The 10 Worst Books

[pilotbob]

Originally Posted by TallMomof2

Back in the 80's I loved Tom Clancy's books. When Hunt for the Red October came out it was literally required reading at work. I was a first year engineer working on submarine design.

Yes, I did mean early Clancy. I think some writers start resting on their laurals. Grisham was the same, his first 3 or 4 were the best.

Ah, your an engineer, that explains alot... kidding. As a private pilot I cringe when they do airplane stuff on TV or movies. They get most of it wrong. As a software developer I cringe when they do computer, network, virus, etc stuff in TV and movies cause they get alot wrong. Of course, if they had the right info, the whole show/plot woudn't exist.

Then again, some great movies, the PC is just a tool to move the story, so even the technical mistakes are easily overlooked... like War Games, one of my all time favorite movies.

BOb

[Roy White]

Extremely interesting thread. I've been lurking on this one and reading, smirking at the great humour of Marcs list and his fun loving dig at Lovecraft, "I've done scarier craps" made me laugh. As it was intended... I read, alot, (otherwise I wouldn't be on this forum) for pleasure and most of what I read is fairly eclectic. I have no real plan or goal, I just read. To me the definition of a good book is one that sweeps me into another world or reality and carries me somewhere. Anywhere. I love long descriptions of scenery as long as it fills out a reality and makes it more real, makes me breathe the air in the Authors imagination.
I love LOTR. I've read it probably 15 times and every other year or so go through it again. I REALLY enjoyed the Harry Potter series and read them all more than once along with my 3 boys. We would have arguments about which spell we would use on people as we were driving down the road etc. I liked Atlas Shrugged quite a bit, God knows why. Moby Dick is another favorite. I like Russian literature and have read nearly all of the Conan books and roar my approval when he is the last man standing after an epic battle in which everyone but him dies! Pat Conroy is one of my favorite writers when it comes to 'painting a real scene'. There's no accounting for my own tastes and I'm old enough so I don't even try anymore. So. I'm... (Like all of us) unique.

To me a bad book is one where the world doesn't work, or the plot takes a twist thats not interesting, or when the writer puts in details that don't advance the story or imagery, or when the characters do or say something with motives that don't line up with already established charater development.

Ok.. my list...

1. Clan of the Cave Bear. Dude! That book kept trying to be good and I kept waiting for the world she was trying to create in my head to coalesce, but it never did.

2. Anything recent Clancy has written. All his books up to Red Storm Rising were really good! Then he became so successfull he could start telling his editor to take a hike and write what he really is interested in, (Long technical descriptions of military technology that go on for 20 pages) and in the process lost me completely as a 'constant reader'.

3. The last book in the Dark Tower series by S. King. And I've read almost everything King's written and loved it. The ending ticked me off so much after investing maybe 40 total hours in the Series lost in Mid world with Roland and company, completely enchanted by King's skill as a storyteller, then to get gypped when the Top of the tower DOESN'T HAVE GOD WAITING FOR HIM!!!! after setting it up over thousands of pages he goes back on the wheel of Ka. The most frustrating ending to a book in the history of the universe!

4. Far from the Madding Crowd. I think my heart stopped twice trying to read it. Boring...
5. Pride and Prejudice. (See above)
6. Carribean by Michener. I've read other Micheners I really liked but this one just never got off the runway.
7. Great Expectations. Arghh... I heroicall struggled with this one for seemingly hundreds of pages and All i got was a kid named Pip and an old lady who broke all her clocks and has a wedding dress full of spiders.
8. The Lost World by Crichton. Liked Jurassic Park alot. The Lost World lost me big time. The Velociraptors went from being ultra cool villians with no fear and almost infinite cunning, to hapless sheepdogs a little kid fools by throwing a steak into a walk in fridge then slamming the door on them.
9. Dances With Wolves (The Movie) The book was actually very good but Costner completely blew the part of Dunbar.
10. The Secret. Browsed through this book at Walmart one day while my wife was taking an hour and a half to pick out a Mothers day card. Lame indeed.

You know its much easier to talk about books Ilove than books I hate.

[Lobolover]

Originally Posted by Roy White

while my wife was taking an hour and a half to pick out a Mothers day card.

"an all new mother" you mean.NO ONE can "pick out" a flat square of cardboard for over 90 minutes.

