So many people dislike Stephen King. :eek: :confused: :eek:
Printable View
So many people dislike Stephen King. :eek: :confused: :eek:
And reasonably so.Quote:
Originally Posted by Pensive
Oh well, not reasonably actually, ah well, it is a matter of opinions.Quote:
Originally Posted by cuppajoe_9
What I mean is that while King doesn't sink to the level of, say, Danielle Steele, he's hardly Dickens.
Well, at the moment there are just two books in our list at the moment. "Milkman of Mäeküla" by Vilde. (don't worry if you haven't heard of him, an estonian writer and not a very good one)
This book really rises to new levels of boredom. Thought and eye quite often slip to more interesting matters (door, wallpaper, ceiling for example) An awful read. There is much better estonian fiction around, so, if you can, don't read the beforementioned book.
There is a funny side-story to this book. In soviet times, posters of new movies were put up in bus stops in the country, but poster meant just the name of the movie and where and when.
So, these posters were written in russian and they misprinted one letter, so that it didn't mean "Milkman of Mäeküla" but "Savateur of Mäeküla" So, the local russians went to the cinema and expected to see some action, but instead they saw two hours of a man blating about "Should i take these milks or not?" and really felt like being foisted off.
"100 Years of Solitude " was much, much better.Quote:
Originally Posted by Us
There are other books that we misliked, but we wouldn't say that they are so bad.
"Red and black" could also belong in this list. The main reason why we disliked it was that we simply couldn't read it - you see, one usually empathizes most with the protagonist, but the protagonist there was such a hypocrite that we put the book down after 50 pages.
I couldn't agree more! I'll be back with more though...Quote:
Originally Posted by Pendragon
What about Tom Stoppard's "Travesties"? I'm not a big fan of such an radical display of postmodernism. However, I have the feeling that this is one of those books that you either love or can't stand... opinions please?
Agreed, that book's laughable.Quote:
Originally Posted by PistisSophia
10 Books you could do without (in my humble opinion)
1. Wuthering Heights ~ Emily Bronte(..ducks to avoid rotten vegetables being thrown..)
2. The Catcher in the Rye ~ JD Sallinger
3. The Iliad ~ Homer (..again with the veg..)
4. The Handmaid's Tale ~ Margaret Atwood
5. Mansfield Park ~ Jane Austen
6. The Da Vinci Code ~ Dan Brown (yeah, I know I voted for this in the best 10 as well, but i'm beginning to feel that this was a little misguided...it's all hype and no trousers, if you ask me)
7. ANYTHING by Keats
8. Mrs Dalloway ~ Virginia Woolfe
9. Romeo and Juliet ~ William Shakespeare
10. HARRY POTTER!! Yeah, I know, I know... :brow:
in the seventh grade (which i just finished..for those of you overseas im 13 if that helps to understand) we had required reading of a book called deathwatch..though i know it is not a classic or anything like that or even close to being called literature i had to mention it. this book was by far the most worthless waste of my time in my life. if you read this book you will want to burn it by the time your done.. the plot is so outrageous and dumb that i was just stunned..ill give it one thing..for about three pages it was suspensful and i was hoping it would get better..i was wrong...truly a worthless read..but i havent found many others like that and i love to read..right now im reading the brothers karamazov and its amazing :) dostoevsky is amazing..next im going to read brave new world..i hope its as good as the brothers and i know that it cant be as bad as deathwatch haha
::edit:: also..the da vinci code was thought provoking but it sucked..almost exact same plot as angels and demons (which i liked) but its all hype and is just not very good....but by the way im reading the inferno by dante(while im reading the brothers) and it too is amazing..epic poetry is amazing! :banana:
I hated Lolita by Nabokov. Can anyone explain to me the popularity of this book becasue I just never got it? I thought it was sick and so so very wrong.
Ugghh...
I think Pendragon mentioned The Jungle. That book made me sick to my stomach, but I still respect it. It just carried on and got worse and worse and then I began to wonder what in the world I was reading it for.
