Books you regret reading

[thebobmaster_v1legacy]

Inspired by the topic about movies, I decided to look at a similar topic. What books do you wish you never read?

For me, there are two. The first one is "Pride and Prejudice". It might be because I'm a guy, but that book was a painfully dull slog between characters I couldn't bring myself to care about. Only book I've ever stopped reading, then used the Cliff Notes in order to write an essay about it for English class.

The worst one I've ever finished, however, is "Catcher in the Rye". I keep hearing a lot of people telling me that I "just don't get it". I get it, all right. It's about a whiny kid being a whiny kid, while telling the world he is the only one who has it right, even when he doesn't. I have never disliked a main character as much as Holden Caulfield. The real phony is the author acting like they are being deep.

This topic is dedicated to the memory of Ray Bradbury, author of one of the best books I ever had to read for English, "Fahrenheit 451". Rest in peace.

 

[Fiz_The_Toaster]

"Pride and Prejudice" for me as well, but I think that had to do with the fact that I had to read it for my English class and I didn't have a choice in the matter. Goes with most books that I had to read for school.

The only book that I read of my own choosing that I wish I didn't read was "The Old Man and the Sea", I hated that book. The only reason I read it was because a friend of mine said he really enjoyed it and thought I should give it a try even though I've never liked Hemingway. After reading that book I still have no reason to like any of his stuff, and it was a miracle I didn't stop reading.

 

[Relish in Chaos]

Twilight and Eragon. Both boring books with pacing problems, although I let the latter fly because the author was 17 at the time.

 

[SckizoBoy]

Lately?

Scipio - A Novel - by Ross Leckie, fuck me, the amount of vitriol I'll direct at it is limitless, one of the shitest books I've ever read, and made worse by the fact that I consider myself knowledgeable about the subject material.

 

[manic_depressive13]

I've read some shitty books in my time, but I don't really regret reading them because understanding exactly what makes them shit is often an interesting exercise and a learning experience. It's also fun to argue with people who disagree with me.

I think it's odd that the Catcher in the Rye gets so much hate. I always liked that book. I don't think Holden was a whiny kid. I think he was a depressed individual who had a difficult time accepting his younger brother's death and has no idea how to express himself. When you look past what appears to be trivial whining and slightly annoying repetition it's actually really sad. The main reason I love it is because I read it for the first time when I was about nine and it was the first book I had ever seen that broke the conventional writing formula. At face value it seems like pretty much nothing happens in the Catcher in the Rye. I thought that was fantastic.

The Old Man and the Sea was quite tragic as well. Perhaps you have to be the depressive type to appreciate that sort of stuff. Both Salinger and Hemingway were pretty miserable dudes.

 

[Aris Khandr]

Reading The Neverending Story absolutely ruined the movie for me. Otherwise, I can't think of any books I wish I hadn't read.

EDIT: I attempted to read the Bible once. I got like two books in, and was stopped cold by literally a page of nothing but "X begat Y begat Z begat Q" until the word "begat" ceased to actually mean anything to my brain.

 

[bobmus]

http://www.wired.com/geekdad/wp-content/uploads/2011/09/burgess-clockwork_orange.jpg

I'd started reading A Clockwork Orange a few times, and found it an exercise in frustration with the use of a made-up language and a meandering plot that didn't seem to be going anywhere. However, with continued recommendations and praise, I restarted once more and made it all the way through to the end.
I was annoyed that I had done so.

The premise may have been interesting at the time, but it's so poorly executed that it easily ranks as one of the worst reads of my entire life.

 

[thebobmaster_v1legacy]

I think it's odd that the Catcher in the Rye gets so much hate. I always liked that book. I don't think Holden was a whiny kid. I think he was a depressed individual who had a difficult time accepting his younger brother's death and has no idea how to express himself. When you look past what appears to be trivial whining and slightly annoying repetition it's actually really sad. The main reason I love it is because I read it for the first time when I was about nine and it was the first book I had ever seen that broke the conventional writing formula. At face value it seems like pretty much nothing happens in the Catcher in the Rye. I thought that was fantastic.

You have a point, and I can't very well say your opinion is wrong. But to me, he lost my sympathy when he ran around acting like the world was the problem, rather than him.

 

[sextus the crazy]

housekeeping [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Housekeeping_%28novel%29] by Marilynne Robinson

Normally in English class what books are liked by which people is divided usually between gender lines. This book however, no one in my class like. It was perhaps one of the most dull, dreary, and boring books I have ever read. There are no likeable characters; there's barely any sort of plot progression; it's just a dull slog.

Of course, I still needed to read it for class, but I hate the book.

 

[Eamar]

The Da Vinci Code. Just really bad writing. I felt a little bit more stupid after finishing it.

 

[BaronUberstein]

I disliked Rye for the same reason. The Great Gatsby was also a boring book.

Honestly, I disliked most of the books in English class. I've been moving more towards Non-Fiction as of late. Something I really enjoyed reading was the Rommel Papers.

 

[The Funslinger]

Twilight and Eragon. Both boring books with pacing problems, although I let the latter fly because the author was 17 at the time.

I'm seventeen, and the folklore book I've had published as well as the novel I'm writing are better paced than that shit.

OT: Angel's Game, but only because it was so well written I had to put it down half way through and read two Discworld books to cheer myself up. It depresses the hell out of you.

 

[slowpoke219]

There´s been a lot, most were 19th Century English literature. Man that stuff could put me to sleep. Most recently however was the novelization of Assassin´s Creed 2. I usually love video game tie in novels, but that one was just plain aweful. Never mind that I already enjoy the source material and that it´s about revenge and assassin´s and all those really cool things. It was as about as fun to read as the back of a soup can.

 

[Phasmal]

I regret reading The Lovely Bones, I pretty much just kept on reading to see if it got any less unpleasant. It did not.

Also I kind of regret looking through my sisters pregnancy books. I'm already freaked out enough about pregnancy and it didn't help. (Basically `How you will feel at so-and-so weeks: like shit`)

 

[Terratina.]

An Inspector Calls by J. B. Priestly.

One of the most depressing books ever inflicted on me by my high school. The premise? An inspector investigates a servant's death - killed herself by drinking strong disinfectant and grills the Birling family abouts who's responsbility it was.

Sunshine and rainbows this ain't. It just seemed like a cheap ploy to get us youngsters to care more about 'responsibility'. Pfft.

I'm seventeen, and the folklore book I've had published as well as the novel I'm writing are better paced than that shit.

I'll bite, are there any tasty links to that?

 

[ZeroMachine]

None.

If I didn't enjoy a book, I didn't read it.

Still managed to pass through school with a loooooad of bullshit.

 

[StereoMike]

All three of the mass effect novels i read. They were some of the most terrible books you could ever read.

 

[shadyh8er]

Hands down The Scarlet Letter. I have no idea how it's lauded as a classic. It bears no relevance to today, unlike some of those dystopian future novels which serve as warnings.

 

[Xannidel]

Hmm normally if there is a novel I did not like I would just stop reading it and the only one that really comes to mind is the prequel to the Wheel of Time series. I read the first book and while it took awhile to get some action into the book, I really did enjoy the novel and even bought the second one but then I found out there was a prequel and thought that adding some back story would be a nice idea. I was wrong, oh so very very wrong. I probably made it halfway through the book before boredom finally convinced me to do something else. That book was completely boring and was completely pointless. I am sure if I were to finish it then it might make some sense but nah not now.
I might try to re-read it later but I still have a bad taste in my mouth.