Topic: The worst book you've ever read

[Inkling]

A fairly self-explanatory thread.  Tell us the worst book you've ever had the misfortune to read, and what made it so bad.

I didn't actually read this book, it was a book on tape CD.  I was helping take my aunt and younger cousins back to the airport, and they insisted on listening to these books in a series about a mouse called Geronimo Stilton.  Granted, it was supposed to be a silly little chapter book for young readers, but it was the most condescending, painful tripe I've ever heard.  Every sentence made at least two bad cheese-based puns, the main character was pitiful, cowardly, and had absolutely no redeeming value, and it was just poorly written in general.  I gave myself a headache on the ride to the airport by cranking my mp3 player up as loud as possible in a vain attempt to drown it out.

But enough about that, what's your worst book?

[The Time Traveller]

Definitely Bridge to Terabithia.  I read that when I was young, and it was RIDICULOUSLY tragic.

A fairly self-explanatory thread.  Tell us the worst book you've ever had the misfortune to read, and what made it so bad.

I didn't actually read this book, it was a book on tape CD.  I was helping take my aunt and younger cousins back to the airport, and they insisted on listening to these books in a series about a mouse called Geronimo Stilton.  Granted, it was supposed to be a silly little chapter book for young readers, but it was the most condescending, painful tripe I've ever heard.  Every sentence made at least two bad cheese-based puns, the main character was pitiful, cowardly, and had absolutely no redeeming value, and it was just poorly written in general.  I gave myself a headache on the ride to the airport by cranking my mp3 player up as loud as possible in a vain attempt to drown it out.

But enough about that, what's your worst book?

Wow, could I agree with you more?

[Brandonazz]

I do believe I have a problem. The worst books I've ever read, are ones I never completely read.

If the first chapter of a book is horrible I put it right down, so I've never had to read a bad book.

Just a bad chapter 

[Kaizer]

ugh worst book of all time is hatchet he spends the entire book clueless that he has a bloody hatchet on him!

reenactment: finally after 3 nights of work I made fire with sticks and tinder!..huh whats this hey lookie a hatchet!

then since I was forced to read it he goes and makes the story worse by dropping the hatchet in the water...

if you ask me this book was simply retarded the kid in it supposedly was intuitive and resourceful but who cant even see that he has a very useful tool for survival on his back pocket.

[The Time Traveller]

I do believe I have a problem. The worst books I've ever read, are ones I never completely read.

If the first chapter of a book is horrible I put it right down, so I've never had to read a bad book.

Just a bad chapter 

Well actually, Bridge to Terabithia is a great book until the end, and out of being compelled to see if it ended happily, I read the last chapter, which reflects on how sad the end was without resolving it.

[Inkling]

Ah, I expected several books required for school to show up here.

[Brandonazz]

*snaps fingers in realization*

That reminds me!

7 Habits for Highly Effective Teens. It was so full of lies and contradictions I wanted to burn it.

[stuck]

It's close between The Scarlet Letter and Frankenstein. The Scarlet Letter I had to dredge through because it was just so tedious. The stark prose was my main concern, because I'll admit that its content and ideas were superb. The prose was stark for a reason, and it served its purpose, but I hated, absolutely hated, having to read it. Give me an essay about the issues discussed instead. Please

I hated Frankenstein because, while it was a great book in its time, the ideas in it have become so cliche it's become outdated.

[Cow]

My First Bible Stories. I was 4. Yuck.


P.S. I'm going to name one of my favourite books too. Roll Of Thunder, Hear My Cry. I read it in middle school, and I loved it.

[Little]

The Bar Code Tattoo

That book was crap.  I really liked how nobody complained about the dystopia until the main character does that eberyone does.

Plus, when the main characters boyfriend gets the tattoo off him.

'Oh, I just burnt it off with acid.'

Like it was the most casual thing in the world. 

[Cool AN]

I try to stay away from bad books, though I have been forced to read some I consider crappy in school. I try to ignore them though and I can't remember half of them.

Most recently I really hated The Cement Garden by Ian Mcewan. It's a book about incest. That's it. Incest. The main theme.
Sure there is a lot of physiologic and freudian theories in there but that doesn't change the fact that the overall theme is incest. That seems to be the only reason why the book was written.

[762]

Don't kill me, but I really hated Dune. The characters were two dimensional, each playing the archetype of their person. Either the jedi-like good guy, the strong woman who sticks by his side, or the child-molesting fatass bad guy. I just read it last year, and I can barely remember what happened. Spoilers: As far as I recall, Paul began superman training when he was a kid, their family moved to mine spice from an f-ed up planet, Paul's father was murdered and he was forced to flee. He became a Freman and had to live off the desert, all while Baron Von Harkenin is trying to hunt him down for a reason that I forgot. At the end, I think there's a battle between the Fremen and the henchmen and I'm pretty sure everyone dies and Paul starts crying. End Spoilers I'm sorry, but this book is one overused cliche after another, just put together in a different way.

Overall, I'd give it a C, only because its big fanbase might mean that there's something I missed

[Cool AN]

I thought The Lord of the Flies was boring and unrealistic. Yeah I know it is suppose to symbolize that children aren't born good and that barbarianism lurks just beneath our culture but I just didn't find it to be very good.

Also, I agree a bit with 762 that the characters weren't all that good in Dune. But I still think they are good books.

[Kaizer]

i change my mind the worst book i read would be gift of the magi it's just so boring -.-...yea on second thought its still hatchet

[Gungnir]

Don't kill me, but I really hated Dune. The characters were two dimensional, each playing the archetype of their person. Either the jedi-like good guy, the strong woman who sticks by his side, or the child-molesting fatass bad guy. I just read it last year, and I can barely remember what happened. Spoilers: As far as I recall, Paul began superman training when he was a kid, their family moved to mine spice from an f-ed up planet, Paul's father was murdered and he was forced to flee. He became a Freman and had to live off the desert, all while Baron Von Harkenin is trying to hunt him down for a reason that I forgot. At the end, I think there's a battle between the Fremen and the henchmen and I'm pretty sure everyone dies and Paul starts crying. End Spoilers I'm sorry, but this book is one overused cliche after another, just put together in a different way.

Overall, I'd give it a C, only because its big fanbase might mean that there's something I missed

....that book was frickin awesome though!

Lord of the flies..didn't like that.