochet - Sue Grafton
Dale Brown


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## JRTomlin (Jan 18, 2011)

Daniel Arenson said:


> I've tried to read several novels by John Irving, but I couldn't finish any of them.


That.


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## xandy3 (Jun 13, 2010)

_The Lovely Bones._ Very disappointing. I actually wanted to throw the book away after I've read it.


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## JRTomlin (Jan 18, 2011)

_The Chronicles of Thomas Covenant, the Unbeliever_

I literally threw it in the trash.


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## NogDog (May 1, 2009)

JRTomlin said:


> _The Chronicles of Thomas Covenant, the Unbeliever_
> 
> I literally threw it in the trash.


I'll admit that there were moments when I wanted to smack some sense into Convenant, but overall I was very glad I read them, even if they were a challenge at times (at least the earlier books, the last few were so-so at best for me).


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## Geemont (Nov 18, 2008)

JRTomlin said:


> _The Chronicles of Thomas Covenant, the Unbeliever_


Best fantasy trilogy ever!

As for bad, _The Hunger Games_; completely, wholly, totally unsatisfying in characters, plot, originality, writing, and just about anything else about it. To a lesser degree, Harry Potter. The first few books were cute light weight entertainment, but ultimately runs run-of-mill read-and-forget-em books.


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## Tom Schreck (Dec 12, 2010)

All the time...and to be kind I'm not going to mention any names.

There's no accounting for taste.


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## history_lover (Aug 9, 2010)

The Other Boleyn Girl.


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## evrose (Jan 7, 2011)

The Winner for "Most Over-Hyped Waste of Dead Tree" IMHO is:

_The Da Vinci Code_ by Dan (I've written a dozen books with the same plot) Brown

Dyson vacuums, Amsterdam hookers, and black holes don't suck as much as that "book".

How, HOW did this book become popular? How? Someone, ANYONE please explain...


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## Lambert (Nov 12, 2010)

Well yes...  but rather not say...

Lambert


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## JUNEBUG5 (May 6, 2009)

Ok...

The Stand - I read some...was ok...but I couldn't finish....but I do enjoy King and I'm currently reading Under the Dome  Just couldn't get into The Stand..

DaVinci Code - OMG snore!!!!!! I took several naps reading this bk...but I made it through....Quite difficult!

Eat, Pray, Love - Liked the beginning...but after awhile ...b o r i n g....


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## MLPMom (Nov 27, 2009)

I have read quite a few as well, some of them even mentioned in this thread already. 

I guess it just goes to show that we all have different tastes, like and dislikes. I do get disappointed though when I get a book recommended to me with high praise by someone that usually likes the same things as me and then I read the book and can't get into it. Sometimes the let down of being really excited to read something that you end up not liking is worse than the thought of the time and money you put into it.


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## history_lover (Aug 9, 2010)

evrose said:


> The Winner for "Most Over-Hyped Waste of Dead Tree" IMHO is:
> 
> _The Da Vinci Code_ by Dan (I've written a dozen books with the same plot) Brown
> 
> ...


Because it introduced the mass population to gnostic gospels and alternate theories about Christ and religion and did so with a fast paced plot, an ancient mystery and a conspiracy theory. I love it, I thought it was tons of fun while also being enlightening. It's one of my all time favorite books... but it's one of those "love or hate it" books.

He does need to break out of the same plot formula though - every single one of his books has an intelligent female main character who has some kind of father figure who has been killed/captured/whatever because he's holds important secrets and the male main character is a scholar who has to save them all and figure out the mystery with his superior intellect. It is getting old and yet I still enjoy his books for the new concepts he introduces me to.


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## xandy3 (Jun 13, 2010)

evrose said:


> The Winner for "Most Over-Hyped Waste of Dead Tree" IMHO is:
> 
> _The Da Vinci Code_ by Dan (I've written a dozen books with the same plot) Brown
> 
> ...


The only explanation I can offer is "controversy sells."

And yes, sadly all his books are kind of the same. 
He's like Frank Peretti (sp?) redux, and with a different take on religion.

The easiest way for an author to lose me as a reader is to make your next book almost the same as your last, only with different (yet similar) characters.

Also, just wanted to add...
Whenever someone suggests I read Twilight Saga, I always just say "No!" hehe.


