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?

Phillip Hensher's King of the Badgers. Chucked it across the bedroom in the end. And he's the one who called Lorrie Moore's recent book 'footling' in last week's Sunday. And no, I don't know what footling means but from the rest of the review I think it's pretty insulting.

Pliudev Can I add The Northern Clemency to that? Hensher is a fucking fraud.

The Slap. Saw it everywhere, thought it would be good. It was dreadful.

Could not finish:
Labyrinth
The Island - Victoria Hislop
Da Vinci Code

Wouldn't touch with a barge pole:
Jodi Picoult stuff
50 Shades

Finished but hated:
Donna Tartte - Secret History

Unlike others, enjoyed:
An Equal Music (it's actually my favourite book of all time)
Cloud Atlas
The Luminaries
Bringing up the Bodies/Wolf Hall

Saying 50 shades is rubbish is like complaining that a Mars bar isn't haute cuisine.

never read this but Labyrinth was the same

I hated On Chesil Beach by Ian McEwan. I was furious with all the characters and the ridiculous descriptions of sexual contact made me roll my eyes. What a waste of time. And the ending was infuriating too. His writing just rubs me the wrong way, I didn't like Atonement that much either.

I like listening to books on my MP3 and when DD (aged 23) was going on a long train journey for a job interview I lent it to her. Unfortunately she chose Chesil Beach (which I liked) and said it was soo embarassing listening to sex scenes on the train. She blushed and then felt everyone knew what she was listening to.

The worst book ever was massive, and called Shantaram I read to the end, and since then I now trust my instincts and stop when I feel I have really tried hard.

Oooh yeah, Eat, Pray, Love - what a pompous, self righteous woman! Wanted to slap her

There are books where I just want to slap everyone. On Chesil Beach, Cloud Atlas, Life of Pi, Time Traveller's Wife. Recently ploughed through Longbourne and resented it - tedious, thin and pedestrian.

The only way to read Lord of the Rings is to skip whole paragraphs, sections or chapters at a time. Particularly where poetry is involved.

OTOH, I do like Wolf Hall/Bring Up The Bodies

In any Carole Matthews book, I just skip anything about fucking hilarious dogs!

Clockwork Orange. Forced upon me by my A level English teacher who thought it was great and that I would like it. We weren't studying it.

What utter tripe.

I gave up on 50 shades of grey. I knew it wasn't going to be top literature but so many people were going on about it that I at least expected it to be sexy and interesting!

I didn't really like The Catcher in the Rye. I found the main character rather annoying and unrelatable and I always feel confused when I hear about the book being banned or people talk about it having a profound affect on their lives. It's not that interesting!

Magical realism. Ugh! Also 50 Shades (couldn't finish it and I plow through everything (almost))

There's not many books I dislike as much as We Need To Talk About Kevin which one pal raved about. I got rid of it as soon as I finished it.

Both follow ups to Girl With The Dragon Tattoo - make handy bookends or doorstoppers but not much cop.

Life of Pi, and To The Lighthouse: I won't get the time that I wasted dragging through them back.

But for sheer misery: Angela's Ashes, heartbreaking. Not annoying but I was caught by its themes.

Credo - Melvyn Bragg. I friend lent it to me, I tried 3 times to read it, failed each time. I got through about 100 pages each time and had to give up, I just didn't give 2 hoots about anyone or anything in the book. This is the only book I have ever given up on.

Both follow ups to Girl With The Dragon Tattoo - make handy bookends or doorstoppers but not much cop.

Life of Pi, and To The Lighthouse: I won't get back the time that I wasted dragging through them..

We Need To Talk About Kevin was raved about by a pal, I gave away my copy as soon as I finished it and never followed up one of her recommendations again.

But the one I kicked myself for reading was the ground-and heart-breaking Angela's Ashes.

Ha ha phone on blink so re-typed! And can add "Resistance" by Owen Sheers which should have been good but somehow wasn't for me.

Catch-22 by Joseph Heller
I've tried starting it at least four times because people have raved about what a fantastic book it is, but God it's confusing and tedious. Never got beyond about the first half of it - and that was a struggle.

And I know it's a classic, and supposed to be a wonderful tale of survival etc etc, but Robinson Crusoe drove me mad. Egotistical, whiney, dithering idiot!

Has anyone mentioned Tuesdays with Morrie yet?

I feel heartless saying this given the subject matter but it was a load of drivel.

I am chuckling so much reading this!

The Island. I have never been so infuriated by a book! A potentially beautiful story ruined by the story teller. Presumably she's doing it with all the others she insists on writing too. Please please please get a ghostwriter, love.

DH keeps bringing home Kate Moss books. I tried reading one, but 'twas not to be.

Someone insisted on lending me a Picoult once. I did finish it, but I couldn't have two.

Have tried several Kate Atkinson, but not got far.

A feather on the breath of God. I thought with a title like that it miight be like The Cure for Death by Lightning but it wasn't.

I present to the assembled crowd.....

Underworld by Don Dilillo.

Bloody awful. DH raved about it and I wasted hours of my life. I should have known better as he raved about Ulysses and I hated that too.

Anything by Ian McEwan (apart from Atonement for some reason). None of the characters ever seem remotely interesting or engaging.