Babbitt by Sinclair Lewis, I got nothing out of that. I read probably 98% of the book and cannot remember a thing.
But then again I had to read both of these for a history class, it made for a dull semester - but I will probably venture into these again. Do not get me wrong though, I did not hate these books, they were just unbearable and not quite necessary to me.
Interesting; I am just about to begin reading both of those books.Quote:
Originally Posted by grace86
Well Manfred, I do hope I did not scare you out of reading them. Good luck.
No, no, Grace, both of them have long been on my summer reading list, along with "Cat's Cradle," by Kurt Vonnegut and "Double Indemnity," by James M. Cain.
In fact, I began reading "Babbitt" a couple of days ago. Kind of slow going, I have to admit.
"The Mysterious Flame of Queen Loana" - Umberto Eco. Unless you want to enter a quiz with "Italian Juvenilia 1936-1946" as your specialised subject, you can quite safely do without this book.
"A new theory of Vision" by Berkeley. I'm sure it was a work of genius, but I can do without it. You are welcome to my copy (if you send me the postage!)
Half of the books by John Irving. The other half are absolute masterpieces, so you'll have to read them all to find out which are which (unless you've read half of his books and found them all to be masterpieces, in which case you can stop reading him now.)
"Handy Andy" by Samuel Lover. Have you read it? No? Will you ever? No? That just proves that you can do without it.
Anything by H. P. Lovecraft - dull, dull, dull. Writing style modelled on the worst of the minor Victorians. Is there supposed to be suspense? Not as much as you'd need to hang a sock.
1. The Davinci Code, Dan Brown - well, I suppose this one doesn't need much explanation now, does it? I despise any simple book that makes stupid people feel like they are smarter than me. I would be lying if I said I didn't enjoy Angels and Demons though.
2. Atlas Shrugged, Ayn Rand - Only because I have never found the time to read it and I think I would be a better person if I actually did make it through. This inner battle would not be a problem for me if the book simply did not exist.
3. The Hunted, Richard Matheson - Ugh, ugh, ugh! I really did not want to read about the authors fetish of getting raped in the middle of the woods through his self inserted main character. In fact, I put it down at that point.
4. The Vampire Chronicles, Anne Rice - My 12 year old niece is being corrupted by these right now and I can't stop it :( One minute she's reading Harry Potter and the next minute she's reading about incestuous vampires. I don't think I would have as much of a problem with this books if they weren't always targeted to those in middle school.
5. Fanfiction - It's not a book...but still a literary style I can definitely do without.
6. The Wheel of Time, Robert Jordan - Way to take such an awesome first book and RUIN EVERYTHING TO MAKE SOME MONEY. I don't even -like- fantasy. :(
7. Gulliver's Travels, Johnathan Swift - Do you think this man ever meant to write a literary masterpiece? He just wanted to make some money. Seriously, he writes about things in the middle of the book that he completely forgot about in the beginning. The first modern novel? Perhaps if you think in terms of discount paperbacks.
I have to agree with the earlier John Irving comment... half are masterpieces and half are just entertaining crap. Until I find you was an absolutely horrific book but was somehow still very entertaining. Must have been all the sex. I felt like I was reading Catholic School Boys Gone Wild.
I was also very close to saying Harry Potter. I chose not to because as much as I hate to admit it...this book is actually getting kids to start reading again.
Is that his new one? I haven't read it yet but I had planned on it. I, too, know the highest highs and lowest lows of Irving and if this new one is going to be on the level of Son of the Circus then I will gladly skip it.Quote:
Originally Posted by alshadai
I haven't read Son of Circus. I enjoyed Until I Find You...but it took place of my guilty pleasure novel that I read once every two months. It is absolutely -filled- with sex and stereotypes!Quote:
Originally Posted by Idril
I just finished reading some reviews on amazon regarding Son of the Circus and yes it does seem like they are along the same lines. Just replace circus members with movie stars, catholic school, tattoo artists, and prostitutes.
the da vinci code can not is in the list!!! it's not literature!!
