Now I've thought about it and so I give you:
Ten Books I
1. The Nanny Diaries by Emma McLaughlin and Nicola Kraus (too worthless)
2. Kiss Me Kill Me by Lauren Henderson (too boring)
3. Beatrice and Virgil by Yann Martel (too weird)
4. Hard Times by Charles Dickens (too bleak)
5. The Study of Scarlet by Arthur Conan Doyle (too wrong)
6. Love in Time of Cholera by Gabriel Garcia Marquez (too twisted)
7. Peeps by Scott Westerfeld (too vampire wannabe)
8. The Disreputable History of Frankie Landau-Banks by E. Lockhart (too feminist)
9. The Final Warning by James Patterson (too environmentalist)
10. The Fatal Waltz by Tasha Alexander (too I just don't care)
And as a bonus, here's a few that I didn't finish, like... on purpose:
1. The Prodigal Summer by Barbara Kingsolver (too one track mind)
2. My Sister's Keeper by Jodi Picoult (too devastating)
3. Scarlett by Alexandra Ripley (too NOT Gone With the Wind!)
4. The Wings of a Dove by Henry James (too wordy)
5. American Gods by Neil Gaiman (too freaky)
6. The Oldest Living Confederate Widow by Allan Gurganus (way way too detailed)
So here's my question.... now that you've seen an example of what I didn't really like, and if you follow this blog much at all and you see what I DO like... what books would you predict as something I won't like, that I might, in fact, hate?! Maybe I'll read your suggestions and we'll see if you are on the mark! It's a challenge! Find a book I don't like! (I do have the right to refuse, if you give me a suggestion that's like, against my oh so very high standards! Ha!)
"Too feminist"?
ReplyDeleteThe 19th Wife. You'll hate it.
I almost put that one on the list actually! I'm not sure how I feel about it. I enjoyed the reading, but I was very bothered that the author made up what looked like real historical documents which people won't know that unless they read his small disclaimer. Bugged me. The book did make me quite uncomfortable now that I think about it...
Deletethis post makes me feel less bad about not really liking the book I "reviewed" today. good timing. (your parentheticals made me smile.) I thought we were all supposed to adore #8?
ReplyDeleteI would not suggest Into the Forest by Jean Hegland as you would ultimately find it too environmental, bleak, and wrong.
L (omphaloskepsis)
Into the Forest, huh? Haven't heard of it. Is it one that's full of agenda? Yeah, I don't like those kind. Which is why I didn't like #8 on the above list. Full of agenda I thought. Maybe I took it the wrong way but it seemed a bit boy bashy to me and hey, I really like boys! :)
DeleteI'm going to randomly throw out March by Geraldine Brooks. If you liked Little Women, it will be too NOT Little Women :) Love this list, BTW, so glad you could find books you did't like!
ReplyDeleteThis is actually one I've been wanting to read for a long long time. But I have heard that it might make Little Women fans crazy, so my guess is, you may be right!
DeleteI love "don't like" posts. We spend a good deal of time discussing what worked for us here in the blogosphere, so it's nice to talk about what didn't work so well. Beatrice and Virgil was not a good one for me either.
ReplyDeleteAndi, and it's something I rarely do, so it was fun to try that this time around!
DeleteGood topic. My last didn't like so much was The Phoenix Dance by Dia Calhoun a version of the 12 Dancing Princess but the story more followed the girl who set the princesses free and she was bipolar and it really focused on that way too much for my taste.
ReplyDeletehttp://kristina-worldofbooks.blogspot.com/2012/01/top-10-tuesdays-8.html
Interesting... I'll have to look that one up! Though I have read several dancing princesses retellings lately... may have to wait awhile!
DeleteLol! Admit it, it felt good to list books you ''hated''. ;) I'm going to think of some recommendations today and to give them to you tonight
ReplyDeleteJenny, it felt very good!
Deletefun list--I didn't like My Sister's Keeper" either. It was my first Jodi Picoult book and as a result I've never read another one. Sad about Niel Gaimon. I just got that book as a kindle daily deal. I'll give it a try anyway. kaye—the road goes ever ever on
ReplyDeleteKaye, I've read other Jodi Picoult and they were okay. The Neil Gaimon one I think I will give another try someday soon... it just really was so weird and creeped me out, but I bet I can handle it better now.
