Tell me a book where you said, "wow, that was blankety blank awful!"

[MrsMuddle]

Following on from the other thread, which books did you hate with a passion? I'll start with The Accidental by Ali Smith, and also Mr Golightly's Holiday by Sally Vickers. Both appallingly awful books, IMO. Next...

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Lol, love these threads I often love people's hated books -

like Jane Austen, TERRY PRACHETT, Lord of the Rings, Captain Corelli's Mandolin and so on....

But agree with Kate Mosse's Labrinyth, basically I knew what was coming, it was all so signposted and obvious.

Also Snobs was a pointless and silly.

Also not a Zaidie Smith fan, or DH Laurence (The Rainbow anyone?!) or Jodie Picoult.

Liked Jonathon and Dr Strange though.

another vote for Snobs and Captain Corellis

Also didn't rate To Kill A Mocking Bird (I know! it's supposed to be a classic) I kept waiting for something to happen.

oh and Colin Forbes, The Power now that was really bad!

Also, I find Dickens wordy and tiresome!

Yes I didn't like To Kill a Mocking Bird but I keep telling myself it is because I read it at school and therefore was bound to find it tedious.

and lots of finger pointing at those who didn't like To Kill A Mockingbird.

Get the movie on dvd and see what the fuss was all about as it's a very faithful adaptation.

, saw the movie adaptation at school too!

well then I am sorry that it was ruined for you.

I feel the same way about Dickens so I do KWYM

Ben Elton's books are tedious and always follow the same formula. Well the few I've read do anyway.

I hated Of Mice and Men... probably because it was done to death at school and over-analysed.

I have liked a few Anita Shreve, but others were throw away crap.

Human traces was good, don't think I've read a Sebastian Faulkes book i didn't like.

We read The Red Tent for our book group once, i thought it was rubbish everyone else liked it.

Jackie No - glad someone else appreciates Amis. He's just such a good WRITER, there are sentences and turns of phrase in his books which I'll never forget. You just have to accept that he's a terrible old misogynist and admire the skill. As someone whose spent a fair share of her life working in literary agencies and trawling through piles of unsolicited manuscripts, I always get very excited when you find someone with a unique "voice". I like Fay Weldon and Mary Wesley for the same reason.

while we're talking about school and books - we had to read one called 'Calgary Ride' it was dire (I thought)

I've just tried to google it to find the author - I looked and looked and its vanished without a trace.

That's rather good news actually

Certainly agree about Lord of the Rings - couldn't get through Hobbit and didn't like the film even though I sat through the whole of the first one. Boys' stuff - all battles, very boring. No interesting female characters.

Loved Mocking Bird though.

yes could never read any tolkien.

Saw a couple of the films - they really didn't do it for me, dont like the fantasy genre at all.

Twoisenoughmum, I like Fay Weldon too, though haven't really read much Mary Wesley. I know what you mean about the fabulous turns of phrase. As you say, you just have to step back from what you know about the author and enjoy the ride, even though you know he's a bit of a git. I'm currently reading DBC Pierre's Vernon God Little, which has a bit of the same thing about it.

Loved Midnight's Children, but have struggled with other Salman Rushdies.

Completely agree with the others who've hated Captain Corelli's Mandolin. Got through it, but felt like it was a waste of time. Will be reading something by Jodi Picoult for book club soon - not sure if I'm going to enjoy it or not.

I love Jane Austen, DH Lawrence AND Tolkien. No interesting female characters? What are you looking for?
Really liked Paul Theroux' Secret Life for the first half and really didn't much for the second but felt compelled to read on and have him regain my regard (the character). He didn't though.
I started Perfume twice, and The Little Friend twice and really began with enthusiasm, hence the second attempts. Very busy all four starts, but that's no real excuse.
Reading Memoirs of a Geisha just now and really like it. Also reading How The Dead Live, Will Self, fascinatingly depressing. Also quite alot of Miffy, Bear Hunt and Mog.

'But by far the worst book I have read is Beyond Black by Hilary Mantel. I say 'read', what I mean is 'endured first 100 pages then tore up and shoved in kitchen bin'. '

TOO right, Sobernow!

Dear god!

That was soooo bad, I felt it was better to burn it than inflict on some unsuspecting charity shop book buyer like me.

I took it to a cottage we rented and torched it.

sobernow and expat

i thought Beyond Black was great, although will admit i read In a Place of Safety at a vulnerable age, 18 i think, and loved it so much that beyond black has been illuminated by that experience

also perhaps because 'you get a good tea in Sevenoaks' is such a superb putdown of my not-much-beloved home town

I liked "London Fields", I'm afraid.

Hated "Norwegian Wood" by Murakami - forced myself to finish it. Someone told me I'd like Murakami if I liked Coupland - well, I love Coupland (except "Miss Wyoming" which I just couldn't get into) but they were wrong.

Also flung aside "To The Lighthouse" in disgust, and "The TT's Wife" which was just turgid. And that one about tractors in the Ukraine which took 50 pages to do nothing and go nowhere before I gave up.