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?

A Scots Quair by Lewis Crassic Gibbon,

Had to read all three books for O Grade English years ago, I know the author was local and the books were set in my native Aberdeenshire, but God, I was so bored by them.

Was a real torture to have to plough through them, I've never been tempted to even try them again as an adult.

Golden The first one Sunset Song is one of my all time favourite books and also one of the best books by a man with a female main character.

Late to this but I am Struggling with The Blind Assassin at the moment - just can't get into it & keep on being irked by the two stories.

Dickens I have never liked anything I've read by him.

Pandarific I love Orhan Pamuk (especially The Museum of Innocence) but Silent House defeated me - it's not well translated. Nearly all his other books are now available in translation by Maureen Freely & she is a wonderful translator. I read My Name is Red, years ago & didn't enjoy it & re read it when a Freely translation was available & it was such a difference. I can't remember who translated Silent House, but it is a very 'clunky' read, IYKWIM.

Magimedi stick with it, I too found it difficult to get into, but loved it by the end.

That's fair enough Caitlin

Each to their own, but I absolutely hated it, and that isn't like me to really hate any book, but that one I did.

The Time Traveller's Wife.

Awful. Poorly written, weak plotline, insufferable protagonist.

I resent the couple of hours I lost to reading it.

Utter tripe.

Absolutely hated 'How to Be A Woman' by Caitlin Moran- all the endless capitals and wackiness set my teeth on edge.

Also, Gone Girl-managed three pages, Stieg Larsson trilogy, Curious Incident, one about a real life Victorian murder mystery - can't remember what it was called, Anything by Sarah Waters.

The Old Man.& The Sea sticks in my mind from.school.days - old geezer gets towed out to sea by a giant tuna - zzzzzzz...

Recently Madame Bovary which had been on my 'to read' list for about 10 years and friends raved about. I gave up about 4/5 of the way through when I accidentally discovered the ending. Have never ben so glad to.see a spoiler in my life!

Couldn't get going with Capn Corelli either, but did manage to plough through Mansfield Park last month - it was a bit 'meh' - not the worst thing I've read but I won't be revisiting it or recommending it.

I tried and failed twice to read Captain Corelli's Mandolin.

After watching, and being distinctly underwhelmed by, Pride and Prejudice, I got it free on my kindle and ploughed through it. Wondered what all the fuss was about.

Those pretentious wanky books that reviewers seem to rave about because they are "intelligent" - no, they are pretentious and wanky and it's like the author spent all their time thinking up a witty, ironic title instead of writing the book.

Hate any chick lit.

Agree with everyone about Saturday - read the whole thing and still have no idea what it's about.

For really bad writing though you got to try Colin Forbes and his numerous books about MI6 agents who save the world with depressing regularity.

And ugh to Hardy too.

zeezee - What 'pretentious wanky books'?

Walkabout and A River Ran Out of Eden - both by James Vance Marshall and both truly dreadful. Walkabout is boring beyond description and A River Ran out of Eden is both boring and badly written.

American Psycho. So dull and desperately trying to shock. Then when I reached the gross hamster bit I threw it across the roo, appalled I was reading such tripe.

across the room sorry..... just the memory is enough.

Anything by Jane Austen.

OMG I just stupidly read Foursome.....it really is actually worse than I ever thought it possible to be.

zeezeek you have my sympathies. What a hateful lead female!

One fucking Day - what a pile of soppy SHITE!
Cold Mountain - Zzzzz
Beautiful Ruins - so bad that I never got past p.60. It's the only book club choice that has defeated me!

I wasn't that keen on 'her Fearful Symmetry' also 'Labyrinth' by Kate Mosse - I soooooo expected more from it! The one that really disappointed me was 'The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo', I finished it out of blind stubbornness, I much preferred the film (original Swedish version, not the Daniel Craig version - I've not seen it)

Dubjackeen - YES! I totally agree - anything by Jane Austen - blergh!!!!! My sister adores them, I absolutely hate them, so boring

"Those pretentious wanky books that reviewers seem to rave about because they are "intelligent" - no, they are pretentious and wanky and it's like the author spent all their time thinking up a witty, ironic title instead of writing the book."

Amen to that!

The Magus, by John Fowler. Pile of toss. I still feel the rage when I think about it.

I loved Cold Mountain juneau. I had about 20 pages to go and was reading at a bus stop as the light was fading. I had to stand under a security light and keep shifting about so I could find out what happened to Ada and Inman.

And then I cried on the bus.

carolinegb the Daniel Craig film is better than the Swedish one. Both are better than the book.

50 shades. Couldn't finish it, still don't know if anal Ana stayed with her Grey or not, and couldn't care less. Really couldn't see what all the fuss was about. Kept skipping pages, bored to death, I wish I never bothered to start with.