I have just read possibly the worst book in the world

[Mrsrobertduvall]

A Cold Season by Alison Littlewood.
Disclaimer...I bought it in Smith's on a buy one get one half price, and grabbed it as the cover looked good.
It's about a mother and son marooned in a small Lancashire village with unfriendly locals...a bit Wicker Man-ish. And of course there are witch/devil undertones.
It is utter tripe.
It is now in the charity shop for some poor sod to buy.

Dorian Grey drove me to near insanity. If that's what Oscar deemed edgy, dark and depraved then I pity him. My teenage rugby club disco's could have shown him a thing or two.

I got a phone call this afternoon from a friend to whom I had lent a book. She thought it might be the Picoult she had just finished. I said "even if I owned a Picoult book, I wouldn't dream of subjecting someone else to it". Actually, she said it started off quite good, something to do with a family having another child in order to save the life of an existing child? Then it deteriorated, she said. But an interesting idea.

Someone lent me a Picoult once. I was almost too embarrasssed to return it, as I had nothing good to say about it at all. From what my friend said, it sounds like she's improved a little

I am shocked that some of you don't like 1000 autumns of Jacob de Zoet! One of my favourite all time books.

But I also loved We Need to talk about Kevin, the Hare with Amber Eyes and the Crimson Petal and the white. Oh and Ian McEwan and Kate Atkinson are faves of mine too.....(whisper....I quite liked the Tractor one too...)

I am rather shocked that no one has mentioned Before I go to Sleep - the worst piece of tosh I have read for many years, really badly written with more holes in its plot than I've had hot dinners - TERRIBLE!

Jux, that sounds like My Sister's Keeper. The film has a schmaltzy feelgood ending, the book really doesn't (assuming you haven't read it) - neither are good.

I am quite disturbed that people loved We Need to Talk about Kevin - really? I can see how you might have thought it was a good book but loved it?

I found 1000 Autumns fascinating, ladydepp. I don't know why people don't like it, but it's our differences which make life interesting I suppose.

Thumbwitch, my friend said that the end degenerated into "a film". If it comes on tv I might watch it (probably not though).

I'd definitely take the film over the book, Jux (sappy, me! )

The Shipping News is the worst book I've ever read. Followed by Remains of the Day. They made my eyes hurt.
One Day was so lame. I just don't 'get' why people like it. Starter for ten was really good, too.
Kate Mosse - how did she get published, really? Nepotism must be alive and well in publishing.
Twilight - I fear for the youth of today. Utter drivel.
The Hare with Amber Eyes - one big yawn.
Skippy dies - that's a good few hours of my life I'll never get back.
I also thought 'Before I go to sleep' was one of the most badly written books I have ever read. I just can't believe people enjoyed it.
Thumbwitch I absolutely adored 'We need to talk about Kevin' I can't understand anyone NOT loving it
Also loved 'The Crimson Petal and the White'
Ambivalent about 'Cloud Atlas'

Thumbwitch, always better to waste an hour or so on a bad film than a couple of days on a bad book!

much lorded - good grief. Much lauded. I am losing my faculties.

Marshmallowpies, they are not slim. nearly 800 pages of that drivel times twelve.

Is this an emperor's new clothes situation where nobody dares to say "sorry but that is boring and badly written?"

margo really? I thought each individual book was about the length of a PG Wodehouse. Have seen them collected in editions of 3 (so to own the full collection would be 4 separate books) and those did look rather hefty.

I liked the first half of the 'Crimson Petal', it was a good page-turner, but felt it lost its way in the second half a bit. I can't see I'll ever bother to re-read it, so looking at it on my shelf, I'm itching to dispatch it to the charity shop.

Some books I have deliberately delayed re-reading as I don't want to be disappointed the second time round that they aren't as good as I remember (Cloud Atlas I hated on the second reading, the overlapping storylines are definitely a one-trick pony which loses its impact the second time; Never Let Me Go was just thoroughly miserable the second time and so was the film, apart from drooling over Andrew Garfield ).

Now you are making my doubt myself...I think they are long but maybe I had a volume with several books in one. I didn't get past the first chapter so I am not a reliable witness on this.

I quite liked Dance to the Music of Time

I loved Remains of the Day but Never Let Me Go was dreadful.

The Secret Scripture is another appallingly bad book with such an improbable plot. Dreadful. Also lots of copies of that one in Charity shops. One of those books that you shout at (in the privacy of your own home!)
The plot can be summed up in one sentence - the old girl is the doctor's mother - hope that helps anyone who was going to waste their time reading it. That's my good deed for the day

The lake of Dreams is so boring I can't belive I actually bothered to finish it (I was thinking that something HAD to happen but it never did). It is about someone tracing their roots. I can't even be bothered to do that for myself, I can't imagine why it would be of any interest to read about someone else (an imaginary person at that) doing it.

Oh and Julian Barnes The Sense of an Ending. Boring, pretentious and utterly depressing. I threw it away it, it depressed me so much.

I cracked, the Crimson Petal is going to a charity shop along with Birdsong and a couple of other books I'm never going to re-read.

I hate getting rid of books & can never stomach doing a proper clear-out, it's always done in dribs and drabs....but I feel so cleansed afterwards!

Dainty - I thought Before I Go To Sleep was appalling. Absolutely loathed it. I only carried on reading it to find out what happened at the end and also because I hate having to give up on a book but I gave it a 1 star review on Goodreads :). I thought it was badly written and I just don't understand why people are raving about it. Sounds a bit harsh I know, so apologies to S J Watson and hope the next book is better :).

oh no, ive just started reading 'Before i go to sleep'. im about 100 pages in and its not too bad, although its just getting into it

What is wrong with you people????? I've got all the way to page 16 of this thread and not one of you has mentioned White Teeth by Zadie Smith. The first book ever I didn't finish and the worst thing ever written. I will have no arguments to this.

i have just read 'the host' by Stephanie Mayer which i really enjoyed if anyone is into sci fi. its quite easy going like the Twilight books but i enjoyed it

sorry just read the title 'WORST books' whoops.....

dido - I'd completely forgotten about White Teeth. I couldn't get past the first few pages. For me it was unreadable and yet I hung onto my copy for many years imagining I would eventually read it. I never did and it has now gone to the charity shop.

I liked White Teeth; flawed, and (like all Zadie Smith's books) bit of a fudged ending as if she can't quite work out how the book will end when she starts it.

I liked her 2nd & 3rd books a lot more; The Autograph Man is v different from WT & well worth a read, and On Beauty I enjoyed as there was a lot in it that reminded me of my own family background & childhood (without all the shagging & adultery that was in the book, I must add...)