According to the Library of Congress Home Page, they have over 29 million books sitting on over 500 miles of shelf space. Hmmmm.... The ten I live without.... Let me think....
The difficulty for me is that I can't name a single book that I have ever read and then panned or regretted. There are millions of books that I have no interest in reading and there are a dozen or maybe a dozen and a half that I've picked up but never finished. These of course would include such books as my father's electrical engineering text books and virtually every dictionary I've ever held in my hands.
Now, as to books that I've read that have had an impact on my thinking, stay in my memory, and sit on my book shelves, I could name hundreds upon hundreds of them. These would include the collected works of Samuel Clemens, better known as Mark Twain, the collected works of fiction of Isaac Aismov (though his scholarly books sort of belong to the same the class of literature that my father's textbooks belong to), miscellaneous classical authors and titles, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's series about his fameous detective, Sherlock Holmes, ... well, you get the idea. I can't name just ten good books and I can't name any horrid books.
I sort of have to settle begrudgingly for naming favorite authors. Here are just a few of the many more I could list: Arthur C. Clarke, Michael Crichton, Robin Cook, Edgar Allen Poe, Jack London, Laura Engalls Wilder, etc., etc.
Oh, OK, I'll name three specific book in particular as "Must Read": "Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee", "Black Like Me", and "102 Minutes".
Though I have never read The DaVinci Code, I think your comment seems debatable, Neruda, especially regarding the definition and classification of literature. Indeed, the story consists of fiction (though some would debate with this, too), it gained publication as a book, many call Dan Brown an 'author' - what classifies this as not literature?Quote:
Originally Posted by Neruda
Another member began a thread of this topic; perhaps you can visit this thread, and we can discuss this more. :nod:
Ethan Frome by Edith Wharton. Was there ever such a sad and dismal menage a trois in literature?
All other books fail as far as wanting to get rid of them. Came away with no edification of the soul or lesson learned.
Runner up: Louise de la Valierre by A. Dumas. Had read all of the 3 Musketeers saga except this portion and when I finally filled in the gap I discovered there's a reason it's not mentioned often. Another boring who cares romance of King Louis marking time until Man in the Iron Mask. Read only if you want bragging rights for "Read them all".
Anything by Thomas Hardy. Yes, he's a great writer, I don't dispute that. But his fatalism is just too hard for me to take. In a Hardy novel nobody wins. Nobody even has a chance. The universe is a cold, uncaring place, and the Immanent Will'll get all of us sooner or later. Seemingly trivial circumstances, COINCIDENCES, will always conspire against human happiness. I myself prefer a less dead-end philosophy. I may have my illusions...but if they ARE illusions, let me keep them! T. Hardy is bad for my health.
I understand what you mean, Mary Sue; many of Thomas Hardy's works have some elements of hopelessness, depression, various ethical dilemmas, and, in a way, to a lesser degree, absurdism.Quote:
Originally Posted by Mary Sue
Of course, I have read only two of his works, besides his poetry, Jude The Obscure and, presently reading, Tess Of The D'Urbervilles; I cannot deny his poetic style in prose, amazing twists of plot, and artistic writing styles, but can certainly see how his artform would not appeal to some readers. Then again, some of my friends say I like too much of the dark, depressing literature! :lol:
Hear, hear!Quote:
Originally Posted by Mary Sue
I have read quite few of Hardy's books and I find myself liking them less and less by each book. Hardy spent a great a deal resenting his own life and it is possible to feel the same in his books and characters. They are, in my opinion, written so that the reader will not help saying 'Aww, poor thing(s)'. I find their helplessness and fatalistic attitude depressing (if not annoying).
