# What is the WORST book you have ever read?



## InnerFlame00 (Nov 27, 2014)

What is the worst book you have ever read, and why?  Was it assigned reading as a student?  Did you stumble upon it accidentally thinking it would be good and being sorely disappointed?  Did you read it knowing it would be bad for a laugh (I once read Twilight while I was sick with strep and 104 degree fever - it was very entertaining at the time, but I had to be that sick in order to get myself to read it).  Did you learn any lessons from reading it (what NOT to do in my future book!).  Lets hear your horror stories!


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## escorial (Nov 27, 2014)

recently..Novel On Yellow Paper by Stevie Smith..i bought 3 of hers but after this one i just can't pick any up...she moves about and puts in bits of German,French quips...awfull stuff to me.


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## Pluralized (Nov 27, 2014)

_The Illuminati _by Larry Burkett -- the author's BS ideology gets whipped out as a surprise halfway through. Very off-putting. Was a great story up until then. 

 :ChainGunSmiley:


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## Schrody (Nov 27, 2014)

Old man and the sea, The Stonehenge Legacy, Catcher in the rye...


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## Deleted member 56686 (Nov 27, 2014)

The Sound and the Fury by William Faulkner. Most disappointing anyway.


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## InnerFlame00 (Nov 27, 2014)

mrmustard615 said:


> The Sound and the Fury by William Faulkner. Most disappointing anyway.



I agree 100%.  That book bothers the hell out of me.


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## Deleted member 56686 (Nov 27, 2014)

InnerFlame00 said:


> I agree 100%.  That book bothers the hell out of me.




Yeah it just didn't flow for me. I like some of his other stuff.


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## bazz cargo (Nov 27, 2014)

I tried The Bible once, so many begats. Zzzz....


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## Xander416 (Nov 27, 2014)

_Ravens of Avalon_, by Marion Zimmer Bradley. Though that might be because I was expecting it to be more historical drama than historical fantasy. The novelization of the video game _Metal Gear Solid_ was also pretty bad.



bazz cargo said:


> I tried The Bible once, so many begats. Zzzz....


LOL


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## Sam (Nov 27, 2014)

Worst novel I've read start to finish? 

_Twilight. _

Worst novel I've given up on? 

_Ulysses. _


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## patskywriter (Nov 27, 2014)

Two books I absolutely hated—"The Scarlet Letter" because I was insulted by having adult themes foisted upon us in seventh grade, and "The Wind in the Willows" because it was oh SO bad.


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## aj47 (Nov 27, 2014)

Mercifully, I've forgotten the name.  It was about an imposture of a teenage survivor by the family maid.  I had to read it for English (Contemporary Literature, my senior year of high school).  The girl who was being impersonated was named Nancy, I think.  It was the sort of book that would be a Movie-of-the-Week on television.  Since it was Literature, it was supposed to have meaning beyond the plot and I just...it didn't work for me.

The most recent book I didn't finish was _The Cobweb Bride_.  It was free on Kindle and I only was out the time I invested.  The author was in desperate need of an editor.


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## kilroy214 (Nov 27, 2014)

A Seperate Peace was assigned to me in College Prep English in high school and I could not stand it. 

Their Eyes Were Watching God was assigned that same semester and was a close runner up.


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## Gavrushka (Nov 28, 2014)

The worst partial novel I've read was as a beta reader for someone who thought they'd created perfection. Within 2 pages, I'd lost the will to live.

The worst published novel I've tried to read (and failed) was Mary Gentle's Golden Witchbreed. More recently, I completed a story, randomly chaptered, whose title and author were expelled from my memory. It never started, never concluded, and the bit in between was pure dross. - Supposedly a thriller, there were spiders the size of dinner plates and abductees returning years later with their winkies chopped off, now part of some strange cult. I think I read it in a daze.


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## Schrody (Nov 28, 2014)

Just imagine you find your book on this thread :shock: :mrgreen:


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## Nemesis (Nov 28, 2014)

Alta by Mercedes Lackey, was lacking indeed.

