# Well known books you dislike



## Woodpecker (Mar 8, 2007)

Are there any books that are well known that you do not like? Mine is Catcher In The Rye by J. D. Salinger. I couldn't stand it anyone else with me?


----------



## Dwayne Barry (Jan 9, 2009)

Dreamy said:


> Are there any books that are well known that you do not like? Mine is Catcher In The Rye by J. D. Salinger. I couldn't stand it anyone else with me?



Yes, I couldn't figure out why that book is a "classic". Nothing is more annoying than having the thought of "I don't get it". One thing to "get it" and it just not be your cup of tea, but that book just left me wondering why such a fuss is made about it.

It's almost enough to make me go back and reread it.

Atlas Shrugged by Ayn Rand is a horrid work and I for the most part like her philosophy.


----------



## RideBarefoot (Jun 29, 2008)

Funny you mention that particular one. As my elementary and high schools were extremely small, the libraries were not that well stocked. I have, over the years, picked up the classics when I find them on sale so I can add them to my personal library. I just finished Catcher several days ago and was wondering the same thing!


----------



## ELOCN (Jun 13, 2004)

I didn't think highly of Catcher in the Rye either. I was maybe 12 or 13 when I read it. 

I read Vanity Fair, by William Makepeace Thackeray, a few years ago. I thought it was really hard to get through, but I did manage to finish it. But I didn't like it very much.


----------



## Woodpecker (Mar 8, 2007)

Im so glad im not alone! I really don't understand why it's a classic. I just borrowed a copy of Atlas Shrugged by Ayn Rand, I haven't started it yet. The first thought I had was my the print is so small!


----------



## house06 (Jan 4, 2007)

why is the print so small and the book so very long? I didn't dislike Atlas Shrugged but at times thought it got a little long-winded!


----------



## mldrenen (Nov 29, 2007)

mark another one down for 'atlas shrugged'. i felt like a middle school english teacher reading a never-ending stack of poorly-written essays.


----------



## mooman (May 19, 2008)

Haven't read Catcher. Probably won't now. 

Not a real well known book at large, but maybe in this circle. Chicken Tractor. by Andy Lee

By the time i found it (I had to order it, non of the libraries had it  ) I had already read several books and done tons of on line research on pastured poultry. That book stumbles around like a drunk sailer. When good information was given, it was poorly organized. A lot of the book was anecdotal, and well....I didn't care for the illustrations. There I said it! :soap:


----------



## Woodpecker (Mar 8, 2007)

house06 said:


> why is the print so small and the book so very long? I didn't dislike Atlas Shrugged but at times thought it got a little long-winded!


The print is so small and the book so long Im afraid I will be blind by the time I finish.


----------



## PyroDon (Jul 30, 2006)

lord of the rings couldnt hardly drag myself through it 

lord of the flies, unrealistic view


----------



## Woodpecker (Mar 8, 2007)

PyroDon said:


> lord of the rings couldnt hardly drag myself through it
> 
> lord of the flies, unrealistic view


Never read them. I have thought about it though, thanks for the tip. Now I won't bother.


----------



## Woodpecker (Mar 8, 2007)

I know this was already discussed but I barely made it through the Shack by William P. Young. It took me twice as long too.


----------



## Parrothead (May 3, 2009)

Hate the last three Harry Potter books (especially the Deathly Hallows).


----------



## bluesky (Mar 22, 2008)

Wuthering Heights. I can never get past the first two or three chapters.


----------



## Woodpecker (Mar 8, 2007)

Another one I diskliked was Centinnel by James A. Michener. It seem to drag on and on.


----------



## beaglebiz (Aug 5, 2008)

PyroDon said:


> lord of the rings couldnt hardly drag myself through it


Oh my, I cant believe you said that about LOTR. I was afraid to see the movies, worried they had "ruined" it.
To each his own I suppose, I read it for the first time at age 12, and for a while my friends and I tried to write in "elvish"

I HATED the Grapes of Wrath. Terribly depressing, and I loathed the end


----------



## house06 (Jan 4, 2007)

I try if possible to read what my daughters are reading. It gives me an idea of what they are thinking about and gives us some more things to talk about. As an English major, I have read most of what they read for school already. That helps!

