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

Kevin book - bored me rigid, also Memory Keeper's Daughter -so formulaic and My Sister's Keeper - like the literary equivalent of a naff American mini series.

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awww i just bought memory keeper.. LOL one for the bin presume

Slummy Mummy by Fiona Neill (bet she's a MNetter, but tough) Trite, cliched and borrrring. Only finished it because I had nothing better to read.

even ds is not keen on dear zoo but he loves friggin Bob the Builder stories and they are so badly written (cash ins - I hate them) - but I could wax lyrical on the childrens books I have [ahem] lost over the last 3 years....

DS loves, LOVES, Dear Zoo.

He disappoints me greatly.

Tbh, i was hoping for a G&T

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Dior I think we have every printed T the T story ever - I hate them but I know them all backwards - it really pains me as they are poorly constucted and hardly trip off the tongue...

weave world by clive barker

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Just really looking forward to ds outgrowing them and fervently hoping dd won't be a fan[crossed fingers]

The Shipping News

didn't read much of it
it set my teeth on edge, so contrived.

Plus the portrait of E. ANnie on the back cover made me judder.

thank god that is the disposition of right minded women, then
I thought it was just me and I was Odd.

In fact I should have stayed away as the "E. Annie" set my nerves a-jangle from the offset.

Speaking of tripping off the tongue, I love to read The Gruffalo aloud. It's the best! But I loathe Where the Wild Things Are and Goodnight, Moon.

love gruffalo and any Ian Whybrow harry books haten Jodi Picoult

Agree about Gruffalo and Thomas the Tank. Former is a joy to read aloud and latter is pure torture.
Worst book I have read recently has to be the Harry Potter. Serves me right for reading it, I know, but the first of her books was engaging and a clever conceit and I lived in hope that the ending of the series would be worth sifting through the truely dreadful writing. But no.

never read any harry potter - there is only one harry for me and he has a bucketful of dinosaurs

Very wise Scottishmum

Ta - wee one loves harry we read it all the time 'arry rocks

I don't get time to read rubbish books any more (though I read a few a week before the dds were born) but an ex once recommended Jonathan Livingstone Seagull most warmly.

We split up the next week.

Nothing terrible recently but can't get through a Martin Amis novel without wanting to scream. What a knob.

My worst recent book was not a novel but Nigella Lawson's 'How To Eat'. To be fair the recipes are actually really good, but I just can't read the damn thing without being infuriated by her condescending, preachy, pretentious, etc etc way of writing. It's just so lifestyley and I just want to cook nice food, not to buy into a lifestyle and especially not that one.

best book i have read lately was james herbert secret of crickley hall not biggest fan of ghost stories usually but this was excellent was scared to put the light ou swish thwack