It was the second book in the series, butI can't speak to the first or anything that came after it

The MC was supposed to be fifteen but talked like he was thirty, he solved every problem that came up with little to no trouble, everything he tried to do worked out perfectly, the only people who didn't like him were the bad guys, and the _entire _story read like a cliffnotes summary.

Total waste of time.


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## Deafmute (Nov 28, 2014)

Schrody said:


> Old man and the sea, The Stonehenge Legacy, *Catcher in the rye.*..



That hurts me schrody, it hurts me bad. my smiling avatar is going to cry.


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## Bilston Blue (Nov 28, 2014)

American Psycho, Brett Easton Ellis. I managed about a third of the book before giving up. 'Twas almost twenty years back, so might have a different result if I tried it again now.


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## J Anfinson (Nov 28, 2014)

Dean Koontz - _77 Shadow Street_. The blurb makes it sound sort of like _The Shining_, and for the first quarter or so of the book everything is good and was meeting my expectations. Then it takes a screwed up sci-fi twist that changes everything. I kept reading, hoping it would get better but tossed it across the room in disgust at the end. And ever since then I've been using it as a doorstop. Seriously, it's been a doorstop for years, and I've read little Koontz since.


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## Riis Marshall (Nov 28, 2014)

Hello Folks

Only One!?

Top of my list must be _Aton_ by Irving A. Greenfield.

A very close second is _Aztec_ by Gary Jennings. I understand he later wrote something titled _The Journeyer_ about the travels of Marco Polo that I have mercifully missed.

Followed closely by anything by Dan Brown or Kyle Onstott.

Proust's _In Search of Lost time_ certainly can't be described as a bad book, it's just I'm not sure why it's considered such a great book (and, yes, I've read all 3700 pages of it). Yes, I know weirdness is relative but any way you look at it he was one weird guy.

All the best with your writing - _and_ reading.

Warmest regards
Riis


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## Bishop (Nov 28, 2014)

The Scarlet Letter for so many reasons, but primarily because it has the subtlety of a sledgehammer. 

And I've read far too much of 50 Shades of Grey, and still don't understand how people think an American college student in 2012-3 would have gotten through senior year of college without ever having used a computer. It's impossible. Especially since she has an ipod. Which requires a computer. I learned so much about how to not construct characters and prose from that book.


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## AquaRoxas (Nov 28, 2014)

A Horse and Two Goats by R.K Narayan. I studied it for literature, and I was told it was supposed to be good. But, it was just so slow for me, especially since the teacher stopped every two line to analyze the story. It was really boring. I don't personally recommend it to anyone.


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## Kyle R (Nov 28, 2014)

I found Victor Hugo's _The Hunchback of Notre Dame_ to be boringly written.

It taught me that even a great story can be ruined (in my opinion) by a wandering, rambling narrative—which I think is more a fault of the writing style of the Romantic Era than a fault of Hugo's alone.

It also taught me that I'm an impatient reader and that, if I want to be a successful writer in today's publishing world, I should assume my readers are the same.


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## patskywriter (Nov 28, 2014)

Kyle R said:


> I found Victor Hugo's _The Hunchback of Notre Dame_ to be boringly written. …



I haven't read this one. Is the *entire* book boring? I kind of like Herman Melville's approach (although he took it to the extreme). With "Moby Dick" he started out slowww — the literary equivalent to kicking a rock while strolling down the street, hands in pockets. Then *BAM!* On to the story.


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## Morkonan (Nov 28, 2014)

In recent memory, the worst book I have read is Gail Martin's "The Summoner" in this series: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Chronicles_of_The_Necromancer

/sigh

Look, it's not that it's presented badly. There's clear black type on fairly off-white paper, which gives the words a nice contrast. So, it's got that going for it...

She has six books in the series, so at least one person got past that first one in order to buy the rest. However, I could not get past it and could not bring myself to finish reading it. And, I actually finished reading the dreadful "Dead until Dark" by Charlain Harris, so I can endure certain forms of literary punishment. (Lest one think I dislike books by female writers, I must mention that some of my favorite writers are, in fact, female.)

