To ask about the worst book you have ever read.

[Whereisthecoffee]

Title says it all really. What book or books have you absolutely hated and why?

Fingersmith? Very good indeed. Heigh ho.

I loved Insomnia by Stephen King! It was one of my favourite books in my teens
I thought a Secret History was incredible the first time I read it in the 90s. I re read it recently and was so disappointed. I'm not sure whether it's not aged well or whether I've just grown up and changed a lot. I suspect the latter.

Recently hated Paula Hawkins’ into the water - hard to follow and unengaging. Captain Corelli - tried several times - gave up. Agree Mo Hader’s treatment was a vile concept. Only tried one Jodi book - the suicide pact one- didn’t like it or her style at all. Essex serpent was a slow start but got there in the end. Milkman - challenging read but awesomely thought provoking and a unique writing style. Not sure you would manage it if you were not Northern Irish.
Loved Eleanor oliphant and recently after stumbling across Lisa Jewel read all her books in 3 weeks - light weight but cracking reads. Particularly liked then she was gone.

Rose Madder (Stephen King)

I also loved Insomnia when I read it way back when.

The Girl Who Loved Tom Gordon also by Stephen King was utter drivel and landed on the shelves just before his writer’s block phase (I think)

Hot Milk by Deborah Levy. Pretentious twaddle from start to finish.

I've wasted my life on far too many terrible books. Was made to read "Beyond Black" by Hilary Mantel for a book club, it was rubbish. Likewise, "Wise Children" by Angela Carter. Everyone in the book club hated it and I was one of the few to actually finish it, everyone else gave up.

Just in case anyone else is Swedish, don't ever read "In i labyrinten" (Into the labyrinth) by Sigge Eklund. It was so terrible I threw it away when I'd finished it instead of passing it on to one of my Swedish friends because I couldn't bring myself to inflict it on anyone else.

However, I'm halfway through "The Buried Giant" right now and I'm actually enjoying it! But I might revise my opinion if I don't like how it ends.

Rowling's "casual vacancy". What an absolute load of tripe. I think I managed to get to half way before I lost the will to live. I very rarely give up on a book, but it was dire.

I loved Casual Vacancy. I couldn't put it down, and I felt like I was able to visualise the entire town and all the characters.

How to be a Woman. I resented every minute I wasted on that self congratulating crap.

I'm only including ones that actually surprised me for being trash, rather than ones which were obviously not going to be great/are known for being shit.

Couldn't finish:
We Need To Talk About Kevin (I hated every character and how it was written. Preferred the film marginally)
Catch-22 (just couldn't get through it, was bored)
Lord of the Rings (I really wanted to enjoy this and tried for ages, but barely made it out of the shire! The long tedious descriptions of every blade of grass/leaf was just too much. I forced myself to finish The Hobbit though)
Three Sisters, Three Queens by Phillipa Gregory (I love her books usually, but I hated everyone in this book and wished ill of them all! Also especially dreary)

Persevered through but hated:
Wuthering Heights (I like melancholy and sorrow, but this was full-on miserable with no happiness, wow...)
After Me Comes The Flood by Sarah Perry (gosh that was dire drivel, nothing exciting ever happened)
Love, Rosie/Where Rainbows End by Cecelia Ahern (Again I usually really enjoy hers but this was pants)

alltoomuch, the first half of Rose Madder was great. The second half was so bad it negated entirely the first part and made the whole thing a "bad book". Agree also with people saying Insomnia is terrible. It went on and on and on...And I say this a huge fan of Stephen King. But my god, he does get away with a lot because of his track record.

Parkie's autobiography. didn't get past the first page. Yaaaawwwwwnnnn cricket cricket cricket

oh and hated "Game of Thrones" far far too dark

@treaclesoda - I also really enjoyed Casual Vacancy, she has a great way of getting you to picture all the different characters/houses/town. I liked the TV series too

Chesil Beach and Atonement. Can't stand those misunderstanding type stories. Lord of the Rings

Agree with The Taking by Dean Koontz. I bailed when I got to the rain smelling like semen [just ick]

Outlander. After he beat her and we were supposed to shrug it off because "things was different then" I lost interest.

Thank you Say. After reading the dressed up spanking porn that is Outlander I watched it become a cultural Thing and a TV series with absolute disbelief.

The Chronicles of St Marys (volume 1) by Jodi Taylor - wondered whether I had downloaded the wrong book after reading the rave online reviews. Great concept (time travel to see historic events first hand) but so poorly executed.

Alchemist when teenager = oooooo as adult = ummmmm no

The Shack, religious drivel that seemed to infer that child abuse victims needed to die for our collective sins. It's the only book I have wanted to burn, I didn't want anyone else to read it. I can usually see the worth in the crappest of books, Twilight got teens reading, 50 shades seemed to rejuvenate a fair few sex lives, but the Shack needs binning.

@SayNoToCarrots
God I totally agree. Also Jamie must have been the busiest man in Scotland what with being a giant, highly educated French speaking expert fighter who all gay men want to rape.
I mean there's suspending disbelief and then there is Outlander.
It's also badly written, full of pointless characters and my God that book needed a fucking editor.

A Simple Favour.

Really wanted to see the film. Didn't get around to it. Read the book instead and it was crap.