Books You've Thrown Away

[Margo]

jensational said:

BinkyBetsySuch as: just because you work for minimum wage, it doesn't mean you're lazy, in fact you do more physically draining labor and most of the people working these jobs are trying to feed a family or make their lives better.

I disagree. I'd say about half of the people working for minimum wage do so because their circumstances are unfair and forced them into it. The other half is there because they are lazy. Going to college is not easy, and if you pick a subject that will earn you very good wages when you graduate, it's even harder. Much harder than physically draining labour. I'm sure that half of my high school will work minimum wage jobs - the same half who never did their homework, skipped school the entire time, and asked me if my parents beat me up to make me do my homework.

Sorry to say this, but this author sounds like someone I may actually like to read. I can sort of relate to her condescending tone.

[Deleted]

Ah, my post might have been confusing. The author agrees with what I wrote. Only she says it in a super condescending way like "Don't these fools in Washington realize that this is hard work! Don't these morons who run Merry Maids know that they are destroying families with their poor pay scale!" and then she tries to unionize a Wal-mart. So yeah, if you disagreed with me, her books would make your blood pressure rise to astronomical proportions.

Which is sometimes fun. It's pretty much why I read the second one. I knew I'd hate it but I was hoping I'd hate it with glee.

[Margo]

Oops, sorry. I got that you wrote about what the author said, but I kind of forgot about it as I was writing my post.

So I'll like her condescending tone, but not what she actually says. I'll add her to my list of books to read to make me angry (along with Laurell Hamilton's latest oeuvre).

[BinkyBetsy]

I didn't throw it away, but I got pretty darn exasperated with Appetites: Why Women Want by Caroline Knapp. I really enjoyed her book about alcoholism, and I foolishly thought I'd get something out of this, too. I've recently started dieting and exercising, because, well, a lot of my clothes don't fit any more, and I want to be able to wear them again.

But her agenda seemed to be that every woman in America, if not the world, has issues with food and her body. If you diet, you have issues. If you don't diet, you have issues. If you don't like how you look in a bikini. If you like your looks too much. If you're a vegetarian. If you turn down the last piece of pizza. If you exercise. And the day I started reading this, I was working my way through a bag of M&Ms. I'd read the nutritional info on the bag, and figured 1/4 cup a day would be all right. And if Knapp saw me doing this, I can just imagine how she'd react. Measuring out M&Ms: neurotic, afraid to relinquish control. Reading FDA info: conformist, believes whatever I'm told. About to start workout: fanatic, thinks world will come to end if I slack off. And why am I dieting in the first place? Cripes.

I may glance through it again, just to see if there are any interesting case histories; I love case histories. Beyond that, though, the way she talks, it's like I'm supposed to be worse off for taking responsibility for my health.

[petals]

I picked up Dan Brown's Angels and Demons for a mindless read on my plane trip back from Italy. Ugh. I'm not very far into it, but I'm afraid it may have to be thrown away.

It's written exactly like The Da Vinci Code, which wasn't that good of a book to begin with. Almost the exact same setup--this book came first, right? So, did he just copy and paste?

And I hate the fact that he goes through the main male character's accomplishments, mentions briefly what he looks like, and then proceeds to spend a whole page describing the looks of the female lead--who is always "lithe and graceful." Puke.

I spent 9 Euro on it, damn it, I'll get through it!

[Deleted]

door said:

I really, really hated Blue Angel, by Francine Prose. I got it for free and still consider it a waste of money.

I'm reading that now, and although the writing is good, the plot could not be any more predictable. Over-the-hill writing teacher with lovely wife discovers one of his female students is a brilliant writer. Meanwhile, the college he works at is having issues with sexual harassment and over-the-top accusations. Dear reader, can you guess what will happen next?

For a scathing satire on the overly politically correct world of academia, it was so heavy-handed in its denunciations of Evil Feminists.

[WitchyPoo]

berrybearie said:

I'm more than halfway through the Celestine Prophecy and I just don't know if I can trudge on. It was in the 4-for-the-price-of-3 bin at Borders, and seemed like it would be an interesting sort of adventure/mystery, but the clumsy philosophy and psychobabble is so groanworthy, I keep wanting to smack the characters for the inane, yet oh so deep and spiritual, dialogue. I may make it to the end, but I don't see myself getting less annoyed.

My aunt carried it around for years, using it like a Bible. She also thought that the moles on my cousins face were constellations and the we could communicate with aliens. That was reason enough for me never to go near it.

[Deleted]

The Boyfriend School by Sarah Bird. Seriously unreadable.
I bought it a couple of weeks ago when I was in the mood for a fun and frivolous chick lit read, but didn't get around to it till today. What a waste of money.

[Beyle]

Run Catch Kiss by Amy Sohn

I dislike her writing style. The book's tone and the main character's voice drove me up a wall. I actually tore the book in half, before throwing it into the recycling bin.

[chonies]

beyle, I hated that book so much it made me dizzy with rage. I read it when the first push of post Bridget Jones books were coming out, and it sucked tremendously. Unfortunately, I can't remove the image of the scrot-skin caught in the fly or her horrible smugness about her stupid Bob Dylan collection, and someone please!! Poke the shish kebab skewer into my ear to make these horrible memories go away!

To make it even worse, it was recommended to me by a creepy old man customer at my bookstore who was active in his (and Amy Sohn's) school's alumni association, and he kept expressing pervy, baffled disappointment that I hated it so.