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## julieannfelicity (Jun 28, 2010)

I actually liked The Da Vinci Code and The Lovely Bones (despised both movies though!). Abhorred the Twilight series, but I trudged through them. If I had bought them, I probably would have tossed them in the trash - borrowing them from a friend saved them from their demise.


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## Paegan (Jul 20, 2009)

The list goes on and on:

The Road
Angela's Ashes
Harry Potter - I had to force myself to read the final two books
Anything Tolkein
The Lovely Bones


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## Alice Y. Yeh (Jul 14, 2010)

evrose said:


> The Winner for "Most Over-Hyped Waste of Dead Tree" IMHO is:
> 
> _The Da Vinci Code_ by Dan (I've written a dozen books with the same plot) Brown
> 
> ...


I'm pretty certain this book's come up the most in this particular thread...I wonder if that says something


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## NogDog (May 1, 2009)

Alice Y. Yeh said:


> I'm pretty certain this book's come up the most in this particular thread...I wonder if that says something


*a.* A lot of people love conspiracy theories.
*b.* A lot of people love thrillers and do not especially care how sensible they are nor how well written.

Note: I've only read his _Angels and Demons_ and found it entertaining enough to finish, but not well enough written or believable enough to want to spend my money or time on anything else of his.


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## Alice Y. Yeh (Jul 14, 2010)

NogDog said:


> *a.* A lot of people love conspiracy theories.
> *b.* A lot of people love thrillers and do not especially care how sensible they are nor how well written.
> 
> Note: I've only read his _Angels and Demons_ and found it entertaining enough to finish, but not well enough written or believable enough to want to spend my money or time on anything else of his.


My vote is a combination of (b) and (c) waning recognition of what constitutes good writing. Point (c) probably doesn't apply to the people on this forum, since we're an assortment of avid readers, but I'm speaking in generalities.


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## Daniel Arenson (Apr 11, 2010)

Paegan said:


> The list goes on and on:
> 
> The Road
> Angela's Ashes
> ...


Hah. I've read three items on this list, and consider them among my all time favorites. I should read the other two.


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## Daniel Arenson (Apr 11, 2010)

Bleekness said:


> Stinky books...
> 
> I'd have to say Terry Goodkind. That whole series he wrote.


Oh, I've read some stinky fantasy series... some of them quite successful. But I don't feel comfortable bashing those ones. Not sayin' if Goodkind is one of them. But yeah, there are some clunker fantasies out there among the gems.


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## evrose (Jan 7, 2011)

Paegan said:


> The list goes on and on:
> 
> The Road
> Angela's Ashes
> ...


Add "The Road" to my list of "wtf are people thinking?" I could barely slog through that disaster of a novel. Seriously, it's like McCarthy got stoned out of his mind, entered a clinical depression, and just brain-farted all over his keyboard for 200+ agonizing pages.

On the other hand, I've been a huge Tolkein nut since I was little. Go figure.


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## Kathleen Valentine (Dec 10, 2009)

All the time -- of course, if a book doesn't grab me I don't continue to read. So many of the bestseller regulars -- Sandra Brown and Lisa Jackson come to mind -- are just dreadful in my opinion but to each his own.


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## JRTomlin (Jan 18, 2011)

Geemont said:


> Best fantasy trilogy ever!
> 
> As for bad, _The Hunger Games_; completely, wholly, totally unsatisfying in characters, plot, originality, writing, and just about anything else about it. To a lesser degree, Harry Potter. The first few books were cute light weight entertainment, but ultimately runs run-of-mill read-and-forget-em books.


True, if you want the most easily hateable protagonist in the history of fantasy (yes, I don't like rapists) by a writer who loves repeating the same words--over and over. There is actually a game to see how long it takes to find the word "clench" on any page. I will admit that's more fun than reading the things. 

Edit: I also loath Goodkind's writing but unlike Donaldson's, I never had anyone recommend it. (There have to be a lot of people out there who love it, but I never actually MET one)


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## Alice Y. Yeh (Jul 14, 2010)

JRTomlin said:


> True, if you want the most easily hateable protagonist in the history of fantasy (yes, I don't like rapists) by a writer who loves repeating the same words--over and over. There is actually a game to see how long it takes to find the word "clench" on any page. I will admit that's more fun than reading the things.


Sounds like


Spoiler



a drinking game


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## JenniferBecton (Oct 21, 2010)

I've read tons of books that were not as good as reviewers said. Twilight comes to mind. But there have been many, many more.