I've only read one Hardy book, Jude the Obscure but I felt the same way about that one. It was certainly a powerful book but at the same time I felt so manipulated by Hardy, all these horrible things happen to Jude and they happened because Hardy wanted them to, there didn't seem to be anything organic about it, if that makes any sense. The characters were so miserable but yet never did anything to improve their lot, they were frozen in their self pity and that is not enjoyable reading for me. I've often thought I should try another Hardy novel to see if perhaps another one will suit me better but it sounds like that's not going to be the case. ;)Quote:
Originally Posted by Scheherazade
Ten "Books" You Can Do Without:
1. Cry the Beloved Country - Alan Paton
2. Heart of Darkness - Joseph Conrad
3. Anna Karenina - Leo Tolstoy
4. Dr. Zhivago - Boris Pasternak
5. Waiting - Ha Jin
6. Egalia's Daughters - Gerd Bratenburg
7. The Three Musketeers - Alexandre Dumas
8. Candide - Voltaire
9. Waiting for Godot - Samuel Beckett
10. Call of the Wild - Jack London
hum, I tend to avoid the books i won't like in the first place... but there's still a handful of books i could do without (which doesn't mean that they are bad books)..
1. anything by Jane Austen (yep, she's a good writer and i like her irony, but the stories are sooo predictable and boring and i just don't care if the girl is gonna marry guy X or Y, it doesn't make any difference)
2. Da Vinci Code (never read it, to be honest)
3. what's her name.. Charlotte Link? Carolin Link? she writes crime stories.... boooooring
4. The Great Gatsby... it's a nice book but our teacher in school made us analyse it for about 10 weeks in a row... blabla American dream, blabla bla... green light, blabla... blabla
1. Da Vinci Code
2. War and Peace
3. Kim by Rudyard Kipling (the most BORING book i ever read.. never finished it, and took the longest to read to where I stopped)
4. Riding the snake (the storyline is stupid, although some parts may be true)
Can't think of any others.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Danika_Valin
I'm surprised to see Three Musketeers on one of these lists.... I find that it was a ery good edition to 19th century French literature and an amazing novel, but everyone has their own opinion
1. Steven Crane- "Red Badge of Courage"- I really like Crane... but was forced to read this thing 3 times in my years during my school years and never wish to see it again.
2. Anything recommended by Oprah- with the obvious exception of "Anna Karenina"... but that was an definite fluke. I want nothing to do with the sappy notion of literature as some sort of feel-good therapy.:(
3. Any autobiographies by (and almost all biographies of) popular icons: sports icons, rock stars, film actressed, tv actors. I think most Americans read this c*@p because they want to find out that the rich and beautiful are really having a horrible life. I can't be bothered.
4. Sylvia Plath, Adrienne Rich, most of Ginsberg... I can't stand that gushing confessional ilk of modern poetry. Give me Anthony Hecht, Richard Wilbur, or Charles Simic anyday. If I want confessions I'll turn to Rousseau, Montaigne, or Anthony of Hippo.
There's plenty more but I'll need to think about which ones I despise the most.
Though you specified you dislike autobiographies of 'sports icons, rock stars, and actors/actresses,' I find this interesting that you would enjoy Confessions by Jean-Jacques Rousseau, which practically functions like an autobiography. Though he did not own all of the glamour and admiration of sports icons, and the like, he certainly had the fame during his time, particularly in politics and philosophy; many people of his time even called him a contemporary Voltaire.Quote:
Originally Posted by stlukesguild
Though I, too, loved Rousseau's Confessions, and tend not to read autobiographies of sports icons, rock stars, etc., I would never disdain the fact that they may have had equally interesting lives as Rousseau, for example.
Oh well, just a thought. ;)
Updating my list (in no particular order):
1. The Return of the Native by Thomas Hardy
2. Mrs Dalloway by Woolf
3. The Alchemist by Coelho
4. Stranger in a Strange Land by Robert A. Heinlein
5. On the Road by Jack Kerouac
6. The Tin Drum by Gunter Grass
I read that last month. It was wonderful! Is it a general Hardy phobia, or just that novel? If the latter I can't see why, it seems to stand up well against the others. He does come on rather strong with the classical references in "Return", and I was glad I was reading the Norton critical edition. The footnotes were essential...Quote:
Originally Posted by Scheherazade
Reading Anna Karenina made me feel good...Quote:
Originally Posted by stlukesguild
Not sure I could come up with ten, but there are four that stick out like a nun at a Guns 'n' Roses concert.
