Books You've Thrown Away

[Smilla]

Apologies to you, Smilla, but I freakin' hated Smilla's Sense of Snow. It took me forever to wade through it and I still have no idea what was going on.

I...I...don't accept your apology! I demand you try to read it again! I...screw it. If you weren't immediately sucked in by the haunting beauty of that novel, it was probably wasn't for you.

Plus it had one of the worst sex scenes I've ever read.

Okay, I feel you there. Sort of. My take on the scene I think you mean is that it wasn't supposed to be particularly erotic. And I confess, some of what Høeg was trying to do there baffles me. Maybe its eroticism is better in Danish, I don't know.

[foxfair]

Has anyone read The Little Friend by Donna Tartt?

Hey Bonsai - guess what book I came here specifically to trash? It's even worse because it was SO hyped and I was SO pumped to read it - I greatly enjoyed The Secret History, which wasn't great art but, imo, was above most throwaway current literature. The Little Friend needed to be edited down by about 50% and even then it probably would have sucked. I actually finished the damn thing too, because I kept thinking one more page, one more page and it might get good!

Other books that blew:

You Shall Know Our Velocity by Dave Eggers. Ugh. One of very few books I actually haven't finished. BORING. BORING. Uh, BORING. If I had had to suffer through one more awkward 'wealthy white American gives money to poor foreigner and realizes that, despite their poverty, they are so much more dignified than he is" moment I would have screamed.

Yellow Dog by Martin Amis. Hate. Every single sentence in this piece of hackery sort of shone with writerly pride. I could see the little thought bubble about Amis' head as he was writing: "I am a GREAT and IMPORTANT writer. See how I construct complex and unexpected sentences. Marvel at my offbeat use of surprising words. Let your mouth hang open in amazement as I tackle such controversial topics as PORN and..." oh etc. etc. It was just one big incoherent wank.

Oooh, I feel cleansed now.

[Deleted]

Gah, The Little Friend! Words cannot describe how disappointed I was w/ this book. I loved A Secret History (I even named one of my cats after Henry). I was so excited to get my hands on something else by Tartt. Then, what do I get? Crap. Did she run out of paper or something? Where's the rest of the story? I can't believe it got published. Maybe only her most devout fans got the ending emailed to them 6 months after the book's release. I mean, seriously?

[Deleted]

Trawler by Redmond O'Hanlon. It was recommended as a good fishing, action, adventure book much like The Perfect Storm. It ain't.

The first chapter concerns a lot of loose ends about a Brit Fishing Administrator's love life: "It is great!" No details however. The author's home life: a daughter with a serious illness---what was it? Did she recover? Who knows? But she is sitting at the dining room table doing her homework at the beginning of the book, perhaps she succumbs later. I don't know. I did know that I didn't want to know any of these people or about their confusing lives.

What I wanted to know about were: Giant Squids and monster storms and ugly wierd looking fish and stalwart dolphins drowned (or not) in fishing nets and cursing sailors and what mysteries they dredge up from Davy Jones' Locker and how maybe some of those sailors have sex with the Giant Squids or dream of it or something.

[monsterzero]

Anybody call Atonement yet? That ending still fucking bugs me, less for the complete unfairness of it and more for the way McEwan seemed to want to intentionally ruin the reading experience just to play the 'look at me being too clever for you' card.

Hate.

[bonitagirl]

I have to mention Atlas Shrugged by Ayn Rand. I had to struggle to finally finish the book and only to find out the ending of who is John Galt. The book was too long and repetitive that I had to skip pages to continue on. She also didn't need to pound viewers in the head with her philosophy. The book's premise was actually enticing but she could of trimmed some pages down to further my interest. I remember many of the characters' redundant converstations about her philosophy taking up to 10-20 pages especially the John Galt speech in the end.

Word to the posters that mention She's Come Undone. What a dreadful and depressing book that made me want the main character to slit her wrists already to put a end to her misery. Never had I hated a character so much for her incessant whinning, bitchy attitude, and overall self deprecating self.

I also hate The Lovely Bones only b/c I was expecting something more from it than some YA plotline from hell.

[Deleted]

Technically speaking I didn't throw the book away but I did take it back to the library very quick. I borrowed Lord Foul's Bane the first book in The Chronicles of Thomas Covenant the Unbeliever series and after I read past the part he raped a girl I know I will never be able to finish that book let alone all three of them.

[Bruins07]

Whenever I saw this thread at the place that shall not be named, I always think of Louisa May Alcott's Little Women. I HATED, HATED the ending. Jo and Laurie were so meant for each other, but no, Laurie has to end up with whiny, annoying Amy! The ending totally ruined the whole book for me which was quite enjoyable in the first half.

I also couldn't stand reading Moby Dick or Cry, the Beloved Country for my English classes. Moby Dick was just way too long and couldn't hold my attention for two pages. That was the first time I didn't finish reading a book for an English class.

[messageunit]

I also couldn't stand reading Moby Dick.

Heh, sperm. Barrels and barrels of sperm. I'm twelve.

[Bruins07]

Oh yeah and I don't know how I forgot My Antonia. Why are the books selected for AP English Literature so boring? Anyway, I fell asleep reading the first page of that book. Then I had to write a stupid essay about the Nebraska landscapes. *snore*