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## Kathleen Valentine (Dec 10, 2009)

I certainly agree about _Twilight_ and _The DaVinci Code_!


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## tim290280 (Jan 11, 2011)

I should add *The Hobbit by Tolkien * to the list. A friend said I should read it because it was fantastic, needless to say they aren't my friend anymore.

It actually put me off reading The Lord of the Rings for years. It was only with the movie hype that I decided to bother. They were worth reading, but filled with so much waffle and morbid depression (although the latter can be excused as that was necessary for the story).


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## Geemont (Nov 18, 2008)

JRTomlin said:


> True, if you want the most easily hateable protagonist in the history of fantasy (yes, I don't like rapists)


Thomas Covenant is absolutely an anti-hero, completely despicable, but you don't need to like him to enjoy the novels: he is surely one of the most memorable and unique characters in any kind of literature. Harry Potter and the Hunger Games girl may be more likable to most readers, but their archetype is about as original as day old dishwater.

Say what you will about Donaldson's writing faults, but it has meat and flavor compared to the profunctionary prose written down to an eight grade level that runs through so many modern novels like bland rice cakes at a buffet.


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## Basilius (Feb 20, 2010)

evrose said:


> The Winner for "Most Over-Hyped Waste of Dead Tree" IMHO is:
> 
> _The Da Vinci Code_ by Dan (I've written a dozen books with the same plot) Brown
> 
> ...


Spending a lot of time never quite answering questions about the truthfulness of the conspiracy stories didn't hurt. He's a brilliant marketer.

My wife enjoyed the books, but she's been known to read the literary equivalent of cotton candy from time to time.


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## twhvalentine (Feb 1, 2011)

I'll be the one person who admits that he actually did enjoy _The Da Vinci Code_ (in spite of somewhat mediocre writing, I did find the conspiracy stuff interesting).  I also love the Harry Potter books and found _Twilight_ to be a quick, easy, painless read.

What I can't seem to get through is _Lord of the Rings_, which is ironic since I write fantasy. I'm more of a GRRM guy.


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## JRTomlin (Jan 18, 2011)

Geemont said:


> Thomas Covenant is absolutely an anti-hero, completely despicable, but you don't need to like him to enjoy the novels: he is surely one of the most memorable and unique characters in any kind of literature. Harry Potter and the Hunger Games girl may be more likable to most readers, but their archetype is about as original as day old dishwater.
> 
> Say what you will about Donaldson's writing faults, but it has meat and flavor compared to the profunctionary prose written down to an eight grade level that runs through so many modern novels like bland rice cakes at a buffet.


Well, if you like green rotting meat flavor--I agree. As for anti-heroes, I like them, but I require my anti-heroes to have at least some redeeming quality. One maybe.

I'll take GRRM any day of the week. And I never have nor will touch another of Donaldson's stuff.


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## Labrynth (Dec 31, 2009)

I read both The DaVinci code and Angels & Demons.  They weren't horrible, but I really didn't see what the fuss was about.

I didn't care for The Lovely Bones.  So not the book I thought it was going to be.

My Twilight hatred is well known.

I tried reading The Stand, but never could keep the characters straight in my head and after 250 pages I gave up.  I tried LOTR once and didn't make it far because Tolkien is just too long winded for me.  King has seriously fallen into the long winded habit as well and I haven't read much of anything of his in the last decade or so.

The Anita Blake series started off well, but somewhere along the way Hamilton seemed to confuse writing wannabe porn with her novels.  Which made me sad because I really did love the first 6 or so.

While I enjoy Sherrilyn Kenyon's Dark Hunter series as so much fluff, it's really not written terribly well.  She might be a decent story teller but she's not a great writer.


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## Joseph Robert Lewis (Oct 31, 2010)

Everyone was pushing Kostova's *The Historian *at me when it came out. Someone even bought me the hardcover. (I never buy hardcovers.) And the book was a complete disappointment. Flat characters. Repetitive plot lines. And a horrible excuse for a villain and climax. The definition of underwhelming.


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## sbaum4853 (May 3, 2010)

josephrobertlewis said:


> Everyone was pushing Kostova's *The Historian *at me when it came out. Someone even bought me the hardcover. (I never buy hardcovers.) And the book was a complete disappointment. Flat characters. Repetitive plot lines. And a horrible excuse for a villain and climax. The definition of underwhelming.