The book was given to me by a friend of mine, someone who I often discuss books with. It was a "practical joke" - They gave me the book and talked it up, quite a bit. They did this so that they would not have to suffer alone as being the only one of us who had read it.... and, just to play a practical joke on me.  I shall attempt to summarize the events in the book that I remember. I may not remember them entirely correctly, but here's the gist of things:

"It's a party! I'm going to screw off." said The Guy In Charge of the King's Bodyguards.

"Oh noes, daddy's dead!" said the Prince. "I should solve the crime by climbing through the window."

"Good idea. Somebody should do that." said The Guy in Charge of the King's Bodyguards.

"Sumbody's trying to kill me/frame me/my brother is a jerk. I should run away so I can... Screw it, I'll just run away because it's in the script."

"Great idea. I'm outta a job, can I come with?" asks The Guy Who Used to be in Charge of the King's Bodyguards.

"Look! It's a caravan! It's going somewhere. We're going somewhere, too! Let's join it." said the Prince.

"You always have the best ideas."

"OH NOES! We are captured by bad guys!" exclaims the Prince. "I had better start having some mighty magical powers appear, pretty soon! Are you listening Mighty Magical Powers?"

"Yeah, the situation sucks." said the New Formidable Ally, who is captured as well, which kind of makes him New Not-So-Formidable Ally. "We should probably do something about it."

"I know! We'll escape or something..." said the Prince.

"I told you he always has the best ideas!" said The Guy.

"We're lost," said everybody.

"We have to get somewhere that is the most mystical magical place EVAR!" said someone. "Because... magic!"

"We're still lost. A lot. I mean we're really lost. Lots." said everyone.

"We're so lost, even lost can't find us." said everyone. "Being lost sucks, since... plot. So, something had better happen, soon!"

"Hey, look over there! Now I remember where to go!" said the Prince.

"I thought you didn't know where to go?" asked nobody.

"Oh, I didn't. I hadn't a clue! There was no actual hope at all I would know where to go, since I didn't know where to go and knew I didn't. But, now I know." said the Prince. "Because... plot."

"Monsters! We must flee them because they are powerful zomgz-monsters!" said everyone.

"I will run too. But, first, I have to destroy these monsters and blast them to smithereens with my super-powerful magic, which just got delivered via Federal Express." said the Prince. "Then, I will run."

"Ohh, he sure is dreamy. I very much want to have sex with him." said The Virginal Love-Conquest-Subplot-Protagonist-Slut, who just happened to be standing there in the middle of the monster place because... plot. "That powerful magic stuff blasting monsters, who are trying very hard to kill everything, ever, into corpse-particles sure is a turn-on. I'm so hot for his bod right now!"

....... I'm sure there is more of that sort of thing in the book. However, I haven't read any more of it on purpose, because... brain.

*Note: Of course, I summarized the story for as much as I read of it and I did change the words a little bit. I may have left out some other words, too. Don't worry, they don't matter.
**Note: My apologies to anyone I may have offended who liked this book. Not every book is for everyone, like this one....


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## Riis Marshall (Nov 28, 2014)

Hello Kyle

I'm afraid I have to disagree, I think _The Hunchback of Notre Dame_ is a great book. There are enough twists, turns and sub-plots, many of which are only hinted at, to satisfy the most discerning reader.

But then - to each her own - or his own, as the case may be.

All the best with your writing.

Warmest regards
Riis


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## Riis Marshall (Nov 28, 2014)

Hello Morkonan

Wow!

Remind me never, ever to ask you to review one of my books. Surely it couldn't have been _that_ bad!?

On the other hand, where would the world be if we all liked the same things?

All the best with your writing.

Warmest regards
Riis


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## Schrody (Nov 28, 2014)

Deafmute said:


> That hurts me schrody, it hurts me bad. my smiling avatar is going to cry.



Sorry, but a teenage kid is not supposed to act and/or talk like that! So boring.


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## dale (Nov 28, 2014)

The Devil's Advocate by Andrew Neiderman. after watching the pacino movie, which was 1/2 way decent...i figured it might be a good book.
nope. that book was absolute garbage. i don't even see how it got published.


