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

Couldn't get past the contrivance.

Wasn't exactly expecting deep, intellectual literature but just read a Lee Child novel, about Jack Reacher and a kidnapping leading to the British countryside (name evades me). Was CHEESE.

"Reacher - men want to be him, women want to be with him"

Oh dear, was it Killing Floor. Have to read that for book group next.
A lot of our book group choices have come up on this thread.
Lee Child
Labyrinth
Five People You would like to despatch to hell at the earliest opportunity
Chocolat
Ukrainian Tractors
Lovely Bones.
All chosen by various members of our book group.
Do you think I should print out this thread for them?

I don't read books when I don't like them. I was told in a book group that I should finish them, regardless. But how can you - if you hate it and think its doggeral.

Last book I hated and stopped reading was WE NEED TO TALK ABOUT KEVIN.

I found the constant expositional passages to be boring and turgid.

And that's when I got in trouble with the book group I was in - oops.

just couldn't get into Brick Lane or The Island (victoria Hislop)

shopaholic is shitey

the five people you meet in heaven i didn't like but for one more time, i enjoyed

Nick Hornbys A Long Way Down was a total disapointment

i have the memory keepers daughter on my shelf, think i'll give it back to the charity shop from whence it came after reading this!

The accidental is emperors new clothes crap - no one ever admits a)they didnt understand it and b) by page 17 didn't give a toss anyway and gave up on it.

Oi, UD, I write and have a 'de' in my name, so piss orf.....

ah now I loved the island, cheeryface, though admittedly it wasn't the best book I had read - both the writing and the plot had their weak points.

I've just read the playground mafia which was actually quite amusing

I thought 'The lovely Bones' was dire

"the oxford murders" not sure whether it was badly written, badly translted into English or both. I never do this, but i might write to the publishers. It was that bad.
The story itself is far-fetched and the end, predictable so it is not all down to the writing itself

Haven't finished Robert Harris's "Imperium" yet, but I'm tempted to give up. Too much narration, not enough character and dialogue. It's not the worst book I've read but it's a disappointment after "Pompeii", which I enjoyed.