I have just read possibly the worst book in the world

WatershipFuckingDown

My mother made me read it to her everyday before I went to primary school. Seemed to take at least 5 years to get through it.

Glad to see others mentioning Kate Mosse, I am not a high-brow reader by any means but Labyrinth... I was just reading it thinking, Surely no-one would publish a book this bad? it must get better! But it never did.

Agree with SGM about The Children's Book. I was rather enjoying meeting the characters and reading about their lives, until I realised I was halfway through the book, nothing had happened, and nothing was likely to happen. At that point I gave up.

margo I had a copy of Hideous Kinky free with a magazine, that was a proper good book; it was the cash-in edition from the film, though.

Lent it to a friend & never got it back, so I had to buy a new copy anyhoo.

I also loved The Waterbabies as a child - but I was also quite a strange child. I had a beautifully illustrated copy which was bought as a prize for something at school iirc.

I also liked Vernon God Little and Cider With Rosie.

I loved the waterbabies - but then I was a weird child. I do remember it being fully odd.

DameHermione, I started a whole thread on the boringness of the Hare with the Amber Eyes. Think as a yawn.

Herrena the titles are enough to have me itching to order them. They sound dreadful.

I read The Waterbabies to my DD. It's supposed to be a children's classic. It is dire. Also Tarka the Otter.

BelleDame - I should feel guilty for corrupting you, but I'm just relieved that it isn't only me who thinks of reading that stuff!!

My rule of thumb with books is to avoid anything which has the title re-printed on the back. Several times. Interspersed with the book description. Although sometimes they do end up under the 'So bad it's good' category....

Cider with Rosie was quite possibly the worst book ever, and I had to read it because it was a set book at school. Utter, utter garbage.

Dily I agree completely re Digital Fortress, I couldn't finish it. I have never been so bored and it was so boringly scientific, which bought nothing to the book!
Thanks for the heads up with 'Room'. I knew it sounded dull.

There's one called North by Northanger! OMG...

Herrena now I'm strangely tempted...

I read lots (two books a day is feasible) so I have read a lot of old rubbish but mostly forgotten the more useless ones. I have a lifelong hatred of Tolkien, though. And DH Lawrence. And I find Isaac Asimov completely unreadable.

And the Shopaholic books - I don't mind some chicklit, quite fond of Marian Keyes and love Louise Bagshawe, but the Shopaholic ones are utter drivel.

Liked Room, though.

I had a revelation when I read Ralph's Party (Lisa Jewell) that actually changed my life. Some books are so shit you should throw them away shamelessly. In fact few books are actually worth keeping. This honestly changed my life. I got rid of literally hundreds of books that I'd read because they were, you know, books, and you can't throw books away. Turns out you can and sometimes, you should.

Two Week Wait by Sarah Rayner is the latest into the bin. Dreadful.

I think "free with a magazine" is a good clue as to where this is going to end.

I read Twilight out of curiousity. Wtf? - embarrassing that any adult likes these books imo.

I was once given a Jodi Picoult book. So bad, I don't know where to start.

coffeeandcream, I have found it almost impossible to forgive VH for such appalling ruination of what could have been a brilliant book. Even now, so many years later.

Oh, and that fucking tractor book, too. [grrrrrrrrrrr]

Aargh, aargh, why did someone mention The House at Riverton? A day's otherwise delightful holiday I'm never going to get back, and I thought I'd wiped it from my memory .

Formulaic, derivative, writing-by-numbers tedious drivel. And shite to boot.

marmite, No worries. But you could ask for a deletion if it helps! Take care.

Victoria Hislop's The Island. Horrid, obvious, clicheed.
And Room - painfully bad.

Utterly embarrassed..have a load of anti-depression/self help books in my life just now (don't ask) and I put down the wrong one when I posted earlier..The least I can do is apologise and say that in fact it has helped me and was actually recommended by someone I trust. I think that will teach me not to be negative in future. I'm always telling my kids to own up to mistakes so it's my turn. Apologies to anyone I offended. I will not bother naming the book I actually meant.

Oh I hope Half of a Yellow Sun is charity shopped to give other people the chance. I can see why it's not a book you'd re-read repeatedly but it's well worth the first read. Am looking forward to the film.

BelleDameSansMerci - no joke! And characters from all the other novels popped up too. It was dreadful yet strangely moreish :)

I really liked We need to talk about Kevin!

I loved Brick Lane, and have read other Monica Ali books since then on the strength of it. Hated ukrainian tractor woman books.

A couple of years ago I used to see Brick Lane in every single charity shop I went into. I quite liked it though.