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## Deleted member 56686 (Nov 28, 2014)

dale said:


> The Devil's Advocate by Andrew Neiderman. after watching the pacino movie, which was 1/2 way decent...i figured it might be a good book.
> nope. that book was absolute garbage. i don't even see how it got published.




I guess that's proof that sometimes the movie is better than the book. I liked the movie too.


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## Schrody (Nov 28, 2014)

Shutter Island movie is also better than the book


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## Morkonan (Nov 28, 2014)

Riis Marshall said:


> ...Remind me never, ever to ask you to review one of my books. Surely it couldn't have been _that_ bad!?



I don't know. Did my synopsis tend to make it seem that bad? I only tried to transcribe what I remembered... 



> On the other hand, where would the world be if we all liked the same things?



Of course!

Others might love the book and I'm fine with that! But, for me, the story just does a great deal of things very poorly. That is, of course, only my opinion and it's not really worth anything, since it can't be put in anyone else's pocket. 

I will say that she has written six books (I think) in this series, so the stories do appeal to people. And, I will say that even after being refused by a slew of publishers, she was finally able to get it published after gaining the support of a friend who knew someone who could get it noticed by people who make such decisions, so someone with some brains had to think there was something meritorious about it. Fair enough, other minds disagree, even ones more notable than mine. (Not that mine is notable - see "pocket" reference.  )

It's all good. Read what you wish and enjoy it, for yourself. In the end, it's all about the Reader. I'd never tell anyone "not" to read anything. At least, not in any serious fashion. It's just not my place. (I could issue a "warning", perhaps.  )


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## Seedy M. (Nov 28, 2014)

50 Shades of Grey. 3 - or was it 4? pages was a total turn off. Talk about no talent crap!


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## Kyle R (Nov 28, 2014)

patskywriter said:


> I haven't read this one. Is the *entire* book boring? I kind of like Herman Melville's approach (although he took it to the extreme). With "Moby Dick" he started out slowww — the literary equivalent to kicking a rock while strolling down the street, hands in pockets. Then *BAM!* On to the story.





Riis Marshall said:


> Hello Kyle
> 
> I'm afraid I have to disagree, I think _The Hunchback of Notre Dame_ is a great book. There are enough twists, turns and sub-plots, many of which are only hinted at, to satisfy the most discerning reader.
> 
> But then - to each her own - or his own, as the case may be.



Mostly, it's the verbose sentences and overwrought language of the 1800's that I find hard to get into. 

I like the _story_ of the _Hunchback_, but I like it in the way I'd admire a sculpture that's coated in dust, overgrown with moss, and has been chipped and eroded from centuries of exposure to the elements.

I don't think it was _bad_, really, just stylistically boring to me. I do know some people who love the flamboyance of the Romantic Era, that loftiness of prose, so I think it's a matter of personal taste.

Me, though, I can't help thinking that a modern author would be able to retell it in a much more engaging way. :cower:


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## helium (Nov 28, 2014)

Every single book was bad. They were too long, stylistic, and I felt dumb reading them. I only dig picture books from Dr. Suess. He is the only writer that makes me feel smart.


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## Jared77 (Nov 28, 2014)

I'm not sure if this is the worst ever, but _3001: The Final Odyseey_ (book 4 of the 2001 series) was BAD.

I'm going to ruin the ending for you because it deserves to be ruined.  Ready?

Remember the enigmatic monolith found on the moon in 2001?  The one full of mystery and which had a hand in furthering humans to a deeper level of being?  Well, at the end of 3001, they make all the monoliths leave the solar system by infecting them with a collection of _computer viruses_.    What?  Seriously?  Yes.


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## Morkonan (Nov 28, 2014)

Jared77 said:


> I'm not sure if this is the worst ever, but _3001: The Final Odyseey_ (book 4 of the 2001 series) was BAD.
> 
> I'm going to ruin the ending for you because it deserves to be ruined.  Ready?
> 
> Remember the enigmatic monolith found on the moon in 2001?  The one full of mystery and which had a hand in furthering humans to a deeper level of being?  Well, at the end of 3001, they make all the monoliths leave the solar system by infecting them with a collection of _computer viruses_.    What?  Seriously?  Yes.



