Logan D. Hurricanes Posted March 9, 2022 Report Share Posted March 9, 2022 Libraries have the best signs. So, what else goes on this display? I'll start. The Scarlet Letter Scott Ruggels 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cygnia Posted March 9, 2022 Report Share Posted March 9, 2022 Sister Carrie & The Great Gatsby. I had to read them for college and they just pissed me off. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pariah Posted March 9, 2022 Report Share Posted March 9, 2022 The two books I had to read for school and absolutely loathed were Flowers for Algernon and Lord of the Flies. Cygnia 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pariah Posted March 9, 2022 Report Share Posted March 9, 2022 Oh, and I've also started Moby Dick three different times. Never got more than a third of the way through. (Though in fairness, I can't really say that I hated it. To hate it, I'd have to care about it at all.) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hermit Posted March 9, 2022 Report Share Posted March 9, 2022 33 minutes ago, Pariah said: Oh, and I've also started Moby Dick three different times. Never got more than a third of the way through. (Though in fairness, I can't really say that I hated it. To hate it, I'd have to care about it at all.) See, I actually liked Moby Dick, but then I like whales so that probably helped. My 'can never finish it' book is Jane Eyre. After a chapter or two I feel like a coyote ready to chew off my leg to get free. But people love it, so I assume the problem is me. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pariah Posted March 9, 2022 Report Share Posted March 9, 2022 Hmm, I've never read Jane Eyre. I may need to do so ... in my copious free time. (It's gotta be better than Moby Dick.) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hermit Posted March 9, 2022 Report Share Posted March 9, 2022 3 minutes ago, Pariah said: Hmm, I've never read Jane Eyre. I may need to do so ... in my copious free time. (It's gotta be better than Moby Dick.) A lot of folks find Moby Dick very 'dry reading' which is a phrase that makes me chuckle given the setting. I wouldn't call it my favorite piece of classical literature. And hope you enjoy Jane Eyre Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cancer Posted March 9, 2022 Report Share Posted March 9, 2022 Bartleby the Scrivener and Billy Budd, Foretopman, to pile on the Melville hate. One I had to read in high school, the other was in college, I think. And Bridges not Walls: A Book About Interpersonal Communication was the textbook I thought so highly of that I burned it rather than getting a couple of bucks back for it. Only book to which I've ever intentionally done that. (A number of books of mine were in my apartment when it burned most of 40 years ago, but that shouldn't count.) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
csyphrett Posted March 9, 2022 Report Share Posted March 9, 2022 I can't remember any books I hated. I admit I never read any assigned reading in school so that may be part of it. I think Jay Lake's debut novel was the only book I actually hated, but I might be wrong. CES Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
archer Posted March 9, 2022 Report Share Posted March 9, 2022 Lord of the Flies was the only book I didn't like that I finished (it was high school). Any book where an author has to write an explanation, included in the book, of what all the imagery is supposed to mean...has failed as an author. Pariah 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Starlord Posted March 9, 2022 Report Share Posted March 9, 2022 Introduction to Algebra Hermit, Scott Ruggels and Joe Walsh 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hermit Posted March 9, 2022 Report Share Posted March 9, 2022 Required reading of Romeo and Juliet in Middle School (Then Junior High) turned me off Shakespeare for a bit because I was so 'meh' about it I didn't see the point. Ironically, Julius Caesar saved the day later as it was in a lit book that I read ahead in and I ended up liking that one. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tjack Posted March 9, 2022 Report Share Posted March 9, 2022 I can (and have) go on at length about movies and TV shows I’ve despised, but while there are plenty of books I’ve started and put down in the middle (or before) or will simply never read again. (This is a big thing for me, because I’ll re-read something I enjoyed the same way I’ll re-watch an old movie.) I can’t think of any that generated the same type of loathing. I mean I think Twinklight, and 50 Shades of Mommy Porn are stupid and The Hunger Lames was dull, but I have no venom to spew for them. Maybe it’s because I know how hard it is to get the right words in a row for even as meager an effort as something like this is, that I’ve got respect for anybody who completed any writing at all, let alone had the balls to Fitz-Carraldo the boat over the mountain and actually get published. (Thank you to Dennis Miller for that analogy) assault and Hermit 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
death tribble Posted March 9, 2022 Report Share Posted March 9, 2022 I have mentioned this before but the only book I gave up up and then came back to was The Chronicles of Thomas Covenant The Unbeliever. I got half way through and then gave up the first book and read the first of four books Julian May's Pliocene Quartet, Then I went back and finished it. Oddly enough after the first book I was able to get through the the first trilogy and then I read the second without a problem. I read Wizard's First Rule and decided I did not need to read any more. i read Lord of the Flies in school and liked it but maybe it is a British thing. We get the whole public school thing. It is part of our culture. I have read Moby Dick as well. Not because I had to either. Lee 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Logan D. Hurricanes Posted March 9, 2022 Author Report Share Posted March 9, 2022 27 minutes ago, Hermit said: Required reading of Romeo and Juliet in Middle School (Then Junior High) turned me off Shakespeare for a bit because I was so 'meh' about it I didn't see the point. Ironically, Julius Caesar saved the day later as it was in a lit book that I read ahead in and I ended up liking that one. When I became an English teacher for a freshman class, I was given the curriculum but told I could eliminate one item from the year's plan. I took out Romeo & Juliet. (And I'm the drama guy!) Not only is