When they started reading the Twilight series, I was right there with them. I read all the books to make sure they were okay for my younger daughter to read. The last book Breaking Dawn was absolutely horrid and the biggest waste of trees, ink, paper and electricity I've ever seen. I enjoyed the series until the final book. It is like it was written by a drunk, psychotic person who didn't progress past sixth grade writing. What was Stephanie Meyer thinking? Big, big disappointment and shows what happens when authors start bowing to commercial pressures and success rather than writing from the heart and staying true to the story. Double thumbs down for BREAKING DAWN!!


----------



## Guest (May 12, 2009)

_Atlas Shrugged_ and _The Handmaids Tale_.

The entire Thomas Covenant series.

.....Alan.


----------



## PyroDon (Jul 30, 2006)

beaglebiz said:


> Oh my, I cant believe you said that about LOTR. I was afraid to see the movies, worried they had "ruined" it.
> To each his own I suppose, I read it for the first time at age 12, and for a while my friends and I tried to write in "elvish"
> 
> I HATED the Grapes of Wrath. Terribly depressing, and I loathed the end


liked the movie just cant stand the way Tolkin writes long drawn out dry .
That and to be honest Ive never been much on the middle earth story lines .
just a difference of taste


----------



## Strange Bear (May 13, 2002)

Animal Farm
Lord of the Flies
After seeing the movie I could never read Gone with the Wind


----------



## jen74145 (Oct 31, 2006)

A group of women I know told me Diana Gabaldon's books were great... lies.
Same group sings the praises of Twilight: again, lies.

Pfft. And I, for some reason, *must* finish any series I start. Like I'm clinging to hope it will get better, lol. Good thing I'm a fast reader, I guess.

Margaret Atwood is also on my "never again" list.


----------



## Woodpecker (Mar 8, 2007)

jen74145 said:


> A group of women I know told me Diana Gabaldon's books were great... lies.
> Same group sings the praises of Twilight: again, lies.
> 
> Pfft. And I, for some reason, *must* finish any series I start. Like I'm clinging to hope it will get better, lol. Good thing I'm a fast reader, I guess.
> ...


I try to finish every book I start, some times it takes years! Good to know that twilight is a waste of time.


----------



## beaglebiz (Aug 5, 2008)

the Twilight books IMHO were a pouty teenage love triangle thing. Got on my nerves more than anything.


----------



## house06 (Jan 4, 2007)

Yes I agree the Twilight series is DEFINITELY targeted for teenagers, which I have at home. But if you are looking for a light summer read that takes you back to the drama filled days of teen angst then I think it is worth reading.


----------



## CacheCraven (Apr 5, 2007)

Staying with the theme of trashing Stephanie Meyer, I thought "The Host" would have been a pretty good short story. I was wanting her to wrap it up about halfway through that epic.
Also, LOATHED the whiney "Left Behind". It would not have even made a good short story. It could be summed up like this: "Oh, no, why meeeeeee, why meeeeee?" And then some planes fell from the sky. "Why meeee, why mee?" And some more stuff happened. And guy whined some more. The end. Okay, maybe there was more to it than that, but I could not even finish the first book. Did I mention I loathed it?
Lisa


----------



## pheasantplucker (Feb 20, 2007)

I've probably read Catcher in the Rye a half dozen times. I don't know why it draws me in, but I liked the story a lot. Many of my male friends liked it as well, but I don't think many females I know who have read it, appreciated it. 

My kids all had to read Uncle Tom's Cabin in high school. I tried, but found it really archaic in its language. I abandoned it about a quarter way through as it was painful with the turn of every page. Yuck.