The Lord of the Rings trilogy. (Life just isn't long enough to read anything whereby the author never uses one word where fourteen will do.)
The Harry Potter Series (Pass the bucket!)
The Da Vince Code. (Almost as daft as Winnie The Pooh, just as believable but not as well crafted.)
The Book Of Mormon. (Funnier than Spike Milligan, but that's all.)
If, in a moment of manic depression, I think of anything else, be assured I shall bore you with it.
It's a little bit of both. Instead of typing it all over again, I will copy what I said in previous page:Quote:
Originally Posted by mal4mac
Native is the last Hardy novel I have read and for me it was rock-bottom as far Hardy was concerned.Quote:
Originally Posted by Scheherazade
Here goes (these really are my all time favorites at the moment, and they are ranked in order from best to worst):
The Perks of Being a Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky
Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix by J.K. Rowling
The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini
1984 by George Orwell
Inkheart by Cornelia Funke
The Thief Lord by Cornelia Funke
The Heart of the Matter by Graham Greene
Cat's Cradle by Kurt Vonnegut
The Secret of Platform 13 by Eva Ibbotson
Watership Down by Richard Adams
HAHA...well I do believe I read this incorrectly!! As those are the books I CAN'T do without, I will now come up with a few that I CAN live without! Sorry!
The DaVinci Code by Dan Brown
Hamlet by William Shakespeare (overrated in my opinion)
Animal Farm by George Orwell
The Two Towers [Lord of the Rings Trilogy] by J.R.R. Tolkien (dulls in comparison to the other two)
Anything with Jane Austen's signature on it! (I apologize to those Pride and Prejudice fans)
War and Peace by Leo Tolstoy
Crime and Punishment by Fydor Dostoevsky
A Tale of Two Cities by Charles Dickens
Beowulf (Seamus Haney translation?)
The Canterbury Tales by Goeffrey Chaucer
Cat's Cradle by Kurt Vonnegut (I understand Vonnegut as the great postmodern satirist but in my personal opinion his stories are awful)
The Brothers Karamazov by Dostoyevsky ( I enjoyed it all the way up to the courtroom drama and couldn't take anymore of it, also his single person 6+ page long uninterrupted and unbroken dialouges kill me)
Franny and Zooey by Salinger (felt like I was reading a bad episode of some teen drama like Degrassi)
War of the Worlds by H.G. Wells (not even half way through it but I'm so bored with it)
American Psycho by Bret Easton Ellis (the over abundance of Yuppie lifestyle is brutal itself)
Also couldn't get past the first 10 pages of A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man by Joyce
The fact that everyone here has hated on Dickens relentlessly has me nervous I picked up both David Copperfield and Great Expectations from Goodwill not too long ago because I'd like to see what Dickens is like but now I don't know, I'll try I geuss.
For Whom the Bell Tolls. It took me like 3-4 months to get through that novel and that's only because I don't like giving up on things. That is definitely the most boring book that I have ever read. Even my Economics textbook was more interesting than it.
Hmm, some books I'm not keen on (apart from the obvious trash):
10,000 Years of Solitude (or so it seemed trying to read it)
Beloved by Toni Morrison, postmodern rubbish :smilewinkgrin:
Nights at the Circus by Anglea Carter, as above
Pamela by Samuel Richardson, or anything by Samuel Richardson I suppose, dull
The Secret History by Donna Tart, rubbish
Birdsong by Sebastian Faulks, completely overrated
The Historian by Elizabeth Kostova, forced to read this junk!
The Island by Victoria Hislop, as above
Naked Lunch by William Burroughs, silly
Ian Rankin, Philip Pullman, Paulo Coelho and the like, rubbish, overrated.