it one of Shakespeare's worst IMO, but it is also a guaranteed way to ensure they never enjoy Shakespeare again. Not even fun to read as a class. Hermit 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Logan D. Hurricanes Posted March 9, 2022 Author Report Share Posted March 9, 2022 18 minutes ago, death tribble said: I have mentioned this before but the only book I gave up up and then came back to was The Chronicles of Thomas Covenant The Unbeliever. I got half way through and then gave up the first book and read the first of four books Julian May's Pliocene Quartet, Then I went back and finished it. Oddly enough after the first book I was able to get through the the first trilogy and then I read the second without a problem. I started the Thomas Covenant books and gave up on the first one. Years later, I tried again and finished the entire trilogy. It's one of my favorite fantasy series now but getting started was very rough. I've heard others say they had a similar experience. Lee 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hermit Posted March 9, 2022 Report Share Posted March 9, 2022 7 minutes ago, Logan.1179 said: When I became an English teacher for a freshman class, I was given the curriculum but told I could eliminate one item from the year's plan. I took out Romeo & Juliet. (And I'm the drama guy!) Not only is it one of Shakespeare's worst IMO, but it is also a guaranteed way to ensure they never enjoy Shakespeare again. Not even fun to read as a class. Thou wert performing Jove's labour, bless thee Ahem, pardon, I mean, THANK you. It really is the worst gateway to Shakespeare imo, particularly for teens Logan D. Hurricanes 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pariah Posted March 9, 2022 Report Share Posted March 9, 2022 I started Thomas Covenant twice and couldn't really get into it. I finally made it all the way through in the wake of my divorce. I guess I wasn't sufficiently depressed before that. I never read past the first book, though. Lee 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hermit Posted March 9, 2022 Report Share Posted March 9, 2022 I'm character oriented, and I have to LIKE or at least respect the character. I loved a lot about the Thomas Covenant setting, but really didn't like the character (Nor was he meant to be likable) and frankly, respect didn't flow either. I read it, stole some ideas for gaming, and set it down never to read it again. I wouldn't say I hate the book, but my cuppa tea grows from different leaves. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sundog Posted March 9, 2022 Report Share Posted March 9, 2022 Read through both of the first and second trilogies of Thomas Covenant. Actually pretty much enjoyed the second trilogy. Never tried the later books - as far as I'm concerned the second trilogy ends very well and finishes the story. Later tried Donaldson's sci-fi series, The Real Story or something like that. Hated every word, never finished the first book. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tjack Posted March 9, 2022 Report Share Posted March 9, 2022 59 minutes ago, death tribble said: the first of four books Julian May's Pliocene Quartet, You mentioned one of my favorite series of all time. The Pliocene Exile is fantastic. Admittedly (and getting back to topic) it took me several tries to get thru the first book but once it picked up steam I was hooked. All four of the first series. The two Intervention novels and the final Trilogy. I even had the overview book, but I lent that to a friend who passed away on me. (Looks like you one that one Joe. R.I.P. ‘ya big Wookiee.) Grailknight 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Old Man Posted March 9, 2022 Report Share Posted March 9, 2022 Huckleberry Finn - Tried reading this three times. Never got past chapter 4. The Mayor of Casterbridge - The ultimate dull book. Madame Bovary - The ultimate dull book, plus pathetic and unsympathetic characters. The Chronicles of Thomas Covenant - The ultimate pathetic and unsympathetic character. Sword of Shannara - Really bad LOTR fanfic. The Crystal Empire (L. Neil Smith) - Nonsensical and offensive. Mainspring (Jay Lake) - Also nonsensical and offensive. Lee 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ockham's Spoon Posted March 9, 2022 Report Share Posted March 9, 2022 1001 Arabian Nights. Really this is a collection of short stories, and some were good, but some were terrible and/or stupid. My big problem with it (other than the repetitive descriptions of luxury) was that there were so few likeable protagonists. They aren't clever or skillful or kind, just self-serving. Aladdin is just a lucky twit that is able to use genies for his own personal gain. Sinbad was a particularly awful character with no redeeming qualities whatsoever except that he was lucky to survive all his adventures and get rich in the process. At one point, he literally murders a woman so he can steal her bread and this is portrayed as a shrewd move. The overarching story of Scheherazade was the best aspect of this book (she at least is clever), and the fact that she stopped the king from raping and murdering young women on a regular basis was good, although it isn't like he is ever brought to justice. Arguably she has reformed him, but I don't really buy that. This book really left a bad taste in my mouth. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ternaugh Posted March 9, 2022 Report Share Posted March 9, 2022 Ethan Frome, which was required for a high school English class. My Mom's take on the book was, "no enjoyment goes unpunished." I had purchased the first three Shannara novels, and when I brought them home, my wife and a friend performed an intervention and took the books away from me "for my own good" before I could read them. I have yet to read them, but I have read LotR, so I figure I'm good. assault, Matt the Bruins and Cygnia 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pariah Posted March 9, 2022 Report Share Posted March 9, 2022 1 hour ago, Old Man said: Sword of Shannara - Really bad LOTR fanfic. I read the first book in the series and came away thinking, "Wow, this is a complete rip-off of Lord of the Rings." I then read the second book and came away thinking, "Wow, this is a complete rip-off of the first book." Plus, I hated what happened to the female lead at the end. I've never read any of the others. tkdguy and Grailknight 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.
Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible.