What is the worst book you have read recently and why was it so bad?

[Miaou]

I've been reading light stuff atm and just grabbed this off the "chick lit" stand at the library just before having ds2 - I struggled valiantly through to the end but was really disappointed in it. The story was turgid and predictable, the characters one-dimensional, and I felt that what could have been an interesting story with the potential for some really sinister turns, was in fact incredibly dull. The final "showdown" between the mother and son was jaw-droppingly badly written and really let the whole book down.

However I have had lots of fun picking it to pieces so maybe it was worth it

And six, just to add to your discomfort, I passed French with an easssssyyyy A. {unpleasant preening emoticon] {followed by as I can now only remember how to ask for a ham sandwich.]

Tell me more of your jaynehater, we can form a sisterhood

Is that a no on the book, btw?

A book called Columbia Road. Supposed to be a bit of a Fever Pitch, type thing. No it wasn't, shit characters, shit scenarios, shittily written.

It was shit.

I am, unashamedly, partial to an Andy McNab, though. Good fun and some political dodginess going on.

I rather liked the Dave Eggars book - although i remember it being really depressing at the start....

I have recently not managed to finish Cloud Atlas by David Mitchell despite trying hard - i keep being told the stories all make sense together at the end. But it's about 600 pages long!!!!! i just don't have the stamina [sigh]

Fie, HD. "Andy McNab" (for he does not really exist) is a dreary congeries of grubby pubescent boys who spend far too much time looking at "Big Firearms Monthly".

I also only got 2/3rds of the way through George and Arthur by Julian Barnes. I remember that i was enjoying it but i think i just got distracted before i finished it (and i can't be arsed to go back and read the whole thing again) - can anyone give me a quick precis of the ending

All I can remember about my jaynehater is that she had brown hair and was a little bit of a bitch. So deserved the teasing about her 'french leave'.

So?

Aw six, that was not the intention
It's a huge NO jayne. Ridiculous twaddle (what I read of it).

Well, I've got the brown hair.......please tell me you weren't schooled in Angus in the late 70's and early '80's - it wasn't me, I didn't even know I was taking French till I was 14

Nope, not Angus, not you. In a feeble attempt to be relevant to the thread, I've just finished Mark Haddon's Spot of Bother and thought it was brill. Is anyone going to tell me it was the worst book ever?

I've only ever read 'curious incident'

Is it on the same level, what's it like?

In some ways its similar, in that it's about people who find the whole business of 'other people' frightening and complicated. The main characters are people who panic, and adopt the craziest forms of 'irrational rationality' in an attempt to deal with their panic.
The author switches perspecitve between all of his characters and it is amazing how he can write plausibly as man, woman; young, old; gay, straight; etc.
It is very funny but also touching. It has a description of surgery-performed-on-self that made me scream with laughter and cringe with revulsion, and a gay sex scene so funny that I laughed out loud in front of the kids and had to forbid them reading rudeness over my shoulder.

Sounds good, may try it. I have about six offerings at the moment that I'm dipping between, but that's my usual reading style, unless I find one of those books that you just can't leave alone. Haven't found one in a while, but I live in hope.

Mrs Dalloway by Virginia Woolf. Have finally decided, after 60-odd pages that I cannot read any more of it. I know it's a classic, but it's just so hard to read. Anyone else have an opinion on this?

The House at Riverton. Just dire. Written by a funky Aussie chick about life in 1914 in an English stately home. Very badly written, crassly researched and full of really ick cliches.

Wideacre by Philippa Gregory. What a load of cr*p. Couldn't finish it.

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the tenth circle Jodi picoult i succumbed to the half price offer - badly written poor character development shallow turgid plodding dont-give-a-feck-about-the-main-character LOL u see why i dont like it

Hi Dior. I liked the place but that b*tch Beatrice was a non-starter. Murdering her parents, bonking her brother & practicing S&M on him (puh-lease!) as well as bearing his 2 brats? Plus giving up the lovely doctor?

Totally agree with the dissing of What about Kevin - I hated that book and kept jumping sections to try and get through it but I couldn't finish it, just was not as profound or as brave as it thought it was imo...

foetal attraction - by Kathy Lette - crass, unfunny, plotted like a sitcom and just dreadful stereotyping of every single character - ugh awful - that said I don't think it was ever set up as great literature

Dear Zoo - just couldn't get my teeth into it.

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Thats right Dior - not at all realistic.......