Amen to that.

Seems like Twilight and Da Vinci Code get mentioned in the same sentence a lot on this board (and elsewhere). I think my next book is going to be called _The Twilight Code_, and it's going to be about a world where young female authors have left clues to a truth that will rock the Western World deep inside the pages of YA fantasies about sullen self-indulgent teenage girls with Daddy issues.


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## Alice Y. Yeh (Jul 14, 2010)

sbaum4853 said:


> Seems like Twilight and Da Vinci Code get mentioned in the same sentence a lot on this board (and elsewhere). I think my next book is going to be called _The Twilight Code_, and it's going to be about a world where young female authors have left clues to a truth that will rock the Western World deep inside the pages of YA fantasies about sullen self-indulgent teenage girls with Daddy issues.


Sounds like a hit 

Actually, it could be pretty interesting...Good ol' tongue-in-cheek humor...


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## KMA (Mar 11, 2009)

Alice Y. Yeh said:


> Sounds like a hit
> 
> Actually, it could be pretty interesting...Good ol' tongue-in-cheek humor...


I might read that.


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## joanhallhovey (Nov 7, 2010)

I have read a book that was overrated in my opinion, but didn't 'stink'.  The Bridges of Madison County was one.  I always felt sorry for the husband.


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## Chris Barraclough (Jan 25, 2011)

Labrynth said:


> I tried reading The Stand, but never could keep the characters straight in my head and after 250 pages I gave up. I tried LOTR once and didn't make it far because Tolkien is just too long winded for me. King has seriously fallen into the long winded habit as well and I haven't read much of anything of his in the last decade or so.


I completely agree regarding The Stand. I also struggled to get into his Dark Tower series, despite really wanting to enjoy it. My friend stuck them out 'til the 5th book or so. He said he pretty much gave up when... [potential spoiler just ahead] ....King himself made an appearance in the book ()


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## Bunny Hugger (Jan 7, 2011)

I saw a couple of people list The Lovely Bones.  I picked that book up when it first came out because a friend of mine RAVED about it.  I tried it and could not finish it.  Fast forward 8 years (around that) to this past weekend.  I found my copy and decided to give it another try, this time I finished it.  I can't say that I loved it, but I think that it's a good book.  Funny how 8 years can change your perception of things.

A book that has been well received by many that I just did not like was The Shack by William Young.  I gave it away as soon as I was done.


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## Labrynth (Dec 31, 2009)

Chris Barraclough said:


> I completely agree regarding The Stand. I also struggled to get into his Dark Tower series, despite really wanting to enjoy it. My friend stuck them out 'til the 5th book or so. He said he pretty much gave up when... [potential spoiler just ahead] ....King himself made an appearance in the book ()


I thought about trying the Dark Tower but there was no way I was going to read it until he got close to finishing it. Nothing worse than loving a series only to have the author take FOREVER to get around to writing it. (If Koontz doesn't finish the Snow trilogy I might have to hurt him.)

I think the thing most folks seem to dislike about The Lovely Bones is that it's not the book most people expected. I think the majority of people are expecting a murder mystery type of thing, instead they got the aftermath of a family trying to carry on. Which makes it a completely different book. It's kind of the difference between Armageddon and Deep Impact. Both are about a meteor hitting the Earth but Armageddon is about saving the Earth and Deep Impact is about how to chose who lives when it happens.


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## xandy3 (Jun 13, 2010)

Bunny Hugger said:


> A book that has been well received by many that I just did not like was The Shack by William Young. I gave it away as soon as I was done.
> [/
> 
> 
> ...


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## Jrose (Oct 29, 2010)

I may upset some people on this one, but World War Zombie is that book for me.


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## purplepen79 (May 6, 2010)

history_lover said:


> The Other Boleyn Girl.


I didn't read this but saw the movie and thought it so ridiculous from a historical perspective that I couldn't bring myself to read the book. The story of King Henry VIII and Anne Boleyn does not need any fictional drama added to it--the historical facts are quite dramatic enough on their own. I loved _Anne of a Thousand Days _, though, if you've never seen that--clever dialogue and great political skullduggery.

I compiled a list I posted on an Amazon discussion the other day of how I categorize books, which sums up my feelings about over-hyped novels:

As a reader, I put novels in four classes:

1. Entertaining fluff, as in cotton candy--good for one read-through but nothing particularly compelling about the characters or story.

2. Terrible fluff, as in dust bunnies--too much telling, not enough showing, passive voice construction, cardboard characters going through the motions of a rote plot, not worth even one read-through.

3. Literary fluff, as in straw chaff--deceptively pseudo-intellectual crud that bores the reader either to tears, cursing, or sleep as he or she searches desperately for the thread of an interesting story in a haystack of overblown language. Please see B.R. Myers's _A Reader's Manifesto: An Attack on the Growing Pretentiousness in American Literary Prose _ for examples of this.

4. Entertaining, well-written, perhaps soon-to-be-classic books--Novels with characters and stories so compelling you don't even notice the wonderfully written prose the first time through because you're too caught up in the world the author has created. Then you have to go back and re-read the book a second, third, fourth time because it's so good and remains entertaining through multiple read-throughs. Some of these books are the ones that go on to become classics.

The occasional writer shifts between a couple of these categories, but it's rare. Tigers don't change their stripes, and usually writers don't either. It can happen though--I know a couple great writers who have written some duds, and vice versa.


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## Tom Schreck (Dec 12, 2010)

OMG Purple--I love number 3!!!


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## Zell (Dec 27, 2010)

Alice Y. Yeh said:


> Yes indeedy. The _Twilight_ series and _The Da Vinci Code_ come to mind. I couldn't make it past the first chapter of the latter one because the writing was so poor. Perhaps _Twilight_ was less irritating because my expectations were lower...
> 
> Nope. I still wanted to stake the overbearing male lead.


I don't know anything about the Twilight book series but the most recent movie wreaked of stink (can't remember the name, thank goodness). My wife dragged me to it and it was the most sappy, pathetic, boring movie I've ever sat through and would have left early if it wasn't for my wife. Come to find out as we were leaving she had the same thoughts about it. Sheesh! Neither of us have read the books but I'll tell you, after seeing the movie we have no plans to. Yuck.


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## Geemont (Nov 18, 2008)

As I recall, someone posted a link to B.R. Myers a few months ago and it was a rant against the literary pretensions of Annie Proulx, Cormac McCarthy et al in favor of the common novel.  To me it seemed like he wanted to rid writing of pretensions the way Eugene McCarthy wanted to rid the country of unAmerican activities.  Pure poppycock.


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## KerylR (Dec 28, 2010)

The Physic Book of Deliverance Dane

I couldn't finish it.  I tried.  But...ugh.  

I'm a history wonk, and while my main area is WWI, I'm not unfamiliar with US Colonial History.  When I know more than the character who has gotten to the thesis stage of her doctorate, something is seriously wrong.  

Too much detail.  I don't need to know about your pet dog or how you got him.  I don't need to know about the apartment you will spend no time in, let alone the history of the building where the apartment you will spend no time in is located.  And on and on...

Too much showing.  I really do not need to know in precise detail what all of the above look like.

Twilight: yuck!  Harry Potter: yay!  (Though I have unkind words about DH.)  DaVinci Code: haven't read it, found the movie boring.  Lovely Bones: haven't read it.  Lord of the Rings: yuck!  Movies were good.  That covers all the big ones on this list.


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## Basilius (Feb 20, 2010)

purplepen79 said:


> 3. Literary fluff, as in straw chaff--deceptively pseudo-intellectual crud that bores the reader either to tears, cursing, or sleep as he or she searches desperately for the thread of an interesting story in a haystack of overblown language. Please see B.R. Myers's _A Reader's Manifesto: An Attack on the Growing Pretentiousness in American Literary Prose _ for examples of this.


I hope you don't mind, but I'm going to shamelessly steal this.

You can pretty much count anything that the publishing world goes into hissy-fits about before it's published fits this category. (_Freedom_, _The Road_, etc.)


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## Sandra Edwards (May 10, 2010)

Haven't we all? lol. No book is going to have universal appeal. It's just not going to happen.


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## TWErvin2 (Aug 7, 2010)

The Da vinci Code.

Just couldn't get into it.


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## johnmedler (Feb 1, 2011)

Presumed Innocent by Scott Turow was one of the best books I have ever read. I tried to read his next few books, and kept falling asleep.


