Jump to content

Books everyone Loves


pixey
 Share

Recommended Posts

I am going to get alot of slack, more in likely. But I just read a very famous well loved book and I thought it was boring, long winded and just plain difficult to endure. I pressed on but by the time I got to around page 800 I just began to skim to get to the good parts if there were any.

 

Lord Of The Rings!

 

I just couldnt do it! I lost interest early on, it was very slow moving, not alot of action, but most of all it was BORING.

 

 

 

So what Books do you Hate that everyone else Loves?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Ok, I'm ready to catch the flack bus on this one....

 

 

'Catcher In The Rye'

 

OMG, I haaaate this book. Piece of maudlin crap IMHO. Why would I care about this self involved whining rich kid?

 

 

Drivel. new_thumbsdownsmileyanim.gif

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I have just as much respect for the "classics" as the next man - maybe even more so, since I've read (and liked) a fair share.

 

But a lot of the classics bore me to tears. Oftentimes, they're overly descriptive period pieces; long-winded and set in the 18th or 19th century. I can sometimes deal with this, and be rewarded with a good yarn. Other times, the books may have well as been written in Old English, for the language they use. I admit, I can't follow it.

 

As embarrassing as it is to admit, I sometimes read shorter versions of the classics, written for a young audience. This way, I get the gist of the stories - and their symbolism - without the long-windedness.

 

QUOTE
'Catcher In The Rye'

OMG, I haaaate this book. Piece of maudlin crap IMHO. Why would I care about this self involved whining rich kid?

 

Because, at the time you were assigned to read it (roughly 10th grade), you were self-involved, too. As teenagers, many of us relate to Holden Caulfield, especially his sense that the rest of the world is full of "phonies" and sell-outs. Some readers would call Holden "crazy," but others would say, "Yes, but so were the rest of us at that age."

 

"Catcher in the Rye" was wonderful... but a bit depressing. I've read it three times, but always when I felt I could handle the depressive nature of the book. Is it any wonder why this novel was a favorite of David Hinckley and Mark David Chapman?

Edited by GeddyRulz
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Old Man and the Sea by Ernest Hemmingway, bored me to tears it was so bad. If you haven't read the book, let me save you some time.....old Cuban fisherman spends an entire novel trying to get a marlin in to his boat, and then after he finally kills the thing, sharks eat it. the end. and sadly that description is more interesting than the actual book.....

 

Sun also Rises is pretty bad as well. Like I need to read about a thinly veiled story about Hemmingway going to bull fights and drinking a lot....

 

Great Gatsby was also rather horrible.....I can't even come up with something funny to say in hating this one, it just plain old stunk on ice.....

Link to comment
Share on other sites

QUOTE (GeddyRulz @ Jun 19 2006, 10:31 AM)
QUOTE
'Catcher In The Rye'

OMG, I haaaate this book. Piece of maudlin crap IMHO. Why would I care about this self involved whining rich kid?

 

Because, at the time you were assigned to read it (roughly 10th grade), you were self-involved, too. As teenagers, many of us relate to Holden Caulfield, especially his sense that the rest of the world is full of "phonies" and sell-outs. Some readers would call Holden "crazy," but others would say, "Yes, but so were the rest of us at that age."

 

Nope, I was in my twenties when I finally got around to reading it. Still found it to be a piece of maudlin crap.

And see, everytime I admit that, there's someone telling me I didn't give it a chance, that it was wonderful...yadda yadda, yadda (no offense intended GR wink.gif ) but it all comes down to the fact that I just DID NOT like it, nor did I find it to be a great work of literary achievement. That is MY opinion. I'm not trying to sway anyone else's opinion of it.

