We have "Worst Movie Ever" and "Worst Song Ever", so why not this? What book made you think, "Damn, that's (however many number of) hours of my life I'll never have again?

-- Anonymous, April 16, 2002

Answers

Sophie's post on the movie thread made me think of this...

I liked Forrest Gump as a film, but the book was atrocious -- or beyond atrocious, really -- and the sequel was even worse.

-- Anonymous, April 16, 2002

Maybe not the worst ever...but I read the latest Robert Parker. That was freakin' TERRIBLE! Such a stupid, stupid book. All of the mystery writers have been horrible and formulaic lately.

I'll be back to this thread. I've read thousands of books and I know that many of them had to be terrible. Selective memory, methinks.

-- Anonymous, April 16, 2002

Um....all the 'single girl who drinks a little too much and is broke dating her way thru the big city' Bridget Jones rip-offs.

-- Anonymous, April 16, 2002

"Jaws" the book, while not entirely crappy judged on its own merits, is total crap when compared to "Jaws" the movie.

For God's sake, Benchley had Hooper and Brody's wife engaging in a tawdry affair. What the HELL is up with that?

-- Anonymous, April 17, 2002

The Horse Whisperer. It was OK, but the end was just ridiculous.

I've read a lot of bad science fiction. The C.J. Cherryh novels about the clone girl and the second Dune book.

-- Anonymous, April 17, 2002

I know she has legions of fans, but really anything by Mercedes Lackey these last few years has been horrible. There's a rule for fiction writing: show, don't tell. In other words, don't overdo it with exposition and too-detailed descriptions. Lackey is severely guilty of breaking this rule.

-- Anonymous, April 17, 2002

Wait, y'all finish the book? If something is awful I just put it down and never pick it back up. Even if it was for class

-- Anonymous, April 17, 2002

I'm probably in the minority here, but Cormac McCarthy's recent books are just horrible.

Blood Meridian was acceptable but the whole Border Trilogy is just bad, bad, bad.

Unfortunately, I usually finish any book I pick up, no matter how bad.

-- Anonymous, April 17, 2002

I'll read books until the end just to see what happens, but I won't read all books to the end. I just recently attempted to read The Last of the Mohicans and didn't even get a quarter of the way through the book before giving up. I just couldn't get into it.

-- Anonymous, April 17, 2002

I'm with Hannah -- if a book doesn't hook me with its dazzling information, plot, character, or gorgeous use of language within 100 pages, I take it back to the library. Even if it's for school. Shit, especially if it's for school. I pay good money to read here, and I'm certainly not going to read uninteresting crap.

That said, most books I've tried to enjoy and not been able to finish are books I regard with some regret. I wish I could have loved A Catcher In The Rye, for example, but I've never been able to get beyond page 20 without wanting to hurl it, and Holden Caulfield, out the closest available window. I've never been able to tolerate any Dickens, either, although I plan to give him another try this summer. I guess I tend to view my dislike of most books that I've disliked as a failure on my part. Bad books, I just don't finish.

-- Anonymous, April 17, 2002

Dee Hock's "Birth of the Chaordic Age". Mayn, it was so boring boring boring that I wanted to cry. It was for reading group, and not only did I not finish the book, I skipped the meeting where it was discussed.

I sad to say that I like all the Bridget Jones ripoffs as much as I liked Bridget Jones. Mindless and easy (I like my books like I like I like my men...j/k).

-- Anonymous, April 17, 2002

Ditto what Kristin said: "Um....all the 'single girl who drinks a little too much and is broke dating her way thru the big city' Bridget Jones rip-offs."

Because, there are online journals for that, you know. Why buy a book?

-- Anonymous, April 17, 2002