----------



## brody (Feb 19, 2009)

beaglebiz said:


> Oh my, I cant believe you said that about LOTR. I was afraid to see the movies, worried they had "ruined" it.
> To each his own I suppose, I read it for the first time at age 12, and for a while my friends and I tried to write in "elvish"
> 
> I HATED the Grapes of Wrath. Terribly depressing, and I loathed the end


to each her own I suppose 
I loved the grapes of wrath 
I loved lord of the flies once I understood it 
Catcher in the Rye is ok 

The Handmaidens Tale by Atwood is the only book of hers I can honestly say I liked - though I got an A on my essay on Surfacing so I should like that 
Animal Farm was weird but again once I got it I was ok with it 
I have very happy memories of being read LOTR ... 
a LOT influences the way you feel about a book I think


----------



## Elsbet (Apr 2, 2009)

CacheCraven said:


> Also, LOATHED the whiney "Left Behind". It would not have even made a good short story. It could be summed up like this: "Oh, no, why meeeeeee, why meeeeee?" And then some planes fell from the sky. "Why meeee, why mee?" And some more stuff happened. And guy whined some more. The end. Okay, maybe there was more to it than that, but I could not even finish the first book. Did I mention I loathed it?
> Lisa


ROFLOL!!!


----------



## hollym (Feb 18, 2005)

Hmmm...well I loved most of the books mentioned, LOTR - re-read it when I get discouraged about people. Wuthering Heights does start out slowly, but gets better, or not, if you don't like it! I love the Grapes of Wrath as well. It is sad, true, but he was trying to tell an honest story of a really rough time for displaced small farmers, ripped from their homes and their way of life. So: no happy no feelgood. I did find it inspiring that some of the characters continued to rise above the things that happened to them. 

Twilight - Co-dependent unrealistic nonsense written for young girls who haven't learned what real relationships are like yet. There is no Prince Charming. Disney lied. 

Atlas Shrugged, it is slow going sometimes, but very interesting in it's ideas, even though I don't agree with some of them! 

Catcher in the Rye: I love Holden, such a pained, hilarious, touching young man. 

Okay: 

I loathe Hemingway. Anything ever written by him. Two word sentences and emotionally stunted characters don't do much for me. 

I thought 'The Bridges of Madison County' was sentimental tripe and poorly written. 

I think most of the bodice ripper types of romances are a huge waste of time. I don't know this for a fact, have only read a couple - one had pirates in it, so that part was mildly interesting, but other than that I'm just not impressed. 

I don't as a rule care much for John Irving's books although some of them are okay. 

hollym


----------



## Parrothead (May 3, 2009)

I admit that I rented Twilight because of all the raves in the media about it. I should have known better. It was horrendous. The movie was so awful that I refuse to even try to read one of the books.


----------



## chamoisee (May 15, 2005)

I hated the Twilight movie and thought it was lacking in depth compared to the books, and the books aren't horribly deep, but they're interesting. The movie drains off all the elements of surprise, wonder, and mystery that you'd normally expect in a vampire novel, especially a romantic vampire novel. For example, the Interview with a Vampire movie had all these elements, even if you'd already read Anne Rice's book. I read all the Twilight Series and will read others if she write more, but the movie had inadequate TLC, despite the skill of the actors. Someone somewhere lacked enthusiasm when they made it. 

Catcher in the Rye- it isn't a *nice* book. It's a haunting, lingering sort of thing that unsettles you, and because of that, I felt it was a good book. Good books make you think, IMHO. 

That said, I, an Anne Rice fan, didn't like a couple of her books (I have read most of them); Violin in particular. It was just too emotion-muddy for me.


----------



## Chuck (Oct 27, 2003)

Anything by Joel osteen.


----------



## Guest (Jun 6, 2009)

Hank the Cowdog! Why do people rave about that series? Everyone but me thinks it's cute. 

I read one and that was more than enough for me. It was so incredibly stupid. Of course it's intended for children, but I like children's books. Except that one.


----------



## Woodpecker (Mar 8, 2007)

I dragged myself through Anne Rice's The Vampire Lestat.


----------



## CamM (Dec 6, 2008)

Harry Potter. Fantasy magic stuff I don't like, although to be fair my teacher read the first book to us in 4th grade, and that's my only exposure besides part of a couple of movies.


----------



## rkintn (Dec 12, 2002)

Parrothead said:


> I admit that I rented Twilight because of all the raves in the media about it. I should have known better. It was horrendous. The movie was so awful that I refuse to even try to read one of the books.


Thank goodness! I thought I was the only one who thought the Twilight series was garbage! Don't get me wrong..I love a good vampire tale as much as the next girl..but sparkly, teenage vampires UGH!!!! Enough holes in that storyline it started to look like Swiss Cheese and the last book was the worst offender of all...and that's saying ALOT!

I made the mistake of watching the movie w/my daughter and her boyfriend. We laughed and made fun of it the whole time. I couldn't believe the move was so horrible.


----------



## TurnerHill (Jun 8, 2009)

The DaVinci Code, which was just plain ignorant.

And those Left Behind books.

And anything by any of the Brontes.


----------



## glazed (Aug 19, 2006)

Left Behind and The DaVinci Code.

Never even gave Harry Potter or Twilight series a chance. :shrug:


----------



## WildernesFamily (Mar 11, 2006)

The Shipping News. Simply awful.


----------



## Reptyle (Jul 28, 2005)

ladycat said:


> Hank the Cowdog! Why do people rave about that series? Everyone but me thinks it's cute.
> 
> I read one and that was more than enough for me. It was so incredibly stupid. Of course it's intended for children, but I like children's books. Except that one.


Awww, c'mom! How can you not like Hank and Drover??!!


----------



## Reptyle (Jul 28, 2005)

CamM said:


> Harry Potter. Fantasy magic stuff I don't like, although to be fair* my teacher read the first book to us in 4th grade*, and that's my only exposure besides part of a couple of movies.


Thanks, I feel old now.:croc:


----------



## cathleenc (Aug 16, 2007)

oh my

Wurthing Heights is fabulous.
Loved the Thomas Covenant series.
Handmaidens Tale is fine, not my favorite M Atwood.
LOTR rocks. 
I liked Atlas Shrugged as a teenager. Then I grew up. (so polemic!)
Shipping News was delightful!

Books I did not like but was expected to? Ulysses by James Joyce. I tried. I really did. I even tried reading it while under the influence, after getting off long shifts bartending way back when. Even if the book reads like it was written by an intoxicated man and writes about bars and intoxication being intoxicated did not improve my ability to make heads nor tales of it.


----------



## tyusclan (Jan 1, 2005)

Can't stand _Gone With the Wind_, the book or movie, and absolutely hated _Uncle Tom's Cabin_.

I also don't like anything by Hemingway. His writing style is intriguing, but his characters and stories are just too dark. I don't mind a sad story once in a while, but everything Hemingway wrote (that I've every read or tried to read) is downright depressing.


----------



## danoon (Dec 20, 2006)

Lucifer's Hammer.. the first 180 pages were so boring it took me a month to get to the good half.

Love the Hobbit and Lord Of The Rings... but the Silmarillion was a pain to get through.

The Koran.. It was an easy read but I kept getting mad and had to keep stopping for a few days.


----------



## Elsbet (Apr 2, 2009)

Dreamy said:


> I dragged myself through Anne Rice's The Vampire Lestat.


Oh my goodness, I tried reading some Anne Rice once... I managed 3 pages? Maybe... It was painful. I can't even remember which book it was, now. I found it laying in the parkinglot at work, and picked it up. To be fair, I do remember that it was one of her first ones, and there is a huge learning curve with writers.

I tried reading the DaVinci Code, and couldn't get into that, either. Everyone was talking about it, but... meh. It was just too far fetched for me (and I write fantasy novels in my "spare time", so that's saying something.) His writing felt kind of stilted, too.

I love Dickens' writing, but I can't stand Pickwick Papers. Oddly enough, that's my DH's favorite of Dickens' books.


----------



## Guest (Jul 25, 2009)

Anything by Hemingway puts me to sleep.


----------



## ELOCN (Jun 13, 2004)

I loved Charles Dickens's "Pickwick Papers." It was very funny! I'd like to read it again. I know someone who re-reads it every year.