Wait... wat?

They pulled an "Independence Day?"

/facepalm

Tell me one of them didn't say "I know this! It's a Unix system!" Please, tell me they didn't go that far. 

How many people are going to rip off Wells, third-hand, until he rises from the dead and gives them all the flu?

(I heard 3001 was terribad, so I didn't bother with it.)


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## T.S.Bowman (Nov 28, 2014)

Worst book I have ever read? 

Easy. 

_Clan of the Cave Bear_


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## kilroy214 (Nov 28, 2014)

Recently, two books that were total let downs were Duma Key and Under the Dome both by Stephen King. It is not that they are really bad, the prose, narration and character development in both are awe inspiring, but both, to me, had just totally unsatisfying endings. I had invested too much time in those books to see protagonists bite it for no other reason than their purpose was over and antagonists bite the big one for a totally random moment.

No satisfaction whatsoever, and combined that is a solid 2500 pages of text. I had never felt so pissed off after finishing a book before.


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## Gavrushka (Nov 29, 2014)

kilroy214 said:


> ....Under the Dome both by Stephen King.



It beggars belief how varied we all are, but it's something to be celebrated. - I'd thought the book an amazing read, with an inherent 'bear with me, I know what I'm doing' from King. - The ending I'd thought was a fantastic tie in with events from the female protagonist's school days, and left me feeling very reflective.

I understand that 'Under the Dome' was made into a TV series, but I avoided it. - I made the mistake of watching the film 'Battlefield Earth' after reading Hubbard's amazing book... If my eyes could only unsee it...


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## escorial (Nov 29, 2014)

bazz cargo said:


> I tried The Bible once, so many begats. Zzzz....


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## Schrody (Nov 29, 2014)

T.S.Bowman said:


> Worst book I have ever read?
> 
> Easy.
> 
> _Clan of the Cave Bear_



Yep.


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## Bloggsworth (Nov 29, 2014)

Candide _by_ Voltaire...


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## dale (Nov 29, 2014)

Bloggsworth said:


> Candide _by_ Voltaire...



lol. oh my god. really? that's one of my all time favorites.


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## Deleted member 56686 (Nov 29, 2014)

Bloggsworth said:


> Candide _by_ Voltaire...





dale said:


> lol. oh my god. really? that's one of my all time favorites.




 I know really. I read that book in French in High School. Loved it.


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## TheYellowMustang (Nov 29, 2014)

My own, definitely. I went over the plot in my head just yesterday and nearly punched my own face. 



Sam said:


> Worst novel I've read start to finish?
> 
> _Twilight. _


Aw, but he loves her and also wants to eat her. We've all been there.


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## Schrody (Nov 29, 2014)

Yellow, where you've been?


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## TheYellowMustang (Nov 29, 2014)

Schrody said:


> Yellow, where you've been?


Just been busy getting addicted to coffee and video games. And... I don't know, I sleep a lot.


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## T.S.Bowman (Nov 29, 2014)

Schrody said:


> Yep.



Wow. Someone agrees with me on that one? LOL


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## Clerically (Nov 30, 2014)

Worst book? Probably the Scarlet Letter. But that's more so because of the manner through which I was first introduced to the novel. It's a great work, honestly. But being forced to speed through it in two weeks by a horribly planned English course syllabus severely hinders comprehension and analysis that are needed to enjoy a book...


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## Guy Faukes (Nov 30, 2014)

By far, in terms of prose, it was Twilight Breaking Dawn. My landlord picked it up and left it on the coffee table so I read a few paragraphs. There was nothing smooth or interesting about her writing


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## queenslime (Dec 1, 2014)

Beautiful Bastard by Christina Lauren (who are in my understanding two people). 
I love a good romance novel to unwind, but I couldn't even finish the second chapter. I found that when it comes to romance, you can't judge a book by the reviews.