Different strokes for different folks. You know?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Maybe I'll find an example of "big people" books later on. For now, I took a children's lit class and had to read "Holes". How on earth did such a boring and predictable book win the damn Newbery? Everyone else in the class liked it but me. I told the prof to pick up "Ender's Game" as a replacement and she said she'd look into it.
Link to comment
Share on other sites

The Little Prince

 

I'm not sure if this is one that 'everybody' loves, but I know the college writing teacher who assigned it sure did. However, I hated it. Most of the symbolism was too hard to interpret. Some of the language was hard to comprehend. And the characters were just too out there, some cases being a bit whiney and irritating. I had to write a report on it, providing my interpretations and opinions on the book. Boy did I give my opinion. I stated why I thought it was bad. While the instructor was a bit hurt by my criticism, she gave me a decent grade for the report.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

QUOTE (Mrs. Huck Rogers @ Jun 19 2006, 01:25 PM)
Stephen King

there are a few i like

but for the most part.....meh

yup....

misery.... one of my favs....

 

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

QUOTE (Arndrake @ Jun 20 2006, 04:00 AM)
The Little Prince

I'm not sure if this is one that 'everybody' loves, but I know the college writing teacher who assigned it sure did. However, I hated it. Most of the symbolism was too hard to interpret. Some of the language was hard to comprehend. And the characters were just too out there, some cases being a bit whiney and irritating. I had to write a report on it, providing my interpretations and opinions on the book. Boy did I give my opinion. I stated why I thought it was bad. While the instructor was a bit hurt by my criticism, she gave me a decent grade for the report.

Try reading it in french...Meeeerrrddde!!!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

The Bible

 

**keep ur comments to urself Plz

tyvFm 1287.gif

Link to comment
Share on other sites

QUOTE (Mrs. Huck Rogers @ Jun 20 2006, 11:26 AM)
QUOTE (DonnaWanna @ Jun 20 2006, 04:25 PM)
The Bible

**keep ur comments to urself Plz
tyvFm  1287.gif

laugh.gif

 

i must concur

gotcha laffin gain hmmm?? laugh.gif

 

wink.gif

Link to comment
Share on other sites

QUOTE (doubled_mystic @ Jun 19 2006, 08:00 PM)
Old Man and the Sea by Ernest Hemmingway, bored me to tears it was so bad. If you haven't read the book, let me save you some time.....old Cuban fisherman spends an entire novel trying to get a marlin in to his boat, and then after he finally kills the thing, sharks eat it. the end. and sadly that description is more interesting than the actual book.....

oh my... i wanted to shoot myself when i was forced to read that book

 

i did like the great gatsby though, even if i didn't understand it completely at the time. fitzgerald's style appeals to me.

 

hee, and i did have to read the little prince en francais!!!! and didn't think it was that bad. it was just... dull. i truly hated the davinci code, not because of all the religious stuff, but because it was so damn predictable and poorly constructed. i loathe books that treat the reader as if he/she is mentally challenged.

 

any book that follows ebert's law of conservation of characters, or follows the "if a gun shows up in act I, it will be shot in act III" model, and does this in a supposedly serious manner, immediately bores me to tears.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

QUOTE (Mrs. Huck Rogers @ Jun 20 2006, 10:26 AM)
QUOTE (DonnaWanna @ Jun 20 2006, 04:25 PM)
The Bible

**keep ur comments to urself Plz
tyvFm  1287.gif

laugh.gif

 

i must concur

Burn in hell, both of you.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

z7shysterical.gif z7shysterical.gif z7shysterical.gif z7shysterical.gif z7shysterical.gif z7shysterical.gif z7shysterical.gif z7shysterical.gif z7shysterical.gif

Link to comment
Share on other sites

QUOTE
i truly hated the davinci code, not because of all the religious stuff, but because it was so damn predictable and poorly constructed. i loathe books that treat the reader as if he/she is mentally challenged.

any book that follows ebert's law of conservation of characters, or follows the "if a gun shows up in act I, it will be shot in act III" model, and does this in a supposedly serious manner, immediately bores me to tears.

 

Gee, my first instinct is to be offended... myself and millions of others (many of which are on this board) enjoyed "The DaVinci Code," and only a few of us are mentally challenged. wink.gif "Duhhh... my name Mark."

 

I didn't find it too predictable; the hidden clues and anagrams kept it interesting.

