Books You've Thrown Away

[SGleason]

My brother keeps telling me to read that, Smilla. He loooooooooooooooves it.

Okay, board: Do you dig in your mental heels when told you'll love something? I can never read anything my mom suggests even though I kind of like her.

[Deleted]

sgleason said:

Okay, board: Do you dig in your mental heels when told you'll love something? I can never read anything my mom suggests even though I kind of like her.

Occasionally. Of course, the only book I can dredge from my memory on this is Robert Bork's The Tempting of America, which my dad was so insistent I read that he bought me my own copy (admittedly from the remainder bin somewhere). I have yet to read it, although I will read other things he recommends.

[incognito]

I would just like to post these wonderfully delicious quotes about a particular author whose books I have thrown away (hint: her initials are AR and she has spawned a loathsome political philosophy):

"This is not a book to be tossed aside lightly. It should be thrown with great force." - Dorothy Parker on Atlas Shrugged

"The Fountainhead is Rand's best novel, which is not to say that it is good." - Mark Kingwell

"Ayn Rand writes bad prose." - The simple truth from George Saunders, great writer and former Objectivist.

"No. I am not--and have never been--influenced by Ayn Rand. In fact, I pity anyone who is influenced by Ayn Rand. It's almost as bad as being influenced by Dan Brown." - Salman Rushdie

Credit for these quotes goes to a Facebook group!

[Deleted]

I remember enjoying Wuthering Heights in high school, so I did a re-read a few months ago. I don't know what was wrong with me at 17. With the exception of the narrator, every single character needed a good smack in the head. And the love story? Nothing more than a spoiled brat who doesn't know what she wants and an obssessed jerk who can't get over her. My copy went to a teacher friend.

I really wanted to like A Heartbreaking Work of Staggering Genius, but I just could not finish it. I was slogging through that overlong chapter on his audition for The Real World San Francisco, when I told myself that I was not required to finish every book I start. I just didn't care about what happened to the author and his brother. I gave that one away too.

The only book I have ever actually thrown in the trash was The Outlander.

[Smilla]

when I told myself that I was not required to finish every book I start.

I have to tell myself that a lot. And it's still hard for me to put down a book I haven't finished and forget about it without feeling guilty. What is that?

[Ripley]

smilla said:

when I told myself that I was not required to finish every book I start.

I have to tell myself that a lot. And it's still hard for me to put down a book I haven't finished and forget about it without feeling guilty. What is that?

This librarian's credo is "Life is too short to read boring books." Does that make you feel any better?

kimchi, I know exactly what you mean about Wuthering Heights. I was reading it thinking, "I want to reach in and slap all of these people!"

[Deleted]

I kept thinking, he's one man. Can't they just shoot him and make it look like an accident?

[Deleted]

kimchi said:

I kept thinking, he's one man. Can't they just shoot him and make it look like an accident?

And an orphan too. It's not like he'd have any pesky family come investigating.

[Smilla]

"No. I am not--and have never been--influenced by Ayn Rand. In fact, I pity anyone who is influenced by Ayn Rand. It's almost as bad as being influenced by Dan Brown." - Salman Rushdie

WA HA HA HA HA HA HAH! That is beautiful. Thanks.

Topic: I realized the other day that I've tossed virtually every book I've read by A.M. Holmes (most of which I had purchased first, unfortunately). The only book by Holmes I've been able to finish is In a Country of Mothers, but that was mostly because I wanted to see if a book which became more vile with every chapter could possibly outdo itself in the epilogue. It did.

[sardonictart]

Have to pile on to the hate for Ayn Rand and Incognito's wonderful quote postings. There were a couple on that Facebook group that she didn't post which bear airing:

"Atlas Shrugged can be called a novel only by devaluing the term." - Conservative critic Whittacker Chambers, National Review

"At first I was happy to be learning how to read. It seemed exciting and magical, but then I read this: Atlas Shrugged, by Ayn Rand. I read every last word of this garbage, and because of this piece of shit, I am never reading again." - Officer Barbrady, South Park

On topic: I have only ever thrown away two books, both by Ann Rice: Memnoch the Devil & Armand. I used to love Rice - I adored her first four vampire books, then I found myself skimming Memnoch and not caring what happened to anyone. Someone gave me Armand for my birthday years ago (thinking that I would love it since I love her others) - I didn't even crack it open. And the used bookstore wouldn't take it either. Heh.