----------



## Xandras_Zoo (Jul 21, 2004)

Lord of the Rings... I liked the movies. I read the Hobbit and tried really really hard to like it and it kind of worked. I read the Fellowship of the Ring. Never got through the series, though. 

JK Rowling... Harry Potter... The Deathly Hallows... the epilogue, why??? I am in love with the series despite its corniness at times. But the epilogue was horrifying. 

Lord of the Flies... would never have read it voluntarily. 

TWILIGHT. Why, oh why oh why do people like it. I mean, there are a LOT of books that aren't "my thing." There are lots that I find painful to read. But that book. It actually bothers me that people could like it, and that has never happened before with any piece of literature. It simply doesn't deserve the praise it got. :frypan: 

http://www.amazon.com/Twilight-Saga...Viewpoints=0&filterBy=addOneStar&pageNumber=3
Amelia D's awesome awesome review. Really hits the nail on the head.
"In a romance story where the author is not quite sophisticated enough to actually provide realism instead of fanfiction, first person kills the narrative. One moment, Bella is weeping over how horrible her life is. The next moment, she's discussing how unattractive she is while rebuffing three invitations to the dance in one day--after having no relationships at home. These are not endearing. These are the hopes and wishes of very young teenage girls, and perhaps a few older ones. But it makes for a very ridiculous read through. 
...
You see, it's frustrating because I know Meyer is trying to make Bella realistic instead of perfect. What girl doesn't think she's ugly sometimes? What girl doesn't stumble gracelessly over her own feet? The only difference is, in a novel, these traits are the superficial flaws of a Mary Sue. Simply, they aren't flaws at all. They are *excuses to make Bella "less perfect" while achieving the exact opposite. *Had Bella been genuinely shy (she so wasn't shy!), genuinely unhappy, genuinely boring, it might have been less irritating. But she was clearly outgoing. She was clearly beautiful. She stumbled into horrible situations only to be saved by a gaggle of boys. And all the while, she remained oblivious to all of it. *That isn't a flaw--that's convenience. And it's very immature writing*
...
All the overdesigning of Edward's appearance ended up feeling like was the *author relishing in this personal fantasy*. And that's great. We all have personal fantasies! But this book doesn't quite deserve the enormous praise it's receiving from all corners. ."

And I bought the hardcover edition :Bawling:
:soap:


----------



## Bret4207 (May 31, 2008)

"Patriots- surviving the coming collapse" - my gosh, it's written on the same 9th grade level as the "Left Behind" series. Zero character development. It was awful.

"The Long Emergency"- an author who has the capability, but is so tied up in his love for Jimmy Carter and wholesale belief in global warming that he loses all credibility within the first 30 pages.

Pretty much everything by Stephen King. I'm sorry, I like dark writing, but he's just sick and dull. "The Stand" is the sole exception.


----------



## Parrothead (May 3, 2009)

Xandras_Zoo said:


> JK Rowling... Harry Potter... The Deathly Hallows... the epilogue, why??? I am in love with the series despite its corniness at times. But the epilogue was horrifying.


I hated Deathly Hallows. And the epilogue was such a sell out. Way too cutsey and so Hollywood.


----------



## Xandras_Zoo (Jul 21, 2004)

Oh and the "Look into my eyes" part. That really bothered me. She could've done so much better.


----------



## tryskal (Jun 7, 2008)

Never read any of the Harry Potter or Twilight series. "Eragon" was the one that I couldn't get through. Talk about boring. Tried to read LOTR - didn't like the way it was written. In high school we had to read "The Red Badge of Courage". Most of my classmates just moaned and fussed about reading it. I enjoyed it.

There is a lot of Stephen King that I can't stand. I did enjoy "Cell", "The Stand" and "Tailsman". I'm reading "Black House" now and it is really getting good.


----------



## beaglebiz (Aug 5, 2008)

I love Stephen King, but IMHO he is a terrible story ender...think It, Dark Tower etc


----------



## candyknitter (Apr 23, 2009)

Lolita by Vladimir Nabokov.