[Roy White]

Lobo. I guess you love to argue don't you? Or are you really just a troll trying to start arguments for fun? I wasn't lying and if you are trying to tick me off and get another argument going you can forget it. I avoided commenting on your earlier attempts to see if you could get blood flowing on this thread and I'm going to avoid arguing with you over whether or not my wife searched for a moms day card for 90 minutes. My wife loves her Mother so much and she really did take 90 minutes looking at every card in the store, then deciding which one would bless her Mom the most. I knew it would hurt her feelings if I went and tried to hurry her so I went and found a book to read while I was waiting instead of fuming at her. Its a choice Lobo to take offense or not. I choose right now NOT to take offense at you calling me a liar. You can do the same if you want to. I suggest you do so on this forum. Otherwise people will simply stop answering your posts entirely and you will find yourself being totally ignored when you try and stir the pot by calling people names directly or indirectly. Taking time to choose a mom's day card is one of the ways she cares. After 25 years of Marriage i've learned to live and love her ways.
If you attack or argue with me on this I wont respond to you.

Does anyone else want to continue the discussion about books?

[Patricia]

That is a very mature attitude, Roy. Good for you.

[Lobolover]

What?Do you expect Im being SERIOUS AT ALL?Im not.Im hardly ever.

1-I'm not a troll-alegations of the oposite I see as an insult.

2-out of plain curiousity-whenever did I "call you names"?I don't remember incident's which don't happen.

and note-Kahlert's book doesn't realy deserve the hype it has,not saying its not a "good commonplace",but its certainly nowhere near the "dizying plot,that almost defies comprehension" stunt on the back.

[Patricia]

Does anyone else find that their mental list of worst books changes as they get older and develop new tastes? (--she said, while trying to turn the conversation to more peaceful channels...)

I used to dislike Dickens at school (when Great expectations was forced on me) but now really like him, especially Bleak House. Conversely, I used to read virtually any detective stories but am now a lot more fussy.

[Lobolover]

I dislike "realistic" and "socialy critic" prose as a whole,Dicken's is just an author whom I don't read.Seriously,if ANYONE read "The Necromancer"-im almost dis-inclined to reading other Gothic novels (cept The Monk,Wieland and a few "secured ones").Reading about "false" supernatural things,being "cheats" made by groups of banditi over and over again?I can guess why Lovecraft disliked "The Horrid Mysteries",seeing as its about creating a group reaching for a "early form of comunism" and a rival group.

ps:NEVER take me seriously,okay.

[Taylor514ce]

Originally Posted by Lobolover

ps:NEVER take me seriously,okay.

Not to worry. Anyone who refuses to type properly, on a forum populated by extremely literate and intelligent lifelong readers and lovers of the written word, despite repeated public and private appeals, is likely to be taken seriously.

ps:so,i wooldnt worry,much.About it.okay?

[Lobolover]

uhm,you said "is LIKELY to be taken seriously" .

[Patricia]

Irony, I fear.

[Lobolover]

if it's not criticaly over-exagerated,im afraid it's almost indistuinguishable from misstyping on the internet.

[Roy White]

Lobo. I doubt by now ANYONE is taking you seriously...

Patricia I think my literary tastes are changing. Now that my Kids have all flown the coop and its just my 90 minute wife and myself in the house I'm finding myself returning to the classics and reading more and more books from the 'classics' shelf. I just finished reading the brothers K again and found entirely new joy in it. I really should give Dickens another crack since I haven't tackled him for over 20 years now.

When my boys were sprinting around the house like wildmen it was impossible to read a book requiring critical thinking so I read lots of best sellers and pulp since they were brain candy. Now I want to turn my mind back to the classics but I'm pretty sure Dickens will still bore me.

Tell you what Patricia. I'll make a deal with you. I'm going to download the Dickens book you recommend in your reply, and give it a try. I promise to stick it out for at least 100 pages with my reader set on 'medium'. ARGGH I have a feeling I'm going to regret that. Maybe now I'm older I'll like it. So fire away. what will it be?

[Lobolover]

EVERYTHING I SAY is meant in all other ways then real.except my opinion.I doubt I'll EVER buy another "Northanger novels" series book.

[mjh215]

Lobolover; Out of curiosity (and possibly to your defense) English isn't your first language, correct? I recall you posting that you were from the Czech Republic. I also believe you posted you had a problem with your computer or keyboard which added to your typing errors. Perhaps others on the forum might be a bit more understanding and less bigoted if they realized you weren't just being lazy but had a legimate reason for typos and grammar issues. You could add your location to your User Profile and that -might- cut down on the confusion.

I've found that I personally butcher the language and make frequent typing errors in recent years. Only recently noticing that one of the major causes was all the modern 'mushy' keyboards. I'm soon going back to a decent buckling-spring mechanism keyboard.

-MJ (I hope this post comes off in the well-meaning way it was written, but given my luck it'll just start a war )