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## Labrynth (Dec 31, 2009)

I tried to real the Wheel of Time books by Jordan.  I didn't even make it 2 chapters into the first book.  But a bunch of my friends thought they were the best things ever, even folks who didn't read.


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## Mrs. K. (Dec 31, 2010)

I've read and enjoyed many of the books mentioned in this thread. I find it hard to imagine anyone disliking my favorites, and I won't hold it against anyone if they disagree with me. Even though they're clearly wrong.  

My books that stink: The Pillars of the Earth, which had the dual virtues of being both boring and badly researched. Twilight was whiny drivel with a shiny vampire.    There. I've said it and now I feel better. 

Much of my dislike of some recommended books comes from the hype and expectation that I'm FINALLY going to enjoy another GREAT book (one that will make me laugh, cry, call off work to finish, and recommend to my every friend)...only to find a book that is maddeningly OKAY.   I suspect this is the case with the Dragon Tattoo business, and the DaVinci Code, which is why they slide further and further down my "TBR" list...


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## xandy3 (Jun 13, 2010)

Mrs. K. said:


> I've read and enjoyed many of the books mentioned in this thread. I find it hard to imagine anyone disliking my favorites, and I won't hold it against anyone if they disagree with me. Even though they're clearly wrong.
> 
> My books that stink: The Pillars of the Earth, which had the dual virtues of being both boring and badly researched. Twilight was whiny drivel with a shiny vampire.  There. I've said it and now I feel better.
> 
> Much of my dislike of some recommended books comes from the hype and expectation that I'm FINALLY going to enjoy another GREAT book (one that will make me laugh, cry, call off work to finish, and recommend to my every friend)...only to find a book that is maddeningly OKAY.  I suspect this is the case with the Dragon Tattoo business, and the DaVinci Code, which is why they slide further and further down my "TBR" list...


I got bored with Dragon Tattoo after the tenth chapter (or thereabout) and haven't "un-archived" it since. I got so tired of reading about that Marty Stu, what he ate, and which sock he put on first...

It has GOT TO get more exciting eventually, in some later chapter....or else, I suspect it wouldn't have gotten so popular.


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## purplepen79 (May 6, 2010)

Basilius said:


> I hope you don't mind, but I'm going to shamelessly steal this.
> 
> You can pretty much count anything that the publishing world goes into hissy-fits about before it's published fits this category. (_Freedom_, _The Road_, etc.)


Steal away! 

And for those of you who haven't read _A Reader's Manifesto_ all the way through but merely heard it was poppycock, pick up the latest version sometime. Myers answers all of his critics (particularly Lee Siegel) at the end of the 2002 edition. I've never read such a well-reasoned argument concerning literary theory, well supported with lengthy quotations from the texts he criticizes (as well as quotations from books he likes to demonstrate the difference). I keep it by my computer and consult it often, as it's one of the best teaching aids I've ever read for an amateur writer on what to avoid.

If, however, you've read it all the way through and don't like it, then obviously to each his own.


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## Pinworms (Oct 20, 2010)

Harry Potter

I had so many friends recommend this series.  These are adults whose opinions I generally respect.  I forced myself to the 3rd book, and then gave up.  I know they are mainly targeted to young adults, but I found them way more "kiddie" than I was expecting.  

Also the Hunger Games.  YA Ripoff version of Battle Royale.


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## tim290280 (Jan 11, 2011)

Pinworms said:


> Harry Potter
> 
> I had so many friends recommend this series. These are adults whose opinions I generally respect. I forced myself to the 3rd book, and then gave up. I know they are mainly targeted to young adults, but I found them way more "kiddie" than I was expecting.


Yes, this is true. You would probably want to start much later in the series to miss the overly kiddie feel to it all. I started with Goblet of Fire, basically because people actually die in it. Really enjoyed the series from that point on, although JK's writing leaves a bit to be desired.


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## dixiehellcat (Jan 23, 2011)

Cannot force myself thru these Girl That yadda yadda series. Tried to start the first one several times. No go. Would much rather reread Harry Potter.   Except that I'm not 'cause I'm tearing thru Lois McMaster Bujold's Miles series. Good stuff, that, and downloaded free!


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## Labrynth (Dec 31, 2009)

Pinworms said:


> Harry Potter
> 
> I had so many friends recommend this series. These are adults whose opinions I generally respect. I forced myself to the 3rd book, and then gave up. I know they are mainly targeted to young adults, but I found them way more "kiddie" than I was expecting.
> 
> Also the Hunger Games. YA Ripoff version of Battle Royale.


