The 10 Worst Books

[basschick]

ah, i've found one of the two others of my worst books - it's called vampire beat and the author is vincent courtney. it's poorly written, but that's not the problem... i like illogical things that are supposed to be illogical, but in this book it's so badly thought out that even thinking about reading it again makes me want to smash my head into a wall over and over and over...

[bmwvan]

Looking back over the 50 years I have been reading, I don't remember any bad books. I remember some I did not like, but I can't call them bad for that. This subject is too subjective, there is no yardstick by which to measure. Some of the books listed here are among my favorites. Others, I didn't like at all. Books are like wives (or husbands), no one can say which is good and bad except the one reading (living with) it. If it works for you, great. If not, great, there are many books from which we may choose. Besides, the worst book I ever read was much better than the best business meeting I had to attend.

Van

[Sparrow]

Originally Posted by bmwvan

Looking back over the 50 years I have been reading, I don't remember any bad books. I remember some I did not like, but I can't call them bad for that. This subject is too subjective, there is no yardstick by which to measure.

Well, the thread is about the worst books you've read, so the yardstick would be your own subjective taste.

Originally Posted by bmwvan

.... Besides, the worst book I ever read was much better than the best business meeting I had to attend.

Exactly! We all have worst books.

[RickV]

Originally Posted by bmwvan

..... there are many books from which we may choose. Besides, the worst book I ever read was much better than the best business meeting I had to attend.

Van

How timely. I just spoke to a friend of mine who was in a meeting bad enough he wondered if suicide was a viable option to get the meeting to end.

He was seriously eyeing the letter opener on a desk.

[Taylor514ce]

I'm both notorious and admired in my business circles for being able to end a meeting with tact. "Tact" was once defined as the ability to tell someone to go to hell in such a manner that they look forward to the trip.

Most meetings I'm in these days use GoToMeeting or WebEx. It's so nice to be able to say in a deep voice, dripping with authority, "I think we've covered all the points on the agenda today. Thanks for attending, I'm ending the meeting now." Then click the red X. "End meeting for all?". Yes.

[zelda_pinwheel]

Originally Posted by Taylor514ce

Most meetings I'm in these days use GoToMeeting or WebEx. It's so nice to be able to say in a deep voice, dripping with authority, "I think we've covered all the points on the agenda today. Thanks for attending, I'm ending the meeting now." Then click the red X. "End meeting for all?". Yes.

i wish i could do that in real life sometimes.

[Taylor514ce]

Originally Posted by zelda_pinwheel

i wish i could do that in real life sometimes.

You can! One technique I use is to simply close your notebook (paper or laptop!), smile, stretch, and stand up. People have a tendency to look for direction, to respond to peer pressure, to "follow the leader". So be the leader.

A few of the people still talking will look surprised or annoyed when 5 other people automatically follow my lead and stand up, too. But they quickly fall into line as I reach out to shake their hands, or I hold the door open politely, forcing people to walk through it.

[zelda_pinwheel]

quite the puppetmaster, aren't you ?

[grimo1re]

Originally Posted by jplumey

Even if you don't like Harry Potter, I really don't think you can put one of the best selling books in all of history on the bottom of the totem pole.

I thought this was exactly the kind of place where you could do that? Wasn't that the point of the thread?

[Taylor514ce]

Oh yes. I'm diabolic, manipulative, devious... you haven't realized that yet?

[grimo1re]

Originally Posted by TallMomof2

You need to get yourself powdered coyote (...)

Recipe?

[DMcCunney]

Originally Posted by Taylor514ce

You can! One technique I use is to simply close your notebook (paper or laptop!), smile, stretch, and stand up. People have a tendency to look for direction, to respond to peer pressure, to "follow the leader". So be the leader.

A few of the people still talking will look surprised or annoyed when 5 other people automatically follow my lead and stand up, too. But they quickly fall into line as I reach out to shake their hands, or I hold the door open politely, forcing people to walk through it.

If you are calling the meeting, another useful technique is to hold it standing up. It's astonishing how quickly meetings can progress in such conditions...
______
Dennis

[DMcCunney]

Originally Posted by grimo1re

I thought this was exactly the kind of place where you could do that? Wasn't that the point of the thread?

I don't care where you place a book. I'd just like a coherent reason why.
______
Dennis

[Ramen]

Originally Posted by jplumey

I guess you disagree with the millions of readers around the world who love the books. This isn't the place for a Harry Potter commentary (there's probably already a thread) but I disagree. Even if you don't like Harry Potter, I really don't think you can put one of the best selling books in all of history on the bottom of the totem pole.

The bestselling newspapers are tabloids which are trash: Quantity != quality.

I've read all of the Potter books and most were enjoyable (as long as you didn't think about them too much) but they certainly weren't great and the final book was horrendous. The problem for me was simply that Harry Potter himself is a complete dolt and the final book demonstrated that to such an extend that I actually skipped larger parts.

Apart from that, the series belongs to the Things Just Work Out In The End category of books and I'm really tired of this kind of books. Other examples are (in no particular order):

• Honor Harrington Series
• Lt. Leary Series
• Lord of the Isles
• The Shannara Books

In fact, most fantasy books are either of that category or they have the same general plot line, even for different series (Robin Hobb, David Drake and David Weber are prime examples of this).

[BenG]

Usually when I don't care for a book, I don't think of it as a bad book, but just that it wasn't a book for me. Sometimes it's just that the writing is dense or harder to follow and I'm in the mood for an easy read.
However here's my list of bad books.

Urshurak by the Brothers Hildebrandt
(they did the Tolkien calenders in the 70s)

Mercedes Lackey - the novels about the gay mages
(the gay aspect didn't bother me. It was just badly written.)

The Sword of Shannara by Terry Brooks.
I read this when it was first published and thought it was OK. I read tried to re-read it 10 years ago and found it so clumsily written that I had a hard time getting through it. His writing does improve in later books. In Brooks defense, he was only a teenager when he wrote it and at least he was ripping off a master unlike some whose books are basically fleshed out Dungeons and Dragons campaigns.

I like Lovecraft for his stories, but the man could not write dialog if his life depended on it.

Robert Jordan - I liked the first few books but he should have wrapped up the plot before we ran out of interesting things to learn about his world.
Writer's should take a hint from the Lord of the Rings. You don't need to tell the reader everything you know about your created world and its characters.

.... Besides, the worst book I ever read was much better than the best business meeting I had to attend.

For a humorous look at meetings and corporate life, try reading Connie Willis's Bellwether
.
From the book:

"All right, fellow workers," Management said. "Do you have your five objectives? Flip, would you collect them?"
Elaine looked stricken. Gina snatched the list from her and wrote rapidly:
1. Optimize potential.
2. Facilitate empowerment.
3. Implement visioning.
4. Strategize priorities.
5. Augment core structures.
"How did you do that?" I said admiringly.
"Those are the five things I always write down," she said and handed the list to Flip as she slouched past.