 

But I know what you mean about the "if a gun shows up in act I, it will be shot in act III" thing. A great example from DaVinci (without spoiling much for future readers) is: we're told about one character's deadly allergy to peanuts. "Gee... do ya think that might come back into the story later???" Sho 'nuff.

 

On the other hand, we're constantly reminded of Robert Langdon's claustrophobia, and yet it doesn't have any important significance later on (or in the prequel, "Angels and Demons").

Edited by GeddyRulz
Link to comment
Share on other sites

QUOTE (GeddyRulz @ Jun 20 2006, 03:45 PM)
My first instinct is to be offended... myself and millions of others (many of which are on this board) enjoyed "The DaVinci Code," and only a few of us are mentally challenged. wink.gif

I didn't find it too predictable; the hidden clues and anagrams kept it interesting.

But I know what you mean about the "if a gun shows up in act I, it will be shot in act III" thing. A great example from DaVinci (without spoiling much for future readers) is: we're told about one character's deadly allergy to peanuts. "Gee... do ya think that might come back into the story later???" wink.gif

On the other hand, we're constantly reminded of Robert Langdon's claustrophobia, and yet it doesn't have any important significance later on (or in the prequel, "Angels and Demons").

well, i didn't say that anyone who enjoyed it is mentally challenged, just that the book was simplistic enough to appeal to the lowest common denominator in some ways. that doesn't mean that smart people cannot enjoy it, just that it seems to cater to the dumb. lots of intelligent people enjoy bad schlocky fiction, myself included. i have a weakness for crappy chick mysteries that usually include acrobatic fantasy sex joker.gif

 

i just don't like bad schlocky fiction that pretends to be deep and intelligent.

 

the supposed "puzzles" irked to me to extremes, as i figured them out immediately and wanted to throw the book across the room for all their beating around the bush about the solutions. they're the kind of simple games that the smart kids did in math class in third grade. thanks, but i took cryptography classes in college and well, encyclopedia brown came to mind several times regarding the supposedly difficult puzzles in davinci.

 

it makes me want to run into a theater where it's playing and yell, "THE f***ing ANSWER IS *****"

 

the peanut thing pissed me off moreso than most, perhaps because i'm allergic to them myself and it was dealt with in a stupid and unrealistic manner. and well... the piviotal point of the book shows up so early on that i pegged it way before i was supposed to and was bored to tears at the end. i mean, why else would it have been there? why would dan brown have droned on... and on... and on... and f***ing on about it? way to kill the suspense tongue.gif

 

*** added so as not to spoil it for anyone

Link to comment
Share on other sites

QUOTE
the supposed "puzzles" irked to me to extremes, as i figured them out immediately and wanted to throw the book across the room for all their beating around the bush about the solutions. they're the kind of simple games that the smart kids did in math class in third grade. thanks, but i took cryptography classes in college and well, encyclopedia brown came to mind several times regarding the supposedly difficult puzzles in davinci.

 

I can appreciate the simpleness of the puzzles for someone like you (or Langdon), who took Cryptography. But for the rest of us Encyclopedia Browns, the answers weren't so easy.

 

Sure, if I knew I should be looking for anagrams, I may have figured out a couple. But I wasn't looking for anagrams, I was trying to figure out the riddles on their face. And I'd never heard of the Fibonacci Sequence as a smart third-grade math student, so that came as a suprise solution as well. (Gee... I may be blowing this for future readers.)

 

Not your cup of tea; fine. But some of us readers are both mentally astute AND surprised by the solutions.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

QUOTE (GeddyRulz @ Jun 20 2006, 04:24 PM)
Not your cup of tea; fine. But some of us readers are both mentally astute AND surprised by the solutions.

i completely agree, which is why i said that it's very easy for lots of smart people to enjoy the book. i'm just not one of them smile.gif it all depends on your particular mental processes and inclinations.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Hmmmm, math puzzles for fun...yeeeaahh riiigght. What is this 'fun' of which you speak? laugh.gif
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now
 Share

  • Recently Browsing   0 members

    • No registered users viewing this page.
×
×
  • Create New...