to ask what was the most annoying book you have ever ploughed through?

[pandarific]

I am reading Her Fearful Symmetry for bookclub and I'm a fifth of the way through and hating it. It is just striking me as very cutesy and mimsy wimsy and I have eyerolled so many times in the past 100 pages. (Children, in 2010, in London, happily playing croquet - really? Oh and then there's a ghost. And some creepy twins! Great.)

It wouldn't be so bad, but the fecking thing is 500 pages long.

I know it's a matter of taste as the author's books are massive bestsellers. And I may be being unfair as I seem to just really dislike magical realism in general. And I am open to reading all kinds of different books (last one A Game of Thrones, before that The Kite Runner), and anyway, half the point of a bookclub is to read things you wouldn't pick for yourself. But but. The salesperson at Waterstones even went on about how great it was when I was buying it, ffs! Waaah, boo, disappointment, 500 pages of life wasted etc.

Anyway, I definitely will finish it as it's only fair to give it a real chance, and I will try not to BU and judge so quickly, but I have to ask - what books have you made yourself finish, bookclub or no, that you've hated?

[SirChenjin]

Anything by Jodi Picoult. I've tried to get past about page 20 on a few on her books - nope, they're all shite. Poorly written, cod-psychologist tripe.

[NettoSuperstar]

The slap, hated it.

[desertmum]

EAT, LOVE, PRAY - I wanted to slap her, couldn't finish the book and gave it away (I never, ever part with books - they are family). What an annoying, whiney woman she was. And while I know IABU I was soooo disappointed that Julia Roberts agreed to play her in the movie

[pandarific]

Oh god desertmum the film was shiiiit. I went to see it (reluctantly) in the cinema, so I was trapped and couldn't even leave. At least I had ice-cream?

[Sallystyle]

The Slap.

I liked Her Fearful Symmetry.

[DrNick]

oh god i hated that one that won a prize
hold on
the woman upstairs

what a PILE O CACK

[NynaevesSister]

I no longer feel obliged to keep reading books I loathe.

However I did plough on with Capt Morelli's Mandolin which was simply infuriating. There were a few good bits in there but it was like he got a bit confused a few chapters in and just thought wtf I need to finish this.

Ugh. Still annoys me.

[NynaevesSister]

Corelli!

[ballroomblitz]

The 100 year old man who climbed out the window and disappeared. I hate leaving books unfinished but really couldn't understand what everyone raved about. Dull, dull, dull.

[DrNick]

and most htings Oprah recommends these days - incl a fort of nine towers

[pandarific]

What made it so shit Dr Nick?

[Thumbwitch]

The Famished Road by Ben Okri.
The Labyrinth by Kate Mosse.
Love in the Time of Cholera by whatsisface.

[Strokethefurrywall]

The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo - I waded through that entire book to find that the first 60 pages were totally irrelevant.

Massively disappointed. Was expecting a much better twist.

[Showy]

I'm reading Pillars Of The Fooking Earth.

Oh God it's tedious.

Today my wife has died in childbirth and I've abandoned my newborn baby but as the other dc are asleep, malnourished and exhausted, I'm just going to shag this here strange woman I met in the forest. Oh I think I love her, I'm going to marry her. What was that? My dead wife and abandoned baby? Yeah, I sort of remember them. Yesterday wasn't it?

[FetchezLaVache]

Oh, I really disliked Her Fearful Symmetry. Be warned, the storyline goes bonkers to an extent my suspension of disbelief was entirely unable to keep pace with. I tried to get my cousin to read it, just so we could slag it off together, but she couldn't be persuaded to persevere with it.

I also hated Catch 22, which I ploughed my way through because it's a classic, innit, and because my boyfriend at the time had bought it for me. I had to yell "You've made your point, already!" at it several times.

[Alisvolatpropiis]

I agree with you re Her Fearful Symmetry.

Loved The Time Travellers Wife but god that book was so annoying!

[jerseygal78]

Wild swans - borefest!

[Isthiscorrect]

Omg. So many, Ordinary Thunderstorms by William Boyd, a relentless pile of shite. The Finkler question, nobody in book club finished it, and I always suggest people don't read it if they pick it up in the library I work in ;-) I'd hate for them to waste their time.

[PervyMuskrat]

Cliche, but Da Vinci code was truly terrible.

I was really disappointed in Her Fearful Symmetry, especially as I loved The Timetravellers Wife

[DrNick]

pandarifit - the messud one
just nothing happens

endless WORDS that serve no purpose
even the denouement was a MEH moment

[Alisvolatpropiis]

Thumb all of Kate Mosse's books are crap. I've somehow read all three of the Langduoc books.


A mistake every, single time.

[emptychair]

50 shades. I just wanted to slap her and tell her to get a grip. So badly written.

[DrNick]

i htink he had hte grip

agree - shit
also the thread by hislop

crap

[muppetthecow]

An Equal Music by Vikram Seth. Dear God it was hard going; very little in the way of plot, a whiny protagonist, and written in 1st person present tense narrative!

DSis had bought it for me though so I felt like I had to finish it...

[pandarific]

Oh my god, The Finkler question! I bought it thinking the booker committee wouldn't steer me too far wrong... Within the first 20 pages I was irritated, confused, and felt duped. Duped! Neurotic ridiculous posturing for 200+ pages anyone? I gave up.

Thank god that one wasn't for a bookclub. :P