Worst book you've ever read?

[markemark]

Found a book someone left in a hotel room. Unbelievable plot, terrrible characters. Not sure it’ll ever catch on. Called The Bible.

 

[markemark]

Not a book, but any of my own short stories!

I love writing them and initially think they're great (sometimes)... but reading any of them six or twelve months later, utter garbage.

That’s interesting. I’m a very amateur sketcher and painter. Often unhappy with my stuff but much prefer it when I revisit it.

 

[lazybloke]

I get that... I just couldn't get into Terry Pratchet, despite really wanting to.

Hitchhikers, on the other hand...

Same here. Just couldn't get on with Pratchett's writing style at all. Although I've not tried since the 80s so it might be worth another attempt.

Seems the Harry Potter books are universally dislikes. Well not quite, i liked most of them. Pure escapism.

The films are fairly dire, particularly the early ones.

 

[matticus]

The Harry Potter series is also pretty awful. And I don't mean the stories which are fairly derivative and unimaginative for anyone familiar with the fantasy genre, but the actual writing is fairly dreadful, I tried to read the first one, and got about a chapter in before I returned it to it's owner. About as much progress as I made on the Davinci Code to be honest.

Much as I wrote yesterday on another thread - you do know they're for children, right? I've met numerous 8year-olds for whom they were a gateway drug to reading.

 

[Drago]

Lord of the Rings.

I managed the Hobbit, but LoTR was something else. By the time Tokien was a third of the wayninnhed totally lost it. He couldn't eat breakfast without it being cleft in twee or split asunder.

 

[lazybloke]

Lord of the Rings.

I managed the Hobbit, but LoTR was something else. By the time Tokien was a third of the wayninnhed totally lost it. He couldn't eat breakfast without it being cleft in twee or split asunder.

The Hobbit is the far more accessible book. LotR is like the reading equivalent of being forced to eat 1970s school dinners, with one of those small bottles of totally rancid milk.

Edit: yeah a little harsh. I've read the whole thing a couple of times; am just not in a hurry to do so again.
And omg the films went onnnnn and onnnnnnnnnn

 

[stephec]

Probably a sports (auto)biography. I get them for Chrismas sometimes. Occasionally, just occasionally, they are good (Brian Moore, Nicole Cooke) but mostly they are just tedious ghost written pap.

On a similar vein, I gave up after two chapters of Victoria Pendleton, far too much, 'I only wanted my daddy to love me,' going on.

 

[wiggydiggy]

The Hobbit is the far more accessible book. LotR is like the reading equivalent of being forced to eat 1970s school dinners, with one of those small bottles of totally rancid milk.

Hobbit I can read in an afternoon and it's great, LOTR I read over several weeks and love it.

Never made much headway with The Simarilion though.

 

[postman]

Not the worst one by any means,but a book which is a best seller and often talked about.The Bible just to save you time The Devil did it.

 

[Beebo]

The Hobbit is the far more accessible book. LotR is like the reading equivalent of being forced to eat 1970s school dinners, with one of those small bottles of totally rancid milk.

The Hobbit is a children’s book. LOTR are far too dense for me.
The films are classics. They are over 20 years old and still hold up well.

 

[ColinJ]

Same here. Just couldn't get on with Pratchett's writing style at all. Although I've not tried since the 80s so it might be worth another attempt.

I have a mate who is a big Pratchett fan. After reading your post I went over to Amazon to read a snippet from one of the Discworld books to see which opinion I agree with... I gave up after about 3 pages.

I don't read many books these days. If I am going to bother I don't want to have to try to like what I am reading.

Not for me!

 

[Adam4868]

Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintainance.

Utter codswallop, but a 'must read' for a mid-teens boy back in the 70's.

Nooooo...I love the book !
Recently read it again,when I first read it all those years ago it made me want to visit Varanasi/Benares which I did a few times.Easier to read when younger I'll admit,but all the same still a classic 😁

 

[Moon bunny]

Lord of the Flies. If I had a Time Machine, I would go back in time, train a small carnivorous dinosaur and then bring it forwards in time to eat W Golding, in 1952.

 

[si_c]

Much as I wrote yesterday on another thread - you do know they're for children, right? I've met numerous 8year-olds for whom they were a gateway drug to reading.

Perhaps, but I'm also quite happy reading books aimed at children, the writing doesn't have to be bad, and the stories can be quite original. I'm a huge fan of Truckers, Diggers and Wings by Terry Pratchett, great books, better writing. I've got all of the books from my childhood and still read them from time to time, I'm a huge fan of Richmal Crompton as well as Roald Dahl, although both are somewhat controversial nowadays and much of their time.

I did spend huge amounts of time as a child reading though, and perhaps if I'd read HP as a child I might have formed a more positive impression of it, but I'd already read a lot of great SF/fantasy books before I was ten.

 

[Drago]

Anything by Shakespwpeare.

How the hell do these know-it-alls have any idea what all this hidden meaning bollards within Shakespeare's works is all about? It's not like he told them.