HP starts off young because Harry is so young. But it gets pretty grown up by the end. I would personally hesitate to let a kid read the later few books because of this. Some younger kids might not deal with the things in them well.

I avoided HP for YEARS. I had seen the first movie and understood why it was popular. Her world is very elaborate and expansive. But I didn't think it was for me. I ended up reading them after the last one came out and read all 7 in less than 2 weeks back to back. LOL I was glad I had done it like that because I'd have been rather put out if I'd had to wait for each one to come out!


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## stormhawk (Apr 29, 2009)

Linjeakel said:


> Lord of the Rings - useful as a door stop, but not much else IMO.  I know many people love it and read and re-read it endlessly but I found it brain numbingly boring (much like the movies). War And Peace was an easier read....


You are not alone. I SHOULD love LOTR. I love fantasy, and have the kinds of friends who try to speak in Elvish and dress in flowy garments ... can't stand LOTR. I used to re-read it every couple of years to make sure my opinion hasn't changed. I've given up on that.

The Stand - Loved the original, hate the bloated monster it became after the (completely unnecessary) rewrite.

Twilight - Read at the urging of a cow orker whose opinion on books I used to respect. She gave me each one, even after my scathing reviews (which mainly consisted of the words, "It's Crap!" "Oh," she would say, "the next one is better! It has Native Americans in it, you like Native Americans. And wolves!" Right. "It's worse crap," I would respond on returning the book the next day. if it hadn't been for her I would have remained blissfully unaware of Edward and Bella. At least I didn't pay for them.

The Langdon books by Dan Brown - suffered from being ordinary. Not great, not awful. but the cover puzzles were fun.

edit: Oh Yeah, Thomas Covenant, Unbeliever, or should I say Whiny Unbeliever. I liked the character okay when he was in our world, hated his ass in The Land (or whatever it was called). Whiny, Whiny, Whiny.

I'm sure there are others, but the awfulness of these makes them difficult to bring to mind.


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## Geemont (Nov 18, 2008)

purplepen79 said:


> And for those of you who haven't read _A Reader's Manifesto_ all the way through but merely heard it was poppycock, pick up the latest version sometime. Myers answers all of his critics (particularly Lee Siegel) at the end of the 2002 edition.


OK, it isn't the full book, buy you can decide for yourself if the article is poppycock or not: A Reader's Manifesto from _The Atlantic Monthly_ from July/August 2001. 
No novel is prefect, nor is any prose style, for that matter, but B. R. Myers seems content to cherry pick issues that otherwise irrelevant nitpicks.

Here is his heavily ironic Ten Rules for "Serious" Writers

I can just as easily go through popular fiction and root out equal examples of bad things, for example, if I were more ambitious I could pen an article more the junky best-selling popular fiction.

*Five Rules for "Best-Selling" Fiction Writers*
1) Eschew the details, go for action, more action, and even more action.
2) Write it like its a movie. Be sure the reader can see the movie version in their heads as the read.
3) Keep it at an eight grade reading level. 
4) Make the propagandists and antagonists super smart, very handsome or beautiful, and fabulously rich.
5) When in doubt about what to write, write a sequel, then do it again and again and again and again and again and again and again and again and again and again until it's time for retirement.

See how easy it to slam certain types of writing?


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## Jon Olson (Dec 10, 2010)

I concur on The Lord of the Rings, and the Hobbit. Just could not do it. In the nonfiction realm, I couldn't stand The Best and the Brightest. Completely disorganized, poorly sourced, no discipline to the writing. I had just read A Bright Shining Lie, on some of the same material, and it _was_ brilliant. B and the B suffered by comparison.

Apologies for this little foray into nonfiction.


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## Chris Northern (Jan 20, 2011)

Yes! It took me a while; I've been thinking about it. Actually the answer is no, because I read a few pages and just tossed it across the room. Now, I have to go google it because it was so bad I can't even remember the guys name...  hah! Found him. Valerio Massimo Manfredi. Sucked. Can't even remember which book it was; set in Rome and I fully expected/wanted to like it. Sucked!

The opinions expressed by Chris Northern are his alone and not to be confused with those of other human beings.

But it really sucked!


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