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## John Galt (Dec 1, 2014)

Despite my username being an explicit reference to it: Atlas Shrugged by Ayn Rand.
I got about two-hundred pages in and couldn't keep going. With every sentence it seemed like she was jamming her worldview down my throat. Which became even more annoying after I found out she didn't practice what she preached.
I pretty much only read epic fantasy and I found Atlas Shrugged long.


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## Terry D (Dec 1, 2014)

_The Bourne Objective_ by Eric Van Lustbader. Where Ludlum was like a master chef at weaving together a large cast of characters, Van Lustbader just dumps names in a blender and hits "high". The plot was stupid, the prose bland.


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## thepancreas11 (Dec 1, 2014)

I once had to listen to the last Twilight book on a roadtrip with an ex. We heard almost six hours of it. I might never heal.

I too am not a fan of Catcher in the Rye as I have little place for whining and moaning.


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## Bishop (Dec 1, 2014)

thepancreas11 said:


> I once had to listen to the last Twilight book on a roadtrip with an ex. We heard almost six hours of it. I might never heal.



Don't have to ask why she's an ex.


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## InnerFlame00 (Dec 2, 2014)

thepancreas11 said:


> I once had to listen to the last Twilight book on a roadtrip with an ex. We heard almost six hours of it. I might never heal.



Yeah, you can't take that stuff in while sober or in possession of all your faculties.  That's why I read it while half mad with fever; I found it pretty funny at the time!  Even then I couldn't finish it.

Although I have to say that I love the Twilight movies for the single fact that the RiffTracks (the guys who do MST3K make fun of modern movies) of it are HILARIOUS.

I agree with a lot of the books listed here, especially The Scarlet Letter.  Ugh.  Come to think of it, most of the required reading in my schooling was terrible, or I just didn't enjoy it.  I love reading, but reading those books was about as difficult as swimming upstream.  I think the only one I ever enjoyed was The Martian Chronicles.


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## ArrowInTheBowOfTheLord (Dec 4, 2014)

The _Rainbow Magic _books were the worst. They were these books in a series that people kept giving to our family, and even though there are probably over 30, they all have the exact same basic plot line. Two generic middle-school girls do some everyday stuff. A fairy comes and tells them that some magic things have been stolen by goblins. They outsmart the goblins and get the magic stuff, which isn't too hard, because the closest thing to an evil plot that the goblins ever get to is turning the sunset green or messing up everyone's tap-dancing. Not to mention that the writing style and boring characters make the books so mundane that even when I read them for laughs, and even though they were super-short, I couldn't finish them. Most clear example of a terrible and terribly cliche kids' book series.


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## Morkonan (Dec 4, 2014)

Terry D said:


> ... Van Lustbader just dumps names in a blender and hits "high". ...



Nicely stated. 

Lustbader's fantasy is better than his traditional fiction, IMO. Check out the "Sunset Warrior" series. It's a post-apocalyptic fantasy/sci-fi series and begins in a setting almost exactly like Howley's "Wool." As a matter of fact, I wished I had asked Howley about that for his interview...


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## Lydia14 (Dec 6, 2014)

"Tiger's Curse," by Colleen Houck. My husband read "Twilight" at the behest of an old girlfriend (and hated it), then I tried to read it (because he bet me I couldn't) and failed because I wanted to bleach my brain. After listening to me complain, he bet me that he could find something worse. And... *shiver* He was right. I know now not to question him about bad books.


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## Gavrushka (Dec 6, 2014)

Lydia14 said:


> *"Tiger's Curse," by Colleen Houck*. My husband read "Twilight" at the behest of an old girlfriend (and hated it), then I tried to read it (because he bet me I couldn't) and failed because I wanted to bleach my brain. After listening to me complain, he bet me that he could find something worse. And... *shiver* He was right. I know now not to question him about bad books.



HAHA I had to check out an excerpt on Amazon, as I'd never heard of it. I began whimpering in pain within a couple of paragraphs.

It's worth noting that, of the 21 reviews, 10 were 5* and 8 were 4*... It seems some people like lists of adverbs! LOL


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