It is very well written but it was so disturbing I had to keep putting it down and coming back to it after a few days break. I haven't seen any movie versions but because it's a "classic" and there is so much fuss about it I thought i'd read it and MAKE myself finish it. I not sure if I can honestly say I'm glad I've read it, but I can say that I won't ever read it again.


----------



## ChristyACB (Apr 10, 2008)

Super LOLs to the Left Behind series. Too true. Whiney rubbish. 

I loved the Handmaid's Tale. It was timely to the era when young women like myself sort of feared being put back under control of the uber-right again. I didn't feel the same way about it when I read it again last year, but I still liked it.

Simply could not get into the Harry Potter series.

Absolutely LOATHED Deep Winter and Shatter. LOATHED them..no, that isn't strong enough of a word. I actually printed out the ebooks, read them again and made notations on it because I hated it so much. I could write a book on my hatred of those books.

Atlas Shrugged made me irritated and I wished they would just go mute.


----------



## KrisW (Sep 27, 2002)

The only book that I never finished (never will finish) is Walden.

I put it back up on the shelf and look at it from time to time, but will never pick that thing up again ... ever.

Kris


----------



## shelljo (Feb 1, 2005)

I've said it before, and I'll say it again.

Moby Dick. :boring: It's the worst "classic" ever.


----------



## Saffron (May 24, 2006)

Ethan Frome - and the movie was WORSE - I wanted to hang myself in that clas
Atlas Shrugged
Uncle Tom's Cabin
Lord of the Flies



I love LOTR and Eragon series - I'm into that stuff
Haven't read Twilight . . . yet?
As a teen - read a western by Dan Parkinson - made me lol every time I read it.


----------



## seedspreader (Oct 18, 2004)

"The Road" Cormac McCarthy.

The writing style was horrid and the subject matter obscure. It's a fast, easy read, and I find almost nothing redeeming about it.

And I wanted to through this out. "Atlas Shrugged" would have been a good book if it were half as long. I LOVE big thick books, but not ones that keep repeating themselves and simplifying their message to the point where it becomes a shrill whine.


----------



## deaconjim (Oct 31, 2005)

Dreamy said:


> Are there any books that are well known that you do not like? Mine is Catcher In The Rye by J. D. Salinger. I couldn't stand it anyone else with me?


I had to read and review Catcher in the Rye for a college course. I think my professor was quite surprised by the intensely negative review I gave it. I thought it was a waste of paper. I'm sure there are others as bad or worse, but unless it is an assignment, I stop reading them before I get to the end.


----------



## bluesky (Mar 22, 2008)

Anything by James Patterson. Horrible writing. 

Almost anything by Stephen King (except The Green Mile).

The Left Behind Series - badly written drivel.

Anything by Danielle Steele. Awful stuff. 

Wuthering Heights. I've never gotten past the second chapter. 

Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance. Huh?


----------



## Woodpecker (Mar 8, 2007)

bluesky said:


> Anything by James Patterson. Horrible writing.
> 
> Almost anything by Stephen King (except The Green Mile).
> 
> ...


I agree with the first two. I never read The Green Mile.


----------



## FrodoLass (Jan 15, 2007)

I really hated The Rainbow and Women in Love by D.H. Lawrence...although I do love Lady Chatterley's Lover and Sons and Lovers.

Love:

LOTR
ANYTHING by Stephen King (especially The Dark Tower series)
Dune Series by Herbert
Twilight 
Anything by Jane Austen
Anything by those Bronte girls
Harry Potter
Anything by John Steinbeck
Laurell K. Hamilton's Merry Gentry and Anita Blake series
The Ender series by Card
Terry Brooks
Jim Butcher
Robert Jordan
Charlaine Harris's Sookie and Harper Connelly series

...and many more.


----------



## blufford (Nov 23, 2004)

I just couldn't understand Trout Fishing in America. I didn't see no trout.


----------



## Chixarecute (Nov 19, 2004)

In first grade, I really hated the Dick & Jane series. Stupidly aimless.


----------

