what is your 'emperor in new clothes' book?

[MuchLessTiredNow]

what have you NEVER got, although you keep being told it is a classic, etc?

I have just started "The Private Lives Of Pippa Lee" and am hating it. Has anybody ready? Is it worth continuing with?

Ready? I meant "read it"!

What did your muum think of it?

one of the most disappointing reads of recent yesr was The Lovely Bones. Absolute rubbish!

Hellish, Tinker, Sparklyreindeerdust

My worst were The end of Mr Y, and Getting rid of Matthew - everyone recommended the Matthew one, and I hated it.

Also read pages 1-15 and the last seven of Salmon Fishing in the Yemen.

oh yes - the private lives of Pippa Lee was SO dull - pages of prose about shopping lists.... purleeease.

Another one for Catch 22 here - tried it about 5 times, never got past about page 10.
Martin Amis - yuk. Horrible books about horrible people
Ian McEwan - can't stand his books, always feel as though he's sat there substituting any 'in common usage' words for complicated ones to show how clever he is. Consequently they are all a total PITA to read.
But Owen Meany - in my top 5 books, I loved it!

Never read any Martin Amis: I suspect he would irritate me beyond belief. Dp loves him but then he loves Ian-bloody-self consciously clever twaddle-McEwan too.

janeite I will pass on Amis' 'Money' next time I see you- sorry but I couldn't get through more than half.

UQD I am so glad you said you can't stand Geoff Dyer- he is just dire! I can't believe he gets anything published, yet he does, constantly.
'Clubbed to death' was vaguely watchable, but oh dear, I can;t even remember the titles of the books I've tried of his, they were so bad.
(Am always slightly nervous of slagging off living Male British authors... not sure who you are )

BIWI John Wyndham was a great writer, wasn't he?

Thanks EachPeach - I'm sure dp has got it but I don't think I can bring myself to try it.

John Wyndham - great indeed: haven't read any for years though. I wonder if they might have dated a bit?

Tried and failed to read:

White Teeth
Behind the scenes at the Museum
LOTR
Philip Pullman trilogy
Midnight's Children
Time Travellers wife

Suceeded, but hated, the Return by Victoria Hislop & Sepulchre by Kate Mosse. Both absolutely dire and a complete waste of time and money.

Agree about I Capture the Castle - 101 Dalmations is much better!

Loved the Kite Runner, and how can anyone not love The Wind in the Willows?

Also loved the Alchemist, although it's written in an annoying, condescending way (but could be the translation)

My favorite John Wyndham was the Chrysalids, My mum insisted he wrote a short story which involved a time traveller and a police box, but I have never come across it.

Loved
Time Travellers Wife
Curious Incident
Lucky Bones
Curious Incident
Harry Potter is my comfort read and I have read them several times.

The first of Northern Lights was okay, 2nd one I struggled through and never bothered with the third as DH said it really wasn't worth bothering with.
Never finished Catch 22

Law of diminish returns with the Pullman trilogy! Northern Lights was superb, one of the best books I've ever read. The Subtle Knife was OK. The Amber Spyglass... meh.

Raggedrobin, let's bond over Wordsworth. Absolute bleeding bollocks. But I like Joyce up to finnegans wake - too much for me. You'd have to read just it for the rest of your natural born to get it.

Liked Harry Potter 1-3, but after that - YAAAWN. She explains too much.

Liked Northern Lights and loved The Subtle Knife, but the last one... what came over him? Those stupid elephants with the wheelie feet... Think these are conviction books for most of their fans.

Returning to The handmaid, what I don't like is that she's using Islamic fundamentalism as if it was just the same as biblebashers of the midwest - that's what I find hysterical. Doesn't do women under the Taliban any favours to equate their horrible situation with annoying republicans with waaay more choices and chances. (I shall now shut up.)

PS: remember I don't like Orwell either.

The Catcher in the Rye
Uylesses
Lolita

I agree with the choice of Uylesses - pretentious shite.
I teach English and love good literature but >
I can't bear Charles Dickens.
All of them. Every one. Sorry Charles but I don't get it.

The God of Small Things-vastly overrated & went nowhere.

I'm an English teacher too - and I also hate Dickens. Yawn.

PERFUME every time.

Actually, loads of newly published "literary fiction", a fair bit of which gets raved about on mumsnet. Most of it's a load of old cobblers that doesnt tempt me to part with my money!

Possibly off topic, but...

To those people who didn't like Lord of the Rings as a book: What did you think of it as a film, if you watched it?

Perfume and Chocolat. But OMG LOVED the Time Travellers Wife!

Eat Pray Love... beyond dull! or am I too shallow?