DeleteI always enjoy learning why people don't like books MUCH MORE than I enjoy why they did like books. For some reason it seems we can be so much more honest (and descriptive) in our defense AGAINST books. lol
ReplyDeleteLaura... interesting theory. I'll have to think of that more often when I do reviews.
DeleteAs a feminist, I can't wait to read Disreputable History of Frankie Landau-Banks.
ReplyDeleteApril, well, just know I used that term quite loosely and it's just what I thought of when I read that book! Let me know what you think!
DeleteGreat topic for discussion. There was a book we read (I didn't finish it) for our book club and it was based in the Middle East and focused on how badly women were treated. After gritting my teeth through a couple of chapters I put it down. I think you'd hate it too.
ReplyDeleteAnn
Ann.. it wasn't A Thousand Splendid Suns, wasn't it? I liked that one!
DeleteFun post. :) I've heard so many good things about The Disreputable History... book that I've been meaning to pick it up. It's at least good to know it was a bit much for you.
ReplyDeleteI was going to suggest Graceling as I book that (to me) felt very agenda-y near the end, but I saw you liked it. So maybe I'll go with Beauty Queens by Libba Bray. I thought it started out as a funny satire, but by the middle I felt like she was trying to push every controversial social issue ever.
I know lots of people liked it, huh? See that's why it's notable that it wasn't one of my faves! :) I did enjoy Graceling and look forward to reading Fire soon. Beauty Queens, huh? Yeah, you are probably right, because I've been a little scared of that one...
DeleteI guess I try to find something redeemable in every book if I spent all the time reading it!! If not, I try to conveniently leave it somewhere or have to return it to the library!!! That way I just didn't finish it - not hate it. (I know, so noncommittal!! I AM a pleaser, darn-it.) Seriously though, there are a few that I leave with questions in my mind, but then that's not always a bad thing. I just love giving myself permission to not finish something, to not love it, to walk away. I'm a big girl. Good for you for being able to figure out what you didn't like. That is often hard for me to express.
ReplyDeleteFor me, I dislike preachy and perfect far more than I dislike other things. Don't force me to read most church-fiction. It makes me want to throw up. Hidden agendas are also not my favorite. I'm not a fan of dark and bleak or hopeless, does that rule out most Oprah books??? Wow, your topic is much more thought provoking than I thought!!
I also was not a real fan of Frankie Landau-Banks...let's see...how do you feel about Captain Underpants?!?!
I agree with all you say here! But I'm learning to being so agreeable is sometimes boring to other readers around me. So I'm in a cross roads here... do I change a little, or not?
DeleteI've never read Captain Underpants! BUT.. I do love them for getting little 2nd graders to read at least SOMETHING!
I had heard so many great things about Anita Shreves. I read Decemember Wedding. It was the first and last of her books that I will read. The storyline shows a group of people who have cheated on their love ones. It was depressing to me. So much heartbreak in the name of "I just found my True Love."
ReplyDeleteMelissa mentioned March by Geraldine Brooks. I enjoyed this book. I could see the journey Mr March went on being plausable. If I were to write a history for Mr March it would be very different from Geraldine's.
Heather, you know, I didn't even think to add books of that genre on here... yes include them! I don't like 'em! :)
DeleteI think March is still on my TBR pile and I will let you all know what I think for sure!
Fun idea! It does seem that you love most things that you read. :) I very rarely HATE anything that I read, though, because I can generally predict my own tastes. It is usually when I trust other people and go outside my normal 'zone' that I end up not liking books. It happens... I would try and think of something you won't like, but considering I just read 'Guest Post' as 'Ghost Post' on another blog I think I have some more waking up to do!
ReplyDeleteThis is what I told people, that I like everything because I CHOOSE stuff I know I'm going to like... and I feel like adding a "duh" to the end there! :) LOL.
DeleteGhost Post!!?? That would have totally caught my attention!
I hated Nanny Diaries too. In fact, I couldn't even finished it. Is Study in Scarlet the one where Mormons are depicted so weirdly? Bizarre stuff. I didn't finish Love in the Time of Cholera. Something you would hate? Wicked by Gregory Maguire. Twisted, gross, weird. They totally changed the whole tone of it in the musical.
ReplyDeleteShelley, you are right! I know I would hate this book. My husband read it and told me to stay far far away from it!
DeleteAnd yes, you are right about The Study in Scarlet. I was happily reading along then got to that part and wow, I felt steam coming out my ears I think! :) And though I love Sherlock, I'm not sure I can say the same about ACD.